Session 7: Marked
General Summary
On the Lightning Rail in Audairian countryside, the Phaeros Foundation was running out of time. They were two hours from Passage, a major city and House Orien’s hub for the rail system. Rasp quickly healed Vax, waking him up. Bal began searching other compartments, finding everyone other than themselves dead. The party decided they needed to find out what happened to the rest of the people on the train before deciding how they should proceed. Essex suggested finding the manifest and stealing or destroying it so they wouldn’t be tied to the incident. Marcella asked Turk to explain how he could power the train and why he waited so long. Turk explained that his family are information brokers for House Sivis, that he used to be one and he was good at it. He decided to abandon the job, but knew that Sivis can track those with the Mark of Sending and that they might try to get him back.
Rasp cast Speak with the Dead on the dead conductor and asked him a series of questions. The conductor told Rasp that the food killed him, that it was brought to him by Margrette who worked for the train, and that she looked odd.
The party split up, with Marcella and Essex looking for the manifest while Vax and Bal looked for Margrette. Rasp and Yelena stayed at the front with Turk who continued to pilot the train. Rasp took time to heal Yelena and Yelena offered to help Turk pilot the train if he needed to rest.
By happenstance, Marcella and Essex ended up finding the food compartment and Margrette’s body. While investigating, Marcella brushed against Margrette’s forehead, which triggered the mark Marcella unknowingly had from Operative IV’s earlier dragonmark attack. Marcella fell unconscious, once again entering the strange Void with the unnerving presence.
Vax and Bal found the administrator’s compartment and managed to find not only the manifest, but Vax used frozen water to break open the administrator’s desk and take the petty cash (100 crown). As they were leaving the room, Essex came into the car holding Marcella’s unconscious body. He made his way to the engine car with Marcella and was soon followed by both Bal and Vax. As he was explaining what happened, Marcella started to come to. However, Bal had examined Margrette’s body and told Vax through psionic mind link that he thought there might be a connection and that, judging by the events of the day, Marcella might be marked and influenced by something.
Bal strangely got the feeling that Marcella had picked up on this and Marcella attacked. In the scuffle that followed, Marcella nearly knocked Essex from the moving train, but Vax managed to use lightning lure to pull him to safety. Yelena grappled Marcella, keeping her from attacking Bal or jumping from the train, but Marcella headbutted Yelena in the nose. She tried to kick Vax from the train, but he managed to hold on. In the Void, Marcella started to see the train car around her. Soon, a shadowy figure appeared and told her “I don’t have time for this any more”. The figure left and Marcella returned to her own body, unaware of everything that had happened. The mark that had appeared on her forehead was gone.
After the scuffle, the party gathered up their things, Vax laid some of the bodies out respectfully, Essex found some clothes, and the party let the train come to a stop before abandoning it in the countryside. They walked for another hour after deciding to head to Bluevine, the closest town to the east, in the opposite direction of the train. They then found a hillside away from any buildings and rested for the night.
In the morning, the party continued to walk with Marcella offering awkward apologies to those she harmed while in the Void. As they crested a hill near one of the larger roads, they saw five mounted riders. One of them leveled a rifle at the group and the other four began to ride in their direction. The rifleman shouted “By order of the Royal Eyes, halt!”. As the party stopped, Bal exclaimed, “Well, I guess we found a ride to Fairhaven.”
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