Session 12
Is Someone Following Us?
Section titled “Is Someone Following Us?”The Fated Eight briefly discussed their options in The Rowdy Roan before heading to see Commander Dae’hya to update him on the letter. Along the way; some of the party got a sense that they were being followed but couldn’t place from where or by whom.
Arriving at the Storm Corps HQ - they were advised by an assistant that Dae’hya was busy at the present time and he would instead seek them out amongst the city when he was available later that day.
The Fated Eight decided to kill the time by searching around The Ratways for the location of The Dealt Hand, amongst other things.
The Ratways were an even shittier place to visit on a gloomy day like this one - but The Fated Eight worked together to narrow the wide search for The Dealt Hand. SHAI; using Locate Object for the concept of a poker chip, managed to get a general ping in a North-westerly direction - but following as the crow flies let them into a dead end alleyway.
Being Found
Section titled “Being Found”The Fated Eight found themselves facing a large stone wall when they each clocked the presence of an unfamiliar individual behind them. Turning around they saw the visage of a single figure wearing dark black leather armour with feathers and a long cloak approaching them - a sight that for some reason invoked a sense of fear within the party.
Before anyone could react - the figure raised their hands as their visage began to shift revealing a heavily armoured form instead.
The party saw the figure; clad in vaguely gothic armour with two large horns protruding from the helmet, approach them without saying a word. They noticed the moon and raven feather symbols decorating their armour and shield as well the as the red string tied around their shield-bearing arm. The keen-eyed amongst the party saw a Bag Of Holding on their belt.
The figure spoke up and introduced themselves as Somnus before offering their help on behalf of The Fate-Cloaked Maiden. The Fated Eight were understandably mistrusting of another stranger approaching them; after their run-in with Thomas Urgide a few days prior, but following a lengthy discussion held within a pocket dimension of Somnus’s creation - they were willing to accept their help.
Cynthia’s Spills Her Secrets
Section titled “Cynthia’s Spills Her Secrets”As they exited Somnus’s magical hut - SHAI received a message from Cynthia Glint asking The Fated Eight to meet her at The Witch’s Wardrobe as soon as possible.
“Oh hello again - I know you were just here a moment ago but I’ve got something I think you’d all be interested in seeing.”
- Cynthia’s message
After a brief discussion over the urgency of the Mage’s request - The Fated Eight; now including Somnus, made their way back to the Fortune Markets to speak with Cynthia. Cynthia was quite upfront with the party in this moment and admitted she had kept a truth from each of them - but from her perspective it was not without good cause. She noted that Lady’s bracers had reacted abnormally after her death and Cynthia believed these could grant some insight into the Human Monk’s past or reason for her assassination.
“I’m sorry for keeping this from you. I had to be sure I could trust each of you before I revealed what I believed could provide critical insights into her passing.
I don’t really understand the magic used - it’s not my domain after all - but I can see that the bracers have responded the elemental power of fire. It’s only a guess but introducing it to the 3 other elements could prove useful.
I wanted to wait to show you this before I progressed any further with my research, or I can leave it with you all to finish what I’ve started.”
- Cynthia
After a bit of a back and forth; including a short communion with The Fate-Cloaked Maiden via Augury cast by Somnus , the party decided to take the Bracers for themselves and learned that the Magic that enchanted them confused even the The Maiden herself - it was as if the Magic predated her.
A Tip From Their Informant
Section titled “A Tip From Their Informant”As The Fated Eight left the store - Cynthia piped up; saying “Your informant left this here earlier by the way.” before handing over a scrunched up note that read as follows:
Dealt Hand. RATWAYS, NE. Run-down building.
The casino will LIFT your spirits.
G
Completing The Bracers
Section titled “Completing The Bracers”The Party found a private alleyway in the Fortune Markets where they could experiment and try to unlock whatever secrets were kept by Lady’s Bracers.
After a brief discussion - they decided to attempt firing various types of Arcane Magic on it to trigger the remaining elemental reactions required. Morgyn first fired a Ray Of Frost at it and The Fated Eight noticed another symbol appear with a faint blue glow. Focusing on the symbol conveyed the word Aqua which suggested that they were on the correct track.
SHAI followed suit casting Chromatic Orb on the item - as a thunderous blow reverberated through the bracers and triggered a third symbol to glow a faint orange/brown colour that conveyed the word Terra when focused on. However SHAI tried to cast Chromatic Orb with a different affinity to no results - the Human Wizard intuited that only one reaction could be triggered by a single individual. The party were confused on how to imbue the primordial element of Air and spent a short while discussing their options as thunderclouds and lighting came over the city without warning.
