Ragnorra Session 21

Start: 6 pm, Saturday, Flamerule 2, 1396

The four of them agreed to meet up after fourteen days have passed. This is what they did during their break.

Dorn - During the two week interim, Dorn tirelessly worked at the Gondar forge in Suzail with his brothers and the tools they possess therein. His work paid off beautifully, producing masterworks to be shared with his companions. Truly, stunning examples of his craft. Maybe they'll even put the rumors to rest.

Ronja - Ronja spent time trading in the city of Waterdeep, purchasing items in the markets and arcane towers with Cassius, and spent the remainder of her time investigating the magic of her forebears, and new magics still - researching tomes of the forbidden and studying them. She found this labor to be fruitful, and made her way back to the Gondar Temple in Suzail, as the lot of them agreed, after a fortnight passed.

Cassius - Cassius purchased teleports from the mage's tower outside of Suzail and accompanied Ronja to the city of splendors. There, he carefully negotiated for prices in the streets of Waterdeep, and purchased items along with Ronja. After they parted ways, he ventured to the temples of Lathandar and Selune and offered an exchange of sparring sessions with their paladins for helping with the badly afflicted. The plague has seen some activity in Waterdeep, but in relatively isolated incidents - mostly migrants from the Cormish wilds, or from around the Moonsea. In his search for rumors, he found purchase, because indeed there has been rumors of a healing temple that can help the sick around the Moonsea and two in Cormyr. It seems news travels slowly on foot. Cassius put these rumors to rest, at the amazement of the priests and went on to inform them of the best ways of combating this ailment, and how to prepare themselves. After this, he ventured to taverns in the docks districts and performed under the pseudonym "Golden Leg". He asked around for rumors of plagues from sailors, but found very little rumors aside from scant tales of a plague in Cormyr. Cassius rejoined Ronja and teleported back to Suzail to rejoin their companions at the Gondar temple.

Vix, Omen, and Lilly- Vix, Omen, and Lilly ventured to the underdark to source magic items, taking the route under the vanquished temple. The trio made their way to the middledark city of Sschindylryn, posing as allies of the Lady of the Demonweb Pits, from the surface. There, they traded for goods and anointed Omen as a blade of the The Vengeful Banshee, Kiaransalee. He took an oath of vengeance and is irrevocably bound to Kiaransalee's will. The ceremony bolstered him, gave him greater purpose, and completed his apothesis to ghasthood. Now, branded as a Knight of Vengeance, and branded as such over his unbeating heart, something has stilled within him and given him clarity and purpose. During this process, Vix shielded Lilly from knowing the full truth of Omen's identity and pact. She handwaved it as a religious event typical of the locals, and was a polite gesture in the culture. Lilly, who was not present for the dark ritual, took her at her word. Lilly was amazed by the Drow society as much as she was deeply uncomfortable by the slaves and questionable practices she witnessed. Vix's comfort with them put her somewhat at ease, but brought up other concerns for her. She voiced none of them, for now. The three of them returned by the same dark path, all a bit changed by the experience.

They rejoined where they parted ways, inside the Gondar temple of Suzail.

It was then that Dorn decided to break the news to the party that he was needed at his temple, and he would be parting ways with them. He was not about to do this without giving them each a master crafted weapon, though.

He gave Cassius a mithral katana, each aspect of it to his designs and needs, featherweight to the hand.

To Ronja and Vix, he gave a masterwork steel short spear each.

They said their goodbyes to Dorn, and left the temple.

In the evening, Vix and Lilly go shopping, while Ronja and Cassius go to the Citadel of the Purple Dragon to enquire about the current situation in their absence.

Before they left, Ronja attempted to gather rumors. She heard a somewhat nonspecific rumor of an "important noble, Rowanmantle", captured up north in Zhentil Keep. She did not know if they meant Hisbelda, Sonya, or another member of the house.

Vix buys Lilly many things, and purchases some for herself as well. Lilly is taken aback a bit, given the jarring and slightly traumatic nature of their underdark expedition, but is quite grateful to her for everything she did.

Cassius and Ronja speak with a man identifying himself as Field Commander Hoslow, and find out some perturbing information. Goran Highmountain has been slain in an ambush while clearing out the north temple. Hoslow held back a lot of the details in his official manner, but they collected the north temple was cleared out, at the cost of many lives, possibly because the cultists had been prepared for them.

Furthermore, they found out Espar to the northwest was all but a ghost town, subsisting on imported goods almost entirely due to the contamination of the Plungepool. Ronja and Cassius stowed this information away for later.

They were quite forthcoming to Hoslow, and told him of virtually all of their activity against the cult. They told him about Vane, his associations, and possible cloning situation.

They explained the possibility of dream larva pupae being the source of this affliction, although any meaning seemed to be lost on the man. They went into detail about the curse, and explained how the water house Darstan provided to Waymoot was cursed with it.

Commander Hoslow told them of another shrine in the rural mountain area of sunset mountains in the yellow snake pass. He knew little about this, and did not seem entirely sure even of the veracity of his words on this.

Field Commander Hoslow provided a letter of introduction on Ronja's request to Field Commander Longhorn of Espar.

They parted ways.

All three rested at an inn, and the next morning set out north. Before they left, with Cassius's new dowsing rod, he just had to check on something before they left.

Passing by the Darstan estate, he got as close as he possibly could to it without going inside it and concentrated on looking for starmetal. Sure enough, it picked up very faintly below them.

Satisfied, he made an excuse to the guards and met back up with the party.

They left north, towards Waymoot.

On the way, they passed a scattered procession of feebleminded refugees, some with families, some without. It was a bit grim, but indicated that the church of Tymora were keeping their end of the bargain, only without spending the coin on diamond dust to restore every peasant's mind.

They made camp on the edge of the forest. Vix made the suggestion to hunt, so she, Ronja, and Lilly did. Cassius held back to keep eyes on the wagon.

During the women's absence, a family approached Cassius. They had a feebleminded son, and were destitute and fleeing Waymoot. They asked him for help, which he gave. The man was very grateful and spoke a bit on the situation in Waymoot, and how it's good they're curing people, but they don't get better like this.

The women walked around for several hours looking for animals to hunt. They finally found a buck, and Ronja made the hunt. Lilly failed to, but attempted to shoot it. Ronja offered to give her pointers later. Wasting no time, Vix slit the buck's neck, castrated it, and hung it up to bleed.

This perplexed Lilly, who went for a walk. Ronja caught up with her, and Lilly explained how weirded out she was about how blase Vix was about the underdark, and knew exactly what to tell the drow and how she effortlessly manipulates people. It really changed her view on Vix. Vix did not overhear any of this, because she was tending to their kill. Ronja offered some counterpoint that she doesn't mean badly, and is kind of alright of a person given her rough background. Lilly seemed to take this a bit to heart and softened her initial reaction to Vix's behaviors.

They regrouped and brought the kill back to camp, where Vix proceeded to butcher the animal, feed half of it to Omen, and proceed to dry some of it on the fire and share the remainder with her fellows. They ate well that night.

Vix mentioned Omen's quest vaguely, and the oath he made to Kiranaslee.

They rested.


End: 5 am, Sunday, Flamerule 18, 1396
Omen must feed in 2 days, 16 hours.