Chapter 8: The Many Sins of Sabina Sweetney

## July 7, 2351

### Session 51 (cont)

Once the party realizes Zo's been gone too long, finding her takes priority — not least because starting a brawl with a rich elf in a club in a city is a great way to get arrested. The bathrooms are searched, drunk girls are rallied, Samsok is sobered up thanks to a healing touch from Ebele, vampire socialites are distracted thanks to Seán, and finally Seth finds out from the bouncer that someone matching Zo's description was seen running off out of the club calling after someone.

The search moves to the streets of downtown Mohkinstsis, crowded with Stampede revellers. It's the smokers who save them — a group sharing a bottle, several cigarettes, and some good gossip say they saw someone matching Zo's description who seemed like she was half-passed out drunk being hauled between two others: a half-elf with similar colouring to Zo but white hair, and a very handsome person with brown skin, blond hair, and geometric tattoos. They apparently went down to the sewers and one of the smokers offers our heroes some friendly advice: be careful down there. That's the Five's territory.

Our heroes drop into the sewers and lay an ambush in the process, having clocked someone following them for some time. When the figure lightly lands in the sewers, they quickly realize she's of no danger to them — her name is Sibyl, and she's a representative of Хладнокрове, Vyre's home temple to Eustachy. She had been asked to find Vyre, and when the party makes it clear they have no more idea where Vyre is than she does, she leaves them.

As the group travels on, though Alja does an admirable job of finding what traces of passage can be found down here, the trail goes cold shortly after it returns aboveground, and it seems as though whoever took Zo took her into a vehicle and beyond Alja's ability to track. They drop by Shelf Life Books, based off an old rumour Rorrik remembered that if you wanted to get in touch with the Five, that was where you went, but like most bookstores, it isn't open past midnight.

Tired and with few other choices left, they make their way back to the Ornons', hoping the morning and a return to the bookstore will bring more clues as to how to find Zo again.

## July 8, 2351

### Session 51 (cont)

The following morning, Rorrik receives a message informing him that he's been chosen to participate in the magician's duels. He declines.

Seth receives a message informing her that she's been chosen to participate in the magician's duels. He declines.

Samsok receives a message informing him that he's been chosen to participate in the magician's duels. He says he'd love to if they could do it another day. The Stampede declines.

The party returns to Shelf Life Books, where they make various overtures and ultimately leave two messages: one, from Alja, saying they'd like to get in touch with the Famous Five regarding a missing friend, and the other, from Samsok, saying he'd like to get in touch with Buhle. Samsok searches for books on halfling gods, to no avail. They then go to half the shops in Inglewood, with Samsok peddling various wares he'd accumulated on the trip from his home to Mohkisntsis, and realizing in the process that he is, all of a sudden, a very rich bugbear. Seth sends a message to Zohal and deepens her connection with Gibbeth in the process, leaving her with a keen sense of paranoia.

When they return with Samsok's newfound riches and various other odds and ends to the Rising Sun, they find Buhle already there waiting for them. He can arrange a meeting regarding Zo, he says, but to do so will come with a certain measure of risk. The person who took Zohal is powerful, he warns. Powerful enough that he won't so much as hint at their identity. If he takes them to meet the Five, there will likely be no backing out.

Unwilling to lose another party member, and with no other leads, the party agrees, and Buhle tells them to return to Shelf Life Books that evening.

In the meantime, they decide to do some recon on Trennen and Bri, with Rorrik making clever use of his spells to pinpoint where they are and facilitate magical spying on their room. They settle in the lounge, discussing the best ways to get information from Trennen, and Samsok leaves a message for Fernando requesting a meeting, hoping he might be the key to connecting them.

### Session 52

It doesn't take long for Fernando to turn up, though he does't prove quite the contact they'd hoped — when Samsok offers his cover story, Fernando says he'd be happy to look into potential buyers for his silvered giant skull punch bowl, but doesn't know Trennen well enough to make that pitch to him. After his departure, Rorrik and Seth decide to go up to Samsok's suite to spy on Trennen and Bri, while Alja and Samsok remain in the lounge as Team Distraction, ready to split their efforts to try and lure the elves in following their respective flirtations with Trennen and Bri the night before.

Rorrik ascertains that the pair are getting ready to go out somewhere for dinner, and some time later Team Distraction sees them walking briskly through the lobby on their way. Though Alja tries to distract them and follow up on the offer she'd left Trennen to meet up for drinks, Trennen shuts her down, proving that he may be enough of a jerk to flirt with another woman in front of his partner, and he may be enough of a jerk to have (***allegedly***) killed his wife, but he draws the line at cheating. Good for you, Trennen! It's always nice to have one (1) redeeming quality beyond good bone structure. That said, he's kind of a dick about it, so maybe we'll count this as like .25% of a redeeming quality.

With that avenue of investigation shut down and their prior engagement making following the pair impractical, our heroes decide to press on with their meeting with the Five instead, making their way back to Shelf Life. Once there, they're led into a back room where they meet five individuals: a rail-thin person in their mid-thirties with slicked-back black hair and cheek piercings; a freckly, long-haired young man with a nervous air; a young woman with a mass of messy dark hair and an air of supreme confidence; a short but stout young man who looked like he'd give great bear hugs when he isn't trying to be intimidating; and a beautiful young man with an aloof air. The party will, they're informed, have to be blindfolded and relieved of their weapons for the journey, to ensure the Five's security. Their weapons will be returned to them once they were settled in for the meeting and no longer blindfolded.

Once the terms were agreed to, the older person goes to secure their passage, while the younger people set to disarming and blindfolding everyone. After a few minutes, the leader returns, and begins to lead them to their destination. What follows is a maze of twists and turns even Alja can't keep track of, with the party eventually being led down into the sewers, through another complex series of twists and turns. Finally, they reach their destination, and are led to take seats around a table — when their blindfolds are removed, they find themselves in what seems to be a massive underground bar, packed full of what are presumably other members of the Famous Five, Buhle at the bar nearby.

