Session0045

NOTE: The beginning of this session recording includes retroactive roleplay for the previous session, as summarized in the session log for Session0044.
== June 2nd ==
Having resolved the matter of the assassination of Duke Vincent Mason, the war council continues to discuss matters related to the upcoming conflict with Kameshima. Discussing strategy, Frog tells the council about the party's retrieval of Kamm from Volus. The council speculates about Daimao's goals and objectives, but ultimately admits that they don't truly understand his motives. In order to hopefully gain some clarity, Patches casts a commune spell to learn more about Kamm. He learns that the Kamm recovered from Volus is the "original" Kamm, and that the "current" Kamm serves Daimao. The council discusses the possibility of the "current" Kamm being a clone, a simulacram, a true polymorphed creature, or some other spell effect.
Discussing further strategy for the war, the council decides that the next step is to begin their assault on Kameshima. They make logistical arrangement to make landfall on Kameshima's shores on June 12th.
After the council concludes, Empress Roslyn Alvira asks for a private word with the party, wherein she admonishes them for the vigilante justice that they undertook by assassinating Duke Vincent Mason, and warns them against such actions in the future. 
After the council, Malkoth and Louche speak with Aldon Northwood, the newly-appointed Duke of Hartwell. They ask about the case of Levi Sarlin's murder, the crime for which Malkoth is wanted in the city of Hillenbrook. Duke Northwood explains that this matter has already been resolved, as Immanuel Belder took responsibility for the crime, claiming to have enchanted Malkoth and forced him to kill the boy. When asked, he explains that Belder is serving a life sentence in Hartwell.
Meanwhile, Gragnok offers his service to Empress Roslyn Alvira. She says that he could earn a place among her royal guard after the war is over. Gragnok also tells her about his bloodline as a descendant of Alusfaen Orion, and his importance to the elves of Shaeserin.
Afterwards, Gragnok speaks with some Hartwellian soldiers, asking them what has become of Chak-ik-cha. He learns that Chak-ik-cha has not been found.
Meanwhile, XVIII speaks with Ursula Wolff, Auvorix, and Grenfi Nackle before they depart. XVIII gives them a vial of their blood, and asks them to deliver it to Alvoril Shukura and ask him to study it. Ursula agrees to do so, and says that she will try to find away to put Alvoril in contact with XVIII.
Next, XVIII asks for a private word with Louche and Malkoth. When they meet in a side room, XVIII strikes both of them. After a brief tense standoff, XVIII accuses them of unnecessarily traumatizing XV with their earlier talk about Dr. Johann Conrad Dippel pitting them against each other, stating that they essentially interrogated him about a situation that will never happen. Louche and Malkoth defend their actions, assuring XVIII that they were only trying to help XV and XVIII both. They also express their anger at XVIII for approaching them violently instead of simply talking to them. XVIII asks for their trust, and assures them that XV would not hurt them. They agree to back off of the subject, stating that while they still don't necessarily trust XVIII or XV, they don't bear any ill will against them. 
Louche and Malkoth ask how XVIII intends to get between XV and Valomir Quinn if the situation grows violent. XVIII explains that if this comes to pass, they will stop Valomir, but urges them not to kill him. XVIII also instructs them that if Dr. Johann Conrad Dippel orders XV to kill XVIII, the party should let him. Malkoth refuses, assuring XVIII that if it comes down to that, Malkoth will use conjuration magic to remove XV from the situation. 
Reconvening after the other foreign dignitaries have departed, the party speaks with Aristoadle, King Martinet, and the Mycorrhizan royal family. They discuss what to do with the Kamm that they recovered in Volus, and ultimately decide that the party should keep him, since their demiplane is more secure than any potential prison in Mycorrhiza. 
Malkoth offers to teleport King Martinet back to Sibillini, as he wanted to visit the city anyway, to which Martinet agrees. 
Aristoadle also speaks with the party off to the side, and and urges them to make some haste in pursuing the Fable of the Thousand Year Door, expressing some concern for the Tremella Circle in particular, given that the magical painting connected to Powderbowl has been mysteriously disabled for weeks. 
The party discusses their plans moving forward. They make plans to teleport to eventually teleport to Mimrinoth, then retrieve Valomir Quinn from his keep before using a warp whistle to travel to Asaria to meet with Dr. Johann Conrad Dippel. Barring any surprises at Dr. Dippel's keep, they decide to head toward the Tremella Circle of druids in Nimbia next, in hopes of completing their progress of charging the Chaos Core and fulfilling the Fable of the Thousand Year Door before the invasion of Kameshima.
Jack asks the party if anyone knows much about Empress Roslyn Alvira and her history. Frog explains that her lineage have ruled the Alviren Empire since its inception, and are widely liked, and viewed as responsible for the Empire's long centuries of peace and prosperity. However, as the wildernesses have grown more dangerous and times have grown more tumultuous in recent decades, there has been some unrest and mistrust of the Empire. He also explains that the Empress has no spouse or heir, and issue of some political tension.
