Dewey
Session 14
Apparently Cato had been poisoned but we helped them out of it? We are going to try and kill Dagamaw in exchange for Cato's knowledge/expertise on plants/medicines.
As we journey to find Dagamaw, Dewey identifies the dried tree bark from the warehouse as being from a species of ash tree that is native to Ashreave.
When we find Dagamaw, it is staring at a Spirit Tree that grows in its own sort of clearing within a forest. Spirit Trees aren't inherently magical but the sap (when drunk) can connect people to spirits of people who have passed by the tree. Maybe Dagamaw was actually attracted by the Tree instead of scared off by something else? Saffron collects some sap samples from the Spirit Tree, much to the attention of Daggermaw. Saffron notices Daggermaw has some kind of vine/ring marking on one of its tusks that Pukkittt remembers from a funeral. Saffron then tries to feed some of the sap to Daggermaw and Daggermaw's marked tusks get some kind of weird blue glow, and it then bites the base of the tree. Saffron drinks some of the sap which seems to make Saffron angrier (but not Daggermaw). Dewey manages to get close enough to recognize the tusk markings and translate part of it as 'cursethorn'. Saffron feints and slashes at the marked tusks and it sort of flashes and phases before getting angrier and we begin a fight.
Session 13
We start heading into town to find an apothecary/pharmacist. We get told that we are best looking for Cato, who lives in a house by the lake but often goes on wanders, and has not been seen for a few days. As we walk by the lake, we meet somebody who tells us Cato has been missing and has potentially been following rumours of a creature (a larger meaner boar with a taste for flesh). We also get a physical description of Cato - ugly human with a funny mushroom hat. When we get to Cato's house, we find smoke coming out the chimney and persuade Cato to let us in, though they are clearly high. Ronan tries a golaberry which tastes delicious apparently. Cato tells us about a book that nobody else has? The book has details on various large creatures, including one called Dagamaw - these align with the rumours of a large creature? Cato doesn't let Dewey take notes from the book, saying that some creatures are best left unfound. Cato says that if Dagamaw isn't home, that means something worse than Dagamaw has moved into Dagamaw's territory which would cause problems. Dagamaw is big and fast (but not agile, can't turn quickly) with massive tusks and sprints across plains. It is native to the mountain range to the east where it lives in mix of brushland and tunnels. We decide to kill Dagamaw?
Cato had previously been approached a couple of years ago helping to about producing Second Coming but chose not to get involved, though they aren't sure if their research on plants was potentially stolen.
Session 12
During the skyship journey to Ashreave, Dewey successfully copies Earthbind into his spellbook.
As we descend into Ashreave, the air feels richer but heavier. Night is starting to fall, so we find a tavern near the landing dock. We get rooms 3-5, but Dewey swaps 5 for 8 because Dewey and NoVA will be fine with the supposed sunlight coming through the window. During the night, Dewey dreams of stars burning.
In the morning, we head down to a storage barn. Whistle sets up a telepathic bond with Dewey and Saffron, Dewey goes invisible, and Dewey and Whistle sneak into the barn together, which seems to be a general storage spot for the whole town. Dewey crowbars a box open to find golaberries, which are native to this town and grow on trees rather than bushes. They have a slightly golden hue and are strawberry sized, and are known in historical texts as a good base for revitalising medicines (IS THIS THE BASE FOR SECOND COMING???). In another box, Whistle finds pieces of tree bark which doesn't look local. In a third box, there are vials, and in a fourth box that doesn't fully open, Whistle pulls out a cloth that reacts with his Villaire rock and causes Whistle's hand to disappear? Whistle and Dewey sneak back out of the barn, Dewey taking samples of the bark and berries.
Session 11
We decide to continue investigating Second Coming, targeting potential manufacturing sites. Looking back over the shipping log of The Horizon Walker, we know that there are three major towns where it regularly stops: Ashreave, Millwater, and Rineme. We decide to book tickets for a ship down to Ashreave, which is a major farming hub just north of Icarrian that capitalizes on the ash falling from Icarrian. We head to the Auric skyship docks, where there is a baggage-related kerfuffle. Dewey capitalizes on this to book round trip tickets easily (to all the towns we want to go to) and returns to the party. Dewey has new stamp-related trauma.
