Session 23: Gang Warfare

Scene: Cornerio

 * CORNERIO'S SCENE: He's been working on altar to Mavadtorop at the base. He has been having the same dream every night--finds himself drowning, struggles to go towards light, but never gets closer, and blacks out.
 * This time, he manages to go up--through a crack in the floor? Giant catacombs, no light. Dark endless hallway: he goes north for hours, doesn't actually feel like moving.
 * Finds human heads on serpent body that are blindfolded - bronze statues. They both try to convince him to take off each blindfold (one is water, one is Knowledge). He chooses Aarika (not Monica) - knowledge - and takes off the blindfold. Its eyes turn white and now he has magic powers?
 * After that dream, the new ones - can escape catacombs, finds giant stone tower with plated gold at the top. He feels the urge to go there. Sometimes there are huge battles around it, sometimes silent. Ever since finishing altar, dreams feel more crisp and real -- increasing difficulty telling difference between reality and dreams.
 * It's actually the Tower of Boldrei in Sharn, floating above city -- the most rich part of Sharn.
 * Cornerio decides to go IRL himself. He sees the halfling with the glidewing (Corvo) outside, but on the way, he is stopped by a House Sivis goblin (Fortis Beronath), who serves him with papers once he gets his full name (which is just Cornerio).
 * It's in gnomish and about disturbing the peace at our first HQ (where Mogen's lab used to be)!
 * He makes it over to Corvo, who starts talking about his family members' exploits and showing off his legs/arms. Corvo tries to charge him 15 gold for a glidewing ride, he pushes back unsuccessfully.
 * Cornerio: "I'll give you 20 gold if you take me and don't talk the whole time."
 * They go to the Skyway and encounters Varsar Batraz, an ineffectual orc town guard (GGY) who tries to stop him. (including IRL). Cornerio intimidates him out of the way.
 * Cornerio feels the strong desire to go up the tower. He goes up the stairs inside.
 * There's a small pedestal with the indentation of a tablet. He feels compelled to run his fingers over it, and it leaves a blue trail, drawing patterns. He somehow feels that he knows the right pattern to unlock it--but feels like doing it now would be a terrible idea and unlock power too early.
 * He decides to do it anyway, and as he's about to finish, he starts floating and glows blue, and Mavadorop tells him not now, he's not ready for what's on the other side ("Domath") despite his insistance that he is, so he stops. END SCENE.

Back to The Reef

 * Recap: Last time, we went down into the basement. Found Hubert's lab, but no one there. There were ghosts & bodies of House Cannith. Found corpse of human & warforged. Spoke with the Warforged then he asked us to mercy kill him. Took body upstairs, Mogen & Dax are doing an autopsy on warforged.
 * Vesun remembered that one of the first Warforged we met when we got stuck in Khyber - go to a place in Sharn with a specific line to bartender.
 * We've just come up from the basement. It's started to rain. Kalti & Yanger are in the dining room arguing about news? Both major gangs are mad at us because of rescuing Dax and stealing their drugs.
 * Vesun shares what Vigilance told him now: "If you're serious about helping our cause, heed the following instructions: Go to The Shepherd's Lodge in Sharn and tell the bartender you heard that the most pious of Metarol survived the Day of Mourning. He'll ask you why you think that, and you must reply 'because their only sin was perfection'" sun shares that info.
 * Dreamlily is in the Vault. Drack clearly wants at it but Sarienne keeps an eye on it. (BTW: Dimensional Key is in the magic rope dimension.)
 * We discuss going to the Shepherd's Lodge. Cornerio stares at us and casts Detect Thoughts - can only read Sarienne (having a weird dream) and Vanesse's (thinking about shiny new axe). We can't tell who did it so we get paranoid and Vik starts sweeping. He finds Drack eyeing the vault and testing the boundary and intimidates him away.
 * We head out to the bar. Vesun & Sarienne have the headsets, S will hang around outside.
 * There are 2 goonish halflings hanging around outside our base. They want "their property back" but are a bit cowardly when faced with a large number of heavily armed adventurers. Rio gives one a ring confusedly. Most of the party has no idea what they're talking about. They tell us to go see Halak Boromar.
