Session 9: The Wrap Up

General Summary

The Aftermath

Enkala waved for you to all head inside - other members of The Shield were on their way, and they would take care of the corpses. Looking about was an incredible mess - the stable had burnt down with horses inside. The back yard was a mess, with a few dead bodies littering the ground. The doors to the shed hung open, revealing the stark emptiness inside.
Lock up tight, Enkala advised you. We'll still be here when you wake up. Exhausted, and with no customers left, you agreed. You found yourselves surprised that the mess left by Hshht was cleaned up, with only a slight stain on the hardwood as a reminder of what happened. But adrenaline kept you awake, and you discussed the night while counting the money. You counted 641g 5s 4c - a big haul! That total can be found here: Stoutheart Inn Grand Opening Tally .
Anakami made up the bed for Hshht, and everyone fell asleep.

The Next Morning

Anakami found herself awoken by some soldiers milling about in the kitchen. She woke up and started fixing them breakfast. By the time she came out, and the others filed downstairs, they found that the common room was filled with Shield and Lifewardens both, each group keeping to themselves. By now it was mid-day on Gods' Day, and everyone looked worn. Bronte went from table to table, offering some of her mind-altering substances to everyone. They looked at her, incredulous, but too tired to do anything about it. Members of The Shield were scattered about the house, searching everything but the bedroom. The Lifewardens were spread out around the back part of the house, and were studiously poring over the shed.
The Stouthearts sent out a flurry of messengers - to Altair, Mantrell, & Tess. Eventually, you heard back from Tess & Mantrell that they would see you the next morning. Mantrell sent a small amount of supplies, but would be by Monday morning to deliver the rest - provided you have payment, of course!
As Anakami opened the kitchen door to get some fresh air, she found the hobgoblins Keykal and Daida sitting outside. As the door opened they filed inside sheepishly, put on their aprons, and got to work - giving each other sidelong glances the whole time. They were clearly hoping to just sidle their way into a full time job - and Anakami was more than happy to take them on!
Hshht's bed was empty.

The Refugees

A voice called out from the door: "Hello? Are you open?" A blond haired half-elf (with a very funny accent) entered the room, and was shown to a table. He introduced himself as Holmgren, and he brought in over a dozen others just like him - fair haired, blue eyed half elves. Their clothes were worn and their feet were bare. Holmgren explained that they were passing through from northern Elladrell. The elves have started to make things inhospitable for them, and they decided that they'd had enough. They were instead heading down to Amon-Ra to join the fight of their ancestors, to see if they could carve back some land. Derenthil this morning, Caldera City around mid-day, and hopefully Edra before sunset. A big change for them - going from the frozen north to the arid south. But they were determined.

The Interview

Eventually Degra and Quinn arrived with a tall, thin tabaxi who called himself "Investigator Hunts Frogs", or just Frogs for short. Frogs was kind and understanding. His job was to get to the bottom of things. He makes no judgment himself - that is left to others. Around the same time, in came Selenius, Helena, and Suajadina from the Lifewardens. They conferred with the other Lifewardens, then came over to introduce themselves to Frogs. Frogs greeted them, invited them to join, and settled in and asked a series of questions:

• How did the bar brawl get so out of hand? We have our reports, but we wanted your version. You all gave your truthful versions to the best of your ability, including the incidents at the stable. You did not mention anything about the Shadow Blades.
• Who cast the fog cloud? It really saved lives - defused the whole situation immediately, well done. Bronte admitted it was her - Frogs was impressed.
• Did you see any malfeasants? People milling about the room, stirring up trouble? You answered to the best of your ability - admittedly, you didn't see any specific individuals. You did mention some of the dockworkers, especially the Dragon Guard and the union leaders.
• You learned from Frogs about the various factions inside the SkyDocks. There's the group from Dracaryx, who seem to feel like it's "their" docks. They are supported by the Dragon Guard, who are the personal guard of Lord Azazesh. He is transparently vying to control the shipping market here. Most of the ships you see are his. Then there's the Free DockWorkers, which is made up primarily of humans, half-elves, dwarves, and other groups whose only real home is Caldera City. Finally, there's the Reborn, who are considered by the other two to be the bottom of the totem pole. You informed him of another faction - the faction from Honoro. He was surprised to hear that; it must be a new development. He took a note.
• Speaking of the Reborn, Frogs said he heard there was a huge gathering of them here last night. He just wants to make sure you know - trouble seems to follow the Reborn around wherever they go. Now, he knows enough to know they don't start it, but you should be aware of this if you want to include them in your business. You may want to consider limiting how many come at one time, for example.
• What about the Shadow Blades? We had expected that they would have caused major problems for you - that's why we were so agreeable to send along Shield members for security work. You all mentioned that Johno and his group came through earlier that night and caused some problems, but otherwise you hadn't heard from them ... You kept secret the much more chilling series of events in the upper floors where Hshht tried to kill Bert & Ros, but instead flipped sides and helped you kill Johno and his gang.