The party starts intervening in the kerfuffle - Ronan and NoVA pick up the two men arguing and Pukitt picks up the baggage. Both men identify things that they believe to be in the baggage, and when Pukitt opens it they find one person's items, but also a person called Crisophus seemingly being smuggled?
We hand over the man who was lying and clearly trying to steal the luggage to guards, and board the skyship to Ashreave. Dewey casts Identify on the box and finds that in addition to a large amount of all kinds of magic (especially Abjuration/warding), there is some kind of explosive Glyph of Warding, though Dewey can't figure out the trigger for the Glyph.
Session 10
As we're about to leave the School of Medicine, there is a huge burst of thunder of lightning but no rain - every so often some blue bolts are going up towards a blue shimmer below the clouds that Dewey does not initially notice but recognizes as some kind of warding magic. It seems to be covering the whole city. Dewey leads the party into the School of Magic and guides them into the library to find a senior archivist to ask about the shimmer, and reveals some details from his past on the way. The senior archivist tells us the shimmer is a weather protection field that prevents rain? Icarrian's weather is tightly regulated and run in-house by Isaac Ravan the King (Ravan is Elodia's son, who took the throne by force then disappeared 10-15 years ago), who has been ruling for 12 years. Whistle steals a magical golden date stamp, which seems to be drawing in Dewey's Villaire rock (suddenly started being warm and cracking). Once we're outside, Dewey casts Mage Armor and touches the tips of the stamp and the rock together, and the rock starts fragmenting more and sparking. A lightning bolt strikes Dewey, who is knocked unconscious and transported to the feet of Ronan. The rock has reshaped and become a hexagonal lens (Scryer's Lens). Dewey wakes up to seeing stars and Ronan looking over them in the market (Auric District). Ronan and Dewey head to The Loose Change to wait for the party.
Where Dewey disappeared, there is a gold coin left behind. The party heads to The Loose Change and regroup and go shopping. Dewey bought a Scroll of Locate Creature as well as 100gp of fine inks.
Session 9
Party returns to The Steel's Drop to rest. In the morning, there are guards asking questions in the inn about the explosion (cause by Casseia when she was explaining how we'd find her again). We manage to walk past them and start heading back towards Yarrow district. We meet up with Arca Villaire, who we fill in on most of the past day (omitting the Cinder Witch). She tells us that there is a man who says he was beat up by a ragtag team. NoVA goes to see the man (Jimmy) - he is much more injured than last we saw him. We say this to Arca, who then says she will take us to the king. Before we leave the School of Medicine, Asp Villaire (Arca's father) approaches and argues with Arca about her duties and the guards who are investigating within the School.
Arca brings us to the palace, and her presence allows us to get through the gates/guards easily. When we get into the palace, Arca knocks on very ornate doors, behind which is a *very* heavily armoured figure (King Ravan). He grants permission for us to officially investigate the explosion, and gives us royal seals (which give a degree of diplomatic immunity). He talks about his parents (mother was Queen, father was not King and is currently living on coast and had a much less accountable style of ruling). Asp Villaire has apparently recently removed as one of King Ravan's advisors (not yet replaced) because he is supposedly kept busy running the hospital but he has also heard that Arca handles more of the day to day so he wonders what Asp spends his time doing. Ravan asks Arca to bring out some of the "Villaire family treasures", which Arca is initially reluctant to do but agrees.
Villaire family treasures - apparently Arca's mother (Arcadia) was responsible for them but they are older than her mother. They are rocks that sometimes get hot? There were 12, and Arca's mother took 2 with her when she left. Arca will give us 6.
Session 8
As party hears several sets of footsteps approaching the meeting space in the Ash Tunnels; Dewey prepares by casting Mage Armor. The captain appears with four other people, says that she was planning to kill Jimmy at this meeting to tie up loose ends as she wants to avoid people knowing who she is, wants out of the drug smuggling trade, and wants to eventually get to the person who Jimmy works for. Following some dialogue, the captain reveals both that she is a magic user (fire in hand) and that her underlings are some kind of solid ash creatures. Fight begins - the captain is not actually fighting but says she is a 'Cinder Witch'.
