Citadel's Shadow II, Session 86

Citadel's Shadow II, Session 86 was a session of the Citadel's Shadow II campaign, played on 26 July 2020 (UTC) (25 July 2020 for some participants).
== Personnel ==
===Game Master===
*GM: played by Michael Lee Viviano
===Player Characters===
*Fern the Siegemaster: inventive fox-person student played by Rail Runner
*Minigallith Atakares: half-elf mage played by Alden Loveshade
=== Prominent Non-Player Characters ===
*Eri Snow: fox-person entertainer
*Rajzhela Carnelian: human student at St. Bassard's
*Sixapharilla: pixie who had been the companion of Phazimella
== Events ==
=== 1742 ===
Heris 44 (Lordsday) (Festival of Herix) (continued): Eri Snow, Fern the Siegemaster, Minigallith Atakares, and Rajzhela Carnelian viewed the aftermath of what would become known as the Festival of Herix Demon Monkey Attack.  This was at Old Palace Ward of Trynser City.  Sixapharilla, a pixie they had just met with her half-elf companion Phazimella, was mourning the loss of Phaz who had been killed with a javelin thrown by one of the monkeys.  Sixapharilla was sitting on Phaz' chest screaming in grief.
Mini said, in (accented) High Kastebani, "Sixapharilla, I am so sorry."  Fern said, "I guess one could try magical resurrection now, though, if there's anyone nearby who could try that."  Rajzhela said, "I don't think that is too likely. She's a stranger from out of town. People who can do that are going to take care of those they're close to."  Miss Mini said, "If only it were that simple, Fern. It would take a squad of powerful mages all knowing a very rare spell. And then priority would not be for people such as us, but for royals or nobles."
Sixapharilla flew over to Minigallith and buried her face in Mini's chest, blubbering.  Miss Mini said in (accented) High Kastebani, "Sixapharilla, I am so filled with sorrow. But you can stay yourself with me if you want."  (All of her conversations with Sixie were in that language).
The group helped with the wounded.  While injuries from the monkey-thrown javelins were generally the worst, more people were injured as crowds rushed for safety.  The dead were being collected and placed in a line in the middle of the arena; Ragnar Rockbeard was among those helping.
Fern said, "It seems like more people got stampeded than actually attacked. I wonder if anyone was trying to have things more organized so that people wouldn't hurt each other accidentally while escaping. Regardless of the answer, it seems like a good idea."  Rajz said it happened because people were scared, while Miss Mini said Fern could work with students on ideas for improvement.
A group of Delternan Marines came up the steps and asked, "Are there any fatalities here?"  Fern said, "Yes."  Mini said, "Yes. Her name is--was--Phazimella.  She came from Kasteban for the festival."  Sixapharilla flew over to Phazimella, looked at her face, and wept again.
Rajzhela said the group should get Phaz' personal effects.  While Fern wasn't sure what was meant, Mini thought any such items could be useful to Phaz' family or to Sixapharilla.  She said she would gather them.
Eri told the marines about a Mordh'Dhagai soldier who had gotten killed.  A marine said, "Hey, anyone see if he had any firearms on him?"  Fern, who had fired one of them, said, "I think he did."  Mini looked at Fern, and said, "Fern, do you know where the firearm is?"  Fern said,"Well, if nobody else picked it up, it should be somewhere nearby."  Rajzhela said, "There was a rifle and a pistol."  Fern tried to remember where she had put the weapon.  Fern and Mini looked around--and saw that Rajz had her foot on a pistol.  The soldier had actually had a rifle and two pistols.
Miss Mini decided to deal with Rajzhela's discipline later, but for now said, "Oh, Rajz found one--good for you!"  Rajzhela said, "Oh, great! Ha ha," but her eyes weren't laughing.  The other rifle and pistol were located.
Mini said, "After the tragic death, Fern bravely used them to shoot down those awful demon monkeys.  Fern got speared horribly as a result, but magic can heal."
Sixapharilla helped Mini find everything on Phaz. There was a couple of pouches, a necklace and two rings.  None of it looked exceptionally valuable.
A marine corporal said, "We're sorry for your loss, but if there's nothing else you can do, you need to clear the scene. If you can, there's a lot of people outside that need help."  Mini asked Sixapharilla if she knew anything about Phazimella's family, but Sixie shook her head "no."  Sixie buried herself deep into Mini's clothing.
