Session 25: Missing in Redragon Report

General Summary

The group begins in the HQ's community room in the morning, after a good rest. They have a small conversation and compare the scars from Astara and Twig with the list of depiction of marks in the books owned by Eavaan and Astara. Theory of the moment: the Twins may be of the mark of shadow, opposed to Nina's mark of the Storm. Feeling uncomfortable discussing this here, they plan on discussing this on the road to Redragon, however, something intervenes on the floor below.   Kisha hails them as they arrive downstairs, as Tanantala and Yvan were informed that they took on the Redragon mission. The halfling approaches and explains that one of the missing people is her cousin (once removed) and she would like to go with the group. Yvan is there to support her. They also inform the group that they were in Redragon a little over a month ago, on their way back from their last mission, and everything seemed fine then, at least from the Inn they had stopped in. Meaning, they can help guide the group there. The party discusses and hesitates, but ultimately accepts. Especially after they confirm this does not mean sharing the pay for the job.   The travel is simple: Train to Passage, air taxi to Arcanix (or the settlement below the floating university) and then, they walk to Redragon, expecting to arrive just before dark. The plan is to arrive, sleep at the Inn and investigate come morning. The walk in the rain isn't great, and a strange feeling shakes Trajan's scales but they arrive with no interruption. There, the place is... too quiet. There are no recent prints on the ground (except one, that doesn't seem human made) and no light, no chimney smoke is seen anywhere in the town. No voices, no clattering, just the wind and occasional creaking of wood. There is a faint smell of rot mixing to the mist hanging low to the town's ground.   Twig and Trajan hop to scout ahead: Twig going North, Trajan going South. Tanantala points to the Full Roast Inn right by the entrance. Twig looks in the window and notices a farmstead, looking abandonned, no sign of life - just rotting chicken eggs. So he turns to a tree on the outskirt of town where a bird is, and begins to magewright cast Speak with Animals.   Meanwhile, Trajan breaks in one of the window, with the path looking clear to a tiny room in. The place is quite, and placed, with a bit of a layer of dust there, but nothing else of note. Nina makes her way to join with him. Eavaan starts to head in in the stead where the eggs are to date them while Astara keeps watch on the other team. Twig's spell goes off and the bird explains that it, and other creature, avoid the town, especially when the darkness is near. If birds go too close, they stop flying. It also specifies that the darkness comes in the day too, so it doesn't mean 'night time'. Fed and full, it flies away without waiting for other questions. Inside the farmstead, Eavaan looks up, and finds the farm... hung in the rafter. Twig in the back, finds all the chicken dead and rotting, with no sign of injury or what killed them, and burries them. He then goes in and helps Eavaan lower the body for an autopsy.   Nina and Trajan and investigate the room and find that someone was holding under one of the beds for a time, with urine, food remains and floorboard scratches. The autopsy reveals that the man was not poisoned, nor attacked. So he just hung himself. Everything is shared through the sending stone, so Astara opts to get out of the open road and goes in the Inn with the other two. Inside, Trajan and Nina explore and find another hanging body in the brewing room. This is shared. Twig and Eavaan leave the stead to check next door, passing a window hinting to the potion shop the town is known for. It is suggested they should resupply, but then hear a clatter and whimper from within.   BREAK TIME   After the break, the group went in the alchemy shop and discovered a young red dragonborn lady squire hiding in the lavatory. She seemed terrified but once Trajan was able to help calm her, they got her name (Iksvild Zornen) - Kivi. She explained that she went through quite an ordeal, unsure of how long she's been hiding. It is revealed she was originally in the Inn, under the bed and then tried to run, but came face to face (?) with the darkness. This darkness makes you feel despair and horrible things and seem to have left many to commit suicide. She does divulge that first, there was news of a murder at the vineyard (South), and that lights accompany the darkness and often forshadow it. They give her a pep talk that goes well until she blurts out that indeed they need to face and defeat the evils of aberrations, evil, monsters and ... half breeds. A few questions explains that it does not mean half elves, but lycanthropes and those with demon blood and the likes. Something the party is shelving for now.   The party then loots the alchemy shop and take many of the potions all around. Outside, Twig circles the shop and notes a cemetary on the outside of town, and a light, a little bulb of light to the South, which he identifies as a Will-o-Wisp and knows them to be quite dangerous. Trajan takes Kivi aside and talks to her, discovering she is the Squire of a paladin of the Silver Flame, named Mystique.   Eavaan tells the group she'll explore the town with a potion of gaseous form and return to the group, before downing the brew and turning into an Eavaan like cloud. The rest of the group splits. Nina and Astara explore the nearby farms and finds a couple of other dead bodies... and another light beyond the window. Staying quiet, it just moves away. Cost clear, Astara uses the last of her sulfur to cast 'Speak with the dead' to interogate one of the deceased farmer. It doesn't know where the thing is from, but explains they just wanted to stop living. It all happened fast, after the rumor of the murder, and didn't come face to face with the darkness. Didn't need to to feel the effect. One question was wasted.   Twig and Trajan on their end broke the lock on the vineyard's door and went in. The larger, fancier home had a different body on the sofa, stabbed and showing signs of carving, erased by too many stab wounds, leaving the corpse shredded. Else, other people within also committed suicide, and around, Trajan looted the large amount of wine bottles. Nothing else was of note in the farm. Astara and Nina rejoined and questioned the 3 guest npc: Nina ran an insight on them: Tanantala seemed worried with nothing more of note, Kivi looked like someone on the brink of panic and likely to end up with PTSD from this, and Yvan was hiding something. Prying, they questionned him further, until he confessed that he felt scared. A bit of mocking, they turned to Eavaan rejoining and mind linking, sharing findings: Most other homes had similar corpses, and there is a deceased halfling in one of the beds in the Spa. North, by the Cemetary, is a scary darkness.   The group then headed to the barn, Yvan tried to get everyone to just leave but he was mocked for his cowardice in return and tried to recover by hiting on Nina - a quick turn down. Astara reminded him about Eavaan. Inside, they found a ritual circle with a body, with a broken glass symble. The circle, after some investigation from Nina and helped by Twig, spotted the draconic words 'prophetic' on the circle. It is a new type rarely seen, but hints to summoning magic, communication, links and ties. This is experimental magic. Eavaan arrives then and uses comprehend language to translate other words: pull, test, vessel, nightmare. Twig carves a line in the circle and Tanantala casts dispell, just as Trajan and the others rush in, as Will-o-wisps are approching. The magic is dispelled, the shards taken but the corner bag left alone. The wisps enter and the group readies for a fight.   GAME END

Rewards Granted

• Crap-ton of potions of all kinds
• 95 bottles of Dragon Breath Wine

Character(s) interacted with

• Kisha
• Yvan
• Tanantala
• Kivi (Squire Iksvild Korven)