Chapter 3: Resurrection

The Room
For three of our heroes, the transition from death to resurrection seemed immediate. For Gulo and Zo, things were a little different. They found themselves in a strange room, with a strange feminine figure whose features they couldn't quite perceive. Unsure of how, exactly, they were there — they did not seem to have any physical form, nor could they see one another, but they both somehow knew the other was there — they made tentative conversation with the woman, looking out upon a barren, icy landscape beyond, which seemed as though it was blocked by a thick pane of frosted glass. Though she did not give her name, she informed them that she was guarding them from someone who believed they had claim to their souls. Occasionally, she seemed to suffer pain from unseen blows, cracks forming in her indistinct form, but she held out until the two of them were called back to their bodies.

The Voice
From the vast nothingness of unconsciousness, each of our heroes heard a voice. For all of them, the voice sounded strangely familiar, though they couldn't quite place it. Male, older, with an accent they couldn't quite place, it pleaded with each of them, urging them to return to the world of the living. Here are the words it spoke:

Gulo

 * Fuck man, you gotta stop dying. Take it from somebody who knows: too much dying is bad for you. I know we don’t know each other that well but shit, you are way too young to just die and stay dead, man. Leave it to the old pros like me. There is so much ahead of you, man, and I know some of it’s going to be hard, but so much of it is good. No matter how terrible things get, there’s always something good. I think you’re headed for something special, Gulo. I think things happen for a reason, and this part right here, it’s not fuckin’ great, but I think it’s part of something that might be incredible. I think the five of you met up for a reason. And I think they’re gonna need you. So I need you to come back, alright?

Rorrik

 * You’re not gonna break an old man’s heart like this, are you? Rorrik, I know you’re already dying to get back here. I know you’re nowhere near done kicking ass. But I’ve also been where you’re at more’n my fair share of times, and I know sometimes it’s hard coming back even when you want to, so we’re gonna do this, I guess. You remind me of my brother, you know. He died a long time ago, but as long as he was alive, all he wanted to do was protect people. He’d run into any dumbass fight he could if it meant somebody else wouldn’t have to. I never could decide if that made him a dumbass or a hero, but I guess since the only difference between a living hero and a dead dumbass is one wrong decision, he might as well’ve been both. You’re more sensible than him, I think. Christ, I hope so. Sense was never our strong suit. But Rorrik, here’s the thing: he’s not here any more. You could be. And there are still people who need protecting. More than some dumbass who can run into a fight, they need someone who can bring them back if they get caught in a fight they didn’t sign up for. There is so much injustice on every plane, Rorrik. There are so many people hurting. We need everyone we can get to fight it. Please, don’t give up now.

Seth

 * Aw, shit. Seth. Listen, I know we don’t know each other that well — I mean, not that you know that, but. You seem way too nice for this bullshit. Are you nice? I don’t know. I guess you just give off a good vibe. I’d like to think I’m pretty good at reading people. Wouldn’t have stayed alive so long if I wasn’t. Here’s what I know, though: you’ve got a family that loves you so much, Seth. You don’t wanna miss out on that. All the people I grew up loving are dead, and it’s an ache I have to carry with me every day — and there’ve been a lot of days, Seth. You don’t wanna put your people through that, not when they’ve got so many more days ahead of them. I know you’ve got a twin who thinks about you all the time, and Seth, I can’t tell you much about that, but I think they’re gonna need you. More than they usually do, maybe. There’s stuff coming up pretty fast and I’m sorry, but I don’t think there’s any keeping them away from it now. It’s gonna be dangerous no matter what, but take it from a pro: people prone to dumbass impulses are way bigger dumbasses if they’ve just lost someone. It’s not your time yet, kid. Come back and save your family the heartache.

Vyre

 * Vyre, I know you’re not done yet. I know you’ve barely even started. You are strong-willed and strong-armed and you seem like the best kind of a pain in the ass and honestly if you’re going to give up now then I didn’t get a sense of you at all. This was stupid. This was a nothing problem. You should never have had to deal with this and you sure as shit shouldn’t have died for it. There are way better things waiting for you and there’s way better shit you could be doing. You’re just getting started. Please, please don’t give up now.