Seated at their table are two people they've never seen before: a copper dragonborn and a handsome young man who mostly keeps quiet, leaving the dragonborn — Shamash — to do the talking.

The proposition Shamash makes is simple. The party has two options. First, they can leave right then and there, get out of Mohkinstsis within 24 hours, and never come back, or face the consequences. Second, they can stay, learn about who has their friend, and vow not to reveal anything seen or said while down there. Should they choose to break that oath, Shamash assures them, if they can't find one of *them* to pay the price, there are plenty of others they *could* find: Tshering, for instance. Seán. Ebele. Moyrkus. Ini.

The party agrees to the terms, and Shamash explains who has Zohal: Sabina Sweetney, a city councilwoman, vampire, and secret humanoid trafficker. While Sabina publicly made her fortune through the import and export of exotic goods, it was her underground import and export of exotic *people* that really secured her status. Previously, the Five had tolerated this, as Sabina had only ever poached outside of Mohkinstsis, ensuring those within the Five's territory were safe. But in recent years, Sabina has gotten bolder, picking off hapless tourists and the like — such as the changeling who went missing before she could participate in the magician's duels.

The problem with Sabina is that she has enough power that if the Five acted against her, she could potentially take the Five apart. She is a woman with many employees and considerable security. However, if our heroes could get actionable intelligence — adequate evidence of Sabina's illicit dealings — they could potentially get the authorities involved. They would need proof so undeniable that even Sabina's bribes couldn't hold the city guard on her side. In exchange, the Five could make sure Zohal didn't leave the city — or that she would be quickly liberated if she did — could provide their resources to help the party bring Sabina down, and would secure a private meeting with Trennen, Bri, and no witnesses. The Cosmic Crew, after all, have the perfect cover to get close to Sabina: they are adventurers fresh out of the Arena of Champions, in a perfect place to seek out a wealthy patron.

The party agrees, and the deal is struck. After several drinks and the discovery that the Famous Five brews the best beer in the city in its sewer brewery, they return to the Ornons, with Samsok, Rorrik, and Alja sharing Feywild mushrooms while Seth nurses her paranoia and a note left for her by Ini Topaztwister. Though none of the three manage to secure information from the cables of the world, they have a more or less enjoyable night, leaving a note for Seán and Ebele asking them to come by when they return to their rooms, and one by one passing out.

## July 9, 2351

### Session 52 (cont)

They had mentioned, in the note, to come by regardless of the time, so it's no great surprise when they're woken up earlier than they'd prefer by Seán and Ebele, who are... alarmed to hear of the party's interest in Sabina Sweetney. Though they dance around the subject at first, the party manages to learn that Seán and Ebele know Sabina from long ago, when she had only recently been turned into a vampire. Apparently, the pair had a habit of looking after unstable baby vampires, who are often overwhelmed by blood lust and notoriously unstable. They warn the party against seeking out any alliance with Sabina, saying she's... volatile, and suggesting that perhaps they'd be better off seeking mortal patrons, such as Deena Kisinger or the Karkuts.

With this advice in mind, the party go back to bed for a few more hours of sleep, and by the time they awake, another note has been left for one of them on their bedroom door: this one for Rorrik, bearing the mark of Eustachy.

With Rorrik seemingly unwilling to discuss the matter, the party sets off to begin making connections, agreeing that seeking patronage from Deena Kisinger and the Karkuts will help maintain their cover when they go to see Sabina.

First off, they meet the Karkuts, a charming and disarming pair of husbands who joined the ranks of the wealthy primarily due to Elias Karkut inheriting most of his family's property and money through a clerical error, long after he'd been estranged from them. Though they'd seem somewhat bewildered at the party's arrival, they chat about the party's strengths and interests — or Peter does, as Elias introduces Samsok to the joys of the electric guitar — and they suggest the party return the following day for whatever work the Karkuts can find for them. Samsok searches for books on halfling gods, to no avail.

Next, they seek out Deena Kisinger, whose home has all the subtlety of Samsok on amphetamines. Deena is far less surprised to see them, and this time it's the party's turn to be startled when she begins to ask them about their goals — short- and long-term — and they realize how very little they've discussed with one another about what they want out of their arrangement, particularly with over half their original number missing. Deena says she'll send word along to the Ornons once she's found some suitable jobs for them — they can start out small, and if they prove they can be trusted with the small stuff, perhaps Deena can help facilitate the journey to the West Coast Seth wants to make.

As they leave Deena's, they realize something after their interactions with Seán and Ebele: perhaps Sabina won't even be awake, if she keeps nocturnal hours like they do. They agree to wait until dusk to make their approach, and in the meantime they stop by the Hill of the Dead at Rorrik's suggestion, as he cites a desire to try to learn more about the rest of the Nine, having only ever known the temple to Barica back in Red Deer.

### Session 53

At the Hill of the Dead, they notice a few peculiar things, including a woman surreptitiously scurrying off with a human arm (and possibly more) in a box, and a priest with an undead squirrel skeleton in the sleeve of his robes. However, they make their peace (for now) with the strangeness of the situation, and head off. Having been repeatedly stymied in his quest to find information on halfling gods and repeatedly told the Repository might have the information he needs, Samsok expresses a desire to follow up — Rorrik and Seth, for obvious reasons, would prefer to steer clear, and so while they secure a table at Lich, Laugh, Love, Alja accompanies Samsok to the temple of Feofila.

They have no run-ins with Aleida, and after an initial fruitless search, an acolyte comes by to help Samsok find out about the halfling pantheon. There is no record of any Theodard Longhole in any of the books, but the acolyte suggests that perhaps instead the person Samsok knows as Theodard Longhole is, in fact, Brandobaris, the halfling god of thievery, stealth, and curiosity, a notorious trickster.

