Session 59: Well, That Was a Thing....
General Summary
Making it out of the castle and back to Edo, the party encounters an old, black robbed figure who identifies herself as Grandmother Grendela. In their sadness missing Offa, some of the party is excited to see her.
Needing an outlet for the roller coaster of emotions they’d been through, Sikander is joined by the others to an absolute dive of a place, The Shiri, wherein they follow Sikander’s lead in picking a fight with the locals, some of whom are Cherries. Making short work of nearly everyone in the bar, whether by Eldritch blasts from Samyra (with a creepy doll laugh), Anya removing a dragonborn’s wings after insinuating her goddess was dead, Sikander fighting dirty, Silas and Clover dealing with those closest to them, Selle attempting to order sake, and finally Grendela blocking the door so no one can follow in after them.
Realizing they needed to get out quickly, they all head out the back, but Anya is “made” as she is spotted by an investigator struggling to get through the door. Realizing they needed to regroup and take the night to decide their next steps, the group heads to a bathhouse. Once inside, Samyra begins sharing some of what her life has been like as Silas recounts his own, including that her hand is now a machine and thinks of it as a gift. Samyra isn’t sure about his friends and the conversation shifts to what to do next. Anya has been disconnected since the bar and at the mention of leaving Edo over finding the missing child emperor, she tosses the bracelet for the Gundam to him, telling them to go as she wasn’t sure what her next steps really were. Silas wants to go home while Samyra is eager to explore the Sands of Oban but wants to see home first.
After a back and forth, Selle casts Divination and learns they will find the boy in Mein Dox Ai near a camphor tree. Anya takes a rest and then leaves, looking for a temple. Clover gets a foot massage, and the others settle in with food, drink and their own rest. All except Grendela, who wanted to play Torture Bingo and settled for Pachinko (Pain-chinko) instead and hailed a driver to take her to a place to play.
In the temple, as Anya meditates, she feels a presence, like your parents are home, just not answering. Feeling this reassurance, Anya quietly breaks down at the altar, comforted that Sehanine is not gone as she had feared.
While they wait for Anya to return, a conversation starts about who worships who or what:
Silas confirms he doesn’t worship the Gloaming, but that its power won’t go away
Selle explains he honors entropy, especially in the natural progression of life, not forced ending. Samyra comments that watching a cup of tea grow cold must really inspire him.
Clover is hesitant to answer and asks why it is so important for you to know, eventually stating she worships the forest.
Samyra is looking for something more complex than the Gloaming and worthy of worship.
Sikander comments that he likes Samyra as anyone who wants to go kill a sea monster is good in his books and continues explaining he intends to avenge the death of A’flora. Samyra pokes, insisting that Sikander’s vendetta is selfish and based on his own ego rather than avenging A’flora – who died an honorable death defending others and in an epic fight.
Silas hands out sake, and as Samyra takes hers, she comments that Sikander is starting to look more attractive to her. Clover pulls Sikander aside and shares her concerns about Samyra, hoping to warn Sikander. “I learned long ago to listen to the gut instincts of elves” (somewhere Anya’s eye twitches) and then nearly immediately throws Clover under the bus as Silas walks over.
Anya finally returns and shares what she found, and the others are ready to head out, but find Grendela is still out.
Explaining she needs to return to the temple for a procedure to remove her tattoo, the others settle over a hot cup of tea around Selle to watch it cool. As they do, Anya reminds them all to go find Grendela before going anywhere else.
She takes off and the priestess offers a drug to numb the pain, but Anya refuses, taking a stick to bite instead. She makes it through the procedure and the priestess applies the medicated moss to her face and advises it must stay there for two days or she will be permanently scarred.
Meanwhile, the others finally find peace in the cooled tea and head out to find Grendela, checking in the Peacock Feather first. Sikander waits outside “just in case” Cherries show up while the others go in. Clover quickly retreats as the smoke within was too strong and the others quickly determine the old bird is not in this noisy, smoky place.
Moving on to Seven Hells, where a giant good luck cat beckons them inside, Sikander again takes up a post outside while the others head in. There they find Grendela cursing the infernal machine, beating and shaking it. Two Cherries show up to escort Grendela up to the boss as Silas insists he is Dame Grendela’s bodyguard.
The grumble about the foreigners while Grendela asks telepathically if she should destroy them all. Silas tells her no and they start heading up the stairs. Selle gets shoved back and he throws Darkness up onto the stairs, allowing Silas to convince the Cherries to let them walk away. Being accused of using Yokai magic, the party gets back on to the street and find a trio approaching, one with a very Sherlock Holmes feel.
Introducing himself as Yokubo, he shares about his investigation of a roving band of foreigners and invites them all to his headquarters. When asked why, he reminds them magic is banned as they are on the boarder of the Yokai nation, a law made by the late emperor with his own two hands. They continue to press for what evidence Yokuba has and he extends his “invitation” to discuss over a meal again. There is some hesitation as he looks the group over, asking where their missing party member is.
As they search for Grendela, Anya goes looking for the others and struggles as she can barely speak with the moss mask on. A passerby finally understands enough to help her, and they locate the others. Seeing Yokuba, she slows hoping to follow but Sikander spots her and calls out while running to her. After a tight hug, Anya quickly understands Yokukba believes she kidnapped the child emperor. Clover agrees to help speak for Anya as everyone struggles to understand her and as they arrive to the headquarters, Samyra and Silas disappear into the crowd while Grendela, Anya, Clover, Sikander, Selle and Tal go in. Anya sends a message to Silas “Don’t go far, we are going to need your help” to which he assures her he has a plan.
