Session I: The Spreading Flames Report
General Summary
Diggins, a dwarf guard of Epidae was reprimanded by his boss and sent to find the magical dagger he'd lost. He discovered signs of entry through a fumes vent, leading him to believe the culprit had jumped from a nearby house. After investigating the house, he ran into Artemis. They traded questions: Artemis asking about the giant owls she's investigating, Diggins asking for any information about the thief. Artemis describes a suspicious figure she saw last night but was unable to track. They go seperate ways to pursue their agendas, and Diggins begins to investigate a nearby Kapeleia. He questions the barkeep and a woman named Salem, but doesn't find anything but a cup of wine. Meanwhile, Artemis bumps into a strange woman who points her to the Huntsman. Artemis goes to the Huntsman, who reveals that he's aware of several attacks by giant owls nearby, and agrees to go on a hunt with her in the morning. She runs into Diggins and offers to help him for tonight. She realizes that the woman who pointed her to the Huntsman was actually the same one she saw last night, and the two begin investigating around the agora (market). They spot a shopkeeper who's frustrated about a brand new hole in his roof that appeared last night. He tells them they can use the ladder in the alley to get up onto the roof, so they go outside. They hear clanging coming from a garbage bin behind the jewelry shop, and find a ratkin named Snuffkin digging for junk. She tells them she saw a funny woman hide in the alley and they find Cherry and start arguing. Meanwhile, Salem sees snow falling from the sky but soon realizes it's ash. Some of the others notice an explosion in the distance and climb the roof to see the town of Itanos completely engulfed in flames. They run to notify the guard, but the warning bell begins ringing, and the guards are heard shouting about warships in the harbor. Artemis notices something descending from the night sky just before it annihilates the top of the keep. With a second blast, it reduces the keep to dust, as a human rider jumps off and stabs a Sacratean banner into the ground. Fiery ballista bolts begin to rain down, nearly killing Snuffkin, who stopped to grab a brass chain. The party runs as the town is overrun with Sacratean Crusaders, Cherry stopping to warn the family of her ally. They all continue running up the mountain as Epidae, Itanos, and Kleio burn. The family begins screaming in the darkness ahead of them, and by the time the party reaches them, three are dead, killed by a strange woman in black. They pursue her over the mountain, eventually finding three children from Tegotiri, terrified from an encounter with a "boney-winged woman". The party shoos them to safety, and continues heading east. After a dozen more miles, they find a trader caravan, and one of them mentions seeing a figure in the forest earlier. They begin looking for the woman, and manage to sneak up on her near a creek. After trying to talk to her, she attacks the party, behaving strangely the whole time. After a few good hits, the party damages her heavily (serious injury to abdomen and almost down). Cherry shoots a bolt through her eye and she loses conciousness. The party ties her up, then heals her as they argue about what to do with her. She regains conciousness, still pleading for them to run, before her voice shifts down several octaves, saying "That is enough." Her arm breaks in several places, allowing her to slip free and cast Fear on the entire group. In the confusion she telekinetically takes back the dagger that Diggins had just retrieved, using it to teleport to safety and disappearing into the night.
Rewards Granted
- 2x Fu Tao: light, finesse, hyperversatility (see below). Hilt does 1d4 slashing/piercing. Hook does 1d6 piercing and grants a +2 to hook grappling on next attack unless enemy moves out of reach or disarms you. Hyperversatility. Hooking two Fu Tao together functions like a greatsword, gaining 5 feet of extra range and doing 1d8 damage.
- 2x Healing Potions
- Explorer's Pack: includes a backpack, a bedroll, a mess kit, a tinderbox, 10 torches, 10 days of rations, and a waterskin. The pack also has 50 feet of hempen rope strapped to the side of it.
Missions/Quests Completed
- Find Allies: 15 xp
- Escape Epidae: 35 xp
- Warn Your Allies: 10 xp
- Track Down Satake: 15 xp
- Honor Among Thieves: 10 xp
- Defeat the Unwilling Champion: 20 xp
- So Close...: 5 xp
Character(s) interacted with
Guard Captain, Guards, Apothecary, Huntsman, Solar Dragon, Barkeep, Patrons, Townspeople, Peneus Family, Traders, Tegotiri Children, Satake Shuuko, Strange Voice