Zohal

 * Zo, I know we don’t know each other that well, but there’s no chance you need to call it quits here. I’ve seen some of what you can do, you know. What you did, picking up on who was and wasn’t sick in that town? Not just anybody can do that sorta shit, Zo. I know you’re a long way from home, and I know you’ve lost a lot of your people, but I promise you things can get better for you, Zo. You just have to come back. If this is where you give up, that’s all there is: just you getting lost, turning up in the wrong place at the wrong time, and dying for no good reason. But you have so much ahead of you, Zo. And you can help so many people. Don’t let these shitheads be the end of all that. Please.

The Stories
After the voice came the stories. Told by another masculine voice — smoother and calmer than the first, it spoke in their mother tongues, with the accent they'd grown up with. These are the stories the voice told.

Gulo

 * Let me tell you a story.


 * Once upon a time, there was a Queen.


 * The Queen, like most of her kind, was a complicated figure. She was by turns ruthless and gentle, merciful and cruel. She had a deep and powerful curiosity that often led her into unnecessary risks, but she was also a brilliant and wise queen who could, despite herself, generally get out of any trouble her curiosity got her into.


 * One day, the Queen looked beyond her kingdom to the mortal world. She had always held a soft spot for mortals, for the fleeting radiance and fierceness of their brief lives. Accustomed to entire centuries being of little consequence, she could not help but be fascinated by beings for whom half an hour could seem eternal. She saw that the mortals were in grave danger, and she decided she would protect them.


 * The Queen built a new palace, filled with all the comforts of the mortal world. She wove ancient protections around it, recruiting her most trusted advisors to assist her, and together they created a home for the mortals that could move from place to place, that could escape the notice of their enemies, that could grow and shift to accommodate their needs and desires. It was both home and prison, a labyrinth of a palace, where she and her confidantes roamed among the mortals they protected, fostering their growth, and readying them for battle.


 * When they were ready to fight, the Queen had to dismantle her new palace, and set the mortals free back in their own realm. The magic required to sustain the palace was great, and to help them in their battle, she needed all the power she could get. After the great battle, the Queen had neither the strength nor enough allies to build the palace again.


 * Still, many years later, the disciples of the Queen and their descendants carry the palace with them, scattered across worlds and nations and kingdoms, holding the certainty of that home and the obligation that came with it close to their hearts. They do not speak of the palace, for they know that doing so to the wrong person could mean certain death. But they know that the palace is always there for them, and they strive to keep it safe, and extend its safety to others.


 * Remember this, Gulo: what is lost is lost, but it paves the way for new love, new families, new homes. You can always find a safe place, so long as you stay true to good people.

Rorrik

 * Let me tell you a story. This one doesn’t have precise details, because it’s happened so many times before, and will happen so many times after this.


 * Usually, when anyone tries to help, it’s about an even chance that they’ll make things worse.


 * Some people like to think that everything in the universe is preordained, set in place by fate, or the gods, or something bigger than either, some infinite, all-seeing, all-knowing power that guides every minute decision with a wisdom beyond what any mere mind could comprehend.


 * Some people like to think that they are gods, and that if they can only harness enough power, they can shape the worlds in their image, make their own destiny, and that of others.


 * Some people believe that the universe is nothing but chaos, neither cruel nor benevolent, just random happenstance that it’s pointless to try and make sense of. Some of these people use this as an excuse to be cruel; some use it as a reason to be kind.


 * All of these people might be right. All of these people might be wrong.


 * A long time ago, a great danger arose, and a small group of people made a choice. This choice affected not only them, and not only their world, but multiple worlds, countless changes reverberating for generations, because they decided the only way to protect themselves was to close a door. People have done worse.


 * Not so long ago, a great danger arose, and a small group of people made a choice. This choice affected not only them, not only their world, but multiple worlds, countless changes reverberating for generations, because they decided the only way to protect others from those like them was to open a door. People have done worse.


 * Remember this, Rorrik: even gods make mistakes.

Seth

 * Let me tell you a story.


 * Long ago, before the Great Rising, before the first tunnels were dug for Coppermine, before the Library of Alexandria was lost, magic left Ki.


