Arc IX: The Snowstorm and The Songbird

## Arc IX Characters:

* Wendrid Hatebad [He/Him] (Played by Reagan - He/Him) - A Dwarf Path of the Storm Herald Barbarian. As a child, Wendrid managed to wander into the snowstorm that surrounds the city of Glycaria. In any normal circumstance this would have killed him after just a few minutes, but he managed to survive for hours by accessing his inner rage. Ever since, he was able to summon a personal snowstorm around himself when he got angry. He now acts as an enforcer for the Hatebad clan and is chosen to the muscle of the crew to steal The Ember Gem
* Robin Lovejoy [She/Her] (played by Evan - He/Him) - A High Elf Mastermind Rogue. The 15th child of Gem and Jack Lovejoy, Robin has always been a little bit of a rebel, even more so after the events of Arc V when Archer returned to the manor and then promised to get Gem arrested and nothing ever came of it. She took up thief work after her years of practice sneaking around Lovejoy manor at night and quickly learned she had a real knack for it. She is hired on for the job on recommendation from Wendrid who saw her skills in passing once, and is quickly recruited to be the brains of the operation.

## Arc IX Synopsis:

### Session 1: The Celebration

In a warehouse on the outskirts of the city of Gycaria, Wendrid Hatebad meets with his cousins Burdall and Barrik Hatebad. 10 years ago, Burdall and Barrik attempted to break in to Lovejoy manor to steal back The Ember Gem, which they believed came from the mines of Glycaria that the Hatebad family owned for decades before suddenly the Lovejoy’s came in and claimed the mines for themselves. They were stopped by The Mountainbreakers when they stole their map of the manor in order to use their teleportation circle to complete their quest.

Now, they are trying once again, but using their cousin Wendrid as the muscle of the operation, and having a new mastermind on recommendation from Wendrid. Robin Lovejoy enters the room after descending from the rooftops. Burdall and Barrik begin to berate their cousin for even thinking about working with a Lovejoy, but she stops them, saying that she hates her family just as much, if not more than the Hatebad’s do. She goes through a plan with them of getting her mothers diadem from her head during The Lovejoy Decennial Celebration of Love and Joy, going to the secret Lovejoy summer mansion, getting the gem, and giving it to them.

They have three days to prepare, needing a way for Wendrid to get in, a way to get his equipment in, and to create a fake diadem to swap out for the real one. Wendrid spends his first day with his family forging a replacement diadem, being able to create a near perfect replica. The next two days for him are spent gathering a disguise as a young schoolboy in Robins class. Robins three days are much busier, having to talk to her older sister Penny and tell her that she wants to let her crush in to the celebration. She isn’t excited, but allows Robin to do this, wanting to please her younger sister and make her happy. She also talks to Hunter in order to create herself a grappling hook for herself and a weapon summoner for Wendrid to use on his hammer, giving Hunter the promise of covering for him when he wants to sneak off with his girlfriend later on. She is also able to sneak in Wendrids equipment into her room within the manor.

The night of the party arrives and everything begins without a hitch, moving into the dining room for dinner, where Gem gives a speech , congratulating Penny for throwing such an amazing party, especially for her first time. Robin even says a few words congratulating her sister and mother. As they move upstairs, Gem talks about all of her childrens accomplishments, completely ignoring her 6th child Archer completely. When she gets to Robin, Gem talks about her fake dreams of becoming a teacher within Glycaria to inspire the youth of tomorrow. Robin cringes at this notion, knowing that is all what Gem wants, not her, and steels her to continue what she is doing. She hugs her mother and expertly swaps the diadem on her head with the fake one that Wendrid had created.

As the adults move downstairs to talk, Robin and Wendrid move to the roof and step into the teleportation circle and find themselves in a courtyard garden, with two large statues and a squad of Modrones. One of the drones flies over to Robin and scans her, chirping out a monotonous “NOT GEM LOVEJOY” and sounding an alarm and summoning two more squads of drones and animated the statues that attack them. The two defeat these enemies in their own unique way, with Robin darting in and out of cover, and Wendrid literally storming through the squads of drones and statues. In the end they are left with scraps and pieces of stone and metal, one of which lands on one of 16 pedestals surrounding a large Lovejoy family crest and sends a tone across the courtyard.

