BT - Session 7: A Thief Revealed
General Summary
In the morning the party regrouped to discuss their plan of action over breakfast. They elected to visit Twinflower Tours to see if the necromancer on staff would be able to shed some light upon the curse tablets. Vicari Adesh answered their questions, inspected the tablet, and confirmed their suspicions. The tablets did, indeed, bestow curses, but were only effective due to proximity of the entity invoked. Under normal circumstances they should not work.
After some debate, the party decided it would be most expediant to summon the Black Hunter via curse tablet, invoking its own power against it. They set out for Posey’s home in the Scoddyrocks in the bright morning sun. Unfortunately, after being left for several days, Posey’s body had become somewhat rank and the foul smell that greeted them permeated the entire house.
As the sun arced its way through the sky, the group prepared for the summons. Poe collected rocks to block the sewer, while Miko dug a shallow grave to dispose of Posey’s body. Inside, Val and Pamaris did their best to air the space out. Fortunately, Posey's neighbors either did not notice or did not care about the flurry of action. With their taks completed, the group got into costume. After drawing the curtains to block the noonday sun (and nosy neighbors), Poe inscribed a curse into a lead tablet.
A few agonizing minutes passed before the candles dimmed and Borrin's strange lantern began to glow a sickly green. A steady dripping sound began in the bedroom where Val, Pamaris, and Miko were hiding. An entity was forming from the ceiling. Wreathed in black vines and bearing a raven skull for a head, the creature was unsettling. Val, in his fear, immediately broke the rules he had given Miko regarding the Fey and called out to Poe, asking what they should do.
Poe treated with the entity and negotiated passage to gain audience with the Black Hunter. As the party left through the darkened portal, Pamaris kicked over some candles, setting the home alight. In a panic, Val grabbed what treasure he could before hopping through himself. The gateway led them to an unfamilar place: a forest clearing surrounded by gnarled, old trees and giant thorny vines. The glint of eyes shone back at them from the foliage. On one end of the clearing, on a throne of the same gnarled branches, sat the Black Hunter. The creature was at least a dozen feet tall, wreathed in dark vines and robes. Its head bore the same deerskull and arrow seen in Borrin’s tattoo.
The Black Hunter seemed bemused at the audacity of Poe’s request, and asked if the group wished to return its stolen property, or to deliver a thief. Confused, Miko attempted to return the strange lantern. However, this did not seem to be the Hunter’s intent, as it made motion to pick up the young halfling in one enormous clawed hand. It hissed that Pamaris was a thief, stealing that which was rightfully its master’s. Confused, the group looked to Pamaris for explanation. The firbolg said they would discuss it later, but the matter at hand was ensuring this dark fey did not keep Miko. Poe struck a deal with the creature in exchage for it to stop interfering with—and killing-- the citizens of Corsegardin Hollow. The Hunter spoke of something within the earth that needed "correcting," and that they would know when they’d been called upon.
With the deal struck, the party was shunted back to the burnt out wreckage that was once Posey’s home. The night sky twinkled above them. Unsure of how much time had been lost, the group made their way to the Laughing Naiad. There,
Terradissia informed them that it had been two days since they’d gone to Posey’s. Over a stiff drink, Pamaris explained why the Black Hunter called her a thief. She had rescued Miko from a cult--her cult---following the Eye of the Moon. She did not know if Miko’s parents were still alive.
Before turning in for the night, Val asked Terradissia to get in touch with Sindiwe to fence the art, jewelry, and Applegate signet ring that he had grabbed from Posey’s home. It had been an eventful afternoon with a lot of information to process. The party elected to spend the rest of the evening together, leaving the candles lit for a bit of comfort against the omnious dark.
