Session One Hundred and Ninety (Graveyard of Empires Summary)
SESSION 190 – February 14, 2018
Prior to going to share our message with the council, we move to the square to have a noisy place to discuss our plan. In the square is the normal hustle and bustle of such large groupings of people. The Fishwicke people are there flagellating themselves.
Suddenly a pregnant woman does a waddling run into the middle of the square screaming about death, fishes, and other strangeness. This intrigues the Fishwicke people, while a group of assassins (Imperial Dervishes) shadow step to go after the people the woman was with. [We later learned the woman was Em, and the people were those who fled Midmark in Thorfu’s submarine.]
The assassin’s only hit one of their intended victims, the Matriarch of Merendur’s temple in Midmark, Alesta Dracul, and she only fell because of their poisoned blades. Strangely, the other’s missed.
Lambertus recognized these people, and Rallion had seen some of them before on his trips into Midmark before being sent on his mission. The party springs into action.
We shield Em from her attackers, as she was also on the assassin’s list. We quickly brought down the weaker killers. One managed to hit Laris, and he also fell due to the effects of poison.
Oskar rushed forward with the chest and opened it, removing the magic from all the assassins, as well as those we hoped to aid. Including removing the spells from the aged elf, Aldus Runnelbrook, who could only look at Oskar wondering what just happened.
The assassins were unable to hit any of their other targets. Their targets fought back, and with our aid we quickly subdued them. One exploded, but we got everyone clear before that happened. Two of the shadow steppers were left alive, which Rallion later regretted, as we had no opportunity to question them. Rallion later urged their eyes be put out to prevent their escape. Lambertus cast slow poison on Laris, and Nash cast it on Alesta to buy time to save their lives with remove poison.
Baswick the Midmark Harbormaster revealed as an agent of Feldmark, interceded when Nash didn’t want them touching Em. We ended up in the same room under guard with the party from Midmark and we revealed some of what we know.
While she was still unconsious, Nash had Serithaz insert into Alesta Dracul’s memory that he and Bavmorda were who she was to meet to deliver the sub. After she awoke, she was sticking to that story. Rallion continues to rub the bridge of his nose, at all this. During the fight, while Em was safe with Nash, Nash told Serithaz to fix Em. Em now is in her right mind, and understands where she is.
A priestess from the local temple of Baldrick Evenkeel cast slow poison.
We make a plan with the Midmark group and they make a poor argument that does nothing, and we deliver a message about not burning the disease victims to prevent spreading the contagion via the ash. We don’t trust councillor Grete Kygh of the Ropemaker’s Guild, who has had a sudden change of opinion about helping Midmark. We make a suggestion about helping through the temples, so it is not a political issue, which the Feldmark Council adopts, and the Hull & Sheaf ships are to be left out of it, to prevent further political entanglements.
We meet up with Baswick who delivers us to a safe house under control of the Feldmark secret police. We suggest to Baswick if they won’t put out the eyes of the shadow steppers, perhaps they could cast continual light in their eyes, so it isn’t permanent. We hole up for a week and train.