Kalvasto Session 10 - "Studio Siege" - Also entitled "You shall not Pumpkin Pass" - also also Entitled "Nyx's Hot Bod"
General Summary
In the early hours of the 9th of Winterwane, 1179...
Vaarhin Nala decided to follow Dimre as she noticed that he was sneaking out if the basement of Abraxis' Studio. Suspecting a possible betrayal, Nala armed hsrself and decided to follow him to the rooftop. Dimre noticed Nala and he invited her to come and stargaze with him for a bit because the basement was getting crowded and "Nyx's snoring was making me contemplate homicide". Nala joined Dimre and sat down next to him.
He asked her what her favorite constellation was and Nala replied that it used to be Arish Pashal, but that it wasnt anymore. Dimre opened up to Nala and said that his favorite constellation was the Captain's star, as when he was a kid he once dreamed of owning a ship and sailing far away from Kalvasto. Dimre bitterly remarked that reality was often far different than childhood dreams.
Nala asked Dimre about the future and if he planned to stay in Kalvasto. He said that the Valenloves suck but are a relatively stable source of employment but he would consider it if a good opportunity came along. He also stated that he "-would probably be doing the same things anywhere else in the world, so why not do it here?"
Dimre also gave an answer to Nalas question from a few days prior. She had asked him why he was friends with Abraxis and he told her that both he and Nala put up fronts to the world and abraxis was simple (not in a dimb way) and that he knew the minotaur did not have any ulterior motives. At the conclusion of their conversation, Nala noticed the glint of a metal mask on a hooded figure on the opposing rooftop. As she noticed this, shadowy hands reached through the rooftop and began to strangle Dimre.
Down below, 3 other lesser shadows infiltrated the house and and the heavy booming sound of someone trying to break down the door was heard. Nyx awoke and managed to fend off one shadow as he dodged out of its grasp and another shadow latched onto Wilmer. Abi bravely tackled the shadow holding her grandfather, breaking the shadow's hold on the old cartographer.
The party heard Abraxis' roar from upstairs. Nyx's shadow mauled him and brought him close to death, but Abraxis saved him at the last moment by running downstairs and casting cure wounds and gave Nyx a point of inspiration. Nyx cast Burning Hands to destroy his shadow and wounded the shadow threatening Wilmer.
Back on the rooftop, Nala asked Dimre if he could take the shadow by himself, and despite his less than confident reply, she he leapt across the street from the roof towards the Masked Figure. Nala did not reach the opposite rooftop, instead landing about halfway up the building with her knife embedded in the wall to hold her up. The Masked Figure simply stated that "You are not worth my time" and cast Dissonant Whispers. The resulting spell hit Nala and the mental anguish forced her to let go of the building, almost falling unconsious as she did so. Nala landed next to the Goliath that was trying to break in through the front door, but luckily for her the Goliath was to focused in his task to pay her much attention.
The Goliath quickly managed to shatter the front door of Abraxis' Studio and rush in, going straight for Wilmer. As the goliath passed in front of him, Nyx took the opportunity to cast Burning Hands and destroy the shadow. attacking him and severely wounding the Goliath. Although still severely wounded, Jovina struggled to her feet and managed to join the fray, squaring up against the Goliath. Despite her injuries, she quipped that "I must be seeing double, because I'm sure I already killed one of you."
With a shadow still threatening Wilmer, Abi drew a dagger and tried to aid her grandfather. The two managed to trade a series of blows with the shadow, but Abi was gravely injured. Abraxis once again saved the day by casting another cure wounds to save Abi.
At the apex of the fight, the masked figure teleported onto the rooftop and flanked Dimre alongside the shadow that was already threatening him. Dimre held out for some time, but was ultimately knocked unconsious. Abraxis and Nala quickly came to his rescue as Nala shot a rope tied to an arrow and used it to scale the building while Abraxis used his raw strength to make it the the rooftop. In a moment of desperation, Nala used a magic seed (Butterhut Squash) to create a protective pumpkin around Abraxis, herself, and the unconsious Dimre. The pumpkin fell in the street below, damaging a nearby building. The respite was brief but it bought Nala enough time to heal Dimre with a potion. Dimre tried to brush off his near death experience with humor but was clearly shaken. He rallied his courage and rejoined the fight alongside Nala.
By this point Nyx, Jovina, and Wilmer had finished the last goliath and the shadows inside of the house. Jovina slumped tiredly against a wall in the basement as Nyx ordered Kindle to guard Abi. Wilmer and Nyx rushed to the rooftop where Nyx and Dimre were firing at the Masked Figure with their bows. The Masked Figure decided to beat a hasty retreat and teleported onto another rooftop. Nyx attempted to give chase, but the figure teleported several more times and the young Genasi eventually lost his trail, though the masked figure was last seen heading in the direction of the Docks.
On his way back to Abraxis' Studio, Nyx saw smoke rising from the direction of Wilmer's house in the Stacks. The weary party reconvened and Jovina told the group that the bloody symbol she had drawn was the marking on a pendant that the Masked Figure wore. In order to comfort Abi, Nyx and Nala had a small sleepover inside the pumpkin. The party also helped calm Abraxis down, as the minotaur had sworn to never fight again.
In the morning, the group heard the marching of armored feet approach. Commissar Premek Raisenfell, the captain of the guard within Kalvasto, interrogated the party on why there was a giant pumpkin blocking the road and causing damages to neighboring houses. Nala tried to weasel out of a true explanation, and so the Commissar ordered the party to report to Fort Amaranthe by the afternoon to pay several fines and to clean up the pumpkin.
The group decided to take the remains of the pumpkin to Sizzlers before meeting with the commisar. Grodrokk decided to make the group a veritable feast of pumpkin related dishes as a reward for bringing him such an abundance of ingredients. Nala asked Grodrokk if he had considered the offer to train Abi Oravec as a chef. Grodrokk had mulled it over and agreed and the took shook on it. The group began to tell Grodrokk about their troubles, but ultimately decided against it as that knowledge would put both him and Hjoldain in danger.
During their meal, Nyx realized that the masked figure could have been spying on the group through the use of a modified scrying spell. Dimre suggested that since their current hideout was compromised, that it would be wise to consider taking out a small gang and using their hideout. Two options were narrowed down, the Warthogs and the Molerats. The Molerats are a group of miners that dug into the ruins of the orginal Kalvasto, which the current city is built on. The Warthogs are a group of pirates and small-time smugglers. The group eventually decided that the Warthogs would be a better option and that stealing a ship would be more advantageous than a hideout in the undercity.
Nyx asked where Nala and Dimre were during the fight, as he had not seen them in the basement. As playful revenge for leaving him on the rooftop, Dimre implied that he had put what he had seen in the Aarcana-Sutra to use; much to Nala's chagrin.
Report Date
18 Nov 2021
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