12 Duscar 837

Two-Week Timeskip Summary | 12/07/23 Session

• Paige studies the laws of Emon and realizes the difficulties of pursuing a legal route because of how it is Armand’s arena, and he has bottled her in a very tight corner. She knows a great deal of the law, and can chip away at Armand’s case, but it could take a really long time. Emon law is far from perfect, and Armand has loopholes. It could take anywhere from a month to six months, and accelerating things would be difficult as no trial is set. She also decides she’s qualified to be a lawyer, and signs up for the Emon equivalent of the Bar exam.
• Fennec slowly adapts to the group, and finds Paige more agreeable over time as they collaborate on the legal research. Fennec tells Paige about her research into magical monsters, and how she studied under a powerful wizard and mostly sat in a dark room and studied. She gives no reason to doubt her sincerity and story, and opens up a little bit with Paige about her life and her studies. She also learns her target is in Emon, with the evidence gathered over the past two weeks. During after work drinks with Paige, she’d try and goad Paige into asking Prism out again. Paige is dodgy about it in a very clearly gay way.
• Jon sticks to Rodreck like glue, bonding with him in the absence of Aida. Rodreck investigates the people of Emon, with Jon as a bodyguard, and finds Jon incredibly easy to manipulate and could make him into an asset. Rodreck also stores the spell Blight in a card up his sleeve, and finds that the Clasp attacks him semi-regularly while out and about.
• Pandora has been getting eyes on the ground and meeting with Tully a few times, when she’s able to slip away from Armand’s spying eyes. She’s being uncharacteristically careful, sticking to the shadows and covering her tracks as best she can. As she meets with Adrian, she’s a bit dirty, not pristine or put together, and haggard from her investigations. Pandora has also become more secretive with what Lolth whispers to her since receiving the mark on her forehead, and never prays aloud. This is different from how she prayed to the Raven Queen - which was often aloud.
• Adrian realizes Fennec is searching for something in Emon on the down-low, but doesn’t have reason to suspect she’s dishonest in her offers of help for Aida. He debriefs Pandora on the group, and his other efforts. He discovers the existence of the Clasp’s tunnels after a week, and learns they’ve been told to avoid Pandora at all costs. He finds that the Clasp has a main base within the tunnel systems in the second week, and they have a decent reputation in Emon because of their efforts in rebuilding Emon, and donations to charity. Their evil actions are believed to be in the past by most people. He finds the entrance in the Graveyard District on the 12th of Duscar. He also learns that Armand’s niece was Alina, the Clasp member that chased Pandora from Stilben after the death of her friends.

“Hey Pandora, I’ve got some some regular updates. Paige has been breaking out the law books thinking she’s gonna somehow get through this corrupt system of Emon. Rodreck’s always doing his weird stuff - writing poetry and hanging out with that skull. I noticed Fennec’s been up to some odd things lately. It seems like she’s searching for something out in Emon, and it seems like there’s not something she’s not telling us.”

Pandora processes this, eyes narrowing in thought. “I still don’t entirely buy her story in the first place, so that doesn’t surprise me. It’s important to keep an eye on her, and make sure that loose ends and all that are kept close. I wouldn’t want her to unravel any threads that we’ve planted. And…I don’t know. Are her and Paige close?”

“I definitely noticed those two getting a little bit closer over the past couple weeks.”

“I anticipated that. Paige likes friends to some extent, and with Aida gone, you know, reach for what you can. Any progress on our other task?”

“I’m still working on that one.”

“Good. I’m starting to hope that they change their mind from this whole righteous case thing. It’s never going to work.”

“I don’t like to be unhelpful but winning through the corrupted law system of Emon, I feel like it’s more of it than it’s worth.”

“Yes, but they do love their lost causes. Exhibit A,” Pandora says, gesturing to herself with a roll of her eyes.

Adrian says nothing in reply.

“I think we need to move things forward. It’s… we have certain tasks that await us in another place, and this has been grating. Tully is doing the best she can with the resources she can, which considering Armand’s power is not saying much.”

