The Adventures of The Big HELP, Session 19

General Summary

• The Big HELP rushed to Nascour to give him the mined gemstones before word of their cult slaughter could get back to him. They got to Nascour's door, realized that they'd been separated from Hest, and decided to look for her at Verga Stonehammer's shop. Verga greeted them with celebratory drinks. Hest was already at the shop.
• Amroth sang a song in celebration. During the song, he used illusion magic while his eyes were closed. Images of flames wreathed around him and an illusory image of his wife, Caerda, danced and sang. The illusions faded when he opened his eyes. The entirety of the HELP started crying and comforting Amroth. He, in turn, tried to comfort Hest, getting her excited about saving their loved ones.
• Unable to contain her emotions, Hest stepped away. Ravenna took this moment to thank Hest and apologize for being so stern with her. Ravenna said that Hest had become a powerful sorceror.
• At this point, the HELP decided to turn in the crystals to Nascour. Hest and Larka were drunk. They traveled back to his penthouse and delivered the crystals. Nascour, genuinely surprised by how skillful the HELP was to retrieve the crystals so soon, rewarded them with 1000GP for being quiet and stealthy. The HELP felt guilty but initially accepted the bonus. Nascour confirmed the gemstones could be used for enchating a Ring of Soul Storing. He asked the HELP to have Verga shape the gems as he had previously instructed and to deliver them to him at Madame Seid's performance the following evening. He gave them each a ticket with backstage privileges.
• While the HELP left, Nascour asked Amroth to stay behind for a moment so they could talk. Hest eavesdropped on the conversation, but only heard that Amroth would be staying in Valadris for a time.
• On the way back to Verga's, Bigwig felt a stinging in her eyes that turned to burning. Larka, Hest, and Petrichor watched as Bigwig's eyes changed, becoming lizard-like. They hassled her for a while before telling Bigwig what had happened. The party theorized that the transformation had to do with Bigwig taking more Arazid power.
• The next morning, the HELP awoke to Amroth cooking a large buffet breakfast while Verga was hard at work. Amroth revealed that Nascour was going to further study his necklace in the hope of finding a way to release Caerda. Hest was distraught at the thought of Amroth leaving the party and why he had to stay and if he truly trusted Nascour. Amroth felt this was his best option for saving Caerda and couldn't bear to leave the necklace behind.
• As thanks for traveling with him, Amroth gave the HELP a silver flask. He knew it must have been important to him before he lost his memories, but wanted them to have it so a part of him would always be with them. Hest took the flask and found out it was an Everfull Flask, a flask that was always infinitely full of the last liquid placed into it. Bigwig mused on whether you could put someone's ashes in the flask to have infinite ashes.
• The HELP went looking for someplace to get opera clothes for the show that night. They found Glamour's Emporium for the Enchanted Soul after a few hours of searching. The tiefling owner found Larka a sparkling red kimono dress and a slim-fit burgundy tux with a small cape for Bigiwg. Since Hest didn't have much money to pay for a new outfit, Glamour suggested she wear a new, experimental outfit he had designed as rental (and free advertising for him). Petrichor used her Cape of Many Fashions.
• The HELP picked up the finished gemstones and headed to the Cerisan Opera House, named for Cerisa the Goddess of Water, often associated with music. They met up with Nascour and his daugther, Ania. Nascour thanked them for delivering the gemstones and told Hest to return with Ravenna's body, hoping that he would be finished crafting the rings by then. Hest panicked about how she'd get the body back before Nascour reminded her about the Teleportation Circle Spellbook he had given her.
• Nascour introduced his daughter, Ania. She was playing with a rose and pricked her finger on it. Hest asked her what to do at an opera like this and Ania filled her in, having been to many operas. One thing she mentioned was bringing flowers to the leading lady. She had hoped to give Madame Seid the rose but Nascour had given the HELP the backstage passes instead. Nascour tried to steer away from this conversation but failed. Eventually, Ania asked the HELP if they would take the rose backstage and give it Madame Seid for her, to which Hest agreed. Larka began to have a feeling that Nascour wanted them to go backstage and that something bad would happen.
• The performance started. Nascour cast a modified Silence spell that would allow him and the HELP to communicate without bothering other audience members. The opera house filled with illusory, fey forest magic. Nascour explained that Madame Seid has lived on the Elder Tree of Nirania for all of recorded time, ruling the continent after Atero and the other gods ascended from the mortal realm. Hest vaguely recalled stories that she was a genasi, perhaps the first air genasi, long ago. There’s even a story of her breathing life into a dying tree and merging with it. Nascour commented that the Madame Seid they were seeing was a sem-clone. She had been grown from the Elder Tree and was semi-independant but still connected to the mother Madame Seid, like strawberry plants.
