Session Date: 11/17/2024
Arythas
Arythas finishes working and helping moving things. As he walks up to the manor that is Kestrel St. Clair’s, he notices that there is a leopard with a fluffy collar following. Its name is Precious. Arythas can tell that he’s not in any danger with the cat - it may be wanting to play, or is play stalking. Once Precious notices that Arythas sees him, he comes up and sniffs his hand and lets him pet him. He ultimately walks up to the house and notices the door open and a half orc half lizardfolk butler opens the door - this man is named Grot “The Gent” Getsky.
The man shows Arythas to his room (conveniently located near Dia’s room — thanks Rohan) and he enters. It’s clear that Kestrel and Robin tried to make him comfortable and did a pretty good job of it, putting a lot of thought and care into it.
As a note - we are also aware that everyone working in the house are or have been part of Kestrel’s crew.
Rohan
In the evening, it’s clear that Rohan wants to say something to Kestrel, but is struggling. Rohan admits that he’s trying to do better about being honest, and that there’s something that Kestrel needs to know about him. Rohan explains he has a demon in his head. Rohan stumbles through how Taraaq can leave at will, so he’s not like always there, and then explains that the goal is to get him out of hell.
Kestrel is actually pretty open to all of this, and isn’t bothered by this. He asks how he can help to get Taraaq out of hell. Kestrel admits he knows a good lawyer. Rohan asks Taraaq if a lawyer would help, and he explains that it might be useful at some point because if he tries to run he’ll just be tracked down — a case will have to be presented at some point. Taraaq accepts the help, and Rohan says to Kestrel that the lawyer should go to Denma rather than Taraaq.
The next question from Kestrel is asking Rohan how invested he is in his mother staying alive, and Rohan says not at all.
Rohan explains the information about all of the thuuls and the like that the group just went through at Cruelwind Prison. Kestrel explains he can actually help with this and find a lead for Rohan to follow in finding the buyer here in the city.
Kestrel expresses concern over Lulu being here, and explains that no matter what she says, she’s not here to spend more time with Robin. Kestrel explains that Lulu is the type of person that likes to hurt people, and Robin was conceived in an attempt to hurt Kestrel.
The Entire Party (not Inky)
We all awaken the next morning. Nobody wakes us or bothers us. We congregate in the kitchen to make breakfast and get ready for the day. Iskra works on cooking while Dia does some needlepoint in a windowsill.
There is some smalltalk over morning coffee with the half-orc and half-lizardfolk man. He explains that they had done work together — criminal work, specifically. Grot explains that this is his retirement and he rather likes this job, having requested it as they are no longer running heists.
We ultimately scatter to hang out, and Rohan and Kestrel wake up far later in the day, and don’t come down until early afternoon.
Dia goes for a swim in the pool, and Arythas rough houses with Precious the kitty cat.
Iskra
Iskra asks around about schools in this place — he learns about the high magic academy, but there are a lot of schools here because it is the capital. Inky asks around and asks the driver if he would be able to visit at a later time, and the driver — Vitalii — says he would be happy to take him if wanted. He explains that the Mageside has a lot of twisty towers, and if you go through the magic field you can save time because time runs weird in there.
Iskra returns to the pool area.
Inky
Inky’s killed the bookwyrm after a long, hard battle. A voice speaks and says that he has done well, but the memory will be closed off until later, when the time comes. As far as Inky will know, and his friends — Inky’s spent the time reading, but the voice will not forget what he’s done for it.
Inky blinks and he’s sitting in a library next to a book that he’s apparently just been reading? Mattai is next to him, asking how he is. Inky says he’s been fine, and she agrees. Mattai explains that we are in a place that has a library so he can join or visit us, but Mattai isn’t making him leave The Library Between either way. She just assumes that he’d like to visit with us.
The book that Inky was reading appears to have been a really granular book on the theory of magic. Inky tries to return the book but Mattai offers to put it away for him, and he thanks her. Mattai says that Inky should remember to visit, then sends him off. He goes through a tunnel made of bookshelves, and he winds up in a place that is totally unfamiliar to him.
The library is well stocked with a rather eclectic collection. There are a lot of maps, a children’s section — many of the books are the type that someone might pick up if they wish to research how to case a specific building, or how to make a specific kind of bomb. It’s a heist library with a children’s section. Based on this, Inky has a feeling he might be at Kestrel’s place (given that we also were going to wind up there eventually anyway).
He sneaks his way into the kitchen and makes a pot of chai. He then goes out to sit in a lounge chair next to the pool. Around the same time, Rohan comes out with wet hair and in a giant pink fluffy robe. Around this time, Iskra also goes to sit and accidentally sits down on top of Inky and his elbow goes into the chai.
The Party, Reunited
The party acknowledges him and he says that of course he’s back, he just read a book. Arythas mentions he’s been gone a while, and Inky says that it couldn’t have been that long, he was just reading?
Dia exits the pool and the party explains what’s gone on in his absence — Dia is very careful to dance around the mad mage’s journal and its destruction, as well as avoiding disclosing that we have learned anything regarding how they did anything. We do go into detail about how Major was one of the creatures that was created, and how we restored it. She explains that our current objective is to find the rest of the creatures and send them to her brother Bertram. We also explain how we beat Ace Freeman’s ass yet again.
We had landed in Isara yesterday, and the group had met Robin’s biological mother - who is rather unpleasant (Rohan supplies: a bitch). There was also a sandwich shop, with something odd about them — Robin had mentioned the shop, and it happened to be a chain that we saw in the city of Apamea. Soldos is also here, by chance.
Inky asks how the trolls were being controlled, and Dia says that she wasn’t sure. Inky wanted to figure that out. Iskra offers to let Inky view the acid that the trolls were suspended in, explaining that the trolls were in stasis while in the acid. Inky is excited to get his hands on it and look into that more. He can tell that this was a very mild acid to make the regeneration kick in, keeping them in this stasis. There was also a spike in the brain to keep them asleep during the regeneration so they continued to stay in this stasis.
Dia happens to know that the control was part of the impart knowledge spell that was used for them - she does not share this. (Dia forgot this — Dia’s father is in town as well. The group does know this, but it’s not necessarily mentioned.)
Dia remembers we have an extra communication piece that she owes a favor to Denma over, so we give it to Kestrel while we run around. Rohan recommends that we split the party and have Dia and Arythas go speak to the nobles, while the rest of the group goes to investigate within the city. Dia is hesitant to let the chaos squad alone, but Arythas speaks up and says that they’ve successfully done their own investigations and can handle themselves should things devolve into combat.
Leads —
- Something with Full Hearts inn
- Iskra’s sister is in town (WE DO NOT KNOW THIS) — Rdest
- Dia’s father is in town
- Thuul investigation
Thoughts —
- Chaos squad start at the docks to see if any strange shipments have come in recently to try to track down the thuul shipment