Session 8
The last few sessions have been a bit rough. For those who don't know, the last few months, Australia has been roughed up by fire, hail, floods, and storms. We play online, so people had to constantly leave to drag something out of the dangerous hail, or drop out due to power loss. As such, the sessions have been a little slow as we wait for people to return.
Recap (Angharad's player)
There was silence in the tavern during Hennet's speech, everyone listening to him before their eyes trained onto the party, as the tavern members rearranged the tables to form a circle around us, Lisandra noticed a small rock in her glass.. a pebble, Ella's badge instantly started to glow, while Lisandra swiped the pebble out of sight.
Once Hennet was encouraging us to ask Jered (the ocarina playing halfling bard), the party got into why they were there, Jered saying that Nilasa was nice, always down to talk about new ideas, and that he had known her for years, and that she was always down to talk about revolution, while being fervently against industrialism in general, but focused upon Risur in general. Furthermore, Jered told us that Nilasa had a tenancy to make friends with those who would cause chaos, while Jered believed that she had friends who were likely doing things that were illegal, which was worked out by Lisandra and Ella, Jered had even met these friends of Nilasa's a few times, and they were the Cloudwood brigands; mercenary bandits who kind of had a robin hood vibe going for them.
At this point, Lissandra opened the question up to the crowd, stroking their egos a bit in the practice, which lead to a bunch of inane questions thrown at Jered.
Once this was done, Lissandra started to question Hennet, who innformed us that Nilasa was mainly interested in his ability to write in Crissilyiri, which he had learnt while he was researching the fossils of dragons and demons. Nilasa had gotten him to write a letter to one Monsigneur Morgan Cippiano. At the end of the communication, or the ritual as Hennet put it, he said 'Unmask the masked', which Ella knew to be religious, but not why. Angharad spoke to Tad, the innkeeper, after all of this, to keep an eye out for any dark haired Eladrin or half elf ladies for him, and to pass a message on for him, to which he agreed.
Shortly after this, Lissandra took a leave, and asked Angharad to accompany her, to Ella's great amusement, as she winked and wished them a good evening. But, instead the duo were heading to the theater to speak to Kell, the crime boss. But on their way there, they heard a bunch of angry shouting, someone grunting in pain, and a woman's scream for someone to stop them! Two thugs wearing bright red scarves sprinting away from the scene. Lisandra had the carriage chase after the thugs to cut them off, and as the did, the thugs eyes grew wild, with one of them clutching a small bundle of frabic, ran into a building, but unluckily for the one carrying the bundle, Angharad's fire caught him in the leg. Just after that though, out of sight, it was heard' Get Up! Babies fetch a bloody huge ransom!" which set the two RHC agents off immediantly, chasing them into the building and up the stairs.. Meanwhile, Ella and Avvakir had finished eating at the Thinking Man's Tavern, were taking a carriage back to the Nettles, before Avvakir stepped out early, saying he was going to speak to an old friend to try and find the Doctor...
Jumping Back to Angharad and Lissandra though, pursuing the two thungs up the stairs into a wooden floored room, which massive red curtains that rose as the pair made it into the room, letting them look out into a room filled with around 100 people, all armed with pistols and crossbows pointing at the agents, bar one.. a young man with a shocked expression on his face, and green eyes who was lowering his crossbow while staring at Lissandra. And then, they heard a 'Bravo!!' and the sound of clapping...
Moments later, an atheletic looking man, bouncing a leather ball came to bring them to Lorcan Kell, and they found out they were in the Theater of Scoundrels, a criminal organistion who rehearse performances, but also muggings, ransoms and various other types of deception. Kell claimed that he had the doctor in his care, and was willing to hand him over if the RHC constables would do him a favour, it was even enforcing the law, so huzzah really. We were to stop a smuggling operation on the 4th evening of summer, and that he had even heard that Nilasa was involved in it.. the athletic man, Rufus, as we found out, was directed to take us to a room to think it over, after which they decided that they didn't really have a choice, but wouldn't be able to tell the other two members of the team how exactly they found the info, thus they told Kell they would do it, and that he would get them to the Doctor once we had dealt with the smugglers. Sadly, probably due to the worry of dealing with a mobster, the two had forgotten to get where the smugglers were located.. Hopefully that doesn't become an issue..
Angharad returned to his home in the Cloudwood after this, while sending word to the brigands to not get too antsy when the RHC came a knocking, they were just here to talk, not to arrest. Ella went to her fathers grave and spoke to him at length..
