Session 56 - Mistakes Were Made
General Summary
With Kumiko gone and Mite unconscious back at Haven Manor, Truett, Quilith, Jayvielle and Kilgor made their way to the Rusty Dragon to question a gnome wizard named Jubadeem. Juba was an ally to Maximus Merilander and had delivered the simulacrum to Sandpoint. Jayvielle wanted to question the gnome and get answers about Maximus and Jayvielle’s past.
The Rusty Dragon was packed. Tyrandos “The Tremendous” Romulos was the headline act, mesmerizing the crowd with his performance. The heroes found Jubadeem seated at a table in the back. When the gnome saw Jayvielle, he tried to cast something. Kilgor grabbed his arms and broke the spell.
Jubadeem denied everything for several minutes. But after being repeatedly called out on his lies, the gnome confessed. He admitted that Maximus had been raised to hate Jayvielle because the boy’s mother twisted him to do so. Maximus also had a magical sword that further twisted his skewed moral compass.
When Jayvielle pressed him about his involvement, Jubadeem broke. He had been part of an adventuring group with Dalvein Merilander, the father of Maximus. They had travelled to the Mwangi Expanse because Dalvein was looking for a magical obelisk, said to be of great value. They found a village of grippli and began questioning them, hoping to find the whereabouts of the obelisk. Things got heated, and a fight ensued. The adventurers killed most of the villagers. A few grippli escaped, hoping to reach a nearby outpost of elves they could call on for aid. Dalvein told Jubadeem to stop them, and in his haste to follow orders, he cast a lightning bolt spell that killed not only the grippli but the adventures as well (including Jubadeem’s friend Dalvein).
Jubadeem returned to Cheliax to tell Dalvein’s wife, Brindalyn Merilander, what had happened. But Brindalyin was so incensed at losing her husband and the quality of life she had become accustomed to, Jubadeem could not bring himself to confess to his involvement. He lied and blamed the grippli for Dalvein's death. He admitted that one grippli had survived, hoping that searching for one grippli in the Mwangi Expanse for vengeance would take the heat off himself.
It worked. Brindalyn raised her son to want revenge and provide for his family. Jubadeem offered to help train the boy. After searching his things, Kilgor discovered some “personal items” that indicated that Jubadeem had an unhealthy interest in Brindalyn.
Jayvielle asked if Jubadeem knew what the markings on his back were. Jubadeem said that Jayvielle’s father had been a shaman who summoned a protective spirit when Jubadeem had cast his spell. There was a flash, and Jayvielle survived the attack, leaving behind the spirit’s mark on his back.
Truett had been watching the crowd during the interrogation. He caught a glimpse of something almost unseen passing nearby. He cast the spell invisibility purge, and the simulacrum of Maximus Merilander came into view. He had heard Jubadeem’s confession and confronted him. He then lashed out and used an intensified shocking grasp on the restrained wizard. Ameiko Kaijitsu , who saw the attack and heard the gnome scream in pain, magically restrained Maximus.
Once the interrogation was over, Quilith cast a geas spell on Jubadeem and instructed him to return to the Merilander family, confess his crimes, and clear Jayvielle’s name. He was then permitted to leave. Maximus Sim questioned everything he had been told and every instruction he had been given. He retired to his room for the evening.
The following day, the party decided to help Truett complete his potion delivery to Riddleport. From there, they would travel to Magnimar and speak to Echo about his connection to Xaliasa. The party teleported to Maly’s Wonderous Vault in Riddleport and delivered the potions.
Suddenly, an explosion rocked the city. The heroes investigated the blast, which had come from Zincher’s Arena. There was fire, debris, and a large hole that had been blown into the side of the structure. Mite heard a sound and slipped away from the party to investigate. He found Dagourn injured and hiding in an alley. Dagourn told Mite that he had been drugged in Clegg’s casino and passed out. When he came to, he was locked away in the arena. Clegg told him that he had made money off one of his kind before and planned to do so again. He said that he now owned Dagourn.
Dagourn prayed to the Dark Queen for aid. She came through and created the explosion that allowed Dagourn to escape. However, he was injured in the explosion and couldn’t heal himself. He asked Mite if he could get him out of town. Mite agreed.
The rest of the party fought four abaasy, one-eyed creatures that were half-ogre, half-giant. The abaasy, in a berserk rage, were taking advantage of the damage and tried to flee the arena. Once they were stopped, the heroes teleported to Magnimar with Dagourn in tow. They checked in with Hobart Deverin to ensure Maximus had not approached him. Someone was spotted across the street, and after Mite neutralized him, Jayvielle questioned the man. He was a member of the Order of Magnimar Security who had heard about Maximus and was posted there to keep an eye on him.
The heroes then went to Echo’s Mystical Oddities. They spoke with Echo and asked if he knew who Xaliasa was. At the mention of the name, Echo locked down the building, and his demeanour changed. He removed the fake vampire fangs, dropped the accent, and asked what the party wanted to know.
They had found Xaliasa.
Mite
Quilith
Kilgor
Jayvielle
Truett
Report Date
19 Dec 2022
Primary Location
Secondary Location