Session 27

**Anchorage in Ashes (October 12, 2019)**

Dorian Barlow wields Balor’s father’s sword, the Anchor, and
taunts the party to face him. However, when Dorian duplicates himself multiple
times, the weakened party recognize that they are currently outmatched and
retreat. With a combination of fog cloud, entangle, and rope trick, the party
escapes from the castle and regroup in the safe house. As they recover from
their battle in the castle, Ignatius’ ring spreads scales over his body and he
begins transforming into a troll. Rurik cuts off Ignatius’ finger and the
transformation recedes. In the morning the party awakens to the castle engulfed
in flames.

It takes the citizens of Anchorage the entire day to
extinguish the flames on the castle. When the party searches the castle the
bodies of the polymorphed jarls in the dungeon are charred, and Dorian has fled.
Balor finds his parents petrified to stone in their bedroom; the Anchor stabbed
through his father. When Balor removes the sword his father’s statue fractures
and breaks. Balor makes a proclamation to the people of Anchorage that Dorian
killed their jarl, and declares war on Ashland.

Tryx notices that along the horizon the Ingotspire’s
silhouette has changed. He reasons that it might have erupted, and sends a
robin aaracockra to Naldum to find out what has happened. Meanwhile, Altair
receives a begrudging letter from Ragnar seeking his help with something suspicious
on their home island, Midhaven.

The next day, two war ships arrive from New Haven Harbour, led
by Henrietta. In response to Red’s call for aid, Henrietta’s officers secure
the city, and begin to help recruit and train more soldiers for Balor’s war.
However, there is dissent among the people, who are hesitant to go to war when
they’ve just lost their jarl. Ignatius speaks to Balor and tells him that his
people will surely fight and die for his cause, and Balor grows hesitant if it
is right to ask them to do so. Nevertheless, Balor insists that he must stay in
Anchorage to govern his people.

Jameson arrives with a scroll from Nihlus that shows the
necessary components to reverse the petrification on the citizens. With no one
in the city able to cast the spell, the party set out to track down Nihlus. Upon
ransacking his shop they discover the broken pieces of Jameson’s petrified
body. The party go to Jameson’s home, and find his wife Cindy in the yard with
their baby, Dander, and Nihlus’ golem.  The party surround the cottage and Altair and
Ignatius enter to question Antioch in Jameson’s form. Antioch explains that when
Jameson was petrified by the Ashlanders, he used the opportunity to assume his
identity. Antioch has been living a normal life as Jameson, caring for Cindy,
and trying to fight back against the Ashland incursion. Ignatius questions if
its right to make Cindy live a lie, and Antioch says that he’ll tell her the
truth; but Balor interjects that knowing the truth might only serve to hurt
her. Balor demands that Antioch reverse the petrification and the feeble mind, but
he says that he can’t. The party realizes that Lady Yen might be able to help
them, and that Antioch can teleport them wherever they need to go.