Fern said, "I think there's someone responsible for this. It's unlikely that such a disaster happened all by accident."  Rajzhela said, "Well, terrible things do happen."  Minigallith said, "You could be right, Fern. On the other hand, magical backfires can do strange things. As I often say, this spell won't hurt a bit--unless I accidentally summon a demon. Oh, maybe I shouldn't say that anymore."
The plaza around the arena was packed with wounded, helpers, Trynser City Municipal Force, etc.  It looked like everyone who needed help was being taken care of.  Mini asked how Fern was doing, and Fern said, "I'm feeling sore but otherwise fine."  Fern then said, "I think I can hear Jinxi.  Should we go find them?"  Mini updated Sixapharilla on what was happening.
Jinxi was alone with a group of children.  They were standing in line to whack at a dead demon monkey with a stick.  The monkey was mostly evaporated.  Mini said, "Oh good grief."  Jinxi seemed to be encouraging the kids.
Fern said, "I think it's already dead."  Minigallith said, "I certainly hope so!"  Jinxi said,"Oh! Hi!"
Minigallith asked, "How is everyone in your group? Eri is with us, as you can see."  Jinxi, who had over a dozen kids, said, "Everyone's fine! Audrea got to fry a few of them so she's gonna be chuckles all week."  Mini told Jinxi how Fern had been hit by a javelin, but was healed and shot monkeys.  They also told Jinxi about Phazimella.  Jinxi said, "That sucks. A lot of people lost others. These kids all lost whoever they came with."
Jinxi said, "I got them whacking at the dead monkeys to give them at least some sense that they did something."  Mini said, "Oh, that makes sense now."
Mini asked if the authorities knew about the children; they discussed the orphanage St. Bassard's School and Home for Disadvantaged Youth.
Jinxi said of the rest of the group Jinxi had been with, "They went to help people going to the hospital up in the Cauldron. Corvy brought the wagon."
A woman came up and asked, "Who are these children?"  Jinxi explained, and she said, "Are you in any way responsible for them?"  Jinxi said, "I'm just a concerned citizen who saw that they needed help."
Minigallith said, "I need to sit down for a moment. Until I stopped moving, I didn't realize how tired I am."  To the woman, she said, "Ma'am, I'm an assistant teacher at St. Bassard's School and Home for Disadvantaged Youth," and gave her name.  The woman said, "Ah! I may need you to come with me. Are you able?"  Mini asked who the woman was, and she said, "I'm Sara Tharne, of the Imperial Court. I was sent to help wrap up whatever I am able to."  Fern said, "Wrap in what?"
Sara got people to take care of the children.  She told Mini she needed some St. Bassard's students "identified."  Mini said Fern and Rajzhela were students there.  Mini was hesistant about bringing students to identify dead bodies, but figured they could handle it as well as she could (Fern probably better).
They saw two who were alive.  Sukieanna Mietora said, "Coren! Cooooren! Please be alright!" Coren Tarth said, "I just busted my head a little, I'll be fine."  Suki had treated him, and seemed to have done a decent job.
There was a line of bodies, seemingly stretching without end.  Rajzh clutched Mini's hand, and Eri did the same with Fern.  They saw deceased people they recognized, but didn't know their names.  Then Fern and Mini saw a boy of about 13 years old whom they knew was Nate Rowel.  They also saw the body of Brina Tammett, a student who had painted the door to the dorm room of Princess Alarra Gormann (and Fern, Rajzhela, and Henna Brenafar).  There were others, non-students, they recognized as well.
Just as they finished, St. Bassard's chaplain Sienna Fance walked in with two other instructors.  Mini told them what they had done.  Fern said, "Actually it'd be a good idea to have students wear badges or something like that. In case of any disaster of this scale, identifying students would be much easier."  Mini made no comment.  The chaplain said that Mini could leave everything up to her.  Eri, Fern, Mini, and Rajz left.
The four walked on in silence, aside from Fern occasionally commenting inappropriately, and got to a small table out in the street.  Eri suggested they relax there, which they did, while Rajz suggested looking at the pouches from Phazimella, but Mini said she'd look at them first.
One pouch had a handful of coins, some foreign, worth about $150, while another had a brass key.  There were also ten Trynser City bridge passes which were on small brass chits.  There was also a small notebook.  Fern said, "Well, it's unlikely that someone who lives here has things to do on the other side of that bridge, so I think we'd need to cross the bridge to get to her home."
Mini asked Sixapharilla if she knew what the key was for, and Sixie pointed off into the distance, sort of towards the Imperial Palace.  Mini asked Sixie if she had a way to communicate, if she knew how to write.  Sixie showed she did, by writing in the little notebook.  She wrote in High Kastebani, "Key goes to room with big bed and bath, in big building over that way."  Mini showed the others the note.
