Esterson Session 15
General Summary
Inferiin. Always dabbling in trickery and foul artistries. Their recent schemes have been supplying orc warlords with poisons that have been giving them the edge against the Hulstead defenders. The poison is easy to cure but the problem is that more wounded are getting in the infirmary than they are getting out.
So, your goal is go up north and coordinate with Martial Olmhart. From there, he can guide you as a strike force to stop those inferiin cretins from doing any more harm. I hope you all have strong resolves for something like this.
Before Heading Off
Kastor was trying to ready himself for his own quest with the Savvy Strays and asked the party for some advice. Of course, they advised he sticks close to the Strays to stay safe. Johan even slipped a healing potion in his bag just to be sure.
The Thomters then stopped by, hinting that someone would be saved.
When you open the door outside, you see the Thomter Twins standing side by side.
Ellen looks to her brother, “Funny thing how doors work, isn’t it?”
“Things can come in and out of it if they pleased.”
”For good reason, many doors have locks on them so only certain things should get through.”
“Of course we stumbled through the wrong doorway to avoid disaster.”
Ellen smiles, “At least he has a way through to get away from there.”
Edwin smiles in return, “And instead wind up back here. Right where he belongs.”
The both of them then put strange see-through masks on their faces with a long hollow tube on the side.
Ellen looks back to her twin, “I guess there is still a pressing question now that we know how long he’s been swimming in that aberrant pool.”
Edwin sighs, “Let me guess, is he going to sink or swim after all these years? It’s only a fair trade they push aside the guards and we get our doorway.
She smiles, “Then after that, we reach in and pull him right out. A simple solution brother as they’ll like it.”
Arrival to Falanstad
On arrival to the town, the party found and coordinated with Martial Olmhart. What frustrated him was that he had no leads on where Tashok’s orcs were getting poison from for their armaments. The most of a lead he had were through avian scouts flying overhead and seeing movement west of the Thanhagen River.
Once the talks were wrapping up, they heard a familiar voice from when they were combating Skeething…
An odd coincidence, wouldn’t it be, if you headed for the Thanhagen Bridge within the next two days to rest awhile and see the sights?
Thanhagen Bridge
Once the party headed for the bridge two days later, they found an odd site on the side of the road:
On the side of the road is a small picnic setup where you see the Thomter Twins sitting on a blanket. Edwin prepares a sandwich while Ellen admires a jar with a butterfly inside of it. Beside them are many baskets of various foods.
Edwin looks over to his twin, “I think they’re getting warmer.”
Ellen rolls her eyes, “The Ardent months are ending, brother. They’re going to get colder.”
“No, I mean they’re getting warmer.”
She looks at him, nodding her head, “I see. Still, not every place is hot or cold equally as the landscape changes.”
“So you think ‘cold’ foods will help them stay regulated?”
“Why else did we plan out this lovely picnic?”
“Because the Hollow months are a beautiful time?”
“And what better time to admire the scenery than with a picnic?”
The party dug in and enjoyed some pies. Though as they ate, they could barely taste that the Thomters had done something odd with the food. Johan inferred that was a protective boon… but for what…?
Soon the party saw inferiin poison smugglers. They sent Elema forward to work her specialty and she managed to weasel the knowledge of where their hideout was. From what the smugglers mentioned, their previous boss was removed “forcefully” and the new “Iocoss” (jolly in Infernal), took command.
Poisoner’s Den
The party went into the hideout, which was a repurposed temple from some Temporal deity. Within the site, they found and encountered Setesk. He was working with some sort of obelisk fueled with Averse power and even forced an inferiin into it, warping it into some sort of feral monster.
Just as the fighting was about to start, something strange occurred…
A fireball erupts, taking out a cluster of the inferiin elves.
Setesk screams in frustration, "What? How did I not predict the matter?"
Amdist the confusion, two more familiar voices add to it. The Thomters…
Ellen walks along one flank, “The question is not if you did predict the matter.”
Edwin walks the other flank, “The question is if you could predict the matter.”
The two of them then convene into one spot.
Ellen speaks up, “Though I do believe your operation here will be quite concluded.”
Edwin smiles at her, “And I believe a surprise is in order.”
Stepping up from one hallway, a familiar elf, Evantil, appears, “Apologies for the intrusion, everyone.”
