Citadel's Shadow II, Session 92

Citadel's Shadow II, Session 92 was a session of the Citadel's Shadow II campaign, played on 19 October 2020 (UTC) (18 October 2020 for some participants). This was one day after the previous session. This also includes portions of a session played 21 November 2020 (UTC); they are presented here in chronological order in terms of the game world. (Special thanks to the folks at https://discord.gg/hWHbuvF who contributed plot ideas, and recognition to Kilmore who started this.)
== Personnel ==
===Game Master===
*GM: played by Alden Loveshade
*GM: played by Miley Spears
===Player Characters===
*Fern the Siegemaster: inventive fox-person student played by Rail Runner
*Juan Silvio-Vagle: sword-wielding human alchemist played by Alden Loveshade
*Minigallith Atakares: half-elf mage played by Alden Loveshade
=== Prominent Non-Player Characters ===
*Eri Snow: fox-person entertainer
*Kyrie Kelevan: human priestess of Damira
*Mamwucza Rosekeeper: human woman innkeeper for Twelve Rose Inn
*Vasati Wranlar: half-elf chambermaid at Twelve Rose Inn
*Yesenia Silvio-Vagle: alchemist and demon dust maker; sister of Juan Silvio-Vagle
== Events ==
=== 1742 ===
Damirin 10 (Godsday) (continued): Audrea Daleos, Eri Snow, Fern the Siegemaster, Juan Silvio-Vagle, and Kyrie Kelevan continued to investigate the theft of a gold chain with gods and goddess on it from the Twelve Rose Inn suite of the inn's owner Mistress Mojarósa. Fern checked the window to determine how easy it would be to climb in. The window was locked, and it looked like it would be difficult to climb up to in any case. Innkeeper Mamwucza Rosekeeper verified that the window was kept locked when Mojarósa wasn't there. Fern checked other possible entrances, including the stovepipe to the fireplace.
Fern said, :"Well, I suspect two things; either someone just teleported into the room, and then teleported the chain from the safe to themselves, and then teleported out, or actually someone who had access to the room did it. Both were pretty unlikely as I was thinking, though." Audrea wasn't sure it the magic spell on the door would prevent teleportation. Kyrie said, "Mistress Mojarósa was a major part of solving Demon Gate? She's know for knowing teleport spells. If she'd protect against anything, it would be that." Fern said, "If it really is so, then the only thing that remains is that it was done by someone who had room access. Well, either that or we're dealing with one of the best thieves on this planet." Fern added, "Though at that point I guess it's just not worth the effort, even if someone that skilled could get in here."
Audrea said, "And why would they get in here, break into the safe, take one chain, then leave everything else? I'd take as much as I could carry! I mean if I was a thief, which I'm not." Mamwucza said nothing else appeared to be missing. She left to get Vasati Wranlar, the upstairs chamber maid.
Audrea thought the innkeeper was lying, and that she was the thief. Juan thought that doubtful, while Kyrie asked if anyone got the impression the innkeeper was lying. Fern said she didn't see any signs that Mamwucza was lying but it was possible. Eri thought she seemed honest, but agreed it was possible she wasn't.
Vasati Wranlar, the half-elf upstairs chamber maid, arrived. She whispered, "You're here about the...you know?" Fern nodded, and Juan quietly said, "The burglary? Yes. Don't worry, we know it's a secret." The group went into Mojarósa's suite.
Vasati said she believed she knew who did it. "Miss Mamwucza, she doesn't think so, but she didn't see him. Master Saburo Bergaris and his wife Vale were here? I saw Master Saburo standing outside Mistress Mojarósa's room. He didn't see me at first. So then I asked him what he was doing there, and he was startled! He said he wanted to see if she was in, but I never saw him knock!" When asked, she said that happened the day the gold chain was stolen. Fern questioned how he could have gotten in; Vasati didn't know.
Vasati continued. "He left, and I got suspicious so told Miss Mamwucza? She was busy, so told me to check the room. So I did, but didn't see anything missing. So I was cleaning, then I thought of the safe. So I told Miss Mamwucza. And that's when we found the gold chain with the gods and goddess on it, that it was missing! Miss Mamwucza, she still doesn't think he did it, even though it was the same day."
