Session 2

09/11/23

## Episode 2: Let the Games Begin

The adventurers continued their exploration of the Gilded Guppies' bathhouse hideout, searching for loot. They uncovered an assortment of items, including "Guppies Glow," a waterlogged journal, and a dagger. Poe used prestidigitation to dry off the soggy letter intended for Bailey Big Guppy Gillest, leaving it in pristine condition. Additionally, Poe dried the waterlogged journal, which appeared to belong to a new gang member and contained a list of names. The name "Darnard Stermnerk" stood out to the crew, though it wasn't familiar to anyone in the party.

Outside the bathhouse, they found Baylin, the drow from the Hummingblades who had been sleeping earlier. He had been waiting to see if the party needed assistance but, since they didn't, he bid them farewell and left with Patch, presumably returning to the Hummingblade guild hall. Before departing, he recommended that they get some rest before meeting with The Florist, suggesting they stay at the Broken Bannister, an inn for the night.

The annual Guild Games were happening that evening and the party had the opportunity to join the festivities if they'd like. The winners of each competition had the honor of "Joining" the guild.

* Shuupo won competitions for the Golden Glades and the Angler's Song
* Poe won the competition fro the Waxing Crescents
* Tarlok won the competition for the Rat Chorus
* Bellamy won competition for the Hollowlanders
* Everyone won the competition for the Hummingblades

Once the games were winding down and the inn's patients were good and drunk, everyone went to bed. The party was awoken the next morning by knocks on the door and when Poe answered, he found flowers and a letter, surely a message from the Florist. In exchange for delivering a message to the Gilded Guppies, The Florist had sent us a note addressed "My Wayward Friends". The contents of the letter had only an address in the city somewhere in The Floods.

The party followed the address provided by The Florist, which led them to a ramshackled shack clinging to the side of a sewage pipe, its door already partially ajar. Inside, they discovered a closed hatch leading into the dark, foreboding sewers of Lumberlight. Navigating through the tunnels, they were guided by the anguished sounds of sobbing, crying, and frantic pleas echoing through the dark underground passages.

As they progressed, they eventually arrived in a dimly lit square chamber. Within this room sat three bound individuals, each tied to a chair with bags covering their faces. On the table, they found a single rose and a letter, both assumedly left by The Florist. The letter revealed a unique property of the rose: its thorns had the power to compel individuals to speak only the truth, but it could be used only once. Before the letter was read, Poe picked up the rose and accidentally pricked his finger, drawing blood, and using the only tool at their disposal to interrogate the thief

The letter from The Florist went on to explain that one of the bound men was the thief who had stolen their seals, while the other two were innocent. The party's task was to identify the guilty party, as making the wrong choice would result in the innocent individuals reporting them for kidnapping unless a bribe was paid. The Florist had mentioned that the thief could be easily identified by his silver eyes.

Since Poe had unintentionally used the rose, the party had to improvise during the interrogation. They took an intimidating approach, with Fletcher assuming the persona of a Gilded Guppy agent. They claimed to be recruiting and sought someone with real grit, talent, and a history in the city's underworld. Through their clever questioning, they managed to catch the thief in a web of lies, ultimately revealing his guilt and his involvement in the theft of their seals.

The party successfully identified the thief as Fredwin Gumber, who confessed to stealing their seals under duress. He revealed that his girlfriend, Liza Leakwing, had been abducted by an anonymous group, and they had threatened to harm her if he didn't comply with their demands. These demands included stealing soujourner's seals from a diverse group of individuals and delivering them to a restaurant called the "Sall a Secrete."

After extracting this information, the party decided to release Fredwin and the other two innocent individuals they had captured earlier. They provided compensation for their troubles and set them free.

With several options before them, the party chose to investigate the Sall a Secrete, the restaurant that had featured in the thief's account. Upon arriving at the restaurant, they discovered it was an opulent and upscale establishment, also serving as the headquarters of the Rat Chorus. Valets and well-dressed attendants catered to customers, creating an air of extravagance.

The party was advised by the attendant in charge of seating to enter the first floor. However, they were cautioned that their ragged attire might attract judgment. Tarlok, attempting to gather information, discreetly examined the guest book, searching for entries around the time their seals were stolen. Unfortunately, he was caught in the act and decided to face the situation rather than flee.

The guards confronted Tarlok and escorted him and the party to a concealed basement within the Sall a Secrete. In stark contrast to the upper floors, the basement turned out to be a dimly lit kitchen where chefs meticulously prepared dishes. The party was led to a back room containing an abundance of grain, where they awaited further questioning.

Session ends