Session 13

**Real World Date: 6/5/2021**

**In Game Dates(x): 20th of Lencten, 5151 M.E. - 30th of Lencten, 5151 M.E.**

**Party Level: 4**

## NPCs Met This Adventure

* Soveliss Goldflower - father of Cue and Rylee, died closing a portal to another world
* Atalya Goldflower - mother of Cue and Rylee, died closing a portal to another world
* Mhurren - Half-Orc paladin of Aubade, occasionally works out of temple in Azul
* Carric Briarfell - cleric of Lorkayn, recruits party find the missing high cleric of his temple
* Agaro - head cleric of temple of Lorkayn, has gone missing with the Sinkers Guide to the Multiverse

## Summary

### Time Passing

Over the next several days, they hear rumors about the Sea Dragon pick up again. Now that the port has ships coming and going again, several ships are overdue and people claim the Sea Dragon is responsible, leaving no survivors. However, there is no confirmation this is even real. That day Bashan receives notice of his preliminary hearing on the 25th of Lencten.

Cue sends a message to the monks back in Coppersdale. They inform him a new master is being sent to them, but they still aren't sure if it's to continue the pilgrimage or to have them return home. They are fine still with the room and board he provided, and some of the monks have been doing odd jobs as well. Quintus tinkers with his pistol and is able to create a longer barrel, increasing the range of his pistol.

### Trial and Rumor

On the 25th of Lencten, Bashan heads to trial, with some of the party going there is support. As they are waiting for their turn in the court, Vharkus approaches him and offers a deal. He is fairly certain Bashan isn't who he needs to pursue and is willing to drop the case if Bashan is forthright with him and can confirm his supicions.

Vharkus pretty much gets the jist of what the **Sovereign Brotherhood**  is and their function, though he is troubled by their secretive nature. He suspects it is due to their methods are troublesome, but he will look into that another time. He suspects that Wolvar Frostbeard and his crew got involved with Malasar clerics and became assassins for hire. The assassin who tried to kill the King was one of his crew. Bashan confirms he is on the right track. With that confirmation, Vharkus tells his lawyer to drop the charges. He leaves, mentioning to Bashan that there was an attack on the Riverwall family last night and he needs to follow up on that.

### Revenge and Leverage

Bashan and the party then head to Riverwall Manor to find out what happened. Vharkus is there already, speaking with some guards and notices Bashan enter. The three children are all training with a swordsman as they enter. Bashan asks to speak with Quelenna.

Quelenna meets with Bashan and privately tells him that her family was attacked last night by old allies of her husband. Apparently he is making a deal to give up some co-conspirators to reduce his sentence, and a ship captain found out and planned to kill or kidnap some of his children for leverage. They almost succeeded getting away with Emerson and Amy, but due to the intervention of Vharkus, who lives near the docks, they were saved. Quelenna is planning to up security, train her children to fight, and she is planning to hunt down all of her husband's former conspirators and destroy them before another attack comes for her. She says she will do this herself, but if she needs Bashan's help, she will call on the party (she also casually mentions being cousins with Dhamon Darkstar and a practiced Bladesinger).

### Old Faces and New Places

Several days later, Rylee Sunbrook tells Cue that they can meet with Aust Nailo. When they meet with him, he explains that their mother, Atalya Goldflower, worked for the **Wizlocks** as a scout. She and her husband, Soveliss Goldflower, kept an eye on an inactive portal in the Culdor Forest. One day, they some P.O.R.T.A.L. wizards trying to turn the portal on with a ritual. They sent word, but none of the **Wizlocks** were going to get there in time.

Their parents took it upon themselves to try and stop the ritual. They did, successfully, but interrupting the magic caused an explosion that killed everyone, including them, and collapsed the cave containing the portal. This also inadvertently created an extra incantation on the portal that requires the blood from both of their parents (or from Cue and Rylee) to reverse so they can open the portal like normal. Due to this, their blood will always be needed to open this portal.

### Choices

Aust then offers a choice to them. They can go into hiding, moving away from each other and changing their name, making it almost impossible for the P.O.R.T.A.L. to find them. That would require Rylee to make the most sacrifice, giving up his life here. Or, they can head to the Culdor Forest, remove that blood incantation themselves, and permanently close the portal, which the **Wizlocks** don't have the bandwidth to do themselves, but they can provide supplies and information so they can do it. Rylee needs to think about it, but Aust is only in town for a five more days, so he needs to know before then.

Rylee and Cue part ways, Rylee saying he will contact him when he know what he wants to do. Meanwhile, Quintus attempts to upgrade his pistol again, expanding the chamber to hold more bullets. He is unsuccessful, however, unable to get it right, even after multiple tries. Poem decides to accompany Baka to several of his trips to the temple of Aubade in town. On one of those trips, they are in the temple when a large Half-Orc paladin enters the temple.

### Roles and Responsibilities

His name is Mhurren and he travels the area, but frequently stops into this temple. He has a large polearm which is covered with dried blood, or something else perhaps. He is recognized by the acolyte here and they bring out a custom cleaning solution for him to clean his halberd with. As he clean his weapon, making it look almost brand new, he discusses with Poem and Baka what his role as a servant of Aubade is supposed to be.

He says Baka is nice and simple, his role is to spread good words, but he doesn't do any hard work for the church. Mhurren's job is to go into the darkness, fight the real horrors of the world, and stop them from destroying the world. He states that his role is temporary and can’t last. He will either be corrupted by his encounters with real evil or he will be destroyed by it. He is okay with that lot in life, because if he destroys enough evil, at least he will have moved the balance towards good before he goes.

### What's in a Name?

When Baka and Poem return to the HQ, they find the name **Bashan Investigations** has been put up on the building as well as a nice mailbox. The contractor, a svelte but built Dwarf, finishes up the paperwork and leaves as they enter. Before they can even discuss the naming of the building, Wellby Blackwater arrives with some updates.

Wellby and Bashan head to the office and Wellby explains that Wolvar has left town. He is supposedly headed to the Batu Mountains on the continent of Thargorum. It is a dangerous place, so Wellby warns him not to go there unprepared. Wellby says this should make them even, but Bashan pays him to keep him on the payroll.

When Wellby leaves, the party head back to the **Golden Forge Inn** for some food and drinks. As they do they are approached by Carric Briarfell, a cleric of Lorkayn. He tells them the book they dropped off a few weeks ago has caused some trouble, and he thinks the head cleric of their temple might be in danger.

### Research and Development

The party head to the temple of Lorkayn, which is a main library in the city. They investigate the room, finding numerous signs that the head cleric Agaro may have left in a hurry. They find some errant remaining notes regarding his research into the book, specifically talking about some ritual and the various parts that are required for it. They see words describing three steps: Obtaining the Scales, Tempering the Metals, and The Mantle and the Skies. They aren't sure what it means, but perhaps the research and notes that Agaro fled with might have those answers.

Carric manages to scrounge up only a measley 50 . He senses they require more, stating he will need to get authorization for more funds later. In the mean time he suggests they look at Agaro's private residence he has. He doesn't have a key but gives them an address. They find the place, a bungalo on the top floor of a building. They manage to break in and search the apartment. It is ransacked, but they find more notes about this ritual, including what the "Scales" might be and various other possible suggestions for each step. They do find, under a desk, a hand drawn map with a location several days outside the city marked: **Fenris**. This might be where Agaro is headed.