• Pandora asks if introducing a rumor of a snake on the council would have much effect, and Adrian tells her the council as a whole is not evil or corrupt, but certain members have pressure points and individual agendas that could be exploited, with the notable exception of Vex’ahlia de Rolo, the Voice of the Tempest, Arbiter Brom Goldhand, and Guardian Tofor Brotoras.
• Pandora analyzes Adrian carefully, trying to see how much she can trust him, and when he notices this, he decides to open up to her about his past.
• Pandora questions him on the specifics of his pact, learning that every soul he kills is collected for his patron - and that his home is from a different plane named Eberron. If Adrian breaks his pact he will die, despite the fact that he’s damning souls while trying to do justice. He doesn’t have a way home, and is trying to adapt to Exandria. Pandora offers her help, revealing she’s also from a different plane.

“For now, I think we need to focus on this conflict, get Aida, and you’ll come with us to our next location. And we’ll figure out your thing while we figure out some other stuff. Certainly, the Betrayer Gods or Prime Deities will have answers. It just might be a matter of more bargaining.”

“Maybe I’ve lost all hope, but I don’t see things changing. I just wanted to let you know a little bit more about myself, so hopefully you trust me a little bit more. And maybe you might tell me more about yourself someday, Pandora.”

“What do you want to know? Can’t you tell I’m an open book?”

Adrian will just say, “It’s not a secret you got a dark pact of your own.”

“Are all pacts not dark in some way? Bargainings for greater power? The Raven Queen wanted things, and I just accepted it for a while, but me… Well, I guess you weren’t there, but She threw me out like I was nothing. There’s not much bargaining to be done with that. Lolth is… a more… understanding… patron.”

“I don’t personally get along with deities or gods too much, so… I try not to judge.”

“That’s all right, we all have misconceptions. I mean, people think the Prime Deities are good just because they’re not the Betrayer Gods, but that’s not necessarily the case.”

“You’ve definitely got an interesting way of viewing things, Pandora.”

“It’s like that sometimes. I mean, you do too, being from a different plane.”

“Just in case my story wasn’t enough to fly your trust. Don’t forget, I’m still under retainer, so… I’m always here for whoever is paying.”

“Excellent.”

• When Alina is revealed as Armand’s niece, and it is commented he’s more upset about Pandora killing a thing of his than it specifically being Alina, Pandora remarks that he should get better things because Alina was rather pathetic.
• Fennec and Adrian both obtain the names of the other two Spirelings in Emon besides Armand: Spireling Warren and Spireling Shenn. Adrian informs Pandora.

Cold Open Revisited | Emon (Tal’Dorei) |

It’s a clandestine place with candlelight and for a moment, the candle flares up and you’re able to get a glimpse of who Adrian’s meeting with, and it’s Pandora.

“You know you didn’t have to include all that information on me. I know myself fairly well.”

“I figured you like hearing about yourself.”

“Entirely wrong. It’s good to… keep stock keep track. Don’t want to forget any of the pieces. That’s what Tully says.”

“Do you always keep such a close eye on the people you’re close to?”

“Close is… a vague term I don’t ascribe to. Geographically close? Yes. There are other types of closeness, and those have never served me well. It’s good to keep an eye out and know what they’re planning, and what I’m planning and how they could meet or fail to meet.”

“A professional relationship I respect that.”

“And I respect your work ethic. You’re incredibly thorough. That’s good.”

“Well it’s just like we planned. I’ll give you regular updates on what your
companions or your colleagues are up to.”

“See that you do. I can reach out, but I’m not going to be spending a ton of time in areas where I can. I have a lot of things I need to accomplish and you will know more as you need to.”

“Sounds like a plan. If there’s something else, I’ll take my gold and I’ll be on my way.”

Pandora passes over the gold and when Pandora does it there’s like a flash of her sword - not her pulling it or anything, just her leaning just enough that it catches the light and glints off it. A subtle threat.

Adrian notices and pretends like he doesn’t. “See you back at the airship.”

“Indeed you will.”

Adrian’s Admission | Emon (Tal’Dorei) |

“I think it’s time I told you a bit more about who exactly you hired,” Adrian said, his voice as smooth as the smoke curling from his cigarette. He leaned back against the dimly lit wall, the shadows playing across his sharp elven features. “You see, I hail from the towering city of Sharn, a place where secrets lurk in every alley and behind every smile. I was a detective there, the best, maybe. Cases and mysteries were like puzzles, and I had a knack for putting the pieces together. My life was a dance on the edge of a knife.”

