Session 18: Blood is Thicker Than Brandy Report
General Summary
The party started by heading into the tavern nearby for a drink and to rest after their battle with a strange creature from beyond the known planes. Roy ordered a fantastically expensive drink, brandy, and received a glass with perhaps two ounces. While Roy drank his brandy, the party discussed what to do next, and learned that Cigfran has been through the Pits of Borelius, but only once, they also learned that Cigfran had been hired to return Roisin Marshfield to her father, dead or alive, but as there was no timeframe he intended to do so "When she is ready". They continued to discuss what to do next, and Mayor Penrose walked in to talk to Roisin Marshfield. The Mayor explained that, except for a very few persons, the Iron Throne and Iron Fortress granted Alathius Marshfield power to control others, to grasp the heart in a mystical grip and crush it if desired.
The Mayor then struck suddenly, stabbing Roisin Marshfield violently. Cigfran fired a crossbow bolt, but missed. Roisin Marshfield lay dying on the floor as the others looked on in horror, to surprised to react. Mayor Penrose quickly lifted the small halfling, casually sliced through her throat, killing her instantly, then rammed the dagger into her own neck and fell to the floor. Still shocked Cigfran moved over and fired two more bolts into the mayor's corpse; one in each eye. Jeeves used a powerful and incredibly rare herb, called Elven Flower of Life, to restore Roisin Marshfield, and both experienced a vision of the Shadowlands and the Marble Palace wherein rules the Pale Queen. Roisin Marshfield awoke with a sudden gasp for air, and Jeeves helped her to her feet.
Roy stepped over to look at the remains of the mayor, but the body suddenly transformed into a pile of finely made gears, and Roy took some time to perform a ritual to detect any magic; there was none, however. Boris stepped over and examined the gears, then used his superior knowledge of the divine rules of order and justice to assemble the gears into a single train, turned one gear seven revolutions, and as the final gear completed a single revolution, the whole burst into a small cloud of sparks and disappeared.
Shortly Roy , looking around, calmly took his brandy glass, scooped up a half glass of the blood lying about in pools from the two deaths, and drank it down; remarking on the fine taste and excellent bouquet. Jeeves reacted with horror and rushed over to Roy to try to knock the glass from his hand; but Roy was too fast for the attempt and used magic to force Jeeves to return to his seat. Quirico reacted with violence and struck out at Roy , but missed. Cigfran , oddly, stepped in and counseled peace. As the events calmed, Boris walked over to Roy , and Roisin Marshfield behind him, ostensibly to heal Roisin Marshfield. Boris placed a hand on Roy 's shoulder, and cast divine magic to remove a curse. Roy , suddenly freed from the foul influence, tore a ring from his finger and tossed it aside, as the ring suddenly flared white-hot. The ring burned away a pouch Cigfran tried to use to pick it up, but Boris used his metal gauntlets to easily pick up the ring and place it on a nearby table.
Jeeves healed Roisin Marshfield, and the group calmed somewhat. The party settled in for the night, and after recovering from vomiting up the blood and cleaning up himself and Cigfran , Roy ordered another brandy, and paid for both with a handful of ten platinum regents. Roy conjured again the protective dome ward, and the group settled in to spend the night with their thoughts, too well rested to sleep. Roy poured over his magical tomes and practiced a couple of new magics while Roisin Marshfield considered her past, and future. Cigfran and Quirico maintained their equipment, while Jeeves offered what healing he could and Boris prayed.
Early in the rest period Roy tried again to don the cursed ring; fortunately Boris saw this, as Roy is not particularly skilled in deceptive movements, and fairly quickly removed the curse again, then cast the ring aside and destroyed it entirely with radiant divine power.
As morning came the dome dissipated and the group were startled when the barmaid reentered the room. They watched as the barmaid opened up the outside doors, and a few of the town's less sober inhabitants entered to begin their day. After a bit more discussion, the party headed over to the caravan hostel, where they learned that the Caravan Master's contact had left town the day before; something about a wish and changing from goblin to human (the undoing of a curse) before leaving town to retire. Less certain now, the party resolved to head to the Pits of Borelius and pursue an item there, something called the "Heart of Chaos" lost in the region during Lak'Sha's Revel some decades before.
