Session 22
General Summary
Having just woken up on the morning of the 16th of Ro'Theron, Newt and Moira were both suddenly infatuated with Belle and seemed much more interested in doing whatever Belle wanted to do rather than focusing fully on the pickpocketing competition and achieving vengeance on Bert. The Widow tried to get through to Moira by reminding her about how she promised not to betray and/or backstab him again. Moira didn't seem to quite understand what The Widow was trying to imply... isn't Belle beautiful?
Meanwhile, Rani woke up with Ezra in their spot overlooking Goddess Bay. As Ezra was previously honest with her, Rani chose to be honest with Ezra. She is not who she thought she was and she certainly is no longer the person she was when she first arrived in the city of Varoona. Rani told Ezra that she was entrusted by her people with balancing protection and destruction... and it was easy, for a time. Upon arriving in Varoona, she weighed the life of one innocent against another... and refused to face the consequences. And now, she wishes that she would have just killed the old man... and she would do it in a heartbeat to save the boy. Rani is also worried about whatever is eating at her friend and she is concerned for Zephus. It seems there is a lot resting on her shoulders.
Ezra pulled Rani close and assured her that part of being human... is making mistakes; humans are imperfect. Still holding her, he told a story. When Ezra was younger, he wanted nothing to do with the theater... he didn't want to carry the responsibility of his parents and so he ran away from it all for some time. He ignored the warnings of others and wandered into the golden mist near Therarask's volcano... he is thankful that Therarask was in a good mood that day. Instead of going mad or losing himself in the mist, he spent the day entertaining peafowl. The world is beautiful... and it is worth protecting. He wonders - and often laments over - what he missed out on protecting by running from his responsibilities for so long. When he eventually was sent away from home, despite his love for freedom and wanderlust, he felt unanchored and lost. He may not know exactly what Rani is weighed down by, but does understand and he does not think less of her. Perhaps, they could help one another? His desire to protect the beauty of the world led him to a shadow collective. But business can wait, for now... instead, brunch?
Moira, Newt, Belle, and The Widow went to the floating festival grounds with the intention of stealing more scarves. After having some poor luck with stealing – everyone seems on high alert after the "Bert alarm" was raised the day prior – Belle decided to be a distraction... However, the strip tease pole dance routine on the statue of Therarask was a little too distracting... Moira and Newt couldn't seem to avert there gaze and then almost got heated over who received a wink and who didn't. The Widow, however, was able to snag 5 scarves from distracted festival goers. Newt was amazed by the Widow's ability to multitask.
Rani and Ezra - after cleaning up at the Theater - went to a small hole-in-the-wall brunch place called Silver Linings. Ezra got them a little table overlooking the Bay. Ezra asked to hear more about where Rani is from and Rani expressed how excited she was for flying laser shooting sand seals. Ezra seemed amused.
A warforged approached Newt, handing him a note. It seems Bert is willing to give Newt a fighting chance. He warned Newt that he'll begin hunting him at sundown, but also provided him with some information: he's hiden 15 scarves somewhere in the city. Newt immediately planned to fly around and look, wanting to take Belle, which rubbed The Widow the wrong way... then Newt and Moira both seemed to come back to their full senses. Horrified, Newt and Moira - who frantically apologized to the Widow - flew off in search of scarves, yelling at each other about what happened.
Rani and Ezra took a tour of the Gardens, stopping for a moment to view a statue depicting Therarask and "the woman who made the god of debauchery the god of devotion" as Ezra explained. They then sat on a bench and watched the sun glitter off the waters of the bay. For a moment, they spoke of business before they resolved to save that for the morrow. Instead, perhaps its time to steal some scarves.
Newt and Moira flew into the mouth of the Hydra statue where they poked around the immaculately carved interior. Moira managed to find a silver key that was revealed by the water's reflection and tried to repeatedly stab it into the marble wall. Newt used his tattoo to identify the script, which read "Ambarra, Champion of Varoona."