On the 3rd day of summer, during the spiel to Delft, Lissandra left out the details of meeting Kell, which he noticed something, but decided not to press the group how they had learnt about the smugglers , while Avvakir informed us he had the Nettles being canvassed for the Doctor, while Angharad informed his allies that he knew of how to meet the Brigands of the Cloudwood, that he ignored what they did in the Cloudwood, and they knew not to operate near him, telling the group that they tended to take money from those who had too much money, and gave it to the poor.
After that, the group decided they had to speak to the Skyseer Nevard, and made their way into the Cloudwood, they heard the panicked neighs from a horse, with damaged carriage harness hanging off of it, and a woman's screams coming from a carriage, slowly sliding off the edge of the road, archers scattered around, taking shots at a man next to the carriage. Angharad recognized one of the archers as Renyard, the leader of the Cloudwood bandits.. After a brief scuffle, Dreaming humming birds attacking Ella for her blood, Angharad pulling a lady out from the carriage just before it fell, and Renard getting even angrier at first, it came to light that these men were Kell's, and had kidnapped the lady, 'Maurina' who was also Renyard's beau.
Once everyone had calmed down, the constables were able to speak to Renard about Nilasa, being told that she had helped them a few times, but never asked to be paid back for her help... Apparently she was just over only talking about it, and wanted to do something. Angharad asked Renard if he knew of Nilasa's other employer, alluding to Gale, not her adoptive father, of which Renard knew nothing, Angharad briefly showed his Vekeshi Mask, trying to jump his memory, which lead to Renard commenting that she had fire inside of her, so he wouldnt have been surprised if she was one.
Ella was asking the spellcaster about his blood drinking, dreaming touched humming birds, and was told that with the right emotions, the stars aligning and the right state of mind, you could get to the dreaming, Angharad was not particularly impressed by his friend wanting to get to the Dreaming.
After this, the party made it up the hill, to stone plinths scattered around with half a dozen people outside a tent, a gravel path leading to the tent. As the RHC members walked along the path, these individuals rose and one lady called out 'What areyou doing here? You are not Skyseers- I can see it in your eyes, Our Leader has no time for you' but, a friend of Angharad's, Pazamu brushed her aside, saying he would check if Nevard was able to see us.. When he came back saying we could enter, he asked Anghard to refrain from smoking, as Nevard preferred dim light to spare his eyes . Also under his breath, mentioned that Angharad had never mentioned what fine company he kept to him.
Inside the tent, Nevard was reclining upon many cushions, wearing a simple grey robe, the smells of cinnamon and cloves everywhere, but not masking the smell of deterioration, Nevard's eyes never seemed to make contact with ours, more looking through us, than at us. He sadly had no more information to offer on Nilasa, or his prophecy he had made about her, and when asked about Gale.
'What mayhem has Gale caused this time? She has come to me in the past, much like you have, seeking guidance. I don't know why she bothers, she never listens.' Last time she visited she had said she followed my advice, and found a new threat that eve the people of Flint would take seriously' And said that he had last seen her a week ago, further more he would be willing to arrange a meeting between gale and us, but first we would need to prove we wouldnt betray her trust, that we would need to fulful his dying wish. He wished to travel to the peak of Cauldron Hill, to see above the clouds, the strongest point of magical power in the city and attempt to pierce the veil that has taken the skyseers recently, he wanted to have a vision to show how those like Gale, and the industrialists could walk the same path together.
As we left, Pazamu mentioned that we would need the Nettle's Mayors approval to go to the peak, and hopefully he would know how to make it up without getting possessed, and that there is a ritual that we can do, to give Nevard the strength to make it up the hill, but involves our blood.
And that my fellow constables, is what happened last time.
Highlights
The players loved Lorcan Kell's lure. We had to break for five minutes as Lissandra's player wanted some time out to process what had just happened. The player described her heart beating out of her chest. Only after the session did they realise they had agreed to stop a smuggling operation they knew nothing about.
I personally enjoyed how the party handled The Thinking Man's Tavern. Hennet had made quite a spectacle, and the crowd scraped their tables and chairs to arrange themselves as a circle around the Constables. Jered was berated by several questions and not much of anything useful was obtained, but the constables were able to deduce that Jered was not responsible for: doubling in size and throwing Nilasa out of the consulate window; polymorphing as a compound fence spike and killing Nilasa, the earthquakes that shake Flint, etc...
The players seem to be enjoying the story quite a bit. They mentioned that at least once a session, an interesting spanner is thrown in the works. They also seem to enjoy the relatively slow pacing, and sinking their teeth into the setting.