Session 3 - Seeking Answers

General Summary

In the dim light of the moon overhead, the party made their way through the streets of Burmery to the East gate, where a small home set at the far end of a cul-de-sac sat with a light in the window and a sign describing it as "Madam Tasaria's. Prince knocked on the door, and within a moment, it was opened and a short woman with a raspy voice beckoned them to enter. At the party entered the house, the woman directed them to the parlor and took her place behind a low table covered in a cloth, gesturing for the group to sit opposite. As they took their places around the table (Liber electing to stand nearer to the doorway instead), Olut retrieved the hands that he had taken from the goblin's corpse and laid them upon the table. As the fortune teller examined the hands, the party explained their origin, telling her of the wolves that appeared to be under the goblin's control, and of the strange blue lights in that area of the forest.

After a few moments, the Tasaria spoke, explaining that these hands certainly were no accident and that powerful magic granted the creature powers that it had not possessed before. While the exact nature of the power was unclear from the palm reading, Tasaria suggested that a séance with the spirits could provide further insight. At Haeni's prompting, she turned around in her chair and retrieved a heavy crystal ball that she sat in the center of the table. As she began to instruct the party on the details of the ritual, she demanded that Liber either leave the room or join the party around the table for total connection to the spirits. After a moment of protest, he sat down, and Tasaria began to call out for spirits to speak to them. As she described the spectral forms in the room, she explained that the first to make contact was a dark elf. Prince said that this elf may be his father, and his suspicions were confirmed when the fortune teller described the drow as he stepped behind Prince, and placed their hand on his shoulder. Tasaria further described the empty scabbard at his side, before the specter nodded silently and drifted back into the aether. After a few more calls to the spirits, the fortune teller described a goblin, cowering in fear from a great aura or light, shielding his face with his hands. As the goblin faded away, Tasaria asked the group to open their eyes, and explained that the connection to the spirits was too weak for her to continue the reading.

In the moments after the séance, while the group was reflecting on what they saw, Liber stood from the table, and directed a magical gust of wind towards the window, causing it to slam open, startling everyone out of their thoughts. Tasaria hurried to the window, closing it and explaining that this usually happened during a séance, and that the spirits must still be active in the room. As the fortune teller returned to the table, she asked if anyone was interested in a personal Tarokka reading, and as all but Liber expressed interest, she began shuffling a deck of large black cards. Liber left the parlor to return to The Beggar's Dog Inn, and on his way out, slammed the window open again, laughing to himself as he walked back towards the center of the city.

Olut is the first to the Tarokka table, and Tasaria draws:  

• The Myrmidon, describing a future of great heroes, reversals of fate, and the triumph of the underdog
• The Darklord, representing a powerfully evil individual, whose goals hold far-reaching consequences
• The Ghost, an indicator of the looming past, a lost secret buried long ago
• The Wizard, someone craving great magical power and knowledge
• The Swashbuckler, a card for those who like money, but willingly give it up, likable rapscallions

Prince steps up for his reading next, receiving:  

• The Charlatan, warning of liars, those who wear two faces
• The Shepherd, describing a protector, one who bears a burden too great to be shouldered alone
• The Mists, Something unexpected that cannot be avoided, a great trial that will test one's spirit
• The Wizard, again the pursuit of power, and tying him to Olut in some way
• The Avenger, One seeking justice and revenge for great wrongs, or who undertake a quest to rid the world of a great evil

After his reading, Prince questioned the presence of the Charlatan, as he was unclear how it fit into the draw. Tasaria explained that it could represent themself, or someone met on their journey, and the level to which they influenced the path set out was unclear.
  Haeni stepped up next to the table, and the fortune teller drew:  

• The Berserker, representing the brutal and barbaric side of warfare, the bloodlust and bestial nature of battle
• The Innocent, a person of great importance in mortal peril, either unaware or unable to protect themselves
• The Necromancer, describing unnatural events or unhealthy obsessions leading to destruction
• The Priest, A search for a higher purpose or system of values to be followed to elightenment
• The Dictator, An unjust system of governance or rule, through fear and violence

As Haeni's reading concluded, Tasaria cautioned him to read the cards not as parts of a whole, but as individual aspects that can each affect his path in different ways. Looking at Lerissa, the fortune teller asked if she was ready for a reading, but before she could draw the cards, Lerissa produced the bone statuette that she had claimed from the merchant chest several days before. Handing it to Tasaria, she asked to learn the mysteries it may hold. After several seconds of examination, Tasaria explained that this statue may have been used in some ritual, or may have simply been a macabre decoration, but regardless a faint magic still emanated from within. The details were unclear, save that it was a negative energy.

