Session #14: The Pursuit of Madness

About halfway through the battle with the golems, the party seemed to find their stride, and hit back against their enemies, eventually polishing them off. Knowing that Zelian had probably teleported somewhere close, they left the house in hurry, slipping past the guards once again, and headed back into Atur. They were able to use the info from Elane to find a House Deneith teleportation 'station' hidden in the back of a shop. Tselem disguised herself as a Deneith official and was able to fool the guard into telling her that Zelian had been there recently, and had teleported back to Korth. The guard got a little suspicious when he saw her then go and talk to the party, so they made haste back to Korth, using phantom steeds to make the trip in about half the time.

By this time it was evening, and the party decided to pack it in for the evening. They found an out-of-the-way inn and settled in. Edge did a little scouting around, and ended up running into Elfrich, the old friend of Taumir who had helped them out before. He said he'd be able to help them again, so Edge arranged a time for them to meet the next day.

The party found Elfrich's turning up right now a little suspicious, so they decided to take a very cautious approach the next morning (which was 28 Eyre). Half the party remained hidden while the other half prepared to meet up. At first it looked like the old spy was going to be a no-show, but then they spotted him hiding somewhere else nearby. Elfrich acted very evasive, telling them Zelian had departed for Varna, and he eventually offered them a teleportation talisman. The party was wary, but accepted, and he invited them back to his apartment to use it. Upon arriving though, the party's magic users realized the talisman was not intended for teleportation, and Edge pinned Elfrich to the wall and demanded some answers. Elrich insisted he was being honest, and offered to use the talisman himself. They agreed, and he did, at which point the talisman exploded!

When the smoke and debris of Elfrich's apartment settled, Elfrich was dead, and the party was injured, but not particularly slowed down. Disgusted, the party stuffed his corpse into their bag of holding so they could question him later, and then headed to a House Orien public teleportation circle. From there they transported directly to Varna - it cost a fortune for each party member, but at least the waiting was over.

Once in Varna, they made a beeline for Reita & Akta's home. As they drew near, they saw a crowd gathered and Reita sobbing, and their hearts sank.

Rewards

• 3,000 XP each! Time to level up!