 * Highwalls in Lower Tavik's Landing: there are tons of shops around. Lots of Cyran refugees here. We make it to the bar, delicious smelling.
 * There's a poster there advertising 800 gold by getting hobgoblin's swallowed treasure, and someone named Nora asking for help advert magic vacuum?
 * We go in. The woman there sits us at the bar (Meto). Vesun says the passphrase and she asks "Are you Fairchild?" He says yes and says we need to talk in private.
 * Cornerio demands shepherd's pie. The waiter is pissed and says they only have bread soup. "WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO? You want me to go ask the cook?" "Yes!" … "YEAH IT'S JUST BREAD IN WATER." "Ugh. Well give me a gallon."
 * Tork stays at the bar and Cornerio has his bread soup to eat.
 * There's a snoozing armored half-elf in here with symbol of Ontar, god of forging.
 * To: 'Fairchild': "We got your letter. There was no one there. We couldn't find Limbo." (name of the warforged we found) Vesun says someone got there before them. Are we safe? We're laying low. Meto yells for Sanay to wake up, yells for Nora, young human woman.
 * She tells them Vesun is Fairchild and they both look shocked. "Good to see you." "Don't be so sure."
 * Vesun tells them Limbo was caught and killed. I'm not Fairchild, and we're carrying on the work of Vigilance, who sent us here. They recognize the name. She asks who we are, Vesun is vague. It looks like the ones they'd freed were caught. "Attainment" is the dead one we saw.
 * Meto says: We get these messages via dead drop, name on them is Fairchild. They provide information about locations -- smuggling to Aundair and Thrane up to Karnath. Meto says they're all from Cyre. One of warforged broke ranks to protect her in Cyre, family was killed. Paladin says they're creations of Ontar. Nora doesn't say anything, looking @ documents. She doesn't agree.
 * There's a dead-drop nearby they get Fairchild's messages. They've freed 3 warforged: each time go to location, have a name for warforged (Vigilance, Endurance - looked more like a war machine- COULD be juggernaut that charged at us; Attainment, Limbo) - They were supposed to find Limbo at this warehouse but it wasn't there.
 * They haven't surveilled the dead drops. They're in a park nearby, near a statue of a Braelish warrior - wooden sign with red notch when something there. There's an area dug behind statue.
 * Meto gives Vikrit a Fairchild note as a sample of Fairchild's handwriting, implying going to compare to Stargazers (we have deliberately not named them yet).
 * We agree to trust each other.
 * Meanwhile, Cornerio gets tossed out of the bar (Sarienne leaps out of the way in time) and a hot bowl of bread soup lands on his face. The bowl rings around his head. Tork gently lifts a piece of bread off Cornerio's head with mage hand.
 * Research: evidence that trains are being used to smuggle Warforged materials in to Aundair and Karrnath. Vigilance was hurt but explained he needed their aid - stayed until it went to find Lord of Blades. They have a lot of notes and theories.
 * Rio gives our base address to Nora. Later she comes up to us - wants us to use her invention, a floorsucker cleaner.
 * Rio to Cornerio: "You're all wet." Vikrit: "Is that Mavadtorop's blessing?"
 * Rio and Tork+Venga do first watch of the dead drop. Vanesse goes home to rest, brings the beetle and note back to Mogen. Vesun goes off to talk with his underworld contacts.
 * Venga and Rio can see the drop spot. There's a humanoid figure and a gnoll, who seems to smell Rio. Rio starts sneaking further away, Tork feels surprise from Venga and comes nearby. Rio steps on Venga's tail and she yelps, and the 2 people see them. They pick Venga up. The gnoll is mad, says this is Daask business. The other person (man) tries to calm him down but have hands on swords. Rio backs away. Tork arrives, they threaten with swords, so PCs move away.
 * (Monica offers OOC to teach Rio draconic because they can learn a new language; Janaka mishears as "HOOKED ON DRACONICS".)
 * Rio changes their appearance and hides again.
