Session 36: Mogen: A Spark in the Night

''Because of what went down at the Gala and the fact that the party is now operating under the protection of the Dark Lanterns (the Brelish secret service), the Reef has been temporarily shut down and everyone has been asked to split up and get out of Sharn for a few weeks until they can calm things down in the city. Since Mogen is from Sharn, she decided to temporarily stay at her family home with her parents and brother. Since then, however...things have been tense. Mogen's brother, Glomi, has been particularly suspicious of Mogen and is convinced that she's trying to cut him out of the family through dubious legal maneuvers - a theory Mogen can't seem to dissaude him of no matter what she does. Mogen's mother, Dogen, was initially overjoyed to have both her children in the house, but that joy has recently faded as Mogen and Glomi fall back into childish bickering. Hurik, Mogen's father, seems more stressed than he has been in years and Mogen's noticed him starting to have his regular drink of vodka on the rocks (literally) earlier and earlier each day. Such domestic tranquility - or lack thereof - is foremost on Mogen's mind as she clambers up the polished stone steps to Imogen Glain's mansion in Highhold, Upper Dura, Sharn.''

After all, tonight is the monthly Glain family dinner.


 * Mogen is visiting her aunt Imogen's mansion in Sharn with the family. Her dad (Hurik) pulls her aside and tells her he needs to be paid back what he loaned her. Franklin, Imogen's half-elf servant, welcomes them.
 * Imogen isn't around yet. Glomi gives Mogen a look and asks if she's going to make a scene at this one, Mogen acts like she's going to leave.
 * Mogen goes over to Rhys (a Morgrave University student), who she last saw looking like a teenager - he now has a full beard. They have a friendly relationship. He asks what she's been up to in the past few years/if she's still at the Maker's Co-Op. He's excited that she appears to have been adventuring, but then Imogen (Mogen's great-aunt, Rhys's grandma) comes in.
 * She has a big cast on her foot. She was injured by terrorists at the Gala… the word is that Aundair or Thrane terrorists blew up the tower.
 * Imogen addresses everyone; she's behaving a little oddly, coming off as timid and hesitant in a way she usually isn't like. She calls everyone to tea, and Mogen discusses with Rhys. He shows her the rum flask he's going to sneak in.
 * Everyone goes to dinner. Rhys talks about what he's been studying, keeps bringing up a classmate named Ella… Mogen asks about her and he says they've been dating. She slaps him on the back and gets a look from her mom.
 * Rhys asks Mogen to go outside for a smoke break with him. Mogen rolls her own and gives it to him after he fails to smoke a cigar (the Dwarven preference). He asks if she's ever heard the legend of Elias Bertram from his university.
 * Bertram is long-deceased former Dean of Adventuring at Morgrave University. There are vaults underneath the uni (famous for adventuring) - he tells her he's been working there and there are secret rooms that he and Ella found. He doesn't know what to do with it so he's asking Mogen.
 * They have a black substance like tar that smells horrible in barrels - Mogen realizes with a nat 20 that it's something like niter. It's really rare and she doesn't know of any uses for it - thinks of it as a danger found in deep mines. She tells him to be careful with torches because it's highly flammable.
 * Rhys says Ella sent him a note last night and they were planning to meet up there; he asks if Mogen wants to come. They go back in…
 * There is drunken yelling coming from inside; her uncle and dad are in a huge argument. Mogen and Rhys decide to take off for the university.
 * Apparently Ella has "a really cool tattoo" (read: dragonmark) but he's never seen her use it.
 * They go into a very dusty part of the library basement. A large logo has been carved into the floor here: it's the House Cannith logo. Rhys shows her a weird metal dog statue - Mogen has seen one of these before: when attacked by the huge warforged at the train station. Mogen grabs a crossbow and gives Rhys an axe they find in the room.
 * Mogen asks what he knows about the Daelkyr. She tells him about the gates and that there is a group of people trying to open them.
