23rd Session
General Summary
The party has a day and a half before they leave for their job protecting the princess. They let the Rubenians know they are going to be gone for a while. Ellie spends a lot of time in the library, Caspian has to tell his girlfriend he'll be gone for a while. He does buy the horse he's been riding, Fuego, from her at a discounted price. Theo buys some more armor and brainstorms ways to move the princess without touching her. The party gets a message from Colonel Stoneface which includes a copy of their contract, a letter of permission to enter the inner walls of Horace and a letter addressed to Ellie talking about the "weather patterns" on Epoch Lake which tells her to trust Lady Galla's judgment on the matter.
In the morning on 7/4/8499, the party goes to the meeting place and meets Galla, Geoffery and "Shanna" who is actually the Eirianwen in disguise. The real Shanna Ortiz will be leaving with the royal family. The Galla makes a big show of thanking the colonel for letting her and her grandchildren stay at his home and providing the desconoci guards. The colonel gives a threat as to what would happen if the party fails. Ellie and Tasha get invited to sit in the carriage while the men ride the horses and they start out.
Ellie asks about medical stuff which Galla responds to, but the ultimate answer is "we used to have/do that, but we don't any more. It's an old thing." It also comes out that ageless people heal fast, eat and sleep less, less prone to disease and injury and has a higher tolerance to pain, poison and extreme conditions. Their blood can be used to heal a lot of diseases. Tasha tries to keep them entertained and the two old ones are very polite.
Caspian notices some goblins waiting to ambush them, so the carriage stops and the halflings come out. Theo and Caspian try intimidating them, which doesn't work. Caspian tries persuading them and offers the keg of ale that's been in the bag of holding since Menster. Galla sticks her head out of the window of the carriage. Ellie attempts intimidation, but fails to impress the old one. Most of the goblinoids agree to leave the carriage alone in return for the ale, but one hobgoblin does not. Intimidation doesn't work on him, but Tasha charms him and he lets you go by.
When you make camp for the night, the princess rests in a tent set up for her. Galla sets up an orb that produces a "fuzzy" sound as ageless folks have very good hearing and Ellie indicated she wanted to talk about things the princess should not hear. Galla answers the party questions indicating more and more that old ones have experience with technology and knowledge far beyond the rest of the world, but do not choose to practice it widely, though some of it can be found in the basement of the Time Clan Library of Horace. These things involve more advance farming techniques, robotics, economics, air conditioning, plumbing and medicine. She explains their hesitancy to share has to do with the benevolent virtues. She theorizes the Heartford Dungeon is an old bunker and explains the guardians are like giant clockwork toys and that the colonel's place has hot water. Theo gets stuck on getting more people to do stuff. Galla's responses to questioning indicates the old ones don't necessarily want a lot more people, especially not more ageless ones. Tasha begins to play music to break some tension.
Galla gets excited when Ellie mentions Steve and Joe and asks her about them. When asked how she knows about them, Galla says, "All old ones know each other" and tells the base story of what happened to Eirianwen. She lived in a religious order, city-state led by her mother with a purpose to do the Giver's work. They were very powerful magically and Steve and Joe were both there. Galla says the connect with the order was cut off, but they weren't too worried as it happened from time to time. When a company of clansfolk went to the city for a routine visit about 360 years ago (8135) the city was in ruins with no survivors or even bones, but with decayed signs of violence. Galla starts to cry and urges the party to not mention the lizard brothers to Eirianwen, as other news of other survivors may make her hopeful, but it may also bring back terrible memories of the slaughter.
Eirianwen beings screaming in her tent. Galla checks on her to make sure she's not currently getting murdered which she is not. The party and Geffrey listen to her screaming until she finally stops. Galla comes out and tells everyone to go to sleep. She'll stay up and keep watch as she can go a few days without sleep. Theo asks her to wake him up at 3rd bell so he can watch too.
TLDR: The party starts the job of escorting the princess to the colonel's manor house. They met the people and run into goblins on the road which they get by without violence. Speaking with old one Galla sheds light on the heartford dungeon and the lizard brothers from the Wayfaring Stranger. The princess as an episode of night terrors.
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