Session 11: There She Goes

General Summary

In the middle of the night, Wiliman Silverkin awoke to a furry leg, stroking his cheek. A blue, scaly, yet fuzzy tarantula was on his pillow. Underneath the tarantula was a piece of of paper, sealed with green wax.
Wiliman burst into tears. He didn't sleep that night.
Pitri, Krusk, and R'kir Dravoncome down into the Cassiopeia's dining hall/tavern area. Wiliman relates that Aliñar Daeran has left in the middle of the night, headed off to the Pantano tribe's homeland, to center herself and reconnect with the Moon.
Deja comes down to tell them Ali had returned home in the middle of the night, leaving her great sword (gifted by Mother Rhea) and Belt of Strength. Jonill set out a complimentary breakfast of waffles, and various cabbages.
Pitri and Wiliman set off to purchase a new lute for Wiliman, and Pitri wanted to get his bongos adjusted. They ask for directions to a luthier and are pointed to the Heartland Music Academy and Emporium. While there, they quickly insult the owner, Garval Stonejaw, by speaking to him in halfling. He casts a silence spell on them so that Wiliman stops playing the instruments without permission. He passes them off to a halfling assistant who sells them a used lute and a guiro shaped like a turtle.
They the proceed to find some butter cakes for Wiliman and end up in the third ring of Nox. They find a small bakery run by Eliot, that makes scones and donuts as a specialty. They notice some hooded figures lingering within the bakery, but decide they are just pale, not sketchy vampires.
Meanwhile, R'kir asks Deja if there is a Bounty Hunter's Guild branch in Nox. He wants to see if there are any updates on JESTER. Deja takes him to the local branch of the Guild and they find the building mostly empty. It's early and most of the bounty hunter types are still sleeping. As they approach, Deja recognizes Old Ben who gives them some info on JESTER. He was being tracked towards Ogden.
Krusk also went off to pray at the Nox Temple of Luminara. While there, he prayed, feeling a warm glow and several different sets of eyes watching him....expectantly.
As the group made its way back to the Cassiopeia, they decided to go visit the Nox Council of Twelve. They go into the third ring of Nox. They are greeted by an Iron Sentinel who demands they state their business. They relate they were requested to visit the council by Galzra and are let in. While waiting in the main foyer, they bump into Jardín, a firlbolg druid, there to request aid from the Council for her people. The dragon attacks on Hobart Bay also did considerable damage to their settlement. They need help procuring more metal and stone to rebuild.
They also bump into a Water Genasi monk, also waiting there. They strike up a conversation and realize that he is Aliñar's brother, Dolor . He is excited to see his sister, but they relate she had gone back home the night before. They also tell him about her brush with death, and how it changed her. Dolor asks them to send her a message if they can. He wants Ali to know that he is alright.
Soon, Galzra arrives and beckons them come into the Council Chamber, she hadn't expected them so soon. They are ushered into a large circular room. At one end, twelve shafts of light fall onto a marble circle on the floor. Inside each circle, sits a council members, each in an ornate chair suitable for their size.
A humanoid owl man, Yeffarik, flutters down and folds his wings.
"We will first hear from Jardín, of the Hobart Bay firlbolgs."
Stepping forward, Jardin straightens herself and clacks her staff loudly on the ground.
This part needs work My people desperately need aid. After the dragon attacks our people are struggling. Why has it taken so long for aid to come?
A Council member says, "We appreciate your help. Know that help is coming, we are attending to everything we can."
"Where was the promise of this help. It has been a month since the attack?"
"Quite frankly, we are repairing supply lines, lightning train lines, Hobart Bay,
"Members of the council, I come from the Filrbolg commune near Hobart Bay. Our community has fallen on desperate times. Suppplies of metail and stone run dangerously short. If assistance is not provided soon, we cannot guarantee a harvest suitable to feed the people of Nox."
"Next we shall hear from the Yun Monk, Dolor."
Dolor steps up and mentions that the mountain on which sits the Yun Monastery has been experiencing severa earthquakes, shaking the foundation of the monastery and doing significant structural damage. He requests the aid of some masons to rebuild and repair structures and to send a goeological sufrvye to find the cause of these earthquakes.
The council grants Dolor a single mason and geologist form the colege to trave l back to fix the propblem and ascertain its source.
"We will next here from the Wild Cards. Who will speak for them" said Yeffarik.
Stepping forward, straightening his clothes, Wiliman booms in a formal voice not often heard from him. "We have learned of necromancy, genetic manipulation, human and monster splicing, mindflayers, and illegal experimentation occuring within the halls of Nox Arcane Academy" said Wiliman, handing off the documents they took from the laboratory under the academy.
"What proof do you offer besides these bits of paper?" asks an incredulous goblin council member, Gallig.
"This!" says Wiliman, holding up Dinkle the mimic spliced with a cat.
