Session 33: Birdman is Sus

Vojta, Vica, and Joe wake up to find Arran and Grombrin already drinking in the tavern. Arran is all bloody. They explain that they went looking for ore in the nearby mine and fought a bizarre monster. Arran also explains that he received a message from the Ashen Archives, saying that a second person by the name of Lokreth showed up. He answers telling them to take both Lokreths into custody for now, and to ask them both his secret question. He also shows a letter he received from the mysterious O, telling them to hurry up and not linger in Namos. Grombrin also passes Vica a letter from Suvulaan. It’s a message telling her to reach out again because Suvulaan doesn’t want to lose her as a friend, which makes Vica sad.

Vica goes off and comes back after a while with Suvulaan. They explain that Suvulaan doesn’t work for the Last Light Gang and is more trustworthy than they gave her credit for. The group questions whether she has sold any information about them. She says no, but Joe can tell that she’s lying. She says she only did so once, to the dragonborn, not to the Last Light specifically. They get Suvulaan to agree not to sell information about them anymore, convincing her that their mission is important, though they still withhold the details. Before departing, Suvulaan says she’ll be in Um’akuh for a while, and to hit her up when they go there.

The group gets the barrel and takes the boat to the celestial ruins, where Arran shows the bones to the guardian. The guardian approves, and they bury the bones. They then seek out a large tree nearby, where Vojta uses his magic to teleport them back to San’edhe. At the Ashen Archive, Tados tells them that both Lokreths are in containment, inside an anti-magic field. Apparently they both answered Arran’s secret question correctly. The group finds them locked in adjacent cells, unable to see each other, ranting about how pissed they are at being imprisoned.

Arran explains to them that there are two of them. He asks on paper what their favourite location in the archives is. They give different answers, but they both seem reasonable given what Arran knows. Arran asks another question about the time they met at Ceneza. They give different answers, one of which is more accurate. Arran then asks about the third time Lokreth met Joe, knowing that this is only the second time they’ve met. They both catch on that it’s a trick question, but one gives a more specific answer.

Joe approaches one of the Lokreths and asks him when he left towards the Ashen Archives. He says a week to week-and-a-half, when Saleekh told him to get out. He explains that he travelled through Pha’uel’s plane to escape Glyckheart, and thus he’s not sure how many days passed. He goes to the other Lokreth and asks the same thing. He says four or five days. This one doesn’t confide in Joe about why he left San’edhe or why he can’t tell time exactly. Joe expects that the second one is real, because the true Lokreth wouldn’t give this information so freely.

Once in private, Joe suggests that the other Lokreth is a changeling, since their transformation holds up in an anti-magic field. Arran seeks out a book about changelings in the archive. They find out that the Moonbeam spell can turn a changeling back into its original form. Vojta can prepare this spell overnight. Arran writes new messages to both Lokreths, saying that they think it’s him, but that they need some more to be sure.

In the meanwhile, Joe suggests that they still need to seek out the Investor. If nothing else, they can make use of his mercenaries to hunt down the aboleth, so that Namos can be a more reliable ally. The group approaches the huge gate of the Investor’s golden spire, causing a talking skull to appear and greet them. Joe explains that they are looking for the Investor’s services. He shows the signet of a fake merchant prince who he claims to work for. The skull gets everyone to introduce themselves. It gives Joe sass for not having a last name, then registers him as “Traitor Joe”.

They are let inside, where they meet a mechanical man in jewelled clothing. He tells them to step into some glass capsules. When they do, they get doused in blue gas that reads their surface thoughts. The man then lets Joe, Arran, and Vojta through. Grombrin and Vica have to stay behind, because the Investor only does business with full-blooded humanoids. He gives Grombrin and Vica a voucher for a free beer though.

The three of them enter a room covered in mirrors. The Investor is there sitting on his throne. He doesn’t show his true appearance, but magically disguises as various people familiar to them. Joe explains the issue of the dragonborn expansion, and requests his allegiance. The Investor claims to already have arrangements with Ornokarth. Joe says those will not hold given what’s going on in the City of the Glacial Stream. The Investor mocks him for not making a very convincing case. Joe shifts topics and asks him what it would cost to deal with the aboleth in Namos. After discussing the specifics of what that would take, the Investor names 60.000 gold. Joe says they can’t pay that for now, but that they may return later. When they depart, the Investor asks if Arran will stay a bit longer, and Arran agrees.

Joe and Vojta return to the others, who are in the Blooming Onion tavern. Joe tells them that the Investor was a waste of time. Shortly after, Arran arrives as well. He says the Investor had some questions about Kadoma. Arran then goes out to sell some items he got from the Namos mine, and buy some copper for his smithing project with Grombrin. The group heads back to the Ashen Archives and spends the night there.