Session 10 - Quest Gathering and Departing Luskan

Session Date: January 14, 2019

Session Stream: Youtube

The session begins in Luskan the aftermath of the trials in the winter palace. Stats confers with Rollie to see what happened while the group was underneath, and Rollie confirms that nothing really happened, apart from his theft of the alms box from the temple, which contains very little money (10 silver and some copper). The party then heads back to the Frosty Sip to talk to Troy Quick. Stats approaches some of the women drinking in the bar with Rollie in tow and the rest of the group takes a table and flags down one of the waiters, who introduces himself as Marty McFlight.

The group asks Marty if they can speak to Troy and he says to just go ahead upstairs and knock on his door. Stats and Hammerfeet stay at the bar drinking with the girls. Rollie meanwhile escorts Artus outside and keeps an eye on him. Drork and Raloric head up a winding stairwell to speak to Troy. His room is a hoarder den, with all kinds of stuff all over, including years of copies of the Luskan Luminary newsletter. They tell him about what they saw in the Winter Palace and that they were attacked by a bunch of monsters and tell him that the monsters were likely the ones that killed the people in the temple. When asked about Artus, they say they found him inside praying about the loss of his son. He also asks about the Highwinter Warden, but they don't know anything about it.

Downstairs at the bar, Stats and one of the women, Alley Cat, talk and he buys some drinks for the ladies at the bar, introducing Hammerfeet to them. Hammerfeet, as always, insinuates that Stats has a crush on him, and plays off the attention in general. Meanwhile back in Troy Quick's room, Drork and Raloric finish chatting with Troy. Troy offers to report their story to the authorities. As thanks, Troy gives the party a Decanter of Endless Water.

The party brings the women back to the Happy Cow with them along with Artus and Rollie. Stats is trying to get information from the girls about where they might find nice Jewelry. He tells Marty that the drinks are on Troy, Raloric agrees, but then pays for it on the side.

Back at the Happy Cow, Drork and Raloric take Artus outside to where Sirac was buried. Artus stretches out his hand and a macabre snowman appears, digging up Sirac's body, uncovering his head. Artus leans down to kiss Sirac and says "goodbye son." after which the snowman re-buries Sirac.

Drork compliments him on the display and asks if all that power comes from the ring. Artus says it's not power, it's a burden. When asked if his goal is to destroy it, he says yes, and he's also looking for wife Allesandra, and with her the missing city of Mezro. When asked what's so terrible about the ring, he says "it whispers" and then refuses to talk about it more. Drork offers to help destroy it, and suggests that the Dawn Titan might be able to destroy it at Ironslag. Artus thinks this may be possible, and agrees to join the party when they do decide to confront the fire giants. Artus says he can be contacted via a sending spell when the time is right. Drork and Raloric agree and give their condolences to Artus.

Meanwhile Stats is buying drinks for the whole bar from Lily and then gets up on the bar and announces "today is a wonderful day, you must appreciate your life, you must appreciate your friends, and at the end of the day, you must appreciate me." The party goes to bed, Stats gets really hammered, fails to attract the attention of the women he's interested in, and wakes up with one of the Happy Cow ladies.

-- party takes long rest --

In the morning, the party wakes up, Stats feels pretty rough, but shakes it off. The group discusses their next options, between heading to Bryn Shander to finish one of their initial quests, or head to Ironmaster to talk to the kin of Augrek, who they met down in the forge under Gauntlgrym, or find the Oracle in the Spine of the World.

While talking about it, the group hears some coughing, and stats says "oh it's Skeet Johnson." and he begins to remember that Skeet joined him during the crazy night. Skeet hears them talking about finding magic items and tells them to try the Host Tower of the Arcane where they reportedly sell magic items, so the party heads out and makes their way there. Rollie says that Skeet is his cousin, and when Stats asks him to send him away, he does so with some strange words and gestures. Stats asks what language that was, but Rollie says it wasn't a language but Thieves' Cant. Stats asks if Rollie could teach it to him.

The party heads to the Host Tower of the Arcane and knocks. A twisted face appears in the door and asks them a riddle for admittance.

I'm what men love more than life, fear more than death or mortal strife, what dead men have and rich require, I'm what contented men desire.

