19 - 12/15/21 : Grand Designs

In-game date: 21st of Freyrmond, 3521

“Is there anything I can do for you? Or to you?” - Brazziel Ramrider

Faced with many options, the party decided to take a moment to consolidate the information they had on hand. They eventually came around to several options; seeking Detective Vincent Trench’s help with identifying the necklace-wearing half elf identified by the Rat Catchers, investigating Ramrider’s Retreat to learn more information, and stopping by the Sea Maiden’s Faire to once again ask after the Nimblewrights’ capabilities and to seek out who could have given one a necklace of Fireballs.
The party first stopped at the Tiger’s Eye Detective Agency to speak with Vincent Trench, taking the Rat Catchers along with them. As they arrived and knocked on the door, they received no answer. Reilly called to the detective, who yelled from behind the door that he “wasn’t decent” and needed a minute, with his voice sounding odd and more strained than usual. The party thought this to be strange, but decided to wait while Reilly used Detect Magic, detecting a powerful signal of illusion within.
Armed with this information, the party met with ‘Vincent Trench’ after he opened the door. Yilani had the kids wait outside, and used the Detect Thoughts spell while out of Vincent’s eyesight. She was able to read his surface thoughts as Reilly spoke to him, finding that he was nervous about them knowing ‘too much’. Using her telepathy, she informed Reilly of this. Reilly decided to spring into action and attack the impostor.
‘Vincent Trench’ immediately responded with confusion and shock, but didn’t attack the party in retaliation after being punched by Reilly. He decided to come clean and locked the door before revealing that he was in fact a renegade rakshasa from the Nine Hells, who had come to Revelmoore to escape his devilish nature and pursue his love of solving mysteries.
In return for the party keeping his secret, Vincent Trench swore to help the party find the half-elven woman the Rat Catchers described. The party agreed to this, believing the devil to be sincere, and proceeded to meet with Raeziel to find a way into Ramrider’s Retreat without having to brave the first two levels of the Undermountain.
Raeziel agreed to show them an entrance to the level behind the Olde Xoblob Shoppe, which she revealed to be a front for the Xanathar that spied at passers-by through the stuffed beholder in the front window. Leading the party to the secret entrance, the party arrived in Ramrider’s Retreat just in time to witness a proclamation from The Xanathar itself.
The Xanathar floated from its skull-shaped sanctum and spoke to the citizens of the subterranean settlement. It proclaimed that a valuable treasure was stolen from it, and that it expected the item to be returned without delay; in the meantime, the beholder announced that one citizen of the Retreat would be petrified every hour until a culprit came forward and confessed. After delivering this chilling speech, the Xanathar returned to its seclusion.
Raeziel led the party to a brothel called “The Better Side of Hell”, where her cousin Brazziel worked. Being a girl-about-town who saw many faces both at work and out, Brazziel was likely to be a good source of information. After the party asked her about the necklace-wearing, water-breathing half-elf, Brazziel played coy until Yilani flipped her a platinum piece.
Brazziel stated that she had seen such a peculiar elf matching the description in the vicinity of the Sea Maiden’s Faire. The party thanked her for the information and made their way to the Faire to take a look at the place, deducing that the blue eye of the Stone of Golorr was being held by Zelem Corvo on his flagship The House.
The party plotted a daring heist and planned to execute it the following night on the 22nd of Freyrmond, as the Sea Maiden’s Faire performed their nightly show and launched an array of fireworks.

Portraits

The Red Spirits

Reilly Springs - A young, anxious satyr artificer and inventor, who has fashioned for herself a magic suit of armor that grants her impressive combat capabilities. Now free of the debt that hounded her, Reilly is committed to supporting her friends as she sets down roots in Revelmoore. She has taken to spending time with Fala Lefaliir, the serene gardener and proprietor of Aelbwynn’s Crown.

Brooke Acropora - A charming water genasi and a native of Revelmoore, who supports the party with his keen intuition concerning the fanciful and fascinating goings-on of the city. Brooke moonlights as a contributor to The Targe, a broadsheets publication that seeks out the most interesting and sauciest news scoops of the day. Currently, Brooke is focused on ensuring that Troll Skull Manor becomes an unforgettable spectacle to its visitors, but part of his mind continues to be occupied by his tryst with the mysterious Zelem Corvo.

Megumi Sakane - A diminutive kitsune rogue and a traveling merchant, who has fallen in with the party during her quest for wealth in the City of Splendors. Kind-hearted but quite avaricious, she uses her small size to her advantage as she sizes up individuals for valuables and wealth. She has revealed to the party that because she made a deal with Asmodeus to save her wife’s soul, she must ritualistically offer 500,000 gold coins to the archdevil by the end of the year, or her soul will be forfeit. She has invented a new persona for herself; the mysterious masked thief, Karma.

