Session 19
The Fated Eight regrouped after a bit over a week apart and read out the letters left behind by Somnus. The group were upset but understood that the Cleric had their own separate goals to achieve.
Aurevald; showing a rare moment of vulnerability, opened up to the others and expressed doubts about his strength and usefulness to the group. Whilst he kept the details of his time away from the city vague, he admitted that the power he had been wielding up to this point was no longer his and that he’d not been strong enough without it - revealing that he & Scabb had gotten separated on their journey. The Goliath male was surprised by the positive reinforcement he received from the entire party - with each of them offering support and reassurance that he was not a burden on them, nor would he be one going forwards.
A touching moment between friends came to an end as Aurevald headed upstairs to rest whilst the others discussed some information that Ryujin had been made aware of.
Davison’s Return to Roan
Section titled “Davison’s Return to Roan”Jin revealed that Davison had been rushed back to Roan in the early hours of the night a few days ago. He explained that Dae’hya had confided that Davison had sustained these injuries in a skirmish against Caesar Plight - who was also reportedly injured and weakened.
The group’s discussion was suddenly interrupted as they heard heavy plodding footsteps from the internal staircase along with the clank of metal armour.
Aurevald’s New Groove
Section titled “Aurevald’s New Groove”Aurevald excitedly barreled down the stairs in polished, full-plate armour and wielding a large greatsword. The chest plate of the armour had been hurriedly adorned with an amateurishly drawn Imp - an homage to his recently separated familiar. Aurevald admitted he’d used Lady’s supplies to decorate the armor, much to the dismay of the Half-Elf Monk. After a short discussion however, Lady & Jin offered to combine their artisanal skills and decorate the armour professionally and tastefully.
Whilst Lady fixed her supplies and prepared the armour for painting, the rest of The Fated Eight made their way around Roan - finding ways to spend their gold before their next adventure.
Shopping Arc
Section titled “Shopping Arc”Much of The Fated Eight visited Cynthia Glint at The Witch’s Wardrobe and negotiated with her - amidst her still work-in-progress product listings. She admitted she hadn’t had a non-government customer in around a year - due to the nature of The War of Blood & Sand.
SHAI managed to purchase both a Charm Of Enhanced Spellcraft and a Scroll Of Counterspell for just under 1200 gold, whilst Ryujin was able to acquire a Ring Of Protection for a surprisingly low sum.
Some of the group were frustrated with the lack of a clear inventory, feedback that Cynthia understood and promised she would endeavour to provide shortly.
Earl was surprised to see Ryujin and many of the other Fated Eight members arrive in the early afternoon, and was also somewhat unprepared for their desires.
Aurevald was able to make a deal - with the aid of Ryujin, SHAI, & Graxious - to acquire a Sentinel Shield & a Cloak Of Protection for a relatively affordable sum. Graxious also purchased some improved armour and spent time transferring the accents of Seedara, The Bloom of Life on his current set over to the new set.
Morgyn, a burgeoning Cleric of The Fate-Cloaked Maiden - found her way to Pete’s Pious Possessions on the recommendation of Cynthia. Arriving at the shop, Morgyn was greeted by an eccentric, older Gnomish man. Pete proved to be difficult with Morgyn and refused to barter even a little with the Human Alchemist.
Shortly after Morgyn left the store, Aurevald entered and began to make acquaintances with Pete. The Goliath male’s temperament seemed more suited to this type of negotiation and Aurevald; using loaned gold, was able to purchase a rare Amulet of The Devout on the provisor that he not share it with anyone else.
RETROACTIVELY INCLUDE SCENE FOR Aurevald’s OUTFIT
The Fated Eight completed their shopping before regrouping at their safe house. Lady had finished the decorations on Aurevald’s armour and handed it off to Jin to imbue the artwork into the metal - in order to prevent it fading or getting easily damaged.
Following a short and restful afternoon, The Fated Eight headed to Veiled Visage University to speak with Thelnyron Dose at the Human Wizard’s request.
Suspicious People
Section titled “Suspicious People”Along their journey, Axton caught eye of some people in familiar black-and-white pinstripe suits. Some of the group overheard them in the middle of suspicious discussions regarding the upcoming end of the month. Axton instructed the others to keep moving without drawing their attention - revealing that they were part of the Moretti Family’s Private Security business.
“We gotta get this done before we continue on with the next steps of the boss’ plan…
Going to be a very interesting end of the month…”
- The Moretti Family members talking about suspicious plans…
Arriving outside Veiled Visage University - The Fated Eight noticed some individuals that had been hanging around Peter Ridgley previously. They inquired into his whereabouts and got a snarky response from the students formerly associated with him.
“Probably in the creeks mate - that’s what you go when your Dad’s a deadbeat…”
- A non-serious response about Peter Ridgley’s location…
After a bit of interrogation by Aurevald; demonstrating the Goliath’s newfound wisdom, The Fated Eight managed to learn that Peter Ridgley’s Grandfather had sold their property in Castletown to pay off the debts of Peter’s Father - supposedly causing a rift in the family that lead to them leaving the city shortly afterwards.