The Smugglers

• And the smugglers - the ones smuggling human remains. Did you know anything about them? He barely got the question out before the answer came in a hurry - you were all desperate to make sure he knew you had nothing to do with it. You showed him the rental agreement, mentioned the agent Nian Borowal. Nobody mentioned the hooded tiefling or the attack on Ros by the invisible assailant. (If this is wrong, just let me know and I will amend).
• Frogs shared what he knows about it - there is an invisible teleportation circle on the floor of the shed. From the descriptions, it sounds like it was set to trigger at specific times. What an operation! They had to have all that organized so precisely, down to the second! What discipline! Degra, and especially Quinn looked pained at this.
• Degra let you know that both Lloryl, the dwarf who betrayed you, and Cheff, the tabaxi Shield partner who apprehended him (or rather, helped you apprehend him), were both killed on the way in for questioning. There were only a small handful of Shield with them, and they were ambushed so suddenly and violently that it took a while to figure out what happened. Eeyok, the hobgoblin muscle, managed to survive and they have him under protection right now. Quinn looked absolutely dejected - it was happening under his nose, and now both his partners are dead. In one night, his entire world changed. Lloryl's place is being searched to see if they can find any information - any lead at all.
• You asked where the teleportation circle went, and they do not know. It can connect to any other teleportation circle anywhere in the world. Selenius chimed in to say that the initial read is "somewhere in Amon-Ra", but they do not know further than that. This is good news, he said - it would have been worse if it was north of the barrier mountains.

Interview Outcome

Frogs reminded you - he's not the one who makes judgement calls, he's just the one who investigates. He will pile all of this into a report and send it upwards. But, if experience has taught him anything, he expects the city to fine you as much as it possibly can. This is embarassing for the city, and the bureaucracy will want to put you out of business. The city clerk -- Tess, is that her name? -- she will be by with the paperwork.
With that, Frogs stood up and asked Selenius if he had anything to add. "Just one question," he sighed. "Did one of you cast Toll the Dead on FirstDay of last week?" Bronte sighed heavily "WHAT IS THE BIG DEAL? WHO CARES ABOUT A FEW STUPID BELLS?" Everyone looked at her blankly. "OK FINE I WAS THE ONE WHO RANG THE BELLS! RINGY DING DING!" she shouted at them. Selenius turned to her and smiled. "Ah, finally. Thank you. We will file that away. If you would like, you can purchase a license to practice necromancy for 25 gold a month. We've only just started trying it, and it's being used, albeit not widely - thankfully." Selenius smiled, bowed, and headed out alongside Frogs, Degra, and Quinn - along with most of the Lifewardens and The Shield.

The Neighbours

A cart pulled up with Wuen, Rafael, Fenir, Fallon, and Jurak.
Fenir pulled you aside - he feels awful. He just fell right back into the old habits that got him (and his patron) in trouble in the first place! He just can't help himself when it comes to .... THE STAGE! But hopefully it didn't get too bad. What is his share of the door charge? You all looked at him blankly. What door charge?
Fenir flew into a rage - he needed the revenue from the door charge - which you OBVIOUSLY should have been charging! - to pay off the loans accrued for play expenses. Expenses? You looked at him blankly again. Fenir then flew out of his rage and straight into a panic attack. He owed 300g. He put up his entire bookstore to get that kind of gold. He doesn't just carry 300g around on him at all times, you know. If he doesn't have the money by FirstDay, he will have to give up his bookstore.
But, what kind of lender puts these kind of terms, and who would agree to that, you asked. Fenir flew back from panic to rage - THE KIND OF LENDERS WHO WILL LEND TO SOMEONE WHO'S PISSED OFF EVERY BANKER IN CALDERA CITY! AND ME! You had a huge night - can you spare 100g? That will get him off my back for another week, and I can probably make the rest of it happen during that time.
Ros ran upstairs to fetch her Mariner's Studded Leather. She handed it to Fenir, and told him to sell it at the market to cover part of it. But! There are conditions to this. Fenir will continue to produce plays for the Stoutheart Inn, but Ros and Ola will be managers - to control his spending. Fenir agreed - how could he refuse? He clutched the leather armor to him as if it were a life preserver. Which, in a way, it was.
(Aside: Fenir later relays that he managed to sell it for 150g, all of which went towards his debt - and saved his bacon).
Fallon apologizes for his bad attitude. He was just so worried about the competition. Maybe innkeeping isn't for him. He's thinking of giving up on the innkeeping business and moving into something else. He's made some new friends who have a business proposition for him, and he wasn't keen on it before, but maybe he should be more open minded. No hints! It's a surprise! You've already ruined one of my businesses!
Jurak isn't offended by the broken chandelier at all, in fact she's thrilled! It must have been a wild party, and she wishes she could have stayed, but it would have hurt her business for her to let go like that. She's more than happy to fix it for free.
Rafael points out that his model is broken, but he's happy to have something to fix. He will add a shed in the backyard too.
Wuen congratulates you on a successful grand opening, feels like she made a statement that feathers are back! By the way who was the trendsetter leonin with the bubbly gnome? But she heard all the reports of what went down after they left ... no offense, but she doesn't want her business associated with that. So she'll keep her pies to herself. But please come back once you've gotten all that sorted out and things are calmed down!
They all piled out of the inn and onto the cart. As they pulled away, they heard the black haired dwarven driver shout out to the back of them, and Bert recognized the voice - then the face. This driver was in the crowd last night, causing trouble! And Ola remembered that it was the same dwarf who was at Fenir's inn when they went to visit him the week before.

