Session 66: The Gang Fails at 4D Chess

In Hiru, the group goes to the Red Tower tavern while Vojta stays behind to meditate, since he is exhausted from dispelling the gate. A while later, Arran comes running back. He explains that Cho found out about Joe’s fake war declarations and attacked him in anger. Vojta agrees to speak with Cho while Arran hides on the roof. Nan arrives shortly after and she corroborates what happened. Then Cho arrives, mad but no longer violent. He rebukes them for not telling him that the war declarations were fake, since he had been living in fear of his hometown being attacked. Vojta explains that he is not at home in global politics, so in his uncertainty on how to deal with that situation, he had defaulted to not bringing it up. Cho says he will stay with them only if they vow to keep no more secrets. Vojta agrees and calls for Arran, who also apologizes and agrees to be honest about any matters that concern Cho.

The others then explain to Vojta that they went to the Red Tower tavern, where Nan briefly encountered Shula, but they evaded her. They also met a barkeep who might be able to get an audience with Redmud for them. Nan says she found a way to get information about the dragonborn’s motivations in Kadoma, but Vojta cuts her off because the barkeep seems to be eavesdropping. They head up to their room instead. She explains that there’s a woman from the Cloud Eyes, a group of aarakocra airship travellers, who knows about the weapon in Far Kadoma. Arran questions whether she could really know anything worthwhile as an outsider. He himself could tell them what he knows if they make a soul contract not to spread it, but he doesn’t know how. Since it’s a druidic form of magic, Vojta might find out how to do it with some research.

They also met a man named Kolo, who they agreed to help deal with his predicament. He arrives shortly after and explains that he was hired to take down a cult of Ti’ireth and is now being stalked by a demon that he can’t kill or escape. When asked, he says he took some treasure from the cult, but dumped it elsewhere hoping it would get rid of the demon. Nan is suspicious and tries to dispel any magic on him, but nothing happens. They agree to fight the demon, so they head out and find a clearing in the forest. Kolo then casts a divine spell, which he knows will attract it.

Immediately, a metal tiger-like creature teleports next to him and slashes him with its claws. Cho grabs its tail and pulls it away from him while Kolo retreats. Vojta tries to drain its life force while Nan attempts a mental attack, but neither works against the artificial being. Arran stabs the monster, but it teleports from Cho’s grasp and release the powerful roar that stuns Nan and Vojta. Kolo chops at the monster, but his mundane greatsword can’t damage its magical plating. Cho wounds the creature with his magic glaive while Arran surrounds it with thunderous energy. Even so, it recklessly chases Kolo, suffering the explosion. Arran freezes its armour with a touch while Cho deals more heavy blows to it. The damaged monster then teleports away.

Nan brings up that the creature said something in Infernal about a returning a stolen spear. Kolo says that it must be part of the treasure he took, which he stashed at the Frosthearth mountains. They decide to rest for the night before heading there. First, Nan speaks to Faranehou, who tells her that the metal monster is very difficult to acquire, so the person hunting for the spear must be very powerful. Vojta communes with nature and senses no fiends nearby, but there are some powerful undead in the wilderness to the north. Nan mentions that someone told her not to go north. When they gather in their room, Kolo takes a potion of watchful rest, since he is afraid to sleep as long as the monster is around. At Nan’s request, he spends some time writing down all the things he took from the cult.

Later at night, Kolo suggests going outside to practice, so Arran accompanies him. Shortly after, Arran returns in a hurry and wakes the others, saying that Kolo suddenly walked off into the forest while the bartender stone their weapons. Arran and Vojta chase after Kolo while Cho and Nan chase the bartender into the woods. Vojta follows Kolo’s tracks and they find him confused about how he got there. Arran concludes that he was charmed. Vojta turns them into clouds and they fly to rejoin the others. When they fly overhead, Nan doesn’t realise that it’s them and instinctively dispels Vojta’s cloud form. He doesn’t mind, as he can now help them follow the tracks.

They arrive at a small clearing with an orange gemstone in the grass. The engraving reads, in Infernal: a gift from a father to a daughter’s companions. Arran recognises it as enchanted, while Vojta remembers that he sensed the influence of Eximum from this place when he communed earlier. Nan wraps the gem in cloth and takes it without touching it. They suspect that it can teleport them to Ti’ireth, but deem it too dangerous to try. Vojta suggests that if they get the spear from Kolo’s stash, they’ll at least have something to barter with. They decide to finish resting first. Back at the inn, they encounter the barkeep, who is confused and worried, so they infer that someone impersonated him earlier.

The next morning, the bartender conveys the message that Redmud is interested in meeting with them. They answer that they will get back to him after some unexpected but crucial business. Arran also warns that if one of them returns without the others, it’s probably an impostor. Vojta then teleports them to Rathgard, to the tree Thorim was pissing against when he was attacked by sylvan wolves. He then turns them all into clouds and they fly west. Kolo guides them to the right mountain pass. He can’t find the cave from above, so they land and travel by foot. As they walk, a snowstorm picks up, so they tie ropes around their waists to stay together. Vojta communes with nature and senses a fiend half a mile behind them, so they discuss whether to take cover or keep going. Arran and Vojta vote to take cover while Cho and Nan vote to keep going, so Kolo breaks the tie for continuing.

After half an hour, Vojta communes again and feels the fiend only a hundred feet away. Worried about fighting in the blizzard, they enter a nearby cave. Vojta hears a voice in his head but can’t understand. He tries to reproduce it and Arran can tell that it’s Infernal, asking why he travels with a thief. A large humanoid figure with a skull helmet then knocks on the stone at the entrance. Nan speaks to it in Infernal and explains that they are going to get the stolen item and return it. It tells them that the spear is a relic and that it will not harm them if they help bring it back, though it can’t offer safety to Kolo. They are not in a good state to fight the fiend without their weapons, so they agree to these terms.