Session 70: Hunting Report

General Summary

Via seeming, the party looks normal and travels to Seaton, a journey that would take three days. Black Axe gives virion a decorated cedar box, Shan'tie mentions knowing the changer.

Ringshadow has almost abated, they travel under Seeming for a few days. When resting, Freyja casts Seeming thrice per day to ensure it lasts the full day. On the first night of travel, Menace takes first watch. Menace catches the glint of something metal about a hundred fifty feet away, a person hiding in the distance. Menace wakes Mystan.

"There's someone over there, watching us, can I fireball them?"

Mystan rubs the sleep out of his eyes, "what?"

Menace repeats themself. Mystan says, "Maybe, don't? I mean I'm worried but like, if we attack them at range and don't kill them they could run and alert friends."

"Then I'll sneak up and if you see fireball I need help."

They swap watches, Mystan doning his armor and holding an unlit dushcrusher. He throws a ponch on a stump and sits on it, while Menace sneaks around. Given their cloak, they opt not to use invisibility from Shan'tie. When Menace approaches, the dwarf sees them and waves them over.

The two converse, and the dwarf introduces himself as "Carlos". He reveals he is early deer hunter, which Menace calls BS. Menace gives the name "Maria", which is impressively normal. Maria is supposedly going with friends to Seaton early for the Daybreak Festival on the equinox.

Once Carlos leaves, Menace polymorphs into a deer to test his story. The dwarf fires at the dear with a fucking disintegration beam gun and Menace un-polymorphs.

"I thought you said you weren't a dear!?"

Menace and Carlos talk, with Mystan running up a bit later, and they determine that Carlos has a draconic gun powered by a topaz dragon scale, and he agrees to tell Menace where he got the gun if they buy him a beer in the next town over.

They wake up on the 32nd, planning to head to the hamlet to talk to the guy, after having used Locate Object to ensure Carlos left. But, Virion has heard of a dwarven bounty hunter named something like "Francis" who is known to use disintegration and a fancy firearm.

Shan'tie changes Virion and her disguises to go in separately, while Mystan and Menace have the same disguises and go in to meet this Carlos.

The inn is a low-key bar named the Laughing Wolf, situated on a crossroad in a small hamlet.

Before going in, Mystan casts Aid before they enter the bar. Menace changes their fiendish resistance to Necronic damage. Locate Object is indeed with Carlos, and Shan'tie and Virion go in first, and for sure Carlos is there.

Mystan is posing as Cazamir Belakov. Carlos and him get introduced, and "Maria" buys two mugs of dwarven whiskey, and Carlos toasts to new friends. Carlos spins a yarn about getting the gun off a dead waveknight and the blunderbuss from a giant. Cazamir can tell it's a lie of some kind, and this Carlos figure definitely stole the gun. Not to mention he lacks the relevant tattoos.

Carlos apparently worked with Waveknights to hunt fugatives, and Mystan notes the bounty board with the party's faces--a total of a million gold pieces--but Carlos insists he's retired and the Saltmarsh Irregulars are too dangerous for him.

Menace buys two more drinks and then leaves, with Shan'tie leaving separately. Virion leaves separately a little later.

A rumor that the bridge was out prompts the party to head to a local beaver dam. They send to Black Axe, where he says that he was about to contact them--there's a group of four bounty hunters in the area.

They get to the beaver dam and end up in a fight. Dam is out, troll and mage, mystan casts spirit guardians.

Shan'tie casts reverse gravity

Carlos shoots Virion with his gun, Virion casts fireball. The warlock fails Crown of Madness and Menace Misty Step twoards and Eldritch Blasts Carlos.
"You sure as hells aren't a deer, huh,"

"You're a fucking liar, and in a moment you'll wish you were retired."

The mage un-invisibiles and casts Slow, and then reverse gravity is dropped.

Faeryn succeeds against disintegrate. Virion casts another Firespell. There is a sudden boom as pressure, and the troll is dead.

Warlock casts Ice Storm. Menace keeps critically hitting Carlos with eldritch blasts, causing internal injuries and a festering wound, and then they misty step.

The mage with the wand drops Slow and casts Hold Person on Virion, which fails.