Session 20: Investigations and Decisions

General Summary

Summary: 3 pts

Afternoon

Saf is spending some time talking to the townsfolk for leads on Sefra. Meanwhile the rest of the party...

Leucis checks in with the Ironmere refugees

The local farmers who moved from Ironmere are relieved that the oncoming fall and winter should be manageable, barring unforeseen circumstances. No unusual events more recent than the strange half-drow coming out of the woods.

Sunny takes a nap

Old Lady Rustling Trees always said food and rest are central to recovering from magical efforts, and the bard takes that advice seriously. In an effort to recover from the amount of Identify rituals he's performed today, Sunny takes a nap for the afternoon.

Maya trains Cinnamon

Aided by the recently acquired carrots and using Speak with Animals, Maya begins training Cinnamon to take some basic commands (sit, stay, etc). He contacts a local farmer to acquire a large quantity of carrots (5 lbs at 2 copper per pound).

Harb reviews recent events and old memories

Harb considers what's been happening with the party cleric, and determines that he's not been around someone with Leucis's relationship with his deity. While deities are often involved with mortal affairs, it's usually indirectly via their following or the leaders among them. Harb also muses over Celestian - he hasn't had any direct dealings with known followers of that faith. Perhaps they're not well-represented among the populace, or they're secretive about their faith.

Kolvonnin Sends to Einar

The paladin approaches Leucis about Sending word to the head of his order using the Gossip's Mirror. The cleric obliges, arranges the mirror to superimpose their images. then casts the spell.

2nd Leafbreak 3834

During Session 20, Kolvonnin Sends to Einar:

Temple retains very strong presence - Send Brother. Repairs and guarding underway. More details in mail. Developing interests point me to Sunhaven. His light guides us.

Einar responds:

Excellent news. Will send acolyte. Supplies needed? Excited to hear about leads, sounds dangerous. Where's Sunhaven? May the light of dawn smile on you.

Leucis hears the Draconic but understands the underlying message despite that. Kolvonnin thanks Leucis for the use of the magic and leaves to hang sconces at the temple before reconvening at the Spotted Cap.

Back at the Spotted Cap that evening

The group decides to meet in Saf's suite rather than the common room at the inn. They order up some mugs and stem beer, then adjourn to the room to confer about their future plans. Saf declines libations until after business is concluded.
The shroomfolk arrive with mugs, a pair of pitchers, and a shallow trough of cold water to keep the stem beer cool. Harb seems interested in the spacious and lavish surroundings.

Theories on deities

Based on the information in Domains and Pantheons, Maya suggests that it might be possible to influence the gods via their worship (or worshippers). Intrigued, Saf starts taking notes.
Sunny suggests that maybe this is what happened to the "other sun god" that might be a better fit for the Sun Carving than Pelor.
Maya continues that perhaps the gods are out of touch because they have lost most of their followers. Perhaps a missing god could be resurrected by restoring their worship, though he's sure that it would take a long time and significant effort. Kolvonnin muses whether all the followers of a lost god are gone, and Maya surmises that there must be some threshold number required.
Harb inquires how this gets the group any closer to recovering Nock . Maya concludes that it might explain why Leucis seems to be getting these contacts from Selune and the change in his holy symbol.

Discussion of Saf's findings

Saf advises the group that her contacts report someone matching Sefra's description in Steelforge about a week ago. Sunny and Harb recall that Nock mentioned he was originally discovered near Steelforge. Saf puts in that travel from Stonebridge to Steelforge by conventional means wouldn't allow for this timetable: Sefra was seen in Stonebridge a couple of weeks ago, and in Steelforge a week ago, but travel between the two would take longer than a week. Saf suggests that it may mean it's not the same person, or that they're using teleportation as a means of travel.
Efforts turn toward investigating the half-drow that she seems to have been interested in. There's some discussion about talking to the town guard about where the half-drow was buried, as well as the temple acolytes who might have seen Sefra while tending the graves. The idea of asking around about where her guards stayed (since they did not bunk down at the Cap like Sefra did) but this is deemed too blatant and potentially invasive.
Two pairs of adventurers head to destinations for more information. Sunny prepares for his nightly performance and Saf takes advantage of the setting to lounge a while.

