Session Preface
Once more underneath the open sky of Zeus, deep peaceful breaths fill your lungs with the comforting scents of the rich soil beneath your bedroll, the familiar soft pine needles underneath your head, the sounds of crackling fire with the taste of crisp rabbit still on your tongue. Though far from home, Thaust, this evening feels as if it could be one of thousands others from years prior. Well, except for the fruit tree and the pink toad that turned into the blue snake with legs and lightning breath. Besides that, a totally normal night like any other, which is so refreshing after being under mountains, under seas, and underground for so much of the recent journey.
Sleep comes easily as Emmyth takes the first watch, and dreams find you soon after. Beneath the beacon of Durindale, petal flowers drift gracefully through the air while fireworks burst overhead. You stand before a crowd of adventurers and Avengers in the courtyard decorated with lush greenery and magical lights. The central fountain sparkles and glows, pouring wine instead of water. Hawk and Mya stand on either side of you, hand in hand. Hawk's appearance is nothing short of dashing as he wears his finest two-tone velvet doublet, his hair combed and neater than you've seen it in years. Mya opposite him wears a picturesqe white dress of lace and silk, glowing and shining as bright as the displays above. As you speak through the Ceremony ritual you've rehearsed a thousand times in the last tenday, you can't help but smile and laugh as your two best friends in the world prepare to join their lives together underneath the blessed sky of Zeus.
As the ritual continues with both Hawk and Mya speaking of their love and commitment to one another, Hawk is interrupted mid-sentence as both of you simultaneously feel a strange sharp sensation in the palm of your hands. As you look down with your heart preemptively dropping out from your chest, you see in the low light, your own signature written in your palm begin to glow and shine and pulse. The light from your palms opens up and brightens, swallowing the both of you in light. As your vision fades, you watch helplessly as Mya struggles to grasp Hawk's hand, and with her faltering voice, swallowed by tears and choked sobs whispers 'No not now. Please not now. Please come back to me. gods, please come back to me. You promised.'
As her desperate words fade from your ears, you find yourself in a dark, filthy warehouse with a sharp-featured elven figure standing before you. "How nice of you to join me," Xorlone chuckles, "I do hope I didn't pull you away from anything important, but there's work to be done. Now, what do you know of the Undermountain?"
Your dream then fades as you're shaken awake, Hawk's face in the lowlight of near dawn hovering above you. "Thaust, your watch is up." he whispers before giving you a strange look and returning to his own bedroll to rest before the journey ahead. The next few hours pass slowly as you watch the white scar on your hand in anticipation, but no signal ever comes. The sun rises in subtle pinks and oranges like the delicious grapefruit of the night before and another beautiful day of late winter's grasp begins around you.
Session Summary
Following a day of travel, the party passes through the large gates of Yartar near duskfall. Finding rooms at the nearby inn, One Foot in the Boat, Hawk and Tristain make preparations for setting up a Nightingale performance at The Cointoss, the local gossip and watering hole tavern with the best food in the city. Meanwhile, Emmyth pays a visit to his twin sister Lorelei and his niece Gwynestri. Emmyth then pays a visit to two of his contacts employed at the Pearl-Handled Pipe, learning of Lord Khaspere Drylund's connection to the Kraken Society, which is rumored to claim responsibility for the death of an important storm giant. It is during this visit Emmyth discovers his coin purse has been cut and nearly 200 gold has been stolen.
After a brief stop at the Gateway Bakery for a modest nineteen sandwiches and a loaf of bread, Thaust purchases a dark black cloak which he dons to deliver a note to Moonwind, the barkeep at the Cointoss, with a dramatic flourish. Moonwind makes the necessary preparations for the Nightingale performance, at which point Hawk, disguised in his performing mask and costume, descends the stairs from the balcony above and begins a masterful performance.
During the performance, the party keeps a watchful eye and open ear of the bustling tavern. Thaust learns of a mage by the name of Kolbaz who is looking for an apprentice to take over the teleportation circle, a not-well kept Harper secret, in the Lemonbark Villa. Emmyth learns scandalous details regarding the Waterbaron Nestra Ruthiol and the accusations against her of murdering a secret lover. Though the accusations have been dismissed, the individual's widow continues to circulate rumors about the Waterbaron. Hawk observes two hooded women with hidden features counting coins, one arguing they should take the money back to a place called the Wink & Kiss, while the other disagrees in favor of not having to split their find with the others.
After an evening of music and drinking and the eating of many sandwiches, the party return to their respective rooms for the evening. Thaust quickly falls to sleep and Hawk soon after sneaks out, hoping to learn more about the women he observed. Even in the late night, the city of Yartar's industry continues working and Hawk observes a number of ingoing and departing carts, drunken mercenaries stumbling through the streets, and meets a small boy named Simmon who is eating bread out of the Gateway Bakery's trash. Simmon explains the Hand of Yartar is a local group of thieves who often bring the urchins food and supplies. He explains the "Wink and Kiss" is their supposed hideout, though he doesn't know where it is. Simmon agrees to meet Hawk the next evening with one of the other children who's been on the street longer and knows more about the Hand and can answer his questions. Saying farewell to Simmon, Hawk continues exploring the city. With his newfound information, Hawk is able to discern small symbols written in thieves' cant which mark each structure as either, "Off-Limits," "Local," or "Free." He also finds a pair of sewer grates, one which has a symbol for "Wink" and the other for "Kiss."
During this time, Emmyth has the chance to reconnect with Gerard, Lorelei's husband. Gerard discusses the exhausting schedule he's taken on with his promotion to working for Drylund on the Grand Dame and the strain it puts on his day to day life and ability to be with the family. Upon learning Emmyth's plan to investigate the gambling ship, Gerard warns to watch out for Captain Scorn, who runs the ship itself, as well as Pow Ming, the second in command to Lord Drylund, and a magic user who protects his interests. He also notes Drylund is often either smiling and shaking hands with his more notable guests or pacing and talking to himself in his office above the gambling hall.
With these revelations in mind, the party reconvenes the next morning over another twenty sandwiches to discuss their next steps in investigating the Grand Dame as well as the Hand of Yartar as well.
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