Session XXXVIII: Revelation

After binding and restraining Caerlin (which, for some reason, included putting an apple in his mouth), the party set up a guard schedule for the night to keep tabs on him. Although he tried to speak, this was quickly shut down by Jacqualine, casting silence on him. This was so important to her that she actually broke her self-imposed rule of no longer utilising her magic. In connection to this, Tropam spent the time and resources to learn this spell. In the morning, divided opinions still abound on what they were to do with Caerlin; Jacqualine advocated harshness. However, since the party loosened his restraints for the occasion, he managed to subtly send out a call for help to Izdubar, who soon afterwards sent a projection in their direction.   Izdubar was slightly annoyed at the party for their continued infighting and apparent long-term silence (which had been caused by entering the illusionary prison at the Apostate's Estate) and demanded that they act like adults and resolve their disagreements in a healthy manner. Jacqualine also wished to have a word with him in private, and they had a stern and serious conversation away from the others regarding Jacqualine's former Abyssal patron Nocticula. Meanwhile, the rest spoke to Caerlin, who admitted that he had been motivated by the idea of earning gold and climbing the ranks in the Serpentine Hierarchy. Which was no longer the case, since he assumed he would get executed if he ever returned. In the end, they agree to put Caerlin into a sort of "therapy" to make sure he "redeems" himself, which would be done by having Baldur cast Zone of Truth and essentially asking him if he liked to murder the innocent (every evening). Once this had been decided, Tropam asked Caerlin if he knew anything about the Plateau of Leng; he felt a deep and possibly disturbing familiarity at the mention, but could not specify it. However, it absolutely felt like something that resonated back to his sorcerous origin.   In the following discussion, Jacqualine defended her decision to not utilise magic. Still, despite Izdubar's appeal for transparency in the matter, she did not reveal the precise details yet. Because the party now wished to notify the authorities in Akk-Ur that a Serpentine raiding force may descend upon the capital through the Sun-Temple's teleportation circle. In a show of trust (which was overseen by Tropam), Caerlin sent the messages. First to the seneschal; however, a magical barrier prevented the message from coming through. Second, to Idal Wayflower, captain of the royal capital's garrison; she curtly stated that she was currently "in no position to warn anyone." Third, to Kadaron Hoymat, the noble emissary with connections to a larger network of disgruntled vassals; Caerlin immediately recognised that he was dead, for the spell did not even reach its intended recipient. It was then that Del'Gado wrote a physical letter in their capacities as Twilight Advocates, which he suggested that they simply send through a portal to the Sun-Temple, which would then hopefully reach the competent authorities. However, instead of tossing the letter in through the portal, both Caerlin and Tropam actually entered it, which resulted in the both of them accidentally beholding a banner displaying the Yellow Sign. Though the letter was dropped, Caerlin was unfortunately affected by the Sign, and after the two returned back through the portal, they had to contact Nillamir, the cleric of Abadar they met in Hearthstead, to cure him of his affliction of compulsive madness. After all, Jacqualine still refused to utilise her divine magic.   The day afterwards, the party decided to leave Vindova. In the main floor of the tavern, the party was ambushed by the sudden appearance of Roxana Assurat (once the heiress to the Crown of Akkon, now something entirely different). She expressed her immense displeasure at the party for failing to notify her about her father's passing, which she assumed they were responsible for. Calling them little more that unreliable mercenaries, she then stormed out. Del'Gado began running towards her, intending to hand over some items that had belonged to Gilgenon, but two disguised bodyguards intercepted him. He gave his reasoning, not expecting forgiveness, and Roxana begrudgingly received the items, a dragonchess set and his personal seal, via proxy. On the way out, Del'Gado instructed Regenweald to put out an employment notice for a bouncer possessing "even judgment."   Now on the road again, the party ultimately confronted Jacqualine about her apparent crisis of faith, to which she finally revealed her recent, but now former, devotion to the Demon Lord Nocticula, the Succubus Queen. Jacqualine had been drawn in to her worship from a different doctrinal interpretation: that of the Redeemer Queen, which prophesised that Nocticula would ascend to godhood and forsake her evil nature, becoming a protector of artists and exiles. Baldur said that he felt more sorry than anything else, and the rest of the party agreed, because demons are the worst. Tropam promised to protect Jacqualine until she could find a new source of divine magic. Of course, Caerlin tried to "comfort" (flirt) her, and Jacqualine promised that if he killed Nocticula, she would hold his hand.   During the evening, Jacqualine meditated on a name she had come across in one of Alamen Hazredus's books. An Adarantian saint-turned-goddess, commonly depicted in armour and holding a blood-red banner displaying a burning heart: Milani, the Everbloom, sworn enemy of unjust regimes and oppression. Jacqualine experienced a vision of some sorts, in which she saw a red-haired woman kneeling by a group of fallen Draecovian soldiers. The figure was in the process of resurrecting one of them, but was also doing something else, but Jacqualine could not gauge what. Indeed, she tempted fate so much that she had the momentary gaze of nihility cast upon her. The last thing she saw in the vision was the face of the resurrected soldier, which was apparently Estrid Falk, an intelligence officer whom the party had encountered before. Based on this observation, Jacqualine deduced that Estrid had likely been chosen as Milani's Herald. She asked Tropam to contact her, and the familiar figure soon appeared. After quizzing Jacqualine on ideals and beliefs, she promised to forward her recommendation to Milani.   The day after, by complete coincidence, Tropam (with his third eye) noticed a scrying eye spying on Jacqualine, which disappeared immediately after he panicked. Four days later, he again noticed the eye, but now subtly informed the others that the eye had appeared. Of course, the eye simply observed, and it was impossible to trace it simply based on its appearance. That same day, several hours later, the party came to a parting in the road. Jacqualine saw a burning-heart banner appear, and again felt empowered by the grace of divine sanction; Tropam felt strong traces of illusion magic around them. Loudly proclaiming that there was something wrong, four red-and-black mantis-masked assassins emerged from seemingly nothing - set on fulfilling the contract for Del'Gado's death.