# Session S28 ← `=this.prev` | **`=this.campaign`** | `=this.next` → > [!overview] > | **Session** | `=this.session` | > | --- | --- | > | **Session date** | `=this.date-session` | > | **Campaign date** | `=this.campaign-date` | > | **PCs** | `=this.pc` | > | **Active NPCs** | `=this.npc_active` | > | **Discussed NPCs** | `=this.npc_discussed` | > | **Active locations** | `=this.location-active` | > | **Discussed locations** | `=this.location-discussed` | > [!summary]- > To write. > %% > tldr:: To write. > %% %% ### Starting notes: - Pick up her cuffs of ogre power from the store, available in the afternoon %% ## Notes - We travel to the second building on the list. [[Guden Stonehammer|Guden Stonehammer's]] house is less fancy than the merchant's house. - He was very old for a dwarf. He's a trader, not a merchant. - His shop is rented out the smithee (called [[Stonesmiths]]) for other people, as he has stopped crafting. - [[Astrid Dawngaze]] takes the lead on this one. She goes and talks to the renter. - Guden had been more of a recluse, but acting weird for the past month or so. Slipping out at odd hours, talking with people. - He had been more relaxed on the rent recently. - Ryk goes searching and finds hidden letters and a perfume bottle (labelled heart-taker perfume) hidden inside the house - The house is custom-built… and we eventually find a hidden cellar within a cellar, under a large wine vat. Gomash is able to move it, and we regroup and head down - It's pitch black, so Kassandra casts light on Astrid's shield - There's a circle of dried blood, with a sword and some letters - Huxley determines they were trying to transform materials based on the alchemical formulas written down. - The sword is partially disassembled, but made out of pure gold. Guden was trying to transform the gold into adamantine. - Adamantine isn't typically used for weapons, and hard to find when not already pre-crafted. It's more popular for armor. An adamantine weapon would be nearly unbreakable. - There are carvings in infernal on both the blade and hilt. - The weapon, if completed, would be unbreakable and a flaming sword. It's also probably evil. - …so Ryk takes the sword. - Huxley takes the potions, alchemist supplies and 300 gp worth of materials - The potion has similar components to the stuff found in the previous house… but seems to be inate - Huxley investigates the magic circle - Kassandra has ritual-cast Detect Magic while the others are investigating. - In the basement, the circle is magical (abjuration), as is the gold sword (transmutation), and potion (no school). - She then walks through the rest of the house to see if anything else is pinging as magical - She finds a magical hand axe, a magical ring, 20 gp… she takes the hand axe and a magical ring to investigate, but leaves the 20 gp - The letters are written by someone called [[The Voice]] who has very cursive writing - The letters are at first very benign. Meet near the gate, that The Voice has answers. - Later letters have The Voice asking about a commission, and that there were only a few days left to come through with the solution. - The magic circle seems made to contain fiends (instead of keeping them out) - Ryk has a look at the hand axe that Kassandra found. - It has eyes on it. It's not a religious symbol, but is an old symbol. Astrid recognizes that it's a weapon of warning, more supernaturally aware. - Ryk hands it back and tells Kassandra to hold onto it - The third house on the list is near the entrance where we first arrived. The area is a poorer economy than the other places. - Nearby is a gathering of people, surrounding an opulent female tiefling wearing bright colours. Is talking to the crowd. - The missing person is a human named [[Brian Gor]] - We pull in to listen to the tiefling - "I hope to inspire with you a form of dedication. It's obvious to many people where within hte Cross that while Elturel is a bustling city with it's problems… the vampires have long since left us…" she points to the magical light "I'm sure you all aren't content just to stay here in the lower wealths. I hope you will consider joining the [[Hellriders]]…" - (The Hellriders are the common name of the law enforcement of Elturel) - She has an abode further north of here. - The Hellriders typically found in the church of Torm. Membership is for life. They are trained cavelry and one of the more famed military organizations in the Sword Coast. - Standing with her as a viking-esque male human. His clothing is more like the mountainfolk of [[Sossrim]], but he doesn't look like a local from where Gomash is from. - The tiefling is handing out small giftbags to people. - Astrid leans over to warn us to be careful while Huxley full on walks over for a giftbag. Astrid then joins Huxley in line. - She recognizes them as the latecomers. She introduces herself as [[60 Games/62 Campaigns/2022-09 Hoard of the Dragon Queen/05 NPCs/Resolve]] and [[Oberon]]. - She offers a giftbag to them, with food and notes about why to join the [[Hellriders]]. - Resolve recognizes them as not being from around here. She's born and raised in Elturel. Oberon has been in Elturel for about a year or so. He had been a mercenary, but now acts as her protector/bodyguard. - Both Astrid and Huxley can tell that there's something slightly off about what she said about how she knows Oberon. Everything else seems truthful. - Oberon says strongly to "Leave." when looking over at the house. - Resolve says she lives in a house called [[Harrowway]]. - Meanwhile, Kassandra, Gomash, and Ryk head into the building to start looking around. - There has been a scuffle of some kind. Blood stains, weapon marks. There's a human male corpse, at least one day dead. It's some other person, not the person we are looking for. - There was a struggle. The person was killed by a sword of some kind, and killed recently. This wasn't him dodging… he got thrown into objects, which would have been loud. - There's other wounds like small stingers. - We hear a knock at the door, and a woman walks in from the front door. She's wearing full plate, though we didn't hear her coming. - She has a black-hilted longsword and a shield. - She gives a small nod to our group. "Sorry about the mess." She says she's not a knight, but introduces herself as [[Vela]]. - She walks in and looks at the corpse. She makes no sound. - Kassandra asks if she works for the city guard… she says she's just a traveler. She says she saw this from outside. - Vela is completely unconcerned with the blood and gore - (She's 6'-2") - She's not from Elturel… but she saw our group, and couldn't help but look into interesting people. She had heard our description before… - An old friend, [[Odonth Darkwrath]] had described them… - Kassandra takes a step backwards at this, up against the wall - She puts her hands up half-mocking. "I'm not here to kill anyone. I'm just here to see what's so interesting…" - Astrid and Huxley steps through the door at this point. - Gomash suggests she leaves - She smiles at Astrid and Huxley and says she's be near the front gates this afternoon, to meet her there… - Both [[Vela]] and [[Odonth Darkwrath]] have silent full plate… - In the distance, Gomash smells sulfur and the faint hear of flapping… - Two hell hounds and some imps appear… we fight, they die. - To do: - Pick up new cuffs of ogre power - Identify hand axe from the second house - Identify magic ring from the second house