A few members of the party make preparations to visit Sibillini with Malkoth, as the rest go about their days.
Privately, Malkoth tells Aristoadle about the Citadel of Candles that he has seen in the Star Road using his contact other plane spell. He says that he is hoping to eventually develop a way to visit the Star Road in person, and offers to take Aristoadle there some day. 
Malkoth teleports the party and King Martinet to Sibillini, where they do some magic item shopping. Afterwards, he teleports them back to Mycorrhiza.
Odell spends the day working on developing a rune to assist in powering the Imlaq Colossus. 
Overnight, as the rest of the party sleeps, Malkoth does some more research regarding the Ethereal Plane.
== June 3th ==
In the morning, Louche plays the Psalm of Innervation for the party.
Jack receives a sending message from Binti Redroot, saying that the Free Arcanists Lodge in Paxeter has been attacked by the Inquisitors, and most of its members have been killed. Jack shares this message with the group. Gragnok also explains that he has been trying to reach Federico Tinelli using paper birds, but that the attempts have been unsuccessful. Odell tries contacting Tinelli with a sending stone, but the spell fails.
The party decides to teleport to Paxeter to investigate the situation. Discussing logistics, they also decide to proceed directly to Mimrinoth and then onward to Asaria from there. They quickly wrap up their last business in Mycorrhiza, then prepare to depart via teleportation. Valania Aloro agrees to come along, saying that she can find work in Paxeter and restart her life there.
Malkoth teleports the party to Paxeter, where Valania Aloro parts ways with them. Before parting ways, Louche gives her an amulet of proof against detection and location.
The party heads towards Snake Eyes Tavern first, to investigate the situation at the Free Arcanists Lodge. They find the establishment seemingly vacant, and guarded by Paxeter city watchmen. In a nearby alley, the party finds Binti Redroot, Harper Wood, and Raakasi Sunmane keeping themselves hidden. They explain that the Lodge was attacked on May 23rd, while the three of them were still in Mimrinoth. From what they've learned, everyone inside is dead, having had their jaws removed from their corpses. All of the Lodge's magical items and contraband have also been seized by the city. The official story, according to the city watch, is that some form of criminal or gang violence took place. 
Odell and a few other members of the party recognize that the attack took place the day after he, in a dream, told Thalien Omadithas that the Free Arcanists Lodge were in possession of her Lorekeeper Orb.
The party discusses how to proceed. Eventually, XVIII goes to talk to the city watchmen. Using a magical charm, XVIII convinces their leader to take him inside and show him the crime scene, claiming to be an imperial representative. XVIII is led inside, where he finds the corpse of Snake Eyes, gruesomely killed and its jaw removed. The watchman explains that while the city's official story claims that gang violence took place, eyewitnesses claim to have seen Weavers Conclave representative perpetrating the murders. At XVIII's request, the watchman shows them a ledger of the magical items claimed seized by the city, and XVIII notices that the ledger does not include a Lorekeeper Orb. 
Through their telepathic bond, the party discusses how to proceed further. The party decides it would be best to keep their actions legal as much as possible given their standing with the Empire. XVIII regroups with the party outside, while Gragnok uses his primeval awareness and discerns that there are no living humanoids within Snake Eyes Tavern or the underground guild hall below.
After some discussion, the party decides that they have found all the pertinent information they need from the Free Arcanists Lodge, but they are still interested in investigating Federico Tinelli's tower. They part ways with Binti Redroot, Raakasi Sunmane, and Harper Wood, telling them they'll report back after they investigate Tinelli's tower. 
Frog pays a visit to Lady Miravin Cloudhunt of Paxeter, and gets permission to investigate Federico Tinelli's tower. Notably, Lady Cloudhunt seems to have been unaware of any issue with Tinelli.
The party heads to Federico Tinelli's tower. They find the door broken into, and signs of a struggle within, including various traps and abjurations that were set off in a scuffle. Investigating the scene, they discern that the attack happened around the same time as the attack at the Free Arcanists Lodge. 
In Federico Tinelli's library, the party finds a few books missing, most notably the elven genealogy record that he had previously shared with the party. They also find paper birds addressed to Tinelli from Gragnok, keeping him appraised of the party's findings at the Luxturrim Obelisk, asking questions about the Raven Queen, requesting help in identifying the Morningstar and explaining his intention to kill her. Odell attempts to subtly hide these letters, but the party notices.
On the top floor of the tower, the party finds the corpse of Federico Tinelli, its jaw removed, and a note pinned to its chest with a letter opener. Gragnok reads the note:
Do you see how suffering follows everything that you touch, half-blood? Your benefactor is dead, because of you. More will follow. Until at long last I watch the last breath leave your chest. Meet me in Volus, and let us end this game of cat and mouse. 
