Session 20 - Part of a Whole

This is the 20th session of the game Ashes.

## Summary

The party gets a chance to meet Acaleus's family, Dorian (father), Viridiana (mother), Logan (older brother), and Merin (younger brother). The family dynamic seemed awkward at first, it had been 4 years since Acaelus had last seen them. It seemed like the family was mostly distraught with arriving in Kronstrad for the trial of Viridiana's father Vanden Hamin, with Dorian supporting his wife, Logan looking for a party, and Merin tagging along. After some drinking, the party mostly reconvened (Autumn was busy at the Pennypot, and Astraea was training Flora. Really missed you guys during this sess Dave and Kerri :).

The party decided to leave the Jaunt in order to get Acaelus away from his family for a bit. They considered helping them move to Nilan's place in the Statue District but decided instead to hold off with most of the day ahead of them. Figuring that they needed to get started on trying to help Vanden as much as they could as the trial was only two weeks away, they decided to pay a visit to Dumont to see if he could help them. Arriving at his new HQ the party was met at the doorway by Sir Oswald who asked for their weapons. Dumont reassured the group that he was being extra cautious as tensions were rising in the city. The party discussed with Dumont options for helping out Acaelus's grandfather, eventually settling on an idea Emeran suggested, that they make a point about those on trial being war veterans (Vanden and General Halbacht) and using the sympathies (not the rage) of the general public and the veterans to sway people into protest. The party paid Dumont 800 gold pieces to help caused the spread of this information to go wider and quicker. Acaelus genuinely thanked Dumont for this help, and Themus stuck around after chatting to talk about good stage shows. The party inquired about getting an interview within the Kornstrad Gazette being the heroes who saved people recently.

They then made their way to the Gullies District Warden's home to speak with Callie Wingright. The party discovered that the new Warden had set up her stable house on the grounds of the District Warden's mansion, with dozens of horses running around the grounds. They met with Callie and explained what they wanted to do with raising awareness about the shady nature of the upcoming trial. She agreed to their points and devised a march from the Warden's mansion to the Southern Stockage to make a statement about the corruption within the city. She would need a week to prepare and to try and attract veterans to join the march.

The party then made their way to Fortunate Road to go and speak with Dwyer about how they can contribute to the effort. Dwyer was having a meeting with some of the local gangs (The Bloodshot Boys, and the Witches of Ratter Street) seemingly trying to make as many allies as he can. He agreed to help out any way he can and wants to try and cause a distinction between the Seven Suns and the Inner City Vets, as he and his group are peaceful, while the Inner City Vets use violence.

The party stopped by the Gloating Goat to check out Steven's wares and then headed back to the Jaunt to eat after a long day of running around.

When the party arrived back they were surprised to find that the Craysin family was still there, and stranger still that they were planning on actually staying at the Jaunt in order to get closer to Acaelus. Dorian seemed to soften up, Viridiana was less stressed out about going through the trial files, Logan was enjoying drinking though losing some coin to some pickpockets, and Acaelus and Merin had a heart to heart chat.

Over dinner, the party was discussing things, and they began asking questions of Elias and his past. Acaelus noted that Emeran seemed pretty curious about other people's pasts, but never shared his own. Emeran recognized the hypocrisy and for the first time revealed to the party his backstory. He explained that he was not part of the Dunland Civil War, but his life was entwined with it. He is searching for the past members of the Walking Pharmacopia because they were taken prisoner by the Blackdale army, separated, tortured, and he hasn't seen any of them since. He explained that during his time as a prisoner he would have to inflict torture on his own family and friends within the Pharmacopia, and he explained how he doesn't deserve to see them, but wants to ensure that they are alive.

We then simulated through the two weeks leading up to the trial with the following events taking place in the interim:

1. The King returned from his venture to Veritas; apparently the trade agreements aren't going over well, leading to more tension between the two countries.
2. Autumn and Themus both got roles in the play called The Sitting King run by the bardic guild The Troupers. Autumn got the role of the King, and Themus got the role of Jamie Nightdane. The play was a hit at the Pennypot and the two were praised for their performances.
3. The Kronstad Gazette started to report headlines of the Clans of Glattsbane banding together for the first time in history and purportedly heading southward. People suspect another armed conflict requiring the military.
4. Viridiana is working with Amby Bodkin to form a defense for Vanden if and when the trial comes around.
5. Acaelus sent messages to Delphine Gerhart every other day getting continued updates about the new investigation within Rust Port.
6. The Kronstrad Gazette published an article containing the interview from the party, where they raised attention to the upcoming trial.
7. Throughout the week with the coverage from the speech by Callie, and the word of mouth spread by Dumont the city became very aware of the upcoming trial and it caused responses in the form of sit-ins, and other peaceful protests, though it mainly was contained within the Gullies.

It is the 18th of Broljus, two days before the trial, and two days before the holiday Gathering Day. It is evening and Acaelus is in his bedroom working on some new spells. He receives a message from Delphine:

*I made a mistake. Your grandfather did it all wrong. My skin is screaming. I wanted to be older than this.*

Shortly after he then received a message from Jaime Nightdane, "I just received the strangest message."