Fern asked if she knew anything else about Master Saburo, including if he was a mage; Vasati didn't think he was a mage, but wasn' sure. Kyrie asked when that happened, and Vasati said two days ago. Fern said the chain was actually stolen much earlier, which go Vasati looking at Fern suspiciously. Juan said, "I remember because I brought a potential buyer with me that day for...never mind. It was 39th of Heris," close to two weeks ago. When questioned, Vasati said the last time Mistress Mojarósa had been to the inn was about two weeks ago. She said no one at the inn had opened the safe until two days earlier when the theft had been discovered.
Fern said she figured Mojarósa wouldn't have sent them to the inn if she had lost it elsewhere; Eri said that was a good point. When asked, Vasati said Mojarósa had last been there two or three days before the Festival of Willethe, which Kyrie said was on the 37th of Heris. Fern had gotten the chain as partial payment for weapons on Heris 39.
Juan said, "Vasati, do you remember anything out of the ordinary from when Mistress Mojarósa left to two days after the Festival of Willethe?" She said, "Well, we had a special day for the Festival of Willethe, of course. We did like they did in Milspar, we switched roles! I was innkeeper, and Miss Mamwucza, she was chambermaid! Oh, it was fun!" Audrea grew impatient.
Vasati said, "I don't think there was anything unusual.. No, wait, that's when the ghost showed up! I was so scared, I asked Miss Mamwucza to take over again. I didn't know what to do!" When questioned, she said, "It was the ghost of Mistress Rusalka of the Twelve Seas who lived and died here in the days of the First Empire of Trynser, Rusalka she was said to be a mermaid who could transform into the form of a human woman. All of the bricks in this inn came from her original home. Her home looked just like this inn." She said that was part of the reason why the new Twelve Rose Inn was "more popular than Sether Inn which had been here for ages! Silas Sether, he's the innkeeper of the old inn? He tried scaring people away from coming here by telling stories of the ghost. But instead, people are coming here to see it!""
Fern said, "Anyway. Did the ghost do anything noteworthy?" Vasati said, "Oh, yes, the ghost did! I didn't see her, but it was making noises in the mistress' suite? One of our guests was with me at the time and he knew ghosts, he said. So I opened the door to let him to check, and he disappeared! Ha ha!" Fern said, "Well, that was most likely the thief, then." Vasati said, "How could he be the thief? I never saw him again. He even forgot to check out! Ha ha! I looked in the suite, went in the hallway, looked around, didn't see him. Finally I just closed the door."
Fern said, "Could he get in and hide somewhere in there? ... Though I guess he'd need to break out later even if so, so that wouldn't explain no signs of intrusion being there." Kyrie said, "I wonder if you have to break out, or if he could just open the door. How do you usually leave the suite, Vasati?" Vasati responded, "Oh, if I'm inside and the door's closed, I just open it and leave." Audrea agreed, saying, "Yeah, I don't think he'd have to break out." Eri asked, "But how could he not be seen?"
Fern suspected the chambermaid might be the thief in disguise. Fern touched the maid, who said, "Hey--oh, yes?" Eri said, "What are you doing, Fern?"
Fern said, "Oh, seems like I was wrong. I thought she might actually be a thief in magical disguise." Eri said it was worth checking, while Juan rolled his eyes.
Juan sked about the guest who had disappeared. Vasati didn't remember his name. She said, "I remember he was rather average sized, fairly strong looking, brown hair and eyes, tan skin, had a mustache and small beard. Oh, and he bent down to pick something up, and I saw the medallion he had under his robe. But we can check the guest book now if you want." Fern suggested the medallion could be a magical item that could have made him invisible. Fern added, "I don't know why anyone who can afford that would want to steal things, though. Enchanted items would be worth much more than even the chain that was stolen." Juan asked what the medallion looked like, and Kyrie wondered why the thief would take only the gold chain.
Vasati said, "The medallion actually looked like a half-imperial coin with a big 'X' gouged through it, rather odd. The X was on the Divine Circle symbol. It was funny, too, because it fell hanging out of his robe, still on his neck. He held it out like he wanted me to see it. But then he acted like he wanted to hide it. Odd."
