Starfall Session 5: Wander Off

***See Starfall for a list of session summaries.***

Tarcan, using a spell to locate objects, guides the party through the Hemrillick Estate looking for star crystals. They ascend the stairs and walk through the halls, eventually stopping at an artistic representation of the Hemrillick family tree displayed on a wall; long-dried blood splatters decorate the piece.

After pondering the family for a moment, Tarcan and Aisling both point at the same name at the same time: Wander Enera Lyn Hemrillick.

"It's like the poem!" Aisling exclaims.

While Aisling begins to dig through his bag, Tarcan gestures to two small blue crystals decorating Wander's nameplate, identifying them as the source of his locate objects spell.

Aisling pulls out the painting he found in the catacombs of the old church under the Tower Academy and reads aloud the poem on the back of the canvas. When he reaches the end, he extends his hand to pick the gems off the nameplate, but Firethaera slaps his hand away. She rants at him to be respectful of the lord's home, and Aisling expresses frustration.

While the two argue, Tarcan grabs the gems and hands them to Aisling.

Firethaera vaguely demands the party follow her. Aisling refuses to go without more information. Firethaera explains that Wander had a sister, Alia, who never got to meet him but devoted her entire life to discovering what happened to him; Firethaera knows where Alia's room was and explains she wants to take the party there to see if they can find anything. With an adequate explanation, the party agree to search together.

While most of the party searches the room, Tarcan finds a mouse in the hallway. He casts a spell to make it his friend, then asks of any hidden locations nearby. The mouse leads Tarcan to a wardrobe in the room and scratches at its back. Tarcan discovers a small hole and, when pulled, the back of the wardrobe becomes a secret door to a narrow tunnel between rooms. Firethaera attempts to talk the group out of exploring the tunnel until morning, but Aisling refuses and enters the tunnel. Firethaera begrudgingly follows, and the rest of the party goes too.

The party discovers a long abandoned research lab at the bottom of the tunnel. There are desks with scientific implements and mostly empty bookshelves. The party can tell that somebody has recently been in this room. They see a door on the opposite side of the room with an unlatched padlock, and they discuss the best course of action. Firethaera reaches up to lock the padlock, and Aisling uses magic to fling fire beside her hand. He explains that if she locks it, they have no way to exit. She says that they can't explore tonight, and they don't want whoever has been here to come back. Aisling says that he is going through that door, butt Firethaera steps between him and the door.

Aisling casts a spell that pulls Firethaera away from the door using a thorny whip. Tarcan picks up the bard. Watzi and Jag make a break for the door. As Aisling is about to go through the door, Firethaera casts a mind control spell on him to make him stop. In response, he transforms into a panther. Firethaera gives up and ascends the stairs, and Tarcan and Aisling catch up to Jag and Watzi.

Firethaera climbs the stairs and finds Eber Hemrillick in his study. She expresses frustration with the group, then asks Eber how long he's known about the tunnels beneath the estate. When Eber shows confusion, the two return to Alia's room to find the tunnel down.

The group, minus Firethaera, catch up at another closed door with an unlatched lock. Tarcan lights a torch, and Watzi lights a hooded lantern. Aisling finds a set of tracks left behind by a heeled shoe, then Jag opens the door and the party continues down the dark corridor.

Meanwhile, Eber and Firethaera descend the stairs into Alia's secret workshop. Eber expresses wonder and delight at a new discovery in his family's history. When he asks where the rest of the party is, Firethaera again expresses frustration and gestures to the open doorway across the room. Eber seems surprised that she didn't go with the party, saying that he sees no reason why they should be stopped. He tells her that the tunnel out was an old escape tunnel, a tunnel that could have saved his family had they found it earlier. He suggests that she should find the group while he fetches extra hands to further explore and tidy the workshop. With a final salute, Firethaera heads down the dark hall.

After 15 minutes of walking, the rest of the group finds a large room with a marble floor and gold detailing in the floor, and another doorway into another hallway. Tarcan throws his torch down the hallway, revealing more doorways. The group hear the sound of heels on marble, and a woman walks out of one of the rooms. She has red hair, is dressed in a purple evening gown, and wears a gold monocle. She smirks at the party, then turns away to continue down the hall. Aisling leaves panther form to badger the woman with questions. She answers his questions, telling him that she has been down in the tunnels merely a few hours today. She tells him her name is Keine.

Around this time, Firethaera catches up with the group. When Tarcan hears the approaching metal footsteps, he recommends the thieves do their thieving before she can stop them.

Aisling continues his conversation with Keine, telling her about Wander and asking if she knows anything about the events that happened to him. She tells Aisling it was called the Descent. Aisling asks more, explaining what happened to him.

"Does it have anything to do with these?" Keine responds, while pulling out an entire bag filled with the same crystal gemstones held by Aisling, embedded in Wander Hemrillick's branch of the family tree, and decorating the ring from the tower academy.

When Jag and Watzi explore the rooms on either side of the hall, they discover that they used to be communal spaces but have since been turned into store rooms, with sheet-covered furniture and many valuable items. The two pocket a plethora of golden trinkets.

[UNFINISHED]