Session 32: A Tale of Two Skaldis


 * We return to the Ghost Sharks!
 * Brother Xonak tells Vesun Daask is after Skaldi. Skaldi has some sort of covered crystal ball. Also says he has a bad feeling someone knows she's here already.
 * Vesun gives her his Hat of Disguise and she looks like an elven woman. He then casts Disguise Self to look like Skaldi. Says they should hide in the back, let Burnt Hand deal with anyone coming.
 * They hear a THUMP THUMP THUMP at the back of the door. It's not their transport--it's The Ghost Sharks.
 * The Burnt Hand comes to the door. Cornerio: "Wow so lucky, the entire graduating class of Sharn clown college!" Vikrit says we're looking for Skaldi, Mogen tries to convince Brother X to let us in. He calls over Vesun/"Skaldi" who looks around the corner, eventually says no harm in talking. They reluctantly let us in.
 * BX: "You're Zazz's contacts?" Mogen: "What?" Vikrit: "Huh?" Cornerio: "Yes."
 * We tell them we were hired by Daask to do this but know her. Xonak drags "Skaldi" back to talk to her. BX: "I don't know who those people are." Vesun: "Unfortunately I do." Vesun explains we usually try to do the right thing and fail.
 * Real Skaldi peeks around and looks at us. She recognizes us and doesn't think we're here to kill her. She comes to talk to us, undisguises, with Vesun still disguised.
 * We tell her we're here to help, she's not sure she needs it. Vesun says his name is Martin. Vikrit mentions they said she stole something, they head to the back to talk about it.
 * She takes the rag off what looks like a crystal ball with swirling grey fog. She's worried we'll tell House Orien. We tell her it was a temporary arrangement, she says she never really worked for them.
 * Tork: "Did you steal a train…?"
 * She helped with a heist in Droaam stealing from a very powerful wizard - Mordain the Fleshweaver. Vesun Reads Magic and it says how to use it.
 * Skaldi's "friends" helped her out of the city - she has this to keep the heat off them.
 * We say we can return the orb and tell them she wasn't there. Vikrit brings up figuring out where "Charlie"/Heredin is. We argue about whether we can keep the orb.
 * There's a banging at the door… across the way, Cavallah the ogre mage leader of Daask is floating and knocking with a mage hand. She has a 10-ft troll behind her, a couple minotaurs, 6 gnolls, humanoid guards in the back… "GHOST SHAAAARKS!"
 * Cornerio and Vikrit say to use the orb. Tork activates it and visually pictures the artifact Heredin stole, the smoke in the ball shows … Jana and Charlie are in a study, the artifact is on the table. Heredin's at the table, Jana is speaking into some device that looks like a telescope. A gaseous figure appears on top of it, she says "All right. It's gotten close. Did you find out anything about it?" There's a pause, "The tower. I'm pretty sure it's up on the Skyway here." "It has something to do w Guardian tho. I haven't figured out how to activate it yet but--just figure it out yourself Burhan, dammit!"
 * Sarienne tells us Cavallah is there with a small army. Burnt Hand is considering leaving. She mentions she went to our base… and found her drugs. She's mad 1/3 are gone and "rectified it" and killed a few people who resisted.
 * Vesun casts invisibility on Skaldi. The Burnt Hand piles into the canoe with her. Cornerio leaps into the boat. Xonak catches him and the canoe starts to spin, he flings Cornerio back.
 * The troll is eating the caltrops, also slams its greatsword. Sarienne and Vikrit want to give up the orb, Vanesse; Sarienne tries negotiating with the troll, who seems confused. He wants "girl and orb". Tork tells him we sat on it so it's flat.
 * He says need girl, need orb, to kill us. Xonak comes back for us, Mogen suggests the first 2 + 500 g, he turns around to discuss with others. Tork ghost sounds people talking. We all run to the boat and take off as the troll busts in to the door.
 * We're the Ghost Sharks! We fuck shit up, then disappear! Mogen: "We fuck shit up like a shark, and disappear like a ghost!"
 * Xonak drops us off near the Reef. Vikrit says "Hesitrothar bless you", Xonak says "thank you little one" in Draconic. Tells Vesun to tell mutual friend deal is settled, and leaves.