Mini noticed the key had the number 1212 on it, and guessed it might to be a hotel room.  They followed Sixie's directions, each (other than Sixie, who stayed hidden) giving a guard a bridge pass, leaving six of them.
Sixie lead them around the Imperial Mall through to the Golden Quarter. There were many tall buildings around which could be seen from across town.  The streets were built up in two levels, the bottom for wheeled and animal traffic, and the top for pedestrians.  Sixie led them to the Imperial Grand Hotel.
People were generally well dressed, better dressed than the group.  Rajzhela said, "Ha ha, we look like bums."  Mini wondered if Phaz was staying with someone--then said she meant "a friend."  
Sixapharilla told Mini that Phaz wasn't staying with anyone.  Fern wondered if the key belonged to someone else.  They got to some elevators.
Mini (continuing to use High Kastebani when addressing Sixie), said, "Sixapharilla, this I know it has been very hard on you, and very sorry I am. But to the room of Phazimella can you direct us?"
Fern said, "That's where a steam engine would be practical to use. But I don't know what's the power source for those."  Eri chipped in, then Fern started discussing blue prints.  Mini cut them off.
The group got in the elevator, and saw an older man and woman already there.  The woman, looking at the group, whispered to the man, but everyone heard: "Oh. What are these things?"  She then said,  "Oh, and that girl is half-pale."  Mini ignored them, and said she thought she might have been there before with her mother when she was young, but wasn't sure.  The couple got off on the 10th floor, and Rajzhela said, "Have a lovely gods-blessed day!"
Eri said, "I was going to smack them!"  Mini said to be careful, but Eri said she wasn't actually going to do so.  Minigallith said, "Of course, Fern and Rajz here stay with a princess--oh, we could have mentioned that."  The group got out at the 12th floor, and went to the door of room 12, which the key opened.
The room was something of a mess, with clothes strewn around.  There were two beds.  When asked by Mini, Sixie said she was doing OK.  But then Sixie flew to Phaz' pillow and started crying again.  Mini comforted her, stroking her hair, while Fern sniffed the room.
Fern smelled that two people had been in the room the previous night; Eri looked at the clothes, while Rajz investigated some restraints attached to the bed by chains.  Fern wondered why.  Rajzhela grinned and said, "Maybe she was a bounty hunter on the side."  Eri said, "Hush, Rajzh!"
Fern said, "And seems like it was the Phazimella who was restrained. Weird.  Probably someone broke in and tortured her?"  Minigallith said, "I think they were playing a game, Fern."  Fern said, "What game?"  Mini, who knew Phaz had been a courtesan, switched to talking about checking how long the room was paid for.
Fern said, "Torture isn't fun for anyone involved, I suppose; one just wants the other to tell or to do something."  Eri said, "I'll talk to Fern, okay?"  Minigallith said, "Sure. I could do it, but have a lot to deal with right now."
Rajzhela opened a case, and said, "Holy smokes, look at all the sex toys!"  While Fern still discussed torture, Mini quickly suggested Rajz close the case.  Mini said, "I think the torture wasn't real, but was a game, Fern."
Mini saw a desk where papers were. There was a small pile of letters and the like.  She learned the room was checked out for the entire weekend; Rajz said, "So are we staying here? It would be a waste to leave."  Mini didn't answer, but said as it looked like she would be taking care of Sixie, things of value should go to help support the pixie.
Rajzhela saw a balcony, which she and Fern checked out.  It looked south over the bay toward the southern part of town.  Mini asked if there was anything important they might have missed, and Sixie pointed to a large coin.  Meanwhile, Eri found a couple of bottles of wine.  There was also an empty box in a drawer, with a hunk of wax nearby.
The coin was of a woman holding up a sword. There looked to be a hill on the other side, with buildings on it.  Sixie wrote that the coin came apart.  Sixie said she didn't know what the box and wax were for, but they had been bought recently, possibly for Phaz' work.
Having trouble opening the coin, Mini asked Sixie if she could do it.  It ended up Fern opened it.  The coin was in three parts longways.  Fern turned it like a combination lock, and the sword on the front came loose.  Turning the coin a couple more times, a hole opened up through it, with the sword able to fit into the back.  Fern stuck the sword into the back and wiggled it a bit, and the coin popped open like a locket.  Inside was a tiny, but complex looking key.   (Citadel's Shadow II adventure 20200725)
Category:Demon Gate