Session 7

Having dispatched another of the Baron's sons, Raygor Helvast, the party continues their exploration of the manor at Waddlestork, in search of the Brackish Baron. As the party is set to ascend the stairs to the second story of the manor, Esmerelda Panettone crumples to the floor in a state of catatonia. The party agrees to leave Esmerelda in the adjacent barracks with the placated hyena and continue onward. The scene they arrived upon on the second story was gruesome. The stench of blood and iron filled the room. Rhea Aves identifies the blood, which is splattered on the walls and the floor, as nearly two days old. Piper Aves decides to try a sample of the blood and confirms that the blood tastes like blood. Piper then rushes down to the body of Raygor, to sample the corpse's blood. Piper identifies that Raygor's blood tastes like blood, but importantly, he states, it does not taste "corrupted". Marallis "Lissie" Ophiuc asks for a sample of Raygor's blood and Piper quickly procures it for her, taking no care on how he does so. Piper hands the bloody vial to Lissie, who squeamishly takes it for future study.

Thomas Aberrich ascends the spiral stone stairwell to the third floor. There are no lit scones in the well or the hallway on the landing. The manor looks old and worn. Thomas opens the first door in the hallway and peeks inside. The rooms appears to be library with books strewn about. Thomas sees a shadowed figure standing in front of a roaring fireplace, with their back to Thomas. Thomas also notices a peculiar shrieking wolf sitting in a dining chair that looks as if it is reading a book. Thomas backs out of the room and the party argues that this may be Styrmir, who they want to avoid at all costs. The party continues down the hallway and finds an empty solarium where they hide while they plan. They decide to investigate the other rooms of the floor.

Thomas opens a door into a quaint bedchamber where a woman waits facing away from him. She asks what he wants. Thomas claims that he is only checking to see if she needs any food or drink. She declines. Thomas, pressing his luck, asks if she is aware of where the Baron is. She becomes more curious and starts asking questions about who he is and why he is here. She is a woman in her forties, is well dressed, and well spoken. Thomas states that he is Roderick of house Castillian, small former noble house along the bay. He claims that he has come to aid the baron. She believes Thomas's ruse and tells him that the Baron is on the parapet. She appears to believe it amusing that Thomas and his friends are seeking the Baron on their own accord, but does not reveal why.

Rhea opens the door to the next bedchamer and inside they find Reitel of Reichsfal, a younger man from the Council Kingdoms. Rhea pretends to not speak common and Thomas takes over the conversating, stating much as before with the woman in the other room - that he is here to assist the Baron. Reitel offers little information, except perhaps instead of being amused by the parties presence, he is more saddended.

Piper insists that he gets to open the next door and does so into a large open area with old dilapidated suits of armor. There is a door directly across from them, but there is also a loosely made barricade, with double doors leading off to the side. Piper easily moves the barricade aside and squeezes through the opening, with the rest of the party following. Piper opens the next door and sees the Baron standing over a massive well that is filled with dead and decaying bodies. The Baron is thankful that the party has come, so as he has more sacrifices to the pit. A fight ensues with the Baron and three of his shrieking wolves.

Rhea immediately plants an arrow in the chest of one of the shrieking wolves and it the force causes it to spill over the side of the parapet where it crashes with the earth and dies. Piper cleaves a mighty blow into the Baron, but the Baron smiles and seems unfazed. Piper is stabbed in the back by a shrieking wolf, and skewered again by another. The Baron brings its giant club down on Piper's skull with a large crack, and Piper drops to the ground, unmoving. Lissie tries to give Piper an experimental potion, but this only makes his body spasm with uncontrollably quick movements. Thomas jumps in and slashes at the Baron, revealing the shrieking wolf like features under the Baron's torn shirt, his skin seemingly thick like a hide, before retreating.

Rhea runs over to Piper and feeds him a goodberry, shielding him from further attacks. The Baron brings his club down on Rhea, missing with his first swing, but connected with the second, knocking the wind out of her and sending her sprawling. Caelestus Nishant leaps across the parapet to another shrieking wolf where he kills it with several quick strikes. Piper returns to consciousness and goes into a fit of rage, striking the Baron, but again, it appears to hinder the Baron little. The remaining shrieking wolf stabs Piper in the back, yet again, and Piper drops to the ground, dying. Thomas bolts in and delivers two quick strikes to the Baron, this time opting not to disengage. The Baron grabs Thomas, tearing his shirt and delivers a gruesome headbutt. Thomas falls to the stone floor and cracks his head again, and he lay there unconscious. Lissie runs over to Piper where she stabilizes him. She starts crawling over to Thomas and is stabbed by the remaining shrieking wolf. Rhea and the Baron trade blows as Cael tries to deal with the remaining shrieking wolf. Lissie makes it over to Thomas, but has nothing to heal him with. Thomas's eyes flutter open, he reaches up and tells her "it's not her fault" before his eyes close shut again. Rhea throws Lissie a goodberry, which she misses, and it rolls back into the large room preceding the parapet. Meanwhile Lissie's flying vat contraption, Stewie has also been harrying the Baron with toxic sprays of liquid and the Baron is beginning to look more and more wild. As the Baron is about to smash Rhea again, Piper rises as if from the dead - axe in hand over his head. He bellows out something incomprehensible and brings the axe down on the soft spot of the Baron's skull, sever it from his body. He cries a chant of victory, and is immediately stabbed in the back by the remaining shrieking wolf, afterwhich it turns and tries to run. Cael chases the wolf down and finally puts an end to the fight. Lissie stabilizes Thomas, and the threat appeared to be over.

