Session 4 - The Aqueduct

General Summary

Aqueduct Encounter

The party is attacked on two fronts. In the northern chamber, Biscus is attacked by a walking suit of sentient armor wielding a massive sword. It is called an Iron Sentinel. Biscus flees, and the armor gives chase. He lures the armor back to Piers, Talitha, and Krud. Together, and especially with Piers's smites, they are able to bring it down.
Meera, Abbit, and Hart do battle in the central chamber. They face down archers who are firing from behind cover. A hidden knight joins the fray. After the archers are picked off, and the knight is surrounded, he strikes a match and attempts to ignite the powder kegs he placed next to the aqueduct pipe -- intended to die to accomplish his mission to destroy it.
The other group rejoins. Talitha managed to fell the knight, and Abbit stabilizes him to perform an interrogation. They learn his name is Frederick. He is working for Alleviator Torrin. They are trying to deprive the city of essential services to force them to annex Hatena "peacefully."
So Hart -- specifically Hart -- shoves him in a barrel (after breaking his fingers) and Biscus barrel-rolls him as a means of transportation all the way back to the city. Two miles. The knight pukes.
You also rescue a nearly-dead city worker and bring him back to town safely.

Return to the City

At the city gates, the party is approached by a courier. He hands them a letter from Alleviator Torrin, who offers to buy them out of their Alliance contract -- promising that working for Olimandias will be far more safer and more lucrative in the long run. Abbit is interested! Most of the others are not. Meera especially doesn't want to betray Grandma Gerties. Krud likes cookies, which are more valuable than money.
The group returns to the Alliance Enclave. The group takes a long rest. Their prisoner is locked in the equipment storage room overnight.
Gertie arrives early the next morning. Vidar's group is also present. Everyone reports.

• The party reports on the aqueduct fight and that a prisoner has been taken an interrogated.
• Vidar's group reports that they successfully scouted the Olimandias camp north of town during the events last night, and clocked about 200 soldiers and an equally large group of civilian contractors there.
• Gertie has been speaking with the leader of House Icecrest this morning (the second most powerful merchant house ruling Hatena).
• There is going to be an emergency meeting between the heads of the four families of Hatena in two days (the 28th).
• Icecrest is willing to hire the party as security.
• Gertie also suggests possibly accepting Alleviator Torrin's invitation to get close enough to assassinate him.
• Another options it to track his movements directly -- his hangouts are Wavebreaker and the Risanna estate.

Gertie offers a 5000 gold bounty to kill / eliminate / "disappear" Alleviator Torrin. First group to do it gets the reward.
Before they leave, Vidar offers to purchase the Hall of Heroes silver sword from Meera. It is apparently his personal assignment to recover Hall of Heroes relics for the Lost Woods. They end up trading weapons. Vidar gets the silver sword, and Meera receives his signature "Jolt Crossbow," which was made in Muldinach.
[Retroactively, to explain player absences next session: Piers and Talitha are called away to do a separate assignment while the rest of the group shops.]

Shopping

Now that it's morning, you finally take your cart around town to sell the loot you've acquired in the last several days. Your main stop is Steel a Deal, the basic arms and armor shop in the plaza. Outside is a kobold sign spinner. His sign says "Cheep Stabs."
The shop is owned by an orange-skinned Tiefling named Reclaimer. She is wearing a form-fitting suit of impressive armor, which also seems to form a prosthetic leg to replace her missing biological one. She has a flintlock pistol at her hip.
The group sells their generic loot. Biscus sells the radiant whip acquired from the succubus. Hart decides to keep the magic sword from the aqueduct ruins. Abbit is interested in Reclaimer's pistol, but it's not for sale. She offers a demonstration by firing at him -- but only powder, no bullet -- so it just makes a loud sound. She laughs.
We then head over to Vagrant Outfitters, where Biscus buys a banjo and Hart buys a classical guitar.
The final stop is The Fun Guy's Fungi down on the docks -- where the group buys a lot of peyote, magic mushrooms, and weed. Biscus also gets a fancy smoking pipe.
Session end.

Rewards Granted

• Vicious Greatsword (Iron Sentinel's weapon). Hart takes it.
• Longbows, armor sets, scrap metal from the Iron Sentinel -- sold for coin.

Missions/Quests Completed

• Saved the aqueduct and town water supply!

Report Date

14 Dec 2020

Primary Location

Free City of Hatena