Session 21: Crunchy Pillows and Sharp Lanterns (5/21/23)

Desnova 5, 1423

The PCs are fetched to the Herring House, where Sister Roil reveals her vision, Captain Condor is being stowed away somewhere near water in a dark space beneath Arkany. They do a final sweep around Omutny, meeting Orekh Stormbeak at his aviary, and then they traverse the Jaggerhead Lake towards the city. En route, Mockleg nervously blasts a giant frog with a lightning bolt so that it won't attack them, and then they decide to visit the Rowers' Point lighthouse, where they inquire about Old Marrow's last sighting, the giant crayfish that was rumored to devour a horse in recent days. It turns out that the fate of the horse's rider is unknown. They say their thanks and row south into the Drenches district, paying a mooring fee and leaving their boats at the docks. They look about the marketplace and then travel further south into the city across The Straight bridge, spying the temple of Sanctos on their way. Once they arrive at The Gentry district, Rucia heads out the gates to summon his steed back, and the PCs speak with some soldiers and other NPCs until Mockleg leads them blindfolded to The Blinking Kettle, an inn that seems magically hidden from its surrounding neighborhood. They speak with the proprietor and meet a curious scholar/student named Jezhe who invites them for a tour of the Skolareum while they're in the city.

In the evening they head out for some further exploration, meeting with Zmiev the Silversmith and also making the acquaintance of a dragonborn bard named 'Cinnamon Frills', who is interested in Bjork and warns him about the nasty duo of bards that make Arkany their home turf. The PCs retire for the evening back at the Blinking Kettle.

Desnova 6, 1423

In the following morning, the PCs make the acquaintance of Sir Arkimedes Oldwater of the Gravers' Guild, who invites them to potentially join, and gives them more information about a duo of adventurers that disappeared in the Flailing Marsh, possibly related to the rumor of Old Marrow. He says he'd love to help them arrange an expedition to local sites like Old Bloodwalls, where the PCs might soon be headed. They decide to further explore about Arkany, and ask about for where Condor might be stowed away. Eventually they end up at the gates of the Skolareum district, where they turn over (most of) their weapons and are allowed access. To their dismay, the girl Jezhe is nowhere to be found, and the guards of the college don't even seem to know of anyone with that name. Perplexed, our heroes make their way to Orglo's Oddities where they wish to trade and/or purchase some magic items, and they get quite a lot of information from the wise old goblin who runs the place, a self-professed contemporary and rival of Old Smite-Eyes hisself, who notices the lantern that Aldren is carrying and knows something about it...

PCs: Aldren, Bjork, Nebol'shoy, Rucia

Aarakocra PCs unlocked



NPCs

'Cinnamon Frills' (dragonborn female): A shapely brass dragonborn female wearing a fine, forest green leather tunic over equally fancy pants, her snout and ears are bedecked with as many gold and silver piercings as they can support. She carries a large sack slung over her shoulder, which occasionally seems to shift about, and a large birchwood-carved lute with double the normal amount of strings over the opposite. A rapier with a fat pommel sits in her belt, and the hilt of a knife is tucked in her left boot.

Ilaryon (human male): A welcoming old man with a wide grin that reveals a full set of copper false teeth, his dark gray hair is set into a series of  what has been described as ‘cornrows’ atop his head, braided against his pale scalp. He wears a loose, glittery blue robe that seems to leave a shimmering residue wherever he steps, and what appears to be a miniature winged monkey flutters about his person, occasionally clutching to the man’s robe or braided beard. The middle finger on his left hand is covered by a talon-like black ring, and at least three wands of varying designs are wedged into a silver sash about his waist.

Jezhe (human female): A rather plain but congenial girl of her teen years, with an auburn bowl cut and cream-colored robes that seem scholarly but understated. Aldren notices a disparity with the girl, as if she's a disguise being warn by someone else, and when the PCs inquire at the Administrat in the Skolareum district, the guards claim such a girl doesn't exist.

Kapitan Ilin (human male): A lithe, tall soldier stricken with albinism, his one good eye glares a hazy red, and his other sits dead in the middle of a scar running from his forehead to his lower left jaw. His yellowy-pale long hair is tied into a tight ponytail, and he has a number of silvery hoops in his right ear to mask that it’s been partly chewed off. He keeps his Soverat duster, boots and pips in excellent condition and wears a tricorn hat wrapped in a band of beaver skin. An arquebus hangs from his shoulder and a shashka is tucked into his belt.