 * This is misleading. It would be more accurate to say that magic was taken away from Ki, the supply cut off indefinitely. Magical items and creatures still existed here and there, but the spellbooks and scrolls were destroyed or hidden elsewhere, and the ties between warlocks and their patrons, clerics and paladins and their deities, even between bards and music and druids and rangers and nature, was severed. These people could still be found, here and there, but what little magic was left in the world was so muted that none of the feats of before could be achieved — you could only find glimpses of it in someone’s grim ascent to terrible power, or the miracles of faith, a song that could raise every hair on your body, a green thumb, a hunter who treated its prey with the sacred respect it deserved.


 * Magic was taken from Ki because of fear. This was a large task, which required a great deal of power. To take magic away from one world was difficult enough; rather than tackle two, and fail, those who sealed Ki off from magic also chose to seal Ki off from An, leaving An to carry on as it was, while those who feared magic in mortal hands could pass through Ki content that none there could truly threaten them.


 * For a long time, the people of Ki made do without magic. They relied on technology instead, and through it and no small amount of cruelty and slaughter, they achieved many great things. But unbeknownst to them, some people weren’t content with taking only magic from Ki.


 * As humanity grew stronger, some people resented their growing dominance. They made a deal to cut humanity back down to size, and establish a new world order where mortals would never be given delusions of grandeur again. So the vampires took charge, with werewolves at their side, using borrowed magic from those creatures who still possessed it to bring humanity’s ambitions to a stuttering halt.


 * It was then that some decided magic had to return to Ki. Alone, without it, no humans could hope to stand against so many creatures so much stronger than they were. With it, perhaps, they might have the means to take back their right to live freely, as equals to other creatures.


 * The ritual was elaborate, and difficult. The people who performed it were far fewer than those who had sealed magic off so long ago. They succeeded, but barely. Many died in the process, and those who were left were terribly weakened. Still, magic returned to Ki, and at least in theory, humans and their allies were given the tools they needed to fight back against those who would treat them as little more than prey.


 * Remember this, Seth: all knowledge comes at a price. Make sure, before asking any questions, that you’re willing to pay for the answer.

Vyre

 * Let me tell you a story.


 * A long time ago, but long after the gates between Ki and An were closed, there was a fairy. Like most of his kind, he had little concern for the dealings of mortal creatures, and what time he spent outside of the Feywild was fleeting and, to him, inconsequential. Like most fae, he was far more interested in the workings of the fae than the concerns of petty creatures who died before they even learned to live.


 * But when this fae was young — still a child, by the standards of his own kind — he married, and had a child. His family and their closest friends lived in peace, only peripherally involved in the darker politics of the Feywild. That peace lasted him only a few years, before tragedy struck.


 * There was a coup. The fairy lost his wife, and his child, and his closest friends, among many others. As another fairy struck against her own family to seize a Queendom, his life was shattered, no more than collateral damage.


 * The fairy spent many centuries in a haze, wandering aimlessly and senselessly, without the will to die but without any purpose left in his life. Finally, after many years, he was approached by another of his kind: someone cunning, calculating, and driven by a greater purpose. She promised him revenge, and power, the opportunity to destroy the Queen who had shattered his life, and to avenge his fallen family and friends. Her words gave him purpose as he’d never known. He joined her side, and vowed that he would not rest until the Queen was ruined, and everything she loved turned to ash.


 * But as he fought, he became something less than what he had been, even as his power grew. When he fell in love again, where once his touch had brought joy and tenderness, now it only brought wrack and ruin. His kiss became an omen. By the time he’d lost everything again, he was too deeply buried in his own rage to see what he’d done.


 * Remember this: you are greater than your fury. Do not let vengeance become your life. Do not let those who have wronged you become your future as well as your past.

Zo

 * Let me tell you a story.


 * Once upon a time, there were two powerful fairies. Now fairies don’t really do gender the way a lot of people tend to, but these two fairies claimed to be women more often than anything else, so for this, we’ll call them women. One was a queen. One became a warrior.


 * Both of them were ambitious, and cunning, and brilliant. Both of them loved to know things. They loved finding things out, the process of digging up information someone else has tried to hide, but above all else, they loved knowing things people didn’t realize they knew, and watching their faces when that changed.


 * Both of them were magnetic, natural born leaders. Both of them liked to play with other people’s lives.


