Session One Hundred and Eight (Graveyard of Empires Summary)
Session 108 May 11, 2016
5:30 pm 15th of Jourilden, Tarwater Harbor
A dandy by the name of George is asking about the leering sheriff. We try to hold him but only draw a crowd interested about the Midmark navy and that the Leering Sheriff is missing. We see propaganda bills of the Nativist Unions. Thorfus chooses not to use a urchin guide, mentioning Afrim to scare the urchins away.
We go to Aldous Runnelbrook’s book shop. Despite the late hour, Thorfus negotiates the sale of a good number of our magical items. Edan arranges training with Aldous starting the following day.
Our next stop is Lord Thornton’s. Thornton is abroad, we speak with Perrette, master of the Greycloaks. He is surprised to hear we rescued the Leering Sheriff and arrived on board her. We report the imperial dervish/Alain Grell plan to assassinate Thorrell and the Devilfish deal. He gives a oblique approval to ‘deal with the Devil’ so that Grell cam be brought to justice. He also explains that the heist would be conveniently easy the next night because an observance for the Leering Sheriff lost hands.
After explaining we want to sell some loot to Magistrate Grell, we take our leave of Perrette and retire to the Cock & Bull where we learn Elspeth and Holden are a new couple. Perrette had excused Lord Thorton explaining he usually works late at court, sometimes not coming home at all. Thorfus observes the loss of Desric as we pass the ruins of his home. Perrette suspects foul play not the accepted story about an accident of Desric’s design.
Talk about the C&B is :
1. Tension between Colonials and Islanders about to explode.
2. Devilfish and pirates making shipping the worse than ever been, threatening next month’s council of Marks attendance.
3. Town of Scale, South of Newton has completely disappeared after giants emerged from a sink hole, conquered the town then the unshored sinkhole swallowed the entire place, people and buildings.
4. Grell estate to be sold real cheap but there are no buyers because it is haunted by the murdered Lady Grell.
5. A new crew in Vargen has a cheaper alternative to Dogfroth that threatens the Mad Dogs. Mad dogs’ response is to slay by a thousand cuts any customers that abandon them.
That night, Thorfus interrupts two watchmen harassing a lonely Islander. Cannis notices Pons is pocketing cards during their watch. He plans along, only alerting Pons as they settle accounts.
Edan’s training begins the next day as the other boys visit New Town. Runnelbrook cautions Edan about Kalgunn and trains Edan for free after learning the magic is ancient dwarven transpatial energy. Those two bond solidly as Edan educates him.
Thorfus notices a heavily garbed Islander studying the city watchmen as well as they boys on the way to New Town. We are challenged by the gate guards due to our haul of weapons. A burly fellow with Chestnut hair escorts us to the cultists. Chuq senses we have preempted another crew already hired to swipe the scroll. Today’s secret knock is : knock, pause, knock, pause then three knocks.
Drays greets us accusedly, complaining about Finkelworm. Hearing of Fink’s lost legs, he changes his attitude. Details of the heist are settled with Kally, one of his worhipers that is a cleaner at the Merendur temple. Kally explains the scroll is kept in the ‘Poison Cabinet’, a vault where heretical writing that undermines the teachings of Merendur are kept.
At low market, a colonial pushes Dogfroth on us. When back at the C & B, we visit Dinette Otter the alchemist for potions. Thorfus buys all her healing potions and suggests restocking in case we return. Dinette sells us a high powered laxative which we will use on the lonely librarian to get him away from his post during the heist. She buys our story that it’s to raze our next recruit bit still makes us spend a small fortune for it! Cannis naps in the wagon to learn more applicable spells.
The next stop is the salty judge when we all put on the robes from Kally. Wearing the robes allows us to enter the Merendur temple along with the throng unnoticed. As we wait for Kally to deliver the SuperLax, no one gives us another thought. The old librarian wasn’t quick enough so we have to tread carefully when he has rushed out. We can’t find his key so decide to try without.
The Poison cabinet is at the far end of an 80 foot long room bisected by an ink filled pool 40’ long spanned by a 10 foot wide stone bridge. This room is pasted with blank vellum shots of various sizes on the walls and rice paper posters hung by red streamers from the ceiling. There is a deep ‘plop’ heard which is followed by a soft puff of breeze every few moments. The plop comes from the pool as if it is on a low simmer. We suspect a supernatural guard slumbers here.
Crossing the room without touching any hung sheets is easy enough. We collect by the cabinet door as Pons monitors the ink pool. Unlocked, it opens to show a tough looking Half-elf sell sword in Merendur robes examining scrolls strewn about a long table. His name is Ronan Hachure. He has the librarian’s key and agrees to abandon his commission to swipe Imperial scroll #15 for 100 GP in gems. We promise to help if his former employers, the Mad dogs, come looking for trouble. Shouldn’t be a problem since Kally claims the Mad Dog contract was cancelled. He also likes the prospect of working with us.
Chuq exercises Pons judgement and grabs several artifacts from a display case before we leave. In addition to the scroll, Ronan hands us research notes about it that discuss Angmar’s Folly, an Imperial research base we planned to eventually visit. Most of us exit the Poison cabinet without incident until Chuq chucks the imperial scroll to Ronan, then something interesting happens….
The ink pool rises up and slams jets of itself at Ronan’s back and a hanging rice paper sheet. The sheets suddenly displays a dragon which peels itself off the page. The other jet slams Ronan towards Chuq who grabs him and slips into the nearest shadow. The pair are jarring returned exactly where they started. Chuq leads Ronan across the threshold, then the two successfully shadow step beyond the ink monster. We rally in the lonely librarian’s office and close the doors to the ink room. We tidy ourselves and walk out while Kally greets everyone she know as we pass. Shedding the robes in another alley, we make our way back to the Cock & Bull. Kally goes her own way.