Month: November 2016

Session 131 November 16, 2016

3:30 pm 14th of Tanrilden, walking from the Courthouse to the Ark Temple

AD Clock reads 00.00.05.01

While Axel trains Ronan on board the Jolly Gorgon and Edan consults with AldousRunnlebrook, Chuq and Thorfus walk across the high town square from the Courthouse to the Ark Cathedral. There are more city guards on duty outside the Cathedral but otherwise the area is devoid of people. The guards pass the two with little fuss, within one of the handful of acolytes in attendance meet the pair as they cross the antechamber. After explaining we are here to meet with Master of Spring Adhemar, the acolyte agrees to arrange a meeting with the cleric that resurrected Patriarch Darvo, Father (Canon)Habraham Gyldenbollocks either during or after our audience with Adhemar.

At his cell, we find Adhemar discussing civil and criminal legal aspects with Initiate Juhel. When asked, Adhemar expresses a good deal of interest in the role we negotiated for him. Apparently in full cooperation with Jardin, with the explicit intent to aid and abet the Islanders of Midmark, Adhemar is applying his considerable will to restore order and justice to the city. He laments how the city ordinances prohibit any Islander organizations, commercial or political and are structured to condemn debtors into indefinite indenture servitude tantamount to slavery. His ambition is to use his new position withJardin to coerce the city council to amend the laws or allow him to interpret the laws more favorably for the Islanders. Of course his persuasions will face significant opposition since antagonistic groups like the Native Unionists are in vocal open opposition to the city leadership. All the same, he is enthusiastic about his partnership withJardin/Thornton. He disapproves Chuq’sproposition to enlist as a Dervish, advising patience until the mental state of Grandmaster Angston can be assessed in person.

During the interview, Father Habrahimarrives. He and Thorfus speak while the Monks confer. Habrahim scoffs at the belief in ghosts and supposes the haunting of the Grell estate is tall tales and superstition. Now we have a clue as to why Newton had to face their fate alone. He is unconvinced whenThorgus argues the band of dead burglars where found without any signs of physical violence. With the promise of coin, he agrees to join us to the estate if but to only bless the house or at the worst exorcise the place if need be. Eventually we agree on a sliding scale for service rendered starting at 500 gpfor a blessing and as much as 2,500 if he confronts a powerful undead spirit. After discussing Baldric’s Gem, which is stowed away without any further research or investigation, we agree to meet five days hence to clear the estate.

NOTE – Habrahim mentioned Baldric Gem’s next public appearance will be during the Council of the Marks. A meeting Jardinexpects to preside.

During this time, Edan and Runnellbrookinterrogate Kalgunn further. Kalgunn claims Field Marshall Gorazim must have had an alternate way into the lower city of Xen Khel when he was protecting the Enclave since he visited the Research areas without having to travel through the upper city. The Liar shares an image of Gorazim derived from his Grandson’s memory. Besides being tall for a Dwarf, the image is of a full faced helmeted warrior in stylized power armor with a metallic right hand. When asked, Kalgunnexplains Gorazim lost his hand, but not how, and that a specialized autonotom serves in its place. Gorazim was not a popular personage until his streak of marginal success against the rebel assaults.

Edan summons a new familiar – Caesar, another black cat. Fortunately, the feral beast cleans up nice!

Leaving the Cathedral after 4:30 pm, Chuq and Thorfus retrieve Edan fromRunnelbrooks then collect Axel and Ronan from the Jolly Gorgon. First stop is the mill to inspect the submersible. It is safe. Before we leave, all but Chuq and Edan are greeted telepathically by Drays. He is more than miffed that his contacts in Chief AdvisorsGharspa’s household have reported the Sword of Dagon is not functional. He threatens to burn all the ships in the Midmark bay and make sure everyone knows it is our fault unless we successfully discover how to fix the Sword and tell him before we invite Prince Narsiclus via Gronsk to a summit with Prince Narsuth. This behavior pleasesSerithas since Drays is acting like a real Devil Fish. Both Serithas and Drays still keeps themselves hidden from each other. The party doesn’t want to confront this blatant threat at this time despite the fact we have water breathing abilities and fast swimming magic items.