 * He says Lucien Lawless novels are similar to this?? Doesn't get how it's related to the gala… she tells him the tower was one of the gates.
 * They keep going and Mogen finds a tripwire. She opens the door and she sees 2 of the robot dogs, moving around with red glowing eyes and their backs to her.
 * Mogen shoots one with her crossbow and they leap at her--and into her shield. Mogen kills them with her kukri.
 * They continue into the large room. There are lots of shelves and collapsed areas full of artifacts. Rhys mentions that there's another "statue" of a man, maybe a golem, down the hall that they should watch out for if these are automated defenses.
 * "…It's never just a statue."
 * Mogen figures they won't be able to get around the statue without blasting through the rubble, so they go to the statue room.
 * Mogen sneaks in. Its head creaks to look at the spot where she was, but she carefully circles around it. It's just a regular wizard-animated iron golem - they're pretty powerful and magic-resistant. She stabs it and they dash across; it slowly moves after them.
 * They run down the hallway. Mogen sees a strange tube-like contraption: it's a fire stick. She thinks… what if she used niter to launch a projectile??? And takes it with her. Rhys gives her his matches.
 * They head further down. The barrels are there, so is shot (small metal balls). Ella is there! She seems a little concerned/confused that Mogen is there -- she was not expecting either Rhys or Mogen to be here. Mogen finishes the last of the whiskey in her flask and starts cleaning it out.
 * They open a barrel--it's niter alright. She fills her flask with it--Mogen thinks maybe Ella is angry with her, but she looks concerned again. Mogen mentions the golem pursuing them. Mogen asks straight up if Ella is from House Cannith and she seems confused… Mogen notices her tattoo appearing on her shoulder, but the other 2 say it's been there the whole time.
 * Mogen loads in some shot and starts trying to tamp it down in the fire stick. Rhys and Ella go around the corner and Mogen hears them saying something about her needing to go upstairs. Rhys asks her not to test it down here, she laughs about how obvious it is that she wouldn't, then goes upstairs. Rhys and Ella start moving barrels down.
 * The golem is standing with its back to the stairs, seems deactivated. Mogen plants her shield, gets down on a knee, braces the fire stick, and fires.
 * There's a hissing noise and a huge bang. The recoil makes her stumble back and there's lot of smoke. When she picks herself up, the golem has a hole going all the way through it, head still slowly turning toward her. It stops with its head facing her.
 * She reloads it slowly and carefully--it takes a long time. The golem doesn't even move when she waves her hand in front of it, and she laughs maniacally.
 * Mogen runs over to the stairs… "Rhys, check this shit out!" but he doesn't respond. She goes downstairs and sees that they aren't there, and there is a passageway they unblocked.
 * She grabs more shot and powder. Monica: "Does this mean she's gonna clank a lot?" Carlos: "She's already 90% clank."
 * She goes through the narrow passageway and there's a strange symbol, glowing, on the floor. She rolls a natural 20 on her Knowledge (Arcana) check -- it's some kind of teleportation spell.
 * She walks into it… and is teleported to a different place. There's a stone floor and walls.
 * There's a cavern and a bridge that extends across. She sees barrels below, a small boat and underground river. She sees a male human or elf in robes, a figure looking somewhat like Ella, a sleepy, shirtless human man with a big axe looking half-asleep, a changeling-looking creature, and Rhys, knocked out and tied up.
 * She overhears Ella says she didn't expect Mogen to be there. The changeling wants to kill Rhys, says he's a liability. Ella is upset and the changeling goes off to talk with their other companions.
 * Mogen sneaks across the bridge. The most DM phrase: "You don't notice them noticing you." She positions a barrel at the top of the stairs and goes up -- fresh air and seawater smell?
 * Mogen makes a firebolt with her alcohol-soaked rag and shoots it at the barrel. It explodes, and there's a ton of fire. Someone yells "get in the boat!" and Mogen kicks the barrel down and follows.
