Session 8- Surprise Knives or: How Krusk and Aliñar Got Their Groove Back

General Summary

After their setback with JESTER the group heads back to Lord Timbernacles' manor. [Aliñar stays behind, to look for JESTER.
Roland raids the wine cellar and finds a large hole in the basement. He comes back up with a few bottles of well aged 1780 Nox Berry Farms Merlot.
Krusk sends a message to VIZIER, "We found Jester, but he escaped with his card. Bounty hunters are in pursuit of him. Please advise."
VIZIER responds, "That's not good to hear. JESTER not a priority. If in Mur, make contact with FATE. He can help you more than I."
Krusk sends a message to Opal advising her that Hobart Bay would have room for a Tortle settlement and to check it out.'
R'kir attempts to make a fish curry, but fails spectacularly because of his unfamiliarity with Gnome
Pitri, Wiliman Silverkin and Leif Arrowsken go searching through the manor. Pitri stomps around, knocking over many items and statues, frustrated at finding the home of one of his former captors. He found a portrait of the Lord's son, Buddydoock , who had experimented on him earlier. He casts scorching ray onto the portrait, burning off Buddydoock's face.
"What's wrong Pitri," Wiliman asked. "You remember the laboratory I was trapped in?" Pitri asked. "This gnome was there!" Pitri spat out.
Skulking about, Pitri and Wiliman kick in the door to Buddynoock's room. Suddenly a flash of daggers, knives, axes, a whirlwind of gleaming steel flies at Wiliman stabbing in the arms and back, while an alarm goes off. With a trained eye for dodging traps, Pitri senses other traps throughout the room. Easily finding them, he sees the closet is trapped and disarms it, proceeding to shred the gnome's clothes.
In a dresser, he finds a drawer with a false bottom. Inside is a package wrapped up, with the symbol of the Nox Arcane Academy on it. Unwrapping the package, they find a skeleton key and a Arcane Academy coin that doubles as a spell focus.
Using the key on the dresser, Wiliman finds a book, a wizard spellbook, with a lock on it. Turning the key into the book's lock, he turns it and forces it open. Almost immediately, an explosion happens, booming throughout the house. Being knocked around, Leif notices a package stuck under the bed and brings it to Pitri's attention.
Tearing through the twine and cloth, Pitri finds a staff tipped with a crescent moon and skull. He smells necrotic magic on it. Pawing through the book from Wiliman, he realizes that they have found Professor Grimcastle's spellbook. Just then, Krusk pokes his head into the door.
"Dinner is ready," he chirps. ali The group survives R'kir's cooking, no worse for wear, but feeling skrittles in their stomachs. Wiliman's curry escaped the bowl and began skittering around. They share what they have learned or found. They talk about the Gnomish items they found and how they need to contact FATE. R'kir wonders out loud if this is the non-Genasi Yun monk Fa'te.
Before investigating the tunnel, they decide to sleep and prepare for whatever unknown danger they may find.
Wiliman, Leif, Roland, and Pitri search the house for comfortable beds. Krusk sleeps in front of the tunnel in the cellar. R'kir spends some time in his room, meditating. He becomes very aware of a presence in the room with him, only a foot or two away. It is a pale yellow visage, noseless, with a goatee, dressed in simple grey robes with a red sash.
"You have questions," the visage asks, "then ask them."
"I'm on a quest to help my friends, searching for people with power. While doing this, I've manifested my ki. I don't know what is happening to me," R'kir responds.
The glimmering visage holds out his palm, creating a small sun over his hand. "Light is one of the governing forces in our world. To be able to c hannel that force is a great gift. Do not fear your new power, embrace it! Make it yours.....and tell Pitri, 'Bjorn says hello.'"
Aliñar bobs in the ocean, resting in the waves gentle embrace. As she lies there, her surroundings seem to change. The sky becomes the roof of her family hut, the waves the dirt floor. No longer does she hear the beating of the waves, but sounds of her old Pantano village. Her mother sees Aliñar, who looks distraught. "Come daughter, why do you look so down? Let's get some dinner." As they walk along, the surroundings change. It grows cold, shadows fall. A raspy hiss calls out from nowhere, but grows louder and louder.
"You are the one who took ROGUE. Yet you fear this loss. You are right to be afraid."
"I don't fear anything," Aliñar responds, unconvincingly.
"Yet here you are....wallowing in your worst fears....pretending you haven't a care in the world."
A thin emaciated face, with burning red eyes stares from the shadows, floating a few inches off the ground. As it steps into the moonlight, it's deep purple flesh shows. The creature is wearing Girar's hunting garb. A tentacled face reveals itself.
"but you may yet prove amusing and useful to me.....I'll keep watching...."
With an assist in reading Gnomish from Pitri, R'kir makes cabbage crepes. Over breakfast, R'kir mentions his dream, and tells Pitri that Bjorn says "hello."
Krusk speculates that FATE and Master Fa Te are the same person.
