HHI Session 14: Where There's Smoke There's Fireball
General Summary
Month 4, Week 2, Year 908
Mavis, Ownka, Ithilwen, and Log all returned from their lakeside cruise full of intelligence on potential stronghold sites to share with the The Gatekeeper. Mavis made one last pass at Cpt. Blipool, but the kuo-toa insisted that she liked to be wined and dined first. Back at the tavern the Seeking Scorpions regrouped with Balasar over a couple of drinks. Balasar had spent the last couple of days exploring Shisu, meeting up with a couple of Handgun agents in an attempt to purchase a Ring of Protection. The two agents, an elven woman and a bullywug man, were reluctant to help the dragonborn out for the way his group had left Nikki Merit imprisoned in Orem. They charged an outrageous sum for the ring, but eventually they came to an agreement: if Balasar could pay 1,500GP and steal some relics from the besieged city of Younashi for the Handgun, then the ring would be rewarded as payment for a job well done. Balasar also spent his time reading, finishing the lengthy tome The Sebastian Syndrome. The book had been remarkably informative, providing him with some level of control over his Wild Magic abilities. This knowledge could be used to either control or unleash his powers even further, and of course the pyromaniac Balasar chose the latter. That night Balasar convinced Mavis, Ownka, and Log to come along with him to the business meeting he had planned with a couple of red dragonborn in town. Ithilwen declined to join, and before heading out Mavis made sure to call the Gatekeeper and tell him all about the group's discoveries in Lake Yasai. The Gatekeeper was intrigued by Lankenau Island as a stronghold location, showing little concern for the ghosts haunting the island. He demanded other options from Mavis however, berating the kenku for the party's slow pace through the Northern Territories. The next morning while everybody was getting ready for the business meeting, Ithilwen received a call from Maris Sissava reminding her about the mission to rescue a couple of yuan-ti agents from Younashi. Ithilwen grumbled acknowledgement, exhausted from just a couple minutes of Maris' cheery attitude. The meeting started promising enough, the party taking seats in the smoking room opposite the red dragonborn Kirith and Rezena. Cigars were passed around, and both Mavis and Balasar agreed to a smoke. Rezena pressed Balasar for more information about the group, questioning the sorcerer on some of his group's more radical ideas. Balasar explained how that which is weak must be burned and replaced, getting more suspicious about Rezena and the group she worked for. Rezena kept her replies vague, mentioning something about how her group was based out in Avicenna and looked for ways to encourage world stability. Balasar grew displeased with her talk of stability and maintaining the status quo. Him and the others began to consider leaving, but suddenly the magical effects of the cigars took effect. Mavis and Balasar found themselves trapped inside mental prisons, unable to move from their spot on the couch and restrained by the illusion. Meanwhile the cigars Rezena and Kirith had been smoking erupted into the 'Darkness' spell and doused the room in pitch blackness. As the only two who hadn't done any smoking, Ownka and Log were forced to fight off the red dragonborn on their own. Log landed some well-placed blows in the darkness while a third dragonborn entered the shop and blocked off the front entrance. Balasar and Mavis were both clapped into handcuffs by Rezena and Kirith, but they had the wherewithal to blindly cast out spells from their mental prisons. Mavis' Eldritch Blast went wild, but Balasar's Scorching Rays managed to find all of their targets and dispelled the 'Darkness'. Unfortunately, the rays also unleashed the sorcerer's wild magic in the form of a 'Fireball' in the center of the room. Ownka, Mavis, and Balasar were all KO'd, Rezena incinerated by the heat of the powerful spell. As the only survivor of the blast, Log cast 'Healing Word' to revive Mavis and rushed out to the shop's storefront to deal with the third dragonborn. As the kenku came back to consciousness, she noticed that Rezena's magic disguise had fallen and she was no longer a red dragonborn. Instead, she was clearly looking at the scorched remains of Gwendolyn Ra, Mavis' old protege and partner in crime. Before Mavis could finish off Kirith, the dragonborn went over to Balasar's unconscious body and teleported away from the shop. Mavis and Log were forced to deal with the remaining agent on their own, a bitter fight that ended with Log finally delivering a killing blow with her rapier. The lizardfolk picked through the remains to craft a couple of javelins while Ownka and Mavis sifted through the ruins of the shop to figure out what had happened to Balasar. Picking up the box of magic cigars and discovering some healing kits behind the counter, the two of them quickly realized that this was more than just a run-of-the-mill cigar shop. Log gave Mavis the head of Gwendolyn as a sign of respect, the kenku having mixed emotions over the death of one of her old students. Back at the Sand Gem tavern Ownka and Log communed with Gruumsh, the orcish war god remarking on the variety of paths available for Ownka to take.
