Session 19, You're my Best Friend

“It would help if I knew why you are here,” Julia asked Chrystos.
 
Chrystos, or at least the creature we believe to be impersonating the real Chrystos, responds, “I have to dispose of what’s in the crate.”
 
Julia counters, “Why don’t you tell me what you are disposing of?”
 
They go back and forth a few times. Chrystos is being very guarded. As you recall, he is under a Suggestion spell, where Eowyn had told him, “For today, you will be obedient to us.”
 
Was he being obedient? Maybe the suggestion spell didn’t take. But I think he was answering the questions. He wasn’t lying, he was just not revealing all that he knew. Perhaps Julia just needed to be more direct.
 
Julia becomes more direct, “Open it now.” He clearly doesn’t want to, but he pulls the nails out of the crate, freeing the lid. OK… so he is obeying… just slowly. Vardai comes in and stares at him intimidatingly.
 
Will fires a shot… an Ensnaring Strike, preventing the imposter appearing as Chrystos from moving. I also think that attack breaks the Suggestion spell. Anyway, I’m not sure the Suggestion spell is all that important, because Julia is about to mangle the imposter with her bare hands.
 
The imposter attempts to escape. I try to cast Dispel Magic on him, hoping to break the illusion and reveal its true form, but the magic is too strong. After a brief scuffle, we subdue the imposter and put him in ropes. Vardai opens the crate and we find the real Chrystos in the crate, unconscious. Apparently, the imposter was going to dump the real Chrystos into the ocean. Eowyn heals Chrystos, and we give him a minute to recover.
 
After he recovers, he tells us, “Tonight, Etonia will be attacked. There’s been a coup [presumably in Coral Gate] and the High Mage has been assassinated. They are blaming it on Fassad. They are working with Fassad’s sister, who is an enchantress, in Coral gate.”
 
Julia chimes in, “She’s not a particularly nice person,” referring to Fassad’s sister
 
Chrystos then tells us that Bartholomew (remember him from Session 3, Of Cantrips and Spell Choices) is now the High Mage. This is not a good thing. Bartholomew is obviously seeking an external enemy in order to become a rallying point for the people of Coral gate to support. By blaming Fassad, he riles the commonfolk up for war and he benefits by gaining their support. Typical coup tactics… Step 1) conduct a false flag operation to blame a fall person for your own actions. Step 2) Use that action to elevate your own position. Step 3) Rally the commonfolk to strike against the person or country that you blamed, while cementing your seat in power. Step 4) Arrest your rivals for failing to prevent the original action, or for being traitors to the cause. Of course, the commonfolk are consumed by the rage of the trigger action and never consider that they are being deceived. I am sure Bartholomew next step will be to arrest his political rivals for “not being vigilant enough” or for “being in league with Fassad.”
 
After more conversations, it becomes clear that there are Coral Gate operatives in the Miners’ Guild. They were the ones trying to assassinate Chrystos. Chrystos asks for a place to hide. Eowyn states that she wants to turn him over to the authorities, but the rest of us disagree. I argue that the Coral gate operatives don’t know that we thwarted the assassination against Chrystos. The real Chrystos could pass as the imposter Chrystos, giving us a way in to infiltrate the Miners’ Guild. Besides, I would love a chance to take down the Miners’ Guild (See Session 4, I Might Just Set Him on Fire).
 
Of course, to try to infiltrate the Guild would be very risky. We don’t know for sure if the imposter even uses the Chrystos disguise with the Coral gate operatives. We are relying on Chrystos’ improvisational acting to gain access. After discussing a few minutes, Chrystos agrees to try it. We decide to ask Captain Aryo—as you recall, he’s a Captain in the militia—to watch over the imposter. He consents and passes off the warning of the impending attack to Avast (remember, she’s the head mage of the library and a council member). Now we are ready, and we enter the sewers to head to the Miners’ Guild undetected. As I side note, it is appropriate that the Miners’ Guild is next to the sewers.
 
Julia renews her psychic link as we exit the sewers into the Miners' Guild complex. The complex is a series of a few buildings surrounded by a wall. As you recall, we had been into the main offices before (See Session 5, Cleaning Up Loose Ends). We quickly notice that Chrystos knows his way around… could this be a trap? If so, it would be an elaborate trap to get an imposter to pretend to be an assassin that looks like you and stuff you in a crate, just so you can lead a few unimportant adventurers into a trap. Unless my father is orchestrating this whole trap in order to lead me into the Miners’ Guild where I can be apprehended and sold into indentured servitude? I am so setting everyone on fire if they try to do that!
 
