Session 81, October 26, 2023

Session begins in Cair Dineval after the party executes Cadroth. They decide to go back to the castle to check on the prisoners and get settled. Savari brings the party up to the Seer's room to check on her body, and fills them in on what the Seer was talking about concerning the duragar trying to bring about the end of the world. Shar explores Cadroth's bedchamber next door, and falls asleep on the bed. Rys slowly sinks into the Seer's bed as conversation devolves into criticism of Ifrea's frostmaiden patron. Ifrea and Savari go downstairs intending to release the prisoners that are waiting. When they get to the main level though, they see the front door that had been welded shut is actually cracked open just a bit. They get nervous and go back upstairs to rest a bit and then gather the rest of the party to clear the area. After an hour of NOT ENOUGH sleep, they get Shar and Rys up and begin to explore and clear the upstairs rooms. In the first room, Savari cracks open the door and sees an immaculate and unnecessarily ornate bedchamber. A man is crouched in the corner, unkempt and slightly mad-looking. He says he's been waiting 2 months to be saved from the cultists. He also says they've missed at least one cultist, who made an escape around an hour ago (Yajath). He's the most pompous, entitled, annoying asshole. Savari gets really fed up and kills him. They plan a story around it and move on to the downstairs. They find a kitchen and servants quarters and the chef. He introduces himself as Karou, and is the first to hear (and luckily believe) the story of how the speaker died. Continuing to the basement, they knock on the door and the former prisoners open it up and go up to the main castle. News of the speaker's death is met with sadness from the staff, and the party learns that though he was a bully and an asshole, he also took in many people and had a bit of a secret soft side. He's very dead now, however, and they'll have to hold an election for a new speaker. Finally, they are able to head upstairs for a long rest. Ifrea has visions and communicates with the Frost Maiden overnight. The next morning Savari wakes up and looks over to where Rys had been sleeping. She finds a black cat like the one she'd seen last night in Cadroth's room. She wakes up the rest of the party to look for Rys, but no one has seen her. As they talk about her and look, the cat follows and yowls at them. Ifrea begins playing with the cat while Savari continues searching for Rys. Everyone she talks to says there wasn't any entry or exit of people overnight. Shar eventually tries to speak with the cat and learns it is in fact Rys, but she can't change back and definitely has more animal instinct than usual for creature form. Savari says she can try breaking a curse if that's what it is, but she can't do it until tomorrow. Rys settles into the cat feelings and eats, chases things, and naps on the hearth. The rest of the party help clear the bodies from the castle. Savari conjures an invisible floating disc to stack them on and then magically moves them out of the building. The floating pile of bodies is quite a spectacle. They burn the cultist bodies and then set up a quaint funeral for speaker Cranic. Session ends. (late afternoon)