Session 026: Montage

August 2nd, 2021 @7pm-9:30pm, August 5th, 2021 @6:30pm-9pm EST

General Summary

general summary

Stories a Little to the Left

After willingly following the guards back to one of the stations for routine questioning, Duul, Emyr, Lavug, and Glen (Leonore) separate from the others in order to establish their alibi for the recent explosion in the warehouse district. Arriving at one of the stations in question, they are lead forward by a man made of iron to a waiting area after being voluntarily disarmed. After a few minutes, the man directs Duul into the next room for questioning.

"Ourse"

Duul continues to introduce himself as Ourse when prompt, and recites a tale of being from the city [Anceshire] they retrieved Leonore from, having been dismissed by his former kind master, an Emyr. Of course, he has only heard vaguely of the trials of the city and has not been back there for many years.

Lavug Rebuke

[00:32:00] Lavug states that the party have only just gotten into the city today, at least the city proper, and offers his name proper and states that he originally hales from Dig. After being questioned on where he currently calls home, he states that he had recently moved to Ghiz. Seeing the good opportunity for gold, he joined up with "Ourse" for the ventures that brought them out here. He states that he has known Ourse for approximately three years and had met him in Ghiz.

Lord Bartholomew of the Emyr Line

Emyr offers the ID he has been using, stating that his own appears to have gotten mixed up with the one offered. He corroborates "Ourse's" tale of being a former slave to his father, "Emyr". He states that his father has not been in the best health of late, at least to the best of his knowledge. He jointly started the venture with "Ourse", and officially owns the venture, though does not do so by technicality. Emyr states that he has not been in the city for too long, maybe a month or two, but has been within the borders of the kingdom for about three months. He states that travelling has been a bit difficult with the rumors of rebellions and cultists through the nation. He states that his family is originally from Ghiz, but that his family has recently been making the move to the Theocracy as well as acquiring land and other holdings in the Kingdom. He mentions that, before he left, he believes that his father made mention of returning to their fatherland in Ghiz in the search of someone that might be able to help with his condition. He further goes on to state that "Ourse" has been employed by his family for many years, though he cannot rightly say for sure when or where they acquired him from. He makes mention that they were residing in the Theocracy at the time, as he recalls, but they acquired him while they were travelling through Dig or Ghiz, though he does not rightly recall.

"Glen, the Urchin"

He says that he has been under "Mr.Ourse's" care for the past two years and learning the trade.

Something's not Adding Up

As everyone joins up, they quietly discuss their stories and notice the inconsistencies from them. As a teasing banter against Leonore, Duul keeps a running cover the boy doesn't talk much, and thus he teases him about being chatty with the guard captain, asking if he likes her. When the guard captain walks out, she assures them that there is nothing necessarily wrong, and that they won't be sent to any of the labor camps that the kingdom has set up outside their city, but that she will need to verify their stories, requiring that they be kept in a holding cell overnight. They will be provided food and shelter for their stay. Lead to their cell by the guards they'd met formerly, they are informed that this is standard procedure when dealing with the bureaucracy surrounding lost identifications. While they are by no means being kept in five star accommodations, the holding cell is still clean and well maintained, with a few benches within. The back wall is seemingly pure metal with iron bars on the windows. Mr. Help unlocks the gate to the cell and allows them to answer before locking it. He then address the guards, requesting that they bring a table for the guests to eat at before instructing them to watch over them for the night. The pair protest, as their shift ended some time ago, but they submit nonetheless, and Till brings in the table for them. Periodically, they ask the group if they need anything, and Duul decides to question them about the "brass piss pot in the corner", which is actually a pipe-connected toilet, though the guards cannot much explain how they work. Continuing the ruse of Emyr being nobility (Lord Bartholomew of the Emyr Line), they request incense for his meal, though they have none of such available in the city. The guards also apologize for the quality of the food, as the city is, as mentioned previously, plagued by a shortage of food.
While Duul prepares to try to resummon his familiar, an alarm blares through the city. This instantly seizes the guards' attention, and concern paints their mannerisms immediately. When prompted, they state that the siren signifies that it is about to rain, and they go on to inform the group that the rain brings abominations. They group asks if they are safe in the station, to which they are told that they should be fine indoors, though the threat of the abominations themselves in a different manner entirely. Lavug asks if the rain causes people to mutate or what the relationship between the rain and abominations is. Duul states that they've always followed procedure but have never been able to inquire as to the details. The guards state that they've found a way to filter the contamination from the river that runs from the Wastes, but that even rain puddles can spawn portals. Lavug rapidly takes notes as they monologue. They state that the big hazard of living in this area is the risk of rain and abominations. Using Minor Illusion, Duul creates a minor leak in their cell. They promptly press themselves against the walls of the cell and gather the attention of their guards in a panic. The pair immediately move to try to free them, though Bed fumbles with the keys as the commotion outside intensifies. No sooner does Bed manage to pull the gate open before an abomination bursts through the wall. The guards lead the group to the confiscation room, informing them that their weapons would be by the front desk. The others grab their weapons while Duul moves to hold off the intruder.

The Jig is Up

Combat begins - 01:42:00; Between Hex, Flurry of Blows, and a Hellish Rebuke, Duul single-handedly takes down the abomination... leaving its corpse charred.
"It must have hurt itself on that wall cause it just died."
Stunned and concerned, the guards work to try to help patch him up, with Till retrieving a first aid kit to apply it where he can while Bed fetches Mr. Help. The creature, during this time, begins to seemingly phase through the ground, as if dissolving into the water it seemingly spawned from. Mr. Help, all business and unconcerned with the tiefling-orc's injuries, demands to know what happened. Duul states that it wasn't worse than fighting bears back home, and Mr. Help demands that he be brought to the infirmary. In the meantime, he has the rest of them wait with him in the infirmary until they are summoned once more. He permits them to remain armed. Expecting to need to be at least half disrobed, Duul does precisely that, removing his pack and cloak in one fell swoop and handing them over to Emyr for safekeeping. With their "boss" healing, the rest of the party debates on what they might do. Hours pass with littler development one way or the other, though the rain begins to pass and the captain walks in with Mr. Help. She inquires as to their well-being, and Emyr gives Till and Bed glowing reviews in the way of keeping them safe, though she doesn't believe that they needed any help. In fact, she informs them that they, by far, have the worst coordinated stories of anyone that has jumped the wall, stating that there are no records of them ever requesting IDs, let alone receiving them. Duul claims racism as to these accusations, though their documentations immediately fall under question due to their chief alibi falling through. She warns them that turning them in would lead them to being sent to the kingdom's labor camps, or worse, directly to the inquisitor currently visiting the city. Duul mentions Emyr's father having a "licensed privateer off of the shores of the kingdom." Suspecting them of having a reasonable purpose in being in the city, especially since they have not apparently caused any harm within the walls, and have in fact even helped to protect her guards, she offers them a proposal. She cares not, from a moral perspective, of who they are and where they are from, but wishes to know the truth nonetheless, for the sake of a reliable foundation of trust in the proposed partnership. Before anyone can dig themselves too deep in a hole with the others, Leonore hands a ring to the captain to bring to the margrave. She tells them that they will remain in the outpost under "house arrest" rather than properly imprisoned.

---

Cyrus & Slab With the aid of Cyrus' Pass Without a Trace, the pair make it safely out of the warehouse district. However, they are stopped by district guards to the High Gear Plaza, with Slab's large statue getting him noticed. Cyrus, however, slinks into the Dwarf-Orc's shadow. Trying to pass through with the use of Fog Cloud, Slab is further busted by the verbal component of his spell, inciting a bit of an uproar. Still, it allows the pair to sneak by undetected. Under the cover of fog, Slab opts to knock out anyone unfortunate enough to end up in his path, opting to press the guard into a chokehold as he passes the noisy man. With the first man dispatched but relatively unharmed, Slab beckons his halfling companion to him to aid with the second. In a bit of a panic, Cyrus pulls a syringe from his medicines and injects a tranquilizer into his system, soon sending him into a medically-induced sleep. Stripping them down, Slab dumps the knocked-out guards into one of the nearby buildings and takes off. [Recording started] Safe and sound away from the guards in question, they make their way to a welcoming tavern, stepping inside in such early a time as to enter before the break of dawn. As everything does in Ordhull, work visas or some other form of identification are required in order for them to rent rooms. The barmaid discreetly forges their entry, and even assures them that she can get them "official" identification cards , under the condition that they cause little to no trouble. The total comes to a whopping 206GP, with the forgeries included. [00:14:00 - Bathroom] As she finishes their sleeping arrangements, she warns them of the corrupted rain that plagues these parts, and informs them of a contact she has in the south side of their district that could aid them in being... inconspicuous in these trying times. Dismissed, they make they way to their room, with Slab passing out the second his head hits the pillow, though Cyrus' attempts at sleep are interrupted by the rain sirens and abominations traipsing through the city. With afternoon comes wakefulness, and they are able to make their way downstairs to a welcome greeting and lunch menus. When they finish their meal, they go off to meet with the barmaid's contact.
The contact in question is an orc, who sets about working on the technical details of their forgeries. He suggests work visas, and explains, at Slab's prompting, that merchants aren't so much allowed in the city. In fact, the locals do everything they can to keep "proper" Kingdom citizens out of the city where they can, acting as independently as they can. Cyrus requests multiple types of IDs so that he can move about the city more freely, to which the orc says that it will cost extra. At this, the halfling offers up the pre-pressed plates and ingots he retrieved the previous day, and the orc accepts, offering to make them each both a warehouse ID and manufacturing ID. He hands them some forms to fill out as they please before informing them that it will take them several hours. When their cards are completed, they begin to set about deciding what they wish to do. Slab requests the location of a pawn shop, and the orc sets about marking the locations in question.
[Pawn shop? I have zoned out so thoroughly I have forgotten how words work.]

---

Rewards Granted

Cyrus
-206GP

-100PP
+Damaged/"Dead" Warforged
Slab
-9PP
+Refurbished Grappling Hook

Character(s) interacted with

Two Guards from previous session (Guards Till & Bed)
Ordhull Guard Captain Astri (human)
Mr. Help (warforge)
CURE-3 "Curie" (warforge nurse)

Two District Guards (incapacitated, human)
Half-Elf Bar Maid
Bartender (???)

Report Date

02 Aug 2021

Primary Location

Ordhull