Session 80: Fugitives in the Free City
General Summary
The party woke up in the library, where a few patrons were already beginning to filter in. The librarians at the front seemed surprised, but not alarmed. They decided to seek out the Judge who had shown them leniency and believed them about the cult before. Trislee also suggested they visit the Church of Pelor on the way to the courthouse, and try to rally the servants of a god of life against their undead foes.
The crowd became congested as they neared the Garden Quarter. Guards at the gate were waving a lot of folk past, but stopping to question or even search some others. The party was stopped, and asked their business.
They fibbed that they were only there to visit the church and then leave, not mentioning the judge. They asked why security was so high, but the bored guard refused specifics, saying only that the city is safe thanks to the people's army of greyhawk.
The temple of Pelor was easy to spot; a multi-storey affair on a wide lawn. The lawn was full of people, most of them commoners by their clothes and manner. A few priests in yellow robes edged in gold were manning potluck tables. Nemara made a beeline for the food while Trislee walked over to ask for the high priest.
She had the good fortune of speaking to the high priest at that time, a human woman named Iris. She stepped aside with Trislee while Nem listened in, and heard the tale of green worms and evil cults, fiends and corruption. She was concerned, but not surprised by Alhaster's fall. She urged Trislee to consider peaceful solutions; uplifting the common folk of Alhaster, rather than troubling them with more war. Trislee was persuasive, however, and the priest did admit that there were times when Pelor's mighty hammer was the only way to restore the light. Still, it was an extreme measure to unleash the church's Crusader force. She asked for the day to meditate on it with her priests, and determine if it was truly Pelor's will. Trislee agreed, and the group resumed their trip to the courthouse.
"It's a much better view without the shackles," Nemara commented to Lins as they approached the nondescript building.
"I have got to hear that story sometime," Trislee commented.
Palmirian was not presiding over any cases that day, but they managed to convince the clerk that they had a meeting with him, and he told them the judge was in a meeting at Lord Silverfox's house. The name rang a bell for Nemara, but she couldn't recall why.
They followed the clerk's directions and soon found themselves at the wrought-iron gates of a huge manor-house. It was clearly once a smaller building, with wings added on in the same style. Several huge dogs growled and barked in the yard. A servant came out to see the fuss, and the dogs paid no mind to him as he approached the gates from a healthy 10-foot distance. He asked their business, and the smooth-talking Nemara explained that they had heard the Honorable Judge Palmirian was here, and explained that they had urgent business with him. He agreed to tell the judge they were here, and asked them to wait at the gate.
He left, and a few minutes later, returned. He called off the dogs with a single command - the beasts seemed pleased to go back to their sunbathing - and unlocked the gate. They had to check their weapons at the door, but were then led to a parlour down the hall. They could hear arguing from behind the doors. It stopped when the servant knocked.
A lean-faced man with combed blond hair and a tired expression answered the door. His grey-eyed gaze swept over the party before he stepped back, widening the inward-opening door a bit as he did so.
The familiar judge was sitting in an armchair, pinching the top of his nose, but he looks up. "Yes yes, these are them. Hello again, you'll forgive me if I don't stand. That doppelganger infestation you uncovered robs all my time."
"And yet," the apparent lord silverfox snapped, even as he steps aside to allow you entry, "it persists!"
Palmirian waved the party in. The parlour was large, with several chairs and tall windows looking out on the lawn. Another of those dogs was there, and stayed by Lord Silverfox's heels. A small table held a disregarded teapot and some cups of cold tea.
Nemara took a careful seat, looking between the two noblement.
"I take it things have not been going... well."
"They would be going better if Anton would back me," lord Silverfox replies, regaining his composure. "Working with the watchers isn't working, we need a thorough sweep of the city. Every house, every person. They could be anyone, you said it yourself. This city needs to be locked down."
Palmirian sighs, "I'm not putting the entire free city under arrest, Finian," he says, tiredly.
"And how many more daughters must die before you change your mind?" Silverfox scathes.
Startled, Nemara remembered why the name of Silverfox sounded familiar. It was Lord Silverfox's half-elven daughter who they rescued from the cells in the sodden hold, and who they later found dead in its storage room; Sigvurd was adamant about returning the body and revealing what happened to her family; he saw it as a point of duty and honor both.
Palmirian looked at the group. After a moment, he said. "You aren't here about the doppelgangers, are you?"
The party caught them up on all their intervening adventures. The cult in Perrenland, the fiends in Alhaster, the imminent plans to summon Kyuss in the city of Alhaster, Prince Zeech being an apparent pawn of the triad - though Trislee felt less conviction about this, her readings having indicated him as a devout Hextorian and not a heretic...
There was a beat after their tale caught up to the present. Then Silverfox blurted out that war with Redhand was not an option. Ignoring him, Palmirian mused whether they might still have allies from the days when Alhaster was a viscounty under the Shield Lands, and how they might get the party in touch with said allies without the "angels" interfering.
As the party considered this problem, Lins heard a voice speaking in her mind: clear, calm, with a soft elven accent:
"Greetings from Lashonna of Alhaster. We share a common enemy. If I ask, Zeech will pardon you. Wish badly to meet you. Dragon in pursuit."
Recognizing the spell, Lins realized her answer window was short.
"Pleased to meet you. Lins of Diamond Lake, currently in Greyhawk. Can return shortly. Delineate palace details for maximum teleportation success. See you soon."
After sending her reply, Lin immediately turned to Trislee and Nemara. "We need to go - have a way back in to Alhaster."
She spun to face Palmirian, "Can you find out more about the Knights of Shielding here, if they have a connection to the ones in Alhaster and know some things from there?" as Silverfox opened his mouth, she interjected, "Do you know or trust Lashonna?" and back to her companions, "Let's get our weapons and teleport out as soon as she gives details. I can cast Sending for communication if one of you doesn't have that ability already or a colleague who does." All in a minute or so.
Notes
10th of Reaping
Report Date
20 Aug 2023
Primary Location
Related Plots
Related Characters