Session 34: Plausible Dieability

Giant Problems

 * There is wind whipping around us, and we all feel a weird shift in gravity. The back half of the tower is crumbled but still somewhat intact; the front has exploded.
 * Round 1: Vesun casts Sanctuary on himself--he doesn't have his weapons or armor. Vikrit yells at Mogen and Tork to follow him, around to the back side of the tower. Jana yells at the Ghost Sharks "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU KNOW YOU WERE SETTING OFF THE TRAP" and shoots off an ice wall to block the front of the tower. Tork starts running to the side and casts Mage Armor on himself. Sarienne runs near to Jana and asks where the giant comes from (she screams "THE SEALS HAVE GUARDIANS!") and shoots the giant - it doesn't appear to react. Cornerio scrambles over the back wall. Mogen squeezes past the ice wall.
 * Vanesse: "What kind of shoes is he wearing?" He's wearing statue of liberty-style sandals; Vanesse hacks at his big toe. It's like hitting a block of granite; it gouges in and seeps blue liquid but it doesn't react.
 * The giant stays where it is, collecting electricity in its palm, lightning striking. Suddenly creatures with weird leathery wings and birdlike beaks appear to block the exits.
 * Round 2: Vesun casts Bear's Endurance on Vanesse. Vikrit hides in the bushes and gets ready to give Mogen the orb. Jana says, "You have no idea what you're doing, do you", takes out a crystal, and disappears. Tork goes around the back of the tower. Sarienne gets ready to cover Mogen from the newly summoned creatures. Mogen drinks a Potion of Blur, grabs the orb from Vikrit, and gets closer to the giant. Vanesse starts climbing the giant, starting to feel her hairs raise.
 * Some air elementals appear at the edges of the storm. The dragon-ish creatures start attacking, missing Cornerio and Sarienne hits the one attacking her.
 * Round 3: Vesun dives over the wall and casts Eagle's Splendor on Tork. Vikrit shoots and destroys the creature next to Sarienne. Sarienne rolls a 1 on her attack on the one attacking Cornerio and hits him instead. Tork lightning bolts the arrowhawk near Cornerio, killing it and also hitting the air elemental (but not appearing to do damage). Cornerio runs over to the closest (alive) arrowhawk and hits it with his hammer; doesn't appear to be bothered at all by the cold damage.
 * Mogen tries to use the orb: it's some form of trap/prison, will absorb energy of giant… can't get it off but knows what to do now.
 * Vanesse power attacks the giant in the eye with her axe. The giant starts to roar in pain and she hangs on for dear life.
 * The unharmed arrowhawk attacks Mogen and misses; same with the one next to Cornerio. The giant's static explodes and a giant thunderstorm appears overhead; a lightning bolt fries Vanesse.
 * Round 4: Vesun blesses the party: +1 to attack rolls and saves against fear. Vikrit fails at shooting one of the elementals. Sarienne manages to hit another, but her arrow passes right through. Tork misses his scorching rays. Corn kills the arrowhawk near him.
 * Mogen barely manages to get off the UMD! She knows she has to roll the orb towards the giant. It opens up and the same blue light that materialized the giant starts sucking it in(like a ghostbusters trap). Vanesse rolls a 1 on her balance check as the giant disappears and her legs get stuck in a portal below as she catches herself. The orb is now lit up and pulsing.
 * Mogen tosses Vanesse a grappling hook nearby but she can't pull herself out.
 * Round 5: Vesun helps pull her out. Vikrit kills the last arrowhawk. Sarienne notices that the bushes Tork scorched are on fire; all the elementals are pulled into the portal. Everyone gets out of the way except Vesun… who is pushed into the portal, halfway in.
 * The sphere is pulsing quicker and quicker. Mogen yells for Vesun to grab the grappling hook… Cornerio hears Mavatorop tells him to throw the orb into the portal but resists for now. Everyone but Cornerui (and tech ically Tork) helps pull Vesun out. Cornerio sees himself throwing the orb into the portal to close it… or opening it and absorbs all its power. He chooses to do the former; it grows huge and disappears.

