Session 25 - The Miracle of Love... & Burning Corpses

General Summary

Neo is being lowered into the tomb. He tries speaking to the fire hoplite in celestial, it appears to understand but does not respond. He is lowered all the way to the ground, and the hoplite does not immediately attack Neo. When he asks if it wants to burn the sarcophagus, the fire inside it roils, it looks like it wants to burn the body! He tries to open the sarcophagus, but there is no way to open it. He starts to climb back out.
Outside, Kestor gets Xanthos away from the guards under the guise of arrest and turns him invisible so he can head to the top of the temple. He is “spotted” on the way up, the guards can’t actually stop him but they are awaiting the arrival of the Basileus, the religious leader of Rheo. We discuss what to do, in the end Neo goes back in and tries to hit the sarcophagus with his staff. It doesn’t have much effect, so he dispels the abjurations on the tomb, revealing the corpse of Acheric the Fire Eater. Neo sets the body alight!!! +5 piety!
Unfortunately on the way out, Neo struggles to climb the rope as smoke fills the tomb. Ionessa arranges a fire-fighting crew and spots the Basileus on the way, which allows Kestor to direct the roof crew as to the best direction to escape towards. As he’s fleeing, Neo feels a God trying to speak through him. A man’s voice and a woman’s voice intermingled, impossibly loud, definitely Fytanke. It says, “HEAR US, MORTALS, FOR WE ARE THE WILDFIRE FYTANKE. YOUR BLASPHEMY HAS BEEN UNDONE, YOUR PRISON BURNED, AND MINE OWN RETURNED TO ME. THE WHEEL HAS EVER TURNED AND WILL TURN EVERMORE. TO IGNORE IT IS IGNORANCE. WITNESS OUR WHEEL. WITNESS OUR CHARIOT. DOFF THE STAGNATION OF OUR CHILDREN AND BE REBORN.”
Plants begin to grow throughout the area, produce stalls grow in abundance, incense burners erupt into immense flames. On the way down, Xanthos alerts the guards, who start looking for an invisible perpetrator. In the end they get away and the elemental hoplite bursts free of the tomb. Ionessa and Kestor (now undisguised) help to fight it back until Basileus Prytanis arrives and banishes it. She thanks us for our help and offers us a reward and for our heroics to be known to the other archons. Nicanda the Douser is on her way, she’s running for the position of Eponymous, essentially the high judge and magistrate of Rheo.
The current Eponymous is called Dexeos, who is not unpopular, but running against Nicanda is kind of like running against Aragorn for president so Nicanda is almost certain to win, especially after more Fire Eater panic. Ionessa and Kestor stick around to meet the archons, even if it’s risky. Neo, Ophia, and Xanthos retreat back to Doriskos’ house. Back at the tomb, Nicanda steps out from the crowd. She’s a half-orc with a spear that looks like it has been dipped into a furnace. Ionessa is not very impressed. Kestor fangirls. SHE’S SO HUMBLE. She advised against building the tomb in the first place, she agrees with Ionessa that the temple was arrogant and that it will be torn down before the election. SHE SIGNS KESTOR’S BOOK!
Ionessa questions her, she is a soldier of high esteem. Ionessa asks if she’s going to fight Vas, she says she will support Brigos, the Polemarch, if he decides Rheo should intervene. She doesn’t want war, but will do so if necessary. Prytanis would like to reward us if we come to the temple of Pola in the evening.
We all reconvene at Doriskos’ home. Neo reveals that he is a demigod, a child of Fytanke! He’s surprisingly calm about everything that has been happening. Xanthos is jealous that Kestor, Best Friend of Nicanda, met Nicanda before him. It’s been a year or two since he left his cult, they’re definitely looking for. The group was not massive. Xanthos suspects the Tripecaller might have been involved. Kestor thinks about who Acheric was before the ember. He was an elf from Foutior, suspected to be himself a demigod, but Kestor thinks that is a misattribution after he became such a big piece of history. He was a warrior, priest, philosopher, a very well-regarded intelligent jack of all trades, a leader and speaker, someone who people rallied behind. It is rumored that he, on one of his many heroic missions, encountered an aspect of Fytanke that led him to his attacks on the East. Before that, he was militant but not murderous. He was a hero, fighting monsters, but on behalf of Fytanke.
