Session 27: Tears of a Minotaur


 * ON THE ISLAND: We interrogate the drow - his name is supposedly Heironymous. He says they were approached by Heredin at the docks and hired like adventurers usually do for the job - kill everything here, he was going for an artifact. He doesn’t know anything else, says he’ll leave us alone if we let him go.
 * Vesun (Carlos) hears Captain Al say our friend’s hurt and we need help.
 * We cut his binds. As he runs off, he says “watch out for the –” but we don’t hear the last part.
 * Vikrit runs off ahead through the jungle while the others go along the trail. He finds Captain Al on a rock with her crossbow pointed at a chuul. Cornerio is on the ground covered in something slimy. “Your friend is hurt!” “First off, he’s not my friend…”
 * Vikrit recognizes what it is and tries to talk to the chuul to no avail. Captain Al shoots it when it lunges, Vik tries to shoot it but the arrows bounce off. The others arrive, Tork tries to magic missile it but it doesn’t work (resistance).
 * Vikrit jumps up on some rocks and nat 1s, breaking his bowstring. Vesun tries Hold Person but it doesn’t work. The chuul charges at Sarienne and spits some goo at her and she sickles it. Tork scrambles to climb up the rocks on the other side but slips down, and casts Scorching Ray, finally damaging it.
 * The chuul swipes at Sarienne but she grapples it. It feels caustic and itchy. It fucks up Sarienne and grapples her, and Vesun Dimension Doors her away. It charges at Tork, who fucks it up with a spell - it dives head-first into the sand. Eventually Vanesse shows up and cuts it in half.
 * We get on the boat. Everyone helps to push it off, but Vanesse rolls a 1 so she has been pulling.
 * Al says Cornerio passed out (glowing) and a bunch of fish threw themselves onto the shore (and died). Sarienne rouses Cornerio. He projectile vomits up a ton of seawater, barely missing Sarienne.
 * Vikrit asks if he got a message from his master. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, I just had a wonderful dream.” and marches off to the other side of the boat.
 * We sail off!
 * BACK AT THE BASE… Mogen is working while talking with Ivan. He says House Cannith split into 3 parts after the war, taking warforged secrets (he worked with South):
 * Cannith South retained the Creation Forge, although it is supposed to be inactivated Cannith East has the schemas - the magical blueprints needed to create living constructs Cannith West has the Godhammers - the wonderous tools lined with dragonshard needed to create living constructs.
 * The houses all seem to hate each other.
 * Shepherds Lodge documents said all the shipments were either going to place in Aundair (Fairhaven?) or place in Karrnath.
 * Mogen starts telling him about the prophecy. He is worried. He brings up the House Cannith door we found deep in the city, says he knows how to open it. He has a dragonmark on his arm that was magically removed and traces Mogen’s finger along it… and Mogen now knows the pattern.
 * He’s emotionally distraught. Mogen says if we leave again, he’s coming with us.
 * Rio has been keeping an eye on people in the base. NOTE: Geremiah is the half-orc leader of our gobbo guards. He hasn’t been around when he should be, so Rio tails him looking like a generic human from the neighborhood.
 * He goes to a plaza a few blocks away from the Reef where a young orc woman is (street urchin, dreamlily-addicted). They hug… and he slips her something. They hold hands and walk away down an alleyway. Rio follows them to a plaza where there’s a cistern of water draining from above, and some housing. They sit near a wagon and make eyes at each other.
 * Rio watches. They talk, she asks when she’ll see him again, he says next week will be tough… up to something? He leaves and Rio pretends to be smoking, he says “mind your own business”. Rio follows disguised as an old man, and he eventually goes to the flophouse (“barracks”) where all the goblins sleep, close to the base.
 * Rio goes into the flophouse. There are lots of people (mostly goblins, a female gnoll, etc.) doing drugs and drinking. They go home.
 * The rest of the crew gets home the next day. They say goodbye to Al, and head back home carrying their giant treasure.
 * Rio goes outside to watch where Geremiah goes, and sees us come in. Brutus &amp; Pepsi Max help us carry the loot in with Geremiah.
 * Cornerio runs to his shrine room. Sarienne tries to talk to him but he tells her to fuck off. She tries to get everyone to meet in the dining room in a few minutes.
 * Vikrit goes to talk to Jusk. He wants more money (10 gold/month) because… he’s been gambling at the pteradactyl races. Vikrit gives it and says he’ll go with him next time to pick the winning one.
 * Sarienne calls a house meeting to discuss the gala in 3 days.
 * Vikrit tells Yanger about the orb.
 * The team discusses what we’d do at the gala. Mogen proposes convincing Lady Edna to show up at the gala and cause a scene. Her pre-party is tonight.
 * Vanesse, Sarienne, and Vikrit go shopping. Sarienne buys a very nice bottle of wine, Vikrit buys 2.5 disguise kits for 120 gold, and Vanesse tries to sell the giant currency to no avail.