At first, no one reacts, except with bemusement. Then suddenly, Dinkle's entire body unzips, revealing a hideous maw of teeth and vicious tongue flailing about widely. Gasps and cries of horror reverberate through the chamber. Just as quickly, he returns to his more feline form.
"What is it you want this council to do?" says a robed councilman.
"We want to have their operation permanently shutdown, and have this council attempt to put Professor Greycastle and Doctor Gleb put into custody."
"Do you believe ya can take us back thar?" says a dwarven council woman, Lysyle Forgehammer.
"Yes," Wiliman replied.
"I shall take my platoon o' Iron Sentinels and clean this mess up. We will meet on the academy grounds in two hours."
Yeffarik asks, "Is there any other business the Wild Cards wish of to bring to this council"
"Yes", says Wiliman, "the news of the gnoll attack on the Sloan Express."
"There are rewards plenty for these adventurers! Yet aid for my people goes wanting?!" thunders Jardín slamming her staff onto the ground. A thunderous roar lets out and a wall of thorns appear around the room.
From the balcony, several iron sentinels glow to activate, pointing weapons at the firlbolg woman. Krusk casts silence on her, trying to keep the peace.
A black tiefling, Kalvari Joss, woman says, "Do not presume to come into this chamber with threats and magic child!"
Kalvari and Gallig converse quietly, before the goblin runs off. Yeffarik announces, "This council is now adjourned." Yeffarik gestures to the group and beckons them follow. They are lead down a few flights of stairs, down a large but dark hallway. It ends abruptly, revealing a large vault. As two guards open it, they come into a massive chamber, filled with gold bars and gems. They wind through a small hallway made of bouillon and gems into a small secondary vault. In this vault are lots of crates, many are glowing, almost pulsing with magical energy. The party selects some magical artifacts that they think will be useful, most select magical amulets or improved weapons and armor. Wiliman comes across the fabled Lute of Libera Chi. Krusk finds a golden and radiant war hammer, glowing and almost calling to him. When he picks it up, he hears a voice "Ah finally! Someone wields me again so I can smite foes!" Krusk determines that he has found SUN, a warhammer with an engraved with a sun bearing a face. It is one of the cards they are searching for.
Yeffarik becomes them out and mentions that Councilwoman Lysyle Forgehammer will meet them at the Academy grounds.
Before they head out, they introduce themselves formally to Jardín, who introduces herself as a shepherd of the people of Archeron. She is a Circle of the Shepherd druid. On their way out, they are stopped by an iron sentinel, who give them a letter. "I was told to give this to you before your departure," it drones mechanically.
Wiliman reads it aloud to the group, it is from Dolor. He requests that the group doesn't leave town without him. First, though, the group goes to check on the operation at the Nox Arcane Academy. They find that Lysyle Forgehammer and her sentinels have already begun in earnest. She assures them that they have already breached the laboratory and are mopping up the Gibbering Mouther/Mammoth Hybrid.
After they leave, they decide to head for the general direction of Dolor. He mentioned he was staying at an inn in the north side of the lowest ring of Nox. As they approach, Jardín summons her familiar, an owl, to fly about and find the water genasi. After asking a few guards, they are pointed in his general direction and soon find him, among a caravan packing provisions for a mountain journey.
They caravaneers are there to escort the Council's Stonemason and Geologist to go help the Yun Monastery, Dolor will be accompanying them back to his home.
Pitri buys some warm weather clothes for the group from the caravan,
In the north, Pitri sees smoke coming from the forest. Deja goes to investigate and sees that the smoke isn't from a forest fire, but rather is the campfires of a party of roughly 250 soldiers from The Cascade Alliance, several are licking their wounds after a recent battle. It doesn't appear that they are advancing, but are instead digging into a defensive posture. The group knows that the soldiers of the Cascade Alliance hasn't advanced beyond a certain point, they are attempting a land grab, rather than trying to conquer all of The Western Ranges. Pitri, Deja, and Jardin wisely agree to keep their distance.
After five uneventful days on the road winding up the mountain paths, the group approaches the Monastery. It is a sight to behold, an intricately carved stone work gate opens into a courtyard with several building surrounding it, motifs of clouds are carved into the stone work. So much of the stone is carved that it appears to almost float, many of the decorative elements appear to weigh more than the columns and buttresses should support.
They are greeted by Master Fa Te who warmly greets Pitri and R'kir.
Pitri is brought to meet Saphie his long sister. They spare briefly, Saphie shows off her monk and wizard training, beating the piss out of Pitri.
As R'kir takes a walk with Master Fa, Pitri catches up with Saphie, getting to meet his sister for the first time. The group makes their way to the bunk house, finally settling in after a long day's trek when suddenly, a large tremor flares up again.

Report Date

03 Jan 2021