Session 21 - Gathering Day

This is the 21st session of the game Ashes.

## Summary

We begin the game in medias res, the party is in Central Booking within the Heroes Promenade with Dorian and Virdiana Craysin as well as Amby Bodkins. Following the events at the end of the previous session, the party was escorted to the center of the city by the guards, and seen into Central Booking by Detective Burnside. He then led the party to the train depot within, where the party met the Guardmaster of the city Desina Einwald, and she explained that the party was going to the King's Seat to council with the Emerald Eyes. She tells the group that they will be meeting with the majordomo of the Castle, a man named Byron Emberchain. The party was stripped of all their weapons, and the magic users were given bracelets to dampen their powers before they headed on the train. While on the train the party glided over the district known as the Footnotes which is the richest district in the city and witnessed how the wealthy of the city live.

The party arrived on the train platform of the King's Seat where they were greeted by the dwarven majordomo Byron Emberchain and two Heroes, one of which an Orc woman, and the other a Dragonborn woman. Emberchain explained the rules about meeting within the Council Chambers for the Emerald Eyes, and that the meeting was about the possibility to postpone the trial for General Voulduin Halbatcht and Audiphant Vanden Hamin. Viridiana and her council Amby headed into the Chambers themselves, and the rest of the party was escorted to the audience chambers. While in the audience chambers the party saw for the first time all of the Emerald Eyes assembled (the bureaucratic avengers) and someone who appeared to be Prince Joseph Howe.

The meeting was very short. Jamie Nightdane declared that the Emerald Eyes have superseded the wishes of the King and have declared to postpone the trial until the 30th of Axious which is in 3 months' time. It was also declared that the Junaguage Arcanis would be handling the investigation into the disappearance of Delphine Gerhart and that until her or her findings are found the trial would be deemed unfair according to the overall opinion of the Emerald Eyes. The announcement that the Arcanis would be handling the investigation brought out the ire of Viridiana who expressed that according to her father's testimony that the Arcnais was complicit in the massacre that occurred at Rust Port, and that a coalition of people should be sent to investigate. Elias then called out unprompted, "What if we do it?" breaking the decorum of the court, but it seemed like Nightdane was willing to hear them out. The party made an offer to go find Delphine, with Acaelus citing his history with her. To corroborate the story two figures stepped out from the back end of the Chambers, Arcanis members Dieter Van Horn and Elwin Eisenach. Van Horn seemed to be aware of Acaelus from the communication he kept between him and Delphine but argued that the Arcanis would be better equipped to look into the disappearance of one of their own. Nightdane tabled the discussion for now and said they would come to a decision by tomorrow.

The party made it back to the Jaunt, exhausted but satisfied that at the very least they bought Acaelus's grandfather another 3 months of life. The slept for the night and awoke the next day with plans about traveling to Rust Port whether or not they get the approval to do so. The purchased many supplies including a carriage for their horses, rations, and Acaelus picked up a new spell. At the end of the day, Jamie Nightdane sent a message to Acaelus informing him that a task force would be created and that the party shouldn't go investigating, but implied that they could.

The following day, on Gathering Day, the party spent the day with the people closest to them, the Buyway Triplets closed down the Jaunt for the day and allowed the party, for all the good they did, to have as many people over as they wanted. The list of attendees was: Joleen, Kirhin, Grant, Anges, Grum, Quigs, Jamie Nightdane, Ciara, Carimm, Elena, Amby Bodkin, Steven Sheer, Coinmaster Ignasi, Bags + fam, Mabel, Callie Wingwright, Detective Burnside, Cooper, and Guardsman Paul.