Session 47: Hostages Near and Far Report
General Summary
23rd of Haelynir 1524 Continued The fight continues as Corey picks himself up. He continues to try and knock out Sandy. Some of the zombies try and get to Xeldarix through the wall of force but can’t. One of the undead bulettes continues to attack Saryea while the other resurfaces next to Lily to attack. Lily tries to banish both the Ring Leader and The Fortune Teller, but they resist the affect. Corey and the remaining Lady Bayle continue to attack with the unseen musical aberrations. Karl had almost lost his concentration on his spell when Fargrim calls “FOCUS YOU BLOODY MAGICIAN. REMEMBER OUR GOALS!" which helped Karl stay focused. Losing her main target as he had misty stepped away, Erin loses her temper and starts to swell with rage as she attacks the invisible creature that has been continuing to attack her and kills it as she looks up at the man now in the stands. Xeldarix also continues to attack her unseen attacker. Meanwhile Fargrim fails to hit one of the snakes that slithered up to him and heals Erin a little. Steve turns and sees the Jesters behind him, Karl and Rocky. He holds his wooden carved amulet and points to the back of the tent where a sphere of fire appears and rams into the jester attacking Rocky. Saryea manages to kill the undead bulette that was fighting her as Niera’s power flows through her maul to smite it before running up to the ring leader. Karl moves away from the Ring Leader to prevent further counterspell casts fireball as if to somehow prove he is not a magician to Fargrim. This kills off many of the snakes and injuries others in the area as they set fire to some of the benches. The Fortune Teller tries to cast Fireball but Karl counterspells it. The snakes try and constrict Fargrim and Erin but to no success. The Jesters move in and attack Steve. The leader grins at Saryea as he casts Lightning Bolt and strikes her, Karl and Rocky. Saryea collapses onto the seats currently on fire and the leader picks her up, demanding a surrender. In the end everyone surrenders. Karl demands to know what the leader wants. The Fortune Teller reveals the nobles were never attacked and no one was meant to get hurt. The leader stablises Saryea as everyone takes off their weapons and focuses in the middle of the ring and to sit down. Fargrim, Lily and the Fortune Teller debate need while Karl helps to calm down Erin as she’s caught up in her rage and struggling to decide what to do. Karl offer to stay here with Erin as hostages and everyone else may leave. The leader will escort the nobles home and get what he came for. As an act of good faith Sandy is released from his possession. Everyone is told to leave. The paladins go back to their temple, Steve returns to the guild and Lily and Fargrim return to the manor with Xeldarix and Uqaviel. The time is 10:30pm. It’s rather late in the day and the long day weighs down on many now.
Lily and Fargrim talk on the way back. They feel like there isn’t much they can do. Lily wants to talk to Uqaviel about something but not tonight.
Karl talks with the leader as his friends all leave. Once his wife is back from organising the pack up of the camp. She serves Karl and Erin some tea that makes them feel better as the Ring Leader leaves with the nobles. It turns out when they are done here the pair will be returning to the Fortune Teller’s home now they are done. After talking for a while Karl offers an alternative when he hears that travelling home is expensive. He suggests that Steve could help them. The woman agrees they could give back some of the money as they wouldn’t need as much. The woman tells Karl about the city of brass while they wait for her husband to return.
When Lily and Fargrim arrive back at the manor, they use Uqaviel’s symbol to Haelyn so the cleric may cast his sending spell to Karl to try and see if there was a plan. Karl reveals he has an idea and will need to go find Steve as soon as he can. The pair split up to quickly to try and find Fargrim a weapon as he doesn’t like being without one. He goes down to see Caramella, being offered a cleaver and standard hammer with the house key so she may sleep instead of staying up to lock up. Without much success he rushes off to the mage guild as Lily searches Lila and Lyra’s room. She discovers Lila has set up traps in her room. So while she does find Lila’s secret stash compartment of mustard powder and a dagger in Lyra’s room, she finds nothing of use. It frustrates her to find Fargrim has already left for the guild without waiting see if she had found anything. Lily goes to the library to start searching to figure out what the apprentices were looking for and finds a hidden panel behind some book. She considers pushing it but instead finds a book to read about celestials instead.
