Session 10: So You're Basically a Zombie

General Summary

Galzra, copper/bronze dragonborn woman, elderly woman with a hunch. She tells the The Wild Cards she works for the @Council of Twelve in Nox and has come to reward them for defeating the gnolls in the attack on the Train on the day before. Leif Arrowsken recollects that she had arrived in Hobart Bay a few weeks ago to survey the damage there. She lets the group know the should mention her name if they ever need the assistance of the Council of Twelve.

Around late afternoon, the train arrives in Nox and quickly, Pitri mentions that they need to discuss what they will face when they try to find Deja. Wiliman Silverkin recalls that they heard about a tavern owned by Xeltor's cousin is near the Nox Arcane Academy and the owner is likely to sympathize with a break-in to the dungeons.
They slip past a bored looking guard at the entry checkpoint, R'kir Dravon bluffs the guard into believing that they are all adopted siblings. Nox is even bigger than Tannis, built as a series of four concentric rings, built into the side of a mountain. They head to the second ring, and look for the tavern. It doesn't take long for Xeltor to come up running behind them, with his comically oversized backpack.
"My friends! It's been a while. Seeing as what's youse guys did on the train, I think the least I could do is get youse dinner. Let's go to my cousin's place!"
They quickly pass through the checkpoint to the second ring, but Wiliman notices all the extra security. Xeltor relates that the The Cascade Alliance and various firlbolgs have been launching guerilla raids on the city, and murdering civilians.
The group had hoped that Xeltor was leading them by a direct route, but it seems every block they made a turn to the left or right. After about an hour, they can start to smell smoked meats and spices in the air, around one more corner, the Orjin Family Grill comes into view. Gregory greets his cousin warmly and already knows that they rescued his cousin from harm during the Gnoll Attack on the Sloan Express. "Dinner is one us tonight!"
Plates and plates of exotic meats, a whole smoked hog, rare fish and shellfish are served as well. After the meal, Pitri finally gathers the courage to talk about his time in Nox Arcane Academy.
"I need to tell you EVERYTHING about my time in the dungeons at Nox. I wasn't just a prisoner there, but I was experimented on. I didn't use to be blue, I was only black. They changed me. Bjorn helped me to escape. I just remember that one day I felt a surge of energy, got really warm and then blacked out. When I came to, everything was destroyed and burnt Bjorn told me to just start running so I left, and I ran."
Wiliman proposes using the alumni token he found in the Timbernacles Manor to bluff their way in. Aliñar Daeran proposes fighting their way into the dungeon. Pitri thinks that Leif Arrowsken could find a way to sneak into the building. Ali thinks she could tag along with Leif he sneaks into the building.
Pitri proposes they use a pit in the dungeon, leading into the sewers of Nox. Though going in through the pit would lead them into the most dangerous part of the laboratory, into the places with holding cages and experimental abominations. They plan to find it in the morning, first they need to find a place to sleep.
Nearby, the find the Cassiopeia just around the corner. They are greeted by Jonill and book a few rooms. [SCENE ABBREVE: Ali casts a RITUAL on Pitri, coming of age to give him a +4 on skill check for 24 hours. Ali and Wiliman talk about what happened on the train, Wiliman is having a hard time dealing with the loss of his mom's lute, the only tangible thing of hers he owned.]
R'kir has this dream he can't quite recall, and sees Pitri standing in the window, glassy eyed and not acknowledging his presence. He starts shaking Pitri to wake him up. Meanwhile, Pitri has a 'dream' where he is floating in a fluid. It's too thick to be water, but still clear. As he acclimates to his surroundings, he can make some worm like creatures the size of his finger, floating about. They don't react to his presence and don't seem to care about his presence. He feels, more than hears a voice...no several voices, speaking together in a monotone unison. Pitri can recognize a few of them, Bjorn, @Ripper, and Dinkle. They say, "EVERYONE HAS TO COME EVENTUALLY PITRI. WE WILL SEE YOU SOON." In a rush, Pitri awakes...cold, standing in the window, and being shaken by R'kir.
