Session 29: Exposing the Whisperer
General Overview:
The Sharn Dragons, after an awkward first meeting with Bernard ir'Laisha, agree to return to his estate to discuss what is going on. Glittergem goes to the forge in Thaliost and creates Redcloak, her new steel defender companion and converting the Ring of Truth into a SLAP BRACELET OF TRUTH. Bernard is brought up to speed, but is unsure of what his role should be in a plot against the archbishop, especially considering that the party lacks any concrete proof. They find the Korranberg Chronicle office and speak to the journalist that was just hours away from interviewing the archbishop, and after some negotiations with the editor, they were able to get their questions added into the list. Finally, the party met with Father Simon Taggart, who agreed to smuggle the bracelet into the cathedral and ensure that the archbishop was wearing it during the interview. In return, he asked that the party help ensure that a shifter that was being pursued by the Knights of Thrane was able to flee the city safely. The party split up. Glittergem and Bernard sought out the shifter while Rare and Erisna saw to the interview. Glittergem and Bernard were able to locate the shifter hiding in a House Orien warehouse, but the day turned bloody when a Whisperer agent found them and they chose to fight their way out. Three innocent Knights of Thrane were murdered and the Whisperer agent fled into the busy street. Meanwhile, Erisna was asked to guard the Archbishop during the interview while Rare waited (in disguise) outside. Erisna observed firsthand as the archbishop cracked under the pressure of the bracelet's spell. He exposed his order, his afflilation with The Whisperers, and the name of his master... Durastoran.Korranberg Chronicle Office:
The Korranberg Chronicle's small office is buzzing like a beehive as you enter. The bullpen is filled with the haze of smoke as a handful of journalists pour over the day's print. The desks are of varying sizes, but most of them belong to the gnomes that had travelled from Zilargo to report the news. One gnome in particular, a man with short cropped hair and a thick mustache shouts orders at a two weary reporters before storming back into an office marked "Editor".
Nix Pebblecloak was out to make it big on this interview, and when the party attempted to use magic to force her to do something risky without evidence, she threw them out of the bullpen. In an attempt to salvage victory from the jaws of defeat, Glittergem apologized to her fellow gnome. Nix told her to take up her inquiry with her editor. Jorvan Javek, the Korranberg Chronicle's editor, agreed to the request in return for a generous donation to the paper.
Cathedral of the Guiding Light
The cathedral stands tall, a monument to a people that had once led a crusade into an enemy city and then pacified it. A long building of white stone, with a tall tower made of stucco painted blue, the Cathedral of the Guiding Light is a masterpiece of modern architecture. In the ancient city it stands as a progressive work of art, drawing the eye of all those who enter the square. The square is well lit with enormous torches, each glowing with silverburn enchanted flames.
Knights of Thrane can be seen patrolling each corner of the square. They stop to greet the citizens that approach, but are armed and armored to defend the Cathedral against any that would do it harm.
Despite the well-lit square, the interior of the cathedral is a dim dome-shaped room. The brazier hanging in the center of the room flickers with a silver flame, its light shimmering on the white marble statues that line the edge of the room. There are several faithful members of the church sitting and kneeling on the mosaic floor, observing the flame in the brazier in silent contemplation. At the edge of the room, small clusters of people can be seen speaking in quiet tones in reverence to the silent proceedings.
Inside the cathedral, they see Eobard d'Orien, the owner of the Pit Stop, Christian Aubrek, and Mother Ingold Gerr (she trained Donal Stone). Mother Ingold invited Erisna to join the guard to defend the archbishop. Some of the cathedral's guards had claimed that a shifter had attempted to assassinate the archbishop, and Mother Ingold felt it would be prudent to increase the guards for the interview.
Erisna watched as the interview took place. Nix started with pleasantries, then a few questions about the archbishop's past and some easy questions about goals for the future. At nearly the end of the fifteen minutes that the SLAP BRACELET OF TRUTH was effective, Nix asked the archbishop the tough questions. In obvious pain, the archbishop admitted to his affiliation with a group known as the Whisperers and his goals against the people that still clung to Aundair. When asked who he worked for, the aged archbishop fought the power of the bracelet. In a last ditch effort to prevent himself from speaking the name, the archbishop stole a knife from the belt of a nearby guard and began to slit his own throat, crying "Durastoran!" as his last word.
Erisna was able to escape the room as pandemonium set in. She grabbed Rare and the two of them fled for the lightning rail station. There they met with Glittergem and Therin, and the four of them boarded the next train leaving the city, a full-service fare headed for Sharn.
Roused from their sleep hours later, the party found that the train had stopped in the middle of its tracks and was surrounded by a small crowd. Curious to see what the holdup was, the Sharn Dragons left the train and went to speak to a few members of the crowd. They saw an elf mounted on horseback giving directions to some of the crowd around her. The party got the elf's attention, but when she turned around the party was surprised to see that it was Erisna on the horse. This surprised everyone, including the Erisna that was standing right next to them!In-game Date: 22/23 Sypheros 998YK
Party Members: Bernard ir'Laisha, Erisna, Glittergem Boondiggles, and Rare Mavari
