Session 19 | “Underlying Questions”

Izi Spotted

• The party begins the return to the Ratcatcher’s Inn to rest. As they make their way down the main road, a Graetor prison cart is travelling up the road towards the House of Questions and about to pass them. The prison cart has Flavian, his wife and his son captive
• Flavian locks eyes with Atticus and has a confused look on his face, he looks like he is about to yell out, but decides against it. They slowly start to go further down the street.
• When they are out of view a Bilnarak guard spots Izi and begins to gather more guards for reinforcements.
• Izi spots the guards and begins to scurry away
• (6) Bilnarak Guards rush in trying to capture Izi
• The Party fights the Guard amongst the crowded street, Izi and Waylon doing notable damage and killing the majority of the Guards, Vonris “stumbling” and crushing one of them in a feigned attempt of concern, and Atticus causes sleights of misdirection and tripping hazards.
• One of the last two Guards tries to flee but is swiftly killed by Waylon, the last Guard reaches into his coat and produces a silver whistle in his last moment of desperation. He is then stabbed in the throat but just manages to release a call for help.
• The party quickly loots the Guards on the now empty street and begins to run away.
• Atticus slowly leaves the scene and manages to see a single Graetor guard enter the area to investigate, the Graetor reaches down to the Bilnarak Guard and places his hand on his head. Then abruptly looks up and catches Atticus’ eyes. Atticus begins to walk away, but is not pursued by the Graetor.
• The party makes their way back to the Red Inn.

Udzala is summoned and Upton is awoken

• When the Party reaches the Red Inn, Izi and Vonris enter The Cart and begin to invest down time into various activities.
• Izi identifies several Magic Items and summons his familiar, Udzala, for the first time. Udzala turns out to be a shadowing, one of the bat-like creatures present in the Night realm of the Feywild.
• Vonris reads through his book looking for tenets of faith and a way to please his God, he discovers that his motivation to bring healing into the world can be forwarded by looking no further than his own party by investigating Waylon’s condition.
• Waylon goes inside and has a drink and goes to bed early
• Atticus goes to a shop that is closed and goats the owner to come downstairs to meet him. Mr. Upton, an eccentric old man of nobility that shares a smoke of Atticus’ Adgrove smokeweed, they talk for several hours and by the end of their time together Upton has taken a liking to Atticus.
• The party reconvenes at the Red Inn, Vonris hurriedly wakes Waylon up to investigate his condition and learns that if not treated, that Waylon could die in a weeks time. The disease was contracted from the slash that Hyldan (Rakshasa) gave Waylon when they fought on the road.
• Long rest at the Red Inn

Ale before water

• The party wakes early in the morning and considers their intentions for the day.
• Their conversation is interrupted by the familiar drunkard that loiters the Red Inn
• Vonris approaches the drunkard to see if he can help him, he offers to give him some water but the drunkard insists on having ale. Vonris complies and buys the man another drink, then supplies him with water for hydration.
• The party leaves the Inn, Atticus notices that there will be a large thunderstorm later in the day
• They leave the cart in an alley beside Upton’s shop

The House of Questions

• Stealthily the party makes their way to The House of Questions
• Atticus and Vonris approach the front door confidently, Waylon and Izi climb around the boulder and down to the balcony area to sneak into the side entrance
• Atticus approaches the Graetor’s at the front door and asks to meet with Jakob Ellur because he has business to attend to, he is let past the guard into a vetting room.
• Vonris says that he is Atticus’ doctor and Atticus requires his close supervision because he has bad diarrhea… Vonris is barred from entering and the doors close behind Atticus
• Vonris makes his way over to the balcony where Waylon and Izi are after Udzala gets Vonris’ attention. They drop down a rope which Vonris breaks in half while trying climb, Izi mends the rope and eventually Vonris is able to make his way up the balcony.
• They pass several pillars which seem to be used to burn something (perhaps prisoners?)
• Atticus continues through a dark corridor and approaches a deep gnome working through papers, the gnome directs Atticus to be escorted by another Graetor guard which then leads him into a grand hall with many doors. They approach a single door and the Graetor tells Atticus that he may wait in the room for Jakob to summon him. Atticus enters the room but doesn’t move out of the way for the door to close.
• Izi, Waylon and Vonris enter the structure and find a lush room with plants, flowing water and an undisturbed sand pit. Izi casts detect magic and sees magical glyphs embedded into all of the walls and doors. There is a large emanation of magical power coming from the sand pit. A thunderstorm begins to grow outside and rain falls upon the balcony.
• Waylon and Izi find the deep gnome in the reception area (that Atticus has previously talked with) and decide to assassinate him while he is distracted with his paperwork. They quickly kill him, then Izi buries him in the sacred sand.
• Atticus (2) Graetor guards run through the hall. The Graetor at his door tells him to stay in the room and apparently leaves to join the other (2) Graetors. Atticus then he hears a thunderous storm as a door is opened further away for a moment, then back to silence
• Shortly thereafter (3) Graetors enter the room to investigate, (2) of them immediately attack Waylon and Izi bringing them to near death, Vonris begins to run toward the balcony and is met by the last Greaton who defensively positions himself to keep Vonris from entering deeper into the structure.
• Vonris casts Detect Good and Evil and learns the Graetor’s alignment and race/being
• Waylon places the Ring of Shadows on his fingers and slips between planes, seeing the Graetor before him as a blinding light
• Atticus leaves his room and approaches the Graetor at the end of the hall and presents the Hyldan’s Infernal Contract, threatening to burn it if he is not taken to Jakob.