20 - 12/27/21 : The Wreckers

In-game date: 22nd of Freyrmond, 3521

“We all talk of loyalty and faith until the means to solve all of our problems is laid before our eyes, Mr. Acropora.” - Zelem Corvo

A three pronged heist plan was initiated during the nightly performance of I Want To Be Your Canary. The Rat Catchers snuck aboard the Ambassador's Delight and "finesse" their way through the guards. They caught a glimpse of a mysterious white-skinned, white-haired girl through a locked door before finding the fireworks storage, which they set off as a diversion.
Brooke met with Zelem aboard the Dead Man's Hand for an evening dinner, where the two exchanged brief flirtatious dialogue before Zelem bluntly stated that he knew about the heist and was curious at how far Brooke's friends could possibly go
Reilly and Yilani used magic to breathe underwater and swim their way towards *The House*. On their approach, they were stopped by a swimming young bronze dragon, who introduced herself as Zephyr. Zephyr communicated with Yilani telepathically and offered assistance in the heist, explaining that the Devil's Hand had killed her mother a few years ago. Zephyr also showed the pair that there was a metallic submersible attached to the bottom of The House, hidden behind an illusion.
As Yilani and Reilly snuck aboard the main deck and proceeded below, Zelem kept track of their progress via several alarm spells laid intermittently across the ship. Reilly was able to see them via Detect Magic, but it was decided they would have to trip them as they proceeded, as Yilani wouldn't have enough magic to dispel each one.
Brooke and Zelem continued their banter. Zelem made a case for the Red Spirits to support his bid for the missing gold of Dagult Ambermantle, citing his superior capacity to handle the massive amount of material, his ability to fend off claimants to the gold, and his supposedly noble intentions. He also explained some of the anti-nobility philosophy driving the Devil's Hand and even offered a place in the guild for Brooke after the Grand Game was concluded.
Reilly and Yilani reached the lower deck and discovered a stairway leading to the submersible below, which was identified by a nearby plaque as the High Roller. They found it eerily empty within, save for a svirfneblin engineer they tried and failed to distract. Deciding to probe further within, they found a few unlocked doors leading to various boarding rooms. Another door was unlocked, and as Reilly attempted to fiddle with the lock, the pair was attacked by a masked rogue.
Zelem remarked that he was impressed the pair made it that far, but was certain they would not get the better of Shizukana. He offered to teleport Brooke to the submersible to help his friends, but added that he would take the opportunity himself to disappear and assume a disguise to wreak havoc while the party was occupied. Brooke doubled down on his faith in his friends' capabilities and insisted that he stay and continue distracting Zelem. The thief lord laughed and remarked at how trust was a loser's game, but acquiesced with Brooke's insistence.
Reilly worked on getting through the door lock while Yilani battled Shizukana. Beyond the door she found a trunk and an array of crystals, which she deduced to be the network of divination prisms used to spy through the Nimblewrights. Her Detect Magic spell noticed an unmistakable void indicative of a piece of the Stone of Golorr.
Yilani, finding Shizukana a powerful opponent, retreated into the previously locked room and closing the door to defend it while Reilly searched. Reilly's fiddling with the chest awoke a swarm of mechanical spiders, compounding their worries. Shizukana did not pursue them, allowing them to deal with the spiders and break through the trunk's false bottom; within, Reilly found the Blue Eye of Golorr, as well as a letter from Zelem to Open Lord Reverie.