 * Meanwhile at the warehouse: Sarienne, Vikrit and Cornerio go. Spot rolls: 1, 1, and 2. (Missing Mezzo watching in disguise) BUDDY'S DOCKS & CHEAP SEAFOOD. Cornerio hears someone inside - a latch turning. Sarienne sees what looks like empty warehouse, catwalk above, rooms in back. Cornerio makes way up to catwalk.
 * Vikrit & Sarienne are quiet, but Cornerio steps on creaky floorboards. 3 half-elves bust out - 1 sword, 1 mace, 1 longbow. Bow is pointed at Cornerio.
 * Cornerio hides behind barrels, Vikrit hides on top of boxes. Sarienne sneak attacks one. The one who got stabbed pulls up his frosty mace. Archer misses. Longsword stabs Sarienne. Vikrit tries to defuse the situation and fails. Cornerio surprises one of them and smashes longsword with the hooked hammer in the face. Sarienne kicks his sword away. They tell us to drop our weapons and Vikrit yells that they should drop theirs because they're outmatched. Longsword says it doesn't look good and starts going out the back. Mace guy doesn't drop it.
 * They have House Medani emblems (assassins, mercs, etc half-elves) on. Sarienne tells them to fuck off and they do.
 * "Remember who did this to you--RIO!" "Rio, huh?"
 * Dropped Longsword = +1 Longsword. In bag that fell off: 22 gold & business card - Mezzo & Forte's. Cornerio takes gold. There are salted fish in the barrels.
 * Park people: watching from balcony. Rio is disguised as a heavily scarred large man. They see halfling (Halek Boromar) and 2 bodyguards in front of statue, meeting with the Daask guy. Rio over hears: "Yes, they stole from us too." (UH OH) They're clearly mad at us and are working together to deal with us - "let us set up a team - quietly. I think I have a way to find out exactly where they live."
 * They start walking toward Rio, who starts moving away. Tork ghost sounds footsteps near the gangsters so they get distracted. They leave, the 2 rehide.
 * Back at the warehouse, we search. Cornerio finds a potion with fur floating in. Vikrit finds a scroll case stuffed with coins, 70 gold pcs. Sarienne finds nothing. Vikrit also finds an arcane scroll. We leave.
 * Stakeout party doesn't find anything else.
 * We reconvene. Rio reports about gang meeting. Potion is of Bear's Endurance. Scroll will later be identified.
 * Meanwhile, Cornerio goes out to the print shop (Tork asks him to get more The Truth Below pamphlets). There are 2 kids he thinks might be following him. Two armed people stop next to him in an alleyway, looking at him angrily. "Is this the guy?" Nods, pulls a large sack out of his satchel. "Is this a gifting sack?"
 * Merc: "Easy way or hard way?" Cornerio: "The FUN way!" and swings the hammer.
 * Morningstar guy swings at him and misses. Cornerio attacks shortsword guy. There are 4 more people coming. Cornerio scrambles up the building and tries to get through a window. Cornerio gets shot badly but makes it through the glass. He starts blacking out.
 * Side note: Vesun has put a glyph of warding and an alarm with the password "Kalti sent me" onto the basement entrance. Also mental Alarm on doors.
 * Vesun also asks around House Orien warehouse if anything suspicious - asks about any unusually heavy things. In last 8 months it's gotten heavier, hasn't been like this since the war's been on. (Warforged materials?)
 * Scroll is: Shield and Magic Missile. Sarienne sells the +1 Longsword for 2000 GP.
 * Vikrit tries to figure out what we stole to anger the gangs, Sarienne doesn't say. We assume it was Cornerio.
 * We go up to his room - old bloodstains on the floor, carved in spirals around. He has built an altar in the room.
 * Jusk (hobgoblin stableboy) has a welt on his head and runs in pointing at stable. Vikrit runs down. There is a wizard hat sitting where Rhavi should be. Diesel has been stolen too. A slip of paper falls out of the hat: "You've taken something of mine. Now I've got more than one thing of yours." Location across from Sharn, bluffs other side 1 hour away.
 * All of Cornerio's stuff has been taken, and there are a LOT of halflings with spears . He's in a cart with bars and his hands are tied. Halek is there (more fancily dressed). Also see a gnoll and a couple ogres are separate from halflings, who are eyeing them nervously. They're setting up a camp.