The two are confused for a moment but Robin quickly realizes that Gem has 16 kids and there are 16 pedestals, and places a pieces of rubble or scrap on each of the pedestals, each one making a tone, and when all 16 are activated, the statue of Gem in the back also sounds a tone to match and the Lovejoy crest turns into a large stone staircase leading into the true Summer mansion.

### Session 2: The Summer Mansion

Faced with the ominous descending staircase, Robin leads the charge down the stairs. At the bottom of the stairs, she notices that the final landing of the staircase is ever so slightly raised and the two are able to put together that it is most likely a trap and both step over it.

The two find themselves in a long hallway with 16 doors, with odd numbers on the left, and even numbers on the right. They enter into room 15 room first, which is decorated in the most stereotypical “teenage girl who doesn’t fit in” way possible. Robin realizes this room is meant for her and almost cries realizing how little her mother truly knows her.

They move on to door number 6, which has a large gash in the wood across the number. Inside they find an archery range lined with different bows and magical arrows lining one wall and a small bedroom area on the other side.

Next they enter door number 1, where they find books on Runic Magic as well as Giant culture and history documents, but are unable to read most of it as it is written in Giant.

When they reach the end of the hallway they find a large dining room with 18 chairs, and a large door with a G&J carved into the door. When they enter they find it is an exact replica of Gem’s room in Lovejoy manor, with the addition of a large family portrait that for some reason doesn’t have Penny, Archer or Robin in it, despite their being spaces presumably for all of them. After questioning what this could mean, they explore the other rooms in the hallway, each one being seemingly tailored to one of the Lovejoy children.

1. Penny’s room: Described above
2. Richard’s Room: A club with endless music and light shows, as well as an enchanted photo album that shows you who you love and care about. (Robin takes this with her)
3. Melody’s Room: Every instrument you can think of, and some you can’t as well as blank sheet music
4. Art’s Room: Painting supplies and art supplies of almost every kind
5. Paige’s Room: A vast library as well as a desk and endless supply of paper for her to write her own stories
6. Archer’s Room: Described above
7. Miles’ Room: A horse track as well as a kennel to keep raising and racing horses
8. Chase’s Room: Shared with Miles
9. Clay’s Room: Endless pottery supplies and a giant kiln
10. Mason’s Room: The drawings of teh worlds best architects and his own supplies to keep designing his own
11. Rose’s Room: A greenhouse with any type of flower seed you can imagine
12. Hunter’s Room: A shooting range with clay Owlbears as well as a wall of guns and a workshop to tinker with them (Robin takes a gun with her)
13. Tanner’s Room: Books about stocks and investing
14. Reid’s Room: Studies and books on law and politics
15. Robin’s Room: Described above
16. Hope’s Room: Scripture and a full temple to Pelor

After visiting each room and returning to Jack and Gems room, they find that all of the Lovejoy children are missing from the painting, and as they enter the room, Jack and Gem also disappear along with the middle of the painting itself, leading to a large metal door. The two work together to lift the door and find themselves in a vault full of treasures and trinkets owned by the Lovejoy family, with The Ember Gem in a box on the third shelf at the other end of the room. The only thing between them and the gem is a wall of Prismatic Lasers. Robin goes ahead and expertly sneaks between the lasers and reaches the top shelf. Feeling extra confident she undoes the first two locks on the Ember Gems case and then goes for the third without realizing the case is open. As soon as the third lock is unlocked, the alarm starts to blare and more drones appear. Wendrid and Robin once again take care of the drones in the room quickly and expertly before Robin takes the Gem, hearing a voice from within It calling her to free it.

They once again lift the door and make their way out of the summer mansion and back into the courtyard, where they are confronted by Penny standing at the gate to the Teleportation Circle. She asks what Robin thinks she’s doing. Working with a Hatebad, stealing from her family, lying to her older sister. Penny is able to piece together what really happened, and when taunted by Wendrid, blasts him with a powerful Ice spell that freezes his legs to the ground, rendering him immmobile. Wendrid is haded the Ember Gem, also hearing someone asking to be freed while Robi and Penny talk.

