Session 77 Report

General Summary

Moon Planter's Log

I woke up in the morning, frustrated and disappointed. I had 0 success with Fireheart. She treated me like a little brother, patting my head multiple times. It felt very patronizing. It's better to be single than have this sick feeling in my stomach. If this is how Fireheart's going to treat me, with a peck on the cheek after inviting her on the grandest vacation spot possible, then perhaps this relationship isn't meant to be. It's for the best I suppose. Fireheart is still my superior, and it's no good to have fraternization in the ranks. I need to talk to someone about this. Whicker Wind and Balcony Blitz were given something to deliver. I asked them about it, but it was made clear they were dealing with some proprietary information I didn't need to know about, so I let it be. We coordinated with the Captain of our ship, and we spent 3 days traveling to Dakilai. Triple and I did some sword training. Triple is gaining strength more and more. We assisted in tying down the ship, and traveled to Triple's house. Whicker traveled through the portal to Bleakburn, and I realized I forgot to ask him to deliver my Poison Joke notes. I collected the seed shells, and took copious amounts of notes on how to cure the ailment, including the tonic to prepare. This is vital information that needs to be spread as far as possible. When we arrived at Triple's crash house, we walked in on a mess. The High Rollers who have been staying here are not cleaning up after themselves. The laundry room is full of sweat and musk. It's disgusting. At least the plant room is lovely. Someone's been watering them. Triple hired Belle Hop to investigate his crash house. It was known the house is inhabited by a ghost when he bought it. Triple thought it was worth the risk since the price was so good, and it was in prime real estate. Belle Hop discovered a strange occurrence with a rubber duck that sinks in one bathtub, but floats everywhere else. We went upstairs. When we climbed the stairs, Belle Hop wasn't too concerned about what we've seen so far. Belle Hop still recommended Triple sale the house because ghosts are more trouble than they're worth. The upper floor is far different than down stairs. Where the downstairs looks lived in by a frat house, the up stairs looks as though it's been abandoned for decades. Flickering lights shine a bit, but it's still very dark. There's a presence here even I can sense. So long as it doesn't attack us, I won't get worked up. Ghosts are weird, but I don't mind the nonviolent ones. I found a room with old maps and a chest. The bed was unmade, and I swore I heard a ruffling of the blankets. Triple said he stayed in this room when he first bought it. Belle Hop went to work, and Tangent joined me in the map room. She and I looked things over, but waited until everyone could join us. Swift sounded a bit unnerved from some mirrors, and there was a room even Triple hadn't gone into. Belle Hop and I took a close look at the maps. We found this map was hoof drawn many years ago. It shows the region between Holbeck and Arkala. The chest contained newspaper clippings regarding the Moonlight 3, and group of mares who managed to get banned from every casino in Dakilai. The one room Triple hadn't gone into was lit with a feint light. It looked to be a simple work area for making clothes. Bolts of cloth, and a chest containing 3 hats were up against the walls. The 3 hats pulled our interest. One hat was fully finished, but the other two were not. On the wall next to a table were 3 pegs. We hanged the hats on the pegs, and a wall opened up into a room with a bright red rune on the floor. There in the middle was the ghost of a crying unicorn. The unicorn appeared old. Triple tried to nope out of there, but Belle Hop and I stopped him and pulled him back. This is his house, so he's going to be around for fixing it. Belle Hop had found a book with lots of pictures that showed three mares together. We connected they were the Moonlight 3, and this crying unicorn was one of them. She was... strangely polite and soft spoken. It was unnerving listening to her. We could determine that she was a follower of the Night Mare by the symbol she carried on her neck. I once mistook a Night Mare temple for a Moon Princess temple. They behaved the same way as this ghost. The ghost didn't know where her sisters were. She told us she couldn't pass onto the afterlife without her sisters who made a pact. There's something to do with the hats. The other Moonlight 3 needed to finish their hats for some odd reason. I get the feeling the hats are metaphors, more than an actual task needing to be completed. I showed the map of Holbeck and Arkala to the ghost. She requested a heat source, so Tangent produced a flame, and the heat showed an invisible X on the map. It went to the caves that we intended to explore in search of Aetherstone. An odd coincidence. Triple confessed he wanted to be the best thief, and the ghost made him an offer to teach him some trade secrets in exchange for helping with her sisters. When the ghost finished her offer, she held out a hoof as though to seal the deal. Triple considered the offer, but asked what we thought. We all agreed that soul binding to an undead was a bad idea, and Triple agreed too. Triple will be learning his skills on his own. The map shows the location of a single sister, but not both. We agreed to pursue her sister, and bring her back to the house so we could aid in reuniting the Moonlight 3. We did request the ghost stay to the upper floors, and not do anything too spooky while we were gone. In exchange, the visitors would refrain from going upstairs. We left the house and traveled to the air ship to make our way. Then the captain would