Session 17 - A Witch In Gemspire

General Summary

Arimanthos rushes to Alice's side as the battle ends. Finding her still alive, he begins preparations to return to Sandpoint.
Wilvert searches the body of Lentus and finds a magical cloak made for a dwarf; he can't, however, figure out what it does. Finally, Fenrir finds a letter.
"Once you defeat your son, return to the Croft capital. I'll await you there. A group of demons has already been sent to destroy Sandpoint."
The wearied group, with an unconscious Alice in tow, makes the three day trip back to Sandpoint. They find the young town has survived the demon attack thanks to three new residents. Ayrton, Luke, and Frieden managed to rally the watchmen and destroy the demon threat.
Worried about food stores for impending winter and for her people, Ebony requests that the group goes to the Croft capital to secure food for the growing population of Sandpoint. She gives the group the names of two people, Lord Brar and Lady Wilddancer, who will help them if they get into any trouble with the Band of the Broken Staff, who now rule the city.
Riding some of the new horses that Farwin gave them, it takes two days to ride to Gemspire, the Croft capital. As they approach the lake that holds the island city, they dismount their horses and begin to cross the large bridge, packed with farmers, merchants and refugees. Suddenly a storm whips up and a group of Skulgrims begin to indiscriminately attack people.
Drag is the first into the fray. Drawing his dagger, he takes a flying leap at one of the bat-like creatures and misses completely. Wilvert sees a child in danger, and saves him with a quick mage hand spell. Fenrir uses his experince as a town guard to usher people away from the dangerous beasts. In the sky, a Skulgrim catches the falling Drag and begins to torment him by dropping the orc and catching him at the last second. not one to be made a fool of, Drag skillfully cuts deep into the beast's wing, and they tumble to the ground knocking the orc out.
Back on the bridge, Wilvert crafts a magical potion, and burns one of the Skulgrim to death. Fenrir draws his blade and moves like a flash; two of the creatures fall, and move no longer. Lightning cracks, and Skara kills one, and causes the rest to flee.
With the threat gone, people once again file into Gemspire. They witness the execution of a man who opposed the takeover of the Band of the Broken Staff. Later finding out he was Lord Brar, one of the people they were looking for. As they investigate, they learn the leader of this army of the Band, Harrison, has set himself up as king. One of his messengers invite the group to a banquet, to celebrate their heroic acts on the bridge. As the rest of the group relishes the thought of a warm meal, Ghostclaw slips off into the shadows.
By the time the clock-tower strikes four, the group has made their way to the castle in the center of Gemspire. A roasted dire boar sits upon a table surrounded by a host of nobility. King Harrison stands and addresses the table.
“I welcome you to my hall, heroes of this dreadful day. Accept this feast as a token of my gratitude and as a gift from all the people you have inspired with your deeds. But before you wash the cries of battle from your throats, there is a proposal I must make. Long has it been since the people have seen such bravery as yours; therefore I have chosen to bestow the honor of fealty upon you. Kneel down now and swear your oath to me, to arise again as honorary knights of the city.”
To the surprising joy of scheming nobles, Fenrir tactful declines the offer. Harrison, unsure of what to do to save face, sits down. The group is barraged by questions from the nobility, looking for a way to use these new heroes to their ends. Finally the King has an idea, he will tell the story of how he took the city. It culminates with the king standing on the table, demonstrating how he slayed some of the resistance, including a witch, to the delight of his Band of the Broken Staff generals. They cheer loudly and challenge Fenrir to tell a better tale of heroism. The fighter smiles and clears his throat.
"I might have one that we have done," he begins, "Somewhat recently, we went down to a town, ran into some demons lately, which also had some giant snakes. Which... Let me get my bag here Mr." Fenrir reaches into his bag and pulls out a Naga head. "This is our proof of us killing a giant snake... One out of five giant snakes that literally almost ripped half our part to shreds. But we were able to kill these things quite easily."
Suddenly a feeling of doom grips the hall, as laughter is replaced with the gurgling sounds of choking nobles. It takes only moments until several voices shout. “Poison! The mead has turned to poison!” As panic rises, another wave of emotion washes over the crowd. Torches go out as a green fog emits from them. Silence reigns in the hall. Fear fills the air. The wind beats mercilessly against the windows, nearly drowning the few hushed whispers. “The witch!” one voice shouts at last. “It cannot be! The which lives!”
King Harrison wastes no time in producing a small sack of jewels. He offers them to the group in exchange for dealing with his witch problem. After agreeing, they learn the witch is none other than Lady Wilddancer.
On the way to Wilddancer Manor, the group see that a general panic has started due to the events of the day, and that the town guard is struggling to maintain the peace. Inside the estate, they find a large amount of treasure sealed behind a barrier, and are haunted by an apparition. Placing gemstones in hanging lanterns seems to dispel the barrier. Wilvert wades into a small pool of water holding one of the magic gemstones, the egg he found back at the al Shabaab Oasis hatches. He finds a water drake and names it Azul.
Finally, the old witch appears before the group with a now seemingly solid apparition. As the ghost fades away she appears younger and younger. She introduces herself as Eliza.

Report Date

06 Jul 2019

Primary Location

Gemspire