The Gang Goes to Jail

 * The wind and dark clouds dissipate... and there are HUGE numbers of armed guards with the Sharn Watch insignia surrounding us, weapons pointed at us. There's a man dressed differently approaching with some guards. They yell at us to stand down.
 * Cornerio uses detect thoughts on the man approaching: gets the sense that this guy is anxious and curious; sees images of some people at gala; people running in a panic, then something about separating from the guards somehow. He points out Mogen to the guards and says "that one" and he'll have to question us.
 * He gets in front of Mogen and she bumps into him; a bag falls out of her pocket. He calls her an oaf, says "you dropped something" and palms her something. She looks: sees the words: "stay quiet, don't admit anything, we will talk later." Guards are waving down a sky barge. Mogen relays Vikrit & Tork this.
 * We get whacked with nightsticks and pass out.
 * We awaken in cells: Sarienne and Tork in one; Vikrit, Mogen, and Cornerio in the middle; Vanesse and Vesun in the last one. We have the clothes we were wearing underneath our armor.
 * Sarienne finds her lockpick set on her vest and starts picking the lock. She gets the lock open and can hear someone to the south end, locked from the outside. She starts picking the locks to the other cells but hears a guard coming. They try to provoke him but it doesn't seem to do much, he hits at the door in frustration and walks away.
 * Some of the party hears someone walking over. Cornerio leaves the cell despite Vikrit's (poor) effort to stop him and goes into the (unlocked) bathroom. Two guards come into the hallway. "I have terrible diarrhea, don't come in!"
 * One of the guards stays to watch Sarienne, the other goes into the bathroom to get Cornerio. He punches out the guard. "Now we BOTH have really bad diarrhea!" The other one takes out his spear, but Cornerio uppercuts him, then takes his keys, puts a gold in his pocket, and locks both of them up.
 * He unlocks the remaining cell and decides to continue on his own when the rest of the party refuses. He goes into the office to the south and sees a chest… he opens it, starts to feel very sleepy, and an alarm goes off. He passes out in the chair. Vesun casts silence centered on Cornerio, but other bells are audible elsewhere.
 * Eventually the bells stop, Cornerio wakes up and looks at the ledger. Our names are in there; top secret written on pages. Cornerio makes our names illegible, then hears footsteps and hides under the desk.
 * The halfling man that we saw before comes in.
 * He says our "exploits haven't gone without notice" and the guards will be here eventually. "Please advise your gnomish friend under the desk not to attack me." He points out that she should be more cautious with Clan Boromar with her family.
 * He says he's named Tallow, he's a halfling. Says we have witnesses saying we created the ruined the gala, storm, broke very expensive stained glass. Says his goals are aligned with ours. Asks wha we know of Dark Lantern - Mogen says "shady detectives, spy novel thing". Says he's been watching us for a while. Interested in Jana's movements - we mention the Stargazers.
 * Thinks we'll be useful to the Dark Lanterns. He says we will need to stay low, split up, get out of town--and the Reef will likely be a target too. He says our past IDs will be worthless, new papers;. Vikrit He says he supports "king and country" - Braeland. Very against war.
 * Says we'll come with him, leave this place, say good bye to Reef; next few weeks, make ourselves scarce for a few weeks if we all agree; if one doesn't, all hung out to dry. Mogen makes a condition re: Ivan. He says he hopes no friends/family in Thronehold (which is where the other Stargazers are now).
 * We discuss, decide to say yes. He says Dark Lanterns have medallions; tell interrogators (who will be Dark Lanterns) the truth. We will get a chance to say goodbye.
 * He leads us upstairs; can see a skydock--and can see an airship that we will be in charge of… requires a few more weeks of repairs. Says one of us is gonna have to learn how to pilot it. He brings us back downstairs to our cells.
 * Re: plausible deniability: D S.: "can that be the name of the ship? Plausible Dieability"

STAR WIPE!

 * It's been 2 days; we have been interrogated for much of that time, with Tallow there much of it. We've learned that DL don't know much about Stargazers; can confirm seals etc. but not details. They are mainly Interested in preventing war starting again. We have all been given DL medallions.
 * Want to send us to Thronehold - have a safehouse up there. (SOMETHING ABOUT HOUSE CANNITH) Aundair + Karrnath trying to start up war; someone has started taking 3 separate parts needed for Warforged manufacturing; they think whoever that is is in Thronehold.
 * Yanger and Kalti: "holy shit you closed the seal; holy shit they're trapped". Each of the seals created by GK, trapped spirits of ancient kings during age of giants in planes. Plane of air version of king we attacked. Each seal has special device linked to guardian we'll need to find.
 * Mogen goes to talk to Ivan sometime Dax is distracted.
 * She talks with him about leaving, mentions DL and having to leave for a mission, giving us an airship. He's super excited and says he's gonna be the best airship mechanic.
 * Mogen goes to talk to Dax… he doesn't like heights so he's reluctant but agrees… says he needs 2 tons of baggage.
 * Carlos: "2 tons of baggage is a good alternate name for the Ghost Sharks."
 * Cornerio wants to deal with recovering his assets - maybe go to Zilargo.
 * Tork and Vikrit are going on an adventure to the Shadow Marches; Sarienne wants to join them.
 * Vesun has "friends to say goodbye to and shopping to do".
 * Yanger asks if he and Kalti can come. "Can you go on sabbatical?" "Uhhh, technically I've been on sabbatical since the spring… it shuld be fine." Stargazers are going to wait for Jana in Thronehold and continue from there.
 * Vanesse is going to do Shadow-worshiping stuff.
 * Dan: "Good job guys, it only took us four years to seal one of the portals!"