Session 37 Report

General Summary

Haymin’s Heroes and Patch ate breakfast at the Drunken Duck Inn on the morning of June 9, 498 AV. Patch ate as he’d likely never eaten before, accepting a second helping offered to him by Selia Roselyn Maxwell. After the hearty breakfast, they took him to see Captain Feldspar. They introduced Patch to the captain of the guard, which left Feldspar somewhat dismayed when he learned the boy could not speak. Haymin’s Heroes informed him what they had learned from Patch the night before and related to him the events of their investigation so far. Feldspar named Rammick Veldo as the likely Razor with the scar over his right eye that Patch had communicated to Pyzar Zim during their Mindlink previously. Rammick was Gio Dandarell’s second, Gio being the leader of the Razors. Captain Feldspar said he would have his men seek out Rammick, and Haymin’s Heroes set out to the docks district to find out information on ships owned by Lord Victellimund Kinfield. They were directed to the Dock Master’s office. Selia posed as Jasmin Lefleur, a wizard from the Guild of Mystic Arts in Rowadin seeking an expected shipment of components from Lord Kinfield that was supposed to be coming in from the marshland to the north. Auren Sylynn accompanied her, posing as her bodyguard. The helpful clerk informed them that the Lake Runner, a boat owned by Lord Kinfield, had just arrived that morning from the north. Selia thanked the clerk, then she and Auren set off to reunite with the party. The party found the Lake Runner and saw that it was being unloaded. Crewmembers carried crates off and set them down so dockworkers could load them on carts and take them away to their next destination. Haymin’s Heroes watched this process for a short time before they noticed a pair of sailors carry a crate off to the side, away from the rest of the cargo. They left this crate in a location that was somewhat out of view from the casual observer and then returned to the boat to resume their work. The crate was branded with the symbol of the black mushroom. Before long, a pair of men pulled a cart up to the crate and loaded onboard. They covered it with a tarp and pulled the cart away. Auren began to follow them, careful to keep enough distance to not be easily noticed. Titta Morco followed him at a safe distance. Then the rest of the party and Patch followed her at a safe distance. The men, thug-like in their appearance were likely Razors. They pulled the cart into a nondescript building through a back entrance in an alley. Auren listened in at one of the windows and heard the crate offloaded and pried open. High pitched nasal voices could be heard conversing within. Auren walked to Titta and told her what he had learned. Then the two men came out of the building. Auren and Titta hid quickly, but Titta was unlucky and made a noise that alerted the men in the alley. Titta grabbed Auren and began working at his belt buckle, acting drunk and shameless. Auren played along as the men came over to investigate. When they came upon the scene, the men walked away, recommending the couple get a room. After the Razors walked away, the party regrouped and the approached the building. Auren picked the lock and they burst inside. There were six gnomes working in a well-stocked alchemical lab, mixing and brewing reverie. Haymin’s Heroes rushed the doors to block any escape, and Selia cast a Sleep spell that caused one of the gnomes to pass out. The gnomes quickly surrendered, obviously frightened by the armed adventurers that outnumbered them. The party tied them up and gathered them to one side, then began to search the laboratory. A trap door led downstairs where they found three more gnomes, plus a plentiful stock of reverie. Titta interrogated the gnomes and all they learned was that they were hired by the Razors. The gnomes did not implicate anyone else, seemingly unaware of any other mastermind beyond Gio Dandarell. Ladigo Farthon rode off on Pennig to find city guards. When he returned, with guards in tow, the authorities took over, arresting the gnomes and confiscating what was found inside. Titta showed the guard the papers they found, ledgers and inventories of supplies and reverie, plus requests for orders with deadlines. Some of the crates in the building were marked with the mushroom symbol, but none of the paperwork was. Haymin’s Heroes returned to the city guard headquarters and spoke privately with Captain Feldspar. They told him what they saw at the docks and how they followed the crate to the laboratory. They confirmed that the Lake Runner belonged to Lord Victellimund Kinfield. Captain Feldspar admitted to them that he was in a difficult position. He believed that Lord Victellimund was involved in this conspiracy, but he believed it would be difficult to get the warrants necessary to investigate it properly. And with the bust in the laboratory today, the Razors would be forced into action, as likely would Lord Victellimund. They may take steps to erase any evidence long before the authorities could act. Captain Feldspar said something needed to be done soon, but he could not “officially” ask the adventurers to help. Haymin’s Heroes decided to go to the Kinfield estate outside the city. If they could find any sign that Lord Victellimund was involved, they could present the information to Captain Feldspar, giving him reason to act. Their goal would be the stamp used to sign the assassination order found on the bounty hunters. That would tie the owner to the assassination attempt on Aedwine, as well as the mushroom supply for reverie, and the laboratory. They asked Captain Feldspar if they could leave Patch with him, under his protection. The captain agreed and they set off. Titta suggested they find a magic shop and they did so. There, they purchased a pair of Invisibility potions. The plan was to have Auren sneak into the estate and search for the lord’s office. From there