Session 2: A Star is Born Report
General Summary
Arriving at the monastery, Arkimedes, Nancy, and Jared meet with the firbolg Lell, the appointed hall monitor. She begrudgingly lets them visit the deacon, who listens to the party’s theories. He admits he can’t help with Jared's irregular symptoms, but assists with pointing towards the tiefling Restless as a possible suspect for the fires. Arkimedes gives the deacon the porous rocks.
In a small detour to the monastery gardens, the party tours the many reliquaries dedicated to different deities. Nancy finds none for her own god, but feels welcomed in the pavilion of Yondalla. The party then travels towards Restless’ house. On the way they overhear some guards talking to the sheeple barkeep of the Stick and Stone Tavern. It seems Restless had stayed the night there, and the party is allowed to investigate the area.
In the room, several scorch-marks hint at a scuffle and/or spontaneous combustion. Jared digests some of the ash left by the infernal fires, and is observed by a stray cat in the window. A crash from the kitchen downstairs prompts everyone, cat included, to find their own way down. Nancy climbs the Naughtydogian walls, Arki does a 10/10 swan-dive into a conveniently placed haystack, while Jared … takes the stairs.
In the kitchen they find an invisible intruder, stuck in a giant casserole. Three stray cats observe it carefully, before one lunges and bites what is revealed to be Restless. Arkimedes, both a hater of cats and shapeshifters, quickly kills one with an arrow in the back in self-defence. The cats turn into fiendish imps, which are easily dealt with until one remains in custody. It is passed around like a cat in a sock, and is thoroughly questioned. The three imps had been chasing Restless all day, in an attempt to find someone who could point them to the ‘’weird magics’’ surrounding the forest-fire. Beyond this, they are of no more use for questioning, and Arki coldly sends the last imp back to the Third Ring of Hell.
The party bring Restless back to his grieving father and family. Having lost a parent, Restless eventually reveals all he knows about the deacon and monastery. Restless had once been part of the old deacon’s study-groups focused on the arcane and occult, and the primary suspect title once again shifts, now to the deacon. The party does an efficient investigation at the monastery morgue, where they find clues to blood-letting en masse on the recently deceased. To enter the deacon's study, the door guard Klein; the deacons own errand boy, is distracted by Nancy, while Jared stays on lookout. Arki uses the opportunity to remain unchallenged on his lock-picking skills. Scouring the deacon’s office, Arkimedes finds a book stamped [DISCARD] - Heresy!, a book which he finds to hold several notes and journals on occult experiments and rituals. With hemomancy being the main danger, the party quickly prepares to take the evidence to the authorities.
Running into Restless, who’s slipped out while being grounded, they gather their ideas, and decide on confronting the deacon at his ritual site, while leaving a note for Haldor in case they don't return. They travel to the old Pelor-temple ruins beneath the monastery. On the way they find the deacons journal, revealing several disturbing dreams he’s had months before the forest-fire. Arriving at the temple, both Jared and Nancy feel their focus falter. They are drawn to the temple, and with Arkimedes sneaking about, they meet with the deacon inside. With sneaky arrows and necrotic attacks, the party quickly takes care of the deacon, but not without him lighting several ritual fires. As the old human slumps over, a creature stirs in the corpse, and a human-tiefling-bug hybrid is born. Briefly mesmerized by the newborn abomination, Jared then attacks in disgust, aided by arrows and holy light. Nancy smothers a fire, which leads to the creature failing to open a portal for escape with the remaining two fires.
The creature finds it end bound by mycelium and rotting away in God’s light. With the last remnant of the heretical experiment gone, Jared feels his condition lifting, while Nancy receives a backlash from her eldritch blast, leaving lasting rot on her palms. Arkimedes has a real field day collecting samples of everything, while Jared turns the old cathedral into a fungi haven.
Meeting up with Restless and Haldor at the latter’s mansion, they explain what had happened. While being treated to some refreshers and cookies, Arkimedes ropes Jared into a questionably profitable partnership to benefit of Jared’s druidic powers. Nancy is promised the best manicure and holy help she can get at the monastery, and meets up with the abbess the day after, finding solace in Yondalla’s gardens. Brunel II & Co’s first shipment is manufactured.
Rewards Granted
Three dead Imps
Relief from home-sickness
Several dubious vials
New market opportunities
Wavering faith in Yahweh
Missions/Quests Completed
Stopped the Filip Lime Disease
Boosted Haldor Gneiss-Amseent's political campaign
Helped Restless get home
Vanquished three imps, one who definitly had killed nine orphans all on its own
Solved each and everyone's personal issues... maybe