Soon after, the party is approached by a man with long hair and a face that appears to be both youthful from one angle, yet ancient from another. The man is revealed to by Styrmir, he is both appreciative and respectful of the party. He intends that he means them no harm as he too is a member of The Seekers. The party is hesitant, but Styrmir shows no aggression towards them and answers many of their questions. He portrays this interaction with the Baron as an experiment. He had given the Baron an ancient artifact that allows the bearer to be able to communicate with god-like beings, beings beyond The Ayornas. He says this orb is one of many, and that these beings will be able to share secrets that the Ayornas keep to themselves and may have knowledge and power beyond the Ayornas themselves. Stymir says they may have the plunder of the castle and all that is contained within it, as well as safe passage, free from further hinderance from the Baron. He asks that he only wants what is his returned to him, indicating the orb.

Lissie digs the orb out of Baron's pocket, and it continues to let out a steady red stream of smoke. She looks at it, contemplating her next action. Before she has a chance to speak, Cael grabs the orb and attempts to run. Stymir grins and casts a spell over the party, forcing them to obey his will. Cael, stops in the tracks and is forced to hand over the orb. Stymir, handles the orb and manipulates it somehow so as the red smoke no longer flows from its core. While doing so he explains that some of the beings require emotions or actions in order to be able to communicate. When speaking with Yeenoghu, to draw its attention you must have an act of savagry to make the connection and to send his envoys.

The conversation is broken up by the unknown woman and Reital entering the rooftop. The woman, dressed in red confidently talks about her patrons being very impressed and that one of her envoys will be sent in regards to what they can offer. Reital looks very nervous about losing out on some sort of deal and nearly begs Styrmir to hear him out before accepting any offer from the woman. Reital leaves shortly after.

Before Stymir leaves, Piper asks about his father Dotterel Aves. Stymir tells the party that he does know Dotterel and that the Aves patriarch found something that has given him eternal life. Stymir mentions that Dotterel had a long line of queens begging to be his wife. Rhea flips Styrmir the coin she found in her father's chest, The Flamme Imperitrix. Stymir recognizes that coin and mentions that it can tell them where Dotterel can be found, in the flames. Styrmir tells the party that he would love to stay and reminisce, but he is to return to Dyssia. He thanks them for returning the orb and takes his leave.

Upon Stymir's departure Rhea berates Cael for his actions, and the two get into a heated argument. Cael believing what he did could save lives, but Rhea believing, the more importantly that it recklessly endangered their own. The greater good versus individualism arguement becomes so heated that Rhea and Cael begin to attack each other verbally until Rhea punches Cael. Oddly, this does not de-escalate the situation. Piper intervenes, but only to tell Cael that if he continues to insult his sister, Cael will be extremely sorry. Thomas tries to change the topic, but no one listens. Cael tries to leave, but Piper stops him, telling Cael, that he isn't going anywhere. Thomas begs Piper to let Cael go, Rhea nods her head, and Piper lets Cael go.

Thomas limps along to the last room they hadn't searched, looking for a new shirt to replace his torn one. He finds the Baron's quarters where he happens to located 2 healing potions, 110 gold pieces, some excellent gloves made for riding, and sadly several shirts that are way too big. Lissie rushes into the room, fretting over Thomas, who is still not in a very healthy condition. She mends his tattered shirt, which seems to calm his mania. While in the Baron's room Thomas opens a drawer and a gust of smoke is expelled and pools on the ceiling of the room like a puddle. Thomas flinches backward, calling for Lissie. Lissie approaches the fumes without hesitation. She is not familiar with the potion, but she finds a stopper in the drawer and stoppers the bottle. The puddle on the ceiling slowly dissipates.

On the parapet, Rhea discovers that Baron's bow, the Longbow of Fenfall laying near his body. Rhea searched Helvast for anything else of importance and found a large signet ring which she gives to Thomas.

Thomas and Piper return to the library area and find that the peculiar shrieking wolf is still in the room, with the door barred and shut. Piper is determined to kill the wolf, for pay back for all the stabbings he took earlier in the day. Thomas would like to see what this wolf is up to. Thomas talks the shrieking wolf, who's name is Ekk, into opening the door and letting them in. Ekk appears to have been reading a children's book. He claimed that Styrmir was his friends, but now that Styrmir had left, he didn't know how to get home. Ekk claims to have traveled to this world through the pit, and that the orb is the key. Thomas convinces Ekk that he can get Ekk home, but Ekk will need to come with them. Thomas finds a large cloak formerinly belonging to the Baron and gives it to Ekk to keep himself hidden. The entire time Piper is frightening Ekk, while Thomas is trying to reassure Ekk. Ekk agrees to accompany the party and will not cause any trouble for fear of retribution from Piper.

Meanwhile, Lissie and Rhea have a warm conversation regarding the group, and bond over the idiocy of men in general. The party checks on Esmerelda, but she is gone! Rhea returns to the dungeon where she speaks some Rhys about him not being such an a-hole. The party rests the evening in Waddlestork. As they are about to leave the next morning to meet with Catherine Lynn and return to Salt Landing, Thomas tells the group that he has business yet in Waddlestork and that he will catch up with them.