Session0078

NOTE: Parts of the audio recording for this session are missing. This session log includes summaries of those portions, which are written in bold.
==April 5th==
Having been summoned to receive their next assignment, the party arrives at the lighthouse in Konoko Village. Here, they find a gramophone sitting on a crate outside the lighthouse, but they find no record or other supplies. After a short while, an elderly myconid wearing finery of the Mycorrhizan Empire approaches, and introduces himself as Buttonsworth. Taro and Buttonsworth seem to be well acquainted, and Buttonsworth explains Prince Frog's absence to Taro. Buttonsworth also gives the party a gramophone record emblazoned with the Pax Mundus emblem. The party plays the record, which plays the following recording:
Good evening, adventurers. Your group has been re-assembled to fulfill assignment number 2-48-010, the details of which are as follows:
Based on the intelligence your group gathered on your previous assignment, and some information-gathering that we have done on our own, Pax Mundus has reason to believe that the Brood Legion - a cult serving at the behest of the demon lord Arasta - has been conspiring in secret with the Sons of Daimao - a fringe group of political radicals in Kameshima - to enact some kind of large scale act of terrorism within the Mycorrhizan Empire. The shipment of military arcanotech that the Brood Legion attempted to steal from Aerzen was meant to be delivered to the Sons of Daimao, and used as part of this plotted attack. The exact nature of their scheme is unknown, but we believe that this shipment of arcanotech was only a small part of it. In other words, while your success in your previous assignment likely hampered and slowed the plans of the Brood Legion and the Sons of Daimao, it is unlikely to have thwarted them entirely. 
Your assignment is to find out what the Sons of Daimao are planning, and prevent their plotted attack from taking place. Our only firm lead in this case is the letter your recovered from your last assignment, which indicates that the shipment of arcanotech was meant to be delivered to the estate of Wolfgang Amadeus Konoko, the de facto leader of the Sons of Daimao, who recently took over as foreman of the Kameshiman salt refinery operation. 
Our clients for this assignment are members of the leadership of the Mycorrhizan Empire. They request that this matter be handled as discreetly as possible, and preferably that the individuals responsible for the plotted terrorist attack are captured alive, not killed. Our clients do not wish to stoke unrest in Kameshima with any perceived injustice against the Sons of Daimao, or to have their leaders become political martyrs, which would only feed into their cause. Pax Mundus agrees with this notion. Keep this in mind as you pursue this assignment. We caution you not to take hostile action against Wolfgang or the Sons of Daimao until firm evidence of their plans is obtained.
Upon successful completion of the assignment - as defined as preventing the Sons of Daimao’s plotted attack from taking place at any cost necessary - you will each be awarded 250gp, and the opportunity to accept future assignments with Pax Mundus. If you are able to apprehend the individuals responsible for the attack alive, and to collect firm evidence of their plans so that they can be brought to justice, the payment will increase to 350gp.
Our clients have sent an envoy to deliver this task to you, and to answer any questions regarding the situation and our clients’ objectives. This envoy is a trusted contact and informant for Pax Mundus, and will provide you with your per diem, your contact device, and your arranged passage to Kameshima to begin your investigation.
After listening to the recording, Laq asks Buttonsworth how many culprits the party is expected to apprehend, and how they should be transported. Buttonsworth is unsure exactly how many people are involved with the Sons of Daimao's plot, and that the party is responsible for figuring out how to transport them. He explains that Yad, the sailor that they rescued on their last assignment, will be taking them to Fort Obiruk in Kameshima aboard his boat, the Maebelle, to begin their investigation. Buttonsworth also gives the party their per diem from Pax Mundus.
Following Buttonsworth, the party heads toward the harbor to find the Maebelle. Along the way through Konoko Village, Laq buys materials to craft manacles.
At the harbor, the party meets with Yad and boards the Maebelle. They find the boat manned by a skeleton crew of just a few individuals, which Yad explains was a recommendation from Pax Mundus. After loading up their belongings, the Maebelle departs. Yad explains that it will be a 24 hour voyage to Fort Obiruk. 