Having everything they needed, Reilly attempted to punch a hole through the reinforced glass of the High Roller's portholes, but was unable to deal enough damage to break through. They decided to try their luck with damaging the ship's engine, but when they opened the door they found Shizukana gone and a puddle of grease in her place.
The pair vaulted the grease, and Shizukana revealed herself from invisibility to attack Reilly. Enduring the assault, Reilly proceeded towards the submersible's engine while Yilani continued to harass and impede their opponent in the form of a giant snake. Reilly hastily warned and apologized to the engineer within before destroying the engine with her thunder gauntlets, throwing the ship into disarray.
The damage to the ship's engine broke down its ability to maintain pressure and cycle oxygen, turning the interior into a rapidly flooding death trap. As Shizukana made her escape, Reilly and Yilani broke through the hill and reconvened with Zephyr, who helped them escape to safety with their prize.
Meanwhile, Zelem received the news of the demise of the High Roller with a mix of shock, anger, and intense thought while Brooke taunted him over the upset. Zelem admitted that he underestimated the party and coldly dismissed Brooke, assuring him in a threatening manner that they would meet again soon.
The party plus Zephyr met back up at the House of Wonder, where High Priestess Rydia Margaster took possession of the Blue Eye and offered the party an opportunity to attune to the stone with its first eye restored. Yilani volunteered and attuned to the stone, which drastically altered her perception of her surroundings to a cold swamp. She found the stone in her hands, and it at last spoke to her.
The Stone identified itself as Golorr and demanded that Yilani commend and appreciate its "perfection of form". Yilani deduced that the Stone was the aboleth Golorr itself, transformed into a small stone. Golorr expressed its ceaseless hunger for knowledge and secrets and promises to share these secrets with Yilani if the other eyes were returned. With a second eye restored, the Stone would be capable of revealing the location of the third; with all three restored, the Stone would have access to the secrets within its purview, presumably including the location of Dagult Ambermantle's stolen gold.
Yilani broke free of attunement to the Stone, having suffered significant mental strain during the discussion. The party had Rydia seal the stone away once more, after which Zephyr expressed delight at making new friends despite the circumstances. Electing to return to Troll Skull Manor, the party departed from the House of Wonder with Zephyr in tow, an amused Brooke held bridal-style in her arms.

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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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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Zelem Corvo - The well-mannered yet conniving thief lord of the Devil’s Hands thieves guild from Fortune’s Crossing, a town from across the Gulf of Akados. A master of disguise and deception, he is conducting shadowy dealings in Revelmoore to unknown ends. He decided to play along with the party’s heist, confident in his guild’s ability to foil their designs; he vastly underestimated the Red Spirits, and responded to their victory with cold and calculating animosity before returning to his plotting.

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 helped her friends in ‘liberating’ a batch of fireworks from the Sea Maiden’s Faire.

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.

Zephyr - An excitable young bronze dragon who came to the party’s aid to strike back against the Devil’s Hand for killing her mother years ago. She is friendly, albeit a bit nervous in dangerous situations. To blend in better with society and not unnerve her new companions, she favors a human form clad in clothing similar to Reilly.

Mysterious Girl - A strange, white-haired and white-skinned girl with distinct features. She was spied through a keyhole on the Ambassador’s Delight during the Rat Catcher’s portion of the heist.

Castor Pollux - A pink-haired human that works for the Sea Maiden’s Faire, a traveling entertainment show from the town of Fortune’s Crossing across the sea from Revelmoore. He was seen both above and below deck on The House, without sufficient time to make the trip. It is unknown how he accomplished this feat.

Ruven Torrel - A wood elf shaman and agent of the Devil’s Hand thieves guild who answers directly to its leader, Zelem Corvo. She has an affinity for water and has tailored her spellcasting powers for manipulating and surviving within it. She was preoccupied with watching the nightly play and fireworks during the heist.

Rosie the Riveting - The master-of-ceremonies for the Sea Maiden’s Faire, a seafaring variety show that boasts high stakes gambling and thrilling plays. She was preoccupied with watching the nightly show during the heist.

Shizukana Miyabe - A masked rogue and a member of the Devil’s Hand, who was charged with defending Zelem’s quarters aboard the High Roller. She put up an intense fight and nearly defeated Reilly and Yilani with her blade and spells, but Reilly’s sabotage of the ship’s engine forced her to retreat.

Deep Gnome Engineers - A group of svirfneblin aboard Zelem’s submersible, the High Roller. They were responsible for the vessel’s construction and maintenance. However, they were forced to flee when Reilly destroyed the submersible’s engine.

Rydia Margaster - Known commonly as ‘The Seer’, this aasimar woman is the High Priestess of Jamboor and the head of the House of Wonder. She is a friend of Solauvaire and guards a two-way portal between the Tower of the High Dragon and the House of Wonder. She has been entrusted with watching over and containing the Stone of Golorr while the party pursues the stone’s remaining eyes.

The Stone of Golorr - A greyish-green ovular stone, about six inches long from end to end, with three recesses running vertically down its length. It is covered in a thin layer of ever-present mucus. With its first eye restored, it is now capable of speaking to whoever attunes to it, and promises knowledge if its remaining two eyes are returned.