Episode 14

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## Plot Summary

It has been a day since Nitsuj's first murder.  He’s remained in Bubo’s house, contemplating his actions.  The city remains dark and sullen.  It is no longer as friendly as it used to be.  There are memorials for the fallen throughout Copperforge.  The city is also covered in graffiti and defacements; the symbol of the minotaur's horns is everywhere.

Starheart and Ora go to meet Starheart’s family on the Residential level.  She is nervous to meet them.  An elderly gnome woman (Sliversheen) beckons her into the house: also present is an elderly man (Pyrus), a set of twins, and a young man about Starheart’s age.  Ora notices a minotaur symbol on the door.  Starheart shows them the starheart gem and Pyrus immediately locks the door.  Starheart explains what happened to her when she was a baby.  Paris is a second cousin of Iris.  Starheart’s given name is Prehna.

They begin to talk about the political situation in Coppeforge.  The Flintborne’s still love the Queen, but they know she’s afraid and her actions were misguided.  They want to save the disc.  The power struggle between the Queen and Elb Gabber is one of the roots of the crisis.  Starheart has a breakdown because she is scared her family won’t like her.  Pyrus reassures her and tells her that her parents loved each other and her.  They wanted to leave the mountain with Starheart and move to Raufel.  He polishes the starheart for her, revealing a central light that is pointing west.   He also gives Starheart a bracer with her family’s symbol.

Pyrus offers his help to Ora and the rebellion, saying that their family motto is “we are the spark” because their family is the one that first harnessed the power of the seed and built the first disc.  He reveals that there is a high ranking cultist of Kloht in the city, but he does not know who it is.  The Flintbornes know of several secret tunnels that can reach the ridge where the weapons are located and gives Ora a map.  He suggests meeting with Elder Cabe Erta, who is an old friend.  He thinks that Ora is too much of a roamer to be the best ruler of Copperforge, but she makes a fine champion.

As they make ready to leave, Starheart gives Pyrus a hug.  Klack, the young gnome, declares he is coming with them and will help them hunt.  Nitsuj, having cast locate object on the starheart, arrives as Ora and Starheart are leaving.  Feeling guilty, he nervously confides in them what happened: meeting Kelrek, taking the deal, and murdering the guard.  Ora understands that power can be seductive and manipulative and can be good if kept in check.  Nitsuj shows her the blade and she knows that it is infernal and connected to another consciousness.  Ore tells him to be careful.

Starheart leaves to find the home of the murdered gnome.  She finds his body as Nitsuj left it.  There is a knock on the door.  Looking through the peephole, Starheart sees a guard.  She opens the door and lies to the guard that Cam (the murdered guard) has gone to the Forge to fix his weapon.  The guard thinks she is a prostitute and propositions her.  She goes with that story, claiming to be Olga FizSparkleplug, and he leaves, telling her to let Cam know that he’s late for work.  Starheart goes back to the body and says a prayer.

Hearing another knock at the door, Starheart covers the body with a rug.  The guard is back and he has brought Tracy and Hera (character drop x2) with him, two scantily clad gnomes.  They work with the Union of Companions that they’ve never heard of an Olga.  They are upset that someone is illegally moving in on their territory.  They push their way into the house.  Starheart tries to stop them and Tracy slashes at her with her copper nails.  Starheart calls out for Nitsuj and stabs Tracy.

Hera and the guard leave, but a gnomish man in sloppy purple wizard (character drop) robes arrives, here to defend independent contractors.  One of Elb Gabber’s men (character drop), wearing Sylence’s old hat, and another pimp (character drop) join the hubbub as Ora and Nitsuj arrive.  El Picklo (character drop), orc monster hunter, also arrives.  Primrose Prudefoot (character drop), local paladin, arrives to deal with the moral degradation of the community.  Ora charges in and almost runs into a gelatinous cube (monster drop)  summoned by the first pimp.  Escort-Bot-Gamma (character drop), a warforged escort collaboration between the engineers and the companions, also arrives.  Nitsuj’s shoes reveal themselves to be a mimic named Gavin (character drop) and drags him toward the battle.

Tracy gets sucked into the gelatinous cube and impaled by the sex-bot.  A pimp fight ensues.  Nitsuj’s sword produces a shadow wraith (monster drop) that attacks everyone.  Another orc from Kurluk’s tribe (monster drop) appears to fight El Picklo.  A friendly beholder known as the One-Eyed-Snake (character drop) arrives to help the party.  Starheart is also enveloped by the gelatinous cube, but is able to break free.  Everyone turns their attention to the wraith, who kills Prudefoot.  Vor the gnome assassin (character drop) takes aim with his fireball at his target: Ora.  El Picklo is killed by the fireball.

Nitsuj is able to shock his shoes to death.  The beholder is enveloped by the cube, having some of his very sensitive stalks ripped off, but breaks free.  Both pimps are killed.  Nitsuj goes to stab Elb Gabber’s man with Kelrek’s dagger, but calls on his Orethil fire as well, which causes him and Kelrek terrible pain.  The dagger detaches from him and he drops it.  The wraith goes after Starheart, draining most of her life.  The orc is also enveloped by the cube.  The beholder sacrifices itself to deal damage to the cube and the orc.

Paragon Tinytoes (character drop), another gnome paladin, arrives to help smite evil.  Ora is able to finish off the orc and the cube at the same time.  Nitsuj goes invisible, picks the dagger back up, and stab Elb Gabber’s man to death: the second soul.  Starheart is able to burn the wraith in holy fire while Ora finishes off sex bot.  Exhausted from the battle, the party returns to Bubo’s residence.  As Nitsuj sleeps, Thaul Alhoon (character drop), a servant of Kelrek visits Nitsuj in a dream on his master’s orders.  He gives Nitsuj three days to gather the four other souls, one of which must be “good,” or face the consequences.

## Fun Moments

Because Deva said Starhear was there to “clean the guard's weapon," a second guard thinks she is a prostitute, which triggers three hours of sex jokes, puns, and character drops.

Two people in chat drop hooker characters at exactly the same time

Another character drop is a gnome in purple wizards robes, from the "Gilded Tickle Pickle," who is clearly a pimp.

Danny is forced to keep track of Pimp 1 and Pimp 2 in the initiative list.

Haley says that the “pimp wizard has a spell slot for ED," to which Danny responds that it is his “little blue spell.”

When Justin asks if he can kill one of the hookers to add to his demonic deal, Haley says that "hooker souls don’t count."

A gelatinous cube is rebranded as the "Lube Cube," and a sponsorship from Trojan condoms is sought.

Danny is forced to describe the forms and functions of a sex bot.