Session 7 Report

General Summary

The team decided after much debate and discussion to return to the Spider Bride to complete their contract with her. With this being his first time meeting her, Ennaeus was a bit taken aback by the Spider's appearance and her entourage of scantily clad ladies in waiting. While initially a bit leary his trepidation was soon replaced with mild degrees of interest and flirtatious vibes. The Spider Bride did rebuff Ennaeus's advances but left the door open for future romance if Ennaeus were to become more powerful than the Bride would reconsider. After a short back and forth the Spider presented the party with a silver serving tray, beneath the metal bell of the tray awaited the invite to the Haarlock's soiree. This much needed introduction will allow the team to gain entrance to Gabriel Chase and the Haarlock estate's hall of clocks. With that good news Pious asked the Spider about Lady Melua since the Spider Bride stated she was her ward and would present her to the group after they had completed her task. True to her word the Spider did call for Lady Melua to join the group.   When the Lady joined the gathered acolytes they noticed immediately that Lady Melua had some strange mutations in common with the other venous ladies that served the Spider Bride. Pious was immediately alarmed knowing then that they were not as done with the Spider Bride as they initially thought. Lady Melua and the Spider both stated that they sensed the presence of the Haarlock line on the group. This was not the first allusion to this fact that the group had heard in the past days leading up to this point. How strange that they had been sent here at this time with their own backgrounds in question.   The Lady was still set on finding her brother whom she explained had fallen in with the Pilgrims of Hayte. She believed that he could be turned back to the light of the Emperor but she needed to find him first before another Tragedy like that which had happened on their home planet of Malfi happened on Quaddis as well. Lady Melua told the acolytes that she planned to accompany them to Gabriel Chase in an effort to track down her missing sibling. Without much room for rebuttal in the view of the Spider Bride the group agreed.   Before immediately heading for the Haarlock estate the team decided to check in with Septimus Dexter and returned to their safehouse that they had initially been directed to by the now dead inquisitor Karlaken. Dexter supplied the group with even more information about the Haarlock estate but more importantly about the Steel clock they sought. The first problem was that it was big. Very big apparently, almost 12 feet high and surrounded and supported by stone pillars which housed and protected the intricate workings of the clock. He then went on to describe the clock and as he finished Magdala took special interest in his description of the clock's pendulum which he surmised was a large contributor to the clock's odd sense of time keeping.   The pendulum was likely made of Blackstone according to Magdala's knowledge of the substance. An unknowably ancient material it was incredibly rare in the scope of the galaxy and more over a strange portent of things to come should he be right. Why would Blackstone be on Quaddis and how old was the Steel clock if it had been used? What else could it mean for the domed city Xicarph if they found the substance here. The group would need to hasten their investigation if they were going to find out in time as the bell of the clock rang out across the city again. The acolytes decided to trade in their bloodied and ripped clothes for finer attire, in order to blend in with the debutants and nobility once they arrived at the Haarlock estate. Procuring the necessary vestments was easy for Pious who was right at home threatening and cajoling the venders to give him what he wanted at the price he had in mind, lest "the Emperor'' be angry with the "greedy" merchants selling their wares.   Regardless, after the group had adorned themselves in a finer manner of dress they headed off to the Haarlock estate of Gabriel Chase. As they neared their destination Miria spotted a very large humanoid shaped person standing atop a nearby building a couple blocks away. As the group looked on in wonder of the thing they spotted it performed an incredible leap closer to flying and closed the couple city block distance between it and the group. Landing with a crash in the middle of the street, the huge creature was tangle of limbs and weapons. It leveled it's predatory gaze at the acolytes and Lady Melua and yelled out "Haarlock!" before rushing towards the group in a rage.   What will happen next?

Rewards Granted

15XP

Missions/Quests Completed

The Spider Bride's request

Character(s) interacted with

The Widower
Septimus Dexter

Related Reports

Session 6