He paused, his eyes glinting in the low light. “But every story has its twist, doesn’t it? Mine was a death sentence - my lungs quit on me, courtesy of these,” he gestured with his cigarette. “In a moment of desperation, I sought out extraordinary powers, turning to a shadow demon from a realm beyond our understanding. Orthax, he called himself, promising me a new lease on life, a chance to continue my quest for justice. But Orthax’s true nature was vengeance, a twisted mirror of justice. By the time I realized, it was too late. A deal was struck. My soul for more time.”

Adrian’s gaze drifted, lost in memories. “That pact… it tore me from Sharn and threw me into Exandria, this land of strange magic and stranger folk. This ghostly pistol at my side,” he gestured to the ethereal weapon, “is a constant reminder of the supernatural life I’ve led and the dark pact that still binds me.”

He looked up, a wry smile briefly crossing his lips. “So here I am, a detective with a cursed soul, seeking redemption and a way out of a deal that’s more binding than any contract written by man. And while my past is a tale of shadows and deals with darkness, know this – I’m on your side. Until this cigarette burns out, and probably long after.”

Heroes of the Netherdeep | Emon (Tal’Dorei) | End of Two-Week Timeskip

• Fennec talks to Jon, noticing his nerves are frayed by Fennec’s presence and Aida’s absence. Fennec asks him how well he knows the group, to which he answers that he’s known them his entire life and knows Aida best, but knows the others fairly well. When Fennec asks if they care about people, specifically strangers, Jon gets a little hesitant, and tell her that the group as a whole does, some more than others. When she reveals she plans on asking the group for help but is determining who to go to, she states that her current idea is “not Pandora” which Jon says is a good call.
• Jon remarks that Paige is not vengeful, but protective over the few social touchstones she has in response to Fennec’s questions about Paige. Fennec, feeling semi-connected to Paige after two weeks of bonding over books (fuckin’ nerdsssss), goes to her about the problem she’s been keeping a secret.

“Yo, what’s up short stack?”

“Um, hmm. This town is fucked.”

“Yeah? You’re telling me.”

“No, I don’t think you understand quite how fucked this town is.”

Paige kind of furrows her brow and looks up. “What do you mean?”

“Before I tell you, if you knew something bad was going to happen, would you do something about it?”

“What do you mean?”

Fennec narrows her eyes. “I’m trying to get a sense of your, hmm, sense of moral duty. If you knew people were dying, and going to die, and will keep on dying, and you knew you could solve it, would you do something about it?”

Paige kind of thinks for a second, just staring past Fennec. “That, I think is very situational. Um. I think in a practical sense, I, I want to make sure that, you know, like, everything I do is the best option. Right? I could, you know, go in guns a-blazing, swinging swords around like nobody’s messing, like, nobody can mess stop you and you’re invincible, and that can seem like, you know, the right thing to do. But, you know, I like to look at it from a much more analytical perspective. Right? Like, will this actually work, or am I just being brash? Like, will this actually be beneficial, or will this just be, like, you know… I don’t have a hero complex, if that’s what you’re asking, but I do have… I- I’m out here doing this stuff because someone I cared about asked me, and I know that the person who asked me would have realistically asked anyone else before me, right?”

“I can relate to that part.”

“So, I’m out here because I know I am literally one of the only people who can do it. That said, if you’re talking about, like, the whole rebellion thing, um, you know, I feel weird about coming into a city who is having a political and local struggle- civil war, and coming in and trying to fix everything like I know this place. Because I don’t.”

“This is not political. If it was political, I would have gone to Pandora.”

“Okay. Then, I guess what are you referring to?”

“There is something in this town that is, slowly but surely, making the town not exist. Houses are empty and suddenly, they have always been empty. And the next day, more houses are empty. And they have always been empty. And the next day, the night is- is everyone awakes in the middle of the night by screaming from all across town. And yet, the day after, there was no screaming. And when there was screaming it was just people deciding to scream all of a sudden out of nowhere. You slip on a puddle on the corner of a street, and you look down and you swear it’s red but no it’s just water.”