The Fated Eight continued into the university to speak with Thelnyron.
Checking In With Thelnyron
Section titled “Checking In With Thelnyron”Thelnyron - or “Mr. Nyron” as Aurevald called him - welcomed The Fated Eight with a bit of a mumble; having swallowed a fly as he’d gone to speak.
“I’m one of the most powerful mages in all the lands but I still struggle to avoid swallowing flies…”
- Thel’s remark when Aurevald questioned him about his voice…
High Arcanist Dose first clarified with The Fated Eight if they recalled an Amnesic Halfing Woman that they’d left in the care of the Roan Chapel, before teleporting himself and the entire party inside the foyer of the chapel with just a click of his fingers.
“Good, I think I have some good news for you all at the Chapel. This isn’t what I requested you for but best to get some good news out of the way first…”
- Thel before teleporting The Fated Eight to the Roan Chapel…
Each of the party members except SHAI had never teleported before and were able to resist the nausea associated with teleportation as they caught their bearings in the Roan Chapel’s foyer,
Within the Roan Chapel - The Fated Eight were taken to visit the Amnesic Halfing Woman that they had rescued from the side of the road between Forest’s Edge and Rookwell. Aurevald was surprised to see Rootkeeper Corana again and the pair struck up a conversation before she turned her attention towards Graxious; who had interjected with a compliment for Corana.
“My my Aurevald, you never told me you had such a pretty friend…
- Graxious to Aurevald about Corana…
The tall, Half-Elf woman with earthen toned, modest robes and long blonde hair tied in a single braid thanked Graxious for the kind gesture, before admitting she had only seen one; maybe two, of his kind elsewhere in Otheria.
“The hidden city of Elysia - that’s where you’re from yes?
I’ve never been, no one has ever shown me - but I have heard about it…”
- Corana asking Graxious about his home…
Graxious inquired how Corana came to know about Elysia - she revealed that a man named Zertheous Longwood had requested her advice in tending to a corrupted tree a distance away from the main city. Surprised at the mention of his Father’s name - Graxious revealed this identity to the Half-Elf Druid.
At mention of the tree, Graxious recalled a time; from when he was young, that his Father had taken him to a secluded grotto a distance from their home. The memory was vague based on it’s age and he only ever saw the grotto that one time - his Father was too sick to take him as the Leonin Paladin got older.
Corana explained that this request for aid came many decades ago - back when Zertheous were young. She asked Graxious if he was doing well to which he broke the news that Zertheous had passed.
“Oh my, I am quite sorry to hear that…
I’m sure he lived a quite full life - I can see that he’s raised quite a capable son…”
- Corana’s comforting words after hearing about Zertheous Longwood’s death…
The Fated Eight concluded their business in the room with Aurevald asking Corana how she had progressed curing the curse afflicting the Amnesic Halfing Woman. Graxious inquired if the curse seemed Abyssal in nature - to which Corana suggested it was likely.
“She should be ok… there might be some memory loss depending on how resilient her mind is. It will be a few more weeks before she regains consciousness at this rate, however.
Whoever did this - this curse - has a very malicious entity behind them. I haven’t seen a curse this powerful in decades…”
- Corana’s assessment of the Amnesic Halfing Woman…
Jin’s Advance
Section titled “Jin’s Advance”Jin left the room early to speak in private with Thel - sharing condolences for the state of his pupil. Thel inquired as to how he had come to this information but appreciated the discretion that he and Dae’hya had shown the situation.
“It was a bit shocking; yes, but it was important to obfuscate this as much as possible. The Beck Family would be quite upset if the city had another scandal right before their illustrious ball…”
- Thel’s reaction to the cover up of Davison’s state…
Jin offered the services of The Fated Eight to deal with Caesar whilst he was still wounded - however Thel advised him to wait for the consensus of the rest of the party first.
As the rest of The Fated Eight returned to the foyer - Aurevald approached Thel and warned him about the Moretti Family figures who were seen discussing a plot involving something at the end of the month - suggesting perhaps a danger to the High Quarterfest Ball.
Thel admitted he had seen them coming-and-going from an estate that had recently changed hands in Castletown. He wasn’t sure the details of who had bough the estate but changed the topic of conversation as he noticed the time.
“Oh my - look at the time! Please, stand next to me once again… CLICK”
- Thelnyron teleporting The Fated Eight once again…
The State Of Davison
Section titled “The State Of Davison”The Fated Eight apparated within a similar room to the one that they had been shown to following Lady’s death - a quick glance made it apparent that it was some sort of medical bay for high risk patients.