After destroying the ash creatures, the Cinder Witch (captain) offers to open 'The Box of the Crested Coven' - she has been working on figuring out how to open it and is nearly there. Party decides to loosely ally with her, but not travel with her just now and instead go report back to Arca. Captain is wearing a ring (probably the Crest of Cinders). Says that if we need to find her again, look for the large burst of heat/light. She hands us a scroll with a death rite:
Akavyr,
Ir ve va’il Inas’avan tarreln
Sanir ves onal iriv an
E tatair notan, Akavyrion
Va’il gannare ve isir
Storm,
To you we commend our last breath
Draw it into your soul
and sleep calmly, Little Storm
Our family beside you
Session 7
D + N head back to the forewoman and drop off the captain's signature. Dewey showed off his alternate voice chips, and everybody heads off back towards the inn to regroup, where Whistle shows some of the things they stole while Dewey gives Whistle the letter from the captain to open carefully. The letter to Jimmy asks for Jimmy to meet the captain at midnight in the Ash Tunnels because Jimmy hasn't paid the captain in full (for smuggling?). Currently roughly 9pm.
The Ash Tunnels are the complex series of pipes/tunnels underneath Ashfall District that are used to siphon off the district's manufacturing waste material, keeping the city cleaner.
Whistle also investigates the box stolen, which turns out not to have any keyhole. NoVA tries to break it but takes damage instead, and Dewey casts Detect Magic while Whistle asks downstairs to find out if there are other taverns in the area (where Jimmy could be). Detect Magic reveals that the box is intensely magical and carries many schools of magic, but predominantly Abjuration. There is a tavern called The Long Walk 10 mins walk away but find nothing of importance there. We go into the Ash Tunnels and there is a stench carried on wind, and walk upwind into it until eventually the smell eases off and the tunnels open up into a large open space clearly for meeting, with a grate facing out towards the sunset (fading into moonlight). Currently roughly 10pm.
Mage Armor - expired
Alarm -1 hour left
Session 6
Party set off towards the Ashfall central dock where The Horizon Walker is due to dock. When we arrive, there are a large number of labourers milling around. Pukkitt attempts poorly at lifting bosses, but is given some kind of strength-increasing fingerband? All of us followed the labourers up to the loading dock when a siren rang. Pukkitt got drafted into the airship to get unloading boxes, while Whistle broke into a room and stole a few things. Dewey and NoVA talked to a forewoman, who asked us to get the captain's signature (but not too soon in the loading process - hmm?) for restricted items. We then boarded the ship, got a quick oversight of the cargo hold (which contained some chained-up boxes, potentially the restricted items) before going to speak with the captain, who asked whether we'd seen James (aka JIMMY) somewhere and signed the document, while also giving us a letter for Jimmy. D and N got off the airship and went back to the loading dock.
Mage Armor - 2 hours left
Alarm - 3 hours left
Session 5
Saffron and Pukitt started talking to the bartender in The Steel's Drop. Saffron rented a room for the night, and Pukitt traded a real SP in exchange for one of the coins with antlers used by the smugglers, which seem to have entered circulation to a certain degree as forgeries/by accident. The coins started appearing roughly 2.5 years ago (predating appearance of Second Coming), around the same time as a small fire in the inn. Fire started from an argument, involving a *Jimmy* - the pair has now been banned. Coins have seen a spike in circulation roughly in the past year. Bartender said that the clientele is likely to be drinking to pass the time until the next shipment comes in to work on, which should be soon (at sunset). Party went up to room to discuss ideas - decided to potentially look for shipping manifests at the Shipping Office.
Party asked bartender where Shipping Office - she didn't know, so Dewey suggested asking if any of the clientele might know. One man offered to show party where the Shipping Office was in exchange for a drink - he is clearly drunk, but asks for a Shipping ID, which takes the form of either a contract or a badge (higher-ups).
