Session 47

* Balbrok Estate (A manor house in the Bankside District, on the banks of Lake Trivial)
* Goldie's Family Home (A small residence located just inside the walls of Old Town. Has a secret alchemical laboratory in the back)
* The Twisted Eel (A tavern in the Bankside District)
* The Fallen Gate (A humble, 3-room Inn located just outside the Old Town district)
* Old Town Cathedral (A towering, sprawling gothic structure that looms over Old Town)
* Fortune's Wheel (A Casino in the Umbra District run by 'The Hammer', an old friend of Goldie)

### NPCs:

* Dulan Goldsunder (Goldie's disreputable cousin)
* Thandon Goldsunder (Goldie's father)

**Previously...**

## And Now...

Nyahduke’s off-target teleportation has landed him in a large body of freezing water. Fortunately, he's not far from shore and hauls himself out of the like into a large, walled-off estate - The Balbrok Estate. Eventually, he is able to find a gate and makes his way out.

Meanwhile at Fortune's Wheel, the rest of the party starts to think about finding somewhere to get some sleep. Goldie and some of the locals give the party members a brief outline of the ‘Old Town’ curse - that the walled off part of the city is unsafe at night and people die or disappear there all the time. Goldie informs them that their family has a home just inside the wall of Old Town, but they decide to look into a place in New Town first. Eventually, they find themselves in a drinking hole called 'The Twisted Eel' where they're hoping they can at least get a recommendation.

Meanwhile, Duke, bedraggled and freezing is desperately in search of a guide so he can get his bearings. He accidentally trips over a strange-looking beggar, and when he apologizes, gets no response. He notices the locals ignore them and give them a wide birth, which he interprets as prejudice rather then fear and superstition. Duke asks to share the beggar's thin blanket in exchange for giving the man his armour to hold onto. He then heads, with his new friend in tow, to the nearest inn, promising him a hearty meal in return for his help. People in the street are actively avoiding the pair.

Nyahduke and his Beggar friend enter the ‘Twisted Eel’, causing a wave of alarm among the patrons. The Barman threatens Duke with violence if he doesn't get "that thing" out of here. Nyahduke protests, and says that just because a fellow is down on his luck doesn't make him less than human. The rest of the team overhear the commotion and go to check it out. Goldie collars Nyahduke and explains about the Baggers- they are called ‘The Lost’, and are pale, shambling tongue-less people who inhibit Old Town at night. It is considered incredibly bad luck to interfere with them or ignore their silent pleas for change. Nyahduke seems confused.

One of the patrons yells, “It’s a zombie, you idiot!”

The light comes on over Duke's head as he releases his hold on his new friend and it wanders off towards Old Town (it’s dusk and many other Lost are making the same trip). Since it is wearing his armor Duke chases after it, and just manages to retrieve the armor from it before reaching the walls of Old Town. The others head after the pair as the reception in the Twisted Eel has become somewhat more frosty.

At the gates to Old Town, Goldie points out a building just beyond the gates They announce that is their families home. It’s a former guard barracks and is built directly into the wall. Inside, they can see a light on; apparently, someone is home.

Stepping through the gates, there's a definite uncomfortable sensation. Some choose to ignore it, but Dandy decides she might see if there's anywhere else nearby that might be... just as good. The group splits up, with Goldie guiding Gar towards their house, while Dandy and Sully look around for alternative lodgings.

### In Old Town

Entering the family home, they follow the noise to the kitchen and find Dulan, Goldie’s good-for-nothing cousin cooking meat and potatoes (Goldie recognizes the smell as one of Mum's recipes). They close the door and place the warding doorstop back into place to protect the home. Goldie has a brief conversation with Dulan about working for evil, and Dulan counters that "everyone needs henchmen" and "I gotta eat, if you don’t want me to work for evil, lend me some coin?"

After Diner, while Dulan is catching some sleep, Goldie checks the household secret back door. The door leads into a tiny corridor inside the outer wall and to a small postern gate. It also houses her mothers secret Alchemy Lab. The lab also contains her mother's alchemical journel. Some interesting things in the journal:

* Several new recipes for Potions.
* Cryptic notes in code which refer to ’Old Town Cleanser v16'. The conclusion of which is that the formula requires a rare flower from the Valdari Marsh to test it. She left a note about their plans to travel there, which is dated for MANY months ago - much longer than a trip like that should take. Oddly, while they took a LOT of their personal belongings with them, they left this journal behind.
* Notes on the herb ‘Wraithwort’ sometimes growing at Castle Strange (must be picked at night to be useful). Goldie needs this ingredient for her Painting potions.

