11 - Booty call
General Summary
Time to leave
After what feels like a long time spent in Crysteria, the party finally head out after having asked the Pope Braska Guado to inform them via sending magic about any changes to Thordan's captivity or condition.
The trip will take them about 2 weeks to the southern town of Fairgulch where they make only a short stop, taking a ship across the seat towards Ryewater. On the way, they encounter a stray Cactuar, and swiftly defeat the volatile monster, securing themselves a great deal of experience in dealing with an evasive monster.
Home to one, new to others
Immediately upon entering Ryewater, Kupo wanders off during a lull in the groups care. He finds himself in an enchanting store named Elalynn's Arcanity. He spends a degree of time getting to know the owner, who even provides Kupo with a free sample of Dust of Disappearance to show his friends.
The rest of the group set about their business, but first Zephyr Highwind decides to buy another chicken. He finds one, named Custard(The second) and doesn't seem to notice that he had been conned. The bird is actually very sick, likely near the end of it's life. Zephyr decides to make it his personal mission to recover this chicken to health. He hands it to Arrex, who puts it on a leash, and seemingly forgets about it.
A long missed lover
The group, minus Kupo, then head to Yasithra's residence, lover of Zar'ral Helvimtor and smuggler of goods, a woman who has to a degree, adopted the town of Ryewater and is trying to ensure it is kept safe, and restored where possible, despite her shady means.
Yasithra offers Zar'rarl, and by extension, the party, a job. They are to break in to the secured homes of a local crime lord known as Athard, who has been ramping up drug related activity for profit recently, and kill him. She offers 150,000 Gil for the job. Zar'ral claims this isn't necessary, and donates 20,000 gil towards Yasithra's restoration efforts. The rest of the group still desires the reward, including Kupo, who turned up at some point.
Sipping some syrup at the Sour Sickle
The group agree to the job, and are to arrange a meet with a woman named Lyra at a place of their choosing. They choose the Sour Sickle inn, nearby. Kupo attempts to find work from the bartender, Tasar or his brother Cyran, but is rather bluntly refused. The group order a few gallons of electric scythe lager and begin to relax whilst their contact arrives. Greebi comes with a gift for Vexacious Rein, a special bag of holding. He demands more food, and more gil, but is told to come back tomorrow. He huffs, and agrees.
Eventually, their contact, Lyra, arrives. She had originally planned to sneak in to the house with Zar'ral as a two man cell, but some adaptations are made for the others of the party to act as distractions or security. The party heads out.
No plan survives contact with the enemy
The party head to Athard's mansion. Lyra and Zar'ral begin the plan, sneaking in to the larger of the two houses. They use the dust provided by Kupo to assist, and make their way upstairs, despite tripping a magical noise alarm. They find someone that matches the description of their target and Zar'ral immediately slays the elven male, but it turns out rather shortly, that the man was a body double, left for the exact purpose of helping stop an assassination attempt.
Elsewhere, Kupo attempts to speak to the guards at the front gate, trying to take responsibility for the alarms, claiming to have been inside. Upon hearing that this stranger has been sneaking about inside of their boss' house, they immediately attempt to restrain Kupo, who orders them to release him with a magical command before escaping. The rest of the party decides to attack now, as Zar'ral fires the signal from inside the house letting them know to do so.
A large fight ensues, with the party plus Lyra dispatching the paid thugs and making their way to the smaller of the two houses in an attempt to reach Athard. Lyra it seems is interested only in some particular documents.
Zephyr opens the door to the second house without hesitation, only to see an ambush lying inside, which he promptly dodges out of the way from. Arrex however, was stood behind him. One can only wonder what went through their mind as multiple lightning bolts struck them, full force, throwing them to the ground, defeated.
Eventually, the party sieze victory, in part thanks to Vex destroying an entire room of elite mages and thugs with a huge combo of fireball and cor-a-cor, although a few escaped, and find a secret passage inside the converted barn, everyone apart from the recently healed Arrex head down the tunnel, as Arrex and Lyra are left to scour the documents on a table, hastily left. Down in the secret passage the group manage to catch up with the portly Athard.. and Kupo finds himself going down a dark path. The group threaten the man, and Kupo agrees to not kill him. Kupo then betrays the man, letting another party member kill him after getting some information before ressurecting him, in order to demand more information with the threat of more life and death torture.
The group manage to get some information from him before he dies a final time. His full name was Athard Forde, the brother of Atrix Forde who is running an underground monster fighting arena up in Olidia. One of his dying words were that 'mother' would get revenge on them for this. The party loot 70,000 gil in mixed jewelry. They also found a magitek pistol, and two magitek rifles. Upstairs, Lyra loots all of the paperwork, claiming to have discovered some things she will have explained to the party once they are back with Yasithra.
During the walk back to Yasithra's.. a message is received via sending. The knights of the round had returned to Crysteria, and had freed Thordan.. the status of his sword is unknown. Thordan has fled to the ruins to the south-west of Crysteria.
Session end date - 24/2/279Rewards Granted
30% exp, 70,000 gil, magitek pistol, 2 magitek rifles
Missions/Quests Completed
Defeated a Cactuar. (20% exp)
Completed Yasithra's mission. (10% exp)
