Allegedly Evil

*Allegedly Evil* is the title of the sixth episode of the second season of S.H.A.D.O.W. and the eighteenth session of the entire game.

This session was played on December 2nd, 2017

## Allegedly Evil

### Writer

Jonny Christie, Matt Christie, Rob Christie, Richie Maynard, Eric Rios, Corey Sexton

## Synopsis

Rava is still visibly shaken from what occurred a few hours before. She asks Phylyco why Eiv had called him Jamven. He plays it off as another alias. She then questions why such a good soul like Sera would be killed. The group basically tells her it’s what they do and she shifts from shock to determination. Aragi and Aguero reunite. Aragi notices Aguero is not wearing the blindfold and immediately re-draws his bow. A second figure has him cease fire and it’s revealed to be Mathite. He calms down and the archers hug it out. Aragi questions the third person. He introduces himself as Doctor Hayvard Ximer. Before Aragi can question where the blind man has been, Aguero requests a meeting with the Saint. Aragi promises to bring him to the circus if they help him find the missing Sera. They agree. Phyl and Co return to the STG House to retrieve the cart and leave to catch up to the Circus. Back a Somos, a large crowd has gathered in the courtyard. Aragi investigates and discovers a headless body hanging from a building and written in blood on the wall “Never Betray Us”. He immediately recognizes it’s Sera and a student mentions that the former champion has gone missing and is the top suspect in the murder. They get the body out of public eye and Dr. Ximer examines the wounds while Aguero and Aragi catch up in Elvan. It’s beautiful.

*Dr. Ximer is examining Aguero after the events of the previous season. He pushes the doctor away when he gets near his eyes and Ximer offers to help him somewhat and injects something into his eyes and lets him rest. He sleeps and when he awakes he can see arcanely. The fascination is short lived as he notices Saint Opia in the doorway. They discuss Hylophagous and Psaro briefly before she agrees to continue the chat in the morning. He and Mathite enter the Bank of S.O.R.R.O.W. the next day to speak with the new Saint. They spot a Golem and two dragonborn guarding the main office. Opia invites the blind man in and Mathite stays with the bodyguards. Opia and Aguero discuss the Black Lotus and she offers him amnesty if he can find and retrieve something for her from the hidden temple of Precious Light. He agrees since he really doesn’t have a choice and she sends her Golem, Ohm with them.*

 Dr. Ximer interrupts the story to inform the men about the wounds on Sera. Four specific blades. A Kunai, A Ridged, A Standard Steel, and a larger more magical blade caused the decapitation. While he can’t pinpoint who did it, he can confirm there was no struggle in the textbook definition. He leaves them to discuss and Aguero immediately blames Phylyco despite not having any proof. When Aragi questions it he drops the bomb that Phylyco killed Psaro.

Phylyco’s team catches up to the circus. Phyl speaks with Hylophagous briefly about not finding Aragi, and bringing the cart to him. The Saint mentions there is a new target for him once they arrive in Aethel (City). Aragi doesn’t necessarily trust Aguero’s word since he’s been gone for so long but he doesn’t deny it outright. Aragi mentions the magnificent has seemed a little more… dangerous in recent months. They agree he has to be stopped but there are bigger threats to deal with first.

*Aguero and his team have been seeking the temple for a few months. His hair and beard have grown and the magical energy from Ohm has halted his arcane sight from helping for a majority of the trip. Mathite begins to translate children’s books as fact since avoiding it all this time has gotten them nowhere. It is filled with rhymes and nonsense. They decide to camp in a cave for the night and are attacked by a bear. Ohm smashes it in a single blow, saving the two from the mediocre threat.*

 Aragi doesn’t understand what that has to do with threats but before he can continue his story further, Mathite reminds them it’s now morning and they have to go. They bury Sera as Aguero and Aragi argue who would’ve protected her better since neither could. They depart and eventually catch up to the circus. Lara approaches them immediately. She requests they chat as Phylyco from a distance questions if Aragi found Sera. They approach each other and the dagger wielder mentions that the Saint might not be too happy to see a deserter and his friends. Mal greets the returning two happily and so does a majority of the circus which confuses them. Lara freaks out on Aragi and they get into an argument as the Saint approaches Aguero. The camp goes silent as they await the carnage. Instead, Hylophagous hugs Aguero and walks away. That confuses the entire company and they go back to what they were doing, feeling different. Phylyco approaches him next, a little more hostile. They have a brief standoff as his “posse” steps up behind him and Aguero’s family step up behind him. Tension.