The Widow and Belle made there way through the gardens - narrowly missing Ezra and Rani as they departed - pausing before a familiar wooden statue where Belle asked what The Widow thought of this particular depiction of Therarask. The Widow recognized the flowers surrounding the statue as well as their meaning and was hit by a wave of sorrow-filled memories when Belle handed him a bouquet of flowers - Red roses, red salvia, heliotrope, and marigolds. When the Widow admitted that he only lived for the memory of his wife, Belle suggested that he should shackle himself to someone else... sometimes, people don't come back, no matter how much we want them to.
Rani and Ezra perused the Hall of Therarask. As they admired one of the statues, Ezra seemed to be somewhat unsure, suggesting that (of course, only if Rani wants to, he's not implying anything) there is something the priestess can provide... called a Sweetheart's Confection. After having the side effects explained by a priestess, Rani agreed. Linking arms with Ezra, Rani at a heart-shaped chocolate and almost immediately felt a flood of happiness - Ezra's happiness - wash over her. With a wide grin, he spun her around and kissed her.
Moira and Newt continued their hunt for scarves, eventually finding their way to the Temple of Varoona and asking the High Priestess for access to a guarded room. The High Priestess seemed tired and mildly stressed, but welcomed a brief reprieve, bringing out 15 scarves hidden within the guarded room.
Belle was amused by The Widow's intense irritation with all of the wrong statues of Therarask. At Belle's suggestion, The Widow spoke to Dante, one of the overseers, about how its a "poor show of devotion" that they don't have a more up-to-date statue here. The moment "devotion" was mentioned, Dante seemed to deflect the entire conversation over to the priestess, Alessandra. After listening to The Widow rant about depictions of the god they serve and speak to regularly, Alessandra suggested that perhaps The Widow should consider learning more about the god they serve. While copious amounts of zeal are desired to spread the word of any member of the pantheon, it should not go without "fact checking". Belle eventually dragged The Widow out after Alessandra asked if they were lovers and wanted a confection. The Widow then left Belle standing outside the hall.
Rani and Ezra attempted to steal a scarf after Torak - the half-orc friend of Noel - approached and let Rani know that Noel wanted to apologize for her sudden absence. After initially failing to use the swarms to nab the scarf, Rani bid Ezra a temporary goodbye as she hunted the man down and finally managed to acquire his scarf. She then went for a nice relaxing hot stone massage at Pinnacle.
After acquiring the 15 scarfs, Newt and Moira returned to the floating festival grounds where they engaged in a last minute showdown with Bert. Moira, using see invisibility, was able to catch sight of Bert as he slinked through the crowd. Newt was able to defly move out of the way each time Bert got close to his pants - where the scarves were hidden - thanks to warnings from Moira. As the shriveled up elf tried to move away, Moira first attempted to grab him and then chose to guiding bolt him. Despite Bert's annoying presence, the duo managed to snag two more scarves. As the final call for scarves was announced, Newt barely managed to shake out of a magical hold to produce his 49 scarves. In the distance, Bert released a resounding: "FUCK".
Having received the prize, Bert didn't seem to happy and particularly not happy with Moira. When she asked about his reaction to her, Bert responded by asking if she felt cold. There's something that's taken root within her. Good luck figuring it out.
The Widow gathered some seafood and a golden blanket and went back to pick up Belle, misty stepping next to him. Belle was taken by the shiny new cruiser and, while he appreciated the little feast, was more interested in something else... he produced a jar of caramel and asked if The Widow had any interest in exploring a new technique popular on Pleasure Row: the tootsie pop. Want to find out how many licks it takes? Cue fade to black.
Moira sped through the Hall of Illusions to earn her hour in the Mirror. As the Mirror's surface rippled, she returned to a familiar mount and the familiar home of the Ladies of the Stars. Moira pulled The Widow into the kitchen where she started cooking. She introduced Rani to Yue and the green dragonborn seemed to beam at her with pride. She pulled pranks with Newt and the twins. And in the end, they all sat down to eat a meal. Belle was there hitting on Diavolo until Moira forced her way between them with Thanatos on her shoulder (who happily ate whatever she fed him). For the first time in a while... she felt full.