The Gravespeaker

Ulym, the old dwarven priest of the Raven Queen, came into the inn, along with a cheery female halfling and a female aasimar who looked like she had lived a rough life. It wasn't Ellariel, but did remind you of her.
"Where did you get a gravespeaker?" Ulym asked. "I thought most of them were long gone now - victims of the Caldera Wars after the healing." None of you knew what he was talking about, so he went into more detail: A gravespeaker is someone who can speak to the dead, and help usher them from this life into the next. They were a small group of people who lived in Elladrell before the Cataclysm. After the Cataclysm, and after the healing of the wound, they were brought to the Caldera to help usher the millions of dead to the next life. It was a grueling job, as so many of the dead were angry and unwilling to let go. And you can't shepherd millions at once; the most powerful gravespeakers could do fifty or so ghosts at a time, if there was a connection between them. But it was necessary work!
Bronte admitted that they didn't actually have a gravespeaker, but she did know that a small elven woman named Falanariel was the one responsible. Bronte relayed the details - she doesn't really know who she is, as she just showed up, wearing tattered clothes, and hiding amongst the crowd. She enjoyed playing with children, and it was challenging to convince her that she could have some food and drink. Eventually she came down, and it wasn't until she took some of the drugs and closed her eyes that it happened.
Ulym was fascinated, but found the name Falanariel to be unlikely: he told you of an old elven tale of Falanariel, the clever homeless girl, who nobody ever noticed, yet she managed to survive a happy and fulfilling life, taking from others and getting especially younger elves into trouble for her misdeeds. It's not actually an elvish name ... so it's unlikely ... but maybe? He will need to go back and research it. Whatever the case - well done! From what he's heard, there were several hundred souls shepherded off to see the Raven Queen in that one shot.

The Last Night

Everyone settled in to do their own thing as SelfDay waned into night:

• Bert headed to pray to his new god
• Ola wrote a ballad about the burning barn
• Bronte meditated on what she knew of Falanariel
• Anakami went to visit Wuen to socialize, but Wuen was a little off-put by the recent events
• Flip sat with the cats
• Ros continued cleaning the bar

First Day - Tax Day!

The next day the entire group rose as early as possible to get ready for the taxes.
Tess showed up right on time, and asked for your tax money. You were all very proud to be able to pay the entire backtaxes in full. Ros asked how things went with Altair, and Tess let you know that things weren't going well. Apparently Altair really was an adventuring companion of Beregast, and they parted ways right before the Darkening of Elladrell. Altair knew all of the people in the story - Antala, Gemenicus (Jimmy), and Hathyk - and has blamed himself for their deaths. The play brought it all back, and he couldn't deal with the emotions. Instead he fled home and has refused to speak with her.
Tess then also told you the bad news: the council members were very upset at The Stouthearts, and have asked Tess to throw the book at them. She had dozens of infractions, maybe more that she needed to work through with them - thousands of gold in fines. Ros right away suggested that they could not do this without their lawyer present, and sent for Altair.
While they waited, Mantrell came by with your new order. The group didn't have quite as much money as last time, so you needed to order a smaller amount and sell it off to continue to build up the business. Keykal and Daida agreed to organize with Mantrell, and it wasn't too soon before customers started to file in. Half of them wanted to try some of the food they had heard so much about, but the other half were there only to see the site of the most recent newsworthy event!
When Altair finally arrived, he was not too happy that Tess was there, but Ola explained the situation. They really needed a lawyer! Altair agreed, and Tess reviewed the charges. Altair stopped her before she got through the list, and asked for a right of response. Tess agreed - and the two of them began to make their cases, using obscure legal jargon and references that left you all by the wayside. Eventually Anakami found them a table where they could work out the details, bringing them ale, food, and a candle for a little ambience. This became the norm over the next two weeks as Tess and Altair would arrive every morning to continue their legal debates. You noticed that Altair brightened over this time, and Tess wisely played it cool.

