Session Eight: Serra Hyne

General Summary

- 1 of Han -

Yarrow Fermata, Cyrus Danceyboi, Alabaster Quilcy, Captain Wolne Forradare, and Flandal Steelskin Master of Metal stood outside of Flandal's workshop as bees poured out of Yarrow. Flandal became fixated on the bees and the portable hive backpack and began to ask questions about the bees and their nature. Yarrow and Alabaster were happy to discuss the bees but Cyrus and Wolne quickly got everyone refocused.
Flandal began to say that everything was on track and would be fine to Wolne. Yarrow retorted that he Flandal would have to fix the magic he saw failing when he exited the work room. Flandal thought for a moment and asked the party if they would come inside and give a look at the items he was having trouble with. Wolne protested that it was Perch Guard business but the group displayed their temporary badges that they had received from Serra Hyne and Flandal cheerfully led them into the shop.

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Aldous continued to listen into the conversation between Nicholas , Emma , and Captain Alvert. Something was definitely wrong and Aldous made the decision to enter the conversation. This surprised everyone involved and the tone shifted slightly. Alvert tried to shift to take Aldous into consideration but the Corvum shut down the advances and side steps of the silver tongued Mapach Captain and demanded that Emma stay home for the day with her family since it was her day off. The captain agreed but told Emma to think of his offer to go to the capitol and that the captains would await for her response.
Once alone Emma tried to ask her father and uncle what was going on. Nicholas went into the kitchen and started drinking while Aldous peered out the front window of the house to see what the Perch Guard were doing. Emma tried to talk to Aldous but he brushed her off and told her to stay safe and it would make sense later. Moving to her father garnered less traction and Emma yelled at both her father and uncle and stormed out of the house saying she was going to go find her friends and figure out what to do next.

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Flandal took the party into one of the work rooms in the back of the complex. Inside the tables were covered in swords, daggers, bows, hammers, and various weapons. The walls were covered with racks and shelves with supplies and armors on them and on one of the work tables a section was cleared and a ritual circle was laid out. Next to the circle was a large book with instructions and several different components.
Alabaster and Yarrow looked at the circle. Flandal expressed his confusion at the ritual. Flandal and the Perch Guard were getting help from someone magical who came and showed how the enchantment was done. This person did the ritual in a matter of hours per item and seemed fairly confident in it. Flandal however doesn't trust this person; the ritual feels off, the items seem to have something more about them, and the person in question was rude and secretive.
Wolne then explained the full plan. The Perch Guard has an agent in the Bandit Coalition, Captain Serra Hyne, who is planning a raid on a warehouse where these items will be kept. The bandits will get these items and start to use them. The items have an enchantment on them that causes a short term madness. Anyone attuned to them will covet them, protect them, and start to attack anyone who tries to take the item from them. The plan is to get them into the Bandit's hands and disorganize them while making Serra Hyne look good for the job well done so she can find their main hideout.
Alabaster and Yarrow used their collective magical knowledge and determined that the ritual was fake in some weird way. The ritual claims to be an enchantment enchantment but they both deduced that that kind of ritual would take much longer to perform. Also the ritual set up had concepts of illusion magic in it which wasn't present in the text or the enchantment on the items.
Frustrated Flandal asked if there was any way the party could investigate the items further. Cyrus said that they knew a Corvum who studied magic who would be able to help. In exchange though Cyrus wanted a dagger to take claiming that his home village was cursed and studying curses and cursed items may help him save his home. Flandal agreed in an instant while Wolne began to protest. The party quickly persuaded him though and began to walk out, Yarrow knocking over a table of items in the process, to go find Aldous.

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Aldous and Nicholas stood in the house as Emma left. Nicholas went back to the kitchen and continued pouring himself a drink. Aldous confronted him and the two argued for a moment. Nicholas tried to force Aldous out of the house but Aldous cast Suggestion making him stop. A little shaken at having magic used on him Nicholas stopped and agreed to listen to Aldous.

The two discussed the happenings of the last week. Aldous explained much of why they were there and what had happened in vague and non descriptive language. They both agreed to head to Emma and talk to her to try and convince her to lay low for just a moment while they figured out what was going on. Getting up Nicholas grabbed his own walking stick and the two brothers head down to the Overhang.

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The three performers sauntered outside of the shop only to see Aldous and Nicholas walking by. The party regrouped with Nicholas and Cyrus said that they needed Aldous's expertise inside. Inside they locked the door and Aldous looked at the items.
The enchantment wasn't just a the short term madness described. Right beneath that enchantment was a secondary enchantment. Magic layered and weaved together by an expert hand. Underneath the enchantment enchantment was a transmutation enchantment of sorts. This secondary effect seemed to be a draining effect, something that would sap the strength of the wielder until they died and then possibly transformed.
Aldous shared this and started to think more about Odwald's presence, assuming the magical prodigy had a hand in this which Flandal confirmed. Nicholas began to be still and panicked at hearing all this, beginning to believe that his brother may not be as mad as he once thought. Wolne grew worried and told the group that they needed to report this to Serra Hyne immediately to talk about what, if anything, this changes with the plan. The group made their way out and Flandal handed Cyrus one of the daggers.