wait for us to arrive. But before we left, Swift wanted to give a dare in the spirit of Trickster's Trove. He dared Triple 7's to sneak into Dr. Amden's office and damage his robes in humiliating fashion. I immediately disagreed, because I didn't want my Mainstitch disrespected. But then we came up with a better idea. Pranks are a Bannermanes tradition on Trickster's Trove. It's part of our history. We knew Dr. Amden was volunteering to bake in Duk's absence. We concocted a scheme to have Dr. Amden bake 50 cakes himself, and then we'd deliver those cakes to his office in the dead of night, so his floor and desks were completely covered in impassable cakes. Belle Hop traveled to Bleakburn to place the order, and we all pitched in. The next day, she returned and picked them up. I lent my Bag of Holding to ensure they could be easily concealed. When we regrouped in Dakilai, we waited for nightfall. Ivory Drop got in on the game as well. She scried on Dr. Amden, and we watched as he toiled away in a kitchen with a "Kiss the Cook" apron on. Duk bought several tubes of icing, and we spent the day writing mocking names for Dr. Amden. My personal favorite was, "Happy Birthday Nurse Amby." With the cakes prepped, and the Bag of Holding in Triple's hooves, he made his way to Bleakburn in the dead of night. Ivory Drop scried on Triple, and we watched him enter in through the Textile's doors. It was quiet, but not empty. Triple carefully made his way to Dr. Amden's office, and picked the lock. Inside, Dr. Amden's familiar lie sleeping on his desk. Triple then went to work. Cakes on the floor, cakes on the desk, cakes on the boxes, and cakes in the chair. I was nervous when Triple placed a cake directly on the goose, but he did it without waking the goose. Triple snuck out, and we watched the next morning as Dr. Amden made a mess of his robes and left the Textiles in a huff. We all had a good laugh. The captain told us he would fly to Holbeck, and allow us to disembark near the city of Marlton. We spent a day walking the remaining distance and found a small desert town. The rumors surrounding this small town are abundant. Missing ponies, lazy Bannermanes, tolls collected on the road to Arkala. We traveled to the Sheriff of Marlton, and discovered he's the only law enforcement left there. So many ponies have gone missing on the road, that there's a bounty put out for the capture of the leader of these Highway Mares. A smaller reward could be negotiated for the underlings of the Highway Mare boss, but the bounty only covers the boss. We learned the two Bannermanes in Marlton have a bad reputation, but in spite of it, they chose to head out onto the road, and try to end the civilians being attacked. Admirable, but likely foolish. There's also word of a single Bannermane from Arkala who's attempting to end the Highway Mare problem. We schemed a plan to travel the road disguised as merchants, and wait for signs of an ambush. Duk helped come up with the plan. While walking the road, I took time every day to find signs of struggle, or fighting. The first two days showed us nothing, but we did eventually find a single cart, made of the same material as the one we were using. We investigated, and found no signs of a struggle, but several hoof prints. Strange prints. Most were skeletal in nature, and the others large and perfectly spherical. As though they were made by a machine. We decided to set up camp there for the night, and track the prints in the morning. The next morning, Triple woke me up, and pointed out a pony that matched the description of Babage, the Necromancer with the large bounty on his head. The likeness was uncanny. We planned to bring him over to our fire for coffee, so we could verify it was him. Turns out it was his twin brother, Fibage, who hates Babage. We took a lock of his hair, and followed the tracks. The tracks lead us directly to the caves, and standing outside was a pony shouting into the mouth of the cave. Triple was able to sneak close, and verify it is indeed a Bannermane Zebra from Holbeck. We approached him carefully, and a vile creature with a small group of skeletons attacked. I ran beside the Zebra, and took my position. This creature was disgusting as much as it was powerful. Heavy damage was taken from all manner of magic, and necromantic powers. The skeletons were little fight for us, but the creature leading them proved more difficult, and it absorbed our strikes, fought off our magic, and delivered blow after blow of its own. Belle Hop fell in the midst of battle, as did Duk, and the Zebra. We managed to pull together with well timed heals ferocity. Triple 7's leapt through a wall of blades and fire, and landed the most devastating strike I ever saw. This undead creature erupted in filth, and collapsed to the ground. Tangent did a burst heal, and brought us back to consciousness, and finished destroying the skeletons before they could regenerate. Once we got everyone patched up, the Zebra introduced himself as a Paladin from Holbeck who volunteered to come here and help the ponies. He became bored being around Bards and Historians who rarely leave the city. I can't blame him. There should be no difference between a warrior and a scholar. I investigated deeper into the cave, and found a dead covered by an illusion. Upon peeking inside, Triple and I heard the mocking laughter of other voices bragging how they had managed to take money and prisoners without a fight. There was no doubt this is where we should be, but the dangers seem to grow 10 fold here as a giant statue resembling the one we fought in Wati stands at one end of the cave, while bones shake upon the ground, and a giant portcullis gate blocks our path. We will have to tread carefully.

Campaign

The Bannermanes

Protagonists