Session 033

Session Date: 11/30/2024

The Forest

We continue down the forest path after bypassing the clockwork soldiers. We met up with Orsa’s group and so it’s all of us with Orsa, Stabwell, and Dagon. Valentine is currently carrying Dagon because he’s a lazy motherfucker, and Valentine is getting paid to do it. Dagon comments that the clockwork soldiers are a good sign that we’re on the right track.

The group wishes to take some time to rest because of the last combat taking the wind out of many in the party, and Dagon doesn’t love the idea of us being weak as our contract isn’t fulfilled. We get into a conversation about souls and demons and how if we don’t fulfill our contract our souls will get shunted down to hell. Yuna asks some questions about demons and souls and hell.

We take some time to eat and rest and Ria asks what we’re looking for — ruins? Dagon says that calling it ruins isn’t completely accurate, but there was an accident and we are here to grab a bounty. Dagon explains that through no fault of his own he has learned that there has been a teleportation accident from a wizard and they were transporting an item that Dagon’s been looking for for quite some time. He needs one specific item, and the rest of what we find we can take for ourselves. Ria presses and comments that he’s being rather vague, and he asks if it would be fun if he told us everything?

Killian explains that knowing what we are looking for will help us understand what dangers lie ahead, and Dagon is pretty confident there are no other dangers moving forward and the clockwork soldiers we found should be the last of the dangers. He explains that the organic things, well, some things were dumped where it started, and some were dumped where things ended. We converse a little bit more about all of this, and then eventually Valentine pours some water over Yuna’s hands so she can wash them as she’s gotten them covered in soap.

Valentine asks which direction we need to go to continue the contract, and Dagon uses a special compass that clearly doesn’t point north and tells us which way to go, so we set off in that direction. As we continue, Ria smells something — at least one bugbear. Ria is confused as there shouldn’t be anyone here and Valentine offers to let Stabwell carry Dagon so that Valentine can protect him.

Killian, Yuna, and Rend as a familiar sneak off to check out the situation. There is a clearing that used to have more trees, but there was an explosion. Etched into the ground is a magical symbol — Killian recognizes a symbol of teleportation that is mangled — and there are chests, clutter, a dragon skull, and other items that a powerful magical being might want to transport from one place to another. Three bugbears and two creatures that look kind of like dogs, but are green and slobbering. They don’t see us. It’s clear that these guys are not the owners of these items — they are rough customers, like bandits or something of the like. They appear to be related. The green creatures are trollhounds → what if a troll was a dog, basically.

Trollhounds

• Troll creatures therefore regeneration unless acid or fire
• Carry diseases (don’t get bitten)
• Also somewhat weak to fire on top of it stopping regeneration

Dagon explains he’s looking for some sheet music for a specific tune that he would like. He owns an opera. Dagon doesn’t mind us splitting the loot with the bugbears as long as he gets this sheet music and we agree that we don’t mind that. Dagon stays behind as we go to talk to the bugbears.

Yuna runs ahead toward the bugbears, flailing her arms as she yells and says that we want to be friends. Opal runs after, trying to say that we mean no harm. There is one bugbear that definitely looks like the leader of this troupe. He looks confused, but says that this is their stuff, and we need to go away. Yuna asks if they own it, and he says yes, and Yuna asks if they have a record of sale. The bugbears and the trollhounds laugh, and the leader says that he does, and brandishes a dagger. Killian hollers to Yuna explaining they’re threatening us, and she says that it’s mean, and that they should be nice because they have puppies. Combat begins.

• Bugbear Leader
  • AC: >= 22
• Bugbear Lackeys
  • AC: ⇐ 19
• Trollhounds
  • AC: ⇐ 16

We take care of the enemies and Opal offers to cook the trollhounds, but we all decline. She wanders off and seems a little out of it, and Valentine asks Killian if he’s noticed that Ria’s been a little out of it. Killian suggests that some people are particularly sensitive to violence and killing, and perhaps this is what’s going on. Valentine realizes that someone’s going to have to talk to her, but the group begins searching for the music that Dagon wants.

Opal reviews the sheet music and realizes it’s very intricate magic, and that it’s not something that Opal could pull off. This isn’t the kind of music that is found in Chileax. If this spell was cast over someone for an hour or more then it can influence their dreams and cause them to be able to be controlled.

Killian looks over the contract and realizes that as long as the man touches the sheet music, it counts as a delivery, so we don’t necessarily have to give it to him per se. Valentine and Kilian both point out that the issue with this is that we’d have to deal with Stabwell, and pissing Dagon off will put him and - we assume - the Aspis Consortium will be after us. We aren’t sure which way we really want to go that way, and continue to discuss before choosing to get Dagon.