Session 3 - Heroes' Day!

General Summary

We set out into the city to join the Heroes’ Day celebrations! Food! Wine! Dancing! Games! Music! A tabaxi! He tells us that the Temple of Zole is hosting a scavenger hunt and he’s really down on himself and his abilities. His name is Krates - he’s having a good time. The prize is a trinket, something to do with a myth? He’s not really sure because he’s wine-day-drunk.
We head to the temple of Zole. The captain of the guard/head cleric (Aerope). They have stashed items across the city (there are 4 of them), if we locate all of them and bring them back we will get a prize. The prize is secret but well worth our efforts, something any collector would be happy to enter into their collection. It was donated by King Bion himself. All of the items are based on the story of the Four Trials of Polydes. If you think about HOW she completed her trials, you should be able to know where to go, and there will be a person there to give us the item.
Polydes was a daughter of Nypoloita and a demigod, she was cursed due to infidelity so she could not draw a bow, sword, or spear, but she was clever and beseeched the god of justice for mercy who gave her four trials she must complete to lift the curse. The first trial was to acquire a pearl from the coffers of Thalakyma. She convinced her to count her pearls and Polydes slipped into the pearls while disguised as a fish and stole two of them. We intuit this means the first item is likely near the water, the Temple of Thalakyma. We go there!
There’s a triton cleric there and a bunch of people, some looking for the item, some worshipers, one is presumably the hunt person. Aga starts looking around and spots a merfolk waiting in a pool. Kestor is asked to do a distraction, but he has a flashback to kneeling before the altar to Thalakyma during a dark and stormy night. He goes to pray, he’s not helpful. Instead, Ionessa points out Xanthos is the hero that brought back the Snail of Creteone! Xanthos does a good job basking in the adoration of the public; Aga and Ionessa sneak into the water expertly and retrieve the pearls.
The second trial was to cross the lands of Koss in a single day. Polydes challenged Exa, saying she could not travel across the land in a single day. Exa said she so could! Polydes said well if she can then Polydes should come with her so she could chronicle the feat, and so tricked Exa into taking her across the land in a single day, completing the challenge. We suspect the next item may be somewhere with horses, so we head to the staging area for the chariot races! We spot a centaur there who is involved with the hunt, Kestor challenges him to a race around the track and gets a horseshoe and gets absolutely iced in the race.
The third trial was to acquire a weapon forged by Ptourge. She went to the underworld and convinced Ptourge to craft her a sling with a single bronze bullet in exchange for her last pearl. We intuit this probably means we should find a blacksmith. We decide to go to Eos’ Nick-Knacks and Jewellery to ask about her work and also see if she knows a crafter who might be affiliated with the hunt. We hand over a bunch of snail glass. She knows about the scavenger hunt! They got a tiefling blacksmith called Diomede to play the role, so we decide to go there! Eos goes off into the woods to collect more snail glass. Diomede is miffed that Eos told us to go to her but hands us a bronze bullet in exchange for one of the pearls.
Kestor requisitions some traveling compartments for all the coins. The final trial was to defeat Amphis, champion of Kaiotim. She convinced Kaiotim that in order for it to be a fair battle, it should be something they could both do. She challenged him to a battle of wits, Apnosis oversaw the debate. Apnosis liked arguing with Kaiotim and picking apart his arguments, so Polydes chose to take an opposing stance against everything Amphis was saying to appease the celestial judge and won. Neo and Xanthos go before an owlin at the theater as it was in the story and have an argument, winning the next item.
We realize we have to go to the temple of Kaiotim before we return to the temple of Zole in accordance with the legend. We hand over the four items to a judge who honestly seems like he’d rather be administering justice. He’s really just a very serious guy. Ionessa bothers him about having some fun, he says he is in a constant state of judicious ecstasy but Ionessa doesn’t really buy it because he doesn’t look like he’s smiling. His name is Kroisus.