• The HELP went backstage during intermission while Nascour, Ania, and Amroth mingled. Hest and Larka searched for Madame Seid. Petrichor and Bigwig stepped away when Petrichor caught sight of Zinnia. Zinnia chastised them for not running from the Cult of Arazid like she instructed back in the caves. Regardless, she informed them that the Cult had planned on attacking Valadris under the guise of King Hespiro's forces. The HELP's slaughter left that unviable so the Cult chose to assassinate someone and blame him instead. Bigwig was suspicious of how Zinnia knew all this. Zinnia flinched for a moment before reminding her that she had been spying on the cult.
• Zinnia informed Petrichor and Bigwig about the Fireblood's plan. The Fireblood's plan was murder a dignitary from Gadorr and pin it on Hespiro, hoping that the Gadorrian leaders, the Order of Elements, would squash his conquest. Zinnia feared that the Order would not stop there and would possibly subjugate the continent to show superiority. Petrichor and Bigwig agreed to help search for the assassin, believing Nascour to be the target.
• Larka and Hest found Madame Seid's dressing room and delivered the rose to her. Madame Seid greeted them in a suprisingly warm manner. She seemed to know of them, but had to get ready for the second half of the show. She thanked Mistress Larka and Sister Hest and said they'd be welcome to visit her court on Nirania any time.
• Larka and Hest met up with Petrichor and Bigwig, working on a plan to find the assassin. Bigwig and Petrichor identified three suspects; a pickpocket, a waiter, and a noblewoman. The waiter had the Mark of Arazid, the pickpocket was moving in Nascour's direction with an elegant dagger, and the noblewoman kept glancing in his direction. Larka informed Nascour who was used to dealing with such matters. Larka psychicly linked to both the HELP and each of the suspects. She frightened both the pickpocket and waiter while the noblewoman thought she was receiving a sending spell. While trying to communicate with the pickpocket, she noticed a psychic barrier in the his mind.
• Bigwig took the opportunity to steal the waiter's Arazid power. The waiter barely noticed, meaning that he had very little of Arazid's blood. Petrichor cast Detect Thoughts on the noblewoman but was unable to learn anything before the noblewoman felt her presence. The woman thought this was Larka digging around in her mind, said she was very rude, and left the theater. Petrichor moved on to the pickpocket and was able to break through the psychic barrier Larka noticed. She realized that the pickpocket had been charmed with an unconscious command to kill Nascour when he got close. Breaking the barrier triggered the command and the pickpocket moved for Nascour.
• Petrichor told Larka that the pickpocket was the assassin. Larka and Hest guided Amroth, Ania, and Nascour from the building. When they had him surrounded out of sight, Petrichor and Bigwig captured the pickpocket. Petrichor cast Hold Person on him and they carried him out of the opera house. The party debated on where to go, Nascour's penthouse or Verga's shop. Worried that there might be more assassins, they chose Verga's shop. On the way, Petrichor caught sight of a crossbow on the rooftop and alerted the party.
• Several cult assassins, the remainder of the cultists in Valadris, stepped out, led by the noblewoman. She dropped her Disguise Self spell, revealing that she had patches of red scales on her arms and a Mark of Arazid that coiled around both of her arms. Nascour cast Globe of Invulnerability to protect himself and Ania while the HELP fought back. The noblewoman cast Misty Step to teleport onto a roof top and then began to transform, telling Bigwig that this was the true power of a disciple of Arazid. Hest used the opportunity to attack the woman mid-transformation. The transformation began to go wrong and the woman rapidly mutated into a fiery creature. She let out a bellow and the other cultists dropped to their knees and burst into flames, leaving behind floating skulls wreathed in flames.
• At this point, Zinnia appeared to help the party. She showed off her Starry Form wild shape and launched bolts of light at the transformed cultist. Amroth was downed early in the fight by the monstrosity's flames. The tides turned against the Big HELP when the monstrosity knocked out Bigwig and grappled her in a tentacle. The others were scattered by flameskull's Fireball. Petrichor revived Bigwig then Amroth at the last second.
• Hest nimbly dodged Rays of Fire from the flameskulls, almost as if protected from them. She was in complete control and launched spells without triggering her Wild Magic. With Zinnia's help, Larka landed a killing blow on the transformed cultist. Flaming-hot blood poured forth from it. Hest wanted to take some of the blood for her Everfull Flask but still had a flameskull to contend with. She fired an ice Chromatic Orb, but the flames fizzled it out before the monster was hurt. Her frustration cost her control and a Wild Magic Surge enveloped her in radiant light. Two firebolts were fired at her, one missed while the other badly charred her wooden body. Larka managed to finish off the last flameskull.
• After the battle, Hest went over to the boiling blood and tried to sample some. Tired, her hand slipped and caught aflame. The flame spread across her body until she was nothing but ash. Before the HELP could react, the radiant light from Hest's Wild Magic took hold of her soul and formed a new body for her, reincarnating her as a tiefling. Zinnia leapt down to check on the Big HELP while they gathered around the newly reincarnated Hest.
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Report Date

05 May 2024