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On the way down to the barracks Wolne began to drag his feet. Alabaster grabbed Wolne's shirt and began to pull him. Suddenly a sharp pain hit him and a twinge of familiar magic filled his hand as he could feel the gem that Wolne wore as a necklace. The energy in the gem was very similar to the gems he carried from his home town. Alabaster ran ahead of the group and they made their way down to the barracks.
At the barracks all the Perch Guard were a buzz. Serra Hyne had returned with three people tied up. She was covered in bruises and blood and looked furious. In her custody were Reyny Wright, Thilde Cresmoon, and a Gallus man. The Perch Guard looked to the party that had arrived and Wolne cleared a path to Serra Hyne.
Serra Hyne and Captain Baldwin Halfclaw were arguing. Serra Hyne demanded justice while Baldwin asked to table the issue for now. After some retorts from Yarrow the Perch Guard moved to arrest the three prisoners. Wolne nodded to Serra Hyne and the two ushered the party to come back to her office to talk in private.
Once in the office the party explained what had happened with them. Aldous wasted no time in accusing Alvert of betrayal and claiming that the captain was going to kidnap his niece. Serra Hyne brushed this off and continued to talk about the plans. The attack on the warehouse was going to happen tomorrow night instead of in a week.
Cyrus confronted her about her lack of concern for Emma which Serra Hyne brushed away again saying that she would be fine. Alvert wouldn't do anything to harm a citizen and that he was probably just being overzealous. Yarrow put a stone to her back and asked her where her scarf was. Serra Hyne, confused, sneered at Yarrow who then cast .
Serra Hyne turned to Yarrow and went to strike him. Yarrow intercepted the strike with his container of rust monster blood, getting hit but spraying rust monster blood all over himself and Serra Hyne. Her weapons and armor started to decay and melt leaving her defenseless. Serra Hyne called to the guards to come to the office and nodded at Wolne who sighed and drew his sword and poured poison on the blade.
Alabaster and Cyrus focused on Wolne. Cyrus smashed Wolne with a Philter of Love which didn't seem to take effect. Wolne and Alabaster squared up against each other, trading insults but missing each other with their weapon strikes.
Nicholas froze in the corner and grabbed a decorative sword from the wall. Meanwhile Aldous leveled with Serra Hyne and used his gaze from his warlock patron to gain the secrets of her form. This Serra Hyne was different than the one he viewed the day before. Her movements, actions, and immunities were different. Aldous yelled to everyone that this wasn't Serra Hyne. Serra Hyne looked over to Aldous with a hunger. "Interesting. I'll take you as well." She said as she started to make her way over to him.
Serra Hyne reached over to Aldous and took out a long elaborate dagger with strange runes on it. She then stabbed Aldous in the side. The dagger started to magically rip and suck the energy out of Aldous, pulling his life into the weapon. Aldous pushed her away and Nicholas made his way over and struck Serra Hyne with surprising force.
Cyrus used Witch Bolt at a higher level on Serra Hyne and delivered a strong magical blow to her. Alabaster tired of fighting Wolne and cast Tasha's Hideous Laughter on him incapacitating him with laughter. Aldous disengaged and ran from her as Yarrow cast Crown of Madness. The thorns of the spell started to take root on her head before they withered and died without ever effecting her. She smiled, "You're one as well." She then turned to the Tola and stabbed him, also draining some of his life through the weapon.
Alabaster made his way over to help his friends and saw the dagger being used. In a fit of rage he jumped onto a chair and cast Shatter on Serra Hyne and the wall behind her. The wall and the bookcases shattered and a huge gaping hole in the office made its way into the next room.
Serra Hyne's flesh rippled and bubbled. Soon her left arm and leg were transformed into that of a lithe Vulpin wearing many rings but still in her clothing. She glared at the Hedge and then reached up to her forehead and, in a flash of magical energy, Serra Hyne was no more and before them was a Vulpin in her clothing. Alabaster glared at the Vulpin in a rage and the fox smiled and reached to a tiara on his head. Another flash of light and standing before them was a twisting mass of flesh that coalesced into the form of a Corvum Perch Guard.
Yarrow cast Entangle on the ground getting both Wolne and this new adversary. Wolne recovered from his laughter and tried to break free from the vines to no avail. He then started talking to the now Corvum in what sounded like a Thieve's Cant to those nearby.
The guard reinforcements had arrived and broke down one off the doors. They looked on and ordered everyone to halt. Wolne tried to persuade them that the party had gone mad and that they needed to be stopped. The guards at the door however were cadets and they looked to Yarrow and Alabaster who yelled at them that the captains were traitors.
Cyrus pumped another force of Witch Bolt into the new Corvum in Serra Hyne's clothing. The spell tore through the body and again the flesh began to morph and twist so that the creature before them was half Vulpin and half Corvum. The cadets looked on in horror and the Vulpin moved to touch his forehead again. Yarrow came up behind him and tried to dig his claws into the Vulpin's head to no avail.
Surrounded the Vulpin began to speak Arcane words and a light shimmering began to encase him. Yarrow tried to interrupt this by kissing him but the Vulpin pushed him away and then in an instant was gone. The cadets yelled at everyone to put their weapons down. The party agreed that if Wolne was apprehended as well that they would go to see Captain Baldwin and tell him what had happened.

Report Date

01 Mar 2020

Primary Location

Brackenmill