 * Their lives wove on, warp and weft keeping them inescapably intertwined even as their paths diverged at crucial moments. The Queen grew fond of mortals, and she flitted in and out of their lives. The warrior spent her time in the Feywild, and the only time she paid attention to mortals was to hate them when she saw how much the Queen and her ilk loved them.


 * Then, the Great Rising came.


 * As the dead of Ki rose around the world and attacked their former kin, the Queen rushed to save them, choosing the humans she found best and bravest and kindest, and sometimes just the ones who happened to be in the right place at the right time. The warrior paid no mind to this; she had heard the dead would claim the mortals of Ki, and she shed no tears for them.


 * It wasn’t until the warrior realized what the Queen was trying to do that she grew angry again. It wasn’t right for fairies to care about mortals so, especially not such a paltry race as humanity. She began to seek out like-minded fairies, assembling them to stop the Queen and ensure the victory of those who had raised the dead over humanity. The Queen underestimated the warrior. She managed to help the humans, but when she struck, so did her rival, and as the humans regained magic, she lost most of hers, and was forced to go into hiding, for fear of being wiped out completely.


 * Remember this, Zo: your humanity is not a weakness. It is an asset, if you only choose to use it.

The Visions
Finally, each of our heroes was granted a vision, devoid of commentary.

Gulo saw a vision of two people, a man and a woman, who looked like him. They walked through a dense, hot jungle, cautious but confident as they pressed forward. They came to a pool fed by a waterfall, and with a mischievous glance at her companion, the woman took a run at the water and leapt in. He watched the pair as they played in the water, laughing, free, utterly at ease with one another.

Rorrik saw a vision of a woman persecuted, dragged from her home to a pyre. He did not recognize her, or the people around her, or the place where she was, but the context was clear: a man in ceremonial robes, wearing an amulet of Barica, told the crowd of her many sins, that she is the reason their crops don't grow. She has attempted to damn them all for her own gain, but she will not prevail over the Nine. The crowd cheers and she screams as she begins to burn, and the smell of burning flesh filled his senses before the vision ended.

Seth saw a familiar sight: her parents, one father sat at his writing desk, the other coming to check on him. They looked older than she remembered, though of course it had been many years since she'd laid eyes upon them. They spoke about her — about her leaving her sibling, and what it might mean — and the one father leaned back into the other father's touch, seeking solace in his steady presence.

Vyre saw Trennen. The picture of health, utterly pleased with himself, he seemed to be getting ready to go out, humming as he moved around the luxurious home that used to be theirs. As if this was not galling enough, Vyre then saw an old friend of hers, Bree, emerge from the bathroom, hair freshly done. As they kissed, the vision faded.

Zohal saw her sister, Badri, who she had long thought dead. Looking much the same as she had before, though she was paler, her shoulders slumped — she carried herself with a fearful posture, as if she'd grown used to things going wrong. Walking through a dark, lushly carpeted hallway patterned in red and gold, she carried a tray with broth and tea, opening a door and entering a windowless room, dominated by a metal cage. Inside was a strange person with deep blue-green skin and long, lank green hair. It gazed at her with open defiance, and she failed to meet its eyes, whispering an apology as she knelt and began to feed it through the bars of the cage.

Session 12
Our heroes awoke in a vast field, with no memory of how they got there, all of them feeling like they had the worst hangover/post-workout soreness of their lives. For Zohal, Gulo, and Vyre, this awakening was triply bewildering, as they found themselves experiencing all of each other's emotions at once.

Adding to the strangeness, the group realized Sam Hawkins was with them, also apparently with no memory of how she'd ended up there. Unlike the others, Sam said she hadn't received any visions or strange voices — only Gulo noticed the flash of concern in her face when Rorrik mentioned seeing a strange man in the dungeon, and the new intensity with which she regarded Vyre. They also realized they'd each awoken with a healing potion they hadn't had before, and that little cards had been attached to all the magical items they'd found in the dungeon, explaining their use.

After some initial discussion, the group — realizing they were not far from the portal Gulo and Vyre had helped Sam close when she'd first met them — began the long walk to Red Deer under the blazing sun. On the way, they discussed what they'd seen, and what it meant — whether the visions had been of the past, present, or some theoretical future.

