Session #13: The Luck of the Informed

The party took a deep breath as the last of the snake people dropped dead, and realized they were now alone on a boat a good bit off-shore, in a boat they weren't exactly sure they knew what to do with. They debated swimming, but decided to try sailing it up to Korth themselves. It took some doing, and some false starts, but within an hour, they made a safe (though perhaps clumsy) landing at the docks of the city. They were even able to arrange to sell this boat to a gnome named Veric, scoring 6,000 GP (1,500 GP apiece) for it!  These activities raised the suspicion of the dockmaster, but they got away without any incident.

As evening was now drawing on, the party decided to rent rooms in an inn and rest up for the night. They knew that Zelian had a mansion here in town, and a cabin out in the Karrnwood, but weren't sure which place he would be. Azeri decided to go up to the guards at the mansion and pretend to be a groupie; the guards were friendly, and maybe even a bit smitten, but weren't willing to let her in. They did however mention that there was a festival in about a week that Zelian would be attending. With this, Azeri went back to the inn and got some sleep herself.

The next morning, the 27th day of Eyre, the party woke up, rented some horses, and headed out towards the Karrnwood. They stopped for lunch in the city of Atur, and early in the afternoon found themselves outside Zelian's cabin, hidden in the bushes. Two guards were maintaining a watch, and the party debated for some time what to do. Tselem went invisible, then snuck upstairs and confirmed that Zelian actually was there (and what room he was in). The party debated further, then snuck past the guards and entered the room together.

Zelian was of course surprised to see three strangers and Akta (whom Tselem was currently impersonating) enter his home unannounced. The party kept a close and wary eye on him, mindful that he had kept their friend locked up for years, and had killed all of Taumir's people. They demanded answers, primarily "Akta." Zelian claimed he had kept her locked up for her own good, because her dragonmarked status put her at great risk. When challenged further, he let it slip out that Akta was in fact his daughter!

They party had come to this cabin to question Zelian as to his motives and plans, and were not mollified by his words. They decided to continue with their mission of assassination, and Taumir let an arrow fly. He struck true, but in that moment, Zelian dropped his pleasant pretense and disappeared. In his place appeared two flesh golems! The party founded themselves in a desperate fight in a close space, and one of their tried-and-true attacks, Tselem's stinking cloud, actually did more harm than good.

The battle raged on...

Rewards

• 1,000 XP each (XP for the golem fight hasn't been awarded yet; we'll have to see how that plays out first)
• 6,000 GP (1,500 GP each) [in-game, already awarded]

Session #12: The Battle on the Boat

The party resolved to go by boat. This meant they couldn't leave until the next morning, so they killed some time around town and turned in early.

The next morning, the 26th day of Eyre, Azeri told them all how during the night she had been visited by the spirits of the four townspeople she slew in Askelios and was able to convince these ghosts to forgive her and move on. The party, feeling even more assured from this news, boarded the ship and set sail. The journey took them across the Bay of Thronehold, past Thronehold itself, and up to the mouth of the Karrn River.

As they approach the Karrn River, to their surprise, the captain and his crew piled into a lifeboat and abandoned ship! "Good luck!" they called back, as snake-like humanoids began swarming out of the hold! The party held their ground, fighting back against these things and their poison. The battle was fierce, but when it was over, only the party remained.

Rewards

• 2,025 XP each. Time to level up!
• 2,800 GP total - you looted the whole ship after the crew abandoned it.