Episode 9
General Summary
After a mysterious delivery is left with the group, the party decide to continue their investigation of Cassandra De La Hûne's death. Following up on the Pearl connection, Leah, Marty and Atlas decide to visit the poorer side of the city in the hopes of funding a dealer, whilst Godric, Veda and Eva visit the Order of the Shield to try and see if any records of the drug have been reported.
After speaking to some alley rates, Leah discovers a hidden drug den. Atlas and Marty head inside under the pretence of being customers. The shady dealer of the run-down establishment accepts Marty's offer of double pay as the entry password, and proceeds to attempt to do business. Marty is interested in information however, and manages to persuade the dealer into telling them what he knows about the supply - mainly that it comes from the coast and the manufacturers would likely be working somewhere outside of town - due to the smell for one thing.
The other half of the party manage to find one recent report of a man arrested for Pearl consumption - a wealthy merchant who sells fine weapons and armour in the Kureta Markets. Tracking him down proves easy enough, and the merchant is all too happy to share information on his dealer for a small fee. The merchant's 'dentist' is a woman who wears a red cape, she waits outside the The Lover's Nest every other night and sells her product there.
The group meet up once more in the Water Dragon Tavern and share their info. It's decided that they should find the woman in the red cape in the evening, to see if they can find any more info on Pearl. Until then, the group split up to take care of some errands. Godric speaks with Ariadne Nightsbridge once more, and manages to acquire some plain gear, making him slightly less conspicuous. Ariadne tells the tiefling that Commander Devianne is due to return to the capital soon, and she would like to introduce them both should it be possible.
Marty takes a moment to pray to her deity, Mortona. Her prayers are heard and answered in earnest. The goddess of death reveals that something is afoot in the Deddo Forest, and that she is displeased with the actions of some person or persons there. She suggests that Marty persuade her new friends to head there, at which point she will send guides to direct them.
Atlas collects his custom-made hand crossbow, as the rest of the group await the setting of the sun.
As the evening arrives, Eva breaks away from the group to take care of some personal business. Disguising herself as Harmony, Eva proceeds to give a terrible drunken performance outside the Royal Palace, to which quite a crowd is drawn. In another part of the city, the famous singer then gives a better performance as herself, further bolstering her reputation.
The remainder of the party head over to The Lover's Nest. Consuming a few drinks by the statue of Adonia outside, they wait for the sun to fully set. As darkness falls, a woman in a red cape is seen approaching from the north. She whistles a short tune as she passes the tavern, and heads down the south side of the building. A couple of tavern patrons follow her shortly after, and seem to engage in some sort of exchange.
Atlas approaches the woman afterwards, and finds that she is selling magically-enhanced Pearl, which she claims will give a better experience with less side-effects. Atlas makes a purchase, but doesn't manage to find out anything else. Veda and Godric decide to apprehend the woman, with Veda serving as a distraction while Godric approaches from behind. The woman is on high alert however, and manages to magically paralyse the knight before disappearing through magical means.
With no further leads to pursue, the group decide to hand the case over to the Order of the Shield. After a few more drinks, and the group retire for the night.
Late into the night, Leah is jolted awake by something... a strange sensation. Up until now she hadn't considered it, but she had always felt a spiritual connection to the Feywild despite being in a city on the Material Plane. That connection is now gone. Replacing it is an overwhelming sense of darkness, emanating from the dead forest to the west...
Report Date
06 Dec 2019
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