Evantil joined the fighting and the party fought a hard won victory against the mystical vician. In a desperate attempt to preserve his life, he offered a reading for what the party desired most on where to find it.
Antharine and Maedhros agreed to a private reading.
Spoiler: Maedhros OnlyAntharine’s Reading
Setesk saw Antharine’s two elven parents. They were impoverished and tried their hardest to seek help from their fellow kindred only to find that they were also struggling to help others, if not themselves! So the two of them reluctantly sought financial aid from an inferiin household to acquire a home. However, they were given a cruel surprise of being unable to pay off such a place and the inferiin would come knocking on this setup. As a punishment for this debt, they would be turned into indentured servants.
In hopes of both Antharine and Anthell avoiding this life, they were placed within the forest, not too far from the Luminous Monastery.
Maedhros’ Reading
Setesk levitates 5 feet in the air. Arms swirl in strange motions as his head lurches back. His fingers contort to craft an illusionary cloud in front of him to depict a scenery of a reputable school for nobility.
It began within the Civarion Academy. A time of learning, a time of growing, and a time for connecting. Levander and Ialane, a classic tale of a man and woman falling for the other. It was all so pure at first. Levander had lived a lowly life and she was the light his heart needed after so long. But there was a problem…
He had gone to profess his feelings with a moonstone and rosy flowers only to find despair. She was with another instead!
Wrought with ache and woe, it hurt knowing she did not feel the same. Desperate to find some sort of means, he did the unthinkable. He reached out and the shadows saw his snuffed light. “She is the only one for me,” he cried, “I want to be with her forever!” Because he beckoned, the shadows then rose up so darkness shrouded Levander. Sidresk heard, and he would answer the call.
Shadows then sprawled out, claiming Levander and soon the lover amidst a spur of tragedies. It only stopped when Ialanae bested the haunter. She went into hiding just to be sure.
All that remained of Levander was a bloated tree, alone in a grove, just as he had feared from the start…
Setesk saw Levander, an elven student of Civarion Academy who had lived a rather tough and shaky life. When he met Ialanae, Maedhros’ mother, the two bonded pretty well. If anything, she brought him some modicum of happiness that helped him through the tough times. Though, neither had made their intentions clear to the other.
Levander was keen to confess his feelings to her but he would be met with a cruel surprise: Ialanae had found someone else to fall in love with. Struck with overwhelming despair, Levander suspected that the caels would not listen so he sought “other” methods. He cried out to whatever would listen and the shadows began to multiply. Sidresk himself had listened and he took interest on a way the two could be “together forever.”
A haunter claimed Levander and soon Ialanae’s dearest lover. The creature’s torment did not stop until confronted and defeated by her. She then went into hiding…
All that remains of Levander is a pitiful bloated tree alone in a clearing still unsatisfied…
Resolution
Zalleen was recruited to the hall in order to start a new life after having bounced all over the Kingdom in various odd jobs.
Evantil happily wished to rejoin the Hall and meet back up with the Strays to ensure that everything was intact and fine.
Edwin and Ellen Thomter saw in disappointment that the averse obelisk was brought down and destroyed. Shrugging their shoulders, they figured they could hang around Esterson Hall until all these Averse problems would be resolved. If it meant that they could avoid the inevitable war back in their Florenic home world, they would.
Back at the Hall
Arnsley Dorian came by to follow up on the mask they provided from the Phantom. They believe that the site is found in Dulnmoor, namely to the southwestern parts. Seeing Skelk’s new reborn form, the inquisitor insisted that he could only be content with the creature should the Inquisition’s demonologists analyze and officially determine Skelk’s nature. Skelk agreed under the terms no harm is brought to him which Arnsley would ensure.
A letter also came into the Hall:
Esterson Hall,
I urgently write to you for the chance that you see this letter. The former Magistrate, Arnhest Settendorf, has gone mad with paranoia. In his delusions, we the staff, suffer tight restraints and conditions. Very few of us are trusted to even step out of the estate to grab supplies.
Please, we urge you to come to Settendorf’s manor in Anvarnem and make him see reason!
Rewards Granted
- 150 sums per character
- Recruited Evantil
Character(s) interacted with
- Martial Olmhart
- Edwin and Ellen Thomter
- Zalleen and her fellow smugglers
- Setesk
- Gavaln
- Evantil