Meanwhile, back at the bar, Seth's paranoia wears off, and she confesses the contents of her note: Ini has asked her on a date, she thinks. Rorrik quietly delights in her embarrassment, and the bartender gives her a pity shot. As Alja and Samsok return, the group discusses what they've learned and how to handle Sabina. They agree that Theodard probably isn't *actually* Brandobaris and, perhaps, just said he was a god to deter Samsok from trying to eat him. As dusk falls, they make their way to Sabina's home, where they find two guards — one of whom Samsok sells drugs to — and are met by Sabina's hypercompetent personal assistant, Wisława. They learn that Sabina, as a city councillor, keeps a diurnal schedule, relying on UV-protected glass in her home, her workplace, and her vehicles to keep her safe — not uncommon, for city vampires. Wisława pencils them in for 9 a.m. on Wednesday, July 11, and wishes them a good evening. The party agrees to reconvene the following morning, with Samsok returning to the Rising Sun and the others returning to the Ornons'. However, Samsok is called back halfway there when his companions find a surprise at the Ornons: Buhle, and the news that Trennen and Bri are ready for their meeting.

They're led deep into the wooded area between Lakeside and the Mountain, to a small, isolated cabin where two women stand guard, one of whom bears the marks of recent battle with a caster. Apparently, though the Five knew Bri had some magical talent and removed an arcane focus off her, there had been no sign Trennen had access to magic until he broke free and started slinging spells. They were since subdued, searched again, and once again tied up back-to-back to the chairs in the cabin. When Rorrik asks about Trennen's spare change, the thoroughly weirded-out guard hands over his coin purse, and they confirmed what they'd already suspected: he had the exact coin Vyre had had made in Red Deer. After a brief discussion of tactics, the Cosmic Crew open the door to the cabin, walking in to find out whatever they can from Trennen and Bri... and to deal with them accordingly.

### Session 54

As it turns out, what they can find out from Trennen and Bri is limited, and how to accordingly deal with them remains to be seen. After a deeply frustrating interrogation in which Bri cried a lot and Trennen quickly defaulted to insulting everyone in the room, the party established the following:

* Trennen is an excellent liar.
* Trennen is very good at Charisma saves.
* Trennen probably killed Vyre. Either that or he's needlessly obstinate about answering yes or no questions while under truth spells.
* Bri has no idea that Trennen is a bad guy, or that Vyre didn't die/stay dead back in February.
* Bri and Trennen got together because — at least from Bri's side of things — they grew closer while grieving Vyre's loss, and found comfort in one another.

Ultimately, however, the party were at a loss for how to proceed, unwilling to (further) harm an innocent (if snooty) woman, and not yet convinced they should kill Trennen for two simple reasons:

1. They might still be able to use him as a lead to find out where the hell Vyre is.
2. If anyone deserves to kill Trennen, it's Vyre.

Though not all party members were happy with this decision, they agreed to knock them both out when the time limit on memory modification spells was running out, and with Buhle borrowing Seth's scarf to do the deed, their business with the elves was concluded.

Their business with the elves' hotel room, on the other hand...

## Tuesday, July 10, 2351

### Session 54 (cont)

So, they (and Buhle) made their way back north to the Rising Sun, where Buhle picked Trennen and Bri's lock in 0.002 seconds, and Samsok kept watch while the others looked for clues. Their search didn't turn up much, but Samsok made a new friend in the form of Fred, a security guard who kindly escorted him back to his suite, and helped him order late-night wings. Back at the Ornons', Alja sucked up to Greg, and Rorrik spent 50 gp for the aesthetic.

The following morning, two notes were on the party's door at the Ornons': one, addressed to Seth, and the second, addressed to the entire party, warning of the full moon that night. They made their way to the Core to meet up with Samsok, and from there headed to Sunnyside, where Seth left a note for Ini, and the gang did some recon on **GIBBETH**, picking up some sick sunglasses (and ski goggles) in the process, thus solidifying The Aesthetic. Eventually coming to the conclusion that they wouldn't learn anything from across the street, they ventured over to the building, where they found a sickly-looking young woman painting various pictures, and a young man watching over her and reading a book. It only took one look at "the good paintings" on Alja's part to confirm that there was something eldritch at play, and after Seth guilt-bought a painting and tried not to think about her twin, the gang left.

Next, they made their way to the Karkuts', where they found Peter ready to hand out quests: one in his home for Seth (helping sort books); one in the residential neighbourhood of Westside (investigating mysterious moans and wails in an abandoned home); and one about a half day's journey east of the city (clearing out a mine of a gnoll infestation). For lack of anything better to do, the Cosmic Crew made their way to Westside to see what they could learn before heading indoors for the evening of the full moon. The woman Peter had heard the complaint from claimed it was squatters, though no one in the vicinity had seen anyone coming or going from the building, and Samsok noted no recent signs of habitation as they peered through the bare windows. Despite that, they caught a glimpse of movement inside — a woman, dressed in white. They entered carefully, Samsok painting a hole in the door to bypass the lock, and after some tentative exploration, Alja found an unwelcome sight and everyone heard an unwelcome sound: a banshee, whose wail knocked Samsok unconscious.

### Session 55

The epic battle that followed lasted approximately six seconds. Seth got the kill, like she usually does. With the banshee dispatched and no one wounded too mortally thanks to a Cure Wounds from Alja and Samsok double-fisting healing potions, the Cosmic Crew tried to untangle the mystery of what a banshee was doing in an abandoned house. According to Rorrik, banshees are only produced by traumatic deaths, and they're almost never found in large cities, as their sensitivity to all humanoid deaths within a one-mile radius makes such settlements a constant torture for them.