 * We approach the entrance of the camp, can be seen by their scouts. Vesun and Vikrit lead, with Vesun yelling "Hail and well-met." Vikrit: "It seems like we need to have a conversation."
 * Halek recognizes Vikrit and realizes he's part of the Ghost Sharks. "I just assumed you were racist!"
 * Halek tells us we stole goods, Sarienne admits she knows where they are. Dax owes 4k to Daask. "Daask does not negotiate with our enemies!" "Seems like you just work with them." Rio mentions seeing them in the park and says they sold them out.
 * Vesun rules a 33 on his Bluff check. The scene descends into chaos. One of the trolls knocks a Boromar archer into the water off his bluff. Halek and the gnoll are fighting.
 * We made a break for the cart.
 * Vanesse attacks halflings on the way. Sarienne starts opening Cornerio's cage. Tork attacks halflings. Vikrit can't get into the cage so he goes to get Sarienne's crowbar. Vesun casts Shield Other on an ogre, demonstrating that we are definitely on Daask's side. The troll is near death. Rio provides cover fire.
 * Vanesse kills some more halflings. Tork lightning bolts a bunch of halflings but also the ogre, killing them (missing Halek). Vikrit starts prying on Rhavi's bars. Cornerio rushes a halfling. Sarienne opens Rhavi's cage for him and Vikrit hugs her legs. Vesun heals the troll. Rio snaps their bow.
 * Halek realizes he's very outnumbered and jumps off the cliff onto a pterodactyl/glidewing. Vanesse charges Rio because she's mad he stole her kill. They end up rolling over each other on the ground. Tork blasts a lightning bolt at the pterodactyl that shoots through its wing and it (and Halek) start spiraling. Vikrit and Sarienne free the horses. Cornerio chokes a Clan Boromar member asking where his stuff is. Vesun casts Fly on Vanesse and tells her to go after it. The pterodactyl is stable but going slowly toward the city. Vanesse leaps after them.
 * Tork acid arrows Halek, who tears the arrow out and sees Vanesse. Vikrit mounts Rhavi and goes to the cliff edge to see where Halek and Vanesse are.
 * We tell Daask gnoll we want to ally with them when he asks why we helped. He says he has to think about it and he and the troll leave.
 * Cornerio finds: Smaller tents: 150 gp. Larger tent: piece of paper with set of passcodes dated by week, 44 gp, strange white magic candle (slightly used) in carrying case.
 * Also find: jet black hide leather armor (armor of shadow) - Small. Cornerio wants it, Vikrit refuses to give it to him.
 * We head back to the base.
 * There's a note on the door from Mezzo - "We should talk. Come to the Four Sails tonight. I'll be waiting in a corner booth."
 * We stop at Halek's place first - it's deserted. Do find a bunch of dino feed and Cornerio's stuff.
 * We go to meet Mezzo in the fancy area. Four Sails is a fancy restaurant - we are greeted by the maitre d' who introduces himself from all of us. Mezzo and Forte are in the back room.
 * Clam stew!!
 * Mezzo looks at Sarienne and says he's been looking for her. Sarienne was the last person to see Davide d'Orien alive. Vikrit asks if he's dead, he says he's missing but unlikely alive. He starts asking how we met Davide, asks about the money taken out in Varna, Sarienne says "official business" and doesn't know.
 * He says he has reason to not believe Sarienne is being truthful. Asks what she's been up to, asking about Cliffside. She denies it, but a man (one of the people who escaped) that said we broke into House Cannith warehouse. He says he was hired by House Cannith to look into industrial espionage and theft.
 * Vanesse: "I've had no idea what you're talking about this whole time." Mezzo: "That I'll believe."
 * Summary: Went to Varna and cashed check before got on the train. Mezzo may have been hired by House d'Orien to investigate Davide's disappearance as well as House Cannith stuff.
 * Side note: Vesun's revolutionaries are in for disrupting the gala in a week. They know people in the hospitality house.
 * Cornerio lights the candle - can't tell the effects (no lying).
 * Note: Now whole party knows about Sarienne & Vesun impersonating Davide in Varna and about Sarienne stealing Clan Boromar's drugs.