Session 8: The Convocation of Lorinne Report
General Summary
The curtain rises on Smok and Stigala in the underground chamber, with what seems to be Dame Eselde of the Eye, Paladin of Vengeance, hanging helpless from chains attached to the ceiling while blood moths drain her of Adoracia Fidele. Around them are the goblins Griashia and Urto and two other Volgare workers.
A moment later, a large human in a leather apron, seemingly some sort of Overseer of the operation, enters from an unseen door and pours some concoction down Eselde's throat via the hideous upturned-funnel mouth of her iron mask. He then yells at Griashia for speaking to strange priests and asks if she was followed, and she says no and points out that Smok and Stigala are here, but only because Stig was sick. The Overseer flies into a rage and says, "Then they must die."
In a brief but vicious fight, Smok jams a dagger into the Overseer's neck and Stig leaps upon Eselde and manages to pry off the mask (though bending her own dagger in the process). When the mask comes off, Eselde's horrific eye and withered face is visible, and she uses her Awe to cow everyone in the room, sending them to their knees. Then she eases her Presnece for Stig and Smok, who help her down from the chains. Eselde, who is dying, heals Stig of her magical affliction and uses the last of her strength to keep the Volgare penitent until Smok and Stig could get away.
Across town, Elric and Rowan argue with Merek Payne (Il Dolore) about why he is charging protection to the temple (he apparently won the Snakepit in a bet from the previous owner, and thus inherited the responsibility of collecting protection for a certain neighborhood), and whether he could lower the 29 shillings per month the temple owed him. At the same time, Rowan and Merek got into a fraternal argument that came to blows, a fight which Merek thought was over when he slammed Rowan's head into a desk and agreed with Elric to only charge. 15 shillings a month. Merek's victory was premature, for a blow from Rowan's club felled the big man, and in his grogginess as he awoke he signed a contract to only charge 10 shillings a month. He also said that he had given the Orb of Guerisse to a fence named Ogo the Blind, and would try to get it back.
The next day, Crispin Wildmane, Clarity's equerry, arrived at the house where the PCs were staying to warn them that a fair-seeming but privately vicious nobleman named Baron Royeric was courting Clarity, and Crispin wanted the Venerati to do something about it, which they summarily refused to do. They instead went to see Pastore Gavinus of the Church of St. Roland, and inquired about the strange medicine he had taken. He again said that it was for his heart condition, and that he got it from an apothecary called Nureen's, on Toulon Street and Perfumer's Row (although he had only been there once and now had it delivered to him.
The PCs ventured to Nureen's, but found it long vacated. The Volgare went back into the goblin warrens and found the chamber that held the Paladin cleaned out, but the larger human-sized door they had overlooked before led up to Nureen's. The PCs then went back to Gavinus and found him studying for the debate that would occur the next day at the Convocation of Lorinne.
The Venerati talk for some time about the nature of the Gods and the Paladins, and Gavinus is clearly wrestling with the notion that if the Gods did not and cannot ascend from mortals, then why do we worship the Paladins at all? Elric questions that if one could distill the essence of the Paladins, would Gavinus take it? He claims no--damaging a Saint would be heretical. Then Elric and Rowan open up about the origin of Gavinus's medicine. The Pastore is obviously quite surprised and says he won't take it again. He requests solitude to pray and think over what the Venerati told him.
Then the investigators get some much-needed entertainment and catharsis at the Grand Guignol Theatre, where Tobiasch has directed a slasher-type werewolf play.
On Mai 1, the Convocation of Lorinne is held in the Church of St. Roland. Gavinus loses the debate, of course, as he knew he would, and he then admits defeat at the superior theology of the Seneschal: mortals can indeed not rise to divinity. But then Gavinus asks a follow-up question. If mortals cannot attain divinity, why then do we pray to the Paladins? This more recent practice (about 800 or 900 years old) seems to fly in the face of the divinity of the Gods as proven by the Seneschal.
After a brief recess, the Grand Preceptor publicly asserts that the church indeed celebrates the memory of the paladins with religious solemnity, to be stirred up to imitate them, admiring their merits, and bolstered by their examples, but it offers sacrifice and dedicates altars to the Five Gods alone. Our paladins says he, are not gods; we build no temples to our paladins, as to the Gods; but we consecrate to them only memorial places, as to departed men, whose spirits live with the Gods; we build altars not to sacrifice to the paladins, but to sacrifice with them to the Five Gods, who are both ours and theirs. Gavinus immediately petitions the Seneschal to rename the Church of St. Roland to the Church of Asra's Blessing (which is granted).
The entire crowd and assembled clergy seem to be in total agreement with the Grand Preceptor...except for one small figure: Smok. With a loud voice, he calls out the the Grand Preceptor is a heretic. The crowd turns on him, but Smok evades them and runs to the front of the church, dodging between the guards and hurling himself at the Grand Preceptor, jamming his dagger up under the elderly man's chin and into his brain, killing him instantly.
Four guards descend on Smok hacking with their longswords until the Volgare like bleeding out on the floor. The shocked Seneschal staggers over to the corpse of the Grand Preceptor, confirms that he is indeed dead, and croaks out his judgment: "Finish him!"
A sword flashes, rings against the stone, and Smok's head is separated from his body...
Rewards Granted
1 Advance
Missions/Quests Completed
Smok is killed