 * Vesun bamfs back to himself, the party is confused.
 * We go to the Cracked Mirror and talk to Zazz, who palms 2 x 500g diamonds to Vesun. She tells us there was a commotion down at the Reef, most of our guys left. Geremiah was being paid by someone else.
 * We go to the back. Mogen says either Daask can't get to us, and if they attack while we're at the gala… we talk about whether we're going to skip town after the gala, what we're going to do etc.
 * Some of the party wants to go back to the Reef. Tork and Corn share a drink & stay at Cracked Mirror w/Vanesse & Mogen. Sarienne & Vesun are disguised and go to the front door of the Reef, Vikrit goes down the alley. The pets are still there.
 * Jusk has a swelling on his head but otherwise seems OK. He says a couple gobs got killed, rest were rounded up into the dining room w/o their weapons. Dining room door… more than 3 people in there.
 * We go back to the Cracked Mirror. Brutus and Kilo? didn't make it.
 * The team goes back to the base. Sarienne Vesun and Mogen go through the workshop, nothing's missing.
 * Corn goes into the altar room. The altar looks more powerful, he fails a will save and gets pulled toward the mass of coral thing on there. He touches it and feels an electric current surge through him. +4 bonus to STR + CON!
 * Mogen slowly opens the study door--looks undisturbed. The vault
 * Gettafix, Kalti, Dax, Drask, Yanger are there tied to chairs and naked. We release them, Yanger is VERY mad and storms off to the study. We sweep - armory and vault look disturbed, others are fine.
 * They say Keshta came by, said we have their drugs, Brutus tried to stand up and got beheaded, the other goblin got cut in half. Geremiah had disabled all the security.
 * Community chest and drugs are gone.
 * Ivan talks to Mogen and expresses his worry.
 * We discuss the plan - acting as servers, find the artifact. Try to listen in on Jana talking to Jinnah of Revan (House Sivis). NIGHTTIME.
 * Cornerio dreams of the tower of Boldrei again. He sees a hidden device and is able to peel back. Turn wheel 3/4 to left, then levers on right… complex ritual. As he goes through the motions, he feels electric shocks each time. Suddenly can see all around him - floating above Sharn. Everything goes dark. He gets struck by lightning over and over, then wakes.
 * We all have terrible dreams in which we drown and see the Tower of Boldrei.
 * Corn tries
 * Kalti comes in while we're having breakfast and gives us a list of names of people attending the party. We discuss the plan - have a valet?
 * Corn asks Yanger what to do. Look into the tower - something to do with the seals? Says current state is corrupted so maybe we need to open before closing permanently?
 * Meeting with House Gallandra! In Copper Arch. We wear our street clothes. It smells of delicious baked goods and stuff.
 * Noelle greets us in lobby and intros to her friend Ophelia d'Ghallanda. She pretends to be incensed by the idea she'd hire randos while we're in the lobby. We go to a more private place and she says it'll work for most of us, but Vanesse will need a story and Vikrit needs to stay around the kitchens.
 * We should NOT say anything about Ophelia if we get caught, they would sue us. She asks for some "spice" in the pot.
 * She says we should come around 4, hands us parchment w/list of ingredients (e.g. a shitload of pheasants, etc.) w/stamp of House Ghallanda, tell guards we're here to help w/kitchens, go around back through gardens.
 * Noelle suggests that if something's going to happen, make sure her aunt suffers.
 * Sarienne will talk to one-armed hobgoblin friend about being our ride to/from the gala.
 * Vikrit, Vesun, Tork go shopping. Vesun convinces a seller - Ring of Feather Fall for 2k and 1 CMW pot for 300. Tork gets 2 CLW pots. Cornerio gets business cards with the Burnt Hand's names on them.
 * Mogen rolls a 30 on her scrying to use the orb to look at the tower. There's a stone staircase that spirals up, up at the top, there's a blank stone wall (2 window slits); the wall disappears, sees a crazy complex machine built in/hidden behind the wall, like Cornerio saw in his dream. Lightning hit tower, see a faint image of a huge humanoid figure (giant sized) in front of the tower, then disappears (no clouds in the sky). Mogen discerns the entire tower is related to this thing… possibly a dimensional seal.