Session 8

**Real World Date: 2/7/2021**

**In Game Dates(x): 15th of Lencten, 5151 M.E. - 16th of Lencten, 5151 M.E.**

**Party Level: 3**

## NPCs Met This Adventure

* Talfen - older member of the **Sovereign Brothehood**, member of the Order of the Ghostslayer
* Oleran - Elven cleric of Aubade, ally of the **Sovereign Brotherhood**
* Captain Theomer Wallace - former captain of the **Theomer's Mistress**, died at sea after trying to deliver a dangerous package

## Summary

### Family is Complicated

As the party leaves the theater, Rylee Sunbrook stops Cue. He states that despite this being "over" he is still worried that in a years time this group of wizards might attack him again. He asks what Cue knows of their family. Cue admits he knows nothing, only that Aust Nailo dropped him off at the monastery as a baby. Rylee is confused by this, but says he plans ask his parents as well as use his contacts to reach out and try and set up a meeting with Aust if possible. He will contact Cue once he hears more.

A Rylee walks away, yelling at his bodyguards, Cue has a flashback to his time in the monastery. He remembers being yelled at by Master Ilwen because he is not mastering the polearm, his least favorite weapons. Master Ilwen then gets tired, saying he will go for a nap. Cue is then visited by Chao Mei, who reveals that her dislike of Master Ilwen is partially to blame for why she is joining a different school in this monastery: Way of the Radiant Sun. She has a positive conversation with that school's leader: **Master Paelias**. Chao is worried Cue would be upset with her, but he is not. They exit the monastery and go for a walk in the Daeryn Forest, having their usual picnic. Cue then comes back to the present and the party leave the theater.

### Rituals and Death

Bashan has made a final decision on the Order he wants to join for the **Sovereign Brotherhood**. He makes his way to their HQ and Yelbronna Stavenger leads him inside. She leads him back through the offices in front, past a library, and into a side chamber where she leaves him. She is not of his Order and cannot witness the ritual. When Bashan enters the chamber there is Talfen and Oleran are there ready to do the ritual. For the **Order of the Ghostslayer** the focus their ritual on the moment of death, so to learn what they need to learn, Bashan must die.

Oleran is there on standby to bring him back, though. He is not a member of the Order, merely a friend of the Order. Bashan consents to this ritual and is tied down on the table. They make two small cuts and drain him of blood until Bashan crosses over. Bashan then wakes up, having been brought back to life by Oleran. He vaguely remembers...something when he died. Like a dream he just woke up from, though, he struggles to remember any details. Talfen assures him that when he is ready, he will remember what he saw.

### Thoughts and Prayers

Baka, meanwhile, waits in the temple of Aubade, praying and meditating. He waits until finally Amari Bacci arrives as Baka requested. Amari regrets aloud that he agreed to work with adventurers that Rylee Sunbrook hired. He knew it would come back to bite him. Baka doesn't claim to be an adventurer, just a loyal cleric. He states that Amari needs to ask Aubade for forgiveness and donate to the church or Baka threatens to reveal the incriminating information about Amari and his investment in the laboratory that killed multiple people.

Baka leaves him be. It seems like Amari sits and thinks for a while, even if he may not be praying. He then gets up and leave multiple platinum coins in the coffers of the temple then leaves. Once Baka is satisfied with this result he wraps up at the temple and heads back to the **Gilded Forge Inn** to meet up with the rest of the party.

### Abandoned Ship

After Bashan cleans up and leaves the ritual room, Yelbronna approaches him again and takes him aside. She explains that she has tracked a shipment that is supposedly coming in on a ship called **Theomer's Mistress**. This order was place by the man they know only as the **Shadow**. She doesn't know what the shipment is, but it can't be good. And this morning the ship crashed through the barricade at sea and crashed into the docks, barely staying afloat. The dock workers discovered the ship empty, filled only with corpses.

The City Guard are looking into it, but Yelbronna wants Bashan and his group to go on the ship, pretending to be "researchers" and gather intel. She will pay them each 50  up front to go investigate and another 50  after they find whatever did this and kill it. Bashan agrees, pocketing the money. He does some "creative accounting" with dividing the coin up and heads back to the inn to offer the group the job.

### Rest and Relief

Bashan offers the crew the job, giving their "share" in a pouch. The agree to head towards the docks to investigate the scene, but they are too beat up from the adventure in the laboratory that they need rest. They agree to head to the docks the first thing in the morning and all head to bed. In the morning they come down for breakfast and they hear the bells of the city go off. The city erupts in cheers as they all realize that the lockdown is finally over.

The party head to the docks and see a lot of movement and actions. People are loading up on the ships and leaving. Some of the ships that were out forming the blockade are now back in the docks. People are finally able to come and go and the docks are the central hub for most of that traffic. They approach the docks where **Theomer's Mistress** is docked, barely afloat. They speak with the City Guard and gain access to the ship.

### Blood and Evidence

As the party move through the ship, they see multiple dead bodies. It looks like they were all cut up by some claws, but the slashing did not kill them. It appears as though they were strangled to death. As they go through the ship they discover some clues as to what happened. They find the log of Captain Theomer Wallace. He details taking on this risky shipment, which gives the crew very bad feelings. Apparently the lockdown of the city forced the ship to stay out at sea and whatever they were carrying got out. There is a note that once they arrived in Azul they would deliver the objects to the **Watery Rat Tavern**.

Further down Bashan discovers a cask with the mark of the **Sovereign Brotherhood** on it. He plays dumb for a moment while the rest of the party moves forward, then inspects the cask. The rest of the party discover the source of the problem: three coffins in the storage hold, all of which have been opened. There are also arcane runes that have been scratched off. Bashan discovers the cask appears to be connected to the coffins with some materials to inscribe some arcane runes and instructions to do so. It is strange the runes are inscribed on the inside, where the creatures could destroy them and get out.

### Following the Trail

The party then head to the **Watery Rat Tavern** hoping to find some more information about the shipment and what type of creatures were shipped in those coffins. When they arrive at the tavern they discover that all the patrons have been killed and three undead creatures roam around in the bar. The party engage them, realizing these undead like to strangle their victims and are obviously the things that escaped the ship. They kill the creatures, finally putting their rampage to an end.

After they kill them, a man pops out of a barrel, having hidden from these creatures the whole time. He claims that a **Brotherhood** is trying to kill him. The party try to calm him down and ask questions but the man realizes that Bashan might be part of this brotherhood and panics, fleeing the scene. Multiple party members give chase, but he manages to run far enough to catch the attention of the city guard. Once he does, he begs them to arrest him, leaving the party to deal with the chaos at the **Watery Rat Tavern**...