After some poking around, Samsok uncovered a trapdoor beneath one of the beds, and finding it to be unlocked, the gang proceeded down the steps into a stone-walled basement that turned out to be significantly larger than the house above it. Its most distinguishing feature, beyond its twisting corridors, was the proliferation of statues it held, seemingly with next to nothing connecting them, each of them surrounded by candles kept lit by magical means. While exploring, they also found what seemed to be a teleportation circle, as well as a macabre fountain surrounded by humanoid bones, but it was the final statue that really unsettled half the party: looming over a stone altar was a massive statue dedicated to Mephistopheles.

With these final two discoveries, our heroes agreed they'd be best off making a hasty exit — particularly on a full moon night, knowing the connections the cult of Mephistopheles had to werewolves back in Red Deer. After covering their tracks as best they could, they left the building, explaining themselves to various concerned neighbours, including the eternally skeptical Eliza, who dissed Rorrik's branding efforts.

Agreeing to spend the night in Samsok's penthouse suite, they returned to the Core, with Seth receiving a message from Ini on the way and covering her reaction perfectly. Cool as a cucumber, that Seth. Speaking of cucumbers, the Rising Sun's water and extensive food menu were at the gang's disposal as they ordered room service and discussed the day's events, as well as their plans for the following day. Rorrik sent a message to Sam and Alja sent a message to Tshering, with neither of them receiving a reply that night.

## Wednesday, July 11, 2351

### Session 55 (cont)

The following morning, Samsok rose first, meeting with Fernando to discuss possible buyers for his silvered giant skull. After some back and forth about the options Fernando had come up with, Samsok decided he'd rather put the skull up for auction. Agreeing to leave the details at the front desk for Fernando later that day, Samsok said farewell to Fernando, only to find himself face-to-face with Buhle. The Cosmic Crew, Buhle said, had a reservation at the Unicorn that afternoon at 3 p.m., and should do their best to make it.

This unsettling appointment noted, Samsok went upstairs to collect the others, and they all made their way down to Lakeside for their meeting with Sabina Sweetney. Once there, they were led to a fine selection of swimwear and four changing booths, where Sabina's personal assistant informed them they could change before joining Sabina in the hot tub. Selecting their outfits — some more quickly than others — they met the vampire herself as she lounged under the cloudy sky, wearing an exceptionally sparse bikini. Declining her offer of refreshments, they made their pitch.

### Session 56

Ultimately, Sabina's answer was: maybe. As she told the party, unlike the other patrons they'd sought out, Sabina had been around for a long time, and had a dedicated roster of employees. However, she'd consider giving them a trial run if they could prove themselves when out of their element: at a party she was holding that Saturday, to celebrate the end of Stampede. If she was satisfied with their performance there, mingling with her guests, she'd look into arranging further auditions, either to work for her directly or for the city itself.

The meeting done, the group decided to go do some shopping, both in preparation for Seth's date and to acquire new outfits for the party. They went to Stitch by Stitch, where the elven owner Melriel Aldamin supplied them with tailoring and, in Samsok's case, a fully bespoke suit. They then went on a quest for shoes around Inglewood, with mixed results.

Returning to the Rising Sun, they found a message waiting for Alja from Tshering, chiding her for putting what she had in writing. After a brief discussion, they went east again to Metier to speak with Tshering, who promptly began to lecture them all on the perils of casually fucking around with cults involving human sacrifice in cities where there were probably people in significant positions of power either participating in or safeguarding those cults. He asked them if they'd even been keeping an eye out for potential tails since discovering the hidden temple, to which they sheepishly replied no. When the party asked about Sabina Sweetney, Tshering reminded them that not all vampires know each other, and his growing headache was evident as Alja told him Sabina Sweetney is apparently a secret humanoid trafficker who had abducted Zo. With some reluctance, he suggested that if they *were* going to try to raise a stink about the secret human sacrifice temple, they should probably do so right before making any moves on Sabina, to try and keep her distracted and her resources thin while she dealt with the ensuing scandal.

Upon leaving Dutchie's, the party realized they did indeed have a tail: a young woman with a messy blonde mohawk, who quickly made herself scarce once she noticed them noticing her.

Later that afternoon, they went to the Unicorn, hoping to grab a bite to eat before their meeting with Buhle. They discussed their day so far, and their strategies for the challenges they had coming up. When Buhle arrived, he seemed startled at how early they were, but quickly recovered, revealing that while the memory modification on Trennen had gone reasonably well — some time dilation aside, which led him to recommend they avoid direct interactions with Trennen in the next few days, to prevent him questioning anything — Bri had been left conscious for too long, and they were unable to alter her memories. As such, she was in the custody of the Five. Buhle suggested that perhaps if Rorrik or Seth were to come visit and explain their concerns to Bri, she might be more willing to go along with the ruse they'd implanted in Trennen's memory. However, he suspected both they and Bri could use some time to collect themselves first, and encouraged them to take a day or two to think things over. As Trennen wouldn't be returning to San Francisco until Monday, and as far as Trennen knew Bri had been urgently called back to Baldur's Gate, it would likely be several days yet before anyone realized she was missing.

With that, Buhle left the party to their day, though not without picking up the bill first.

The party returned to the Rising Sun, and Seth prepared for her definitely-not-a-date with Ini. In recognition of this very casual occasion, Samsok ran downstairs to order Seth some appropriate transportation for the occasion, his long legs easily outpacing Seth's. As such, she was taken to the Lyceum District in an elaborate white and gold carriage, drawn by two white horses with gold braided into their manes and tails, with champagne on ice and strawberries — some dipped in chocolate, some not — in the back, driven by a nice young man named Evan. Sensing Seth's discomfort, Evan offered to take her on a tour of the Lyceum District before taking her to her destination. She accepted, and requested a drop off a few minutes away from the Crow's Nest, to avoid being seen getting out of the carriage.

