Session 68

Rainier
Thursday 10 AM @ Dazzling Gooseberry
Far corner near entrance: Female-presenting; chopped, chin-length black hair; right eye slightly larger than left; lightly tattered, olive green cloak; expensive-looking pouch tucked in between cloak and pant leg; stolen? Middle stool at bar: Androgynous-presenting; Shoulder-length, white hair pulled into bun at nape of neck; shoulders significantly wider than hips; bruises on left knuckles (left-handed or fighter? pointed ears; dirty boots; bruises on right knuckles are darker than on left; stiff posture TO DO LIST BATH archmage Clave investigation Golemancer? Snake lady **Map underdark Shop for gemstones





Group near bar: white cloaks; minimal facial expressions; careful movements; minute sidesteps to avoid contact with passersby Cormag: hunched shoulders; quick eye movements; picking nails; nervous? Guilty? Working for evil fey creature with a short deadline; Chalice of provisions… oh crap No creatures looking directly at us and no sign of Clave members; who knows how many they’ve recruited since…. Gwenda: drawn brows; eyes slightly squinted; looking at Cormag; concerned? Upset? Scolding? Now looking down; potentially thinking of replacement slaves Thicket: little inflection in voice; quick movements; raised eyebrows, open mouth; speaking of slaughter; wait, the queen’s slaughter?? Insights and Reflections I ended up asking Cormag about the woman I noticed in the corner of the room earlier this morning to see if he thought anything was off about her, and he agreed that she seemed nervous and looked out of place. He hadn’t noticed the pouch she was holding onto, but he did notice that the hand that held it never moved from its position, even when she was eating her small breakfast, so he assumed it was something valuable anyway. He also wondered if the androgynous-looking elf at the bar had been involved in any of the unrest in the city. He noticed the elf shoot a couple disapproving looks at our table while we spoke, so if they were involved, it likely wasn’t in defense of the queen. I kept the rest of my notes to myself because I still don’t know what to make of the morning’s revelations. I knew that Cormag had made some sort of deal in order to come back to us, but I didn’t know he had sold his soul. The hold these dark forces have on each of us is at the center of my thoughts tonight, especially as Lady Verna makes her way toward almost certain death in the Derna Forest. Directly or not, each of us is only alive because another being has willed it so. Kara seems to think it is for a higher purpose, and I envy her optimism. In my experience, however, benevolent creatures don’t conceal their intentions or their methods. I see two most likely scenarios: I’m right and we are helping an evil demon gain power, or Kara is right about Cat being good, but he doesn’t know if we’ll have the stomach to follow through with what needs to be done in order to stop this evil force he speaks of. Either way, I fear that a lot of people are going to die, and worse, I fear that it is going to be at our hands. For now, I suppose we just handle one demon at a time, and right now, the only one with a potential solution is Cormag’s. To Mother Iris’s we go.