Finding "Normalcy"

Eventually, the Stoutheart Inn became a place of bustling daily activity. You found yourselves with reasonable crowds for lunch and dinner, and the money flowed. It didn't hurt that the townscriers were shouting out news about the Stoutheart Inn:

• the return of the gravespeakers, and the first passing in over 40 years.
• Fenir's triumphant and magnificent return to the stage, with a new play called "The Passion of Shadow and Fire"
• the riot among docksworkers where people were killed
• the Shield catching people smuggling mortal remains

Many onlookers came by to gawk, and stayed for food and drink. The business launched successfully!

Bronte's Discovery

Bronte found herself a bit distracted amidst this activity. The buzzing she heard down in the basement during opening night faded, but then returned. She could hear it whenever she was in the inn, but not when she was out and about. She checked all of her metal belongings, and spent her time testing the inn in various ways to identify the source. To onlookers, Bronte seemed to be wandering around the inn, muttering to herself constantly.
One night she was awoken by the buzzing and scoured the inn top to bottom. Eventually she narrowed it down to the room with the Dream Den. She spent hours combing over the walls, moving inch by inch to isolate it. After many hours, she found it - a small latch that nobody had seen before, despite searching. She flipped it - and the wall moved, revealing a secret room under the main floor.
Within that room were tables, chairs, cabinets, and a few large maps. To one side of the room were stairs that led down into the dwarven ruins. Bronte let the others know and they followed it down together to come across an an old Dwarven seaport set up along an underground lake and rivers - now drained dry from the Cataclysm. Large vessels lay on their sides on the now dry river bed. Docks and harbor offices were shattered. Skeletons could be found amidst the wreckage. The caverns extended far off in many directions.
The Stoutheart Inn was sitting atop an old Skytop crossroads.
You all closed up the room and got back to work - but, admittedly, you were all now as distracted as Bronte.

Other Items & Open Threads

• Would the Stouthearts report the discovery to the council & Historical Society, as is required by law? Or would they choose to explore it themselves? Or hire people to explore it on their behalf?
• Now that the high stakes rush is over, how do these former adventurers settle into a more predictable life, filled with routine and sometimes doldrum?
• The Shield is reporting that the smugglers were caught, but you know better - most of them got away. Would there be repercussions, either from the smugglers or perhaps worse, from whomever was acquiring the remains?
• What will happen to Quinn, with one of his lieutenants having betrayed him as a double agent, and both of his lieutenants now dead?
• The Shadow Blade is dead and gone with their leader Johno having met his end on Ros' blade. Or were they? Would someone else from the history take up the mantle, and how would they react to this? Angrily, for killing the leader, or friendly, because they were rivals?
• And what about Hsshht? He disappeared and took the corpses with him. He is one of the most wanted people in the Caldera.
• What will happen with the various dockworkers factions? This was the first open conflict in quite some time. It seems like a powder keg about to explode ...
• What is going on with Fallon? What is his "new business venture" and who are his "new friends"? You know only one of his colleagues outside of the other neighbours - the black haired dwarf who you recalled (too late) was stirring up trouble at your grand opening.
• How will Ros and Ola's business relationship with Fenir go? He is famously emotional and impulsive when it comes to the arts - have they bitten off more than they can chew?
• Will Altair and Tess find a path forward together?
• Henri disappeared in the chaos, and did not pay for the (many) rounds he bought for everyone. He owes you almost 50 gold! Will you ever see him again, and will he pay you what he owes?
• Who is Falanariel? Will you ever see her again? Will she ever be reunited with the other gravespeakers who have since returned to Elladrel?
• The Stoutheart Inn is a profitable venture - where would the Stouthearts invest next? How would the business fare?

And for each character ...

• Can Ola channel her chaotic nature into continued productivity for the inn, or would it eventually become a detriment?
• Why are the cats of the area so entranced by Flip? How is it that he finds himself as the local cat lord?
• How will Bert's newfound religion affect things? What does Selune want with him, and what is he willing to give?
• Anakami had only ever played a supporting role in her former adventures. Can Anakami deal with the fact that she has killed another mortal?
• Why is Bronte having such vivid dreams? What is it about this place that seems to resonate or trigger Charlotte?
• Can Ros hold them all together to keep the Stoutheart Inn up and running?

Campaign

The Inn at the Crossroads of the World

Protagonists

Anakami of Tree Home

Report Date

29 Jan 2023