Session 54: Mission Imposterable


 * Flashback to Sarienne leaving the boat. She ties it up at a little dock.
 * She sees a human girl named Anna skipping stones across the water. Sarienne gives her some pointers. She asks her to keep an eye on the boat (since she has "an oyster hunt tomorrow") and Sarienne gives her some silver. She says her name is Cornerio.
 * Recap: After the blowout with Cornerio, Sam was concerned that he'd betray the agency and we convinced him to hold off on telling Central Control. Cornerio rented a room and just threw up a conch shell.
 * He looks it over; it's gilded. He puts it up to his mouth (it's very salty) and blows air into it. He rolls well on UMD and he can create a persistent image… he's thinking about the rest of the party so it forms a huge creepy monster ("Vasikrienngun"). He demands that it apologize and it tries to; he says it's not good enough and dismisses it.
 * Cornerio starts writing a letter to Mogen from the law offices of Dewey, Cheatem, and Howe asking to drop her suit for them to drop their countersuit on condition that they never speak of this again. The next letter is to Mogen's brother (whose name he can't remember) suggesting Mogen wants to drop the suit against him and that she is regretful; he sends 50 gold with it.
 * He decides he wants to close one of the gates himself by going to the Mror Holds, but only after faking his death. He posts his letters (and realizes Mogen's letter is going to sit at the office until Kalti comes to pick it up), then and goes to visit Charlene Ashta (the Roland fan) in the Brelish quarter.
 * Charlene nervously brings him into an office; she has his gold coin mounted on the wall. He also sees a very small red dragon and an older hobgoblin woman (Peng) who also has a dragonmark. She asks, "You're Roland Legarde?" and asks what he's doing here and why the other adventurers aren't there.
 * He says because he's in danger and needs their help because someone in his party is a traitor and he needs to leave the city as soon as possible. Peng asks why he isn't getting the rest of the group to help, and he says he doesn't know which one the traitor is. He rolls a 6 on the Bluff check; Peng frowns but doesn't say anything. He says he wants them to spread the rumor that his 'assumed name' (Benny Singh) has died.
 * Peng asks why he needs them; he says he needs people he can trust. She's suspicious but Charlene is insistent that they'll help; she says 'surely you can tell your closest friend!' and drops his name. They decide they will be investigating his death; he tells them to go to the Reichministry of Colonial Affairs to start there. Peng asks why an abandoned building would be the spot; he says he has secret adventurer knowledge.
 * They talk about the cover story; Peng outright says that she doesn't believe he's Roland and walks away. She says that in 2 days she'll start saying she found Benny Singh's body. Charlene wants to show him the place but he says he needs to leave.
 * Back at the Reichministry…
 * We discuss the plan. Plan A is for Vesun's Symbol of Sleep to be in a fancy scroll with him dressed as a priest with Shimmer hanging onto his leg, and convince them to let him inside to open the scroll. We decide that if they don't take the scroll, Sarienne will open it on the roof.
 * Sarienne gets home and sees an elf pacing outside the building; he says his name is Ardyll Venetables, and he's an art dealer and a gnome told him to come here to get our help. He says his friend is depressed; his inspiration is leaving him and he mentions a ghost. Sarienne tells him the gnome is a conman and he's been punked; he is desperate and asks her for help (she says her name is Vesun), she says we might look into it and he gives her his address.
 * We finish discussing the plan. Vesun needs to get components for the rune; we all contribute 140g. He gives himself Owl's Wisdom to get a higher save DC and makes the rest of us immune to it.
 * We head to the Officer's Club.
 * There are 3 House Deneith guards standing outside. Vikrit casts Mass Camouflage on the group. We send Shimmer and Venga in to scout; Shimmer hears them complaining about various personal things. Venga hears sobbing and breathing on the other side of the building.
 * Vesun goes up disguised as a Thranean prefect acting like he belongs; the guards look him over and wave him through. Vesun walks in and down the hall; the cook sees him and gives a grunt to acknowledge him. He opens the door that Cornerio wasn't able to go into.
 * There are 2 guards inside; they make small-talk and complain about the House Deneith guards being loud. (Vesun says what with such high security they wouldn't let anything slip by them). He says something about Throneholders attacking the Exarch but the other shuts him up. Vesun says he's here to talk to the prisoner; they pretend they don’t know what he's talking about but he hands them a scroll and says it's straight from the Exarch… they open it and fall right to sleep.
 * He opens the door to the small storage room nearby. Lenore is there, manacled and asleep. Shimmer lets Mogen see that the 3 guards outside are asleep, and Sarienne and Vikrit sneak forward.
 * Vesun detects magic and finds a necklace with the stargazer symbol on it as well as a logbook… the teleport necklace that they've used before. Vikrit and Sarienne drag the 2 guards inside and leave the other against the tree (the cook is asleep too). Vesun calls Sarienne back to the back room; she picks the lock on the manacles.
 * Vesun goes to the kitchen to get a sack of potatoes (for deniability for carrying Lenore) and Vikrit listens at the bottom of the stairs, ineffectually. He spots someone at the top of them… and hides, letting Vesun know. Sarienne spots the Inspired (Lieutenant) coming down the hall just in time while trying to drag Lenore out. Vesun cleverly disguises himself as one of the House Deneith guards from outside and says something weird is happening and people are falling asleep. The Thranean is about to go into the kitchen when Vikrit freaks out and casts Blinding Spittle into his face. He screams and Vesun cuts it off abruptly with Silence, then uses his Wand of Hold Person on him and ties him inside the potato sack.
 * Vanesse bursts into the building, casting Obscuring Mist…and obscures the whole room. Vikrit runs back to help Sarienne move Lenore. Vesun makes Vanesse and Lenore both invisible and we take off.
 * We speed-walk to the bridge.
 * The girl Sarienne paid is still there and so is the boat; Sarienne leads us there. Halfway across the bridge, there's a House Deneith guard walking across the street. He doesn't notice anything suspicious. Vanesse gets in the boat first with Lenore with a big invisible thunk; then Vikrit and Sarienne get in too and start heading toward Placid Garden.
 * Vesun, Tork and Mogen get through the Breland Quarter with no trouble; there is no guard to the Gardens so they head right in (while discussing how amazing it was that we didn't kill anyone, but making everyone fall asleep should count as maybe 1 death).
 * Tork stays outside to row the boat around and keep watch. The rest of us hold hands and go into Vikrit's creepy land womb and tie up Lenore. We decide to pretend to be Stargazers who are apparently allies but who are mad at her for getting caught.