 * They're arguing about whether to leave with/without the barrels, Ella has cut the bindings off Rhys. Mogen yells for Ella to run into the water with Rhys. The changeling gets in the boat with the other guy.
 * Mogen shoots the boat with another fire bolt…. And with another 20, gets it right underneath the barrel. They're yelling for Ella to meet them somewhere and notice the fire too late, and it explodes. Ella screams.
 * Mogen yells to Ella to bring Rhys around the safe way. They stumble away to a rock, Ella pressing a rag to Rhys's wounds, but they seem mostly okay. Mogen tells them they need to get the hell out of there, Ella pleads with Mogen not to hurt them.
 * The three of them make their way to the top of the stairs. Mogen asks where they are. Ella says this wasn't supposed to be what was supposed to happen. Rhys looks really angry. Ella says all she needed was the location of the stuff, everything else wasn't her fault. They're in a cavern a few miles outside Sharn.
 * Mogen says "I know what it's like to get mixed up with the wrong people."
 * Ella says she set her up as much as they set him up. Mogen asks who they were, she says "criminals I guess, internal house politics" She says House Cannith South, upon Mogen pressing; apparently it wasn't her before, it was the doppelganger. Apparently it involved less paperwork to do this, involve gang stuff.
 * Rhys is sad, he says he defended her to Mogen. They head out.
 * Ella turns to them and says to agree that none of that ever happened, "an accident" to the House. Mogen says "yes, 60-70 barrels went missing."
 * Rhys is mad and it seems like he won't play along. Ella pulls out a bag, says "This was supposed to be for them. Just give it all to Rhys and make sure he's okay." It's full of a lot of money. Rhys refuses it. Mogen says, "Many, many barrels were lost in the conflagration. What a tragedy for House Cannith."
 * Ella says "I guess this is goodbye." to Rhys, and he doesn't acknowledge her. As they walk away, Rhys is crying. Mogen comforts him, and looks behind her--Ella traces along her dragonmarked pattern, and disappears… Teleportation is the mark of House Orien, not House Cannith.
 * "Does it always hurt this bad, Mogen?" "Yeah, it's not gonna get any better. But if you keep growing that beard, you'll learn some things, it'll make it hurt a little less."
 * He asks Mogen for stories of her adventures to soothe him.
 * Mogen finds a magic rope! And splits gold she found with Rhys.
 * Mogen goes back to the party. Her mom and Imogen are still arguing.
 * Rhys says he owes Mogen. "Get good grades! Learn some shit!" He goes up to his room.
 * Mogen hears Imogen mention her injury, her dad is drinking vodka on the actual rocks by himself. "Mogen, some days I wish I had the courage to say fuck it to these people. That's why we had you, I guess."
 * Mogen drags her mom away from the argument, and they go home.
 * The next day, Mogen's mom is making her favorite breakfast: Sharn-style blintzes with crabmeat.
 * "You get along with your cousin really well, what were you talking about on the porch for hours?"
 * Mogen admits that she's going to be leaving soon. Re: the war--"I've got unfinished business." Her mother is worried--does she have a new job? Mogen says it's from the king, but it means that she has to go again. She asks if Mogen will be able to write to them; she doesn't know, but promises that if she can, she will.
 * Fast forward another few hours: dad's in his recliner and Mogen approaches.
 * Mogen says his 'stache looks good, he agrees. He says the dinners are always more explosive when she's there.
 * She tells him she's leaving for a job, they argue… she says something big is coming, bigger than even Khorvaire. He says war is coming and to keep their heads down. They’ve had this fight before, but this time is different. Her dad talks about the war, says he's never forgiven himself, he has a lot of regrets. He says that if she really thinks she can do something, maybe she'll prove him wrong.
 * Mogen pays her dad back. She says she's leaving in about a week.
 * Walid: "'I got a job!' (camera pans to a flaming cavern in the background)"
 * "Absence just makes the heart grow fonder, eh Mogen?" "Something like that."