Session 22 - Kovutopia

General Summary

THE LOOT!:
Sentinel Shield - Xanthos
Periapt of Wound Closure - Kestor
Ring of Jumping - Neo
Trident of Fish Command - Ionessa
4,306gp in coinage (1,076.5 each)
200gp in items (chalices, bracelets, lockets, ewer, engraved bone dice) (50gp each)
If we split it between the party, Heromenes, and the workers, everyone can receive 710gp (~60gp for each worker), and 46 left over for Kovu when he gets back.
But we don’t need to do that because that’s actually all the gold we got after the split! So we each get 1,070 and Kovu can get 26 unless we want to donate more. This means that Heromenes got around 1,125gp and each of the workers got around 100gp.
Ionessa responds to her sister, they’re going to get back in touch with one another once we are back in Cherianto! Heromenes is addicted to chiseling! While the gold is being handed out he is chiseling at incredible speeds, creating a sack out of stone and filling it with gold! He’s the greatest craftsman who ever lived. Ionessa enquires about his knowledge of the Children of Kallipilos - he’s capable of making the statues move without the God’s intervention because he has the right tools. He’s helped raise some that he has created but often they are capable of taking care of themselves. Ionessa is unsure whether it is moral to create a life on a whim!
Xanthos is drafted into getting a big rock so Ionessa can have a magical stone bag. While we settle down to rest we realize that Otonia’s eyes are still moving, her dragon master is likely watching us through them. Xanthos, Neo, and Ionessa dig a grave for Otonia while Kestor scrawls “No Slaves, No Masters, Freedom!” in multiple languages over the front of the keep. We take Otonia’s bow before she goes in the ground.
We settle in for the night, everyone will come with us to Cherianto in the morning. But Kovu is still missing! Where is our boy!? We use the divinations scroll to beseech Apnosis for knowledge as to how to bring him back. “An ill-balanced bargain benefits its progenitor. Would it so easily allow its terms to lapse? Sleep well, dawn will illuminate.”
Ionessa reveals that Kovu was given to her by a dragon (he) who was trapped in the ocean. The dragon threatened Ionessa into taking care of Kovu and taking him away from there, otherwise the dragon would have killed her. She doesn’t know why he’s down there or what the merrow are doing with him, but she isn’t sure freeing him is a good idea. This was all near her home of Oiakis. BIG REVEALS! Maybe we’ll go back there some day.
Ionessa and Xanthos start their watch. SHE WON’T EVEN LOOK AT HIM! THEN SHE ASKS HIM FOR A HUG??? Xanthos is all shy about it because HE’S A MONSTER but yeah he wants a hug because he’s a big softie. They comfort one another, it’s a classic heartfelt convo. Xanthos is worried about where he’s gonna get a supply of blood because he was a little blood-starved in the fight. He’s unsure about biting Neo. He feels great physically though, so everything’s fine!
Ionessa has a dream! She’s falling into dark water and then suddenly stops. She sees motes of light, small glowing gemstones surrounded by runes she cannot read encircling her. She cannot move. She sees a large figure in the inky blackness, circling her, then comes to rest in front of her to survey her with large turquoise eyes belonging to Kovu’s father.
“I expected to have this conversation sooner. I am surprised but not disheartened… Our collaboration has not concluded. I’m afraid death is no escape from me, not for you, and not for my son… I sequestered him. He is safe, but I will not allow you to be rid of our influence so easily… I suggest you be more careful… Our connection will allow you to call him back, you need only the knowledge of how… I will show you, but first this is not something I wish to make a habit of. Do you understand? I will grant you the knowledge to call back my son, but you will not do it in this place. I sense you have the taint of another creature on you… I know not if you seek Astrapyndaercles for an escape from your condition but you will not find one…”
He LOVES that we murdered that dragon’s granddaughter. “Good, I am glad. Perhaps this collaboration is more fruitful than I expected. Come then, I will give you back what you seek.”
Come morning we escort everyone out of the temple, including Ntropus who has decided to come with us! The chimeras do not hinder us, in fact they’re guarding us as we move through! When we get to the branch of the road leading to them, we leave a road marker of Peri signaling danger, “Chimeras. Territorial winged beasts.”
When we get back, we chat with Hedylus and update him on the dangers of the road. Preparations for Rheo are well underway as well. Xanthos is looking for ways to create blood without hurting someone, Kestor and Neo are on the case. Bion is ready to leave the day after tomorrow, he has secured lodgings. Xanthos asks him to get Kriton to stop bringing demons into the city, Bion agrees to investigate. He also asks Bion to send a message for him to send a message to Phaedra to let her know we’re in Cherianto, we’re going to Rheo, and will be back.
In the morning, Ionessa goes to find Neo in the library. He’s researching Sideris trees, vampires, and blood in general. She asks for his help bringing Kovu back, so they travel to the docks together. He’s struggling with the research a little, but he has some experiments in mind he can mess around with. Ionessa reaches out to Kovu and brings him back into this world! The boy is back!
Kestor asks about Nicocreon, the Vassic soldier sowing dissent in the town. He is at the Temple of Zole. Kestor sneaks in disguised as a Vassic pilgrim. The captain of the city guard is talking to Nicocreon, a minotaur, about training regimens. He is training his own troops, which is causing a little tension, though he is apparently being more cordial than his predecessor. He suspects that King Bion died, and intends to investigate by bringing people in who might know the truth so that he can put them in a Zone of Truth and question them. Weak points may be Dexamene (and anyone in her employ) and Hedylus. We tell Bion about this and he warns everyone involved.
THEN we tell him about us killing the granddaughter of the King of All Storms and robbed him and now seek shelter in our city. He FREAKS OUT! That guy is a grave threat. We have to find a way to appease him or hide from him.
We take some time to finish things up in the city before we leave. We find Ophia and invite her to come along to Rheo. We give the golden plate mail to the local blacksmith to turn into half-plate. Xanthos wants to have his blood spear converted into knives, he asks Eos to help with this. She’s unsure whether she can do it without the magic disappearing but she says she will try. Initially we pay her with a dragon scale but that might be dangerous so we agree to get some rare ingredients from Rheo instead.
Neo reveals that he is planning to do some personal bloodletting as part of his experiments to help Xanthos, which makes Xanthos very uncomfortable. Neo agrees not to do it but maybe he will anyway. Kestor is anxious about going to Rheo, but what else is new?
Ionessa speaks to Bion about her sister, Halina, coming to the summit. He gives her the runic pattern of the teleportation circle we will be traveling to in Rheo. He will cast the Dream spell on Ionessa so she can communicate the circle pattern to Halina while she sleeps. Ionessa goes into her dream and gives her the details! She meets Halina in their childhood family home! They’re seaweed farmers! Ionessa doesn’t mention that this is a dream so Halina is kinda confused for a lot of the conversation, but it is still a super wholesome interaction. They have two moms! Eventually the spell ends. Bion does a cute apology about discounting Ionessa’s people as an option, it looks like Hedylus might have made him aware of how rude that was.
The next morning we gather for the teleportation. We are arriving in the home of Learchos, the Learned Shield. We’re supposed to thank her for giving us access to her home. Then we will be going to Singing Doriskos’ home, who has offered us lodgings. That is where the conclave will occur the following day. There is a tense peace between Rheo and Vas at the moment. We should keep our roles at Korymour secret, and we should keep it under wraps that we are from/were hanging around Vas at all, except to the conclave. Also try not to get into trouble.
We arrive! Learchos greets us and tells us the plan. Plus if we want to enjoy the city we can go to the agora, after all Rheo is the center of enlightenment and culture in Koss. There’s a lot of war debate going on at the moment. Kritharicism is thoroughly anti-war.
Rheo is beautiful! The city rises up on one side and to the other it slopes down to a harbor. Trees, statues, throngs of people, music, preaching, and a large grouping of people looking in the same direction. They’re watching a debate about the war between a Kritharic and someone else. The Kritharic is cool and collected, while the other guy is ANGRY and WRONG! The Kritharic is Lambros, the other guy is Otios.
Ionessa asks what is going on, and Kestor reveals that Lambros is his ex. This leads to a REALLY awkward argument where Kestor is unjustifiably mean to Lambros and shouts at him emotionally in front of everyone. Kestor storms off, Neo and Ionessa stay behind to talk to him.
Lambros says that he tried to help Kestor, but that he didn’t want any help. Kestor embarrassed himself in front of everyone and decided that his life was over. He is very sad about what has happened to Kestor, but he doesn’t wish to allow Kestor to tear apart his life any further.
Kestor is quite inconsolable and asks like an asshole afterwards, but eventually is convinced to go play music and dance with Xanthos.
The end.

Rewards Granted

Sentinel Shield - Xanthos
Periapt of Wound Closure - Kestor
Ring of Jumping - Neo
Trident of Fish Command - Ionessa
4,306gp in coinage (1,076.5 each)
200gp in items (chalices, bracelets, lockets, ewer, engraved bone dice) (50gp each)

Character(s) interacted with

Lambros - Kestor's ex

Notes

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Report Date

23 Jan 2023