Fern said, "Seems like he was one of those... Sardaster guys? Or whatever. I don't remember how they're named, but they certainly are troublemakers." Juan said, "By Herix, my sword has one of their medallions. They're opposed to the Divine Circle. They believe there's only one god, and are opposed to all others." Vasati wondered if the group believed that, but they didn't; Fern added that the group was aggressive.
Eri said, "They aren't all bad! I hoped to have a successful career in Trynser City! To make a living until then, I was maid and companion for Frederick Geise, who was a believer in Sardaster. He was killed on New Year's Day of 1742--somebody beheaded him! I was soon left homeless, eking out a living on the street. But Fern with others helped me out!"
Audrea said, OK, so it's some weird cult. Why would they steal that one medallion and nothing else?" Fern said, "Destroy it, probably? It had god symbols on it after all. But then why it got sold by someone else instead?" Fern also wondered if the man wanted the maid to see his medallion ot see if she'd recognize it and might be a supporter.
Vasati checked the guest's name in the guest list downstairs; it was listed as "John Smith." Some in the group knew that was a name traditionally used by someone who didn't want to identify their real name. 
A well-dressed middle-aged man and woman wanted to check out because of the "thefts." Fern wondered if they might be trying to leave in hurry out of fear, but that didn't appear to be the case. A young man said, "People are flocking out of here, heading for the Sether Inn. Old, traditional inn, much safer than this place."
Fern noticed the young man was tall and thin, with short blonde hair and light skin--and dressed in straight middle class clothing. Fern said, "Oh come on. You couldn't even afford to stay here." (Fern and the others with her couldn't afford it either). Fern and the young man disagreed, but the middle-aged gentlemen said the youth was a good citizen to warn people. The young man said, "I'm leaving. Too many thieves and crazy cultists here. Probably planning to murder people! I'm out of here!" He got up, looked at a room door, and said, "That's where that that countess got murdered." He walked toward the exit.
Mamwucza said, "Please, don't listen to him. He's obviously not someone who would actually stay here. Some random troublemaker." Fern whispered to Mamwucza that they might want to check that room, but she said there was nothing wrong with it; the couple staying there had left, and it had been cleaned that morning. The group decided to follow the young man.
Fern suspected the naysayer had been sent by the rival inn. Outside, Fern saw a carriage. When the group approached, they suspected they saw the young man in it. They decided to get a ride. Fern found it easy to loosen a couple of carriage wheels while others talked to the driver. They learned the carriage went by both Twelve Rose Inn and the Sether Inn. They wanted to board, but the driver said the carriage was full--even though there were four empty seats. He said the passengers wanted privacy. The driver said "Giddyup!" to the horses which began moving--then two wheels fell off.
The older passenger asked what happened, and the young man said, "Damn, there really is a ghost!" Juan learned Fern had messed with the wheels. The young man said to the older passenger, "You said the ghost was a fake! This isn't no fake! I'm out of here!" He ran, then jumped over a small wall, but Fern jumped too, then ran and caught him. When Fern asked why he ran, he said, That ghost is real! Master Sether said it was fake. But she made the tires fall off!"
Fern said she did it and, in spite of the young man's suspicions, was a mechanic, not a ghost or a mage. Fern led him back.
Kyrie said, "We need to let this young man go. Mr. Johnson, the man in the carriage, explained Robert did yard work for Twelve Rose Inn and was fired. So he's making up stories to scare people away." The man in the carriage said, "That's right, isn't it, Robert?" The young man--Robert--said, "What? Oh, yes, Master...uh, Johnson." The driver was concerned about the carriage, but Fern started quickly fixing it.
Fern said, "So is it Master Sether or Master Johnson?" Robert, the young man, said, "That's Master Se...Johnson." Juan said, Master Sether? As in Sether Inn?" He suggested they get someone from Twelve Rose Inn to identify the man.
The older man in the carriage said, "No, no, don't do that?" He then said, "Look, I don't imagine you're paid much to, um, investigate this sort of thing. How about if I settle with you for more than what you were getting, hmm?" Fern waited to see what the others would say. Audrea said, "Money? Oh, we were offered $500 (for bringing him in). Can you top that?" The man offered $600. Kyrie said she was a priestess of Damira, and would not lie. Juan said, "I say we turn in our report, and let the chips fall where they may, by Grebonia." Eri agreed with Fern's suggestion to go with the majority; Juan and Kyrie wouldn't compromise.