Jin made a leap of logic after lighting struck close to the bracers and scaled the side of a nearby building before lodging his blade into the tiles on the roof. He placed the bracers around the hilt before moving back to what he thought was a safe distance. When the lighting struck - his plan had worked perfectly and he noticed the final symbol on the bracers alight with a faint green glow. Before he could take in the final symbol however - he was hit with a jolt of a electricity and nearly fell from the roof top; Jin had failed to account for the conductive properties of water along the tiles. He caught his breath before descending down the building side and regrouping with his party members.
Bracers Complete?
Section titled “Bracers Complete?”The puzzle of Lady’s bracers had been solved and a faint white glow clung to the space around them - the four symbols reading Ignis, Terra, Aqua, and Aer. Jin gained an innate understanding that the bracers would only reveal their true secret when used by the correct person in a time of need; leading the Human Monk to task SHAI with holding onto them.
The Fated Eight needed a moment to process these events and plan their course of action; and Graxious wanted to visit The Book Nook in order to purchase a book on how to play the lute.
Axton, Morgyn, and Jin headed to the The Rowdy Roan for a drink whilst Somnus, SHAI, and Graxious made their way to The Book Nook.
Graxious, Somnus, and SHAI arrived at The Book Nook and saw a very orderly building that seemed very out of place for it’s location in the Fortune Markets. Entering the store, they each noticed the interior was even more strictly organized before they were approached by an older Half-Elf man who introduced himself as Gus Binder. The trio could clearly gather that the man was obsessed with proper organization and was definitely lacking in charisma - although he was promptly helpful in finding a book for Graxious to learn from.
The trio also inquired about any Glorious Gozos packs he might still have available here and luckily he had 3 remaining. Somnus and SHAI were incredibly lucky as they both opened God Packs - which contained 5 rare cards. One of the cards Somnus pulled was also named Graxious Longwood but the Leonin Paladin was not aware of any familiar connection.
The trio left the store satisfied and returned to The Rowdy Roan to regroup with their party.
Jin; not wanting the Commander to waste time finding him, left The Rowdy Roan and waited outside in the town square for Dae’hya to meet him. Commander Dae’hya arrived a short while later and the pair discussed the recent developments as well as the possibility of the Storm Corps aiding their investigation into The Dealt Hand.
“Unfortunately, that’s out of jurisdiction - for a while now The Ratways have functioned as a separate entity from Roan’s influence. I’m sorry but you will be on your own for any investigations you conduct within their boundaries.” Dae’hya apologetically stated to the Human Monk. Jin accepted this answer without pressing any further before inquiring if they could visit Lady’s corpse once more.
”Oh - even at the best of times that would have been difficult to grant but I actually came to tell you some news regarding that. Isaac spoke with me a while ago and revealed her body is no longer present at the morgue. We’re conducting a deeper investigation to see who within the Civil Corps could be responsible.” Dae’hya sternly whispered.
The conversation ended shortly after that and Dae’hya turned to head in the direction of Storm Corps, whilst Jin returned to The Rowdy Roan.
Upon everyone’s return, The Fated Eight discussed their options and decided they had to find and infiltrate The Dealt Hand on their own. They each made their way back to The Ratways and continued searching the North west quadrant of the run-down town. Within an hour, they managed to find a incredibly run-down building with an abnormal amount of visitors entering and not exiting.
Inspecting the interior revealed a large mechanical lift that descended into a darkness not even Somnus’ magically enhanced Darkvision could see the end of.
The Plan
Section titled “The Plan”The party discussed their options for entry and resolved that Somnus and SHAI would use their magic to disguise themselves as the bandits that had attacked them the previous night - whilst the others would play dead and be carried into the casino. With a bit of time spent to prepare and to align their story - The Fated Eight made their way down the escalator and plunged 1000 feet below the surface before arriving to the sight of a luxurious interior.
Gaining Entrance
Section titled “Gaining Entrance”The Dealt Hand greeted The Fated Eight with velvet carpets and granite tiles as they caught the sight of a Drow woman and a Bugbear man; wearing white masks that bisected their face horizontally. A few moments passed before the Drow woman addressed them and asked for their business. A tense discussion occurred as SHAI and Somnus worked together to successfully deceive the shrewd eye of the attendants.
They were directed to the 3rd floor of the The Dealt Hand to speak with the Monarch’s Exalt - as he was preoccupied for the time being.
