Participants

• Elgon Kitmus
• Tingle
• Kaladan of Norixius
• Arden Rook
• Iria

Live Notes

• Tingle catches up with Lief. Lief had headed out looking for us just a few hours ago and everything was fine, so whatever led to these ruffians hauling our shit happened suddenly and recently - and it wasn't the Goliath
• The party decides to head for the Autorus to settle our business
• We're exhausted, beaten, tired as we arrive at the gate
• Elgon disguises self as an orc and hops a seat on the barrels to wait outside
• The guard asks our business, Arden charismatically shows the summons note and says we're here to see Lt. Freida
• We are shown inside without incident, led to the administrative area. The guards are not paying us much mind, and give us leave of the area.
• There are decorative pieces of armor and past commanders around. It is not a flashy place, and there isn't and comfort furniture (chairs, etc)
• Kal and Tingle each crit fail history check on the Autorus
• Arden thumbs a common tune, one of the guards taps a foot
• Lt Freida comes out of her office and asks us in
• She tells us Gil is dead, and asks us about our relationship
• Arden gives a quick summary
• She says he fell on the stairs, but his injuries are suspicious
• Tingle jogs the group memory of Nog and Bosh from Breakneck, Arden fills in some details
• Lt Freida admits that while they are interested, they don't have the resources
• Arden suggests deputization could allow us to assist on this one
• Lt Frieda hesitantly agrees, on the condition of check-in on progress, and produces some super badass shoulder-badges, made of materials that always gleam
• We are now Autorus Authorized Investigators, without having to pay the usual registration fee
• Lt Freida says she grew up in Peachroot, where Gil lived; those are good people, the Rave may not care but I do
• She stops: Wait. Two things. hands us a piece of paper
  • Gives us the address of Gil's widow: Tamye, a high elf
  • Says "she's not wild about the newest art"
• The gang collects Elgon and heads back to Squadquarters
• They take the direct path through the alleys
• While walking they recall the details of what they know of Peachroot - dense honeycombed tunnels into the city columns
• Arden and Elgon notice and older dude with a decrepit eye and gold tooth, babbling "Ravers! pay attention to your guild, they are failing like never before. times have passed, traditions no more. those you trust will stab you in the back and walk off into the proverbial sunset!" etc etc
• Iria notices what he's really saying is, "We need someone killed, we pay well"
• Iria talks to the group about something else, but is secretly saying "Yes I will meet you tonight, make sure you are there and have coin"
• The dude babbles on, secretly saying in an old thieves' cant: "two nights from now. 11pm"
• The party continues on towards home

• We arrive and see our living space, which is entirely made of metal, completely destroyed, with large holes broken in allowing free entry to the wreckage
• We start looking for Becky
• We find a monk young guild member Van Derry. He offers a status report to Iria.
• Van Derry says Becky is in the infirmary, injured when the structure was damaged. Goliath clashed with resistance in the streets and the violence spilled over.
• 1/3 of everyone's stored gold is gone
• Most of the group heads in to see Becky. Arden and Elgon hang outside, Arden exasperatingly trying to rally guild members to action and alleviate the tension
• Elgon notices down the street headed our way, a regiment of death knights. We call attention and duck inside as well
• From outside, we start hearing shouts, and someone says "Are those Ahtos Guardians?!?"
• The knights begin to start to take up a defensive position around our building, facing the crowd. One wheels to face us, then comes up and knocks at a hole in the wall
• Arden comes out, and is handed a sealed scroll with a flaming N.
• The words appear as black fire as Arden reads. "Heard you could use some help. Keep my boys as long as it takes you to get on your feet. -Normaad"
• the guards begin to show the crowd they mean business and the quarters are not to be fucked with
• Elgon is a bit lost, and Arden is feeling good

• Meanwhile the others get to Becky's room
• Tingle asks the doctors how she's doing, the doc says she was hit with some kind of magical blade. She's got a road ahead but she's doing much better than she was recently
• Iria talks to Becky, fills her in on what we've been through
• Becky says she tussled with a juicer, his strike went right through her axe and into her shoulder. She suspects the blade was magically enhanced
• Tingle deduces that while Becky does not seem afflicted with the goliath plague, her wound must have been made by something extremely strong and magically enhanced, potentially a chieftain
• Elgon and Arden catch up, fill everyone in on the whole Death Knight situation.
• Arden gives the scroll to Becky
• Elgon introduces himself, chats with Becky, getting acquainted and describing his prior relationship with Damek
• Tingle brings a keg out to the Death Knights to thank them for their service
• We bed down for the night... finally...