The party spends some time in the boat's bar and cafeteria, catching up and talking about their assignment. Fulmín prepares food, while Taro prepares drinks imbued with magic using his witchcraft. Meanwhile, Laq spends some time crafting manacles.
Later in the day, exploring the Maebelle, Licen and Brigg find the boat to be freshly maintained and cleaned, seemingly overhauled by Pax Mundus after the damage it sustained during the last assignment. Laq finds the boat's salt-powered engine room, and gets some salt from the boat's engineer.
Preparing for the night's rest, Konohana sends a dream message to Brook, asking her to help him get back to the Changewood. 
In the middle of the night, as the party is sleeping, the Maebelle is attacked by sea monsters - a giant eel and a group of kelpies. The party battles and defeats them. During the fray, they notice a glowing magical symbol of Daimao on the creatures. Studying the symbol, the party deduces that the creature seem to be summoned or controlled using Daimao's magic, which is unusual, since he has been dead for decades.
==April 6th==
In the morning, Brook contacts Konohana with a sending, offering to help him get back to the Changewood whenever he is ready. Konohana says that he will reach out when he's ready.
In the late morning, the party arrives at Fort Obiruk aboard the Maebelle. After deboarding the boat and bidding their farewells to Yad, the party heads into the city. Within, near the city entrance, they find a giant statue of Prince Frog shaking hands with a Kameshiman leader, with an inscription commemorating the unification of Kameshima and Mycorrhiza. 
The party finds a local newspaper, and spends some time looking through it for local intel. They find news about ongoing territory talks regarding Konoko Village, and their delay due to the Empress Roslyn Alvira's illness. They also find news of new mining regulations being put into place in the Kameshiman chaos mines, after a mining catastrophe in the Alviren city of Ayamonte. 
Most pertinently, the party finds news about the recent death of the president and foreman of the Kameshima Salt Company, Koffu, in a careless accidental mining accident. As a result of his death, Wolfgang Amadeus Konoko, the former second-in-command, was promoted to interim president and foreman.
Discussing how to proceed, the party decides to keep looking around town for information or leads. Brigg locates a seedy underworld hookah den, where he meets with Boletus, a local drug dealer. Pressing Boletus for information, Brigg learns that Wolfgang Amadeus Konoko recently fired the entire staff of his estate in the upper end district of Kamenoshiro. Boletus introduces Brigg to Wolfgang's former chef, who was among the fired staff. The chef gives Brigg a basic rundown of Wolfgang's movements and routine schedule, and also gives him keys to the estate, expressing his distaste for Wolfgang.
Meanwhile, Laq finds a mining automoton and speaks with it about the Kameshiman salt mines. He gets maps of the publicly-accessible parts of the mines, and some information about the mine's safety protocols. 
Regrouping and discussing how to proceed, the party decides to head to Wolfgang Amadeus Konoko's estate. They head to the upper end district of Kamenoshiro and find the estate, which they find to be conspicuously vacant, with the entire staff having been recently fired. Scoping out the estate from outside, they notice that Wolfgang's automobile is still in his garage. Using his primeval awareness, Fulmín senses four humanoids somewhere within the estate.
Konohana briefly sneaks into the estate and scouts. From outside the main building, he spots two armed tortles, who seem to be standing guard. At first glance, the tortles show no signs of being members of the Brood Legion, lacking any telltale signs such as extra carved eyes or a prevalence of spiders or spider imagery. He does, however, spot a small symbol of Arasta sitting at the foot of an effigy of Daimao.
Regrouping outside the estate, the party decides to wait until tomorrow to try to sneak into the estate. In the interim, they depart the estate to see if they can gather more intel, Laq suggesting that maybe they speak with the newpaper journalist to try to learn more about the death of Koffu.
Category:Pax Mundus Session Log