30. Mind Games

* Eli au Leones was waiting for Wilfred (and the rest of the party) outside the Devil's Arse. 
** The Rumidian inquired again if Wilfred intended to keep living this life of theft and piracy, or if he would act like a proper Rumidian and return home willingly. 
** He explained that in the eyes of the empire, Wilfred learning the fundamentals of magic in the Circle and then taking his leave is regarded as theft of the most extreme sort.
* In the Devil's Arse, Cormorant reads Lady Lilith's journal that the group had stolen from her room aboard one of the carnival's ship. 
* Pyt eventually meets up with the party, after keeping them waiting for over an hour. 
** He is too good at lying for them to suspect any foul play. 
** He asks for the sending stone and messages for Wick. Laylin is on the other end. She instructs Pyt to use Quinn's stone to send a message to the halfling directly. 
** Pyt goes to the Fortunate Fool and does this, saying he's found something in Bisquay that he thinks might belong to her. 
** Ultimately, the messages don't convey a lot of information and Pyt asks Quinn if she could send another message to Wick in the morning telling her to come to Bisquay. 
* The group spend the evening at the carnival again. 
** They go to the show at the Den of Death Defiers. It's good, but Clwyd isn't impressed. 
** They go from there to the Oasis. Wilfred pays for them to jump the queue. They ask around in the open bar area, inquiring about whether or not anything strange happened during the show in the Big Top that night. Apparently it was much the same as the opening night. 
** Aerendyl uses his Locate Creature spell twice, first learning that there are no vampires within his immediate vicinity on the carnival and then switching it to hone in on Lilith, who is in her quarters. 
** The group book a private burlesque show at the Naughty Seal for the following evening, paying half the cost up front.
* The group retires to the Devil's Arse. 
** In the night, Pyt sneaks out the inn and heads to the centre of town, where the halfling vampire, Cana, that has him enthralled is waiting. 
** She has four humanoid figures concealed in cloaks behind her, one noticeably larger than the rest. They're hauling sacks over their shoulders on her instructions. 
** Pyt wonders if these are his 'friends' she said she had with her. She says no, indicating over to the side, where the newly vampiric forms of Marcos and Lao, formerly of the Banshee's crew, are waiting in the cold night. 
** The two vampire spawn are wearing shirts that look to have been written on with a bloodied finger. The text reads: Death Begets Death Begets Death. 
** Pyt leads the pair of vampire spawn back to the Devil's Arse on Cana's instructions. He lets the two of them in.
* A fight breaks out in the Devil's Arse in the dead of night. 
** Pyt, under the charm of a vampire, helps the two spawn. 
** Aerendyl goes toe-to-toe with both of them, proving himself to be quite a capable vampire hunter, but also almost dying. 
** The inn gets trashed as bullets and magical fire go flying, tables are thrown around, and the floor is ground floor is erupted with dramatic earth magic. All of this eventually rouses Nix, who emerges from his basement room.
** Pyt nearly kills Cormorant, and with everyone else outside the Devil's Arse, pursuing a fleeing vampire Marcos, it falls to Nix to cauterise the old pirate's wound and save his life. 
** Nix summons 13 House Telphousila imps, giving them the instruction to kill the fleeing vampire. 
** Pyt successfully casts suggestion on Clwyd, having her head to the centre of town where Cana may still be waiting. 
** Jackson knocks out Aerendyl after his close calls with the vampire spawn. Wilfred saves the elf's life, staunching the wounds. 
** Nix persuades Pyt to let the cambion help him. He teleports the bard to his home in the Hells, whereupon the vampiric charm is immediately severed, the enthralment not being able to cross the boundary of plains. This also ends the suggestion on Clwyd. 
Category:Part Three