Searching through the rest of Federico Tinelli's office and documents, the party finds receipts for various couriers and deliveries, as well as a bill of sale for Tinelli's purchase of a sapphire component for the instant summons spell, etched with the word "clone."
After some discussion, the party decides that they have gleaned everything that they can. They depart, and report their findings to Lady Miravin Cloudhunt, warning her to be wary of people masquerading as members of the Weavers Conclave.
Next, the party meets back up with Binti Redroot, Harper Wood, and Raakasi Sunmane. They share what they found at Federico Tinelli's, and also shares everything that they have learned and discovered about the Inquisitors, the Morningstar, etc. Raakasi vows to begin rebuilding the Free Arcanists Lodge.
After spending some time shopping for magic items around Paxeter, Malkoth teleports the party to Mimrinoth.
In Mimrinoth, Odell asks Patches to cast a commune spell on his behalf. He asked if the Morningstar has ever killed anyone, to which the answer is no. He asks if she knows that Avourel Orion is illegitimate, to which the answer is yes. Finally, he asks if the Morningstar is working with Avourel Orion in good faith. The answer is that she considers him a necessary evil, but has no express intent to betray him.
XV warns the party that the terrain of Asaria is quite hazardous, and urges them to make preparations for wilderness survival. Odell shares that Asaria was the land of chromatic dragons during the Age of Arcana, and was left a fallow wasteland in the wake of the Severance.
Malkoth visits Rodrak Cold, and has his plane shift tuning fork crafted. He also hires an artificer at the Circle of Architects to create oil of etherealness for him, using oemmeck that he recovered from the Ethereal Plane.
Louche spends the rest of the evening summoning flying mounts for the remainder of the party with his newfound magic.
Later in the evening, Malkoth uses a contact other plane spell to contact Patches (Deity). He tells Patches that the party will be going to meet Tamrius Grimm shortly, and asks the party should go about returning Grimm to him. Patches says that he simply needs Ice to touch Tamrius. When asked, he admits that he has not told Patches about this requirement. Malkoth asks what Patches is going to do after getting Tamrius back, and he says that he'll probably see if Ice wants to return home. 
Malkoth asks if there exists any other proof that Avourel Orion is illegitimate. Patches (Deity) says that it's likely, but he doesn't know where such proof would be. 
== June 4th == 
In the morning, Louche plays the Psalm of Invigoration for the party.
The party flies to Dr. Johann Conrad Dippel's former keep, where they pick of Valomir Quinn. After they bid farewell to Berty, XV uses a warp whistle to teleport the party to Asaria. 
Arriving in Asaria, the party finds themselves amidst a cold swampy environment. Getting his bearings, XV reports that they are only about an hour's travel from Dr. Johann Conrad Dippel's keep. Gragnok uses his primeval awareness and does not sense any nearby humanoids.
Scanning the surroundings, XVIII spots the nearby ruins of a chapel to Nerull, the former god of death. XV warns that such locations in Asaria are often haunted or cursed. The party wants to investigate, but agrees to save it for later, after they've had a chance to speak with Dr. Johann Conrad Dippel.
XV leads the way towards Dr. Johann Conrad Dippel's keep. Encountering some difficult terrain along the way, the party decides to fly on their flying mounts instead. En route to the keep, they encounter a ghost dragon and some gem stalkers, which they battle and defeat before continuing onward.
A short while later, the party arrives at Dr. Johann Conrad Dippel's keep - an ancient draconic ruin partly reclaimed by the environment. Upon their arrival, Gragnok uses his primeval awareness again, and detects the presence of two humanoids within. XV invites XVIII to accompany him inside, but asks the rest of the party to wait outside, assuring them that he will bring Dr. Dippel out to speak with them. 
Following XV inside, XVIII finds a large antechamber filled with draconic statues and reliefs, and pits of bubbling acid. Within, Dr. Johann Conrad Dippel stands before a large statue of a dragon. XVIII notes that he is now an elderly and seemingly feeble man, walking on a cane with labored breath. Dr. Dippel warmly greets XVIII with an embrace. Up close, XVIII can tell that he is in fact in very poor health, as he falls into a coughing fit and coughs up blood.
Dr. Johann Conrad Dippel asks about XX, and the travel compatriots that XVIII brought with them. XVIII explains that they're waiting outside. Dr. Dippel says that he would prefer to speak with them outside rather than inviting them in. But first, he takes XVIII to reunite with the rest of their siblings. 
In a nearby dining hall, XVIII is reunited with their siblings, including IX, XI, XIII, XVI, and XXI, as well as a pair of new members that they do not recognize, a brain in a jar and a flameskull. 
Category:SessionLog