The Crow's Nest, as it turned out, was an elaborate construction suspended between three large trees, the branches intertwined to help support it, in an obvious nod to some forms of traditional elven architecture. Ini arrived just barely on time and moderately out of breath, and the two gnomes got to know each other a little more. Notably, Seth revealed that the gnome Ini had told her story about several days earlier — Ini's second cousin once removed — is in fact Seth's adopted father. After a brief discussion, it was agreed this didn't make the two of them dating incest. The date went well, with the night ending with a wild ride in Evan's carriage, and Ini and Seth giving Evan the pep talk he needed to feel truly comfortable in his choices and desires. Seth returned to the inn, and utterly failed to sneak into the room without her friends questioning her about the date. They agreed to head out the following morning, to attend to the gnoll infestation at the mine east of town.

## Thursday, July 12, 2351

### Session 56 (cont)

Making their way to the mine, the party travelled under a cloudy sky with intermittent rain, though by the time they arrived to scope the scene out, the skies had cleared up for a bit. There, they found something rather unexpected guarding the mine entrance: fey dogs, and a lot of them.

### Session 57

Thanks to Samsok and Alja's knowledge of the fey and Samsok's knowledge of gnolls, they knew this was an unusual situation when dealing with gnoll infestations, and they went down to try to get a closer look. Though Alja's attempts to win over the nearest blink dogs failed, Samsok won them over, and thanks to Samsok's ability to speak Sylvan and Alja's ability to speak Doggo, they managed to present their case to the conglomodog that seemed to be in charge.

Walking into the mines, Samsok and Seth used their Sylvan and Undercommon to start a conversation with those in charge of all the fey dogs: a pair of korred who'd been sucked through a portal from the Feywild into the mine, along with most of the dogs they tended to, and who had run the miners out of the place in response. The miners, lacking Darkvision and faced with many terrifying doglike creatures, had assumed it was gnolls. The korred who spoke to them, Klarth, explained the mine could not continue to operate, as the holes between this realm and the Fey realm were already too many to sustain, and the way the miners had been operating would only invite more tears in reality.

After a brief discussion, the party agreed to lie, saying they'd cleared out the gnolls but in the process the mine had collapsed, with Klarth agreeing to collapse the tunnel behind them once they left. They gave the party a cart from the final day of the mining operation, so they could take back what was within as a consolation prize.

Taking a break to roll in the dirt and make themselves look roughed up, the party then returned to Mohkinstsis, where they went to report in at the Karkuts'. There, they found no sign of Peter, but Elias was there and eager to assist — in the form of s'mores, drinks, and gold. Though he wasn't able to offer payment for the mine job until they'd spoken with the mine owner and their blacksmith friend, after some discussion he offered 60 gp to each of the party members for the destruction of the banshee. He very slightly gave the party magical "experiment" drinks which had a variety of effects, including Samsok gently floating, Rorrik being a little more charming than usual, Seth being a little more male-presenting than usual, and Alja YOLOing for all she was worth. With this last effect in mind, the party agreed that perhaps it was in their best interests to all return to somewhere safe sooner rather than later and have a quiet evening (Alja didn't like this plan, but she did like the idea of seeing Greg).

Returning to the Ornons' and discovering two notes: one, from that morning, saying Moyrkus had come by looking for Rorrik; and a second, from the previous day, from Deena Kisinger inviting them to her home for some work, they sent Deena their apologies and asked to meet the following morning instead. She agreed, and they turned their focus to babysitting Alja. After visiting with Greg for a few minutes, she decided it was time for a little night stroll, and began wandering off down the road, Samsok swimming through the air behind her. Thankfully, Seth and Rorrik were able to catch up with the pair, and after an initial northward journey, guided Alja back to the main boulevard of Lakeside, using cantrips to keep her walking in the direction they desired. Eventually, the faint music and revelry sounds Seth was producing were replaced by the real sound of guitar coming from the Ornons', and Alja burst into the guest room Seán and Ebele were sharing, where Seán was playing guitar. It only took a bit of whiskey to make Alja sick and tired enough to go to bed, and it only took one casual mention of murder for Samsok to go running after her.

Before sleeping, Alja insisted on writing out a drunk text to Tshering, and like any good friend would, Seth used her spell slots to a) send it, and b) explain to Tshering that yes, it was Seth, she knew her voice sounded deeper than usual, don't worry about it.

## Friday, July 13, 2351

### Session 57 (cont)

The following morning, the party went to Deena Kisinger's, where they found the retired adventurer having her morning coffee. She asked about the previous day's work, seeming a little unimpressed to hear they'd collapsed the mine they were supposed to reclaim, and offered them a choice of three jobs: the first, to clear out several mimics disguised as books in her friend's library; the second, to guide a friend of her partner Tamzen's down to Otam, ten days south of Mohkinstsis; the third, to solve the murder of a local bard before the guard or the college did, as Deena suspected it was an inside job from the bard college.

The party agreed to solve the murder first, and she handed over the details, telling them if they succeeded on this job, they could potentially take another of the three if it was still available. First, however, they headed north to get their outfits for Saturday night adjusted, then west to the Core and the Roadhouse, where Moyrkus was staying, to see what he needed from Rorrik. Moyrkus said he'd received word from their mutual friend that Rorrik had come across some sort of unsettling house in Westside. The party gave him the relevant details, and he promised to look into it.

With these tasks complete, they headed south again for Glenbow College of Lore, to learn what they could about the victim and see if they could solve the mystery of his murder.

### Session 58

The next several hours were spent trekking back and forth across the city in search of suspects and clues. First, they spoke to Loremaster Fang Halloran, the Head of the Eloquence college. One of Jurien's closest mentors at the college, Fang seemed eager to help, though he had little to offer by way of concrete leads. Next, they spoke to Curator Dominick Ramer, Jurien's violin teacher, who admitted it was possible someone had been overly jealous of Jurien, but also had little by way of leads. Third, they spoke to Curator Gertrud Hoar, Jurien's guitar teacher, who said she wasn't particularly close to Jurien, and didn't pay close enough attention to the politics of the students to have any ideas as to who might have wanted him gone. She also noted she could potentially be available as a guitar teacher for Samsok, if he needed one. Finally, they dropped by the office of Curator Enyinnaya Hansen, who specializes in oral histories, but found her out of the office, likely not to return before Monday. They left a message for her saying they'd drop by again, and made their way back north to the Core, to look into Drop the Bard, the music hall near which Jurien had been found.