Orekh Stormbeak (aarakocra male): A crouched, avian humanoid wrapping his wings about him like a cloak, their colors splayed out in patterns of blacks, browns, grays and whites. Beady black eyes that swirl an occasional aqua tint from behind a yellow-brown beak. It wears a pair of faded green breeches torn at the knee-caps, and nothing on its feet, one of which seems curled and damaged, with several talons broken and cracked on each. It   leans upon a gnarled, ancient looking staff, dressed with its own feathers and those of different patterns, and what looks like the skull of a young wolf impaled upon the top. 

Orglo the Odd-Wright (goblin male): An old, crouched goblin with olive green skin, white hair and mismatched yellow eyes that glare at you from the din of his shop. The creature leans upon a wood-framed walker which dangles with all manner of charms, jeweled chains and other baubles that are either warding the fellow or being advertised to customers. It wears a thick red wool coat which helps puff out its natural, wiry frame, and leers at you with a mouth nearly void of teeth, and those which remain look like tiny carved effigies of bone.

Sir Arkimedes Oldwater (halfling male): A stout, humble halfling with a trim white beard, thick mutton chops and wire-framed spectacles. His youthful looking face and cheeks betray his otherwise apparent age. A stylish vest lies beneath a comfortable gray wool duster, and a quality feathered beret lies on his head. He leans upon a fancy bamboo walking stick with a weasel-skull handle, more for show than physical necessity.

Tavikh the Torch-Runner (human male): A calm man of 20-something summers with dirty blonde hair and a subtle smile, he wears thick bifocal spectacles and a practical set of white clerical vestments and cloak over the glint of a chain mail shirt. His white-gloved hands rest upon a brass-framed lantern and the pommel of a long sword, and a small, sealed book dangles from a chain about his neck.

Zmiev (human male): A hunched, elderly human wearing a humble white shirt and breeches beneath a thick leather apron. He bears an enormous white beard, tied off into a number of braids, each dangling a silver chime or bell, and yet he remains remarkable still and peaceful in disposition, almost as if to challenge himself not to make any noise while we works.

Session 20: Pinky Promises (5/2/23)

Desnova 3, 1423.

After showering the wild shaped gnome in gold, Rucia is joined at the docks by the rest of his companions. There has been no luck in locating Condor and his 'companions', but the PCs decide to go check out The Slack Mallard for any potential evidence. Nebol'shoy swims over and attempts to transform back to himself while leaping through the air, but just crashes into the hull, alerting the others who have arrived. Aldren and Rucia head belowdecks and discover that the holds are emptied, since the Trawler's Union is repairing the boat, and also a pair of severed human pinkie fingers on bloodstains on the Captain's sheets. They search further, and in Condor's emptied money-box, Aldren finds a secret compartment containing a compass which only points in a non-Northern direction.

Bjork conjures up a shelter for the night, but while on watch, Aldren hears a commotion from outside, and leaves to check on it. A trio of fishermen's bodies has been exsanguinated and discovered by Ekaterina Belov, who knew them all to some extent. There are no puncture wounds, and the corpses look surprised...

Desnova 4, 1423.

In the morning, the rest of the PCs examine them, after they've been moved to a cart by a local Soverat guard. Rucia purchases some salt from the Flapping Salmon, and then salts and burns the bodies after hacking them up. As they ready themselves to further investigate the disappearance of their friend, several of the PCs inquire with Lamplighter, the death priest, who they interrupt shaving after conjuring up a snake to distract his raised undead wolven guard-dogs. He reinforces that it doesn't sound like vampires, but rather some sort of curse or blood-magic. Meanwhile, Smoker tells the PCs that he saw a strange woman who was asking after some sort of 'lantern' bearer in the village.

