Session 103: For Your Invitation
General Summary
11th Brussendar 836PD All jumping through Rhetoric’s teleportation circle, they arrive at the Devil’s Corset, a tavern/brothel popular with the mages of Emon. The red tiefling proprietor welcomes the group, as Rhetoric slips Raphael his card if the Unbroken ever need his services again, and finds a spot for some ‘rum and fun’. The party decide to head to Allura’s to debrief and keep the ‘original’ Palmer Cooke out of sight. Raphael pays for Loushia and her charges to be looked after (in an age appropriate fashion), whilst they send for one of the Cinderscar Keep’s staff to come and escort them back to the Keep. Some of the party pick up some standard healing potions on their way out. Jinarth disguises themselves with their changeling abilities, and provides Palmer with a hooded cloak. The Unbroken escort them to Allura’s, however they are stopped by Guards on their way into the district as part of increased security measures to verify their identities. They pass through, but a guard recognises the face of Palmer under his hood, to avoid a scene Raphael persuades the Captain and a guard to escort them to Allura’s. The Unbroken and Jinarth debrief Allura, giving her a moment to overcome the initial face to face with Palmer Cooke and the revelation that the one they’ve known as Lock-Breaker has been an imposter for 4 years. Jinarth relays what she found out at the Dark Grasp cult, that there are other cells of cults that don’t know about each other, such as the Chain Breakers or the Dark Eyes in Kymal. Also the cults use a mixture of magic and brainwashing to indoctrinate their members, processes that remove people’s inhibitions, and eventually remove all sense of self as they move through the ranks from cultists, initiative, acolyte to disciple. The top of cult is headed by a Master, and Jinarth had only seen 2, the Rakshasa and a tiefling that the Unbroken recognise as Azeyeroth, the one they encountered at Merrit’s Keep and the Ioun shackle. Allura asks what their next move should be, the Unbroken plan to continue focusing on finding the Shackles whilst asking the Council and allies to support in busting the other cults. The Arch Heart’s shackle in the Feywild would be their next target, and fortunately Allura has received an invitation from Titania to attend the Summer Court’s Ball that celebrates the Elvendawn, Arch Heart holy day in 9 days’ time (20th). She can nominate the Unbroken to go in her place to the ball. Unfortunately, this coincides with the season where the Summer Court is more powerful than the Winter Court. Raphael is naturally resistant to the prospect of going to an adversarial court when his patronage is at its weakest. Orlando and Simeon manage to persuade him though that they will need the Court’s support and help with traversing the Feywild, and that being the invited guest of the Archfey would help in their efforts. At this point though, Arthur’s infamously short patience runs out at the prospect of another quest and more time away from his duties. He states to Allura that he has kept his side of the bargain up by helping the Unbroken to rescue Jinarth, now will he receive help to safeguard the Ioun shackle? Allura holds her end up as she has recruited an Expositor from the Cobalt Soul to take over from Arthur, allowing him to continue to support the Unbroken. The core Tal’Dorei Council will be meeting this evening, the Unbroken will debrief them on what they’ve learned, and the plan to attend the Summer Court Ball. Raphael sends to Arin at the Cobalt Soul about the Lock-Breaker developments. The Unbroken return to their Keep and find they have an unexpected visitor, one of Tarathiel’s sons, Lianthorn. He’s come to them for aid for his brother, Merellian, has been missing for several days after not returning from a mission. The Syngornian forces have closed ranks, and are not sharing any information on what Merellian was doing or where going. He hasn’t informed Tarathiel as she is in Rexxentrum, Wildemount, currently deep in research to aid the group’s efforts with the shackles, and he doesn’t want to distract and worry her. Before the Unbroken can consider further, they are summoned to the Council meeting, but promise to help Lianthorn later by scrying on his brother to find him. The Council are gravely concerned with the Unbroken’s revelations of not just there being multiple cults and Lock-Breakers, but that there is an Aspect of Tharizdun that has reached beyond into the mortal realms as well. The Council nearly split in members as they debate how far can this information be shared, but Raphael’s point that the Unbroken didn’t have to share this information with them convinces Master of Development, Hearthmaker Edelbern Cleareyes, to side with Allura, Odessa and Vex’ahlia to share the information with the Ambassadors and international allies. Simeon and the Unbroken set a persuasive case to go even further and make the information public! These cults operate in the shadows, and so a light must be shine on them. Informing the public will aid in gathering information and awareness of these cults. The Council agree to a public release and sharing with allies, and in addition:
- Orlando will liaise with Kraghammer ambassador and Master Crafter to send Holy Crafters to help repair the Ioun Shackle.
- Master of Defense, Guardian Tofor Brotoras, will inform the Scalebearers of Vasselheim to fortify protection of the Bahamut shackle.
- Master of Information, Seeker Odessa Tal'Dorei, and Jinarth will help to decode the ledgers and documents the Unbroken found at the Blackened Hand temple to uncover any further information on the dealings of the Lock-Breaker cults, as well as use their networks to spy on the cults they know such as the Dark Eyes.
- Allura will research in tandem with Cobalt Soul on the Aspect of Tharizdun, potential weaknesses and understanding of how it could have manifested pass the Shackles.
- Council agrees to Unbroken being the council’s ‘representatives’ at the Summer Court Ball, Arthur aids Allura in assuring the group can be trusted to be diplomatic. In return Allura lends Arthur her ‘Pegasus Quill’ to speedily copy Plane Shift into his spell book.
