Session Date: 7/2/2023
I missed session 19. Iskra’s debt to the mafia was squared and he got a set of jewelry that allows that allows the party to speak to each other across the city. It is powered by a friend of Taraaq’s and may occasionally not work correctly. Arythas went with Dia to find something to wear for the party.
Dia first went to get a hat of disguise and a hat pin, then she and Arythas went on a huge shopping spree to get outfits for everyone in the party. We have a montage moment of the shipping boxes for Arythas piling up and Dia trying on different dresses.
Rohan finds Kestrel St. Clair laying on a cot in the Bloodsoaked Banner. He is restless, with no blankets or anything, wearing only his boxers. He has scars everywhere, burns along his ribs, and is surprisingly cool to the touch as Rohan puts the blanket on him. Inky watches this and makes it very awkward. Rohan tries to leave, but Kestrel rolls over in his sleep and grabs Rohan’s hand. Rohan asks Inky to tell the others it will be a minute. Inky eventually leaves, and Kestrel’s eyes open and he looks up and smiles at Rohan. Rohan brushes his hair from his eyes and tells him to sleep, then leaves.
There is a “command” room with all of the items Dia bought while shopping. Inky says they got a surprise for Dia and resents a dress for her still in the garment bag, now covered in ash. Dia is not super thrilled to begin with and hugs everyone before opening the bag. Dia sits and opens the bag and her face falls in utter terror. She freezes as she stares down at the desk, then throws the dress that they got for her across the room.
Dia asks them to burn the dress and Iskra does so at her request, and Dia is clearly very upset. Arythas asks what is wrong and if he can help, and Dia says there is nothing he can do. She asks where it came from. The others explain they went to the port to shop and they saw it and thought she may like it. Dia finds a list of spells for the dress that is meant to make the dress flatter the wearer and make the wearer look gorgeous in it. She also sees that the dress was intended for Lady Ravenriver. Ravenriver is an old money elf family here in Oceanscar.
Dia clings to Arythas, who hugs her, and explains that this is a replica of her wedding dress, which she was shown when she learned that she was to be married. Inky apologizes and leaves the room sadly, and Iskra makes a joke to try to break the tension, and reassures her. Dia realizes that someone in the city must have seen the dress despite it never being worn or used, and she realizes her mother may have actually held Dia’s wedding anyway.
Inky notices a newspaper with information about a wedding — it looks like it may be Dia next to an older man in his 50s/60s with a very wild beard. The headline reads: Lord Liyon takes as bride the youngest daughter of The Family of Light. We know that Dia is the youngest, and the article names her once. Iskra asks how they could have a wedding without her and she explains that the Family can pay enchanters to make people look like her.
Inali comes in and asks if Dia has a twin sister and shows us the article. Iskra holds the paper up to the wolf so that he can see it, and he can tell that it is a spell put to the paper and it keeps only a few elements of the moment in the paper — he recognizes something about the groom, but he’s not sure what or why.
Everyone begins to pour over this and Arythas takes his leave of everyone to find Inky and check in on him. It becomes apparent that Inky has gone and Arythas uses the communication broaches to check in with Inky. He doesn’t respond and Arythas realizes that he wants to be left alone, so Arythas honors that and returns to the rest of the party.
He walks in as Rohan is explaining that the marriage was announced and we can actually weaponize that. We can use the party to fake kill Dia after her wedding to poison the news cycle, but Dia’s issue with that is that her double is still having to pretend to be her and if she is dead then they will kill her double. She suspects that her groom isn’t even aware that she is gone and that is why the Family is actually still looking for her.
We realize that we have to take care of Lord Liyon before anything else regarding her marriage can happen. Iskra says that he gets a bad feeling about Lord Liyon, though he can’t quite put his finger on what it is. Dia wonders if Tristan is somehow related to the man, and Iskra explains that Tristan couldn’t turn back to a normal human form and there is no person behind those eyes. He is confused that Lord Liyon is not Tristan in human form. Rohan suggests that maybe Iskra recognizes the curse in him, but Iskra isn’t sure.
Arythas recalls some information about Lord Liyon:
- He fought in the war.
