Returning quickly to Edgewatch Station, the eager cadets make their report to Lieutenant Lavarsus on exploring the Undercity and their discovery of the secret back entrance into the House of the Planes. They are instructed, in no uncertain terms, not to approach Jeremin Hoff or arouse his ire in any way, should his considerable resources be negatively directed back at the fledgling city guard. Simply put, Hoff is too influential among the movers and shakers of the city and has invested a considerable amount of time and energy into helping get the Radiant Festival staffed and constructed. As an Undercity element, he is best avoided, and Lavarsus doesn't need that extra flack on his head. The cadets are instructed not to confront him. All the while, Sargeant Ollo is listening nearby to the Dragon huff and puff, and signals to the cadets to meet him after Lavarsus's tongue lashing.
Ollo apologizes privately to the agents, who really just wanted to follow up on a strong lead on the disappearances, and understands that sometimes not informing the Lieutenant of all of their actions is the best course of action. ("When lives are on the line, it's better to beg forgiveness than ask permission.") He introduces them to a room in the station called the Wardrobe; a collection of costumes, disguises, and accessories that the agents have open access to in order to go undercover in their duties. Should they desire a meeting with Hoff, which Ollo wholeheartedly encourages, so long as it can be done discretely, then dressing the part of high society ne'er-do-wells will be a necessity.
Dressed to impress, the agents make their move back through Raptor's Rest and the Undercity tunnels to the back entrance of the House of the Planes. It is much later in the evening at this point and there is considerably more people in the speakeasy enjoying themselves. Making their way up to the main floor, through the storage and past the kitchen, the investigators find themselves "planewalking" in the depths of the House of the Planes' main floor, a room decorated in the dark and moody ambiance of the Boneyard, the first step in the afterlife and place of judgement for the recently deceased.
They are first singled out by the "receptionist" of the House, a woman dressed as Pharasma and playing the role up to the nines. She seperates the group by judging them in the Boneyard and sending them on their way into the afterlife and their respective planes. The following occurances are detailed as follows:
First Round
Boneyard
The agents begin here after their judgement, but don't stick around. They agree to reconvene here to share information learned or in case of an emergency and they need to make a hasty exit.
Axis
Feragni begins his mission here. He introduces himself to Willifred Stoneburrow and a few of her subordinates and quickly solves the daily puzzle on the chalkboard involving trasporting a human, an inevitable, and a protean. Feragni learns that Hendrid Pratchett paid top-dollar for the property for his new hotel from Stoneburrow and the inital blueprints for the hotel were wildly nonsensical and extraneous.
Maelstrom
Cara begins her mission here. She does a good job at avoiding the second-hand high of the room's potent hookahs and learns from the alchemist brothers Sharim and Halan Muzullah of a recent high volume wholesale of their drugs to Hendrid Pratchett, believing him to be setting his new hotel up as a drug den.
Abaddon
Abigail begins her mission here. In a true test of will and fortitude, she manages to keep down the vile well drink in the Plague Chalice, winning a chit granting her free drinks for herself for the evening. She set herself down with the only other winner of the Plague Chalice, an elven man named Lomo Dibashi who happens to be fairing far worse than Abigail. She unfortunately finds him a little too far gone to gain much from him and he promptly passes out on the floor.
Hell
Exley begins his mission here. Immediately aware that Jeremin Hoff is the center of attention in this room, Exley does his best to ingratiate himself admirably to Hoff's proclivity and fascination with kitschy torture devices. He straps in barefoot for a bout in Hoff's butterfly boots and is able to withstand the pain enough to win over Hoff's twisted sense of pride and showmanship. Unfortunately, he finds him a bit too obtuse and proud of his accomplishments with the Radiant Festival and resigns himself to sending a more charismatic team member to shmooze with the lout.
Nirvana
Artorius begins his mission here. He wins the crowd over by outperforming the bartender in a bout of Phoenix Wrestling, wooing over his challenger in the process, and proceeds to talk up the cool-headed Cass Hamish. He is, unfortunately, unable to get very far in conversation with her; her icy demeanor too tough to crack. Artorious takes a break and plans on returning later, possibly with "reinforcements".
Second Round
Boneyard
The agents meet up here after the first hour or so and share what they have learned and what they still need to know. Exley suggests that Feragni trade with him in Hell to approach Jeremin; Feragni shares the puzzle's answer with the other four; and Artorius mentions Cass in Nirvana.
Abyss
Abigail begins her second mission here. The focal point of the room is Molly Crimson, a gnome madam decked from head to toe in blood red silks. The difficulty of getting an audience with her amid her fawning entourage is disgusting, requiring a participant to submerge their hands in various substances in order to retrieve a wine bottle, with the better drinks concealed under considerable more dangerous volumes. Abigail steels her nerves and plunges her arms deep into the tank containing the flesh-boring rot grubs and comes out unscathed with an exquitie vintage in tow to break the ice with Molly. She learns only that Madam Crimson is missing several of her employees recently, which potentially overlaps on the investigation, but learns nothing in particular that aids it.
Elysium
Cara begins her second mission here. Much to her shock, there is a half-trained griffon being kept in the room, and the dwarven man who captured it and sold it to Jeremin Hoff happens to be in the room, chatting other potential clients up and bragging about the sale of a particularly vicious ochre jelly that was recently sold to the owner of the Dreaming Palace to use in its sub-sewer system for waste maintanence. As an aside, Cara decided to take the bar's challenge of sticking her head inside the griffon's powerful beak only to get a very nasty reminder that not all animals are as well behaved as Fang is.
Heaven
Exley begins his second mission here, teaming up with Abigail after she finished in the Abyss Room. The agents meet none other than the owner and lead writer to the tabloid newspaper, Eyes on Absalom, Mr. Reginald Vancaskerkin. He is a slimy, nosy, rumormonger and exactly the sort of person Exley and Abigail need to speak to and actively want to avoid at all costs. Abigail notices that as Exley begins his introductions with Reginald, the gossip has an enchanted inkpen and paper furiously transcribing everything that is being said between the two. She moves to intercept it, but it is easily dodged as Reginald palms it with a smile and places it in his coat pocket. They learn from him, after performing a truth-telling ceremony, that Reginald plans on running with the story that a serial killer is responsible for the disappearances, regardless of what the truth behind the situation really is.
Comments