Session XXVIII

## *Hello There, Old Friend?*

1. Party arrives at the town of Skritnea, where they can refuel their coal supplies. Upon disembarking the sand skiff, the party sees Brandy sporting a scarf (even though it’s hot in the desert) and comes to Corwin with a message. This message alarms Corwin as it is about the location of his sister, who happens to currently be across the world. Knowing he won’t have a chance like this again he tells the party that he has to leave in order to pursue her. He then tells them that there is someone who can be of assistance to the party instead as they owe him a favor. This someone happens to be one Zoey Alexandros. Corwin continues on to inform the party that they can be found at Cain’s Grand Gala. After telling this to the party he leaves with Brandy.
2. The party arrives at the Gala where they find that it is a market filled with the bustling of the shopkeepers and shoppers haggling. We then cut to Zoe Alexandros, a dragonborn who was spending a few nights there. She finds Cain who informs her of the party and leads her over to them. The two exchange introductions with the party. Following this Eggu leads Zoe to the sandskiff while the others stay at the market to search for coal. Leaving the market Eggu witnesses an execution in the town square. Apparently a half gnomish man is to be put to death as punishment for smuggling illegal substances. The man yells, “Long live the sultan!” and is swiftly killed. Eggu averts his gaze and continues to lead Zoe to the sandskiff where they both find a plastic box filled with weirdly smelling magic crystals. The two then hear the sound of a dozen footsteps approaching them. These footsteps are “guards” who arrest them both, even after the two make a case for their innocence.
3. While in an interrogation room a man tells the two that “he is the law” and wants to know all of the locations of the Namfoodles that they know. Eggu takes this time to send a sending spell to Joraxx, “We are being held captive by people who want to know the location of the Namfoodles, by the town hall is a bunker, we're there”. This action is met with a Blight spell from the man and a command for his men to execute him. When being taken away, the man tells his men that they need to leave, fast.
4. Meanwhile the party haggles for coal. They buy 6 bags of coal, enough for two full tanks. Leaving the marketplace the party returns to the sandskiff where they find, or rather do not find, Eggu and Zoey. Instead they find a plastic box filled with blue crystals with a foul smell. Feeling that something was amiss, Joraxx investigates and finds a single gold button. Suddenly, Joraxx receives Eggu’s message and regales it to the party. They all race to the missing two members. Arriving at the bunker’s entrance, the party finds it blocked by two guards. Joraxx tells Goose to “make a distraction, something loud.”. Goose then makes way to a small clearing in the crowd and shouts, “come one come all, and witness a magical show, performed by the glorious Goose!” and then begins his show. Against all odds, this performance leads both guards away from their post, allowing the party to slip inside. Inside the party finds the missing members and begin to brawl with the “guards”.
5. Seeing that they are outclassed, the guardsmen surrender, valuing their lives. The man on the other hand, the golden button embedded in his head from Joraxx’s catapult spell, insults them, calling them traitors.  He then used the dimension door to escape. Eggu himself does the same, returning to the surface. Upon inspection Eggu cannot find the man. He beckons Goose to come into the bunker and the party is reunited in full once more.
6. The party finds a secret entrance inside the execution room. The password being, “Xanathar is my kin”. The party then is told of a short history of the town. A bit ago there was a Sultan who was murdered, he was secretly replaced by a doppelganger who planted evidence and murdered those who were against him. That doppelganger was that man. The only man who could stand against him was Caine, but the two came to an agreement that they would leave each other alone.
7. Soon after recalling this tale the party hears begging on the other side of the door. “Please. Have mercy.”    “To slight my family is to slight me. To the shadowfell with you”. The party sees what seems to be the dead body of the doppelganger fly through the door, blood draining from his ears. The dead body then begins to move, not dead. The doppelganger tells the party that the man was wearing a wide brimmed hat. The party, thinking about that statement, looks into the bag for the Saber of Shadows, and finds it missing. Then the Guards kill the doppelganger
8. The party pursues the shadowy figure passing by dead guards and the captain under the effects of a spell that is quickly dispelled by Goose. The party still continues chasing the figure who they see attempting to pass through a wall. This figure is familiar to most of the party, it is that of Ghermans. Shadowy figure of Gherman tells the party to not pursue him and prays that they never cross paths again. Goose asks Gherman what he is doing and he responds, “What am I doing Goose? I guess you could say my job. And The strength of shadow and blood is in me now”, he continues forward and disappears beyond the wall. This makes Joraxx begin to cry. He leaves behind a puddle of darkness, the most concentrated evil that Eggu has even seen. The rest of the Guard return. Eggu tells the leader guard, Tsun, that the shadowfell is in the material plain. When Goose tells the guards of Gherman’s history, Tsun ears peek at the mention of Gherman’s last name. “So it seems that time repeats itself.”, referring to the curse that all Westbrooks become evil. Eggu tells them that Gehrman has become a wight.
9. The party retrieves Mantra from the skiff and rushes off to Cains, but they notice an aura of despair around the area.