Session 56 - Okay My Bad There’s a Few More Things in Rheo

General Summary

We’re out of the tunnels! We give the guards a rundown of what’s down there and how to deal with the slime if it comes up, and they take custody of the petrified people and will let us know what happens with them. We head back to the cottage and identify the blue rhomboid as a Stone of Apnosis that increases your strength by +2 to a maximum of 20. We appraise all the coins and loot: the artwork is worth about 2,500gp, the miscellaneous gems, cutlery, rugs, etc. are worth another 1,500gp, and the coins total 5,212gp. 9,212gp in total. Kestor heads to a bunch of art dealers and such to try to sell the artwork, Neo and Xanthos set up a market stall, and Ionessa goes to find an attorney to set up a charity fund for the prisoners.
Kestor ends up talking mostly to private art dealers who are interested in the artwork, the prestige of having art belonging to the beholder, and gets the full 2,500gp. Neo and Xanthos get a day permit and a stall for the following morning. Ionessa finds Melae, a half-elven solicitor-cleric who follows Pola but isn’t associated with the temple. She has a great reputation for morals and taking clients who are helping further a positive civilisation. Ionessa gets her to agree to a 1% fee because it’s such a good cause. We meet back up and take 500gp back from the fund (125 each) for the rope purchase, leaving 8,712gp in the fund.
We hand out magic items. In the morning Kestor starts reading the scroll of leadership and influence and Ionessa, Neo, and Xanthos get started on the stall. Ionessa does well, she’s used to selling jewellery after all, but Neo and Xanthos drop the ball a little and the total comes out to 1,050gp. So the fund has 8,262gp, still plenty for the prisoners. Next, we head over to Parmenion to confirm he’s following through on his plans. He is, so we give him back the letters as a sign of good faith and to show we’re not the kinds of people to hold blackmail over someone’s head. He’s heading back to Limpani tomorrow to deal with Dorien, we plan to check in with Tidas later and make sure everything’s going well there.
Parmenion asks what we found down in Phosidaeus’ lair, and Kestor gives him almost the entire story but leaves out the details of what he saw in the marble vision. Parmenion suggests casting legend lore but won’t fund it because he’s cheap! That night, Ionessa is visited by Konotasvunychtos who brings her information and wants to visit Kovu! Ionessa agrees to find somewhere they can meet discreetly in two days time. The next day we finalise the prisoner fund, buy legend lore components, and research the underworld. Melae has looked into the prisoners and feels most of them will be released or a drastically reduced sentence, but others were there for truly horrific crimes who will not be pardoned.
Kestor looks into the underworld and learns entrances give off an otherworldly heat, that such entrances used to exist around the battles of the Great Wildfire but they are likely to be closed by now, but off to the West is still the best place to look. Kestor recalls that recently a lot of people lost their lives fighting the kraken in the Strait, but it would be on land nearby either in the Merchant Republics or Vassic territory. Kestor goes looking for the guy who Ionessa met who gave us the heretical tome about the beholders, but nobody has heard of him!!! WHO IS HE?
We visit Learchos and she agrees to teleport us to Cherianto in the morning, she also tells us that things are settling down in Rheo regarding sentiments of war. She’s consulting for the Archons about how to handle the remaining prisoners. Kestor asks if there’s a way he can get an abjurative box to keep his marbles safe, she says he’ll need an artificer. Ionessa goes back to the library and returns the book to the mysterious gnome. She questions him about not working at the library, even though he’s wearing robes of Apnosis he says libraries are for sharing knowledge. He takes the book back happily, and reveals his name to be Mynosi. She tells him about the beholder’s lair, he’s very interested in the layout, traps, juggernaut, trolls, and the two bid each other a pleasant farewell.
Kestor goes to the base of the Kritharics to find Lambros, but finds he isn’t there, and instead spots Eustathius heading towards him. They exchange pleasantries and then Eustathius asks if Kestor can answer a question, one that Kestor himself asked when he was a child. Kestor told him he came from a land ravaged by fire and war, and asked what use were Eustathius’ ways of living if it could all be taken away in a single act of madness. Kestor gives the best answer he can, and Eustathius gives no sign of approval or disapproval.
He says Lambros is tending to his garden, and Kestor can find him there. Kestor asks why Eustathius took advantage of him, and he responds that he himself was never able to answer Kestor’s question, and he saw an opportunity for Kestor to find his own answer. He let him go down that path because he knew he would find something there, though he didn’t know whether it would be good for him or not. Kestor asks if he knowingly sacrificed their relationship and Kestor’s love for him; Eustathius doesn’t really answer, but it’s clear he did.
Kestor goes to speak to Lambros at his apartment’s garden plot. He’s moving on from the Kritharics, but he doesn’t know where he’s going next. The two of them share a touching conversation, they both clearly care about each other but there’s damage to their relationship that won’t ever be fully repaired. Kestor tells him about the underworld, Rhene and Arachnos, and his hopes for saving the souls trapped by the play. Kestor makes a joke about the play, and Lambros responds that he knows Kestor could have done good without encountering the play, which actually means a lot. They share a hug. Two emotional conversations in a row, I am emotionally drained.
Ionessa goes to talk to the kenku, they’re having a blast in their hideout. She asks how the investigation is going, and they share that they are still required to stay within the city. Ionessa tells them where we’re going and has a fun conversation hyping them up a little, and they all thank her for the help. She comes back and asks if any of us know the name Mynosi, Kestor dissociates and is no help at all.
Neo rolls a nat 20 on a history check and recognises the name! It’s an entity mentioned in stories, a minor god on the same level as a river spirit whose domain consists of stolen knowledge. A patron of scholar-thieves, those who would steal from Apnosis, kind of a Robin Hood of knowledge.Neither Apnosis or Mynosi want lots of people to know about him, so he’s obscured. The fact that Ionessa told him all about the tadpoles might actually be useful, because he’s likely to tell that information to people who need it.
Kestor and Neo have a conversation about how they can look into the play. Neo says that Kestor doesn’t have to deal with this all himself, the others can take on some of these burdens, they’re family now and can help each other. Kestor says he’s willing to accept any help that does not risk turning their minds to madness, for it’s his burden and his curse to contain. They share an understanding and a hug, and then we cast legend lore on the pouch with the marbles!
“Wracked with parasitic nightmare, Phosidaeus cast the torment from his mind and into hardened dream amber, shattered tales given form. When exposed to the world awake they will quickly fade, but one might cast these tales unto the earth where a shadow of their story will come briefly to life, or take it unto themselves and carry a piece of the tale with them always.”
We theorise about the wording and what it all means. Is it safe to take one of the marbles on? Ionessa brings up when we spoke to Xanthos’ mother, could we cast speak with dead on the corpse of Phosidaeus? It might involve breaking into wherever his corpse is being examined, but hey we’re great at that and we’re leaving anyway! Possible questions:
Did you encounter the play? What is dream amber? Will taking a marble into oneself perpetuate the play’s curse? Where did the nightmares come from? (if he says no to the play) How can I become capable of excising the tales from my mind like you did?
The end!

Notes

┐(︶▽︶)┌

Report Date

05 Feb 2024