At Drop the Bard, they found some truly atrocious music being played by a band that was either drunk or hungover, as well as two people of note: a bartender and a lone patron. The bartender, a young woman with dark hair pulled up in a ponytail, clearly knew something about Jurien's murder, but the party was unable to convince her to say anything. The lone patron, a muscular, redheaded man named Ron, told Seth he had just stopped by to hear some music and enjoy the shade of the umbrella on the patio. With no further leads readily available there, they decided to go to Bowness, to see if they could find the shop of artificer and friend of Jurien, Earleen Uljarevic.

Earleen, a woman in her early 40s, also seemed as though she might have some sort of theory, and though the party convinced her to divulge part of it, she stopped short of naming names. All she said was that it seemed a little odd to her that Jurien had been stabbed out in a busy area on a Saturday night during Stampede and no witnesses had been found. To her, she said, it seemed as though that might mean someone a little more powerful than any of Jurien's fellow aspiring bards would be the one to look to. Learning from her that Jurien's friend Silje had been with Jurien that night, the Cosmic Crew thanked her for her time, and decided to check out some of his other hangouts in the Core to see what else they might learn. On the way there, they passed by the Hall of Remembrance, where a busker was playing a lively ditty about the joys of revenge.

First, they decided to stop by the River Cafe, just north of the river. They discovered that the "cafe" was in fact a restaurant — expensive and popular, with a 60–90-minute wait time for the next table without a reservation. Leaving their name with the host, they decided to see where else in the Core they could scope out while they waited for their table, stopping first at the Step Right Inn, where Jurien had stayed when he first came to Mohkinstsis, and where he often still visited, having grown fond of the owner. The owner, an older man named Susila, confessed Jurien struck him as the lonely sort, never having quite gotten over his family's disapproval of his choice to pursue a bardic life. When the party asked about any information Jurien might have brought up recently, after some convincing, Susila offered one salacious story Jurien had told, of a party at Sabina Sweetney's house, involving a pygmy elephant, her indoor pool, Fang Halloran, Deena Kisinger and her companions, and a near-orgy. Thanking Susila for his time and assuring him they wouldn't repeat what they'd heard, they decided to stop by Drop the Bard again to see what else they could learn.

There, Samsok proceeded to approach every woman he thought plausibly might be a bard, hoping to run into Silje, to no avail. The same bartender as before noticed the group, and seemed very uncomfortable to see them back. After a few minutes and no obvious clues presenting themselves, the party headed back to the River Cafe for their evening meal.

While Samsok crunched down chicken bones, Seth was given a clue in the form of a dropped handkerchief from a passing waiter, who had seemingly overheard the party asking their waitress about Jurien. On the handkerchief was a note, saying he had a break in 15 minutes. Meeting the waiter — Germund — outside, Seth received another significant tip: the last time Germund had seen Jurien there, he had been with Fang Halloran, and neither of them had looked happy with the other when they left. Jurien was usually with Fang when he came there, Germund added, as the menu was much more comfortable for a man of Fang's means to afford.

With all this in mind, the party returned to Drop the Bard to see what else they might learn, and another potential set of clues presented itself in the form of the woman Alja walked into while trying to eavesdrop in a loud, crowded music hall: a woman named Paula, already moderately drunk, who immediately took the accident as an attempt to get Alja to flirt with her, and who just so happened to be a bard — very possibly one of Jurien's rivals who they'd been told to look into.

### Session 59

- conversation with Paula

- Seth dream

## Saturday, July 14, 2351

### Session 59 (cont)

- getting ready for party

- arriving at party

- Alja walks into someone again

### Session 60

- Dirinor

- security notices

- Samsok and the musicians

- Ini

- Juliette

- hot guy in pool

- old guy and Etenesh; RIP Seth's focus

- Samsok and leopard statue person

- Fernando

- locate person

- the library

- the secret rooms

- the Bachram Bunch

- Samsok sees a movie

- Buhle, Trennen

- the speakeasy

- Jamie and Hiba

- Maxima and Yiftech

- hot ones

- Jamie revelation

## Sunday, July 15, 2351

### Session 61

- quiet panic over hot ones and Sam ones

- Seth tries sending a message to Zo and breaks

- oops! fake Ethereal Plane!

- everyone agrees to leave this until the morning

## Monday, July 16, 2351

### Session 62

- talking about that whole sometimes-Seth's-brain-breaks thing

- quiet morning

- off to the college

- Enyinnaya

- Sulo

- thief

- coffee shop

- Hall of Remembrance

### Session 63

- talking about that whole revenge thing

- River Cafe return

- Alja goes to stalk a prof

- Seth et al go to shelve some books

- Catching up with Germund and his hot tourist tips

## Tuesday, July 17, 2351

### Session 63 (cont)

- letters from Jaynie and Eli

- Eli: Friday morning; Jaynie: that night

- trying to figure out where Fang lives; Ref, Dak (Seán; Ini, college people...)

- ask Silje

- shopping! ink, rings, ruby dust

- Seth heads for her coffee date; Alja gets her armour studded; Samsok almost gets arrested again

- Alja scopes out Fang's home with no conclusive results

- Everyone meets at Vern's

- Jaynie doesn't really know shit either

- The gang heads back to the Mountain

## Wednesday, July 18, 2351

### Session 63 (cont)

- Alja does an excellent job of stealthing and noticing things but doesn't clock the 35 Stealth check used to sneak up on her and can't prevent the 96 points of damage that knock her out

- The others wait

- The others wait

- The others wait

- The others begin to panic

- Scenes are investigated. Magical sensors are placed. Alarms are detected. Ball bearings are scattered then collected. Doors are almost permanently defaced. They finally give up and head for the Karkuts'.