Speaking with the Monarch’s Exalt
Section titled “Speaking with the Monarch’s Exalt”SHAI and Somnus made their way past a few patrons of the casino on their journey up to the 3rd floor. Arriving at the ornate double doors, they knocked and were granted entrance - where they saw a mysterious woman wearing long robes and a twisted tiara.
“I am the Monarch’s Exalt and you have come to claim your reward, yes?” she spoke in a shrill voice, pausing before she continued “I see you have brought 4 bodies with you - is that all you could manage?”
SHAI and Somnus were pushed to the limits of their wit as they narrowly managed to negotiate with the woman for an audience with The Monarch - despite Graxious’ slip up almost giving their cover away.
”Alright fine… Head downstairs to the bar and enjoy whatever refreshments you would like on our tab. I’ll request an escort to take you to see The Monarch… she relented before gesturing for them to leave.
The Fated Eight made their way down - maintaining their disguises - to the ground floor before taking a few moments to breathe a sigh of relief.
Downtime
Section titled “Downtime”During this downtime, they were approached by a Half-Elf woman wearing mechanical goggles on her forehead; as Somnus and SHAI realized they’d walked past her earlier on the stairs up to the 3rd floor.
”You lot are new around here, aren’t you? You all stand out like sore thumbs and your dead-people aren’t very good actors I might add.” she said quietly as she readjusted her googles to look at the two disguised party members. “Oh, nice disguises - but you really should try to fit in or everyone else around here is going to catch on. Your secret is safe with me but I’m not sure for how long it will be secret if you keep up this approach.” she continued before turning and walking away.
The Fated Eight heeded her advice as Somnus and SHAI went to separate gambling tables and played some games on the Monarch of Madness’ tab.
The Escort
Section titled “The Escort”A while later, a short Halfling male wearing a grey cloak arrived and gestured for them to follow him. Another tense moment occurred in the confined space of the elevator but Jin, Morgyn, Graxious, and Axton all managed to play dead convincingly enough to make it to the surface. The Halfling male moved somewhat swiftly ahead, allowing Somnus and SHAI to keep some distance between themselves and their escort for the sake of their cover.
Cover = Blown
Section titled “Cover = Blown”He lead them to the South east quadrant of The Ratways; beyond barbed fences and blocked off buildings before they arrived outside a very run-down warehouse that took up much of their field-of-vision.
The Halfling male suddenly turned around whilst casting a spell with his hand and dashing backwards to dispel SHAI and Somnus’ disguises. The 4 members playing dead were dropped to the floor in surprise and left to make sense of the situation from sound alone whilst they got to their feet.
It was unclear exactly how; or when, but their cover had been blown and they were now being attacked by similarly dressed bandits to those from the previous night - although one of them looked significantly more dangerous than the underlings they dealt with that night.
The Secret Of Lady’s Bracers
Section titled “The Secret Of Lady’s Bracers”In the short moment before a battle began, SHAI and Somnus shared a momentary glance as the Human Wizard reached for Lady’s bracers; which were now glowing with bright white light, and threw them in Somnus’s direction. Somnus caught the bracers and channelled their connection with their Deity; The Fate-Cloaked Maiden, allowing her to correct this perversion of fate through them.
The bracers ignited into a blaze that thrust forward and formed the visage of phoenix. In this moment, Lady Snowblood was returned to the Material Plane; alive and well. The Half-Elf Monk assessed the surroundings and felt the power of her Snowblood ancestors coursing through her; preparing her for the upcoming battle.
Combat!
Section titled “Combat!”Despite initially being caught in an ambush - Lady’s re-appearance caught the Monarch of Madness’ bandits off-guard. Lady; enhanced by the knowledge of her predecessors for a short while, was able to deal crushing blows to the bandits as the battle began.
The Fated Eight worked together and quickly turned the tides of combat - with SHAI decimating the backlines of the assault with a Fireball spell - whilst Jin, Axton, Morgyn and Lady dealt damage to the close-range fighters. Somnus stayed back and played a supportive role; restoring their allies that were hurt and restricting their enemies who moved too close to them. The leader of the ambush recognized that the situation had gotten dire and landed two pistol shots onto SHAI; exposed from the casting of Fireball earlier, which critically wounded the Human Wizard and rendered him unconscious for a moment.
The session closed with the leader taking the opportunity presented and retreating inside the warehouse whilst Somnus healed SHAI; restoring him to consciousness.