Sidrea10a - The Watery Road

Realizing that the enemies will probably attack them on the journey to Arthadan, Embar Darokar approached the companions and once again, asked for their aid in the journey there. In addition to asking the companions to protect the Countess, the spymaster also asked the companions to protect Alaurenz. Apparently Alaurenz is both the spymaster’s assistant as well as his pupil. Indeed, the spymaster said that should something happen to him, Alaurenz will be authorized to take over his position.

Given the demonstrated competence of the companions, Embar also asked for their counsel on rearranging the security in the journey south.

After some discussion, the companions decided that the countess should be traveling with them, undercover, on a military galley. Behind the galley will be the luxury yacht that will serves as bait. The companions also made careful watch schedule so that at least a few of them is always on hand guarding both the countess and Alaurenz.

To maintain the illusion that the countess is on the luxury yacht, Embar will not be traveling with the companions on the galley, but will be on the yachet instead.

The journey will be crossing more than two hundred miles and is expected to take four full days.

Shortly after the journey began, Alaurenz sought each of the companions out and asked them of their thoughts on the Empire of Rondor, the current succession crisis, and what their view is of the future of the empire. Each of the companions gave their own diverse and honest opinion on their view of the subject matter. Alaurenz seems to be quite thoughtful as he mulled over the companions’ words.

The afternoon of the first day, the galley encountered a barge heading upstream. The barge was apparently run by the Riverfolk – some halflings who make their living running cargoes up and down the Arlog River.

Zerkestor took out a boat and visited the halflings for a chat. The halflings were quite friendly. When questioned as to anything unusual, the halfling mentioned that his wife saw some sort of big flying creature overhead yesterday. It really frightened her – whatever the creature is.

The halfling also mentioned that his cousin does some trading further downstream of the river and that he hasn’t heard from his cousin for sometime now. Finally, it seems that in this season, it is not unusual for patches of fog to form along the river, so that companions should take that into account.

Bidding the friendly halflings farewell, Zerkestor returned to the galley, and the journey continued.

That night, around 3am in the morning, the galley came across a barge of some sort.

After some investigation, the companions found evidence that the barge was attacked by a half dozen or so of aquatic ghouls (also known as lacedons). Apparently, the boatman in the barge was surprised by the lacedons, who climbed onboard the barge and surprised him. All that was left of the boatman is a torn off hand, badly chewed.

Uncertain as what to make of this new threat, the companions continue to head downstream on the Arlog River…

Sidrea09b - Hidden Games, Part 2

The last session left the companions outside the Chessboard Inn – trying to find a way to enter the private room and discover what the courtesan Morgiana had discovered that caused her to be killed on the yacht.

The companions are aided in their endeavor by Vera – a freelance thief who had worked with Morgiana. From Vera, the companion received a copy of the key that will open the private room.

After some discussion, the companions decided that they’ll first spend sometime to see if there is actually anyone inside the private room. It is fortunate that the companions took to time to scope out the place – as they soon found that there are the occasional suspicious figures that slip into the room.

The companions then decided to wait until the inn closes before trying to break into the private room. Due to the curfew on the city – the inn is closing early around the 10th night-bell. After some initial scouting by Dalrick, everyone was waiting as they finally opened the door to the private room in the Chessboard Inn.

The companions easily overwhelmed the single guard in the first room. However, Haeythir grew overconfident and charged into the second room – to find himself surrounded by four more members of the thieves’ guild. A quick rapier thrust later, the hapless mage is down in a pool of blood.

The thieves, however, were no match for the heroes and they were systematically cut down. The heroes also managed to interrogate the one of the thieves to realize that there is a trap on the staircase down. The heroes barely managed to discover this by sending some summon creatures ahead of them – triggering the trap.

In the rooms below the Chessboard Inn – the companions discover a large storage area where apparently part of the thieves’ guild operates from. Crates of various contrabands filled the area. It seems that most of the thieves were out conducting their “business” in the wee hours – and the companions choose a fortuitous time to break-in.

Haeythir’s heightened sense for the arcane enabled the companions to immediately home in on a corner of the warehouse. There, the companions discovered a great deal of dried blood, strange arcane scripts on the floor, and a faint aura of necromancy. A quick study of the writing gave Haeythir a sense that there was a dark ritual involving the consumption of body parts performed here. There were also three great wooden crates with blood-stains.

