7/10/21

Start with INSP, +d6, +d6
Character building question - What was your first kiss? At a symposium for building codes, he met another new artisan (carpentry?) named Aranea during the cocktail hour and then boom boom pow.
 
Early morning, I leave to check on the guards at their barracks. Along my trip, I see the city ravaged by damage, but the worst of it is already repaired or in the process of becoming so. The barracks is bustling, with a somber air. I meet with a lieutenant and get some details; they are going to investigate and have the Witch Hunters checking stuff out. They are also going to issue a press release with all of their current findings this evening. I thank her, and head to the estate.
 
I arrive at the estate, where Rorin and Marda are already having breakfast. I am closely followed by Melfina. Druss hasn't made it there yet. Rorin sends a palcon (pigeon+falcon) to Druss with a message. Once everyone is together, I share the info I gathered. Right after that, the press release arrives, with 2 additions: 1) the deputy chief Jake Warrenthal, a generational military man, was captured as one of the traitors, and they're going to privately execute him, with some lower names as well. 2) Addressed to Rorin and co., from the Marquis, telling us that we'll talk to the Marquis and attend the executions in the morning. I got my own letter, from High Priestess Diligence co: the Marquis. Rorin, Melfina, and I are going to try to talk to the prisoners before they're terminated. We head to the Marquis. The door to their office is closed, and guarded by a halfling monk. This monk is of a rank, a commander amongst the hunters and guardian of the Sanctum. Marda identifies him as a man of action, and our probable contact if the Marquis were not present, and he is named Jericho Rockfoot. Melfina explains we've been summoned, and Jericho says that the Marquis is in a meeting, and will see us after they have finished their business. After about 5 minutes, several members of the Inquisitors and the Sanctum's IA team exit the room. We enter the office, and find it sparse yet messy, seeming slept it. The Marquis too seems drawn, and clearly slept here. They admit to us that the festival has gone awry, and tells us (Druss, Rorin, and I) that we will be representing the Sanctum at the executions. The IA team of the Sanctum is going out into the city to work, and the Marquis adds that the anti-Bard sentiment in the city is on the rise. They were hard to integrate the first time, and this is very worrying. A knock on the door, and Jericho informs us that Devon the actual falcon has found us here. It has a note that we are going to need written authorization from the Marquis to interview the prisoners, which they immediately give us.
 
The Marquis requests we find out how many of the total Crimson Dragon members are current, active members; to look into Vandren, the mysterious leader of the Witch Hunters; to ask about any future attacks being planned and their overall goals; to see if and how deeply each of the churches may be infiltrated; and what landowners are involved.
 
We travel to the Fort barracks, and a guard escorts Rorin, Melfina, and I to the private questioning area. Pre-rolled checks: INSI- 23, INTIM - 18. We go to work with thaumaturgy, and Melfina uses Zone of Truth in metal fashion, but he passes the DC. Spike poops on his head, in very wet fashion. Rorin tucks in on the persuasion, with some shame and guilt tactics.
 
Questions: Faction leader? No ones knows. He's been in the Crimson Dragons since college. Who recruited him? At a bar out of town, in Dawn's Reach, the Tipsy Tavern, a dwarf named Ronald Rump got him started. Who did you most recently report to? *Spits at Rorin's feet* We then threaten his sister, who is at school at the military academy in Dawn's Reach. He still doesn't know who runs the organization. What about Vandren? Nothing. Jake gets messages in his dreams, some bird correspondence, some notes with meals. The dreams seem like they're from the gods. He was sent a list of who to put on duty and where, and those people had their own orders about what to do in those places. Very cell-based operation. He's seen members of some church groups at events that he has overseen. Some council members too. Lavender Thatcher, head of the Accounting Guild, was one. Priests from Lady Alumask, from the Zitz temple. He didn't even want to be in the military, goshhhhhhh. He did a lot of raping, and is suffering for that, from my hammers.
 
We then bribe a guard to castrate him. After that, I heal him all up, and nobody's the wiser. We head back to the Marquis, meeting up with Druss and Marda after they wrapped up their investigations. Melfina plops the balls on his table, and rants about rape and Bad-Touch Bart and why he deserved this. The Marquis pours some high-test alcohol on the nuts and burns them.
 
We head to a fortune teller, who is a massive woman, maybe over 7 feet tall. The race is unknown to me (a firbolg). Druss answers that we are there for fortunes and gets a standard reading. This woman's name is Madame Zaroni. Free advice: danger in the Ravenswood, natural and unnatural forces at work. She also has the Arch tattoo on her wrist. She advises going to the forest, and that those of faith should bring their most pious beverage. We may find corruption in nature itself. She is going to take her caravan elsewhere, maybe, definitely to be seen again.
 
Endgame question: Do you give people second chances? Yes, when I believe they can be reformed or they have a useful aspect in the progress and development of things I care about. If the crime is against those things in the first place, then no, there will be no forgiveness, and no quarter.
END SESSION