Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="MarkM" data-source="post: 8408010" data-attributes="member: 7025557">Session 11 (4-1-21):<img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/QSyxrg0gnfrI2Vk7xQj_eKqc85-z7Zcg2nZTba3m8VFSRCMjX4S4q7B78CC8abVHJYnfeai9WYf3c9fHsvNyX5MxISPvuDcBOpC5L0hpQ88kIarteNWQp7Fmnpke1Qf5WeQ7TFdV=s0" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />After taking a quick breather, we questioned the captured drow. He was a little more willing to talk than I thought but he still didn’t know too much. They were investigating something going on with the Bleak Gate? In addition, they were looking for the slave who was a “murderer.” This was later confirmed to be Gyldiel who admitted he’d been a prisoner of the Drow for nearly 30 years up until about 6 months ago. Pressing on, we found a room with a goblin chained to the floor. He claimed he was left as food for whatever creature attacked the drow further in. Gyldiel wanted to kill him but Vic stopped it and let the goblin free. (Amazingly, I bet Vic wishes she hadn’t done this because the goblin is now VERY attached to her)Pressing on again, we found a small cave with passages leading out to the North and the East. To the North, we could see a light and… the beast we’d all feared it to be… a Chimera. Fortunately though, it was sleeping. Gyldiel wanted to check the East first but found nothing.Also to the North, we could hear the sound of light tapping… hammers on stone. We decided to strike the creature from afar and hopefully have it attack whoever was hammering. We hoped they were drow…That part of the plan worked great. The creature was struck by a Sacred Flame. It woke up roaring and went immediately after what turned out to, in fact, be drow.After a few seconds, we sprung our portion of the attack. It… did not start well. Vic and Sylvia were immediately immolated by the creature and I don’t know how they were still standing when it was all said and done. Bell’s strange cannon with healing magic is the only thing that kept them on their feet I think.But, they kept fighting on. All of a sudden, a drow woman walking on the ceiling from the East appeared and took some shots at Gyldiel. We were in a tough spot and fighting the battle on two fronts. I tried to cast a spell on the Chimera and turn it to our side to fight against the drow woman. But, it didn’t work. It was touch and go until Sylvia finally brought down the large creature. Focusing on the elf now, Gyldiel cast a spell that dropped her from the ceiling and into our range. It did not go well for her after that. We surrounded her and despite her attempt to flee, we were able to cut her down. I expected Sylvia to knock her out and take her prisoner but she stabbed her through the heart… strange. She later said she did it so Gyldiel wouldn’t have to face any uncomfortable questions. That’s a good team move. I just hope the drow didn’t have information about an incoming force that would threaten Flint.On the body of the leader found some instructions to the Drow Commander. She was to capture Gyldiel and return him to a Drow city in the Bleak Gate. It referred to allies on the surface who had given precise descriptions of where Gyldiel lived, worked, and might be vulnerable. It also said that the Drow can only pass through the Gate during rare celestial events, but that others with whom they trade seem to be able to pass between the "Waking" and the Bleak Gate as they choose. The Drow were to discover how their trading partners can do this, but do do so without them knowing that the Drow are watching.After the fight, we cleaned the place out of anything valuable and then made our way to Mayor MacBannin to ask permission to ascend Cauldron Hill when the timing was right. We were met by his butler, Cillian Creed who took us to wait in the garden until the mayor could meet us.While in the garden, a courier named Doro came out of the house and had a very odd interaction with us. He lit up a cigarette and started philosophizing about chaos and the people and how one wished he could do something about it and how the mayor with all his resources couldn’t even do anything about it… I don’t know. Even for me, it came across a bit strange. But, he left and the mayor came to meet with us. This was also an interesting encounter. At first, he came off a tad stern and seemed as if he was going to come down on us for trying to trade the drow/chimera information in exchange for admittance to the hill… but then he laughed and said he was just messing around and of course we could climb the hill. That was easy…He said he’d help us as he could and provide amulets to protect us as well as goat’s blood he said would occupy the ghosts at night. We thanked him, told him we’d be back in a day or two and took our leave. We stopped by Sechim’s factory to inform Nevard about the plans but he’d already left. Instead, I asked Heward about the receipt we’d found on Nilasa’s body that had small amounts of substances that totaled to very large amounts of gold. He said it looked alchemical, but that he didn't know what those substances were for.After that, we returned to the RHC to turn in the goods we’d acquired from our day and talk about how to spend the next 24 hours.We were pretty sure going to the Thinking Man’s Tavern was our next step for tonight. We thought maybe in the morning we’d head out to the prison barges to talk to Nilasa’s former associates. Then, maybe Cauldron HIll? It would depend on what those other leads turn up. So, we’ll see.I also mentioned the names on the note about the family wharf could be ship names and asked if someone could try and run that down. Anyway… too much to do and not enough hours in the day…</blockquote>

Verification