Yilani Deniz - A severe, perceptive Yuan-ti Pureblood druid who once masqueraded as a human refugee from Khemit in order to gather information on the wealthy and powerful of Revelmoore on behalf of a Yuan-ti cult of Aapep. After coming to love the city and her new friends, Yilani has turned her back on her people and helped to drive them out of the city before their nefarious plans could be enacted. Yilani has resolved to prove the loyalty and dedication of her new self to her friends, and exemplified this in her dream-talk with Veszaltyrr Oussndar.

Lackadaisical - More commonly known as “Lacky”, this charming young tiefling woman is the daughter of the famed ex-adventurer Fomalhaut the Financier. She moonlights as a lawyer and represents members of less-than-legal enterprises in Revelmoore, including members of the Black Network. Along with Yilani, Lacky has joined the Black Network, and has also aligned with Solauvaire’s newly named Revelmoore Rangers.

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Renaer Ambermantle - The estranged son of Dagult Ambermantle, the previous Open Lord of Revelmoore. A skilled fighter, an agent of the Masquerade, and a man of noble standing. Renaer faces scrutiny because of his father’s legacy, but still retains friends in high places. He has befriended the party and spends most of his time fraternizing with them. He was grievously wounded by a fireball aimed at a spy working for his father, but he managed to survive with only burn scars on his face.

Violet - A strange purple cat that was purchased by Brooke at the Old Xoblob Shop. For all intents and purposes, she seems to be a completely normal cat; save for the fact that her fur is a deep shade of violet. She told Brooke her story, revealing that she was once a human adventurer that was polymorphed into a purple cat by Halaster Blackcloak, the Mad Mage of the Undermountain. She appears to be more than happy with this situation.

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The Xanathar - A beholder with a bizarre accent and the criminal overlord of the Xanathar Guild. It rules the subterranean settlement of Ramrider’s Retreat with an iron fist, and will go to any length to protect its power and its possessions. It was from the Xanathar that Dagult Ambermantle’s agents stole the Stone of Golorr. Its campaign of fear and threats to assure the Stone of Golorr’s return is raising public ire against its rule, leading some to believe that a change is overdue.

Raeziel Ramrider - A duergar rogue and loan shark, who works as the Doom Raiders’ Master of Coin. She loaned Reilly a sum of gold at an exorbitant interest rate, but the debt has finally been paid off. Having spied a weakness in the Xanathar’s operation after its even-more-tyrannical-than-usual behavior, she has left hiding at Troll Skull Manor to pursue a way to topple the Xanathar’s reign of terror once and for all.

Nat - A mute human girl and the ‘fighter’ of the Rat Catchers, an ‘adventuring party’ made up of three homeless urchins. Nat cannot speak, and communicates through an invented sign language made up of broken Thieves’ Cant symbols and gestures. She is dedicating her time to comforting her friend Jenks.

Jenks - A human boy and the ‘wizard’ of the Rat Catchers. Jenks carries around a stuffed owlbear ‘familiar’ and keeps a bag of ‘spell components’ on his person, and is fiercely protective of his ‘spellbook’. He was nearly struck by the fireball that hit Troll Skull Alley, but Renaer saved his life. He seems to have lost his passion for spellcraft, at least temporarily, due to his brush with fire.

Squiddly - A tiefling boy and the ‘rogue’ of the Rat Catchers, as well as their fearless leader. Squiddly bravely leads his companions out of trouble as often as he leads them into it. Squiddly wears a fake eyepatch, which doesn’t help his aim with his bow. He is making it his mission to make Jenks feel a bit better and overcome his rough experience.

Vincent Trench - A mysterious, hard-boiled human detective who operates out of the Tiger’s Eye Detective Agency in Trollskull Alley. He was revealed to be the alter-ego of a renegade rakshasa who fled Baator to spend his time on the mortal plane solving mysteries. In return for keeping his secret, the party is owed a favor from him.

Brazziel Ramrider - A cousin of the Ramrider family who works as a courtesan at a brothel called “The Better Side of Hell” in Ramrider’s Retreat. In return for a platinum piece, she gave the party information on a mysterious half elf that matched the Rat Catchers’ description.

The Stone of Golorr - A greyish-green ovular stone, about six inches long from end to end, with three empty recesses running vertically down its length. It is covered in a thin layer of ever-present mucus. Although it sports a substantial magical aura, it is currently inert; save for calling out the name of whoever holds it.