Penny eggs Robin to listen to her, that she can get out of this. If the two of them work together and kill Wendrid, she will cover for Robin and say she was manipulated into helping them and that she isn’t at fault. Robin tries to find another solution, but Penny knows their mother won’t go for anything else and that the Ember Gem can’t fall to Hatebad hands because it would take away much of the Lovejoys power and control. Robin stands unsure of who to chooose, but eventually makes her choice as she pulls out her newly acquired gun and shoots penny in the stomach as Wendrid is freed from the ice binding him. He rushes forward and pins Penny to the ground using his hammer while Robin uses her daggers to pin Pennys hands to the ground, stopping her from casting any spells as they run away. Wendrid gives Robin the gem once again as he carries her across teh rooftops of Glycaria. Robin fades into what she thinks may be a sleep, but finds herself in a room with transparent red walls where she can see her own body being carried by Wendrid.

Inside this room with her is a red skinned man with slicked back firey hair. He introduces himself as Ambrosius, and Robin recognizes him as an Efreeti, or Fire Genie. He wants to be set free and asks Robin if she wants a do over of what went down in the summer mansion. She thinks on it, and decides that she shouldn’t rewind this, and should keep herself accountable for her choices. She instead asks to speak to her sister one last time. Ambrosious agrees, but needs to be let free first, sending her back to her own body.

Robin awakens as they take a break to recoorperate and rest for a second. She stands and picks up the gem, giving a look to Wendrid before dropping it off of teh rooftops, thus setting the Genie free. He thanks her and grants her wish, promising gWendrid a wish if he’d like one, since he was present for his release. Robins last conversation with Penny is short and simple, as Penny holds no resentment and both sisters wish it hadn’t gone that way. Pennny knows that this conversation means that Ambrosious is free and gives her sister a final “I love you” before Robin is returned to the moment she was in just before the conversation. Wendrid also makes his own wish, that all Lovejoy owned mines would go to The Hatebad clan. Ambrosious smiles, knowing what this must mean, and grants it happily before flying off to finally be fee for the first time in centuries.

The two then part ways after a short conversation, with Robin deciding to find her other siblings that had left the manor, like Archer and Hope. Wendrid simply returns home and tells their story, of getting the gem, to shattering it, to getting The Hatebad family back their mines that they lost so many years ago. There is much revelry held by The Hatebad family that night, and sorrow shared by The Lovejoys.

### Epilouge:

Gem Lovejoy stands over her oldest daughter being treated by Clerics for her wounds. She will live, but those knife marks will leave scars on her hands forever, Permanently altering her spell casting. Gem soon gets a visitor, asking for her to come outside with him. She looks grim as she leaves and takes Robins dagger with her outside to an alleyway. Once there, the man asks if she’s really lost the Ember Gem. She nods, and the man tells her that she knows what happens next. She nods as tears stream down her face and she hands the dagger to the man, who stands her in the stomach before twisting it and pulling it out. Gem Lovejoy falls to the ground, bleeding out, and the last words she hears are “Hail Dispater” as the Demond possessing the man exits and returns to Hell. Gem Lovejoy is dead, seemingly by her own daughters hand as the knife was left on the ground covered in her blood.

Having heard this news even while halfway across the sea, Robin is hiding out on a boat headed to Hyranor and enters her own cabin, where she finds a small letter written in red ink that says “if you ever want to learn about what else I can do for you, just let me know -A”

At the botttom of the letter there is an instruction telling her to burn the page to get in contact. She pus the letter into the nearby lantern, and Ambrosious appears again, giving her a smile and says “So kid, you ever heard of a Patron?”

## Arc IX Trivia:

* The theme of this Arc is Family, and choosing between your blood relatives and the family you create for yourself
* This is the first Arc to have an epilogue included, and the tradition has been on tinted in every Arc played since
* Arc IX and Arc V were being played at the same time due to scheduling conflicts over the summer and they were both finished once the semester had started up again