The driver was still upset about his carriage being messed with. But Fern said it was fixed, and Juan said, "Don't worry, driver, we'll mention how you helped us stop criminal activity." The driver was satisfied. The carriage left, but the group made their report to the innkeeper of Twelve Rose Inn. Juan said, "Fern, what you did with those wheels went really well. But please, don't ever do that again. At least without checking with me first." (Citadel's Shadow II adventure 20201018)
Damirin 10 (Godsday) (continued): Chloris Jennigan, Fern the Siegemaster, Mugsey Dormp, and Snowy Zeddick were in the workshop at St. Bassard's School and Home for Disadvantaged Youth.  Mugsey said, "Fern, I'm going to be making $1000 a month! How much am I making at St. Bassard's? Nothing."  Fern said, "It's not impossible to be making just as much here, though. Or even more than that."  Chloris said, "I wish I could work for him and make money, but my mother won't let me."  Snowy said, "Mr. Otto Mordh'Dhagai treated me like a kid just because I'm a half-elf, half Thalosian. I wouldn't work for him anyway.  I don't want to talk about this either. Chloris, let's go do something else."  Chloris and Snowy left the workshop.
Fern told Mugsey she was making more than that now; Mugsey wondered how.  Fern said she made and sold stuff, and Mugsey wondered if that was through the Black Market.  Fern said, "No, it's all legal. Well, at least as far as I know."  Mugsey said, "Yeah, right."
Mugsey said Otto Mordh'Dhagai was looking to hire somebody else as well, but would only pay them $750.  He said he and Fern were offered more because they headed St. Bassard's science fair project that month, which one first place.  Mugsey took the job, leaving St. Bassard's.
Students on the winning team could choose their own project.  Fern decided to start making a suit of light plate armor for herself, her first body armor project, although she had briefly assisted with someone's else's.  Turgan Tin-Finger assisted her.  (Citadel's Shadow II adventure 20201121)
Damirin 12 (Landsday) (Day of Memories): People remembered loved ones they had lost.  Juan Silvio-Vagle was glad his parents Silvio Ferrarius and Delores Vagle and sister Yesenia Silvio-Vagle were alive and free, and remembered his teacher Grandmaster Alchemist Leif Albym, and Ozsym Underhill, a fellow guard whose children Fuylu and Heva Juan had taken in as wards.
Minigallith Atakares remembered her grandmother, Priestess Estrella Atakares who had been killed by Daeist fanatics.  Sixapharilla aka Sixie remembered her late companion Phazimella who had been killed in the Festival of Heris Demon Monkey Attack.  Audrea Daleos remembered her parents.  Fern the Siegemaster didn't remember anyone.  (Citadel's Shadow II adventure 20201121)
Damirin 15 (Sweating Day): Audrea Daleos, Eri Snow, Fern the Siegemaster, Juan Silvio-Vagle, and Kyrie Kelevan received their reward from Mistress Mojarósa for returning her gold chain with symbols of major gods and goddesses. They received $500, or $100 each. By that date the group had learned more of what had happened.
Mistress Mojarósa started the Twelve Rose Inn at the end of 1741, which meant competition for the old, established Sether Inn. Master Sether had tried spreading rumors of the rose inn being haunted, but it didn't work. So he hired a mage who could become invisible. The mage made certain the chambermaid Vasati Wranlar "accidentally" saw his Sardaster-style medallion. When she opened the door to Mojarósa's suite, the mage had turned invisible and went it. He took only the gold god chain with symbols of gods and goddesses, to make people think the one-god Sardaster cult did it. While the theft was kept secret, Master Sether didn't know it was secret, and spread it around, thus it could be traced to him. He got desperate, panicked, hired a young man named Robert to spread rumors about the Twelve Rose Inn, but then got caught.
Master Sether continued operating his inn, and the story of his actions was not publicly reported. Fern suspected Mojarósa and he had worked out some sort of deal. (Citadel's Shadow II adventure 20201018)
Category:Citadel's Shadow IIb
Category:Citadel's Shadow IIc