Xanthos speaks to him alone and asks for his guidance about Ophia’s situation. If a judgment is reversed, does it need to be replaced with an alternative judgment? “Justice doled out by one is not necessarily absolute, it can be worked through. Zole did not remove the curse of Polydes, but he was not angry with Kaiotim nor did he doubt his perception of justice when he lifted the curse upon her.”
Ionessa and Aga try to bring food to Kroisus and this triggers a philosophical debate about whether judges should be able to accept gifts or whether this would invalidate their position as a neutral infallible party. Ionessa is displeased at the state of things but it is what it is.
We bring the items and a stamped scroll from Kroisus back to the temple of Zole. We receive a magical powerful Pearl of Thalakyma in exchange! Next, we go to the storytelling competition. Rhoecus and Krates are there too! Aga and Kestor sign up as 5th and 6th in line. Rhoecus recognizes Xanthos and Neo, Ionessa seems into him.
Rhoecus tells a story of a hero who climbed to the highest peak in The Spears to retrieve a scarf tied to a spear that had been placed there. Only if Audax could retrieve the scarf and return, left there by his father, to win the praise of his potential father-in-law. He braved the wind and the snow and found the scarf, but found that the mountain continued. He continued up, but found no scarf there. When he pulled the spear from the ground, the mountain trembled above him and he awoke a great dragon that made its lair atop the mountain. The hero (revealed to be Rhoecus’ ancestor) did not flee or fight, but instead spoke to the dragon. The dragon, awakened from its slumber, had the spear embedded in its claw. Audax removed the spear from the dragon, who carried him down the mountain to his bride. The father-in-law demanded the spear as a dowry, and was swallowed whole by the dragon as punishment. Perhaps this tale means not to be greedy, or maybe just not to piss off dragons. Good job, Rhoecus!
Krates tells a rambling poetic story about olives, but he tried. Aga goes to tell a story but gets nervous in the middle of it and runs off. Kestor tells the Tale of the Clever Swift and wins the competition, and splits the 50gp coin purse amongst the other competitors, keeping 25gp for himself. Ionessa arranges to meet with Rhoecus at the feast, he asks her to attend the chariot race and for everyone to keep their eyes open for the treachery of Copreus. We head off to the Arena of Isadora.
The champion is TOO TOUGH so single combat is a bad idea. Nobody wants to compete against them. We sign up and head down to the prep area. Xanthos learns from an official working there that THE BEAST is some kind of demonic creature. Xanthos is very troubled by this and it’s decided we should find out exactly what the beast is in case it’s a danger to the city. Neo and Xanthos start a fake fight to distract the guards while Aga and Ionessa slip out in search of the beast. They find it locked away, it is definitely a demon. Ionessa talks to it and they trade threats. We start to take the arena bouts a little more seriously.
We fight in the arena and win against the competitors and champion, Speio. She’s really strong and one-shots Kestor to pay him back for all his vicious mockeries. We defeat her! We take a break before fighting the demon. Xanthos talks about how his life was ruined by a devil he’s now hunting, but doesn’t go into more detail. Xanthos brags about beating Speio, and she comes over to accept the challenge. Xanthos comes up with a lot of excuses as to why he shouldn’t have to compete with her, but in the end they arm wrestle and he loses.
Ionessa and Neo talk. Neo explains that the reason he’s being so secretive is because Fytanke worshipers are liable to be executed should they reveal their faith. They make peace and talk optimistically about the party staying together.

Rewards Granted

Pearl of Thalakyma 
50gp gold pouch

Missions/Quests Completed

Scavenger Hunt
Storytelling Competition

Character(s) interacted with

Krates - A wacky tabaxi, loves olives and wine.
Aerope - The guard captain. We met her earlier but on this day we learned her name.
Rhoecus - The chariot racer from before, told a story of his ancestor climbing a mountain and befriending a dragon!
Speio - Champion of the Arena of Isadora.

Report Date

09 May 2022