Party makes their way to the Shipping Office, and decides to forge a contract to act as a Shipping ID, using Whistle's knowledge of forgery and Dewey's knowledge of calligraphy. Saffron is chosen as the infiltrator Dos Les with NoVA as a bodyguard, representing 'Carys Industries' and shipping 'fancypants'. Dewey looks round to the end of the alleyway which goes around a corner and appears to be a sort of rat run for shipping, nothing special, but the door to the Shipping Office itself appears to be ajar. Saffron and Nova go in and are asked to wait in a queue. Whistle sneaks in and manages to convince the worker that they are the shift change, gaining access to the records and a copy of the master key as well as a bunch of documents which appear to have some Thieves Cant markings.
Party heads back to The Steel's Drop to reconvene and go over the documents. Whistle realises that the Thieves Cant is a stamp of some sort made up of the symbols 'police station', 'keep away', and 'be quiet' but doesn't understand the full meaning, though starts to teach these symbols to Dewey. All the Thieves Cant marked documents seem to come in at the same time (end of day/sunset shipments) and come in on a general shipment. Documents do not indicate when cargo is loaded, only when it is unloaded. The ship is called The Horizon Walker, docks roughly every two weeks, and always docks at Ashfall's central dock (same as the one marked on the map), though sometimes varies between east or west side.
Mage Armor - 4 hours left
Alarm - 5 hours left
Session 4
Continued exploring tunnels, following Jimmy's path. Came across an ooze and Dewey did a stunning Nature check but otherwise did not help in any way. Ooze had some loot - a gold locket, 3 agates, and 50sp. Dewey took 2 agates and 10 sp.
Dewey explored another tunnel and found a Spell Scroll of Earthbind (transmuation magic) on a desk using Detect Magic, and was very suspicious of the tunnel/walls.
Party went upstairs through another tunnel, emerging in the Auric District (right next to the border wall between Auric and Cathedral) - tunnel system essentially just went underneath the wall. Tunnels don't seem to be heavily monitored and could potentially go under all the walls.
Spoke to guards between Auric/Ashfall - they seem to have reports of mysterious desks showing up in Ashfall, Yarrow, and another district, as well as in other cities. (no specific locations) Spoke in very vague terms with the guards about the tunnel adventures, not actually showing them anything from the bandits or talking about our fights.
Party went through to Ashfall. Went to a tavern called The Steel's Drop to try and gather information. The Steel's Drop is below the crane towers of the inner-city Skyship docks, which are used to transport heavier goods/building materials to avoid hauling them through the streets. The other docks in this district are the towers along the main outer wall.
Mage armor - 5 hours left
Alarm - 6 hours left
Session 3
Fought bandits in tunnels. Incapacitated three, one escaped and killed one of the unconscious ones on their way.
Found a map of the city with only two spots marked - the tunnel itself and a spot in the Ashfall District, marking looks like a circle with an arrow pointing inwards. Interrogated remaining two bandits, who revealed that the information for 'pickups' gets split between different members of the team, and Jimmy seems to be the leader of this cell, as well as the link to a higher level in the chain of command of this organization. Doors in this tunnel network are opened by inserting special brass-coloured coins embossed with a wreath and antlers (not regular currency) - Saffron looted 3 of these coins from the dead bandit. Remaining two bandits released after interrogations.
Dewey set an Alarm in a fork in one of the tunnels, party took short rest and is now heading down the corridor where Jimmy escaped down to find out where they went.
Session 2
Went from Yarrow back to Cathedral District to look for drug dealer who approached party in first session.
Searching alleyway, found a crate with empty glass bottles with religious symbols on them, probably used for church services. (not the same as the vials SC comes in)
Found secret door, which Dewey accidentally broke and feels bad about. Tunnel leads to tunnel lit with light coming through grates. Fought giant rats in tunnel and then headed for locked door, which NoVA broke down to find sus people behind it trying to hide things.
Session 1
Party met when drunk Memory attacked NoVA, and Dewey tried to help intervene.
Party recruited to escort Memory and Dr Acra Villaire (Dean's daughter) back to School of Medicine in Yarrow.
Acra puts down record of party as employees of the SoMed to investigate where Second Coming is coming into the city from.
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