Unsatisfied with the answer, but with no further path to learning more, Lerissa sat for her Tarokka reading:  

• The Bishop, representing a strict adherence to a code or belief, plotters and planners
• The Torturer, the coming of suffering and mindless cruelty, irredeemable evil or sadism
• The Monk, describing an inner peace or serenity, self-reliance bereft of arrogance
• The Broken One, a defeat or failure, the loss of something important, an incompleteness
• The Evoker, Magical or Supernatural power that cannot be controlled. Destructive magic

After her reading, Lerissa stood up quietly and moved away from the table while the rest of the remaining party thanked Tasaria for her services, and paid what she was due. As the fortune teller began picking up her parlor, she noticed Lerissa's somber state and offered the group a tray of small cakes, which they accepted. Making small talk on the way out the door, Prince asked the fortune teller if Tasaria was her real name, and she confided in him that she was called Grunga, but that "Tasaria" sold better to potential customers. As the group left the house and began their walk back to the inn, she bid them farewell, shutting the door behind them. As they weaved through the streets, Prince noticed Lerissa's silence and asked her what was the matter, to which she responded that the fortune teller hit unexpectedly close to home. Lerissa split off from the group to return home, and the remaining trio walked in silence the rest of the way to the Beggar's Dog and to their rooms.

The next morning, Lerissa rose with the sun, and took the short trip from her home to the Chasewater Shipping Depot. As she entered the building, she was greeted by the secretary who welcomed her back from her vacation. Lerissa explained that she was just back for the morning, and asked about the goings-on around the office. The secretary described the fervor with which the company was trying to root out the issue with the shipment of Devil's Tongue, and that Lerissa's supervisor, Roscoe Goodbarrel had taken it upon himself to lead the charge. She explains that the shipment was found because, among a selection of cloth bound for tailors and traders, one box did not appear on the manifest, and was tagged for no recipient. As Lerissa bid the secretary a good day and headed back into the offices, she spotted Roscoe in his office and beelined for his door.

She entered without knocking, and Roscoe jumped, knocking the papers that he was poring over to the floor. As Lerissa closed the door behind her, she told Roscoe that he owed her and she was here to collect. Standing over the halfling's desk, she struck an imposing figure, and as she stared the man down, he realized that he was trapped. Lerissa peppered him with questions about the Devil's tongue shipment, he explained that he was a small part of the operation, only responsible for editing the shipping manifests, removing crates from the log so that they match the contents of the arriving ships. As Lerissa mentioned Davren Thenrus, Roscoe blanched and explained that Davren was the one who hired him. He continued to explain that if Davren knew they had talked, they would both be in trouble and that she had better leave before their conversation attracted attention. On her way to the door, Lerissa asked Roscoe when she could find the outstanding balance she was owed, and he promised that it would be in her desk by the next morning.

The rest of the party was eating breakfast at the Beggar's Dog when Lerissa entered, and she joined them at their table to discuss their meeting with Davren that afternoon. Lerissa shared her newfound information, explaining that there was a man on the inside keeping things from being discovered, making the process easier on the smugglers. As it became understood that this smuggling ring was perhaps better organized than it originally appeared, the group began to worry that the meeting would be a trap, that Davren wouldn't show up and instead take out anyone sent to meet him. With this in mind, they agreed to plant three of their number inconspicuously in the tavern beforehand, in case things went poorly, sending only Olut and Lerissa in to meet with the smuggler directly. As they finished breakfast, hey split up, planning to arrive at the tavern in groups that afternoon.

While waiting for their meeting, each of the group headed out around Burmery, Haeni busked in the market square, while Olut, Lerissa, and Prince each went their separate ways. Still intrigued by the light in the forest several days earlier, Liber headed to the city library and spent several hours researching legends and stories that could match the phenomenon they observed. While he was able to find several things that were similar to their experience (like The Blue Witch, or The Green Man), none matched perfectly, and so he resolved to continue the search later as he rushed towards the meeting location.

Approximately thirty minutes before the meeting was scheduled to start, Liber, Haeni, and Prince each arrived at The Clumsy Guard Pub, sitting at different tables, and doing their best to blend into the small crowd. Shortly after, Lerissa and Olut stepped through the door, and as they start to settle in, a man steps up to their table and invites them to the balcony. They follow and are directed to sit at a table across from a man who looks nothing like the wanted poster they had been given.

Meanwhile, down in the bar, Liber, Prince, and Haeni bide their time, trying to listen in for any hint of the conversation upstairs, but hearing nothing, decide to gamble instead. Their game is only interrupted when Olut and Lerissa return, telling them that they were making progress and that the details could be explained later. As the group walked out of the tavern and back towards the Beggar's Dog, Olut explains that Davren didn't show up, but it was instead a second-in-command who wants to turn in his leader and usurp his position.