EooD Session 13: High Stakes
General Summary
13/3/900
After a full month of trekking through Rakka's frontier, the party finally arrived in the aarakocran city of Rel-Avery. Chiseled into the steep cliff side on the edge of the Arrayas Ocean, buildings loomed hundreds of feet above the docks below as aarokocra flew from window to window. The party had intended to visit Rel-Avery months earlier, but deadly encounters and a devilish conspiracy had slowed the party's progress. Better late than never, the party set about exploring the city with Koel Weathervane as their guide. Arriving by land, the group's first stop in Rel-Avery was the massive train station that connected the city to Rel-Kadrar and beyond. Tunnels beneath the station stretched deep into the city's interior while stables spread out into the surrounding countryside to accommodate horses too skittish for the city's subterranean streets. Cig, having recently acquired a new worg steed named Fluffy, convinced some aarakocra to make a saddle for his steed and with Seraphina's help managed to steeply discount the price. Seraphina traded one of the party's four horses in for a pony, and the wagon was put away for safe-keeping as Weathervane led the group down into Rel-Avery proper. The first few levels of the city were full of shops and general stores, with many Rakkan natives passing through for work. Weathervane took the group to a tavern run by his sister named the Feather Pillow, its open-air back wall providing a breath-taking view of the ocean from 1,300-ft up. The party purchased some rooms and held a snap meeting to discuss whether Director Astara could be trusted or not (Cig suspected that she was a mole for the devilish conspiracy). The party agreed to tell her that they'd be traveling by wagon to Rel-Kadrar when in reality they'd be taking the train. If they got attacked on the train, then the party could rule out Astara as a suspect and focus their investigation of the conspiracy on other people. Astara was dismayed to hear that the party wouldn't be able to make it to the new year's eve gala being hosted in Rel-Kadrar, but she agreed to let the party travel as they saw fit. After the call Kirby had a brief chat with the party at the bar, explaining how he was leaving the party and sailing out of Rakka that evening. The past few encounters had been too deadly and cruel for Kirby's taste, and he decided that more romantic adventures awaited him outside of Rakka. He wished the group well (even Cedar), and he gifted them with four vials of his Bardic Inspiration to use against future enemies. After months of traveling, Cig and Cedar were the only two surviving members from the coffee shop meeting in Rel-Odar. That afternoon the party split to explore different segments of the city. Cig, Lilith, and Giga went to the Coppertalon House of Wonders, an aarakocra magic guild full of rare items and tomes on transmutation magic. Giga did some research and found some spells like 'Levitate' and 'Featherfall', but until he picked up some extra gold he wouldn't be able to afford any of the spells. Cig left the guild hall before any trouble could break out, and Lilith decided to take a 'Cloak of Flying' displayed on one of the walls. She said that Giga would pay for the robe before leaving, and when Giga left saying that Lilith would pay for the cloak the laid-back aarakocra running the shop said they'd send someone to collect on the payment tomorrow... Meanwhile Seraphina and Cedar decided to check out The Feathered Broomstick, a hipster alternative to Coppertalon's magic suprlus store. Feathered Broomstick proved to be filled to the brim with junk and relics, an old aarakocra woman named Hopezel shuffling through the store asking the adventurers if they were looking for anything specific. She offered to sell Seraphina a Broom of Flying, and the rogue convinced Hopezel to make a discount in return for a couple day's of work in the shop. Seraphina stole a few items from the store while the aarakocra was distracted, and with Cedar's help she flew over the entrance of the Coppertalon guild hall and poured some garbage on Lilith when she left the building. Lilith was not amused. Meanwhile Cig went with Weathervane over to the local military garrison to speak with Cpt. Aidencob about the bounty on the bullywug smuggler Gorf Sunko. Aidencob mentioned that a hobgoblin named Christopher Isherwood was also in town to investigate the contract, and Cig made a mental note to meet with this strangely-named hobgoblin later at the Feather Pillow. Cig also brought up the political race in Rel-Avery between the establishment candidate Gusty and the warmonger Birdie, Cpt. Aidencob saying he was 100% behind Birdie's bid for the Rakkan war council. A lot of military leaders were taking a more hardline stance against The Verschow and its aggressive raids into Rakkan territory, Aidencob mentioning that a tiefling named Sammal was the leading voice on escalating the conflict with the drow. Back at the Feather Pillow, a sadness overcame Cig when he realized that Kirby had left the party for good and was nowhere to be seen. Seraphina spent the evening stealing from the other party members, and Cig struck up a conversation with Christopher at a table near the tavern's massive ocean-view balcony. Christopher agreed to talk business, but only after a game of poker with Cig and his party members. Giga and Seraphina refused to join, but Cedar, Lilith, and Weathervane all joined in for a night of gambling. Despite Lilith's cheating, Christopher still ended up with the highest hand and stole the 240GP pot, thanking the party for an exciting game and treating them to free drinks for the rest of the evening. Not long after, Cig noticed Seraphina trying to steal a bottle of his Joseph Daniels and