Session 4

February 14, 2025

Session Summary

The Silver Sanatorium

  • While Malkarion was busy with Kuon, I take the opportunity to use mage hand to grab the tablet that was at the heart of the ritual.
  • Malkarion unleashes a spell on everyone (including himself) at the back of the Sanatorium; as far as I can tell the only survivors of both the spell and the falling pillars are Malkarion himself and Esvinn who managed to get out of the way in time.
  • Kuon takes out the remaining Sharrans with her Bloodhunter magic and ties Malkarion up and gags him. I offer to take everyone who survived somewhere safe.
  • Before we leave I catch a glimpse of golden dust rising from the rubble. Kuon seemed interested in it as well, and went to get a sample.

The Streets

  • The air is thick, as if it could crush my lungs. The Shadowcurse is starting to take hold of Suzail, but it is much slower than how I remember it in Yhaunn and Urmlaspyr. This seems to be the work of that time wizard.
  • Kuon picks up the Purple Dragon Captain's body. Where exactly does this girl's morality lie, I wonder, to feel the need to take this corpse with us? At risk of encumbering herself?
  • There are no people left in the streets, only what I can assume to be shadow creatures. Out of the corner of my eye there seem to be rag-clad figures in the distance that seem to be closing in on us.
  • We manage to make it to a Harper safehouse without trouble. It's an unassuming warehouse, and I put my hand to the invisible ward that was cast over the door. I urge for Kuon to leave the corpse outside in the meantime before we head inside.

The Harper Safehouse

  • We make our way down the stairs that lead into a cellar. There's a subtle magic in place here; Selûnite magic no doubt. I catch that Merta is here as well with a missive from Liele.
  • A Selûnite looks up at us from her work and immediately gets on our cases- surprised that shady characters like us could get in here and that we had Malkarion in tow. I couldn't exactly blame her for her inflammatory reaction. It seems that she recognizes Kuon as well... was this the Selûnite she was talking about in the crypt?
  • Kuon mentions the shadowcursed corpse we left outside. This seems to perplex the Selûnite even more.
  • Before things could get any worse between this Selûnite and I, a familiar face shows himself from the safehouse's med bay: Virgilio. Wonderful. What was he doing here?
  • Kuon and the Selûnite excuse themselves to deal with the corpse outside. Virgilio runs his situation by me as I go and take the letter from Merta. The poor thing, hopefully her master's safe and sound as well.
  • ... It dawns on me that if Virgilio in is here from Wheloon in that state that things must be worse than I initially thought. Visric being here makes it worse, on top of the fact that I'd basically been stalling things here in Suzail... surely I'll be receiving some choice words soon.
  • In a panic I attempt to take my leave; it would be bad if Zhents or Sharrans were to find this place. Before I could leave I'm stopped by the Selûnite and Kuon, asking for collateral to make sure that I don't just disappear.
  • Seeing as now was as good a time as any, I take out both the Shadowstar and the tablet and handed them over to the Selûnite. She asks how I'm still alive, referring to the states these artefacts were in no doubt. From there, I take my leave for the others to do the interrogating.

The Streets

  • I wander some ways away from the safehouse. I take a seat against a stray piece of rubble and use this opportunity to read Liele's letter to me:

Dearest Papa,
I hope you are eating well! Mama says you work too much and forget to eat, so don’t be mad at me if I remind you too. I’m doing okay—I’ve been trying my bestest to help her out at home! Seems like she's really lonely without you, it's always lively when she invites her friends over.

Also, I've been learning a lot from Uncle too! But I don't like his friends as much as I like Mama's. They're all these loud big stinky men, and I heard them say so many mean things to uncle and to mama...If it's not too much to ask, and if you have time, please visit soon okay? I'm not scared! But I feel so bad for poor uncle.

By chance, have you heard from Cousin Danny? That slowpoke hasn't written me back yet!!

I miss you lots and lots. Give Ms. Pigeon a treat when you have the time to write back!