So, after a bit of sneaking around, we enter into the miners’ bar area. It’s where the common miners hang out after their shifts for a drink. Chrystos enters and tells us to blend in. I can do that. Me, a distinct female Tiefling in a town without Tieflings and matching the description of the daughter of Grim Amblecrown (See Session 4, I Might Just Set Him on Fire). Sure! I can blend in!
 
Julia needs a distraction so that she can sneak into the offices. Will decides to buy a round of drinks for all of the patrons. That definitely gets everyone’s’ attention. I have a few drinks… of course, I’ve always been able to handle my spirits… and I’ve always outdrunk Will. Then, why are my fingers tingling?
 
I go to Will and put my arm over his shoulders, and I hear myself slur, “Will, you’re my best friend! Have I told you that?” And then I walk over to some random person and ask, “What ever happened to Clay Achatri (the former Guildmaster)?” Although it does take me three times to properly say Achteri. The patron responds that he was either removed or left due to safety incidents. As I start to feel tingling in my face, I say “Safee, I mean Satefy, Safety is important!” Over the psychic link, I hear Julia say that she found a secret door. Wow, secret doors in the Miners’ Guil.. Guill… Guild! Who would have thought. Hey, this is really cool! Hmm, my armor is all wet… did I spill my drink? I wonder if my horns are still attached. Eowyn is here, I tell Eowyn that she’s my best friend. A few guys seem really interested in me… they’re so nice to me. Will comes over and says we have to go… but I am having fun. Do I have to go? But I was about to tell everyone how to make Goodberry Moonshine.
 
Will pulls me into the back hallway. My feet aren’t working quite right. I almost trip, but Will catches me. That’s why he’s my best friend. Wait, there’s Vardai… Vardai, “You’re my very best friend… did I ever tell you that?” And then Vardai javelins some really cute chest with big teeth and a long tongue. She kills it. Ahhh, but it was so cute.
 
Crap! I’m drunk. How could this happen to me? I spent half of my live getting guests of the Court drunk so that we could extract secrets from them… but, here I am… drunk! I need a spell that can remove the condition. Wait! I have just the spell! Resser Lestoration! Crap, I didn’t prepare it. Maybe Goodberries. I try to cast Goodberry and I can’t get the words right. The spell fizzles.
 
We sneak down the hall. Now that I know I’m drunk, I can compensate. I can still be useful to the party. It’s really tight in here. Lots of corners and not any room to pass someone in the hall. I hear the unmistakable “phfft” of arrows flying. We are under attack!
 
I hear Vardai attack. I hear electricity zap someone… maybe it is Eowyn’s shocking grasp. I am behind Will trying to get into combat, but there isn’t room to get past him. Will is pounding someone with arrows as I desperately try to get around the corner to engage. Across the psychic link, I hear that Vardai is in trouble. Eowyn messages that she will take care of Vardai. And then, we hear the sound of wind. Loud wind. Someone has summoned an Air Elemental, and it is wreaking havoc. Combat is so chaotic when you are drunk.
 
Finally, I get around the corner and can see. Vardai is down with an assassin over her. In fact, there are multiple assassins. I focus really hard to cast a spell, Healing Word, and I succeed. Maybe the excitement of the combat is helping me, as I can feel that my fingers are responding better now. Vardai is conscious again, but very much in trouble. Eowyn follows up with a Cure Wounds spell and forces a Potion of Healing down Vardai’s mouth. Well, at least more of the potion goes into Vardai’s mouth than all over her face.
 
Julia has been fighting pretty hard, and she drops an Assassin with her Psychic Blades. I summon Ember and try to hit an Assassin. Ember is my best friend! Between Will and Vardia, they kill the final Assassin, and we are left facing the Air Elemental.
 
I step up and cast Burning Hands right into the Air Elementals face. An instant later, Will hammers the Elemental with two arrows, and the Elemental dissolves out of existence.
 
With the combat over, Eowyn does some sort of comedy magic (yes, she tells a funny story weave into her magic) that restores health and vitality to us. With that, I am feeling much better. We investigate the last room, where we find a Teleportation Circle. Whomever it was, that person escaped.
 
As Eowyn rummages through the desks, I ritually cast Detect Magic. I wouldn’t have been able to do that a few minutes ago. My head hurts, but I am mostly recovered. We find some really nice magical leather armor, which Julia dons, and some boots the enhance striding and springing. Vardai takes those. We also find some attuned locks. I’m not exactly sure how they work, but Julia holds onto one.
 
Will suddenly gets a sending. Etonia is under attack… we have to go to the market! Nearly that same instant, Eowyn gets a sending to report to the Library. We rush out just in time to see Fireballs going of in the town center!
 
• Thank you to George Sanders, his Anhult Campaign, and World Anvil.