 * Back at the base, there are Sharn city guards at the door. They have a small female goblin (Alexa) with a scroll, who asks if they’re the co-op and want to inspect for taxes, and we they haven’t been paid in years.
 * Rio lets them in, with the guards elbowing in behind. Mogen and Tork start hiding valuables.
 * Rio tries to convince one of the two guards to leave the foyer. He goes and calls down the hall. Rio convinces Geremiah to punch him in the back of the head, and obviously doesn’t knock him out, the guard turns around with his sword out but Rio convinces him that Geremiah has “Tourettes” and was just flailing. Rio starts dragging him down the hall and yelling at him.
 * Alexa is still examining things in the kitchen. One of the guards grapples Rio, who slips and acts like the guard hurt them. Eventually Alexa comes over in the screaming and blows her whistle and says she needs to finish the assessment. Rio keeps screaming and the guards try to encourage her to leave. She says we’re going to incur lots of fines by doing stuff late but eventually they leave. Apparently they will come back after the long weekend.
 * On the way back home, the orc girl yells at us for help. She doesn’t look physically hurt, says 2 halflings took her valuables and ran into alleyway. Vikrit asks what they took and she says coin, ring her mother gave her, etc. Sarienne and Vanesse go ahead, Vikrit watches behind them.
 * It’s the little area Rio saw Geremiah and the girl in earlier. Sarienne sees something leaning up against the cistern - there’s a goblin… it’s Pepsi Max. He’s breathing very slightly.
 * It suddenly becomes pitch black around where Sarienne and Vanesse are. A scimitar hits Sarienne.
 * Vanesse sees a tall, masked lithe humanoid figure. Vanesse slashes at it and hears a high-pitched scream. Sarienne tries to hit it and misses. They try to cast something on Vanesse saying “you feel the shadow”, then feints and slashes.
 * Vikrit vaults over Sarienne onto the cart and shoots them. Sarienne slashes again. Vanesse hears the Shadow berating her and gets cursed. She starts casting and Sarienne gets a hit on her. Suddenly there are 4 of her.
 * Vikrit figures out what the real one is and tries to shoot her. She curses them and eventually gets away, climbing up onto the roof. Sarienne passes out.
 * We head home and both groups fill each other in. Sarienne gets healed. We change and head to Lady Edna’s party, with Vikrit insisting on bringing Rhavi.
 * The crew is let in by the changeling butler Timothy, who makes Vikrit put Rhavi outside. There are a bunch of people here in a large room, including some elf from the Silver Flame. Grell (the seneschal) is there too.
 * Rio looks like an attractive women. A: “Ria.” J: “That’s great cover.”
 * Ambassador of Droaam is “Iago”, an incubus. He is interested in the party - Mogen’s chair, Vikrit.
 * Ria talks with Vivian Lane - gossip columnist. She tries to sell the story about the guard earlier re: injustice. Mogen comes over and chats (after briefly being offended when she says “there must be something wrong with you”).
 * Iago asks if we are adventurers and gives us his “business card”.
 * There’s a dwarf with a dragonmark falling asleep at a table (“Percival de Kundarak” aka Personal Cumrag). Mogen brings him some ale. He’s Lady Edna’s banker. Him: “You can’t really take a thing like that [horns] to the Ir’tain gala.” Mogen: “Yeah, it’d be like a… bull in a china shop.” (doesn’t laugh)
 * Lady Edna enters with a huge ballgown, tons of jewelry. She comes and says hello. Some of the party tries to get the party started.
 * Vikrit asks Lady Edna who the elves are, confused why they don’t have a problem with her. She is offended and says he shouldn’t be so bigoted.
 * The party gets the drinks flowing. Tork is changing the flavors of people’s drinks.
 * As dinner starts, Lady Edna yells emotionally about being a survivor, her grandmother being brought as a pet, etc. and breaks down in tears (despite the cheers of the party) and runs off.
 * As Vivian goes to leave, Ria catches her and talks about Jana. She went to school with her, she apparently thought she was going to be a famous wizard. Ria says she’s dating someone ‘in the family’ and her ‘dark master’ is demanding unsavory things.
 * In the meantime, Lady Edna has run into the kitchen. Part of the party follows her to comfort her - Vanesse tries to convince her to go to the party. She says they keep people like her as animals there.
 * Meanwhile, Vikrit encourages Percival to pursue Mogen after he clearly doesn’t get “you’re not her type”. He tries to hit on Mogen again and she makes it SUPER CLEAR that he should fuck off with her kukri.
 * Iago intervenes and invites us to a nightcap.
 * We say goodbye to Lady Edna. Vanesse tells Grell that the Shadow spoke to her personally to berate her and she’s very worried and tells her to talk to Ash.
 * We head out with Iago.
 * He asks if we’re The Ghost Sharks, says leader of Daask is one of Droaam’s agents. He says “Go back to Kavallah and tell her, ‘these ones’.” (not ominous at all)
 * He notes that he’ll be at the gala in a few days.
 * Tork fills Vikrit in about the enslaved monsters at the gala and they plan to release all of them.