February 13, 2021

Hook

TotNK Session 3

Plot Synopsis

The group left the crossroads and journeyed northeast towards the great walled city of Tajsun in the distance. Along the way, the group stumbled upon another defaced stone shrine, hidden in the underbrush by the side of the road. Ravenal and Crow were able to discern that the shrine was pointing towards the West, in the general direction of Azeroth’s Castle. The group continued until they reached Tajsun, with its 1000-foot-tall stone walls, and piercing spire of Saint Rabbican Cathedral. Father Grysam provided documentation for the party to enter, and Ricky was able to convince the guards at the gate that his guns and ammo were holy instruments of his religion, Mishrism. Erik slid his contraband over to Crow, who was able to hide it within his shadow. Ravenal decided to stay outside of the city and keep an eye on things outside. After entering the city, the group was able to see the miniature sun held aloft over the pinnacle of the cathedral, illuminating the entire city in holy radiance. The party split up into two groups, one to deliver the wine, and the other to escort Father Grysam and Sonya to the cathedral.

Ricky, Kygar, and Crow made the successful delivery to the Golden Dawn tavern. After delivering the wine, the gang decided to get a drink and Ricky participated in a wager where he successfully drank the tavern's strongest drink (the Black Mist) and won 50 gold coins as a prize. Crow said that they may want to ask the bartender for any of the local going-ons.

Erik, Ira, Stephen, and Tesco decided that they were going to fulfill their promise to Father Grysam and his daughter Sonya and take them to Saint Rabbican Cathedral in Tajsun. Upon arriving they temporarily were separated from Grysam and Sonya as they left to have a discussion with High Priest Mazdek Nahrūli about setting up the ceremony to have Sonya instated as the new priest of Djin-Serai. While they were waiting, the adventurers decided to go through four of the portals located in the main atrium and began to explore a bit. They ended up partially exploring the living quarters, a private chapel, a few sections of a library, and some of the catacombs. In the library they found a piece of paper hidden in an economics book that appeared to be a desperate missive from an ‘L.M.’

Meanwhile, the group at the tavern learned of rumors that there might be Azeroth sympathizers within the city and that the criminal cabal called ‘The Silhouettes’ were getting a bit more active. They left the bar and headed to Echo Bazaar where Kygar got his money stolen from a pickpocket with a strange tattoo on his face. Before they had a chance to turn the thief in he was killed in broad daylight by a smoke ghoul, a chase ensued and the ghoul escaped. However, they were then approached by a man named Gil (short for Gilian), the leader of a small band of Mishrites who operate within the Echo Bazaar. Upon arrival the group reunited with Ravanal.

In the catacombs, the other adventurers decided to follow some suspicious chalk markings which eventually led them to a trapdoor that was being weighed down by something heavy. After Steven Burns did his thing (fire) the trapdoor collapsed, sending a crate full of potions cascading to the floor. Steven, Tesco, and Erik all ascended into what appeared to be a storage room while Ira kept watch down below. After Tesco heard the general sounds of people talking behind a door he tried to stealthy turn away, but accidentally knocked over some empty vials from a shelf. The shopkeeper, Haggard Juliaborn of Haggard's Potions and Oils then discovered the party camping out in the backroom and quickly retrieved a glowing stone. As Steven was attempting to explain his way out of the situation and buy potions, the stone gradually shifted from green to red and then went dark as approximately 8 bandits showed up with a strikingly dressed woman (Sierra Lavorre, the current leader of the Silhouettes). After a brief discussion with the shopkeeper, Sierra and her goons started to attack Steven as he was still attempting to buy potions. After almost killing him, managed to maneuver his spell to create a wall of fire that separated him and the party from the Silhouettes.

Back at the Echo Bazaar, Gil asked Ricky, Kyger, Crow, and Ravenal if they could help with the smoke ghouls, as the Tajsun Mishrites have been covertly eliminating any monsters or overly active sympathizers of Azeroth. The group was led to Yazdelborn Morgue and Mortuary where they discovered that the Silhouettes have been secretly commissioning specially designed coffins to smuggle in illicit goods via secret compartments - they found some Sago Weed, Bottled Darkness, and a Vampire Ring. A fight started in the street when the smoke ghoul appeared, after killing the one, more appeared. The group managed to fight them off as people ran away from the scene and panic began to grip the city. The group then came face to face with Kissin’ Katie Lawbreaker, Ricky's rival. who destroyed the morgue and briefly killed some of the party. The group managed to bring back the fallen party at the hospital where they encountered a red-eyed moonglow, shortly after leaving the hospital they heard alarms ringing out across the city and a red glow on the horizon, Azeroth's army now approaches the city in a much larger force to lay siege to Tajsun.

Noteworthy Postgame Events