Zoom 2022-03-29 21:00

==A day about town:==
The party decides it will be staying in Wingsport for a good week, so we carry on our business, including:
* Commissioning Strength bow for Francis (180gp)
* Garaf buys Lightning Bolt and Haste spells (2*45gp). We debate as to whether to buy Fly as well.
* Quercuis hires her lab, buys ingredients, and starts brewing potions (Salves of Health and Sensitivity), using Hamish as assistant.
* Joshua buys 2 bottles of HighTower brandy from the Learned Troll for V’s visit. (2*15sp)
* While Umar is at the Shanah shrine, a guys who turns out to be Sitone comes in: He is a good looking guy, well dressed, generally content and happy. He is described by Tearfeather as a ‘good guy’ and is obviously well liked.
* Joshua and Brokev manage to get an appointment to see Coincounter in 2 days time (Needed a few sp in bribes)
That evening we receive a message (written in Dwarvish) from V. saying “Be with you in a couple of hours”. Garaf identifies a Magic Mouth on the note, but it doesn’t trigger until RiffRaff happens to leave the room. It then fires off, saying “Room 2. 11:00pm The Learned Troll.” So we beetle off to the Learned Troll, and make it just about in time.
==Another drinking session with Vinmira. (Though he’s the one doing most of the drinking)==
V greets us, cup in hand, as do we. (ie we’re both carrying Drumkit goblets.) We introduce him to RiffRaff.
Over the course of the evening, we proceed to give him a complete dump of all the information we have about Willstone (which he is very interested in), the Vale of Vendor (including info on the Golem, Forge, Toscin, The 5, Swanfeather&Ghassan etc) plus anything else of interest. The only thing we don’t tell him (because he asked not to know) was what happened to Nawar’s remains.
In return, V. throws a few snippets of information our way – like scraps to a dog.
The information that we do get from him includes:
* V. got his Drumkit cup from the ‘nattily dressed’ dwarf (who V. thinks is just plain gaudy.) When asked about him, V. unhelpfully says "You’ll find out about him soon enough".
* Hentron is ‘not dead’ - the Elves let that slip. Emphasis on ‘not dead’ - ie he’s also not alive, and not undead either. V isn’t on this case - somebody else is looking into it.
* Alvera is also not dead (maybe alive?) according to Universal priests.
* Saratak is definitely dead. (ie His spirit is in the spirit world and refusing to answer any questions.)
* The Elves have a seer somewhere (Eliezure or was it Elsiurs ?)
* GARM influence is  expanding. Some Dark Orcs are joining, and Beriesa is coming under their sway (has a temple now). Its why V. is here. The Lizardmen also found something down south (presumably a Golem part). Darkstar is flying, but not doing much.
* Thirson: He is a Senior Priest/assassin of Sarn. Lots of people want to kill him, including V.
* Ghassan: He was Thirson’s bodyguard, but left him a couple of years ago. Ghassan was the thug/muscle (but he’s NOT stupid!). Could Thirson be the object of Ghassans revenge?
* A lot of people were teleported out of Starport when it crashed– and severely level drained. (Lots of restoration spell required!)
* V was surprised that we took Nawar out – until he realised it was after the major level drain. He thinks Nawar was the guy who crashed Starport. We discussed if Fred was one of the 5 or not – no conclusion reached (though the author thinks not!)
* The 5 were unwilling servants of Toscin – they operate under duress according to strict rules (like Golems/Demons), but will try to twist them if they can. Whatever they are doing, they are not doing it willingly. V suspects that the Lizardmen are currently controlling them.
* Sitone: He’s a great guy! V suggested that we have a chat with him, but not ‘investigate’ him. Priests in Ghoulagabba would certainly not agree with him. Sitone worships D. as the God of Death but not of the undead. ie. D. escorts souls to the underworld/afterworld/whatever. Ghoulagabba has twisted this view and taken it to abhorrent extremes. V. says that if Ghoulagabba attacked, Sitone would be first on the battlements defending the city. (A comment that is not to be passed out of the room.)
* V thinks the Dwarf & Troll story is a red herring.
* Eliezure is a seer (or is that Elsiurs?). He is still alive despite Dalzon’s fall, but has not got back to Stormhaven yet.
* Rasten has ‘done quite well’ from defending Willston (ie gained in influence), but Solor takes some credit for the Chosen being the main fighting force. V. was surprised at the number of chosen sent to defend Willston – perhaps that’s why!
* There is a new Wildwood shrine in Willston (presumably due to the loss of Starport).
* V was surprised that the ShadowClan is still alive. V. noted that we have another sapling, and that they are not created lightly.
* Duke Adamas’ dragon: Well, it’s not his. There is a DragonRider called Jalal Madblood with it – and it’s Silver. The Dragon likes being underwater – and it has cleared out the Sahaguin in Northlake.
* Hightower goblets: One is in Hightower, one in Northlake, location of the other is secret.
* The Goblets are/were aimed at Toscin – not at The 5. They have no effect on ‘normal’ doppelgangers. The burning appears to affect the controlling spell on them, rather than the 5 directly.
* Mithril leaf – V. has seen it once, used by a ‘not nice’ D. priest. It has something to do with the spirit world.
===We gave to Vinmira:===
* The officer’s Patherfinder cloak taken off Nawar.
* The scroll from Fake Vinmira that contained half of an encrypted set of runes and the name 'Morac' (from Riverside).
* Hightower Brandy
===Vinmira gave us:===
* A vague promise of funds (ie backpay, forward pay, slush money, whatever. Probably not enough for us to stay at the Learned Troll though.)
* A decryption of the message from Grayel – the first letter of every other words says ‘GARM Enemy’.
V. noted that there is a ‘jobs’ board at the Customs Keep for all wannabe adventurers.