The Tenth Session

After a short rest in the ruins on the mountain, the group went to the cave mouth. Coming in single file led by Yief, they were ambushed by ghosts, but quickly subdued them. Continuing through the cave, they were met by 2 demon guards, also quickly defeated, and 4 cultists in front of the smoke creature they had fought on the mountain the day before. After an initial strike from the monster, they managed to subdue it, killing 3 of the cultists in the process, 1 of whom was basically melted by Aoth. After Yief delivered the killing blow to the monster, causing it to dissipate, Aoth commanded the 4th cultist to surrender, who did so very willingly after witnessing the previous melting. Interrogating him, they discovered it was a small faction of the Cult of Unulott, a group dedicated to summoning the power of the demigod of shadows. The shadow monster was the summoned spirit of the son of Unulott, and blood sacrifices in front of a summoning rune would have given him physical form and greater power. After casting a truth spell, they learned he could still be brought back as long as the rune tethered his spirit to the material plane, and also that the treasure chest was a mimic. They ultimately destroyed the rune, and fed the cultist to the mimic alive, which Aoth had to wait in the hall for as it was too violent for him. Checking to see if it was done, Shag said "oh yeah it totally ate that guy" as he threw another cultist's corpse into the mimic's mouth. Aoth commanded the mimic to speak, and it responded "fuck you"

With the cult and monsters defeated, Fish exclaimed he could return to his camp, and was happy he could fish in peace. The group was still unsure if he meant the act of fishing in a stream, or if he was using his name as a verb to imply the act of his very being.

Returning to camp, they packed up and set out for the city of Airspur. Arriving in the walled city, they saw a wanted poster for a masked man called the Grey Ghost, with a 5,000 gp reward. Heading toward the town square, Shag noticed they were being followed by a robed man, and called him out, prompting Halrek to stand uncomfortably close to the man. Flustered, he commented that he was fascinated by Haldes and wished to see what her business was, as he'd never seen a foxfolk. After telling him to leave, Applaudicus revealed he'd pickpocketed the man, and held up a note. Upon seeing the note was written in Abyssal, Nul translated it and revealed it to be a list of all their names and descriptions of them. Realizing they'd been discovered, Vissella told Halrek and Haldes to find and tail the man, and see where he was going. Suggesting they should disappear, Shag proposed finding the Grey Ghost, prompting Applaudicus to suggest they get some info off the street urchins in the slums. The rest of the group continued to the town square, with Lyn proposing they stay in view of the public.

Finding and tailing the man, Halrek gave his cloak to Haldes to disguise herself, and he transformed into the appearance of Chariz. The man didn't notice them in their disguises, and they followed him to a secret door by a guard tower on one of the city's outer walls. Descending into the sewers, they followed the sound of voices, seeing the man speaking to 5 cloaked figures in Thieves' Cant. Halrek deciphered that they were going to attack the local inn by the town square as that was where the group was headed when the man was discovered. When the group split, Halrek and Haldes began to retreat, but Haldes slipped and splashed the sewer water, alerting the group. However, they were quickly surrounded by a faintly purple mist, and when the mist dispersed seconds later, they were back outside the secret door. Unsure what happened, they ran back to the town square.

Meanwhile, Shag and Applaudicus went to the slums, with Shag disguised as a young boy who looked like Oliver Twist, and began repeatedly saying "Ello, Govnah!" which confused people as no one he said it to was a governor. Finding a group of peasant children sitting under a bridge across 2 guard towers, Applaudicus and Shag joined them in a game of Houses and Humans with the dice Applaudicus had stolen from the Khajiit Cart in Wavecrest. Shag then announced he had killed someone, to try and impress the kids. When they asked if it was a guard, he said yes, and when they asked how he got away, he said he just ran really fast. They then invited the 2 to their group, the Tunnel Snakes, who rule, and said if they were able to pickpocket 3 gp from a guard and drop it in a special place, they'd be met by someone who could offer them a lucrative relationship. Applaudicus then scaled the wall of the guard tower, jumping through a window, and pickpocketing a guard walking to the bridge as Shag gave Applaudicus bardic inspiration by whistling a tune. They were then led to a secret door under a guard tower, where they left the gold. The kids told them to come back in 6 hours. They went back to the town square to relay what they'd learned.

In the square, Darkwind said he was happy to see Applaudicus really being himself again, but was worried about him. When Aoth, Yief, Nul, and Vissella comforted him, he responded he knew his brother could do it, it was always who he was. He then admitted he didn't know who he was, or who he was supposed to be, as everything he'd done up to this point were things he needed to, not things he felt he had a choice in. Aoth comforted him, saying he never thought when he set out that he would meet the people he met, or end up on the mission he was on. He said even as far as they'd come, his journey was just starting, and Darkwind had plenty of time to figure out who he would become. Vissella then commented that whoever he'd become, it would be someone great. He then said Vissella reminded him of his mother, except Vissella cursed a lot more.

Shag and Applaudicus then returned and relayed what they'd learned, followed by Halrek and Haldes returning, with Halrek still in the form of Chariz. Halrek then revealed that he was a changeling, and showed the group by taking the form of each of them briefly. He turned into Shag, and Shag cast disguise to turn himself into a short Halrek, and then Halrek turned into a short Halrek, which greatly confused Yief. He then returned to his original wood elf form, though this time without the scars, as he didn't feel he needed to hide or trick the group anymore. Haldes was still off-put by him taking her shape. Relaying what they learned, they decided to have the meeting under the slums and then make a decision on the best course of action. Instead of putting Applaudicus in danger, Halrek would take his form and go with Shag to the meeting. In the mean time, Nul learned Dispel magic, Halrek convinced the local Dave that he was a shapeshifting Dave, Shag also convinced that Dave he was a Dave, and Yief offended the Dave by attempting to convince him he was a Dave, but failing miserably. Shag bought new armor, and he and Halrek discovered the twin short swords they had were actually the legacy blades Devious and Vicious.

Returning to the secret door in the slums, a dim light in the wall led them to a convergence of tunnels, where they were confronted by the Grey Ghost, followed by another male and a female thief, also wearing masks. After inviting them to the Thieves' Guild, he deciphered that Halrek was lying about the reasons for the meeting, and asked if they were the ones "messing around with the tunnels", which Halrek convinced him they weren't. After telling him about the men he and Haldes had seen, the Grey Ghost replied that if there was a dangerous group in the tunnels, they'd have to be dealt with, and that he and the group would be able to help each other.