Session 13

## Synopsis

The party puts a new plan in motion with the arrival of a new friend.

## Plot

Lyanna begins to give Christine and Cedric her plan of action. She was sent here by the Aureate Citadel to investigate claims of oppression and starvation enacted by King Elre and his advisers against his people. She wishes to gain audience with the king and air her concerns, as he would be a fool to dismiss an envoy from the Citadel. While she is there meeting with the king, Christine and Cedric could accompany her, putting in a kind word for their friends in an attempt to gain their freedom. Christine is not so sure that they can trust this person who seems to want to help them out of nowhere, but Cedric is fully on board with this plan; Lyanna is confident and would have no apparent reason for betraying them. They decide to take her up on her offer, seeing as how they don't have anything to lose.

Now, Lyanna states that because there are so many that seek to gain an audience with the king during his visitation hours, they would need to manipulate things so that they could get to the front of the line. They could possibly just get there bright and early, but that does not assure them a place at the front of the line. So, if they set out now in the middle of the night, they could probably get in. And if they infiltrated the castle, they could definitely get in ahead of everyone else. For some strange reason, everyone just goes along with this plan (perhaps because they were so desperate to get their friends back), and the group sets off immediately, Cedric leaving behind his armor to be as stealthy as possible. Lyanna also grabs a gray cloak to cover her bright white armor.

They stroll up to the castle, these three badasses, and begin to plan how to infiltrate it most effectively. Christine, of course, turns into a bird and flies around to scout out the area. She reports back to the other two, telling them that other than a couple of guards patrolling the walls, there doesn't appear to be much activity in the courtyard. Lyanna asks Christine where the guards patrolling were, and she points them out. Lyanna then appears to be counting silently in her head, and then suddenly dashes forward, using her spear as a pole vault over the castle's moat. She then clings perfectly to the stone outcroppings of the castle wall, and then climbs to the top deftly. In just a few moments, a rope slides down, and she beckons for Cedric to follow her. He also leaps over the moat, though not as gracefully, and soon joins Lyanna at the top of the wall. Christine turns into a bird and flies over. The three sneak in quickly, with some close calls, though they eventually reach the main door to the castle and are pleasantly surprised to find it open. They stroll through the halls, eventually finding themselves at the waiting room.

As they wait for several hours, people eventually start streaming in, surprised to find the three sitting there waiting already. The three don't speak much in the passing time, flushed with their victory in actually getting in here successfully. Eventually, sunshine flows through the windows, and the doors swing wide open with a command for the first individual or group to step forward. The three step forward into the throne room.

To their right and left are stands filled with lords and ladies, most dressed in formal attire. Guardsmen are everywhere. At the end of the hall sits King Elre himself, slumped over in his chair. He doesn't look too good, with his once blonde hair appearing gray, and a pallid complexion stretched over his tight face. He appears to be in a state of extreme stress, with sweat already appearing at his brow and a nervous twinge going off with his hands. He eyes the three with a mixture of exhaustion and suspicion.

The three bow (with Cedric only doing so after being reminded by his companions), and Elre asks them what they want. Lyanna casts off her cloak, revealing herself to be a member of the Aureate Citadel. Maintaining an almost cocky air, Lyanna demands for the king to answer claims that he has been cracking down on his people, and deliberately starving them. The king does not respond to this well, answering with extreme cynicism that he currently has a rebellion going on right now, and that it probably is not a good idea to feed his enemies. The court laughs at this, and Lyanna turns bright red in the face. She makes the same demand, as Cedric and Christine exchange a worried look. With this, Elre starts to get annoyed. He leans forward in his chair, stating that if Lyanna has any ideas of how to end the conflict more quickly, he would be glad to allow her into his private meetings. Otherwise, she will stay out. Lyanna turns even more red in the face, stating that it would be breaking international law to refuse an investigation by an agent of the Citadel. The king's face darkens, but before anything else can happen, the court begins to stir with the arrival of a particularly unsavory individual: Gramaes Flatfinger.

Flatfinger is the leader of a mercenary company hired by the king to help put down the rebellion. Currently, in an attempt to get his men and himself paid even more, he resolved to camp himself in the court and make a real ass of himself. The entire court despises this man for his rude behavior, though they mostly keep silent. The king's cousin, Lord Ventigal (who is the person most in support of continuing the war with the drow), immediately berates Flatfinger for being so late to the proceedings. Flatfinger just burps, drinks some alcohol, and then spits out such a fast, curse-ridden speech it would make Eminem blush. The king, already a bit peeved thanks to Lyanna, has an even darker expression on his face now. Ventigal immediately calls for Flatfinger to be thrown from the room, but Elre tells him to stand down, recognizing that he needed Flatfinger's veteran mercenaries to end the guerrilla conflict. Flatfinger looks over at the three, squints, and then he turns around and moons everyone. With that, complete and utter chaos breaks out. Flatfinger laughs madly, the court just freaks out, and the king announces that the proceedings for the day are finished, storming out of the room in a cold fury.

Defeated, the three then skulk out of the keep. Christine announces that she'll meet up with the other two back at the inn, and Lyanna and Cedric head back alone. They arrive back at the inn to an empty room, and when calling Gantar, he doesn't answer. They arrive down at the cellar, and are surprised to see a group of seven individuals in green robes surrounding him in a chair, tortured and battered. The lead figure, presumed to be Delkona, turns towards them, taunting them and stating that the Green Hand will have its vengeance upon the party. He then walks out, leaving his men to handle the two warriors.

Lyanna claims that she'll take the five on the left, while Cedric is to handle the other on the right. Before Cedric can protest, the combat begins. Cedric engages in a surprisingly intense duel with this individual, a Cambion with a fiery blade. The two exchange blow for blow, skillfully parrying and blocking each other's strikes. Meanwhile, all Cedric hears from Lyanna's fight is the whirling of a spearhaft and the sound of clashing blades and thunking. Cedric eventually emerges victorious in his engagement, throwing the shield at the Cambion in order to distract it. While the Cambion is stumbling backwards, Cedric thrusts forward with his blade and pierces it in the heart, killing it instantly. He whirls around in order to assist Lyanna...

... And he finds her completely in command of the situation. Her spear is a blur of whirling metal, blocking and striking seemingly in the same moments as the other Cambions attempt to take her down. She fluidly dodges and maneuvers her way around her combatants, frustrating their impossible attempts to hit her. Cedric stands in awe for a few moments, and his moment of indecision is just enough for Lyanna to quickly end the combat. She ends four of them in a blur, blood spraying over the ground. In her haste to defeat her last opponent, she swings her spear too wildly and bounces it against the wall, losing her grip of it. Cedric is shaken out of it, and calls out to her, tossing his sword over. Before the final combatant can even react, Lyanna grabs the sword out of the air, and ends him.

The session draws to a close with Lyanna and Cedric attending to Gantarr, carrying up to his room and tending to his wounds.

(October 31st-November 1st)

David's Rating: 8.0