- The party started the session in the alley following the end of combat with the demons.
- Kate and Stumpy, both very drunk, staggered around and needed help to make it safely to the Inn.
- A small crowd of patrons from the Hole came out to observe and tried to drag a dead demon away as there was talk of a reward.
- The party wrestled the dead demons back into their possession and had begun to remove their heads when the town watch arrived.
- The Watch took statements but seemed nervous.
- Before they left the alley and after the crowd had disbursed, the party saw the ghostly image of a man with a crown and odd wounds around his heart walk towards them. As it got close, it tried to talk and gesture but no words were heard and it faded away.
- The party (except for Kiervasan) made its way back to the Market Inn, using Tensor’s Floating Disk to carry the demon heads, and found that Rasputin was still performing.
- The innkeeper, Agartha, gave the party a note from River that explained that she had gone to the Draspine Mountains to check in on her people, and that they should look for her there after they had found the Silver Conch.
- Jon Marston found an alluring woman in his room. She reeked of perfume and said that she was from the Bathhouse. She smooth-talked him into being tied up face down on the bed, but once bound, she went through his pack looking for what she called her “payment.” Not finding what she wanted, she left.
- Horace showed up some minutes later, and after some funny banter regarding the pitons, rope, a kettle of boiling water, and a small bribe, Horace untied Jon.
- Molly, the waitress, gave a mysterious note that she found on the floor to Argone, as the note was near his feet. The note was a letter from Master Bannon to Rasputin and called for an alliance.
- The party gathered for breakfast the next morning, and Stumpy and Kate, both sober but nursing hangovers, joined them.
- Kate, now very calm, apologized for being an ass last night, and groaned when Avari reported that she had claimed to be queen. She apologized again.
- Stumpy introduced himself properly and stated that he was Stumpy Bannon. He told a story:My name is Stumpy Bannon. Many years ago, I was part of the Grey Cloaks— I was a messenger between the dwarven gate and the Grey Citadel.
- During one of my trips, I came upon a band of merchants who were under attack by a roaming band of strongmen for a lord who was trying become king.
- I tried my best to stop the attack but failed, and many of the travelers were killed. However, I found a young, helpless, baby girl in a wagon.
- She was a half-elf, and I knew that I could not leave her.
- I took her with me to the Grey Citadel and, well long story short, I adopted her and retired from active service.
- She grew fast and smart and took to magic.
- She became so good that she drew the attention the leader of the Grey Cloaks—Teak D’Haran. He taught her, along with a few other wizards.
- Elinda rose to tremendous power and was assigned some very important duties here.
- Years went by, and I do believe that Teak and my daughter, now an arch-mage, fell in love. However their duties prevented them from marrying and it hurt her badly
- A month ago, the Grey Cloaks were attacked by a strike force of mercenaries that arrived at the Grey Citadel right after the Dharans showed up. The Dharan army came, promising to secure on the Lock, but everything has gone to hell in a handbasket since they arrived, and my daughter has disappeared.
- My daughter (here Stumpy becomes emotional) fought them off — but she is missing.
- What she was guarding? Something important?
- Her tower in town—would you investigate?
- Avari pledged to help, but Kriick was noncommittal.
- The party then went to the Mayor’s office, where they met up with Kiervasan. They also met Lord Arb Angus, the mayor, and he confirmed that demons were a big problem and they had started to appear right after the Dharan Empire arrived.
- The Dharan Empire arrived right after the Grey Cloaks, led by Teak Dharan and Elinda Bannon, went missing.
- He discussed the politics in town and the economic situation with trade and the need not to panic the city.
- He offered the party 50 gold per dead demon and 5,000 gold if they found and eliminated the source of the demons.
- He told them of odd robberies in the last month and, given that this was a lawful good city, were doubly rare.
- He answered questions about the sewers and the crypts, explaining that the current city was built on the ruins of older versions of the city.
- When the party told him of the ghost they saw, Lord Angus went pale, and when pressed he explained that the wounds they observed matched the purported wounds of Jaego Heim—the first Lord of the Grey Citadel who, it was rumored, traded his soul to save his wife. She still eventually died naturally and he was left to be alive forever. He became known as the Bone King.
- They learned that Lord Angus had also hired the Crimson Cloaks, a mercenary group, to help clear out the demons.
- Lord Angus also offered a personal reward if they could find Elinda Bannon as he, as the Lord of the Grey Citadel, relied heavily on her and missed her guidance and leadership.
- The party departed Lord Angus’s office as a big crowd of townspeople formed outside the Townhall to lodge their grievances. Kate was there, but instead of screaming about politics like she had in the bar, she was gentle and was caring for the people.
- The party then went shopping for armor at the Ironworks and met Dregdim, the dwarf master blacksmith, and Ulf “9-Fingers”, also a master blacksmith. Dreghim agreed to try to make shapeshifting armor but had to think on the supplies needed and asked the party to return later in the week.
Prachett
Isidra
Ash
Sir Douglas Roxy of House Landron
Dresden
Yelm
- As the party was leaving, a huge crowd was headed to the Keep with rumors that the Crimson Cloaks had defeated the demon lord and that the demon threats were over for good. The party went along with the crowd and saw Lord Angus, the town watch, Commander Rufus (a D’Haran army commander), a woman in red leather, and a metallic human-sized creature (Gear forged).
- The Crimson Cloaks worked the crowd as they brought up a huge dead demon and announced that they had defeated the boss.
- The crowded erupted with cheers.
- The D’Haran guards unwrapped the body and inspected it, but announced that, while large, it was not the boss.
- There was some arguing between the Crimson Cloaks and the Dharans over this fact, and the amount of the reward. The Crimson Cloaks’ wizard started to cast animate dead, as he figured that this would improve their bargaining position.
- As he started to cast, the woman in red leather stepped forward, raised a small leather rod, and absorbed the spell into the rod, knocking the wizard unconscious.
- There were gasps and the Crimson Cloaks backed down.
- At this point the reward negotiations were quick.
- The party tried to persuade the crowd that they had killed 15 demons and not just one, and there was some banter back and forth between the two groups.
- Avari worked his way through the crowd and cast a spell that forced Sir Douglas Roxy’s shadow to separate and tell a horrible truth about Sir Roxy. The shadow announced, for all to hear, that he ate boogers and touched himself nightly. The crowd burst into laughter and Sir Roxy fled from the stage.
- The session ended.