Mavis, Ownka, Ithilwen, and Log all returned from their lakeside cruise full of intelligence on potential stronghold sites to share with the The Gatekeeper. Mavis made one last pass at Cpt. Blipool, but the kuo-toa insisted that she liked to be wined and dined first. Back at the tavern the Seeking Scorpions regrouped with Balasar over a couple of drinks. Balasar had spent the last couple of days exploring Shisu, meeting up with a couple of Handgun agents in an attempt to purchase a Ring of Protection. The two agents, an elven woman and a bullywug man, were reluctant to help the dragonborn out for the way his group had left Nikki Merit imprisoned in Orem. They charged an outrageous sum for the ring, but eventually they came to an agreement: if Balasar could pay 1,500GP and steal some relics from the besieged city of Younashi for the Handgun, then the ring would be rewarded as payment for a job well done. Balasar also spent his time reading, finishing the lengthy tome The Sebastian Syndrome. The book had been remarkably informative, providing him with some level of control over his Wild Magic abilities. This knowledge could be used to either control or unleash his powers even further, and of course the pyromaniac Balasar chose the latter. That night Balasar convinced Mavis, Ownka, and Log to come along with him to the business meeting he had planned with a couple of red dragonborn in town. Ithilwen declined to join, and before heading out Mavis made sure to call the Gatekeeper and tell him all about the group's discoveries in Lake Yasai. The Gatekeeper was intrigued by Lankenau Island as a stronghold location, showing little concern for the ghosts haunting the island. He demanded other options from Mavis however, berating the kenku for the party's slow pace through the Northern Territories. The next morning while everybody was getting ready for the business meeting, Ithilwen received a call from Maris Sissava reminding her about the mission to rescue a couple of yuan-ti agents from Younashi. Ithilwen grumbled acknowledgement, exhausted from just a couple minutes of Maris' cheery attitude. The meeting started promising enough, the party taking seats in the smoking room opposite the red dragonborn Kirith and Rezena. Cigars were passed around, and both Mavis and Balasar agreed to a smoke. Rezena pressed Balasar for more information about the group, questioning the sorcerer on some of his group's more radical ideas. Balasar explained how that which is weak must be burned and replaced, getting more suspicious about Rezena and the group she worked for. Rezena kept her replies vague, mentioning something about how her group was based out in Avicenna and looked for ways to encourage world stability. Balasar grew displeased with her talk of stability and maintaining the status quo. Him and the others began to consider leaving, but suddenly the magical effects of the cigars took effect. Mavis and Balasar found themselves trapped inside mental prisons, unable to move from their spot on the couch and restrained by the illusion. Meanwhile the cigars Rezena and Kirith had been smoking erupted into the 'Darkness' spell and doused the room in pitch blackness. As the only two who hadn't done any smoking, Ownka and Log were forced to fight off the red dragonborn on their own. Log landed some well-placed blows in the darkness while a third dragonborn entered the shop and blocked off the front entrance. Balasar and Mavis were both clapped into handcuffs by Rezena and Kirith, but they had the wherewithal to blindly cast out spells from their mental prisons. Mavis' Eldritch Blast went wild, but Balasar's Scorching Rays managed to find all of their targets and dispelled the 'Darkness'. Unfortunately, the rays also unleashed the sorcerer's wild magic in the form of a 'Fireball' in the center of the room. Ownka, Mavis, and Balasar were all KO'd, Rezena incinerated by the heat of the powerful spell. As the only survivor of the blast, Log cast 'Healing Word' to revive Mavis and rushed out to the shop's storefront to deal with the third dragonborn. As the kenku came back to consciousness, she noticed that Rezena's magic disguise had fallen and she was no longer a red dragonborn. Instead, she was clearly looking at the scorched remains of Gwendolyn Ra, Mavis' old protege and partner in crime. Before Mavis could finish off Kirith, the dragonborn went over to Balasar's unconscious body and teleported away from the shop. Mavis and Log were forced to deal with the remaining agent on their own, a bitter fight that ended with Log finally delivering a killing blow with her rapier. The lizardfolk picked through the remains to craft a couple of javelins while Ownka and Mavis sifted through the ruins of the shop to figure out what had happened to Balasar. Picking up the box of magic cigars and discovering some healing kits behind the counter, the two of them quickly realized that this was more than just a run-of-the-mill cigar shop. Log gave Mavis the head of Gwendolyn as a sign of respect, the kenku having mixed emotions over the death of one of her old students. Back at the Sand Gem tavern Ownka and Log communed with Gruumsh, the orcish war god remarking on the variety of paths available for Ownka to take.
Rewards Granted
- Mavis collected two boxes of cigars from the Shroud's Shisu office
Character(s) interacted with
- Blipool - a female kuo-toa and captain of the sailboat the party took to explore the islands of Lake Yasai. She declined Mavis' offers to hook up.
- The Gatekeeper - the Seeking Scorpions' mysterious patron, who was only slightly pleased to learn about a potential stronghold site on Lankenau Island
- Maris Sissava - a female yuan-ti and leader of a group of conspirators in Orem. She promised to pay the party a great sum if they rescued some of her agents from Younashi.
- Gwendolyn Ra - a female kenku and Shroud agent. She tricked the party into a private meeting at the Shroud's Shisu office to apprehend Balasar, but she was incinerated by a Wild Magic 'Fireball'
- Kirith - a male red dragonborn and Shroud agent. During the trap in the Shroud's Shisu office he teleported away with Balasar's unconscious body, the rest of the party unsure of where he vanished off to.
Report Date
03 Oct 2020
Primary Location
Featured Players
- Balasar Norixius
- Ithilwen Donnabháin
- Mavis Wren
- Ownka Ramm
- with special guest Log
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