August 31, 2024

Hook

A plague has swept through noble Victoria. Not one of pus and pestilence, but a plague of calm, never-ending sleep. No man, from peasant to king, is safe from its touch. The powers of Shinneok are struggling to research this Sleeping Plague, hoping to find some form of treatment. While most researchers are scouring medical texts or examining the afflicted, the Holy Church of Ninism has taken a different approach. They believe that this is no mere plague, but a heretical attack on the followers of Ninos, and they demand retribution. Now, the once peaceful nights in Victoria have given way to witch hunts and executions. There is no logic, no reason. Only fear, paranoia, and deceit. The Church slaughters their flock, hoping to find a wolf that may not even exist. In the less reputable parts of Victoria, a freelance “intelligence” organization known as the Jacks run their operations. This new age of strife and uncertainty makes for very profitable business. One fateful day, a job listing is posted on the boards of run-down taverns used as Jack hideouts: Shepherds Wanted: Guide Lost Sheep. Most would dismiss the request at the headline, but you notice the sizable sum of gold offered as payment. Nobody would hire an adventurer to guide livestock, but you’re quite certain this isn't the type of lamb you find out in the fields. After all, there’s an execution only a few days away…

Plot Synopsis

Session 1:
The session begins with a description of an execution in progress, stopping just before the blade falls to turn back time to the previous day. The party assembles at an old apartment building where they each were told to go for a job listing describing “Guiding lost sheep”. Initially the apartment they’re looking for appears to be missing, but they realize it is hidden behind a bookshelf (which Yaupon fortunately decided not to shoot through), and are able to enter.

They find a party of 4 veterans who put out the posting: Eliza, Clement, Jezabelle, and a Rogue named Lazybones who seems to just be constantly asleep (though not of the plague). The group explains that they put out the posting for assistance rescuing the Ebenard family, who have been falsely accused of heresy due to the rise to prominence of their Raikougen matriarch, and are set to be executed tomorrow. The plan is for the veterans to cause a distraction, while the party (disguised as guards) take the family to the safehouse. The veterans charge the party with obtaining some guard uniforms by taking them from a group that frequents a local bar, but requests that they not kill the guards if possible.

After some light scouting of the execution site, the party arrives at the bar, where they find the guards. Bahl manages to convince the guards to get more drinks, leading to them becoming even more inebriated than usual, while Cyrus infiltrates their group and offers to take them to a good restaurant he knows. Uriel casts a portal on the door so that when the guards walk through, followed by the party, they end up back at the safehouse. A fight ensues, and though there are some close calls (Luin manages to not kill a few guards with a massive blast by asking Ra for clemency), none of the guards end up dead, and the party emerges relatively unscathed.

Noteworthy Postgame Events