- Alja awakes to a strange female voice informing her that she just has a few questions about Vyre Aldataur, and if Alja has done nothing wrong, she and her belongings will be returned to her friends unharmed

### Session 64

Seth, Rorrik and Samsok arrived at the Karkuts', where they found Peter up late with the dogs. Though he was confused at their arrival, he offered them guest rooms to stay the night, not asking too many questions. Seth struggled to get to sleep, staying awake until after dawn.

Meanwhile, Alja was interrogated by Delilah, a drow mercenary who had been hired by Lavinikova Aldataur to investigate the letter Vyre had sent her. Once Delilah was satisfied at Alja's lack of guilt in any sort of identity theft, she untied her and escorted her back to the Ornons'.

The following morning, after a hasty breakfast and some moderately painful coffee-chugging, the other three returned to the park where they'd waited for Alja the night before, staking out the spot. They didn't find Alja, but Seth did find a familiar redhead woman who Alja had previously clocked at the College. Rorrik confirmed the woman was following them by conspicuously hiding a golf ball and monitoring it using his clairvoyance spell — while doing so, he theorized the woman was a werewolf, given her sniffing the ball when she picked it up. The party did a pass by Fang Halloran's house before returning to the Ornons' to regroup and wait a while before attempting to contact Alja again.

As it turned out, there was no need to — Alja was there waiting for them, along with Delilah and a letter from Sabina Sweetney inviting them over to her home that Friday. The rest of the party was alerted to Delilah's motives, and a discussion of a couple of hours followed, in which Delilah gathered all the information she could from the party about their interactions with Vyre and theories as to what had become of her. Tossing Alja 50 gold for the concussion, Delilah took her leave, and the party discussed what to do next. Ultimately, they decided on a shopping trip, so Seth could get a new outfit for her date with Ini that evening. Not only did she successfully procure such an outfit, but Samsok purchased Rorrik a t-shirt with ab-sculpted armour printed on it, so he could be less conspicuous in public.

That evening, while Seth enjoyed a casual dinner with Ini — deliberately casual, following Seth's confession that she was having some issues that *probably* weren't life-threatening with her magic — the other three had a surprise visitor in the form of Sam Hawkins. From Sam, they learned that Vyre had been located... or her soul had been, anyway. It seemed that Vyre was indeed dead, and her soul was bound to a demigod named Gargauth, a former archdevil favoured by the greedy and self-serving of An, exiled from the Nine Hells for crimes unknown. How she had died, or how long ago, or why her soul would be bound to Gargauth were all questions Sam couldn't answer, but she urged Rorrik not to act on this information until he was fully prepared to take on a demigod. She mentioned that she may be able to help at a later date, but was about to go to a safe haven on another plane where she would need to remain for some time, due to a time-sensitive matter. Expressing her condolences and urging Rorrik to get in touch if he needed anything, she left the three of them to absorb the news, and when Seth returned to the Ornons', she too learned what had become of Vyre Aldataur.

## Thursday, July 19, 2351

### Session 65

The following morning, upon waking to the sound of Dolby offering a new song to the world, Samsok decided to consult the cables of the world. For the next two hours, he lived in rapture, gazing upon the aura of all living and non-living things save himself, while the other three babysat him. By the end of this spiritual journey, they found themselves standing on the middle of the Elbow River not far from Glenmore Lake, courtesy of Rorrik's experiments with some new spells. Walking to the other side of the river, they passed a fairly quiet day. Rorrik gave Samsok his mail from that morning which Samsok had blissfully walked right past — a letter from Fernando informing Samsok his silvered giant skull could be auctioned off the weekend after this one.

While Rorrik practiced his spellcraft, Samsok practiced guitar, and Seth read her books, Alja went off to try once again to spy on Fang Halloran — and managed to catch sight of him this time, though he caught sight of her, too. She attempted to tail him as he went to his carriage, headed north into the city, but when choosing between speed and stealth she chose stealth, and lost the trail.

That evening, sat together in the Ornons' den, the party had an unexpected visitor: Buhle. He came to remind them of the prisoner the Famous Five was currently harbouring on their behalf. If they did not sort Bri out one way or another, he told them, the Famous Five would sadly have to tie up any loose ends. Rorrik and Seth agreed to speak to her the following afternoon.

## Friday, July 20, 2351

### Session 65 (cont)

The next morning, the party set off for their first of two morning appointments: Sabina Sweetney. Sabina complimented them on their comportment at the party, near-duels aside, and said she was prepared to offer them a second audition: an escort quest. They would go, along with a few of her regular guards, to escort a shipment to the Queendom of Fabia four days west-northwest of Mohkinstsis. This being an area that Alja knew well, and a regular shipment along a regular route, Sabina expected it to be fairly low-risk beyond the standard perils of travelling beyond a city's walls. Her guard would take a backseat beyond teaching the party the route, how to secure the cargo and horses at night, and so on, and they would be observing the party's performance. If Sabina liked what she heard when they came back, she might have more challenging work for them in the future.

The party — after Rorrik signed the contract, Alja reviewed it, and she and the other two signed once Alja had actually read the thing through — agreed to the terms, and to meeting Sabina's employees at a warehouse in Sunnyside on the morning of Tuesday, June 24.

Next, they went to visit Eli Melnechenko, one of Jurien's patrons. There, they learned a few things, but not much more concrete to go on.