Needing an outlet for the roller coaster of emotions they’d been through, Sikander is joined by the others to an absolute dive of a place, The Shiri, wherein they follow Sikander’s lead in picking a fight with the locals, some of whom are Cherries. Making short work of nearly everyone in the bar, whether by Eldritch blasts from Samyra (with a creepy doll laugh), Anya removing a dragonborn’s wings after insinuating her goddess was dead, Sikander fighting dirty, Silas and Clover dealing with those closest to them, Selle attempting to order sake, and finally Grendela blocking the door so no one can follow in after them.
Realizing they needed to get out quickly, they all head out the back, but Anya is “made” as she is spotted by an investigator struggling to get through the door. Realizing they needed to regroup and take the night to decide their next steps, the group heads to a bathhouse. Once inside, Samyra begins sharing some of what her life has been like as Silas recounts his own, including that her hand is now a machine and thinks of it as a gift. Samyra isn’t sure about his friends and the conversation shifts to what to do next. Anya has been disconnected since the bar and at the mention of leaving Edo over finding the missing child emperor, she tosses the bracelet for the Gundam to him, telling them to go as she wasn’t sure what her next steps really were. Silas wants to go home while Samyra is eager to explore the Sands of Oban but wants to see home first.
After a back and forth, Selle casts Divination and learns they will find the boy in Mein Dox Ai near a camphor tree. Anya takes a rest and then leaves, looking for a temple. Clover gets a foot massage, and the others settle in with food, drink and their own rest. All except Grendela, who wanted to play Torture Bingo and settled for Pachinko (Pain-chinko) instead and hailed a driver to take her to a place to play.
In the temple, as Anya meditates, she feels a presence, like your parents are home, just not answering. Feeling this reassurance, Anya quietly breaks down at the altar, comforted that Sehanine is not gone as she had feared.
While they wait for Anya to return, a conversation starts about who worships who or what:
Silas confirms he doesn’t worship the Gloaming, but that its power won’t go away
Selle explains he honors entropy, especially in the natural progression of life, not forced ending. Samyra comments that watching a cup of tea grow cold must really inspire him.
Clover is hesitant to answer and asks why it is so important for you to know, eventually stating she worships the forest.
Samyra is looking for something more complex than the Gloaming and worthy of worship.
Sikander comments that he likes Samyra as anyone who wants to go kill a sea monster is good in his books and continues explaining he intends to avenge the death of A’flora. Samyra pokes, insisting that Sikander’s vendetta is selfish and based on his own ego rather than avenging A’flora – who died an honorable death defending others and in an epic fight.
Silas hands out sake, and as Samyra takes hers, she comments that Sikander is starting to look more attractive to her. Clover pulls Sikander aside and shares her concerns about Samyra, hoping to warn Sikander. “I learned long ago to listen to the gut instincts of elves” (somewhere Anya’s eye twitches) and then nearly immediately throws Clover under the bus as Silas walks over.
Anya finally returns and shares what she found, and the others are ready to head out, but find Grendela is still out.
Explaining she needs to return to the temple for a procedure to remove her tattoo, the others settle over a hot cup of tea around Selle to watch it cool. As they do, Anya reminds them all to go find Grendela before going anywhere else.
She takes off and the priestess offers a drug to numb the pain, but Anya refuses, taking a stick to bite instead. She makes it through the procedure and the priestess applies the medicated moss to her face and advises it must stay there for two days or she will be permanently scarred.
Meanwhile, the others finally find peace in the cooled tea and head out to find Grendela, checking in the Peacock Feather first. Sikander waits outside “just in case” Cherries show up while the others go in. Clover quickly retreats as the smoke within was too strong and the others quickly determine the old bird is not in this noisy, smoky place.
Moving on to Seven Hells, where a giant good luck cat beckons them inside, Sikander again takes up a post outside while the others head in. There they find Grendela cursing the infernal machine, beating and shaking it. Two Cherries show up to escort Grendela up to the boss as Silas insists he is Dame Grendela’s bodyguard.
The grumble about the foreigners while Grendela asks telepathically if she should destroy them all. Silas tells her no and they start heading up the stairs. Selle gets shoved back and he throws Darkness up onto the stairs, allowing Silas to convince the Cherries to let them walk away. Being accused of using Yokai magic, the party gets back on to the street and find a trio approaching, one with a very Sherlock Holmes feel.
Introducing himself as Yokubo, he shares about his investigation of a roving band of foreigners and invites them all to his headquarters. When asked why, he reminds them magic is banned as they are on the boarder of the Yokai nation, a law made by the late emperor with his own two hands. They continue to press for what evidence Yokuba has and he extends his “invitation” to discuss over a meal again. There is some hesitation as he looks the group over, asking where their missing party member is.
As they search for Grendela, Anya goes looking for the others and struggles as she can barely speak with the moss mask on. A passerby finally understands enough to help her, and they locate the others. Seeing Yokuba, she slows hoping to follow but Sikander spots her and calls out while running to her. After a tight hug, Anya quickly understands Yokukba believes she kidnapped the child emperor. Clover agrees to help speak for Anya as everyone struggles to understand her and as they arrive to the headquarters, Samyra and Silas disappear into the crowd while Grendela, Anya, Clover, Sikander, Selle and Tal go in. Anya sends a message to Silas “Don’t go far, we are going to need your help” to which he assures her he has a plan.
Report Date
10 Nov 2024
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