Session XXXVII: O High One

The meeting with the intelligence chief went back and forth for quite some time. Before starting to talk about the enigmatic estate, commander Hedwig deconstructed the party's irregular movement patterns and surmised that they were not acting entirely independently, and they vaguely alluded to the existence of the one they currently "work" for, Izdubar, which was enough information for her. When asked where they were heading next, Del'Gado provided a generous answer of "northeast." She then wanted the party to provide a full account of their experiences inside the estate. In short, they detailed that it was enshrouded in incredibly potent magic which they could only hope to understand when they physically investigated the place. The officer also wanted to know what fallback plans they had for these scenarios if things went wrong; none, as is the law for all real adventurers. Instead, they relied on improvisation, which Del'Gado affirmed that they were quite good at.   After this initial discussion the party seized the initiative and made a good case for receiving information about the happenings in Malakad (case being: they tended to get sent flying to random places at a worrying rate). Commander Hedwig accepted this argument. Based on frontline incident reports and fragmentary accounts by capitulated Akkonian soldiers, a devastating pathogen had begun to spread from somewhere deep within the Holds. It resembled nothing that the continental subject matter experts had documented (such as seized Hellknight codices). Affected hosts apparently have a few too many appendages, which rules out ghoul fever, the party's initial supposition. The pathogen had yet to make full contact with the Draecovian defensive line at Khuramunz.   Commander Hedwig then turned to the matter of Jacqualine's acquisition of the Draecovian language, and more centrally, if her method could be reliably reproduced. As Section Chief of Recondite Affairs, this unforeseen act fell well within her area of responsibility. Jacqualine replied that no-one else should ever be able to experience what she had. When asked about details, Jacqualine summarised the party's royal assignment to the Gloomlight Forest, where they were tasked to investigate numerous disappearances. The accursed chest of the Karapanate, which she miraculously managed to breach for just a moment, caused an entity of some kind to react to her transgression. And where most mortals would go permanently mad from the visions that were imparted upon her, Jacqualine had managed to remain sane, and even managed to extract some meaning from them; amongst which the Draecovian language counted. The cleric's hatred of the Karapanate was communicated clearly in this discussion, which led commander Hedwig on a digression. She recounted how several unmarked boxes containing yellow-bound books had been seized from the MMC branch office in Khuramunz, which were supposed to be delivered to the town's influential non-doppelgangers (the head of the MMC in Khuramunz, Audbjorg Coinlender, had been a doppelganger). Subsequent interrogations and forensic analysis had led them to suspect that the Karapanate were the donor of these books, though they could not ascertain a clear motive. Nevertheless, unmarked books intended as gifts to a whole town's elite were deemed suspicious and thus had warranted immediate destruction. Returning to the matter of Jacqualine's language, the commander said that the dialect she had learnt was unusual: Low Draecovian, which was nearing extinction.   At one point afterwards, the party off-handedly mentioned King Gilgenon and his exposure to a yellow-bound book. This was new information to the intelligence officer, who asked from where they had learned this, and if they knew more about Akkon's absent monarch. The two sides agreed to informational transparency, and the party all but confirmed that they had had a hand in the actual death of Gilgenon. In return, commander Hedwig told them that there had been one verifiable noble coup in Akkon; and the recent loss of a large section of the Noble Alliance Army had led them to believe that a second coup either had occurred or was imminent. Of course, she did not reveal her sources. As the meeting came to an end, she issued one last declaration: the enigmatic estate was now off-limits. The party's testimony had not inspired confidence. If something went seriously wrong there, such as accidentally releasing something rivalling the outbreak in Malakad, the XXV Corps would be unable to deploy a sufficient contingency force. But this ordinance can't stop them, because they can't read.   After the meeting was done, the party had a look at the all-powerful Public Notice Board in Citizen's Square. There were two warrants of particular note: one for an unknown person under the alias Unspoken Prophet and one for Michelle Blazemour. The Unspoken Prophet had been identified by Karwyn Oreshoulder several months ago as a figure involved in a deliberate scheme involving smiths from the Unholds, whilst Michelle Blazemour had been a Writer-Curator at the Society of the Red Mask (which went underground).   