Near the edge of Red Deer, they came across an unfamiliar figure — a lithe halfling with brown skin and dark hair, wearing rather tight pants and a rather billowing white shirt, practicing his swordwork. He introduced himself as Theodard Longhole, and broke the news to them: he was their guide, and he'd arrived many days ago only to be informed the people he'd been hired to assist had mysteriously disappeared. Somehow, over three weeks had passed since they'd lost consciousness in the dungeon.

Sam, who seemed to have crossed paths with Theodard via their mutual Guard membership over the years, seemed less than impressed with his appearance, but Theodard was not deterred. Resigning themselves to the imminent promise of many awkward discussions of what had happened, they made their way into town, with Vyre giving 10 gp and instructions to find out as much as he could about what was going on around town. Theodard cheerfully informed her he was a fighter, not a spy, but he'd see what he could do.

The next to greet them was Chandra, who was understandably distressed and gave Zo rather more hell than she was probably prepared for, under the circumstances. Sam swooped in to the rescue, asking Chandra to come with her to the Troubled Monk to check in, and our heroes made their way to the Hall to let Elfrieda know they were back. As they walked, they noticed Red Deer seemed to be rather busier than they remembered it, with a far heavier Guard presence than before, and many figures wearing ceremonial robes representing Ivaylo, Grga, and Domagoj. This heightened activity was also present at the Hall — whereas on previous visits they had generally only found Elfrieda going over files, they now found a building bustling with Guard members.

Elfrieda came to greet them, looking rather shocked at their appearance, and moments later our party met probably the most romanceable NPC in the whole campaign: Falk Mistsplitter. Falk — a visiting officer from Rogerton who had been put in charge of the investigation surrounding the dungeon, the cult, and Elfrieda's handling of the situation — took them all to a private room, and immediately began interrogating the group regarding their whereabouts over the past few weeks, as well as their involvement at the dungeon. Certain party members with elven heritage answered Falk somewhat more sharply than perhaps they should have, and found themselves being escorted to jail to cool off.

While Falk continued to interrogate the remaining three, Vyre and Zo discovered they weren't the only ones being held in custody. Upon arriving at the jail, they saw Kyle, Rosa, and Ade there, as well as a stranger: Rulf Cartwright, who had been taken into custody after arriving in Red Deer looking to meet with Lionel the day after everything at the dungeon went down. Vyre and Rulf bonded by talking shit about Red Deer, and bonded with some of the guards by talking shit about Falk.

Rorrik was given leave to return to his quarters at the Temple of Honour, while Gulo and Seth were escorted to their new mandatory home: a cabin belonging to Roger's Guard, normally used to house travelling Guard members. They spent the next few hours in tense silence, waiting.

Back at the Temple of Honour, Rorrik tracked down Kiran, who looked harried but relieved to see Rorrik alive and (relatively) well. Going back to Kiran's quarters, the pair debriefed, with Rorrik explaining they'd stumbled on the cult entirely by accident, while Kiran explained the added Guard presence and the heightened religious representation: several members of various temples in Mohkinstsis had come to town to assist in the investigation. While Kiran alluded to a certain religious fervour among the Mohkinstsis delegates, they stopped short of any open criticism.

Meanwhile, Vyre and Zo gained a third cellmate when a furiously swearing, squirming Sam was escorted in by some exasperated guards. For a time, the more talkative prisoners — those who weren't confirmed cultists — played a bit of Never Have I Ever, before Zo and Vyre were picked up by Falk, Elfrieda, Kiran, Rorrik, and two priests from Mohkinstsis: Aleida de Gris, a representative of Feofila; and Edmund Serpentwind, a representative of Eustachy. They took the pair to another cabin for interrogation, with Falk apparently much less willing to throw his weight around in the presence of the priests — it quickly became obvious that this time, Aleida was in charge.

Aleida seemed satisfied with their versions of events, and both Zo and Vyre were granted freedom, on the condition they remain in Red Deer until everything was sorted out. Sam, on the other hand, opted for a less conciliatory attitude, and her sentence in the jail was extended indefinitely. A member of the Guard escorted Rorrik, Vyre, and Zo to the cabin Seth and Gulo were in, and the group discussed what to do next. Gulo brought up the strange looks he'd noticed Sam giving Vyre, and expressed concern that Sam was withholding information from them. They also discussed the newfound psychic connection between those still bearing the thorns, coming to no firm conclusions beyond... could've been worse.