Next we pay our respects at the burnt ruin of the Cock & Bull. On the way, Ronan visitsOrsibet the armorer. She is convalescing at the ark sanctuary up the street from her injuries of the night of the riots. Her assistants explains the modifications to the AncientDwarven swimming suits are not complete. He offers a handful of gold to ease Orsibet’ssuffering. While we examine the wreckage and admire the small shrines littering the area, an obviously drunk belligerent challenges us from up the street towards Newtown. He proclaims he is one of the rioters that torched the Cock & Bull then slewStarchie, Ellspeth and her lover then mutilated Starchie’s corpse. His drunken state interferes with mind reading, so the Monk decides to apprehend this man so that he might offer clues to the ring leaders. Hymert, the sobers overnight at the courthouse and yields nothing we can act on during the interview the next morning. Adhemar will have to execute this man because of his public admission of murder and brandishing of a poison dagger. We rest and shop the next three days until Ronan completes his training.

20th of Tanrilden

AD Clock reads 00.00.04.26

Ronan places a bounty for the ringleaders that murdered Starchie and Ellspeth at the Marlborough house. We promise 500 gp for each one, dead or alive. No one at the gambling hall has any leads but some have seen them before. Next we visit Jardin at Thornton’s estate. He has good and bad news which he delivers after handing over our warrants as Keepers of the Council and reminds us of our targets in Vargen and Xen Khel. (See session 130 summary)

Next is the Bad news: most of the Grell properties were already sold off. All of Grell’sliquid assets were seized by the city to repair the summer estates and pay reparations to some of Alain’s victims.

Finally he delivers the Good news: it’s really not Good news. He excitedly offers a field trip through the mirror to be marveled by the Empires newest inventions. Enticed the most,Edan leads Thorfus and Axel to touch the mirror after Jardin has already disappeared by doing the same. Ronan takes a minute to search about the office before he and Chuq follow.

Now everyone is in room. Jardin is standing next to a man in an unfamiliar uniform. It has the emblem of the dragon emperor surprisingly. Jardin welcomes us toGharmarost, “the greatest seaport of the world and home to the imperial navy”. We are shown a balcony to a view of an immense city 10 times as big as Midmark. Jardingpoints to a really huge boat in dry dock being plated in metal sheets. The superstructure is rounded, the frame is wood. Jardin proclaims this is the first Sky Fortress.

The city has an autonatom transportation system on rails in the streets. We witness steam work vehicles with weapon appendages being loaded onto other vessels.Jardin explains these vehicles are designed to capture the Returns’ dwarven fleet when they pass through the gate.

We are ushered into a hoist, similar to the electrical hoists in the khels but obviously toEdan powered via steam not electricity.Jardin press L5, the lowest button then we descend. He elaborates on the Imperial plan – though we are going to undoubtedly fail to save the world from the Return, we are expected to discover the controls to the corrupted orbital defense system. With this knowledge the imperials will safely fly to intercept the Return’s armada as they are exiting the gate. They will board the Dwarvenvesssels, then once captured sail those vessels along with the Sky Fortress to invade theDwarven domain on the other side of the Gate.

At L5 is a very cool chamber, where we are shown a miniature version of the Wrath of the Waves engines. Jardin explains this functional miniature is the design that they will outfit at immense size on the Sky Fortress. He explains to Edan some of the design choices the Imperials have made then offers the miniature to Edan after demonstrating it’s control via a silver circlet. Thorfus tries to finagle a higher hierarchal circlet from the Jardin, but the Inquisitor refuses to hand over one of their gold circlets. We learn they don’t have a Crystal Circlet which can override their silver and gold circlets.

We learn all of the Dragon Emperor’s temples and cathedrals are busy making as much holy water as they can to fuel the full size engines. The Sky Fortress will have large external tanks of holy water to power eight to ten engines. They have yet to develop stabilizing the engines and won’t attempt to until the Sky Fortress is completed in about three weeks.

Though they can’t recharge ancient dwarvenbatteries, they have their own version that Thorfus can use to power his Lightning Axe. He is given two three charge batteries in exchange for his original which they keep for research. Chuq’s Monk Stick is inoperable and he refuses to turn it over without something traded in kind.

Jardin will not allow the admiral to shanghai Edan to join his research team. Obviously there is a power play between the two. Chuq reads the Admiral, he thinks Jardin is eccentric and powerful. Then we are escorted back to Midmark where the party departs Jardin to collect Father Habraham.

 

At the estate, we enter the main entrance unmolested. Nothing arises as we shout our presence save several birds flew down a hall after Chuq told them to exit the house. Time to find out the truth about this place…