Destruction and Reformation

After disposing of the guards, the Fateful 8 continued working their way through the sewers. They were determined to find an information broker in the city. Before they could exit the sewers, a trio of Grick attacked the party, nearly killing Froderick. Once the Grick were returned to the muck, the group disguised themselves in dirt and grime before making their exit to the streets. They found themselves in the Market District of the city. Splitting up, the Fateful 8 searched for people who may have known anything about an information broker. Buck, Mr. Fahrenheit, and Rigline entered a squalid tavern called the Piggly Wiggly. Buck posed as a man named Tanker and spoke to Grigok the bartender. Grigok suggested Buck and Rig speak to a former Gryffon named Schmitty. Buck paid for Schmitty's drinks while he told buck about the SSS, a group that traded in information amongst other things. Schmitty couldn't remember the name of the organization, but told Buck it was headed by a man named Sicario.

The Fateful 8 found their way to the headquarters of the SSS (which they later learned was called the Sicario Society of Secrecy), they paid a few and were allowed to enter to speak to Sicario. There, they discovered that the Gryffon patriarch had four children, who were vying to take over the family business. Kona seemed to be the most even keeled and least power hungry of the group, while Karis, the daughter, was the most power hungry. The Fateful 8 also discovered that their former companion, Won Jilliams, was traveling via ship to Port Solaris with his family to seal a new trade agreement between the Jilliams and the Gryffons. Before leaving Sicario, the Fateful 8 paid him to start spreading rumors that the Gryffons were using child slaves to build their ships.

The Fateful 8 then made their way south of the city and unscuttled the boat they had escaped in a week prior. Their plan was to intercept the Jilliams ships and liaise with Won and his family, hoping to inform them of what they had discovered about the Gryffons. They sailed north and northeast for a couple days until they came upon a group of ships. Beldor used sending to contact Won and let him know that the party was sailing out towards them. Won had a hard time discerning which ship the Fateful 8 were on, so Bodo changed their flag to read "This ship, you dumbfuck". The Fateful 8 docked with the ship Won was on and they were met by Captain Severeaux, a member of the Gryffon organization. After giving Won a rundown of what had happened since they parted ways, Won decided to take the group on as his body guards for the upcoming meetings and demanded a meeting with Kona.

Upon arrival in Port Solaris, the Fateful Eight and Won, made their way to the Gryffon Estate. After being ushered to their rooms, Froderick with the help of Buck, found that fireplace had been replaced recently. Beldor went to check for magical effects and found there to be scrying magic around. He began to dispel it, but after a few minutes this magical eye and ear came back. Knowing its whereabouts he sat still as a Sentinel watching it. Meanwhile, Rig drug Dreld to the bath house which resulted in Dreld receiving a much needed bath, much to his dismay. Won eventually went to relax in the bath only to drift off in his own "wet" dream. Eventually a messenger from Kona appeared and the Fateful 8 negotiated a meeting with Kona. Kona, and his gruff guard, Carlos arrived about an hour later. The party revealed to Kona what they had learned about the Gryffon's dabbling in child slavery. This conversation made Carlos uncomfortable which led the group to question his motives. Carlos finally snapped after Dreld wormed his way through his mind.

Thus combat ensued and swiftly ended with Carlos being detained. Froderick removed Carlos' bracer to find scarring where a certain child slavery tattoo should have been. The Fateful 8 tried to interrogate Carlos, but got nowhere as Carlos had been truly brainwashed thanks to years of conditioning. Seeing this Kona said his goodbyes to Carlos and Froderick burned him from the inside out. Kona agreed to out his family's dirty deeds and Won waking up to a burning, meaty smell.

Kona noted that there was a network of escape tunnels under the Gryffon compound and it's possible children were kept down there. They decided to investigate. However, prior to entering the tunnels, Froderick mentioned to Beldor that if he dies, to let him die and not resurrect him. This prompted some to wonder if Froderick was suicidal. Bodo finished disassembling the wall and the group entered the tunnels. Eventually they came across a room with some runed arches on the walls and statues of old Rigs. Bodo recognized the runes as the old Rigaron language and surmised that these archways could be portals with the right knowledge. The party explored the tunnels until they came to a dead end wall where they heard footsteps on the other side. They began to tear down the wall when an arrow flew through, striking Mr. Fahrenheit. After some discussion, Buck paid off the Gryffon guards on the other side of the wall and the Fateful 8 were allowed to explore the area, finding nothing of interest.