"AH!" Pitri cries, "what are you doing?!" R'kir replies, "You were standing in the window and you wouldn't say anything. What are YOU doing?"
Pitri steadys himself in the window and stares off into the distance. He can see the silhouette of the Academy building a few streets away. "I'm not looking forward to tomorrow."
R'kir responds, "You know we have your back. We'll be right behind you."
"I don't think you were there, but on the train, a voice told me that I was going to lose, or I had lost already. I think this is bigger than Deja, this is bigger than me."
"We can do this, we are family. We'll survive."
Wiliman wakes up in Ali's room, to find that she has already left. Not used to being on this side of the equation, he angrily dresses and storms downstairs. He is quickly intercepted by Pitri, who needs to put on a disguise again.
Jonill makes them breakfast and coffee. As the group prepares to leave she walks up to Krusk and hands him a basket of wrapped sandwiches. "Thank you for staying here. It sounds like you have a tough day ahead. Just bring the basket back, ok hun." she says with a wink towards Krusk.
The group isn't sure if tortles CAN blush, by that's a fair description of the slightly purpling of Krusk's scales.
Almost immediately they leave, and Pitri starts trying to find the sewer entrance. He runs for the first manhole he sees and is about to dive in when Ali grabs him.
"Maybe we should wait until we're a little closer to the Academy hon," she says and replaces the manhole cover.
Pitri, nods in agreement, pulls out a dagger and yells, "Towards the castle!"
Moving ahead, they find a sewer opening in an alley near the Academy, just behind the Orjin Grill House. The group enters and heads towards the direction of the academy, in the sewer. Wherever Ali goes, mushrooms and moss seem to grow.
They come to fork in the tunnel, towards the left, they notice the acrid, almond smell of rotting flesh coming from the left side of the tunnel. Heading down, Ali and Leif advance first, and several dozen feet later they see a pile of mangled corpses. They have collected in the bottom of a sluice way, with channels heading in different directions from the pile.
Leif tries to find a body sturdy enough to be animated by Ali, he comes across a blue colored elf. The corpse looks like it has asphyxiated, even though it has gills growing on either side of its neck and a tough crab-like carapace. As Leif ties a rope around the body, a blue hand grabs his neck, tightly and looks out with milky white eyes, terrified.
The formerly dead man calls out in Elvish, "Where? Who you? Why?"
It's obvious that this man's brain has been scrambled, attempts to communicate with him don't reveal much. Krusk gives him a cabbage, which he horks down remarkably fast. Pitri and Ali fly up, Ali in spider form on Pitri's back. Scanning the room, they see lots of creatures and prisoners in cages, and they see Deja. Deja has changed, her skin is olive green and she has tusks protruding from her mouth now. Ali ties a rope off around something sturdy and the group climbs up, sneakily.
As the last of them, Krusk, scrambles up, the entire group hears a voice in their heads, "You shouldn't have come here Pitri."
"Pitri
"Ah yes, that's why I had you come Pitri. Professor Greycastle requires a demonstration, Dr. Gleb chuckled."
"A demonstration, for what? Pitri asked,
"For my dragobolds, of course. I believe the Death Titan will make a fine challenge"
The group proceeds to put the smackdown on Professor Greycastle and who disappeared, via some magical nonsense.
In a final bid to defeat the party, Ripper casts a mind control spell on Pitri and Aliñar, pitting them against the group. After subduing and restoring them to a right mind, the party proceeds to free Deja and Rho'day , a gith who helps them escape. The party digs through the research files in the laboratory, finding as much incriminating evidence as possible. They rescue a medusa who had her eyes gouged out and covered with a metal bar. Alinar used some of her medusa arcane core to restore the eyes to her.
The group takes a ride in Rho'day's spelljammer, who drops them off back above ground, and they report back to the Nox Council of Twelve

Report Date

13 Dec 2020