We identify the items. Xanthos gets an absolutely sick spear called the Peregrine Spear. The bracers give a +2 to damage rolls with ranged attacks. The bow is also super dope and gains additional properties while steeping in the hoard of a dragon.
Xanthos beseeches Doriskos to be a sponsor for rebuilding his home. She says she will consider it, she wants to be able to sell the wood from the Sideris trees in exchange. She also reveals that she has heard everything we’ve talked about in her home, including learning that Neo suspects he is a demigod and that we were involved with burning the Fire Eater. She doesn’t like this all being kept from her and the conclave, and thinks Neo has a conflict of interest. We do our best to defend his character. In the end she does agree to help the town in exchange for a MAJOR percentage of the profits and a big plot of land. Basically we sold the town out to capitalism to get it started, maybe we can kill her later?
Ionessa talks to Halina and Axiokeanos. Axio thinks that the cleric who banished Ionessa did so rashly and was not acting correctly because his pride was wounded. Axio will speak to him on her behalf, and potentially she can come home afterwards. She and Halina catch up, Halina doesn’t like Astyanax or Ianthe, and she’s happy the ember will be underwater. She asks if she’s talked to Xanthos, but Ionessa still thinks he’s not interested. Halina is going to tell their parents about Ionessa’s adventures.
Kestor speaks to Drosis and he agrees to get us magical protection against Astrapyndircles in exchange for a magical item touched by the gods. He will come find us when he has found the items. Xanthos pays for the amulet that will change his eye color, and looks for a gift to bring Eos. He meets a fairly creepy shopkeeper who claims to be selling ingredients from monsters, Xanthos thinks he might be a big scammer. He’s actually the funniest guy. Rust from a rust monster, troll’s toenail, cursed gold, betrothal piercings, hair of a demon, kraken spit, the mist of a vampire. He buys the mist and the hair for 346 gold, 99 silver, 98 copper.
Kestor and Xanthos have a conversation about the items he bought, which leads into a talk about how oblivious Xanthos is. Kestor makes a joke that him being a himbo is attractive, and he’d make a move if it wasn’t so obvious that he and Ionessa were going to get together. Xanthos is shocked to learn this! Neo arrives to help bully Xanthos into confessing his feelings. What if she’s the best thing that ever happened to him!? After he leaves, Neo admits he has feelings for Xanthos. Kestor says he should admit them, what if he’s the best thing that ever happened to him!? In the end it’s determined that they should just go frolic in the garden.
Ionessa and Kestor head to the temple of Pola. On the way they discuss the state of the tomb and what they should get as a reward, Ionessa recommends having the street Eustathius lives on renamed Kestor Street. FOR A SECOND IT LOOKS LIKE THE JIG IS UP, she’s communed with Pola and knows what we did last Summer. But she’s only talking about our desire to rebuild Sideris, PHEW! She gives us a standard, a banner, that bolsters those around it and can help us to ward off the nature that might seek to retake the town. The second gift is a garment that has belonged to the clerics of Pola for some time, they’re laced leather gloves that can conjure the light of Pola in the palm of its hand and augments the user to fight back the darkness with her light. Street names can be renamed with an application to the city that must be voted upon.
Kestor tells Ionessa that Xanthos is looking for her, and that they should go for a walk to a really beautiful bridge over a river. And they do! College of Wingmen. Xanthos starts off by talking about how great Rhoecus is. But then he tells her that he likes her! She thought he wasn’t looking for that kind of relationship. He’s a man of one-night stands and blood drinkin’, but he didn’t want that with her! She thought he was amazing from the first time she saw him, and she made that clear but he was oblivious! She turned him down the first day they met because they had only just met! That doesn’t mean someone doesn’t like you, Xanthos! She asks what he wants their relationship to be, they both like each other. No more Rhoecus. He wants to be exclusive!
They hold hands and have a touching conversation about their feelings and Xanthos’ eyes.
The end.

Rewards Granted

Banner of Pola
Gloves of Pola

Notes

<3

Report Date

03 Apr 2023