Their attention was immediately captured by the critically injured body of Davison Theros - with corrupted wounds that seemed to resist healing of any sort covering the majority of his body. The Human mage was visibly breathing, but it was obvious to all of them it was not comfortable or easy for him.
“Davison didn’t return quite as soon as I had expected. I waited a day, then two, then four before I heard a short message asking for help.
It seems that Davison managed to transcend his previous limits and track Caesar Plight for many days - however this feat exhausted him to a point where he made a nearly fatal error.
He’s a quite a powerful mage but he’s not experienced in combat to single-handedly deal with a foe like Caesar Plight on unfamiliar turf… He’s lucky to be alive at this stage…
- Thelnyron’s summary of Davison’s skirmish with Caesar…
An Offer Of Revenge
Section titled “An Offer Of Revenge”Thelnyron turned to The Fated Eight and offered them; with no judgement either way, the opportunity to head to Caesar Plight’s last known location and finish off what Davison started.
“I only offer this as I know you have personal history with Plight and might want an opportunity at revenge. However, I understand that the risks here are high - I would not blame you if you felt it was beyond your capabilities…”
- Thel’s offer to The Fated Eight…
Thelnyron elaborated that Caesar had been tracked to a location known as The Hollow Crypt - an obscured and ancient Dwarvish burial ground. He warned that it is not for the faint of hearted due to it’s age - dating back to before The Cataclysm - and because it is known to be heavily trapped.
Thelnyron left The Fated Eight to discuss the request in private.
An Early Night; For Some
Section titled “An Early Night; For Some”After accepting Thelnyron’s offer to stage an offensive against the weakened Caesar Plight, The Fated Eight were advised to get an early night’s rest - as they would need to leave the city before dawn the following morning. The party shared a nice meal together and made their ways to bed for the night.
“Meet me at the city gates before dawn…”
- Thelnyron’s instructions to The Fated Eight after accepting the request…
SHAI was awoken by messages from BLUE asking the Changeling Wizard if they could meet. BLUE revealed that he’d been in contact with The Big Three and had been struggling with a decision to return to the Feywild or not. BLUE revealed that The Big Three were no longer confident about when The Alignment would take place - with ALLEN being convinced that the sudden acceleration of their timelines was the fault of someone from the Material Plane manipulating it for their own means.
SHAI; confused by this revelation, could see that BLUE hadn’t slept in days and invited him inside the safe house for some rest and relaxation - reassuring his friend first before any attempts to make sense of BLUE’s ramblings. SHAI pulled out some Huskerdust for the pair of them to share - making sure to be very liberal with BLUE’s dose and very conservative with his own.
Just as BLUE had calmed down and fallen into a deep sleep - SHAI was caught off guard by a sudden and thunderous noise from behind him. Before he could react, he was lifted up from his chair and into the air by a raging Goliath male.
Aurevald had awoken from his sleep with a nauseous and acrid smell permeating the air. The smell reminded him of the entity that granted him power until recently, putting the Goliath male on high alert. Without waking anyone else, he exited the upper floor and used his recently-renewed enhanced sense of smell to trace the smell to the substance in SHAI’s possession. In an instant, Aurevald had leapt down the stairs and rushed towards the Changeling Wizard with an outstretched arm. He reached for SHAI’s throat and began to apply force as he lifted the Wizard into the air - giving him just enough air to speak in order to answer questions.
Aurevald was visibly furious at SHAI for having the foul substance and interrogated him as to what it was and why he had it.
Tension
Section titled “Tension”The other Fated Eight members awoke - aside from Graxious who was dead asleep at time - to the sound of this commotion. The tension in the air was palpable as they each tried to prevent Aurevald from hurting SHAI further whilst also making sense of this unexpected situation.
The session ended with Aurevald releasing SHAI from his grip and apologizing for his sudden outburst. He shared that the substance called Huskerdust - a hallucinogenic created from the Husk Fruit that grows on some trees in the Feywild - reminded him of the entity he had only recently been purged of, before revealing that he had lied earlier about Scabb.
“This withered tree that bares fruit might be the tree that I’m looking for…
It is home to a horrible entity that is not of this world. I could be wrong, but if it strikes such a distaste, it may be what granted me my powers before. It may be what took those powers from me in the past week, and be the very thing that killed Scabb.”
- Aurevald’s reveal…
Aurevald revealed that Scabb was killed during their journey, before being twisted into a creature with bark for skin by an entity that seemingly took his powers & the weapon the Goliath once wielded.
“Before he died; or was taken control of, he… told me to be free. Like he himself severed a connection from whatever was controlling me at the time - and he told me to reunite with everyone here.
But, if it is ok with everyone else… If I may ask for your assistance in saving him. I don’t know where he is at the moment, but I may need your help in saving Scabb…
I beg… Please help me. He is my; and our, friend - and I alone was powerless in protecting him. He protected me, instead. I think it’s time that I lean on others, for a change. Please help me…”
- Aurevald’s plea to The Fated Eight…