Stats blurts out "peace" and the door shocks Raloric. After some more consideration, they land on the answer as "nothing." The face says "very good!   nothing is the answer" and suddenly a seam rises upwards through the doorway and the huge door swings open. Inside is a vestibule area with a few chaise lounges covered with pillows and some curtains on the opposite side. The party enters and notices that the mirrors in the room don't reflect themselves, but only the room. In the next room is a busy din of people, with people talking to others through mirrors, and races from all over the realm, including some that the party doesn't recognize. The party approaches one of the wizards of the tower, and when told the party is looking for some magical items he says the brotherhood can get many wonderful things, but that it may put us in their debt. He also introduces himself as Rammer. Raloric asks for something that could resist fire, and the wizard offers to sell a ring of resistance. and he says he'll trade it for the margaster plate armor and 200 gold. He also offers a similar ring that seems to be cursed,

Hammerfeet asks about magical warhammers and shields, and the wizard tells him about a magical warhammer named Whelm. He says it's in Whiteplume Mountain and the evil wizard Corraptus stole it along with Blackrazor and Wave along with it. He says that Blackrazor is an evil sentient weapon, and if the party could bring it back they could have the others.

Stats asks about something to make him more sneaky, and he suggests some Boots of Elvenkind. Raloric also asks about a Cloak of Protection, and he says we don't have one, but he knows where one is, and says Sir Barric Nylef, one of his associates has a Cloak of Protection, and Hammerfeet should know him, and that he's in Bryn Shander.

Hammerfeet asks about magical shields and he offers a shield that would help him be more vigilant.

Stats asks about magical staves and wands as well, and is told about a Staff of the Magi and another is a Staff with a fireball emitting out of the top, but he says they're both probably beyond the party's means at the time. He also describes a Wand of Fireballs, Wand of Lightning, Wand of the Warmage, and a Staff of Fire.

Rammer also gives the group a mirror that will let them communicate with the store at any point.

Rammer says that instead of bringing back just Blackrazor, if they brought back both Blackrazor and Wave, they could have the Staff of the Magi. He describes White Plume Mountain a bit and says that many adventurers have tried to retrieve them and not returned. He describes the weapons a bit. Stats seems skeptical and asks to speak to whoever is in charge of the tower. Rammer says "if you think you can speak to Alshandar Grimcloak, you are mistaken, good sir". Stats pulls a Karen and demands to speak to him anyway.

The group finds themselves suddenly to no longer be in the tower. Realizing they were just kicked out, Stats yells for Alshandar, and he appears in the mirror - he says he doesn't want to speak, but says to "Go up the black raven river to raven rock, and there you'll find the mountain. if you want to speak to me, you'll bring something back from that place."

The party figures out what they want to do, and decide to carry on to Bryn Shander. They buy some horses on their way out of town. As they head out of town, they see some overturned wagons and suspect a trap or ambush of some sort.

The head forward and investigate as quietly as they can. Drork tries to sneak up as best he can, and Raloric moves up more directly. It looks like the belongings have been gone through, and there is some blood, but it doesn't seem like there are any tracks or drag marks. Stats and Drork notice some birdlike creatures approaching from above, and Stats starts summoning a lightning cloud. A fight breaks out with dozens of Aarakora. The birds just keep coming in waves, and the party fights and fights and manages to overcome them without too much trouble, though they take a bit of roughing up in the process due to the sheer number of foes. Something was odd about those Aarakora though, as they seemed to be made of water more than anything, and had a dead look behind their eyes, as if they were summoned, rather than natural. After the fight, Drork busts open a crate from the wagon and finds a small ornate coffin. Raloric finds 27gp in a change purse spilled on the ground. The group tries to figure out to whom the cart might have belonged, but find a House Margaster symbol on the side of the cart. Stats suggests opening the coffin. They do, and it contains a creepy-ass-doll.

Hammerfeet casts detect magic as a ritual, and gets an aura of necromancy coming from the doll. Suddenly the doll sits straight up and looks Hammerfeet in the eyes. Stats tries to thwack it with his quarterstaff, and just kinda bops it in the head. It says "Norgio" and then falls over.

The group uses the mirror they just got from Rammer in the Host Tower of the Arcane, but doesn't have any luck. Raloric decides to move away from the doll and try again. He tells Rammer of the doll and asks if they have any interest in it. When discussing that he had trouble using the mirror near the puppet, Rammer suggested it was just because there were too many magic items nearby. Drork brings the puppet over and Rammer says it looks like an effigy of the Mayor of Neverwinter, Dagult Neverember.

Turning the doll over, they see a switch that says Evil and Good, and it's set to the evil side. and a note that says "Waterdeep Effigy Company". Raloric switches the switch to the good side, and asks Rammer what to do with it. They're not particularly interested in it, but suggests that the party might have some kind of use for the puppet. Raloric suggests this may have been the thing the birds were after.

The party moves a bit away from this site and then sets up camp.

-- session ends here --

Previous Session: Session 9 - The Trials of the Frostmaiden

Next Session: Session 11