Mission 002: The Book of Secrets
Another day, another contract. A book has gone missing, and its owner has paid the Standard a handsome sum to make sure that it gets back to her. The snag, though? You're going to have to find it first.
Mission Log
The party made their way to Port Damali to meet with a client at the Gilded Chateau, located in the Gilded Esplanade district. With little information save for the end goal, they entered the inn and found their client amidst a pile of books at a table. On the stage, an elven woman sang while a cheerful halfling played in a way that was appalling to Lark, who loudly lamented the lack of talent he was forced to contend with in this plane. Jace remarked that the halfling looked like he was having fun as they took a seat. Their client — who introduced herself as Davina — cheerfully greeted them and gave them some additional information about what they're retrieving for her: a book that contains the soul or essence of her friend, a necromancer, whose name she cannot say because of a deal she made with an archfey. As she recounts how, why, and by whom the book was taken, the party grow more and more alarmed, having several sidebar conversations about whether or not this is a good idea. They further don't feel particularly cheerful about their lot when she explains that the easiest way to enter is through the sewers, which they can conveniently access in the cellar of this very establishment! Davina reiterates that she's willing to pay 1000gp, to which Lark seems disinterested until she throws in a jaunty green feather. They gather some additional details from her, such as what the book looks like and to beware the sewer patrols, and Letheia asks her what dying smells like (to which Davina replied she didn't think she smelled anything) before she leaves to start her part of the plan: distraction.
Bryn volunteers to get the bartender, who had changed since Davina had gotten there earlier, to let her into the cellar. She goes to the counter and starts to ask about red wines and vintages, insisting on a '23 vintage. The exasperated bartender goes to the cellar and returns with a '22, '24, '26, and '27 vintage. This does not please Bryn, who badgers the bartender into allowing her (and, by extension, the rest of her friends) into the cellar. She cheerfully gives him 3gp and heads down. Before entering the sewers, she takes a bottle of wine she judges to be worth 3gp.
The group makes their way into the sewers, where they have a brief conversation about where to go. Lark flies to a latter to examine it and notes that it takes them street level, but is otherwise untrapped. At this point, a guard pops up and tells them to get out of the sewers. When they argue with him (and, notably, try to convince him they're with the city doing an examination to extend a wine cellar), he shoots at Bryn, who is affronted. Jace attempts to sucker punch the guard but misses, and an argument erupts about why people can't be in the sewer. Jace tries again and manages to sucker punch and grapple the guard. At this point, they notice an ooze starting to rise and decide to continue on. They begin to make their way through the sewers, noting an otyugh behind a grate. The guard explains it's a sanitation thing put in place by the city, which pacifies the group somewhat. The continue down a corridor and Lark successfully notices and warns everyone about an upcoming trap. The guard, however, calls out to someone, and another guard appears.
A fight breaks out, which results in Jace grappling both guards and the second guard being knocked out. They leave the two guards tied up in the sewers with Lark advocating for tossing them to the crocodile pit and Jace refusing. They climb the ladder and enter the estate.
As promised, the estate is mostly empty. They pass a room where it sounds like people are sparring and find a locked door that leads to a library. A guard is asleep on the couch, and they quietly try to toss the room for the book, with Lark flying over the guard to see what book he was reading. They then attempt to tie the guard up, but the guard wakes up, confused. He asks if it's rope day already and gets flustered about missing it. Jace calms him down and they have a 'we'll look one way if you look the other way' conversation. They get some information about where the book is (the aptly named secret room) and that they need to get the keycharm (the 'k' next to Enelyn's name on the guard rotation that Letheia found on a desk before swiping some stamps). Grudgingly, they head back to the sewers to find that one of the guards is gone, but Enelyn is still passed out. They search her and find the keycharm before heading back into the estate.
Jace uses his stone sense to lead the group towards where a sense of magic is the strongest. On their way, they pass by a mess hall where Lark takes a piece of candy he recognizes from the Feywild, as well as a kitchen with two cooks frantically putting together the evening meal. They also stop at a fountain where Jace tosses in a coin.
Right before they make it to the captain's room, they pass by a well tended green space where two awakened plants - Orlando Bloom and Tindr - are having a conversation about renovations and soil choice. Lark chats with them for a bit, asking if they know anything about the book, and the plants give him some very basic information about where it's gone, and that the Claret Orders tried to destroy it but couldn't. Because Lark was so nice, Orlando Bloom shook some Doll's Eye berries from itself and gave them to him.
They head to the captain's room and Lark picks the lock. Upon entering, they find a doll. Jace touches it to turn it around, and it begins to talk, asking "Who are you?" over and over again. Jace tries to silence it by smothering it, but it only starts saying "You don't belong here." To shut it up, he sits on the pillow he covered it with. Meanwhile, the rest of the group, who had found the magical concealed door, use the keycharm to open it. Lark goes in and retrieves the book as well as an orb of direction. He has a brief conversation with the man in the book, determining that the necromancer is just a narcissist. When he re-enters the room, it's to find that the doll is having a conversation with the group, albeit a slightly unnerving one. Letheia determines that the doll's name is Orina, and Jace rips its head off. This, of course, does not stop the doll from talking.
A little more than freaked out at this point, they toss the doll into a chest and set it on fire. Orina's parting words are "This won't stop me." The group book it back to the sewers, dismayed to find that their return path to the Gilded Chateau is blocked by the gelatinous cube they saw rising earlier. Lark checks the ladder closest to them, only to find that it drops into a pit if stepped on, so they quickly make their way to the ladder he'd checked earlier and end up on the streets in the Crescents. Two zhelzo spot them coming up from the sewers and start to question them, but Bryn begins to look sad and distressed, which convinces the zhelezo to escort them back to the Gilded Esplanade.
They enter the Gilded Chateau and the bartender looks extremely confused. Bryn cheerfully tells him that she did not, in fact, find a '23 vintage, and as such, she'd like a refund. The bartender, rethinking all of his life choices, gives her her 3gp back and a red wine on the house. Jace apologizes for her and they make their way back to a beat up looking Davina. They question her about why she wants the book back, and she just explains the book is her friend. Jace has a conversation with the book (now with a new stamp courtesy of Letheia's newly acquired stamps), who confirms that Davina can't actually put his knowledge to use, and he's just lonely. They give the book back to her, she gives them their money and feather, Davina explains she has a boat to catch and leaves.
SUMMARY
DM Sherri
PLAYERS Ash (Letheia), Kati (Bryn), Luke (Jace), Rae (Lark)
RESULT Mission Complete
TOTAL XP 630 xp each
TOTAL GP 250 gp each