Chapter 1: The Plain Cup
Discovery, Exploration
The group searches for a base of operations and decides on the inn where they've been staying. Ristin demonstrates questionable morals. Lupe learns more about Wynne's origins. Sofia experiments with her dark new powers.
Arriving in Demophon, the group settles into the Plain Cup inn and tavern in the slums of Demophoneia, a burrough called "The Narrows". They proceed to search for promising leads on a base of operations, sending Ristin and Kalina off into the city.
Meanwhile, Lurch insinuates himself as a day laborer, looking for a fight club he might join. After two days, he manages to learn of one that takes place every Friday night at the Gambling Star tavern. Amon meditates and continues Maskar's and Shaw's training. Sofia experiments with her dark powers and speaks more with Marut, concerned over his change in person after being brought back to life by Sammael.
Kalina warns Lupe against trusting Ristin and that warning seems to pan out when Lupe notices that the man has taken more than a passive interest in Wynne. Lupe continues to investigate Wynne's mind and drudge up the frayed memories of her past before merging with the elven girl Aranwyn. They manage to learn that she was one of many who came as a group into what he assumes is the mortal plane.
The group eventually decides to purchase the Plain Cup as their base of operations. Ristin tells them that he will handle it and produces a writ of sale with Lupe's name the next morning. Suspecting that the Mismatean arcanius murdered the previous owner, Lupe expresses his frustration before taking over management. He meets the barkeep, Gadric Sperl, and is toured around and introduced to the place. While most of the group attends to their new inn, they send Ristin and Kalina out into the city to look for war materiel stockpiles to maybe hit and rob. Ristin discovers a transport ship down at the docks. Meanwhile, Lupe asks Aranwyn to read the minds of the inn's employees and see if any of them are stealing anything, and she discovers that a young Rhodesian woman, Maleeka, is skimming coppers where she can.
Lurch attempts to insert himself into the kitchen, run by Gadric's aging mother, Dörthe, and the two begin to quarrel. Undaunted, the goliath seeks to procure her better ingredients for her food and, failing that, adds more exotic spices to her collection from his own.
Lupe confronts Maleeka about her stealing and offers her 5 pennies more a day to NOT steal anymore from the inn. She takes the offer, having stolen far less and leaves, amused at the idealistic naivete of Lupe and making a show of being sarcastically nice to him from then on, spurning some rumors about what he might have done with her in his office alone. Lupe delves into Maleeka's mind and discovers that she is an accomplished pickpocket and thief and that most of what she makes goes to a gang leader there in the narrows.