Eventually, everyone has to sleep. Gar sleeps, sitting up with his back against the door and Goldie in their parents' bed. Gar is woken by screams from Goldie; in their sleep, they've carved runes directly into their belly. Gar goes to yank the blade out from Goldie's belly, but they interrupt him and proper medical steps are taken. The runes are Forbidden magic used by Waiqar - meaning ‘Haunting’.

While they're up, they noticed Duke is gone. Unable to sleep, he tidied the house for a while but eventually decided to sneak out the hidden door and around into Old Town. Dulan claims to have seen him pass by the window on his way out. Seeing what's happened to Goldie, he decides the house protections are broken and he needs to leave. He asks Goldie for money again and she tosses a coin back at him, more concerned about Duke then arguing with her cousin. [Am I right?]

Once Dulan has left and Goldie feels up to it, the two of them ready themselves to venture into the streets of Old Town and find Nyarduke.

### In New Town

Before leaving the gate and looking for alternative accomodation, Dandy observes very old carvings on the outside of Old Town's walls and takes several rubbings of the most well preserved for later. Solly and Dandy wander around briefly until they notice a nearby inn. It's a very small place only a few houses back along the road. The sign outside reads ‘Fallen Gate’. As they enter, they notice there are no customers in the inn. The innkeeper is a rough-looking man who tells them the kitchen's closed and only begrudgingly takes money for a room.

As they head upstairs to the first landing, Boggan growls and barks at one of the other rooms. Neither Dandy or Solly can find anything that may have alarmed him. After a quick examination, Dandy discovers that all the four rooms have a hidden latch in the lock so that someone who knows the secret can easily open them from the outside without a key. "Ooh," says Dandy, "I think this might be a MURDER inn!"

After setting up in one of the rooms and eventually calming Boggan, Solly attempts to contact spirits, but has no success. Meanwhile, Dandy breaks into the attic where a second, equally tough-looking ‘innkeeper’ lays sleeping. The room is decorated in a very delicate, feminine style, with lots of dried flowers and lace doilies. She sees the tattoo on him and realises the man downstairs had a similar one. They are marked as members of the 'Blood Knives' Gang. It's a tattoo she's somewhat familiar with from her Dad's stories. Initially, she really hopes that the two are a married couple and that the fellow downstairs is one of those people who seem gruff but are actually sweet underneath. Unfortunately, the more she explores, the more the clues would point to the idea that the gang may have killed the original owner(s) and is using the inn to rob customers.

Dandy returns to their room and she and Solly consult on what they’ve learned. Dandy has brought back a sheaf of letters tied together with a ribbon and, using this, Solly is able to conjure a vision of a sad-looking woman, presumably the real owner. Based on the energy coming off the spirit, Solly suggests that the body may still be in the building.

They plan their attack. The plan is to use traps to incapacitate the ganger asleep upstairs and then come at the one downstairs from the front and back. Dandy will signal Solly when to burst in with Boggan and attack the awake ganger. Dandy then heads upstairs. She empties the oil out of all the lamps and covers all the window, plunging the room into darkness, and lays a series of tripwires at the top of the stairs, hoping he'll be taken out by the fall. This plan looks to go awry when the upstairs gang member creates a magical lighting effect, but he still falls prey to the tripwire, falling down the stairs and being set alight with the stolen lamp oil. Hearing the noise, Solly and Boggan burst in on the first gang member, catch him from behind as a turns to see what's making all the noise and making quick work of him.

In the storage area, crammed in a box, Solly and Dandy find the inn's former proprietor. Solly enacts a ritual upstairs to allow the woman's trapped spirit to depart in peace.

### Nyarduke in Old Town

Nyarduke finds the city very disconcerting at night. Foggy and, if you can bring yourself to ignore the aimless Lost shambling and staggering about the place, empty of anything even resembling life. He finds himself at the massive doors of the Cathedral and forces the doors open. Inside, there are signs that, abandoned as it is, there are still people coming in, cleaning and maintaining the various altars as best they can during the day. it has 17 alters to various Gods of Terrinoth.

He sees a flicker of movement in a doorway across the aisle, as though someone had been observing him as he entered and just left. Duke gives chase, but while he can't quite catch it, he always manages to spot it before it can move out of sight. He eventually catches up with the figure as it waits for him, standing at the door to a decrepit, but otherwise non-descript, tower. The figure wears a mask and tattered robes. With a gesture, he invites Duke into the tower and then enters himself, the door seemingly opening by itself.

AS Nyarduke enters, he can see the whole place is dusty and near empty. He takes a couple of steps forward and hears the door slam closed behind him. When he turns back, the mysterious figure is standing directly in front of him. It removes the mask to reveal a face scarred by horrible boils and lesions, and with a mouth filled with razor sharp teeth...

### Continued in Session 48...

- 10xp (565)

**Quote:** *“Resting Murder Face”*