The PCs (and Smoker the bouncer) check out the House of Drawn Veils just to be sure the Captain isn't around, and find a ghastly site, that the minstrels outside as well as most of the staff (including the Madame) have been drained of blood, the former then dunked into the fountain, from where Bjork fishes out their pockets. Aldren spies a strange red woman in one of the upstairs windows, but then followed up by screaming from within. Rucia and Bjork race up to confront whoever is doing this, and the rest of the PCs eventually catch up to face a tiefling woman composed of swirling blood, horns, and little by way of clothing. She seems to recognize Nebol'shoy, and also seems impervious to all physical attacks including those of magical weapons. She also nearly merges with Rucia but he resists her advances, and can fire off missiles of hardened blood against those in her vicinity. Energy does seem to affect her, and after a number of smites and spell attacks, she pronounces 'Now is not the time...' and disappears into a puddle of blood on the floor.

Our heroes search the rest of the brothel for survivors, finding only Lt. Strada tied up in a compromising upright position upstairs, and a pair of other concubines in the 'torture room' in the basement. Bjork loots the Madame's money-box, thinking the late whore-mistress will no longer require it, and then Rucia burns and salts the rest of the bodies outside the window that broke during the fight. Aldren and Nebol'shoy warn the Sallowmoon d'vryn about the slaughter, and ask if they could in turn warn the Ganelari family. At the docks, the others hear more rumors from one of the Trawlers that Condor was accompanied by not two, but THREE individuals, at least one of which was an attractive, tall female dwarf, and that they rowed off from the docks the prior afternoon.

The PCs leave Ekaterina behind and head south on the Skorbi River, crossing to the mouth of the Jaggerhead Lake. They spy some of the red-bannered bugbears, or at least scouts that are seeking out a riverside ambush but wisely avoid this group of heroes. They also find an overturned rowboat near one of the rocky Jaggerheads, and once it is mended and flipped, there is the lower half of a body stuck in some ropes, crawling with small crabs and parasites.

By nightfall, they have docked below the Herring House temple, and are welcomed by Brothers Elm and Beandip. After some donations and chat, and a sampling of Beandips famous corn-fish-paste-whatever, Bjork pulls the crank that causes the great fish mascot to spew fog out over the lake. A meeting is arranged with Sister Roil, who they tell all about the mysterious lantern Aldren has been toting around since the beginning. An agreement is struck that she will perform a divination with Condor's fingers to locate him better, if they swear they will free the unfortunate young spirit trapped within the lantern. As they wait for her results in the morning, they head to the Millward Inn, where they rent rooms and take a meal. A young kitchen scallion is sent out to perform for them, and his instrument is detuned...Bjork fixes the strings, and the boy plays an inspirational song that makes even the minotaur weep (and a little envious).

PCs: Aldren, Bjork, Nebol'shoy, Rucia

NPCs

??? (tiefling female): A well-proportioned, attractive red-skinned woman with a short, barbed tail and a pair of black horns, she seems to be able to manifest and dissolve herself into a pool or cloud of swirling blood, which she refreshes by draining humans and humanoids dry.

Brother Beandip (human male): A large, bald man wearing indigo robes, with a head of mere grey stubble that half-masks several elaborate tattoos of crabs, squids, and a swordfish pointing down the back of his skull to his spine. He seems rather well fed, and in fact carries a wooden bowl about with him which he is constantly stirring, that smells of corn, fish paste and other ingredients that don’t exactly greet the senses well. A mace is partly concealed by the folds of his cloak, and he has a large wooden amulet featuring a trio of crabs, two smaller clutching a large which in turns holds a bottle.

Brother Helm (human male): A hunched old man past 70 winters, with a few flecks of white attached to his bald-shaven scalp. He works the docks beneath the Herring House in Omutny, taking alms for those who wish to moor their craft during their visits to the church or village.

Sister Roil (human female): A short, middle-aged woman wearing billowing, layered robes of blue and green, her head is nearly shaven bald aside from a single oiled blonde braid that hangs from the very back of her scalp. Tattoos of wave patterns dominated her cheeks and meet upon her nose, with a solid band of blue just below her lips that covers her chin. A pair of sapphires set into miniature silver ship earrings dangle from her ears, and she wilds a bone trident fastened with bands of iron and straps of leather. A buckler carved like a white-striped, wooden crab is affixed to the opposite arm.

Svart (human male): A young man still in his teenage years, with misshapen teeth and a lopsided bowl cut of black hair. He wears a brown apron over a white tunic, and wields a cheap mandolin which he is often called upon to perform for the scant off-season crowds at the Millward Inn.