Aguero reveals to the crowd that Phylyco killed Psaro but it doesn’t have the effect it did on Aragi. Most of the people in the immediate vicinity didn’t know the old master so it doesn’t phase them. Phylyco has a rousing rebuttal about letting a mad dog out of it’s cage and Hylophagous breaks up the incoming fight by sitting everyone down and asking Aguero to tell his story.

*The three arrive at a dark pit surrounded by a circle of mountains. Aguero has this feeling it’s what they were seeking and has Mathite read another passage. They figure out the riddle and enter the courtyard where the pygmy golems attack them. Ohm destroys two before he gets overpowered and Mathite releases her lightning breath for the first time. It stuns the golems as she and Aguero get past and enter the temple as Ohm gets surrounded and destroyed. The remaining two are met with a functioning temple which is completely different from Soul Flame. They come face-to-face with The Di-Syl of precious light. A dragonborn of the Timitis tribe. They agree to join the two back to Pentropolis (City) if no harm will come to them or the temple. Once they return without Ohm, Saint Opia questions where her child is until the Aguero tells her he had died protecting them. She goes ballistic, crushing the Di-Syl within their own body without even leaving her office. A small yellow gem falls from the corpse and Aguero catches it. The two run from the bank and escape, barely.*

 Aguero pulls the rock from his pocket and Hylophagous starts losing his shit. He grabs the jewel and runs off, completely terrified.

The group has mixed emotions about the story. Mal asks about how the doctor fits into this and Aguero claims he has a part to play. The orc leaves and so do a group of others including Cal. Rava speaks up and asks about Jamven. Aguero wants to comfort her but doesn’t know how so she calls him a coward and runs off. Aguero and Mathite leave the campfire and the half-elf makes the dragonborn promise she wont attack Phylyco or anyone else. Aragi finds Hylophagous seemingly talking to himself. He keeps pushing the buttons until the Saint busts his nose. He immediately apologizes and promises Aragi they should be much more worried then they are. Aragi seeks out Phylyco and they agree to work together to solve this problem. The next morning Aguero exits his tent and almost trips over Mort, who’s awake! He apologizes and seeks out Mal, who isn’t as warm as he was the night prior. Ximer approaches Aguero and brings up the deal they made.

*Aguero and Mathite arrive in Darcia and run into Ximer at the bar. Aguero tells the Doctor his sight is slowly failing. Ximer agrees to help him if he can find him a full-time job having recently lost his license.*

 Aguero, who was drunk at the time of the deal, remembers and asks Lara if the Doctor can stay. She agrees. Aguero goes to Hylophagous and they discuss the real, actual danger he and Mathite put the circus in. The circus arrives at Aethel (City) with no problems. Aragi and a few others head to Copperbeard’s to drink. It’s completely empty except for Krisonna who gets incredibly upset that Aragi walked in and runs into the back. He goes after her and finds out Copperbeard is dead. She hands him a personalized deck of cards from her uncle to him. They drink in his honor. Aguero heads into the woods and finally has a breath to himself. He realizes he hasn’t been possessed in a while and enters the septum of the separated to seek out Sachayoj. He does not find him. He offers all of his senses, but gets no answer. Confused but not convinced, he leaves it alone and heads back to the bar. Phylyco asks Ela where Cal vanished to last night but she doesn’t actually know which is concerning. Who knows what trouble he could get into alone. They also talk about finding the Black Lotus temple in Aethel and Ela drops that Eiv had already told her the location so they plan to head there after they take out their target. A drunk Aguero wants to fight Phylyco and he agrees, knowing he’ll win. No armor, no weapons. They begin the brawl but it is cut short by Rathisi putting Aragi of all people to sleep.

## Cast

### Main

* Aragi Maxul
* Phylyco Brokenwhisper
* Lara Youngheart
* Aguero Cryhawk
* Mathite'Vomenos
* Elatherial Ebonscar
* Calapharious Ebonscar
* Mal Bloodjaw
* Rathisi'Defteros
* Saint Hylophagous

### Supporting

* Mort Soulspark
* Ravalyssa Darksbane
* Xanderfos'Defteros
* Saint Opia
* Tragoudo'Nompel
* Foni'Kokkalo
* Gregory
* Krisonna Copperbeard
* Hayvard Ximer
* Ohm

## Trivia

* This session was spent a majority of the time in flashbacks, recapping what Aguero and Mathite have been up to the past few months.
* A couple weeks back, a few of the players were concerned they would end up fighting each other and claimed only a major villain could bring them back together. Luckily, Saint Opia was always planned to be an antagonist this season.
* Saint Hylophagous now has three of the four relics from Black Lotus temples. Ironically, the one he doesn't have is from his territory.