Finally, they met up with Buhle, following him through Sunnyside Market, down a few indoor staircases to what seemed to be an underground dock, at times passing through regular sewer tunnels, at times passing through what were effectively underground streams and lakes formed by the degradation of unused sections of the sewer system over time. Reaching another dock, they followed Buhle through the sewers — with everyone but Rorrik and Buhle falling into the uncomfortably green water in the process. Buhle led them to a bathing room where they could get cleaned up, providing a change of clothes to those who needed it, and unlocking Samsok's access to his second Legendary Towel.

While Alja and Samsok perused the market, with Samsok putting in an order for a returning boomerang, Rorrik and Seth went to speak with Bri. It was a difficult conversation, and not one that left either party feeling friendly with the other, but an agreement was struck. Bri would stick to the story the Famous Five had concocted. She would go back to Baldur's Gate. And, if she found Seth persuasive enough, perhaps she would avoid Trennan. Perhaps she would look into some merchants in Red Deer.

Either way, for the time being, she was no longer the Cosmic Crew's problem.

With Seth in tears, Rorrik comforting her as they returned to meet their friends, a guard report available at an information booth caught Rorrik's eye. An alert had been sent out from Seattle warning of three magical criminals who had recently killed eight werewolves, a ninth only barely escaping. A firbolg, a duergar, and a deep gnome who sounded suspiciously similar to Seth in appearance, save their shorter hair.

### Session 66

Rorrik revealed the wanted bulletin to Seth, and she took it a lot better than she could have, honestly. She did ask her twin, via Sending, why she was looking at a wanted bulletin for them. They responded, in summary, that some crime happened, and that they were east of Seattle and on the run, but being as safe as they could be and avoiding towns.

Returning to the Ornons' to talk more about this, the gang discussed the possible complications of there being a reward out for someone whose physical description isn't *that* far off from Seth's save her much longer hair. Alja suggested Seth do something to her hair. Seth did not want to do that. Agreeing that Seth would use her magical abilities to disguise herself if she needed to, the party settled in, planning their weekend of preparations for the upcoming work for Sabina. More might have happened here but I waited over a month to type this part up so uh. Who can say!

## Saturday, July 21, 2351

### Session 66 (cont)

I'm like 87% sure this was the spa day. See, this is why I need to update these things right after sessions. Anyway, Alja and — ohhh yes it was spa day because this was the day Seth failed a Wisdom save. There we go. Seth woke up and failed a Wisdom save that made her want to head southeast. Alja and Samsok said hey guys we're going to the spa to get Samsok's hair recoloured, wanna come for a nice relaxing day? Seth was like NO I WANT TO GO ELSEWHERE FOR REASONS and they were like yeah alright. So Alja and Samsok went for a nice relaxing day at the spa, and Rorrik and Seth headed southeast. Rorrik thought perhaps Seth was trying to go to the zoo and said hey, Alja and Samsok also wanted to go there, at which point Seth admitted she was having a Warlock Moment again.

To their joint confusion, the compulsion she had from Gibbeth was... to save an adorable little boy named Amor, who had run off after a rabbit and gotten lost deep in the territory of the Fish Creek pack. The pair took Amor back to his mother, Amelia, who was profoundly grateful, and they spent a while wondering why on earth Seth's ancient, unknowable patron wanted her to save a random child.

Back at the spa, Samsok and Alja learned what manicures and pedicures were at The Chair. Sipping champagne and cucumber water, most of their time was spent waiting for the arrival of The Chair's contracted cleric, who turned up to do a little Greater Resto on Samsok's fur, restoring it to its natural colouring in preparation for the journey ahead.

## Sunday, July 22, 2351

### Session 66 (cont)

Either this day or the next day was a big potion-brewing day. People makin' potions. People readin' books.

## Monday, July 23, 2351

### Session 66 (cont)

Maybe people made potions on this day! Who can say? People went shopping! Rations a-plenty. Seth had a coffee date with Ini and it was, presumably, adorable. That night, Rorrik is plagued by unsettling nightmares of revenge.

## Tuesday, July 24, 2351

### Session 66 (cont)

Finally, our heroes set out on a journey where they will resolutely not Insight check the loyal employees of the woman they are actively working to take down. They meet Sabina's employees at a warehouse in Sunnyside. Raymond, a redheaded werewolf and leader of the group; Hadya, a buff young woman with a big sword; and Ninesthal, a quiet, reserved elven scout. Mounting up, they rode out through one of the city's western gates, headed for the Queendom of Fabia. That afternoon, they found themselves with an unexpected complication on the road: a dire troll. This fearsome creature badly wounded Alja, Samsok, and Rorrik, and it was only thanks to Seth's quick thinking and ready supply of fire that it was permanently subdued before anyone was knocked out.

### Session 67

Moving the body off the road and burning it, the group pressed on, making camp for the night and passing an uneventful night — uneventful save another sleepless night for Rorrik, as once again he was plagued by nightmares of revenge.

## Wednesday, July 25, 2351

### Session 67 (cont)

The next day of travel was an eventful one. The party stopped at a roadside restaurant, and Samsok became sticky with syrup. A group of griffons attempted to eat their mounts, and only two of them lived to regret it. Finally, the party made camp at Lac des Arcs, setting up watches for the night. Once again, Rorrik found himself plagued by nightmares.

## Thursday, July 26, 2351

### Session 67 (cont)

Shortly after midnight, while the group was trying to figure out what to do about Rorrik's sleepless nights, Samsok's spear sent out a pulse of warning to the group, and a split second later, a poisoned crossbow bolt hit Samsok in the chest. A battle ensued, with many opponents, some of whom hit quite hard.

### Session 68

One by one, our heroes were felled, until only Samsok remained, fleeing. Unfortunately, he was found in the woods... by Ninesthal. With her assurances that it was nothing personal, just business, he was cut down.

## Friday, July 27, 2351

On this day, our heroes were dead. Unbeknownst to them, someone was looking for them in Mohkinstsis, and another person tried to send a message to one of them, and received no reply.

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