Session Date: 8/21/2023
Session 8 — combat with Lord Darkrose in the theatre where we defeated the roses that were suffocating him. We retrieve a second shard of the seal of infinity, which has joined with the shard we originally had. We let Danny skip town and he has learned A lesson of some sort.
We part ways with the siblings and we end up near Rosevale, an actual city complete with a train station. There are people camping outside the walls: tents, carts with items for trade, and there’s the usual hustle and bustle of traffic of people. We go down and find the entire area in disarray - there’s a lot of chaos and people complaining. Faylen leans over to a man and asks why they’re not letting anyone into the city and what’s going on. A man in muddied, more expensive clothes who is clearly a merchant, says he doesn’t know: the guards didn’t tell him anything and that it’s closed. Bosch suggests maybe someone’s stuck and they need a good whack.
There is no answer within the gates or the walls, but an enormous ogre with the symbol of a deputy comes over to Bosch. The ogre says that the gates aren’t stuck but he’s not sure he can say what it is, actually. Behind him, someone tells him (Albert) not to say another word. A halfling is behind him with the symbol of a sheriff of the town. Bosch explains that we are travelers that are trying to get on the train. He says to get back in line with everyone else. Faylen offers help and the sheriff insults him, then Bosch suggests we flip a coin to see if we help, and the sheriff says he hates adventurers because he’s supposed to just believe us when we say we want to help. Albert speaks up and says it might be prudent because nobody in the city can actually help.
The Sheriff asks us to walk with him, and we do. He put the city on lockdown and even exiled himself from inside the walls, saying that he takes it very seriously. He says the only things he trusts are the two guns he has on his hips. He basically says that he doesn’t trust anyone and Bosch asks what he means, if he doesn’t trust any other soul? Albert says that the sheriff’s been this way since the divorce.
The sheriff deflates and says they’re having an issue with possessions. There are people in the city that are being possessed and he isn’t sure what or why or who is doing it. It’s just people causing mischief, there doesn’t seem to be a plan to it, so it’s hard to work with it. It’s chaotic to the point of people brawling in the streets or destroying property. There isn’t a lot of creatures possessing others — it’s likely one, and when it happens it’s very lively.
Bosch talks Faylen up with his arcana training. Mary also tries to think about possession and she recalls that when a primal spirit or a fae possesses a spirit, then it’s a long game or it’s somehow a long game: it’s not chaos or pointless.
Faylen recalls his studies about a concept of a protean — a being composed of chaos from another plane. They are creatures of pure chaos. He mentions this out loud and the sheriff says it’s possibly senseless, or it’s part of a greater plan he’s absolutely not aware of at this time.
The sheriff says that part of the issue is that the gates are definitely closed and there’s no way back into the city. Bosch says he can get the gate open for them all. He gets enough information to jiggle the front gate open if we want. Faylen can teleport in once the door is slightly opened, or Tabby can scale the walls. We all realize that we need to deal with the crowd outside before we do anything else because they are trying to get into the city as well.
Tabby begins by saying that we are here to negotiate getting the gate open, with Mary helping the merchants so that he their food does not spoil while they wait out here. Tabby says that we are going to go inside in order to solve the issues to get the line moving. Bosch gets the door cracked open so that Faylen can teleport inside, and before Faylen can even turn around, Bosch gets the door open. Bosch tries to pretend as if he didn’t get the door open but Fayeln says it’s fine, though he appreciates Bosch trying to spare his feelings.
The city streets are empty as everyone but Mary enters. Faylen uses the detect magic exploration action while the others are looking around. Something small falls next to us and it looks somewhat like a crocodile, but not quite. Faylen jumps and makes a noise of surprise as the thing greets us, and we ask who he is. He’s not sure, and Bosch asks if he’s enjoying the city. He says that it’s been weird, and Bosch asks if that’s started happening while he arrived, and if there’s a correlation.
This is an akizendri — they are not the most powerful proteans. Usually he is a thing that knows sources of knowledge and lore. There are stories, especially in the academy. Faylen asks why he’s doing this and Bosch asks if they’re playing tag. We start playing tag. We basically win the race, and he snaps and disappears, leaving behind a bomb. This looks like it’s just a prop — surely if it were real it would explode. Bosch takes the fake bomb and puts it in his pack just in case. We stand around and discuss it a little, with Tabby ultimately asking how to get rid of it. Faylen knows that these in particular do a different thing: they arrange or delete text or place insults in poetry, or similar.
The great story of the akizendri from the academy is they changed the words of a play just for the main actor and nobody figured it out and so on the premier night he proudly said the wrong words. Tabby asks how to get rid of it and Faylen replies that the easiest way would be to banish it, but Faylen doesn’t know that kind of magic — it’s far too advanced. We’re going to have to get creative.
Mary finally gets to the end of the line and she realizes just how tired she is. She takes a seat on the ground to rest, but within the minute she sits there is something shining that is in the sky and it flies down and lands next to her in a very neat rectangle. Out of it comes a creature that is beautifully symmetrical. It looks human or elf or half elf. It looks at Mary with metallic eyes and says that the rain is going to be purged, the creature will be contained, and that her compliance is welcome but not necessary. It walks through the wall, and then Talita comes to get Mary so she rejoins the group.