Session Date: 5/28/2023
We are met by Kestrel St. Clair. Rohan introduces us all to him formally, an Dia explains that we need an audience with the king due to some poisoned wine. Iskra remembers that Kestrel is an invoker — this is almost like a reverse sorcerer. They pull their power from a dead god. There are rumors out there that they can regenerate after death (not often, perhaps once a year or something akin to that).
Rohan notices Kestrel is in leather armor and dressed. He has a necklace that was handmade by someone that is definitely not a jeweler, and it’s clear that Kestrel cherishes it. He also has different glasses that appear to be magically inclined. Dia pulls Rohan off of Kestrel and warns him not to tell everyone we run across about the current situation as doing so can be rather dangerous.
We had come up in the poorer district of the city, in the outskirts. We hear music and fireworks going off for the festival not too far. We discuss what to do and Dia reinforces that she wishes to go to the King of Oceanscar. We all agree, and we know we can cut directly through the city, go a more circuitous route, or go through the sewers. We all discuss what would be the beset option, and somewhere in the middle of this Dia recalls that she had a coat for Arythas and so she shows it to him.
It is a navy coat that is long and has tails. There is a beautiful designer embroidered cord that is in a swirling pattern: it is black near the top and is gold at the sleeves and extremities. It is very beautiful.
We begin toward the castle. Arythas accidentally bumps into someone and knocks them over, hurriedly picking them up and setting them down gently with an apology. This earns him a glare from an ice genasi, but the party keeps moving on past this in an attempt to get to the castle.
On the way, Dia notices some guys betting on fights and one eventually gets pushed into Dia’s arms. There is an exchange and the man says Dia’s real name to her. She immediately bolts and the guy grabs for her. Rohan uses command to make him drop her and she’s off running, with Inky teleporting her even further away while Iskra uses a psychic attack on the man and Arythas paralyzing him with a command. Once he’s frozen, Arythas charges off after Dia, eventually meeting Kestrel outside of a gnomish place that Arythas absolutely could not fit into if he tried. Arythas waits outside and has to suffer Kestrel asking too many questions.
Rohan, Inky, and Iskra tie the assailant — Ace Freeman — up and begins to question him. They ask why he is after Dia, and he explains there is a good payout for getting her back home, and nothing more.
The party eventually figures out where Dia went, and we all give her time and wait for her to come back out. When she does, it is clear how upset she was: she looks a complete mess and has scratches on her, and is generally unkempt. Inky says that we will not let them take her and she hugs him while Iskra tries to get her presentable for the king, though she is clearly not interested. We sit at a table outside and she explains that she is betrothed in an arranged marriage, and her father will never change in his expectations for her. The arranged marriage was the straw that broke the camel’s back and made her run away from home.
She was to marry Lord Liyon. He’s a man in his late 30s or 40s, and is human as far as she is aware. Rohan and Inky know that this man is important. Rohan recalls another investigator telling him to walk away if he hears the name, and Inky heard this in the context of someone hoarding knowledge. They both know that he is absolutely not a pleasant man. Rohan asks if the Family knows what kind of man he is, and then explains that he’s been warned not to even try to investigate this man. The conversation continues as we head to the castle.
Dramatic scene cut to an underground bar filled with smoke as Ace threatens to put the whole gang back together.