Fargrim goes to the guild and gets Steve woken up to discuss what happened tonight.
Karl, after getting a message from Fargrim, speaks with the leader when he returns. The idea is put forward to him about getting to the plane of fire via Steve instead of the expensive means they have. The couple argue as the Fortune Teller likes the idea while the Ring Leader resists. He demands Saryea, who is still unconscious, and Erin stay here while Karl goes to see Steve about this deal. Karl tries to say that Erin can’t stay due to her missing being noticed. However, Erin volunteers to stay back so Saryea is not left alone with these people. They agree to let Karl speak with Saryea before he goes. She is argumentative when she wakes up and Karl does his best to fill her in on what has happened to ensure she does not mess this up. She agrees to try and behave. When Karl is released, he runs back to the guild.
When Karl arrives at the guild, he finds Fargrim and Steve downstairs. Together they discuss making sure that the town and temple doesn’t attack the circus as Karl explains the heist the pair were doing. During this conversation Karl has an epiphany about some of the arguing the couple had done while talking with Karl. He realises that the couple is trying to get their daughter named Tala back from the City of Brass who is no doubt a slave. With all this information Steve agrees to use planeshift when his tuning fork arrives. Karl casts telepathic bond so they can discuss a back up plan without threat of eavesdropping. Once the spell is cast Steve and Karl develop a plan to have Master Barnes fly within range and be ready to meteor the circus if something goes wrong. Karl starts to head back to the circus and Fargrim heads back to update Lily.
Fargrim arrives back and gives Lily the key to the manor while filling her in on what’s happening. Xeldarix is distressed with so many of her friends scattered around the city. Fargrim accidentally goes down into the basement instead of leaving as he intended, but finds a spool of copper wire that he takes for when he can cast Sending again. He then leaves afterward to go to the temple. Lily decides to go to bed now Fargrim is gone.
At the temple Fargrim tells them about the groups plan and stops them from marching on the circus. Instead they are on alert and patrolling around the city. Fargrim donates his precious stone from Karl and is allowed to sleep there.
Karl arrives back to find Saryea and Erin have been moved to the animal cage with all the Jester Ghouls. Erin is actively keeping herself between Saryea and the undead, but Saryea has a new bruise on the side of her face. This turns out to be because Saryea mouthed off and Erin lost her temper. The Ring Leader in the end accepts the new deal on the condition Karl join the women in the cage, leaving all his items outside the cage. Karl tries to pretend he has nothing more to give after giving up his magical belt, but the Ring Leader sees through his deception. The man lets out a low whistle and the jesters start to attack inside the cage. In the end Karl gives up his wand and the attack is called off. Karl is escorted into the cage. After checking to make sure Erin and Saryea are okay. Karl tries to get Erin to trance since his bloodline will make the undead less likely to attack. Erin turns that back around on Karl and suggests that he get some rest. She will not need it as much. 24th of Haelynir 1524 Lily wakes up to find Xeldarix isn’t in the room. She finds her outside with Uqaviel on top of the avery. He is trying to get the immortal to fly down, but she’s refusing. However, after seeing Lily she glides down to Lily to hug her. Thankfully Lily keeps her balance and catches the immortal that is happy to see her awake. They go into the kitchen and Caramella cooks them a breakfast of toasties and fruit. Caramella is going to the market and enquires how long everyone will be in town so she can stock appropriately to feel everyone. Alfonso goes with her to help carry things.
Fargrim wakes up in the temple of Niera to find the barracks he was resting in is empty. He collects his spool of copper wire from where it rolled under the bed. When he goes into the main section of the temple, he finds Rocky. Rocky tells him that most of the paladins are out in the city, ready in case an undead army comes into the city. Just enough paladins and clerics are in the temple to keep up normal services and to not panic the city. Fargrim contacts Karl through sending to see what he should be doing this morning.