The first crate contains the headless corpse of a shape-shifter in the uniform of one of the Countess’ bodyguards. The companions believe this to be the bodyguard who escaped from the yacht – it explains why Haeythir’s subsequent scry attempts have only revealed blackness.

The second crate contains the corpse of a gnome – the gnome named Zook Procket, whom the companions had met as the Countess’ security adviser during the reception on the yacht. The back portion of the gnome’s head had been cut open and his brain is missing.

The last crate contains the corpse of an unknown woman – by her dress, a common prostitute. Similar to the gnome, the back of the prostitute’s head had been cut open and her brain is missing.

Upon seeing the corpses, Haeythir realized that the doppelgangers were practicing a dark ritual that enabled them to steal their victims’ memories through the consumption of their victims’ brains.

Details search of the warehouse by Berek and Dalrick also uncovered a cache of paper along with books of cipher. When the two were used together, a frightful pattern is revealed. Apparently the doppelgangers were part of the yuan-ti’s plans to ensure that Rondor remains mired in civil war so that it can not interfere with what the yuan-ti’s planned in the south.

Some details of the plan including having the doppelgangers disguised as prostitutes so that it would be easier for them to move around and have visitors. Disguised as prostitutes, the doppelgangers then took Zook Procket and some of the countess’ bodyguards unawares.

Given the information, Haeythir conjectured that Morgiana must have found Zook Procket’s body. Seeing that the fake Zook Procket was at the reception, she was unable to impart the information to Embar Darokar, but choose instead to ask him to meet her after the reception. Morgiana, however, was unaware that the doppelgangers also possessed the power to detect surface thoughts. This meant that the doppelganger disguised as Zook Procket actually read Morgiana’s mind and knew of her discovery. While the countess’ fake bodyguards were trying to kill the countess and Embar, the fake Zook went to the rear of the ship and killed Morgiana – dumping her body overboard.

Having reached the end of their investigation, the companions rushed back to Embar Darokar, where they were told that the fake Zook Procket is visiting Lord Cormur. Along with fifty guards, the companions rushed to the mayoral mansion where they discovered Lord Cormur lying on the floor and a gnome gloating over him.

Then, before the eyes of several companions, the gnome changed shape to a familiar monk – one of the assassins who had nearly killed the companions in Averdale. Laughing at the companions, the monk dashed out of the window to tumble safely to the ground below.

Block aside the arrows from the guards with his bare hands, the monk ran away at an incredibly speed. Despite the use of Dalrick’s eagle companion and Zerkestor’s flight magic, the monk managed to elude the companions in the alleys of the city. However, the monk’s very haste was his undoing, as several patrols of the city watch mentioned seeing the monk rushing toward the dock district.

The companions rushed to the docks, only to find the monk arguing with the assistant harbor master. Seeing the companions, the monk decked the assistant harbor master and dashed toward his boat.

The companions tried shoot at the monk, but between his incredible movement and his ability to block the arrows, the monk only suffered a scratch or two. Zerkestor, however, managed to teleport himself and Soyoko right next to the little boat that the monk was trying to get to.

Soyoko used his anchoring token to anchor the monk’s boat – preventing his escape. The monk, realizing that his escape route is cut off, decided to fight to the death. A flurry of fists and kicks knocked Soyoko sprawling on the ground. However, the monk then turned to face a Zerkestor boosted by the magic of Zethunor.

Several rounds of blows were exchanged, and though it was a close thing, the cleric did manage to knock out the doppelganger monk.

On the monk, the companions discovered details descriptions of the security arrangements for the Countess’ travel. Apparently, the doppelganger intends to give these plans to his superiors so that they will again try for the Countess’ life.

Congratulating themselves over a job well done, the companions returned to Embar Darokar, only to find that Haeythir is being sued. Apparently, Haeythir’s placing of a lesser geas on Edric Farlane, the administrator of the Imperial Armory, did not go unnoticed. Edric Farlane managed to get the geas removed (although he had already released most of his elven slaves by then), but then turned around to sue Haeythir for the cost of the removal of the geas, as well as price of the released slaves – in total, 5000gp.

Trying to protect the companions, Embar Darokar chose to aid the companions for half the amount – deducting 2500gp from Haeythir’s promised reward.

For a moment, the companions bask in the glory of having solved a complex murder and preventing the ring of doppelganger spies in Jharuel from accomplishing their mission.