AWR Session 4

-4 is green today. Fuck.

-Having a spirited discussion about the contract for the Dunes to hold the tiara over breakfast, when a guard with an eye-patch comes in with a tray and a note from Alenora

-Alenora apologizes she wasn't able go give us what we asked for, but gave us each a sending stone, rations, water, and gold

-Everyone shares everything they found hunting Asoka the night before\*

-Decide to go shopping for supplies. Mei takes them to a magic shop with a Grung shopkeeper: "Frog Dobby". He really wants our thumbs

-Lucian buys a potion "Elixer of Life," but doesn't know if it's real, says he'll ask Valie later.

-Go to an Armorer. Lovesick human man whining to party about wife who left him 10 years ago. Lorelei, was a minotaur.

-Mei and Callus leave the store with much eye rolling

-Lucian very legally purchases a shield for gold and a hug

-Valie suggests he get away from this and go to Rotund to find a wife, but leave the key to the store with her. Man proposes to her. While this is going on Four goes snooping, finds a key, tries it on a locked sword case.

-Alarms start going off, shopkeeper grabs a MOTHER FUCKING GUN and starts waving it at everyone telling them to get out.

-Mei sees the gun, goes apeshit and flies inside to kick everyone out and leave her alone with the shopkeeper, who she starts interrogating. He got the gun from his granddaughter. Mei insists he isn't supposed to have it and to give her a name. He's Zoya's grandfather. Surprise! His name is Horus, but goes by Homie. Mei sends Valie back in but no more business is done. Mei warns the party not to fuck with this guy, ever.

-Lucian tells us his god gave him the boon of disguise self

-Everyone goes to Cloaked Rabbit, scarred tiefling tending bar, offers them thick briny drink called Smoke. Everyone switches to regular ale. Valie asks if she has anything from Rotund, but she goes into a diatribe about how they don't do business with people who steal children to make super soldiers

-Mei tells guard they need to see the Fox, calls the group down.

-Find out Lucian can't part with his sword. HMMMM. Wraps it into his scabbard. Mei tips Rosa an emerald.

-Fancy Orc, Zoya, and Augusta are there. Reluctant to give name of the book which is redacted from the contract, will tell the party as long as they swear not to say it. Party agrees, suggest they put it in the contract but they don't want to insinuate we even know the name.

-Book is The Book of Vile Darkness, brown book with necromantic arcane writing on it and often bound in chains. The book can talk and offer power. They are giving Mei a container to hold it in to try to dampen the effect. It is recommended they don't sleep with the bag and that the bag changes hands often to avoid it taking over brainz.

-Lucian might know who knows about this book. HMMMMMMMM.

-Augusta and Zoya take group to a side room to go over false papers and our story. Decide we are mercenaries going to Everstone to help with the reconstruction effort.

-Everyone goes with their real names for the paperwork and signs the contract\*\*\*

-Except Lucian who changes his name for the false documents to the very French-sounding David Baker

-Four gets a serial number and a receipt that he is a Mech Ranger Unit belonging to David Baker. Serial number is MGU1179-036

-We need to have our facts about the war straight, like it was 35 years ago, don't bring up Trueflower family, stay neutral on politics in the region, because if they don't like our answers they're going to make us write up papers on our whole lives to try to catch us in a lie

-Airship will leave from Yo'Stead, should not be stopped in the stockade, but just in case can say we're meeting Zophia Nearis, owns apothecary in Everstone and is housing us until we can find jobs with the reconstruction effort. Ship will be stopping in Quill, Essendale, and Jade Empire before going on to Everstone.

-Party decides to get off at Essendale rather than risk Jade Empire Shit.

-Lucian says he's leaving to see a woman he's spending his nights with who has been "very helpful." HMMMM.

-Four goes into the city to "take care of something", promises he is not going to mess with the shopkeeper from earlier

-Valie goes to be with Alenora, Mollie is sleeping \*\*\* ?

-Callus says he wants to apologize and revisit a conversation they had privately before. Mei gets a drink and takes him to her room. Says that Mei had proposed trading help for each other, and that he doesn't think he can be helped but that he wants to help Mei.

-Says that he is part of the Order of the Sentinels and that they are a roving band of knights who help people. Mei points out he turned a guy to stone on purpose. Callus said that was helping the party. Mei thinks this is very subjective-sounding for something called an "order"

-Mei says she doesn't understand Callus and so doesn't think she can disclose more to him than she already has. Offers to let her ask him what she needs to, so she goes ham asking about his body problems. Has an "affliction" that he's had his whole life. Wasn't always this bad, seemed to get worse 35 years ago HMMMMMM whole town in the Jade Empire was destroyed because of this disease, thinks he is the only survivor. Is not immortal, but thinks only a god can fix him

-Also finds out he follows the Traveller as part of the order, which Mei thinks is very confusing for a knight who is part of an order and also wants to help people.

-Mei tells Callus she's been looking for an object to get her out of her current predicament. She's been in this body for six years. Won't say where she's from.

-The two of them get a reasonable amount of drunk.

-Four goes to talk to RoboDaddyGod and finds out he doesn't want to talk because he's disappointed. Four apologizes, and a purple flower grows in the temple

-LUCIAN BIG REVEAL

-Lucian gets a bottle of wine and goes to Lena's house. She's an older elven woman with a house full of neat stuff. Invites him in for soup. Lots of pictures of "Aristotle" on the mantle.

-Asks how his commune was, Lucien says it worked and that he's free of doubt

"Are you comforted or scared of death?"

"I'm not going to die."

-Lena warns of hubris, tells a story that "I am equal to a god, I will not die" was someone's last words (I forget who)

"Which god do you hope will be waiting for you when you die?"

"One will be waiting for me, as she always has been." HMMMMMM

-Lucian asks if she looked into what he asked about, it was about the crown. There are 13 items, including the crown and LUCIAN'S MOTHER FUCKING SWORD IT'S THE SWORD FROM THE BOOK IT'S GOT A RUBY AND TWO LADIES ON IT IT'S WHY HE'S ALWAYS GOT IT WRAPPED IN CLOTH IT'S THE MOTHER FUCKING SWORD

-Lena knows the name of the book the Dunes want. Warns it's very dangerous and to stay away from being tempted by it

-BIG REVEAL ON LENA is a person from the Trueflower regime, says the Iron Council killed her husband. Hasn't seen her two sons since they were "brought here"

-Lena suggests he find out how to destroy the book.

-Has all this stuff out because she has been going down memory lane since they found "his" pendant in the book with the crown and the sword. WHO WAS SHE MARRIED TO. WHAT IS HIS PENDANT.