Karl wakes up to see Erin still alert and on guard, while Saryea has also fallen asleep with her brother. He briefly talks to the Fortune Teller and asks her if Tala is her hatchling after he notices some red scales that had been hidden by her veil the previous night. She replies her daughter is not yet born, but waiting to be born. She doesn’t know for sure that it is her daughter, but the flames assure her it’s a girl. Karl hopes that she gets her daughter back safely and the Fortune Teller thanks him. While they wait to see what the day brings, Karl receives contact from Fargrim. Karl suggests Fargrim get Lily and go see Steve to see if he needs help or something.
Fargrim continues making his way back to the manor and has breakfast with Lily and Xeldarix after having been bowled over by Xeldarix who was happy to see him this morning. They leave together to go to the mage guild to find Steve waiting for the tuning fork to arrive. While waiting Fargrim and Lily investigate in the library about the musical aberrations. However, they don’t have much luck. When the tuning fork arrives, Steve tells the pair he is going, before collecting the Salamander eggs and heading out. Fargrim contacts Karl with sending to let him know Steve is on the way. Karl asks Fargrim to make sure Master Barnes is available to be the back up plan if things go poorly. Fargrim and Lily go upstairs to see her. She is just getting ready to go when they arrive and Lily gives her the gift of Enhanced Ability to her Wisdom. Master Barnes flies out of her window to keep an eye on things from above. The pair go back downstairs to wait and hope it goes well.
At 10:30am Steve arrives at the circus. The ring leader takes Steve away to talk away from the cage. After sometime talk the ring returns. He has a small blue bag. He places the key for the cage inside and explains it, and all the items taken from the group and nobles is in the bag. If Steve does as he promises, he will give the bag to Steve to return to the group when he returns. The key is enchanted to kill the ghouls when the cage is opened. Steve planeshifts the Ring Leader and Fortune Teller away. As soon as this happens the ghouls become agitated. Erin is doing her best to keep them away and Karl starts to panic after ten minutes of waiting for Steve to return. Not having the means to protect himself, he starts to fall apart. He tells Erin about the crystal that has that if in powdered form, he can put up Wall of Force. Erin crushes it for him with her magic fists and he casts the spell. Erin does what she can to comfort the man who is struggling to cope in the moment. After ten minutes and the spell fades, Karl casts the spell again. Erin tries to work with Karl to come up with an escape plan, but his panic (not helped by his sister's panic induced questions), renders Karl incapable of making any more decisions. Upon seeing this, Erin moves Karl into the corner of the cage and prepares to protect them when this next spell fades. Until then, she comforts him the best she can and tries to help him breathe. Just before the next spell fades, Steve finally returns. He pulls out the key and hurries to unlock the cage. True to the Ring Leader’s word, the ghoul all die. Erin carries Karl out, but he assures her that he can walk. He just needs his wand. His wand will keep him safe. Erin, sensing something not right, questions Karl on his. In the end she asks him blankly if he trusts the wand more to keep him safe then her. Karl doesn’t trust himself to answer the question and just bows his head, touching his forehead to hers. Erin takes a moment, kissing his forehead gently after taking his head in her hands and getting Karl’s wands from the bag. It’s a Haversack. Erin collects her items from the bag as well and quietly they all start to make their way back to the mage guild. Erin and Karl both quiet as they walk side by side.
Notes
| Name | XP | Running XP | Level At End of Session |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fargrim | 735 | 88,275 | 11 |
| Karl | 735 | 88,275 | 11 |
| Lily | 735 | 88,275 | 11 |
| Name | XP | Running Total | Level at End of Session |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corey | 885 | 3,585 | 4 |
| Rocky | 885 | 3,585 | 4 |
| Sandy | 885 | 3,585 | 4 |
