Felix ends up in another dimension. The sound is muffled. Felix casts
Mage Armor. The other unconscious orcs—a father, son, and daughter—are also in the train. Black spirits seep through the walls of the train. Initiative!
Felix casts
Mirror Image. The spirits appear to be immune to necrotic damage. One spirit swings its sickle and hits… a Mirror Image.
A second spirit tries to approach Felix and touch him but fails. The orcs also become involved in the fight. The children deal more damage than Felix. Orc children vs. halflings, apparently.
Felix attacks again. Beams of light shoot toward a spirit, which immediately collapses. The next spirit, surprisingly, also goes down from another beam of light. Radiant beams prove effective: the third and final spirit disappears.
The feeling of victory is short-lived. Four new spirits appear. It turns out the orc children can attack with the artifacts, but they miss. In a subsequent attack from a spirit, the girl is knocked unconscious, which sends the father into a rage.
Felix tries his luck again by firing beams of light at them. One spirit manages to dodge, but the second and third spirits vanish again. As Felix fires the beams, his hands burst into flames.
A spirit attacks Felix but strikes a Mirror Image. Two versions of Felix remain in the train—but which one is real? Only the halfling knows. Felix and the orc manage to banish the remaining spirits again. A brief moment of rest. The orc father checks on his daughter. Felix revives her with a
Potion of Healing.
The light appears to come from outside, further toward the locomotive. They prepare to investigate the source.
In the other dimension (the real reality), we make our way toward the dining car. Kane sees a monstrosity in the center, black and hanging from the ceiling. Saria reacts to the screams of the orc mother and begins healing the daughter, who is bleeding heavily.
Ayleen climbs out the window and reaches the roof of the train. Her well-aimed shot strikes the lantern, while in the background the next city and its station come into view. The lantern explodes and the purple light disappears. Felix’s journey to the other dimension ends abruptly.
The monster remains in the train and attacks. Kane fires beams of light and withdraws, but the monster follows them and deals the first damage. Saria steps out of the compartment and summons a
Moonbeam. The magical moonlight seems to strike the monster severely.
Despite the slowing train, Ayleen manages to climb back down and begins shooting at the monster again from the other side of the carriage. The radiant shots have a tremendous impact on the dark spirit. In a final action, it is up to Kane to send the creature back into the darkness from which it came.
Kane and Felix enter Luc Jierre’s compartment and begin investigating. Ayleen exits the train and, in the distance, sees the group of four leaving the train near the cargo wagon.
Saria transforms into a cat and gives chase. Together with Ayleen, she begins a race to catch up. Luc and Octavia climb into a carriage decorated with purple pennants and ride off. Ayleen and Saria hesitate no longer and follow.
The streets are crowded, but the carriage moves quickly toward the harbor. Pipistrella also helps keep track of the carriage.
Meanwhile, Kane and Felix examine Luc Jierre’s belongings. Everything is moved to our own compartment.
The carriage stops at the quay. Octavia steps out of the carriage and boards a rowboat. Saria (still in cat form) follows her into the water, transforms into an octopus, and attaches herself to the boat. There is an island nearby, and a second rowboat approaches that is clearly sinking. Octavia disappears onto the island.
Saria makes contact with the drowning person. While discussing their next steps, both of them hear a voice in their minds:
“Quick! The priestess is nearly finished with her ritual. Undead will soon flood this place. Get into the water quickly, or come down to me.”
Saria and the stranger swim away from the island. The undead begin emerging from the water and moving onto the island.
Ayleen follows the carriage back to the station, but the carriage turns out to be empty. The driver has a letter from Octavia, but the information goes beyond the purpose of the taxi ride. Octavia has left for
Odiem Island, but why share that information with the driver? There is no trace of the other three.
Kane vents his frustration about the failed mission
Saria brings the drowning person back to the quay. Along the way they get acquainted, and it turns out they are both waiting for a ship to sail back to Risur. The stranger’s ship is waiting outside the harbor. Impossible! What a coincidence. Saria keeps up her cover, although she suspects the stranger is also an RHC agent. The stranger goes looking for a book.
Felix and Kane search the hotel for Griento and Luc Jierre. Luc Jierre and his cohort are not known at the hotel. Saria returns.
Kane advises Ayleen to find a solution to her problem: locating a pregnant goat.
RHC Leadership Handbook, Chapter 1 — don’t bring problems, bring solutions.
An employee is sent out to find a pregnant goat.
The pregnant goat arrives at the hotel half an hour before midnight. A ritual begins in the hotel room. Kane attempts to transfer the curse from the pistol onto the pregnant goat.
Meeeh! The goat begins to bleat.
What will its future be? Poster girl for a heavy metal band?
It is decided to stop pursuing Luc Jierre and instead try to reach the
Impossible. The goat is no longer our problem. We take the Griento orc family with us and leave the hotel through a back door.
We arrive at the harbor and see the drowning person, who turns out to be
Gianni, a colleague from the RHC. Gianni has arranged a boat. Favors are exchanged.
The boat is just large enough to carry nine people. To be safe, Saria takes the form of an octopus and swims part of the way. Meanwhile, Gianni is updated on the latest RHC gossip. Gianni has been undercover in
Crisillyir for three years. His results concern
La Familia.
We approach the
Impossible and board the ship. Captain
Rutger Smith welcomes us. The plan to sail to
Vendricce is agreed upon. We rest that night. Before turning in, Kane casts
Aid.
15 Winter 500 AOV
We wake up, and Ayleen summons Pipistrella. Her observations: twenty soldiers searched the train. Afterward, Luc Jierre and his two bodyguards boarded the train and departed.
Around noon we arrive at the harbor. We prepare to observe Luc Jierre during his meeting. Kane lightly disguises himself, Ayleen relies on her stealth skills, and Saria on her shapeshifting.
Luc Jierre’s train is expected around
17:30, and the
Obscurati meeting is scheduled for
20:00. The plan is to observe.
Pipistrella watches the train’s arrival. Gianni stands at the entrance of the enclave. Saria, disguised as a cat, waits in the station.
The train arrives. No one exits the first-class carriage. Luc Jierre is nowhere to be seen. Kane uses
Locate Object to ping the dwarf’s dice. A signal comes from the first-class wagon.
The train is split up and each class is taken away by a small locomotive. The first-class carriage remains behind.
Pipistrella flies past the windows of the train. There is still movement inside.
The final train section is towed into a hangar.
Saria, still disguised as a cat, jumps onto the train.