the halfling revealed how she had stolen items from all of the party members. Lilith, in a fit of rage, disappeared into the night and wasn't seen until early the next day. Christopher discussed strategies with the party on how to hunt down Gorf Sunko in Rel-Avery's sewers. The hobgoblin had done some scouting, but he hadn't made much progress on his own against the monsters he'd spotted down there. As the night wore on Christopher revealed a little more about his past, how he used to be a sailor escorting Gameth's Royal Knights Brigade through the Largas Ocean before being turned into a hobgoblin by a transmutation wizard. The transformation had helped him escape some debt collectors back home, so he was content working in Rakka and gambling with the locals. Christopher showed some concern when he learned that the group didn't have a barbarian, but Giga and Cig assured him that their spells and abilities would more than compensate for their lack of brute strength. The next morning Cig went to get his worg steed's new saddle, Seraphina went to work at Hopezel's shop, and the rest of the group hung out at the Feather Pillow for a late breakfast. A couple of spellcasters from the Coppertalon guild arrived that morning, seeking payment for the cloak of flying Lilith had taken. Lilith refused to pay, so Giga cast 'Hold Person' on the warforged and handed the cloak over to the two aarakocra. The spellcasters vanished back to their guild hall a few seconds later, leaving Giga and Lilith on their own. A vicious fight broke out when Lilith attacked the gnome wizard for paralyzing her, but the conflict proved fairly one-sided as Giga's spells left the blood hunter immobilized and defenseless against his spells. A burst of magic energy left Lilith dying on the ground, but Linnet rushed over to her side and healed the warforged from certain death. A 'Chill Touch' from Giga left Lilith unconscious once again, and Rakkan authorities had to be called in to defuse the situation. Returning from the stableyards, Cig bashed his head against the tavern wall as memories of the Zilocke fiasco in Qilthani vividly flashed back in his head. He agreed to have Lilith arrested for the day and explained the situation to an exasperated Director. Astara, furious at the lack of party cohesion, said that she'd be traveling to Rel-Avery on the next train over to deal with this situation personally. She had risked her political career to make this adventuring group work, and she refused to see it fall apart over petty feuds.
After a full month of trekking through Rakka's frontier, the party finally arrived in the aarakocran city of Rel-Avery. Chiseled into the steep cliff side on the edge of the Arrayas Ocean, buildings loomed hundreds of feet above the docks below as aarokocra flew from window to window. The party had intended to visit Rel-Avery months earlier, but deadly encounters and a devilish conspiracy had slowed the party's progress. Better late than never, the party set about exploring the city with Koel Weathervane as their guide. Arriving by land, the group's first stop in Rel-Avery was the massive train station that connected the city to Rel-Kadrar and beyond. Tunnels beneath the station stretched deep into the city's interior while stables spread out into the surrounding countryside to accommodate horses too skittish for the city's subterranean streets. Cig, having recently acquired a new worg steed named Fluffy, convinced some aarakocra to make a saddle for his steed and with Seraphina's help managed to steeply discount the price. Seraphina traded one of the party's four horses in for a pony, and the wagon was put away for safe-keeping as Weathervane led the group down into Rel-Avery proper. The first few levels of the city were full of shops and general stores, with many Rakkan natives passing through for work. Weathervane took the group to a tavern run by his sister named the Feather Pillow, its open-air back wall providing a breath-taking view of the ocean from 1,300-ft up. The party purchased some rooms and held a snap meeting to discuss whether Director Astara could be trusted or not (Cig suspected that she was a mole for the devilish conspiracy). The party agreed to tell her that they'd be traveling by wagon to Rel-Kadrar when in reality they'd be taking the train. If they got attacked on the train, then the party could rule out Astara as a suspect and focus their investigation of the conspiracy on other people. Astara was dismayed to hear that the party wouldn't be able to make it to the new year's eve gala being hosted in Rel-Kadrar, but she agreed to let the party travel as they saw fit. After the call Kirby had a brief chat with the party at the bar, explaining how he was leaving the party and sailing out of Rakka that evening. The past few encounters had been too deadly and cruel for Kirby's taste, and he decided that more romantic adventures awaited him outside of Rakka. He wished the group well (even Cedar), and he gifted them with four vials of his Bardic Inspiration to use against future enemies. After months of traveling, Cig and Cedar were the only two surviving members from the coffee shop meeting in Rel-Odar. That afternoon the party split to explore different segments of the city. Cig, Lilith, and Giga went to the Coppertalon House of Wonders, an aarakocra magic guild full of rare items and tomes on transmutation magic. Giga did some research and found some spells like 'Levitate' and 'Featherfall', but until he picked up some extra gold he wouldn't be able to afford any of the spells. Cig left the guild hall before any trouble could break out, and Lilith decided to take a 'Cloak of Flying' displayed on one of the walls. She said that Giga would pay for the robe before leaving, and when Giga left saying that Lilith would