Backtracking a bit, they discovered another passageway they had missed early, leading down to a crypt. Buck accidentally stepped on a pressure plate and heard a click. He said "well, this is probably nothing" and stepped off the plate. The lids of the coffins all slid off and a number of wraiths appeared in the crypt. Kona turned invisible and disappeared. The battle was short, but brutal. In the end, Froderick perished, and Beldor, remembering the earlier discussion, decided not to revive him. Dreld's tentacles consumed Froderick, as is traditional.

The Fateful 8 heard fighting sounds from the crypt further down and moved in to assist. There they found Kona, a small child, and a small dragon fighting off more wraiths. After defeating the wraiths, the boy introduced himself as Dig and the dragon as his friend Eiragid (Air-uh-gid). The party desperately needed a rest, so Rig set up Leomun'd Tiny Hut and the group rested. A number of Gryffon guards found them, so Bodo planted a bean and a geyser of ale spouted up for 12 seconds. He planted a second bean and another Treant sprouted, which killed two guards. The guards returned in greater numbers and killed the Treant. In the morning, the Fateful 8 awoke and killed all the guards when they attacked. The lone survivor was made to lead the party further into the tunnels. When they came to a river close to a Gryffon camp, Buck kicked the guard into the rushing water. Rig and Bodo were swept downstream when they attempted to cross, but Buck, Mr. Fahreinheit, Beldor, Dreld, and Dig made it across safely. Buck spoke with Gryffon guards and convinced them to take the party to meet Karis.

Bodo and Rig eventually rejoined the group as they were dealing with Karis. Eventually they agreed to back Karis as the new head of the Gryffon family if she agreed to set up an orphanage and end the slavery practice under the supervision of the Justicars. Buck also insisted that her father had to be executed for his crimes. Karis agreed to the terms and the group returned to their quarters for the night.

The next evening was the banquet to celebrate the new trade agreement between the Jilliams and Gryffons. Shortly after the merriment began, Buck approached the Patriarch of the Gryffons on the dance floor. In a loud voice Buck announced the charges and sentenced him to die. Buck shot him in the head, but instead of dying, the human form dropped and a large Balor appeared. Chaos ensued. Gryffons turned on Gryffons. Bodo teleported several Gryffon guards into the air past the balcony, allowing them some time to contemplate their mortality before being dashed on the ground below. At various points during the battle, Buck and Mr. Fahrenheit were dominated by Gryffon family members. The Justicars appeared at one point and helped kill off the Balor. When the Balor exploded, Karis, Mr. Fahreinheit and Bodo all fell unconscious. Eventually, all the Gryffons who were supporting the Balor were defeated and his wife was captured. Beldor healed the unconscious party members and revivified Won Jilliams' sister. The Fateful 8 returned to the Justicar's Guild with their prisoner and got some much needed rest.

Morning came and Buck and the members of the Fateful 8 interrogated the wife of the Balor. They found that she had helped the Balor assume her husband's form after he became ill 30 years ago. She saw the use of child slavery as a means to wealth and power, as she had come from nothing on the streets of Port Solaris. She was convinced she was right and her last words before execution were "You Justicar, you'll see I was right. You have no idea what I've done to get here. I brought my husband back and you have no idea what I'm capable of". Buck executed her as he had tried to execute her husband. Rigline decided that Mr. Fahrenheit should break the news to Karis, who was also resting at the Justicar's guild, as the party had neglected to include her in the interrogation of her mother. When Mr. Fahrenheit walked into her room the following conversation ensued:

Karis: We should talk to my mother
Mr. Fahrenheit: ...nnnnope
Karis: You already spoke to her?
Mr. Fahrenheit: Yup
K: Well I want to talk to her
MF: When was the last time you spoke to her?
K: A few days ago
MF: Well... I hope it was a good conversation, it's going to have to last you awhile
K: What did you do?
MF: Justice

The party and Karis returned to the Gryffon compound and spoke to the Head of the Guards. He was informed that Karis would be taking over for her father after his death. The heads of the other families and all the Master Shipwrights were gathered to vote on the proceedings. Mr. Fahrenheit encouraged his father to back Kona over Karis, but in the end, Karis was overwhelmingly voted as the new head of the Gryffon family after Rigline and other members of the Fateful 8 gave their reasons for supporting her. For now, the matter of child slavery in Port Solaris had come to a close and the Fateful 8 considered their next moves.