they headed to the northwest gate. Along the way, Auren saw a few Razors clearly watching them. But the party pressed on to the villa, about an hour’s walk west of the city. They passed the location and noted the guard presence at the gates before hiding within a copse of trees between properties. The rest of the party then waited there as Auren set off. He snuck his way onto the property and was careful not to be seen. He found an open window and drank one of the potions before sneaking into the manor. Auren knew the potion would only last three minutes and he counted the seconds in his head as he searched, trying hard to remain quiet. Just before the first potion wore off, he found the office. He closed the door behind him gently and began searching. There was a locked drawer on the desk. Auren picked the lock and found the mushroom stamp inside. He also found an envelope with a wax seal he did not recognize. The letter inside was addressed to Lord Victellimund and expressed disappointment for the sudden drop in reverie profits for the past quarter. It also stated that a continued loss of profits in the next quarter would be unacceptable. It was signed by a Mr. King. Auren left everything in the desk and jammed the drawer so it could not be opened with the key. Then he drank a second potion and slipped out through the office window. When he returned to the party he told them what he had found and they decided to hurry back to the city to get Captain Feldspar. Along the way, they were confronted by what appeared to be the entire Razor gang, including Rammick Veldo and Gio Dandarell. There were twenty-six men in all, and they came to tie up the loose ends, once and for all. Ladigo caught the entire gang in an Entangle. At least half of them managed to work their way out of the gripping vines where they were met by Haymin’s Heroes. The Razors were scattered as they each looked for the closest way out of the Entangle. Titta suggested they keep a tight formation to not allow the rogues to flank them and she stepped forward to meet the closest. The others backed her up and they began cutting the enemy down, one by one. Mogi Delvin summoned an earth elemental with his ring and reinforced the party’s numbers. Pyzar broke off to the left where a handful of Razors were approaching and killed the first two quickly. Then Selia blinded the other three with Glitterdust. Among this group was Rammick Veldo. Titta had instructed the party to leave Rammick and Gio alive. So Pyzar killed one of the men near Rammick before just wounding him. Then Selia put those two remaining to sleep with a spell. The rest of the party dwindled down those who had run out of the Entangle. And Ladigo funneled the in one direction with a Wall of Smoke. One of the rogues tried holding his breath as he ran through the wall, however, but came out the other side of the smoke vomiting and heaving. Titta attacked Gio after sparking her scimitars on fire with a spell. Though she did not intend it as a finishing blow, her scimitar struck true, decapitating Gio who was too slow to duck. Once the Razors outside the Entangle were handled, it left eleven still trapped within the magical vines and brambles. Haymin’s Heroes tied up Rammick and the other sleeping Razor before they surrounded the Entangle and Titta ordered the others to drop their weapons and surrender. Then Ladigo dropped the spell and the rogues were free. Finding themselves in a hopeless position after witnessing the adventurers easily cut down the rest of their allies, they dropped their weapons and surrendered. The party tied them up and Sinjin Fairchild and Pyzar ran back towards the city to fetch Captain Feldspar and the city guard. As they waited, Titta questioned Rammick, while Selia used Detect Thoughts to read his mind. He maintained an outward demeanor of bravado towards them, despite his situation. He did not admit aloud to knowing any mastermind beyond Lord Victellimund. But in his mind, he greatly feared the consequences of these events. He feared for his life and believed he would be killed in prison. He imagined shadowy figures coming out of nowhere to kill him. When Titta mentioned Mr. King, his inner fears intensified, and he couldn’t help thinking in his mind how all of them would soon be dead, including Haymin’s Heroes. Sinjin and Pyzar returned with Captain Feldspar and several guardsmen. Some of the guards took the Razors back to the city to be imprisoned, while Captain Feldspar and a handful of men went with Haymin’s Heroes to the Kinfield estate. Captain Feldspar entered the villa despite protests from the Kinfield private guards and Mrs. Kinfield. When he returned, he had the stamp and letter, found exactly where Auren told him it would be. As they were preparing to leave, a carriage arrived with Lord Victellimund. Captain Feldspar arrested him, despite threats of legal action from the lord. By that evening, Haymin’s Heroes met back up with Patch at the guard headquarters. They also reunited with Aedwine who was released from custody. He thanked them profusely and they walked him home to the Humfrith manor. His mother thanked them as well, elated that her son was free and his name cleared of any wrongdoings. She invited them to stay for dinner, but Titta politely declined, allowing the family to have a long-deserved peaceful moment together. Aedwine Humfrith told them they were welcome any time at his door and paid them 2,000 crowns for their efforts, a considerable sum greater than the 1,000 crowns plus expenses they were promised, the cost of the Invisibility potions notwithstanding. Haymin’s Heroes, still with Patch in tow, returned to the Drunken Duck Inn. Along the way, Pyzar brought up Mr. King and how that was the same name as the mysterious benefactor for whom Haymin Stone had been working. The sudden realization of this then struck the rest of the party and gave them pause.

Campaign

The Heart of Embril

Protagonists