pay for the cloak the laid-back aarakocra running the shop said they'd send someone to collect on the payment tomorrow... Meanwhile Seraphina and Cedar decided to check out The Feathered Broomstick, a hipster alternative to Coppertalon's magic suprlus store. Feathered Broomstick proved to be filled to the brim with junk and relics, an old aarakocra woman named Hopezel shuffling through the store asking the adventurers if they were looking for anything specific. She offered to sell Seraphina a Broom of Flying, and the rogue convinced Hopezel to make a discount in return for a couple day's of work in the shop. Seraphina stole a few items from the store while the aarakocra was distracted, and with Cedar's help she flew over the entrance of the Coppertalon guild hall and poured some garbage on Lilith when she left the building. Lilith was not amused. Meanwhile Cig went with Weathervane over to the local military garrison to speak with Cpt. Aidencob about the bounty on the bullywug smuggler Gorf Sunko. Aidencob mentioned that a hobgoblin named Christopher Isherwood was also in town to investigate the contract, and Cig made a mental note to meet with this strangely-named hobgoblin later at the Feather Pillow. Cig also brought up the political race in Rel-Avery between the establishment candidate Gusty and the warmonger Birdie, Cpt. Aidencob saying he was 100% behind Birdie's bid for the Rakkan war council. A lot of military leaders were taking a more hardline stance against The Verschow and its aggressive raids into Rakkan territory, Aidencob mentioning that a tiefling named Sammal was the leading voice on escalating the conflict with the drow. Back at the Feather Pillow, a sadness overcame Cig when he realized that Kirby had left the party for good and was nowhere to be seen. Seraphina spent the evening stealing from the other party members, and Cig struck up a conversation with Christopher at a table near the tavern's massive ocean-view balcony. Christopher agreed to talk business, but only after a game of poker with Cig and his party members. Giga and Seraphina refused to join, but Cedar, Lilith, and Weathervane all joined in for a night of gambling. Despite Lilith's cheating, Christopher still ended up with the highest hand and stole the 240GP pot, thanking the party for an exciting game and treating them to free drinks for the rest of the evening. Not long after, Cig noticed Seraphina trying to steal a bottle of his Joseph Daniels and the halfling revealed how she had stolen items from all of the party members. Lilith, in a fit of rage, disappeared into the night and wasn't seen until early the next day. Christopher discussed strategies with the party on how to hunt down Gorf Sunko in Rel-Avery's sewers. The hobgoblin had done some scouting, but he hadn't made much progress on his own against the monsters he'd spotted down there. As the night wore on Christopher revealed a little more about his past, how he used to be a sailor escorting Gameth's Royal Knights Brigade through the Largas Ocean before being turned into a hobgoblin by a transmutation wizard. The transformation had helped him escape some debt collectors back home, so he was content working in Rakka and gambling with the locals. Christopher showed some concern when he learned that the group didn't have a barbarian, but Giga and Cig assured him that their spells and abilities would more than compensate for their lack of brute strength. The next morning Cig went to get his worg steed's new saddle, Seraphina went to work at Hopezel's shop, and the rest of the group hung out at the Feather Pillow for a late breakfast. A couple of spellcasters from the Coppertalon guild arrived that morning, seeking payment for the cloak of flying Lilith had taken. Lilith refused to pay, so Giga cast 'Hold Person' on the warforged and handed the cloak over to the two aarakocra. The spellcasters vanished back to their guild hall a few seconds later, leaving Giga and Lilith on their own. A vicious fight broke out when Lilith attacked the gnome wizard for paralyzing her, but the conflict proved fairly one-sided as Giga's spells left the blood hunter immobilized and defenseless against his spells. A burst of magic energy left Lilith dying on the ground, but Linnet rushed over to her side and healed the warforged from certain death. A 'Chill Touch' from Giga left Lilith unconscious once again, and Rakkan authorities had to be called in to defuse the situation. Returning from the stableyards, Cig bashed his head against the tavern wall as memories of the Zilocke fiasco in Qilthani vividly flashed back in his head. He agreed to have Lilith arrested for the day and explained the situation to an exasperated Director. Astara, furious at the lack of party cohesion, said that she'd be traveling to Rel-Avery on the next train over to deal with this situation personally. She had risked her political career to make this adventuring group work, and she refused to see it fall apart over petty feuds.
Rewards Granted
- Seraphina Cedarroost bought a Broom of Flying
- Kirby left the party
- Seraphina, Cedar, Cig, and Giga each received a vial of Kirby's Bardic Inspiration
- Lilith Dracsthik purchased two one-way train tickets to Rel-Kadrar
Character(s) interacted with
- Koel Weathervane - a Rakkan soldier from Fort Reverence who helped escort the party to Rel-Avery
- Linnet Weathervane - Weathervane's sister and owner of the Feather Pillow tavern in Rel-Avery
- Cpt. Aidencob - a gruff aarakocra and captain of the military garrison in Rel-Avery
- Christopher Isherwood - a sharpshooting bounty hunter with a penchant for gambling who agreed to help the party hunt down Gorf Sunko
- Astara Hadad - Director and leader of Rakka's Heroes
Featured Players
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