Wiliman and Pitri go off to find Alinar. Wiliman falls and Pitri hurriedly changes into dragon form and dives to catch him. Safely aboard Pitri's back, they begin to circle the city. They notice a convoy of clerics and warriors approaching. Swooping dangerously low, Pitri and Wiliman
Salazar bows before Krusk, "Father Krusk! It is an honor to finally meet you."
Mother Rhea relates to Krusk that the story of the Tortle on a quest to save his people has become quite well known throughout the lands, and that Salazar has taken a fondness to the lightbearing Tortle.
Salazar casts Flock of Familiars who dart down the tunnel, they continue as far down the tunnels as they can go. They come into a large chamber with some slain spiders, one of which still bears marks of ice magic. Two bump into a closed door. The third continues far far down the tunnel and eventually disappears. There are tracks of a several humanoids, and a tortle, they go up to the door, double back and continue further down the tunnel.
The team investigates the door, and finds that it has rusted shut. They open it up, noticing that the well carved tunnel opens up to the other side of the mountain on the northwest of Hobart Bay. The longer tunnel is noticeably less well made and rougher carved than the other tunnel. The tracks continue into a large cavern, so large they cannot see the end of it. They lash together some sacks of cabbages and float down river, the tunnel river. The river empties into the southern end of Hobart Bay, with the city still visible.
As they wash ashore, they see a Horizonback Turtle, Opal swimming into the bay, with several tortles on her back.
Krusk spends a month refurbishing a burnt out building, converting it into a Temple to Luminara.
Roland does as much research as he can on firearms. He doesn't find much information.
Leif tries to make some money taking contract, providing food to the townsfolk by hunting.
Salazar and Mother Rhea's group spend time healing the injured and repairing the town walls.
Aliñar spends the time trying to help foster plant growth, both on land and in the water. She creates as spider lair in the woods, making it as dark as possible, even during the day.
Wiliman decides to rebuild a tavern, with the help of Lord Timbernacles and Roland, renaming it the Two and a Half Ales. Lord Timbernacles lends him several casks and bottles from his private reserve, it is what Lady Timbernacles would have wanted.
Pitri is spending time trying to get more information about Buddydoock Timbernacles, asking civilians and snooping around the Timbernacles Manor. Pitri learns that Buddy was a decent enough boy until he went off to school, when he came back, he was vile, rude, and spiteful. He had a friend of the Yuan-Ti, Charmer, and a large Tortle boy, Tortera, who he tolerated for use as muscle.
R'kir spends the time training, helping the townguard, and honing his cooking skills. Every view nights, he is visited by the vision of the gith monk. He receives a few lessons from the mysterious monk figure.
Salazar and Pitri have a training session, Pitri lets Salazar get a good swing in, leaving him with a nasty scar. Krusk takes Pitri to the Temple of Luminara, telling Pitri that he may pray to Luminara and ask her blessing by writing his request on a piece of colored paper. He may cast it into the fire; if the flames that burn without heat and give light without consuming turn the paper into ashes, the request is granted. Pitri writes down his request for healing and cautiously drops it into the cool flames. As soon as it settles, it burns up in a flash and bright healing light shoots out of Pitri's wound, tingling until the cut is gone completely, as if it never happened.
Krusk dreams are catching up with him...leaving him more and more exhausted, to the point where others are starting to notice. He relates that his nightmare from Episode 4 has been recurring since Port Gustav, the group decides, after the holiday on the Winter Solstice, they will depart to his home, Atiu Beach and investigate whatever this nightmare portends.
That same night, Alinar is visited by the glowing red eyes. "You claim not to need these people, but still you cling to these people."
Therei s a big difference between WANT and need."
"The kobold, the half elves, even the tortle. You have all been drawn together....for some grand purpose."
"Yeah, we get quite a lot done together, instead of skulking in the dark creeping on folks."
"Oh I can reach out and touch someone, anytime I please."
"Such venom you have," Alinar says with a grin, licking her canines.
The next day, the group, at Alinar's invitation, goes to her dark grove for the winter solstice. Alinar tells them the creation story of her people. In the beginning was nothing...then came the first sister, brining the sister. The second sister, came to give a contrast to the first. The third sister was born from the nothingness, she raged against the light. She was jealous, envious, and wrathful. I am descended from this sister. I The fourth sister, came and brought forth the earth.
I realize on this, the darkest day, I need to atone for the way I have been. I have been jealous, envious and wrathful. I have murdered, taken the lives of children. Taken the lives of those who did not deserve to die. I have stood above others, even when I couldn't stand on my own. I know that I am cursed, and am afraid it will lead me to kill one of you.
"Pitri, he has her. The loud one with the rifle."

Report Date

15 Nov 2020