Newt got a massage before going to the Mirror of Therarask. In the House of Death, he was reunited with an elderly tiefling man. He took Thyron through a dramatic recollection of all of his adventures from when he stole an axe from a notorious blue dragonborn, through the Great Hunt, and all the way to the shenanigans in Varoona. The old man invited Newt to walk along the bridge with him, stopping in the middle to glance over the water. As always, he is proud of Newt. Now, would you like to see a dead body? Just like old times, Thyron showed him how each wound was made and exactly what was the cause of death, before it all faded.
Rani joined Ezra at the Bard College where they walked arm in arm through the crowd from performance to performance. They were occasionally pulled into a flash mob or pushed together. As dancers, they easy fell into the steps and even stole the show. They heard a beautiful operatic solo from a young elven performer, watched aerial dancers go through a daring display of acrobatics, saw a pair of dancers entwined in an eternal dance, and watched a dramatic rendition of two brothers who took their feud to the Coliseum in Ragna. At the end, the entire square was flooded with rose petals, marking the end of San Futas.
The Widow woke up on a golden platform... slightly below the normal one, however. In front of him, there was a golden, shimmering woman seated behind a desk. She seemed mildly taken aback and informed The Widow that Therarask is busy with the "special event" motioning to the jungle and volcano below. It seems that Belle is one of Therarask's many avatars. The Widow woke up alone on the boat.
Meanwhile, Moira walked into the kitchen of Cali's cabana to find an unfamiliar figure in the kitchen... it seems Ghilani works for a researcher in Eredet and was sent to find Rani
When Rani returned, she informed the party that they really must speak with Ezra - he's part of some collective and she's worried she's biased. And Ghilani requested a collaboration on behalf of Dr. Serene Valdove...
Dear Rani Al-Himma, I hope this letter finds you well. By the time this note arrives, San Futas will have concluded, and I hope you enjoyed yourself. But for now, on to more pressing matters. It has come to my attention that you are in possession of an item of interest: a journal with the symbol of Judas' priestesses with a more than interesting date associated with the entries. The secrets and untapped magic bound within those writings could prove more beneficial to my research than you could possibly know. Though, I doubt you've been able to decipher it, as it is no doubt coded in calligraphy lost to time and deliberately kept practically indecipherable. Therefore, I come to you with an offer. I propose we collaborate, exchange and discuss notes on the subject matter of the journal in hopes of uncovering the secrets it holds. Perhaps with enough effort, we can learn of the magics left behind by Judas' priestesses, as well as compile a few publications from the matter (co-authorship or second author to be expected, of course). To this end, I've sent my assistant, Gilhani Avheran (don't forget to introduce yourself Gilhani) to act as an intermediary and corroborator for our potential collaboration. Furthermore, I suspect word of this journal may capture the interest and ire of thieves and potential ne'er-do-wells throughout Dremora. I would attend to this matter myself, however obligations regarding my research and the Council have my hands tied on this matter as of late, though I intend to free myself of these tasks in the coming weeks. Thus, my assistant will aid you in any work regarding further understanding of the journal's contents, as well as its protection and safe keeping until I arrive in Varoona (of which I plan to arrive shortly before the Namakan Games). I believe we can both benefit deeply from working with one another, and I'm eager to work with you and your associates on discovering what the shadows of the past have kept buried. Best, Dr. Serene ValdoveThis is awkward... it seems they're both assistants to incredibly competitive academics. Who will get first author? Stay tuned.
Rewards Granted
Upon stealing the pickpocketing win from Bert, Newt won The Deep End 490 gold for collecting 49 pink scarves over the course of San Futas.
Missions/Quests Completed
As the 16th of Ro'Theron, The Day of Devotion, draws to a close... the festival of San Futas ends. With the 4 day "vacation" now behind them, The Deep End now has to return to another pressing problems... pirates.
Report Date
28 Oct 2021
Primary Location
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