Returning to the Roaring Hearth, Regenweald started to talk about rumours of southern food shortages, and pondered if the party were involved in such business; more precisely, did they have potatoes to sell, and if so, from whom? They recognised the phrase. It was an incomplete form of the one they were given by the conspirators during the royal heist. As they said "from the head of House Kassiru," Regenweald invited them to talk in the kitchen. He had a letter for Del'Gado, and simply wanted to be absolutely certain that he was the correct person. The letter was from his adoptive mother, Axia Clandestina, who had left him a sort of inheritance and a word of advice. The inheritance was an opportunity to purchase the Roaring Hearth, whose top floor was very useful to a group of adventurers (in particular, having a permanent Circle of Teleportation and one-way windows). The advice concerned the Shadow Regime, of which Axia, Regenweald, and Del'Gado all had been members of. A dissident faction, Daybreak, had formed from within the Regime, and it was on their behalf that the party had undertaken the Akkonian royal heist. Axia warned Del'Gado that the Regime would eventually come after him, as they still possessed the ability to do so. As such, Regenweald gave a detailed overview of the Shadow Regime's current status, which could be useful to stay ahead of them.   Del'Gado declared his intention to buy the Roaring Hearth, which would amount to 1500 gold. The formal transaction would have to take place later, overseen by Vindova's Public Notary. Once Regenweald left, Caerlin revealed that he had heard voices in his head for some time, and this time it told him that Regenweald lied when he said that three of the Shadow Regime's leaders were dead. Jacqualine decided to commune with her deity to confirm or reject this allegation. Indeed, Regenweald had withheld important context; Jacqualine also wished to know if he wanted harm to befall Del'Gado. This was not true. The bartender rather wanted the opposite. Jacqualine could not resist annoying Caerlin: she remarked that when she heard internal voices, she knew who spoke. This triggered a reaction from Caerlin (or rather, the voice), and he demanded to know the name of her deity. She denied to answer, and Caerlin dropped the matter.   In the early evening the Public Notary arrived to oversee the certification process. Interestingly, she was called Istara Hoymat, which Del'Gado made a comment on. Although she asserted that this was neither the time nor place to discuss the political vicissitudes of the Hoymat line in the Unitary Mandate of Kaedra. If he wanted to do that, a visit to their residence was more appropriate.   During the night, in the now-Del'Gado-owned property, Caerlin snuck up towards the teleportation circle. Jacqualine, Tropam, and Del'Gado notice his awakening; Del'Gado decided to stealthily observe him. The serpentine sorcerer cast a spell and vanished.   He set the course for Auvrael, his home beyond the ocean far, and ended up inside a temple dedicated to Ydersius, the sanguine god of the Yuan-Ti. A haemophant of House Ha'srammass Extaminous, who was in the middle of dusting off skulls on ritualistic display inside the temple, greeted Zsakshash in confusion. Something akin to a farcical play followed. Zsakshash was declared a deserter, but he turned it around by providing the haemophant with information about ripe locations for plundering. Namely, Zsakshash gave him the runes to the teleportation circle of the Sun-Temple of Akk-Ur, and highlighted that Akkon was currently in a crisis and consequently weak. He also spoke of the new outsiders in Greyhyx and the danger they could pose. When asked to show proof of his devotion to sacred plunder, Zsakshash produced the blade that belonged to the commander of the raiding fleet. Naturally, this infuriated the haemophant. But Zsakshash managed to convince him that had he not retrieved this blade from the depths of the ocean, it would never again see the light of day. The haemophant, in his infinite mercy, referred Zsakshash's tentative punishment to a tribunal instead of instant blood sacrifice. Overjoyed, he kindly requested, from a haemophant of Ydersius, in the middle of the night, at this time of year, for some drugs, several women, and holy blessings. The haemophant gave him some leftover osssra and issued a blessing, probably to be rid of him. He then said that Zsakshash could return (and continue to be useful), but warned him that he was required to return the instant the tribunal had decided his fate.   Jacqualine had communed with her deity for answers regarding Caerlin's escapade. However, her deity clearly felt that Jacqualine had grown too accustomed to free divine hand-outs and asked that she perform an act of betrayal in service of her. She would target Izdubar, and the general idea is to strand him in Rankarrus (Vyriavaxus' Abyssal Realm inhibits all interplanar travel). Jacqualine tried to argue, but was thoroughly rebuked. Her Lady's portfolio includes intrigue, subversion, betrayal, and change, to name a few. This request is absolutely consistent with what one would expect. Jacqualine fell into a crisis of faith. The instant Caerlin returned from his trip, Tropam surrounded the teleportation circle with a Wall of Force. Caerlin subtly used Misty Step to get out. Jacqualine approached and activated Spirit Guardians, which began wounding him. Under intensive questioning, he told the party half-truths about what he had done. He then fell dying to the floor as a result of Jacqualine's Guardians, but she healed him back. This time, he revealed that he had exposed the Sun-Temple's teleportation circle to his people. But he was not going to return because they clearly wanted him dead. Baldur used Circle of Truth, and Caerlin also told them that he had not compromised the circle here at the Roaring Hearth, only the one in Akk-Ur. However, Caerlin was now angry at all these questions and tried to bail by jumping out the window, but Jacqualine used Hold Person on him. Then Baldur knocked him out.