Session 3 - Rewards and Recollections

General Summary

Return Trip

Your group, including Kassan and the two townspeople you "rescued," loaded everything up into a cart drawn by two mules and headed back south toward Hatena. Now in the light of day, you can spot a large camp several miles to the west. You estimate that around 100-200 people are there. Tons of tents. They are building a wooden palisade wall and diverting the coastal highway to their new encampment. You see the golden flag of Olimandias there. Hart is slapped in the face by a branch and sees none of this.
Piers has a brief conversation with an ethereal voice about the new hardships he may face outside the Lost Woods -- Piers's end of the conversation is audible to all, causing great confusion. And wild notions about disease.
The group speaks a little with Kassan, who seems glum and doesn't want to get in trouble with Gerty. Through prying questions, you learn:

• He misses "his moms" -- Chikara and Selena, two of the Labyrinth's leaders.
• They are dead, allegedly.
• Kassan was an orphan and was raised by the Labyrinth.
• Wisp now rules the Labyrinth alone.
• The Labyrinth has been invaded by devils from the Nine Hells.
• Wisp sent Kassan away for his own safety, as he's a little on the anxious side.
• The Labyrinth has a holiday dedicated to hedonism and orgies (The Rites of Indulgence; 25th of Autumn). 

The two townsfolk you rescued are a married couple, and the husband is extremely concerned that his wife was interested in the succubus and fell victim to her charms. They have a long tense discussion about it. You return to Hatena with them on opposite side of the cart. You sense divorce is in the future.

Delivering Kassan and Other Goods

You stop at the northern gatehouse and hand off the rescued townsfolk to the Watch Captain. For them and Kassan, you receive 30 gold. You then deliver the whisky kegs to Wavebreaker. Morvoth is elated. He pays you 50 gold as a finder's fee, and says food and drinks are on the house. You can also get discounted rooms if you need to stay there.
You keep the cart full of loot and return to the Enclave, delivering Kassan to Gerty. Gerty is happy to have him back, and gives you cookies, food, and a big bag o' gold (700). She then calls a general meeting so everyone can report in. You pass on your findings to her. Kassan reports on all he found out before his capture:

• A Man from Olimandias met with Angelo Risanna, the "mayor" of Hatena, and offered terms of peaceful annexation.
• Angelo refused, and the Man from Olimandias issued some vague threats if he didn't change his mind.
• The Man from Olimandias was staying at a suite in the Wavebreaker. 
• Kassan overhead one-sided conversations from that room. 
• The conversations mentioned a blockade and a delivery from a ship known as the Equinox.

Gerty says the Equinox docked last night. She also explains that this "Man" is likely an Alleviator; an agent of Olimandias sent to annex new territories. If leaders do not submit immediately, the Alleviators sow chaos and civil unrest to justify a forceful takeover. Gerty orders you to shake down the crew of the Equinox. Find out what the cargo was, and who they sold it to.
You all decide to take a long rest and begin your investigation during the "night life" hours at Wavebreaker. Piers donates money to a local orphanage. Most of you sleep in the Enclave barracks. Meera sleeps with Kassan at Wavebreaker.

The Equinox Crew

You reunite at Wavebreaker in the evening -- around 11 at night. Abbits starts throwing pebbles against windows to get Meera's attention. Hart chucks a large rock through an entire window and shatters it. Meera walks out of the bar, having already been down there.
Kassan leads you to The Man from Olimandias's suite. He is not there, and it seems like he's checked out of the hotel entirely. Morvoth describes the man: Pale skin, slicked back dark hair, well kept facial hair, fancy clothes. He did not leave word about where he was going. You inquire about new ship crews -- Morvoth directs you to two tables in the bar.
Biscus runs into an old flame, who dumps wine on him.
A captain from one of the pointed-out tables stands up and addresses Meera by name. Meera disassociates and has a wild, shifting vision the culminates in a memory flash of the Equinox crew's elven mate stabbing her in the same place she has a scar. She collapses on the ground, and the elf, seeing her, bolts out of the door. Hart, Piers, and Krud give chase. Hart successfully grapples him, and the group intimidates him into revealing that 1) Meera was a member of their crew, and 2) Linnaeus killed her after Meera caught him stealing extra money.
Captain Bertrand has him taken away to be locked up in jail. Meera recovers and requests to see the Equinox to "jog her memory." First Officer Helena helps Meera walk and escorts the group to the Equinox, which is moored at the west end of the docks. Your group takes a quick tour. You find traces of black powder on the lowest cargo deck. Biscus distracts a crewmate by making him imagine that he soiled himself, and Abbit sneaks into the captain's quarters. 
There, he finds cargo manifests and crew registry. Meera's full name is Meera Cairthel, and she was the boatswain for several years until her death. Abbit does not disclose this. The cargo manifest reads that 6 kegs of black powder were sold to a man named Hector Torrin.  Talitha deduces that this amount of black powder might blow up a large building, city block, or a subterranean tunnel or mine. The only subterranean structure in Hatena is the main aqueduct supplying the town with fresh water. Suspicious. You return to Gerty and tell her this. She instructs you to check the aqueduct just to be safe. Kassan goes to check out Wavebreaker in the meantime, looking for Hector Torrin.

Arrival at the Aqueduct 

You take the cart to the aqueduct, which is accessed via the river a few miles east of town. Biscus pokes Meera and discovers her skin is a little... squishy compared to normal people. It takes a half second to spring back into place. Like slightly old meat. Odd. Your trip is mostly filled with banter.
Arriving at the aqueduct, you see an archer posted in front of the entry gate. He sees you and sprints inside. Your group follows. There is a dead body in the entryway. Looks like a town worker. Killed with a clean stab wound through the left lung. Death is quick. Proceeding deeper into shaft, following the pipe, you find a natural cavern. There's a room off to your left. Worker's break room. Another dead body. You start to sweep the sides of the cavern and explore.
While heading deeper into the cave, arrows fire at Abbit and Meera. Abbit is hit. Meera dodges. 
And that is where we end the session! 

Rewards Granted

• 700 Gold -- Grandma Gerty (for returning Kassan alive)
• 30 Gold -- Watch Captain Derrik (rescuing 3 people from the ruins)
• 50 Gold -- Morvoth (finder's fee for returning missing kegs of whisky)
• Free food and drink at Wavebreaker
• Discounted stay rates at Wavebreaker
• Cart and two mules
• Mess o' loot from the ruins -- not yet sold.

Missions/Quests Completed

• Rescued and returned Kassan to the Legends Alliance Enclave!
• Acquired intel from the crew of the Equinox
• Discovered the name of The Man from Olimandias (Hector Torrin)
• Found a lead to the whereabouts of the black powder kegs

Character(s) interacted with

• Kassan (Meera more so than anyone)
• Grandma Gerty
• Morvoth
• The crew of the Equinox: Captain Bertrand Clarke, First Officer Helena Whitehouse, Quartermaster Linnaeus Soryn, others not introduced by name

Report Date

08 Nov 2020

Primary Location

Free City of Hatena