Session 24 - The Conclave and other baggage

General Summary

It’s been a while. Neo is walking on a cobblestone street in Rheo, stars and moonlight overhead. He’s being moved in a particular direction from which heat is emanating. It’s the tomb of Acheric the Fire Eater, cracks around the sealed door are glowing with light and heat, the ember in his bag wants to get inside the tomb. He approaches it, something is scraping against the other side of the door. He touches his staff to the door, and the tomb shatters like glass in blinding light. Neo wakes suddenly from the dream and smells smoke. The ember is smoking, he opens the box and sees it’s still but smoking. He seeks the rest of the party.
We can all touch it without it burning us, but it is super hot. We try to find a place to douse the flame. Xanthos finds a vase to fill with water and we drop the ember inside, steam and shifting light fills the room. Neo prays to Fytanke to make it calm down, but it just gets even worse and the steam begins to coalesce into a vision of the tomb of the Fire Eater before we take it back out. We take watches keeping an eye on it through the night. We have the meeting with the wizards in the afternoon.
We try to take the ember away from the tomb, but that just makes it even more angry! So we go to King Bion to ask him to move the conclave up. Neo suggests that if the ember wants to get at the Fire Eater, we should get in there and burn the body! Sounds legit. We prep a unified front for the conclave. We must maintain authority and control over the ember in that room! We will insist on a temporary measure until we can find a way to deal with the ember permanently. If we build the town before we find a solution, we will have them move the ember to that new location. Everyone must be sworn to secrecy before we say anything.
Ate the Fel - On board without much discussion! Necromancer
Paerse the Ledgerkeeper - Wanted to know where it was found but backed down when Kestor was patently unspecific beyond “ocean”.
Astyanax the Tripecaller - Wanted to know how we can be trusted, it should be given to the brightest, our party is the weakest link! Ionessa makes him back down by showing we’ve had it for some time and are making wise decisions, but he’s not 100% convinced. He also objects to it being taken into the ocean where only seafolk can access it - he believes they cannot understand the dangers of fire and throws a big fit about it. Eventually he is cowed into lending his support so long as a teleportation circle is set up.
Learchos the Learned Shield - Wanted to know what we plan to do with it. Neo answered we will bring it back to Fytanke. She asks if we know the consequences of that. Can’t be worse than someone here getting a hold of it, and Fytanke is not all random burnings. She’s still cautious of this course of action, though she does still think it should be kept secret and safe. She insists there be another meeting before a final decision, which we agree to, so she’s on board.
Shapewise Ianthe - Wants to investigate the ember in more detail. It could be used for good, to heal and regrow the land that was burned in the Great Wildfire. Ionessa shuts her down immediately, she backs down but wants it known that she objects to fear-based decision making. She seems genuinely altruistic, but thinks she should have it herself.
Drosis the Unseen - Wants to know where we should conceal it. They find the ocean to be an acceptable location.
Tidecaller Axiokeanos - Thinks the ember should be brought to the ocean, where none can find it and it cannot be burned. Ektikori, the god of secrets, can be trusted to help. We reveal that we have already spoken with her, Axiokeanos is very impressed.
Singing Doriskos - Seems on board, can provide us with something to carry the ember around safely.
King Bion - Once a suitable location has been found, the process of protecting it will begin, but this will take some time. The members of the conclave will remain in contact with one another, and Bion will ensure that we are informed of any progress.
Epeius the Portentious - Seems like he knew exactly how this was going to go and is on board.
With that, the conclave wraps up! Seems like it has been a pretty good success. Neo goes off to hit on Shapewise Ianthe not because she has horns at all but because she’s all about using the ember. She reasserts that there is some good that can come from using the ember. The cycle is burning and rebirth, we should allow the rebirth part to happen. She’s from the Merchant Republics, Spor. Neo tries to ask her out to dinner but she doesn’t get it and says she’s going home instead.
Kestor asks Paerse the Ledgerkeeper for information about Isadora’s disappearance or the cursed play. She says she has information, but in exchange wants to know exactly where we found the ember (and probably the circumstances of it being found). Kestor says he has to check in with the party first. Ionessa talks to Singing Doriskos and is gifted a bag of holding to help transport the ember!
Some years ago there was a sighting of the ship belonging to Isadora, the Echthros Trypitis, carried south on the eastern wind. Some traders spoke with them on the ocean, they were heading to a largely unexplored continent to the south. A land of hot sun and vast sand. This was about 6 years ago. Surely the only reason she would suddenly head that way RIGHT AFTER finding the play means that there is something out there related to it.
Neo mentions that he struck out, but we convince him to go after her and make his intentions clear! We have a little discussion about maybe using the ember to grow Xanthos’ trees back, Ionessa is pretty worried by that idea. Neo runs off and tells Ianthe how he feels! She’s the most beautiful woman he’s ever met! She says they can have a romantic evening at a time of his choosing. Kestor freaks out and gets scared when Neo comes back, and he rambles some slightly confidence-eroding stuff to Xanthos who finds him. Everyone teases Neo for a bit but we’re all happy for him!
The party talks about relationships for a bit. Neo and Xanthos hasn’t been in a relationship for more than a night or a couple of days, Neo has thoughts about the reincarnation of Fytanke followers and finding one another through the cycles, be they lovers, comrades, maybe even enemies. Ionessa’s longest relationship was about a year and ended amicably, which Kestor is surprised by because his longest relationship ended so poorly. Ionessa suggests he go talk to Lambros and get his side of the story to soothe his anger.
Kestor and Ionessa find Lambros, but on the way spot that there’s a commotion around the tomb of Acheric the Fire Eater, guards are locking it down. Neo, Xanthos, and Ophia go to investigate. Kestor has a heartfelt talk with Lambros, who explains that he never betrayed Kestor, he tried to help but Kestor was too muddled and talking nonsense. He suspects that Kestor may have spoken to Eustathius ahead of their debate, and Eustathius used the opportunity to humiliate and tear down Kestor. Kestor apologizes and explains his curse and why he was behaving that way. It doesn’t change what he did, and Lambros doesn’t forgive him, but he is thankful for being told and wishes Kestor the best. Kestor tells Lambros he should quit Kritharicism. Lambros says he hopes their students will debate each other some day.
Meanwhile, the tomb is smoking! Neo causes a distraction for Ophia, who sneaks into the tomb. She reports that she couldn’t tell exactly what was burning, but something was, and that there were small vines growing inside. They decide they need to get in there to take a closer look, so Xanthos tries to get a random half-orc to start a riot. When he turns out to be a respectable citizen, Xanthos instead decides to assault him. He then starts yelling “Acheric the Fire Eater is back!”
Kestor and Ionessa return to a full-blown panic, Xanthos in a fist fight with the random citizen, and Neo’s shining gleaming armor as he clambers up the tomb. Ophia is nowhere to be seen. Xanthos bowls into a bunch of the guards, giving Neo a chance to keep climbing. Ionessa uses thaumaturgy to help protect the crowd and stop any trampling from happening. Kestor disguises himself as a guard and runs forward to run interference. Neo slips and falls, but Ophia helps him with a rope and lets him climb up and be lowered into the tomb.
Neo sees a closed sarcophagus, before which is standing an imposing figure around 10ft tall wielding a shield and spear covered in hoplite armor, within which is blazing fire. What a wild time.
The end.

Rewards Granted

Bag of holding!

Missions/Quests Completed

Meeting of Minds - Successfully complete the first meeting of The Conclave

Notes

C:<

Report Date

27 Mar 2023