“What the fuck does that mean? That was just like… it kind of just sounded like nonsense. Is it a magic thing?”

“It is in that it is a magical monster.”

Paige sighs, tired. “God fucking damnit.”

• Paige agrees to help Fennec fight the monster, and Fennec remarks that she does want Paige’s help because she is, and I quote, “clever, unfortunately”. Thus summarizing everyone’s experience with Paige in a sentence. Fennec informs Paige about the monster, calling it a False Hydra and detailing what she knows about them, including the fact that they grow in size as they consume people, they pop up out of the ground, and people forget about them when they start singing. She also remarks that this false hydra is particularly ambitious, and she has not seen one like this before.
• Fennec also reveals that she has unique psychic defenses against the false hydra, which is why she hasn’t forgotten it despite being exposed to its song. She informs Paige they are a “blight” and must be “excised”. Paige trusts that she is telling the truth, and recognizes the importance of what Fennec is describing.
• Fennec and Paige inform the party of the false hydra, and discuss ways to make sure they don’t forget about the false hydra. Paige remarks that while Aida is important, she’s not as urgent as the false hydra because of the people dropping dead. Jon sends Paige a dirty look, very disapproving, as Rodreck summons Pandora to reconvene with the party.
• Paige finds a pattern in her memory, gaps she only recognizes now that Fennec has told her of the false hydra, and realizes at least one head is lingering around the Cobalt Soul’s library.
• Pandora and Paige bicker over the false hydra’s legitimacy, with Paige questioning if she let Alyxian out and Fennec becoming increasingly concerned about the constant references to an aboleth that Pandora and Rodreck both know. Pandora remarks that Alyxian prefers his meals to taste like fear (and needs them to have a memory to be afraid), and Paige shakes her head.
• Pandora uses her true sight to analyze Fennec and the surrounding area - opening the additional six eyes Lolth gifted her with - but finds nothing out of the ordinary. Paige comments that it is disgusting, which Fennec contests and says they suit her. Pandora stares at Fennec, very unimpressed, until the topic returns to the false hydra and how to hunt it. The group gets earplugs made of candle wax to block out the false hydra’s song, and try a Spirit Session to learn more about the false hydra. They fail to retain any information, as the false hydra’s song resounds through the spirit realm. They attempt to ask Squawk what happened, but he’s as useless as ever, and provides no insight.
• Fennec tells them the monster will be underground, and Pandora remarks that the gods should have flooded Emon rather than Stilben. The party points out that’s not how any of that worked, but she’s resistant to logic and immune to sensible thinking when she’s angry.
• Paige attempts to Scry on the monster, but fails to retain whatever she might have learned. Pandora suggests Alyxian, but Rodreck tells her it is a bad idea.
• Fennec tells them cutting off heads should be a last resort, because then more heads will grow, and they attempt to better locate the monster. Paige utilizes an earth elemental to try and find the false hydra, but it only reports back once before not returning. Pandora gives another elemental Paige summons a knife to track, that way when the elemental disappears she’ll be able to find its location. Rodreck shows great hesitation in traveling underground, and Adrian reveals that he knows of some tunnels they can use to try and find the false hydra.
• Pandora tries to obtain additional information from Sinnafex, the yochlol in her sword, but it doesn’t care because it wants easy kills and the false hydra is not an easy kill.
• Rodreck drinks Paige’s liquor to calm his nerves, not wanting to travel underground at all because of his fear of being buried there and left to rot, but the party manages to drag him with them to hunt the monster. Adrian navigates the tunnels with semi-ease, guiding the party through them and towards Pandora’s knife she’s using her magic to locate.

