Chapter 3, Session 8: Hidden masks and terrorist plots

General Summary

Hermione of Vallea found Sigholdt and handed him a knut and screw enchanted with the Message cantrip so he could cast the spell upon finding the tunnel exit to alert the party. Meanwhile, the rest of the party would lurk 120ft away in the cemetery to stay in range. Before enacting the plan, Hermione quickly identified the earrings, learning the gem in them was part of a type of crystal of holding, linked to Graphomancy. High-level Graphomancers could store thoughts and memories in the earrings, and there was one stored in the ones Hermione now owned - sleeping granted access to the memories. The party headed to the cemetery, where Peregrine went to the tomb with Esmerae to help her ‘find her missing engagement ring’. Sigholdt was hidden in his magic bottle carried by Peregrine. All the guards jumped to help, and when they were looking away, Peregrine tried to strop Sigholdt’s bottle into the secret tunnel without being spotted. Unfortunately, she made noise doing so and had to cover by breaking a bottle of wine on the floor. Esmerae’s prestidigitation to remove the wine and supporting Peregrine’s lie helped keep the guards suitably distracted. With Sigholdt in place, they ‘found’ the ring and left to regroup with the rest of the party.
Once all the guards had left the tomb, Sigholdt left his bottle and began to walk up the tunnel, as Crumble fled due to its claustrophobia. While this chaos was taking place, Hermione and Malus picked out a grave to pretend to mourn at. Malus informed Hermione that in Kaechaek, death was seen positively as it meant no dreams, but the Undead were considered very bad. The only regularly worshipped god in Kaechaek is the Duskmother. The pair picked out the grave of Thalion Silverleaf, which was inscribed with: “Here lies Thalion, whose mind soared among the stars, now one with the cosmos. Though in the end, he fell to the ground”. As Hermione started to tidy the grave and Malus knelt respectively, Esmerae and Peregrine joined them. Hermione offered a sip of alcohol that was basically ethanol, poisoning Peregrine and barely not poisoning Hermione. The party remained undisturbed in their ‘mourning’.
Meanwhile, Sigholdt travelled down the tunnel, finding it very clean and deliberately made. After five minutes, he reached the end, seeing arclight above, but not starlight. Sigholdt attempted to stealth out of the tunnel but got spotted by a kid. Swiftly, he cast Sleep on the child who fell immediately asleep. Sigholdt found himself in the front market of Sanctuary, which was usually a 15-20 minute walk from the cemetery, and the walls were just ahead. He realised the passage must be a secret escape route. The tunnel cover was well illusioned to look like a part of the road, so Sigholdt left glasses on top of it to keep track as he checked the nearby stalls to help triangulate the location. The only odd thing he noticed was that, despite the late hour, a fruit vendor was still open. Soon after, Sigholdt returned through the tunnel, messaging Hermione the location. Confirming she got the message, she and the rest of the party headed out toward the market.
As the party arrived, they saw four Honour Blades berating the fruit seller, a goblin man, for being open too late after curfew. The goblin appeared reluctant and slow to pack up. The party was also told to leave, and slowly they began to do so. Hermione heard the goblin muttering something, and Peregrine could see he was preparing something as he ducked beneath the stall. After a beat of silence, as the Honour Blades moved in to investigate, a delayed fireball was suddenly released. Hitting the party, it instantly knocked Esmerae and Peregrine out, killed all of the Honour Blades, and injured Malus and Hermione. Quickly Malus and Hermione healed Esmerae and Peregrine, and Esmerae was able to spot the location of the tunnel fast enough for the party to drag themselves into before more authorities could arrive at the scene. Just before entering the tunnel, Hermione grabbed the used spell scroll, and the party noticed a simultaneous explosion occurred at 6 other points in the city - other markets.
After a few minutes of walking, the party reunited with Sigholdt, filling him in on what happened. He suggested it could be retaliation for the drug raids. The part took a short rest in the darkness, before readying up as Emperor Honour's voice could suddenly be heard. Honour entered the tomb with a light, and the party listened as he attempted to hype himself up. After hearing the sound of stone scraping, the party listened as Honour cast a spell to speak with the dead - Sigholdt confirming undeath with his divine senses:
Emperor Honour: “I can only apologise to the spirits, the land and all else for what I’m going to do, but it is necessary. For my first question, yet again, I ask where is the Allsight?”
Silence was the response. Hermione realised she had heard of the Allsight, knowing it to be a very old, powerful spell (akin to the Chaining of Thornden), however, she didn’t know what it was meant to do.
Emperor Honour: “It never works, it never fucking works. I always ask that question and it never fucking works. Fucking stupid… We rephrase. Do you like being asked these questions night after night?”
Corpse: “If it means frustrating and slowing you, then yes, we relish the questions night on night”
Emperor Honour: “You have to answer, you can’t refuse, the spell works that way. Who has the Allsight?”
Corpse: “I will not tell you where I keep the ALlsight, for you were too brash, too impatient, too foolish… A true fool that would never convince Ellarion. Rot and lose it, I pray to the land and the gods that you lose your ruler too fool!”
Emperor Honour: “Progress progress progress… Ok, we go again. Why won’t Ellarion give me the Allsight?”
Corpse (sounding strained and reluctant to answer): “Ellarion won’t give the ALlsight to you because he does not remember how”
Emperor Honour: “Why can’t he remember?”
Corpse: “He can’t remember because I ensured via his own spellcasting, and you above all know how potent ELlarion is. He cannot remember because I made him forget. He’ll remember when I show him how.”
Emperor Honour: “How do I make him remember? How can I do that? How do I make him remember?”
Corpse: “That knowledge was lost to me when you killed me, Emperor Honour.”
Emperor Honour shouted in rage and threw a torch at the wall before beginning to pace: “How much longer must I wait? They’re falling from the sky, it’s coming. I just have to be ready this time, I just need to find and keep the pieces. It’ll be quite the gift. This time it will work. I just need to know when. I need the Allsight.”
After this final statement, and the end of the spell, Emperor Honour left the tomb. Malus and Sigholdt slipped out of the tunnel to investigate, inspecting the tomb of the old emperor that had been spoken to. They saw an old skeleton, however, on top of it was the fresh body of Emperor Honour. Sigholdt removed the head of the Emperor’s corpse and returned with Malus to the tunnel, showing the head to the rest of the group. Peregrine realised if Emperor Honour was an imposter, the assassination attempt worked, which would explain why Xanthier and other paladins had lost their oaths. When the real Emperor Honour died, their oaths to him died with him. The imposter also spoke of gathering pieces and a gift, and Peregrine suggested he could be seeking the crown pieces of the Sleeping King.
As the party discussed this, Sigholdt noticed something odd about the eye in the head. Touching it, he went instantly unconscious, finding himself in a starry sky-scape with the head. The eyes were open, one being filled with stars, the other with a letter: I. The party has now found three letters in this manner: N, C and I. Sigholdt suggested it could be Sennic, as he had not been seen in court for a while, although there was still the issue of Sennic being mute.
The party realised they couldn’t exit out of either end of the tunnel for a while, so long rested in the tunnel. They traipsed back to the market end, and with a combination of Misty Step and bird forms, they were able to exit unseen by security. After further discussion, the party decided they needed to inform Xanthier and Ellarion of the situation (Mikhael Solitsev being too volatile to tell for now). They made their way to the barracks to try and find Xanthier, learning that all the captains were at a council meeting to discuss the next steps regarding the latest threat to the city after the explosions the previous night. Peregrine, Esmerae and Malus decided to go to the palace grounds and, with a Nat 20, Peregrine was able to connect a Message spell to Xanthier, asking him to come to the tavern when he could, as a matter of national security. As the trio headed back to wait for him, Esmerae split off to go to the palace and find Sigholdt and Hermione, as they needed the head as proof for Xanthier. Sigholdt and Hermione had gone to access research in Emperor Honour’s library, as he had granted permission to do so earlier. The two were under close watch from the guards as they decided to look into: the Allsight; Ye Olde Magic; The Long Night; Luyarnha; Myths of a Letter Assassin; and Secret exits out of Sanctuary.

Report Date

23 Apr 2024