- Aware of officially history with information scrubbed, though he’s not sure what specifically.
- He is powerful and wealthy.
- He is not a city of here, he has influence in other places and his land is lawless.
- He is very secretive. This is a weird situation and not a logical or even good match for Dia’s father.
- Dia is aware that this man isn’t necessarily her father’s first choice. Dia is confused because she has an older sister — Prudence — would would maybe be a better choice for the man.
Rohan asks Dia what she meant when she said she was an actual healer, and she explains that she is the only actual holy person in her family. She explains that Prudence is much more powerful, and Rohan explains that there is a lot of benefit of having a holy person around. Dia recognizes her double is in a lot of trouble as she clearly doesn’t have the same skill.
Dia mentions that she is aware that her mother and Prudence and some others from her family will be at this party, but we absolutely are not allowed to go without her. She shows off her hat of disguise and she looks like a femme Rohan with the hat on so that she can be disguised at the party. Kestrel comes in and says he would love our help to find his daughter, but he can manage it alone. Inky finally joins and asks if we are ready to go.
Investigation: Kestrel, Inky, Rohan, Iskra
Party: Dia, Arythas
Dia tells the investigation team not to die or blow up the city. Rohan gives Dia the wand of truth. Dia puts her dress on and does her disguise, making sure the disguise has the same dress as she is actually wearing. She makes her disguise a tiefling with a lolita-esque vibe to her fashion.
The investigation group goes with Kestrel to his apartment. All of his loot was kept in tact with just his daughter taken. After he gets her back he is going to have to leave for a new city. He collapses his magical apartment and they begin their investigation.
Clues:
- Hair pin, belonging to Robin
- Iskra’s wolf has her scent from this
- Note: “Towe…”
- Air Bridge
- a few options nearby: ocean, abandoned wizard tower, hotel (King’s Tower)
- We figure it’s the hotel
- a few options nearby: ocean, abandoned wizard tower, hotel (King’s Tower)
Rohan looks over the evidence and thinks it’s the hotel, so Kestrel goes to investigate it. Rohan realizes that this isn’t right because of how long Kestrel is gone. Rohan knows, then, that it’s the wizard tower.
Kestrel uses divine energy to collapse the front of the wizard tower and climbs up to who is holding his daughter — it’s one of the sisters — and the divine energy in his hand turns into a spear of divine light. He attacks the sister, and retrieves his daughter and walks out of the tower. Robin hugs Iskra’s wolf and cries a little, then asks if the group are friend’s of Kestrel’s, to which everyone says yes.
Iskra offers to take Kestrel with us on the ship when we leave, but he declines. He needs to leave with a friend and must be out of the country when the party goes down. Iskra tosses one of his special coins to Robin.
At the ball, Arythas and Dia stay close to each other. Dia holds onto Arythas like he’s an escort. Dia feels watched and she notices Shevore, wearing a uniform that isn’t The Family of Light uniform. She holds and doesn’t drink a glass of wine. She is surprised Arythas is here, but doesn’t pursue it. She seems to be alone at this point, in a military uniform that mercenary groups tend to wear.
Dia doesn’t notice anyone from her Family yet, though she can feel them here. The king is not yet here but that is normal. The Captain is also not here yet, though their sibling — the ice genasi — is here. The sibling approaches Arythas and is pissed at first, but Arythas meets them halfway to diffuse the situation. They appreciate what we are doing for the king and apologizes for jumping to conclusions.
People:
- Lady Ravenriver — She is upset as her dress didn’t arrive. She is Oceanscar nobility; blonde elf woman in a gorgeous dress. Local to here.
- Goblin Lord Flank Wilgrand — Definitely two goblins in a trench coat.
- Lord Erden Lightshard — The opposite of Lady Ravenriver. An older gentleman with an orc manservant (an old system, not popular today) and is discussing politics. Arldin’s Father.
Dia and Arythas see that this is a very large ballroom and somehow someone is sat in a corner with shadows covering them like the rugged mysterious ranger of a tavern. We realize it’s fucking Rafferty in his best Aragorn cosplay, with Shevore approaching him.