Long Rest

• Wake up in the morning. Arden reminds Kal to take his medicine.
• Kal looks for the runner that went to fetch his item, but oddly cannot locate him
• Arden chats with Kal about getting the brewing operation
• Tingle goes looking for Chris. Last someone heard, he was seen outside near where the damage was done. He checks but no sign of him there now
• Tingle checks in on Becky, she's doing ok, getting some sleep, improving
• The party decides to head out for the hospital, then on to Peachroot
• The noise in the streets dies down, and a figure emerges
• "My name is Ravendar of Monekastra. You killed my brother and fought my sister. I thought I should make an introduction." Draws a blade which starts to glow blue.

Initiative!

• Elgon unleashes a solid double arrow that strikes Ravendar hard
• Iria launches a boastable Eldritch blast, but Ravendar dodges it
• Arden cuts deep with a vicious mockery of Ravendar's dead brother, and it throws off his rhythm
• Elgon dashes in and makes a big hit with a longsword
• Ravendar misses a couple of nasty attacks due to his disadvantages
• Arden follows up with a second vicious mockery of Ravendar's sister, continuing the psychic onslaught
• Tingle conjurs the image of Ravendar's dead brother on the ground behind him
• Ravendar manages to sink a decent hit into Elgon
• Arden continues the barrage of insults
• On Tingle's turn, some mysterious beckoning words echo from behind Ravendar "It's time to join your brother"
• Kal swings his axe and plunges clear through Ravendar's neck, decisively ending the skirmish
• Elgon helps himself to the rather effective sword

Victory🎉

• A little lootin' and off to the hospital!

• We find a doctor at the hospital interested in the samples. We let him know where we found it and turned it over
• We dose Elgon for a few HP and continue on to Peachroot

• Peachroot is overcrowded, noisy, and chaotic
• We figure we have a 20 minute climb to our destination
• We decide to be a little more subtle and tuck in our Autorus badges, and get to stairin'
• We arrive and start checking out the crime scene. The stairs leading up are fairly steep and precarious - a fall from this could easily be deadly.
• Elgon sniffs around, and detects an unusual air of fear in this area, as well as an older faint chemical odor
• Arden takes a closer look down the stairs, and notices there are two conspicuous scuff marks: one scraping upward and one scraping down/forward. There is another spot where rust seems to have been removed in a circular, abrasive motion
• Tingle investigates for magic and finds there is a faint magical aura that seems to follow the areas of activity towards the top of the stairs, which also seems to follow the scent Elgon detected
• We head up to talk to Tamye. Arden knocks. no answer. Arden knocks again and the door slightly opens
• Kal goes in first, but it is completely dark. Iria can't see anything either.
• Tingle sends spider-pal in to check things out. Spidey sees almost nothing, retreating to complete blackness. The darkness seems to be moving in the area it encompasses.
• Tingle didn't detect any magic, but lit and threw a torch in and it disappeared - though seemed to briefly reappear further in.
• Elgon heads in, starts to blindly work his way around
• Arden calls to Tamye, identifying ourselves
• Elgon moves in further, starts to detect an unnatural odor. Starts hearing some skittering to his right
• Tingle calls out to the group, and we start following the direction of his voice
• Iria notes this isn't natural, and isn't magical, and concludes it is probably inter-planar activity of some type
• Elgon continues in, and notices the skittering and a dark figure dart underneath him. He hears a woman scream

Initiative!

And we end the evening on a cliffhanger...

Loot