The guards and the graveyard

Harb and Kolvonnin head to the Town Guard Barracks and have a short conversation with a half-elf guardsman. In response to their inquires about Sefra, he directs them to the farmers on the outskirts of town. Kolvonnin recalls that Leucis had spoken to them some time back about this visitor. He also describes the location where the half-drow was buried - since no one in town knew him, the guard saw to his burial. Harb and the paladin head off to the graveyard to see what they can find.
The graveyard on the outskirts of town is smallish, and only one grave seems to have been placed recently, exactly where the guard indicated. Taking a closer look, Harb notes that near the edge of the plot, there's an indentation as though someone knelt there. The ground would need to be soft for the indentation to be left, so the grave may have been disturbed just before that time.
Kolvonnin opens up his Divine Sense, detecting no unexpected presences but a faint whiff of death magic used nearby in the recent past. The paladin suspects that potentially magic was used to speak with the corpse.

The acolytes

Maya and Leucis go talk to the acolytes at the Temple of Selune. They inquire as to who handles the maintenance at the graveyard, and a halfling with a bit of a grubby appearance comes out. He says he was going to the graveyard around sunset to do a little tidying up and saw the tabaxi with a few others. She seemed to be speaking, but it wasn't clear to whom.
The druid and cleric decide they should look in on the grave and find their compatriots about to leave from there.

Foursome at the graveside

Harb and Kolvonnin explain their findings: the disturbed grave, the faint vestiges of necromancy. Maya uses Detect Magic, but can't properly identify the magic that was used given that it's been some time ago. It definitely has the feel of the necromancy school and had to have been beyond first level leave the trace this long. The foursome return to the inn to share what they've learned.

Reviewing the findings

Summing up what the party knows about the half-drow:

1. He ran out of the woods, pursued by orcs.
2. He was carrying the Llyrian Charm, and had a minor skin irritation where it was kept. Since the charm is made of silver, he may have had lycanthropy.
3. He didn't say anything to the farmers, but scratched a map into the dirt.
4. He died of his wounds without explaining his situation.
5. The town guards tried to find kin in town, but didn't turn anyone up, so they buried him.
6. About a week later, Sefra showed up and visited his grave. She was seen speaking at it, but it wasn't clear to whom she was speaking.
7. The grave seems to have been disturbed about this time.
8. There are traces of something necromantic (suspected casting of Speak with Dead) at his grave.

Summing up what the party knows about Sefra:

1. She showed up in Stonebridge about 3 weeks ago, while the party was at the Llyrian Moon Facility.
2. She asked the farmers about the half-drow.
3. She visted the half-drow's grave, and appears to have both disturbed it and done something necromantic (suspected casting of Speak with Dead).
4. She stayed in the nicest room in the Spotted Cap, but her guards did not.
5. No one knows which direction she left town in.
6. Saf's contacts report a sighting of someone matching her description in Steelforge a week ago. Conventional travel would take longer than two weeks to get from Stonebridge to Steelforge, so it's inferred she has access to magic that would make travel faster.

Plans for leaving town

The party considers several alternatives:

1. Head to Steelforge
• Someone matching Sefra's description was spotted here about a week ago.
• It's possible it's not actually Sefra.
• The timetable means she would have had to use magic to travel that distance this quickly.
• It's not clear what her motives or stance regarding the party are. If she's hostile, the fact that she has powerful magic and seems wealthy is concerning.
2. Head to Sohmweyr, the tabaxi enclave
• Travel overland is long and near areas of known lycanthrope activity.
• Travel up the river depends on its condition; at this time of year it generally becomes impassable in spots for boats.
3. Head to Sunhaven
• The is the presumed location of Sunhaven based on the shield etch and the rumor from Harridra, so it's not yet confirmed.
• This is supposedly in or near a desert, potentially hostile terrain.
4. Head to the ruins near Sohmweyr (Sunny recognized the written name of Leng there)

They eventually decide on a series of stages:

1. Take the river to Grayhill, using the folding boat.
2. Travel to Sohmweyr:
   • Charter a ship to get passage at least as far as the mouth of the river downstream of Sohmweyr.
   • Head upstream to Sohmweyr, via the ship, the folding boat, or overland.
3. Choose a destination further on from there.
• The ruins
• The potion bottle
• Sunhaven

Next steps:

1. Add some major cities to the continent map. (DM)
2. Prepare for a river voyage in the folding boat.
3. Discuss any concerns around locating cargo for the trip.

Session Feedback

Eddy: Having a decision for a path is a huge plus.
Heather: Looking forward to seeing new areas and interacting with the circus.
James: Herding the party is hard. A fresh unspoiled dungeon sounds like a good time. More maps!
Jeremy: Checking out the possibility of another destination seemed reasonable.
Matt: Saf got to lounge in opulence. Check the maps ahead of time. Tracking down the loose thread a little bit was nice, though it's not clear that the party has a solid answer on if this is an antagonist or not. If they are, they seem a little daunting.
Meg:It was a slow session.
John: