Session 20: The King of the Castle

General Summary

Metres below the surface of Bel Tocino, the gang were faced with the predicament of what to do with Ester Tordek, the fraudulent psychic and sister of Devis. Following tense negotiations that failed to progress due to Ester's apparent blind ambition, a battle ensued. Ester's weapons of choice - a set of metal tarot cards - did not bring down the party, and she was beaten badly. Eventually, seeing no potential in keeping her alive, Nydyr struck her unconscious. In this near-death state, she was stabilised by Max.
The group questioned Ester for a time, who told them she had been hired by Commander Tao Artemiev and a sorcerer whose face she could not recall. Tao had apparently promised her a rank in the crownsguard if she was to help. The gang bound and gagged Ester with rope and ascended the stairs, only to be met with a locked trapdoor. After several attempts, Moses eventually opened it, and following Ekxus' example, the group climbed up the 10 foot tall shaft to the fountain's entrance. As dawn crept across Bel Tocino, they went back inside Jackal's inn, The Solar Barge, and presented Ester to him. Jackal was impressed but confessed he did not have the money he promised them (potentially as they had stolen it that same night). Instead, he offered them a smaller quantity of gold, several books, and a promise that his cousin Bathos in the small farming village of Artesia would provide them with food and shelter on their journey to Santi Perenni. The group rested briefly.
Max, Balasar, and Frar decided to take Ester to the palace, where she could await a trial. In the gardens of the enormous ornate fabric structure, they met with a large crowd of peasants, merchants, and travellers alike. The three spoke to a town crier, a young man who proclaimed that a group of anarchists were being taken to Viso for judgement, and that another anarchist (and heretic) would be executed that same morning in the palace. They also met the Jhal - a position similar to a king, who is replaced by a different person each day - who, on this day, was Jhal Brego. They discovered that Brego had cloudy, white eyes, like those of the hypnotised crownsguard. Brego did not take pity on Ester, seeming to prefer the entertainment of a potential double execution over justice.
Moses, Nydyr and Ekxus (DM note: presumably Aries and Devis too, but players absent) made their way back, with much difficulty due to the shifting streets, to Ester Tordek's place. Before they could find her tent, however, they met a strange carpet-seller named Coda, who enticed them to buy his strange spider-y carpets and tapestries. Nydyr realised that the man named 'Coda' was in fact his old mentor, Master Conran. Inside his tent, Conran told Nydyr about disturbances in the Underdark, and that his soul was spit between the two dimensions. This is why he came across so dotty. Conran trained Nydyr briefly, and Nydyr had a moment to reflect on what he had learnt in the Overworld. While he did this, Ekxus and Moses went to a bakery. The group then went back to Ester's, finding various small items that the DM foolishly forgot to write down, including a letter that Nydyr tucked into his pocket (definitely not because the DM hadn't written the note yet).
The gang reunited in the grand palace of Bel Tocino. Moses and Ekxus made the most of the large bustling crowd, stealing gold and other shiny items from wealthy strangers. Frar sold the books of Jackal's for a ridiculously high price. Max, however, snuck past the guards to the cell in which Ester and Romero Sorelio Bravo (the anarchist and heretic) sat imprisoned. Max shared a moment with Romero, and freed him, telling him to run as far as possible, but Ester was just as stubborn as before. Thus concluded the session, on the twentieth day of Sanctian, 1026.

Character(s) interacted with

Ester Tordek, Jackal Hakor, Conran, town crier, Jhal Brego, guards, Romero Sorelio Bravo, old woman, fancy ladies.

Report Date

29 Aug 2020

Primary Location

Bel Tocino