Heroes of the Netherdeep | Emon (Tal’Dorei) | Session 12/14/23

• They manage to locate Pandora’s knife, and fight two of the false hydra’s head. They manage to kill one, but failed to cauterize the wound, and injured the other head. In other words, it went horribly, everyone was severely hurt by the false hydra’s acid breath (or whatever that fucking steam attack was, mashby if you are reading this what the helllllll), and everyone completely failed to stop the deaths of countless nameless people. Sad face.
• Fennec realizes the size of the false hydra is off, and it should be bigger and be eating more than it is currently. Almost like it is being controlled by someone or something. The group rules out ruidium, but note that it is a similar timeline (18 months) for this false hydra and the end of Alyxian.
• The party debates who might have made a deal with this thing, and Pandora leans more towards Armand having been the one to deal with it. Pandora remarks that Tully won’t be an issue anymore, and is unable to convince Paige that she’s not sleeping with Tully (and tells Paige she just might in the future, which Paige judges her heavily for). Paige tells her this will all bite her in the ass, and Pandora quips that she “hopes it does”.
• Pandora debriefs Tully on everything, but Tully is quick to forget it all, exposed to the false hydra’s song.
• Paige later questions Pandora on what she meant in regards to Tully “not being an issue” and she tells Paige that she has Tully under control and was very persuasive. Rodreck asks if Pandora and Tully are fucking, and Pandora says they are not. Paige realizes that Pandora is intending to do so at some point, though. Paige and Pandora bicker about the ethics of war profiteering and Tully’s plans with Pandora calling Paige naive, and Paige remarks that she can’t wait for Pandora’s hubris gets the better of her. Pandora says it already has, referencing the storm giants that killed her, and remarking that the Raven Queen’s consequence hurt (and was caused by her hubris). Paige, as per norm, grows frustrated with the conversation and leaves Pandora to plot.

Heroes of the Netherdeep | Emon (Tal’Dorei) | Session 12/21/23

• The party head to Potent Potable Potions to get alchemist fire, and meet Mylaela Silkstream, an incredibly hot drow that owns the shop. Rodreck asks her for something to numb the mind, specifically panic attacks, and Mylaela recommends he stop being a coward. After a stank eye from Paige, she recommends a 300 gold potion called Essence of Ether that will make all his problems “light as a feather”.
• Mylaela informs them alchemist fire is 75 gold per bottle, and Paige asks if there’s a bulk order discount, to which Mylaela says there isn’t. Paige looks to Pandora, who asks if Mylaela is certain, as she could show interest in other aspects of Mylaela’s inventory. Mylaela says that they could come to an arrangement, but she doesn’t like her “friends” and wants them to exit. Pandora tells them to return to the ship, but they wait outside for four hours, like creeps. Fennec asks if Pandora does this often, and Paige says she’s seen her with someone once before, but it isn’t super common.
• Fennec tells them about the time she seduced the shopkeep, while Rodreck presses an ear to the door to keep an eye out for Pandora. Mylaela is a screamer, and a fun time is had by all except the weirdos waiting outside the door. Three hours pass, and Adrian tells them about a shopkeeper in Sharn he enjoyed the company of. After four hours, Pandora stumbles out of the shop with her hair messy - aware Mylaela is also a Lolth worshipper - with ten bottles of alchemist fire she was only charged 400 gold for. Pandora has to be reminded about the false hydra, having forgot about it when she took the candlewax out of her ears.
• Back at the ship, Pandora tries to connect with the false hydra using her Crimson Bond abilities, and it fails to work, only causing her a great deal of pain. The party agrees to rest, and Pandora convinces the others to not have the ship flying through the air all night. Rodreck has nightmares of being buried alive, and the earth crushing him to death.
• Pandora sneaks out and meets with Tully, getting caught back up on what she’s been doing, and having Tully put in ear pieces because she kept forgetting what they were discussing beyond innuendos. Tully tells Pandora Armand could be behind it, but it is more likely a stray worshipper of Torog or some kind of necromancer. Pandora offers Tully a rare magical item for information that is not yet revealed.

Pandora’s Plan | First Reveal

Pandora enters the window of an unclear building, eyes narrowing in on the sleeping form of an unknown woman. She goes straight for the heart, stabbing down through the sheets, and she says, “Your purpose is better served in death, believe me.” And then Pandora casts silence, lays down the figurine of wondrous power containing Alyxian the aboleth - a gift from Dione - and disintegrates the corpse.

The whole corner of the room looks like a bomb went off. Pandora leaves the way she came, with an overwhelming sense of satisfaction as her sword whispers to her and she slinks back to the ship.