Love,
Your little Lili
P.S If you see Uncle Ricky, tell him he still owes me a story!!

  • While I can gather that Liele's run into some trouble, the best I can make out from this letter is that there may be some issue with the Lassetherren estate and that Ricky is meant to be Visric. The rest all seems like nonsense to me; it's probably better if I read this again with a clearer head.
  • As I sit there ruminating on this letter, it quickly dawns on me that not only am I alone out here in the middle of a shadowstorm, but that I am also completely weaponless.
  • Realizing my own stupidity and lack of logic, I make my way back to the safehouse.

The Harper Safehouse

  • I quietly walk in on the apparent interrogation being done, even though it didn't exactly either of these two were getting much anywhere with the guy. I tell Virgilio to stand down and let me handle things.
  • I ask Malkarion a number of questions; about the ritual, how to kill people like him... The other two weren't going anywhere either. But Kuon suddenly starts questioning Malkarion in a language that I didn't recognize.
  • Quickly losing my patience (as was likely his aim, the slimy bastard), I decide to walk away to try and regain my composure.
  • After leaving the holding cell, Virgilio some few steps behind me, I went to check in with the Selûnite. She tells me that there is little they could do to stabilize the artefacts as they are, and that they likely wouldn't make it on a long journey. The nearest temple is in a location she can't really disclose, and that if I wanted to learn of it I'd need to talk to the cleric managing the med bay.
  • Kuon eventually comes out of the cell and attempts to try and cut a deal with me for information. The girl insists that she's more involved in this than we think, and while I'm inclined to believe her, no amount of involvement was going to give me a reason to give her any information that I personally had on hand if she wasn't going to prove useful to me. She ought to learn how to bargain before she pulls that on me again.

Character Impressions

  • Kuon - Insufferable as ever. It seems she's suddenly invested in all of this, not that I'd know the reason. It might be good to try and keep her along, but she needs to prove her worth to me if she was going to get any information out of me that wasn't out of pure necessity.
  • Malkarion - This sniveling good-for-nothing... I'll have to try and speak to him again with a proper direction in mind. Otherwise he'll throw me for a loop.
  • Virgilio - I didn't exactly want to see his face again. But if he's here, then things must be worse than I thought. It might be prudent to try and get his assistance...
  • Selûnite Paladin - She's rightfully wary of me.
  • Starwhisper - ... I would have preferred that she hadn't died in such a gruesome manner. But, well... I can't say that I didn't expect it to happen.

Unfinished Business

  • I should try to garner trust from the Selûnites if we're going to be able to bring these artefacts to somewhere where they can be sealed.
  • I have to go back and question Malkarion some more. I'll ask him about the following:
    • How to stop the Shadowstorm
    • How to clear the Shadowcurse
    • What was the tablet used in the ritual
    • How to stabilize the artefacts
    • What's the Sharrans' connections with Blackwyvern
  • We still need to obtain passage to Immersea.
  • I still have to decode the rest of Liele's letter.
  • I need to procure a weapon. Perhaps I can also have my armor reenchanted, but that means going to the Zhentarim.

OOC Notes

  • Irina's fate isn't entirely clear. Miri is just gone.
  • Hierophant Tempora sent out a construct of himself and his actual body lays elsewhere.
  • Kuon tried to get information out of Esvinn and learned the following:
    • Esvinn can sing in Loross, but not necessarily speak it.
    • Esvinn knows that the Shadowstar is the heart of the Shadowking; it's something often associated with the Tethyrians. He knows that the Shadowking is inside the Shadowstar.
    • The Shadowking is the previous ruler of Ebenfar, a region that used to encompass some parts of the Western Heartlands.
  • The accusations put upon Esvinn were likely racially motivated; Tethyrians are prosecuted all the time for alleged ties to the Shadowking and Shar.
  • Malkarion speaks of Kultharis like she's a separate entity from Kuon.