At Zo's prompting, the party made a to-do list: they needed to talk to Elfrieda about what had happened, as well as to Kyle about the cult; they needed to find out what Sam was hiding; they needed to talk to Theodard about their impending journey to the Ethereal Plane and purchase any supplies they'd need; and they needed to talk to Kiran, and find out why so many priests had come to Red Deer along with the Guard.

Session 13
Troubled by what they'd been through, the group spent the night together, with Rorrik and Zo forsaking their own nearby beds in favour of the cabin. With only two beds available, Gulo and Zo opted to sleep on the floor with their bedrolls, while Seth curled up in an armchair. Before sleeping, Seth went across the street to meditate and connect with her patron, receiving another message from Earl towards the end. While for Seth, it had been hardly any time at all since they last spoke, Earl had been dealing with the consequences of having to tell Deck there was no answer on a regular basis for over three weeks — as Seth apologized and promised to send a letter, Earl suggested Seth might want to make sure the letter was really good.

Session 13 (cont)
Seth arose before the dawn, beginning to work on a letter to her sibling. Rorrik and Vyre also rose early, with Rorrik beginning to work on the brewing of a healing potion. About an hour and a half into the process, Aleida and Edmund appeared at the cabin, asking if Rorrik and Vyre would like to join them for the interrogation of some of the cultists. They agreed, and set off, leaving the other three alone in the cabin.

While Gulo and Zo slept in, Seth took the time to focus on the ring she had acquired back in the dungeon, and was somewhat startled when she heard yet another new voice in her head. It claimed to be Fendreal Redstream, a cleric whose soul resides in the ring of mind-shielding she had found. He had been there for over two hundred years, and seemed rather shocked to hear where he'd ended up, as he'd never heard of Ki before. Fendreal had fallen trying to avenge the murder of his sister by cultists, though his were not of the lycanthropic persuasion; the pair spent some time discussing their respective cultist experiences.

Meanwhile, Vyre and Rorrik followed Aleida and Edmund deep into the back of the Temple of Honour, to a room filled with the dead who had not yet been prepared for burial or were being held back from burial for some reason. One by one, Aleida interrogated the cultists.

The first to speak was Peronell, the woman who'd initially attacked our heroes with her crossbow. She spoke of a stranger, a middle-aged man who'd undone them. After this, Aleida confessed the reason behind her and Edmund's presence to Vyre and Rorrik: they were investigating the appearance of an individual known to them as a lethal enemy of the Blessed Nine. He only rarely appears on Ki, but when he does, the Nine's temples are alerted, thanks to a powerful tracking spell placed on him long ago. On those rare occasions he has appeared on Ki, Aleida continued, he's left a trail of bodies in his wake.

Aleida asked whether either of them had seen anyone other than the cultists while they were in the dungeon. Vyre — who had never seen the Stranger in the first place — said no, while Rorrik deflected, noting that a fireball had felled most of them in a blaze of glory. Vyre offered to be put under a truth spell, but Aleida said that wouldn't be necessary.

She went on to ask the pair about their resurrections. Both of them recited what they could remember. Following a hunch, Aleida asked if Rorrik had seen anything along the lines of what she'd described in the dungeon — he said no. Apparently satisfied, Aleida resumed the interrogations.

Next was Wei, the butcher. Wei named several of the cultists who had already been identified as her collaborators, and also described the Stranger in similar fashion to Peronell.

Fascinated by the ritual, Rorrik asked what sort of incense Aleida used for it — she answered that it was merely Frankincense. She warned him and Vyre that the final interrogation would be approached differently, and asked them not to be alarmed but also not to distract her, as the spell would require extra focus. She then assumed the form of Kyle Ball, and began to interrogate the dead body of Lionel Gough.

Lionel also described being attacked by an unknown figure — not a vampire, not a werewolf, but something strong. When "Kyle" asked Lionel what to do next, Lionel urged he carry on, saying their lord would restore them for their faith.

After the ritual was complete, Vyre remarked on the strength of their faith in Mephistopheles — Aleida seemed less impressed by that faith. Worn out by the interrogations, she excused herself, and Edmund escorted them back to the main area of the temple, where the pair debriefed, agreeing that the priests seemed far more interested in the Stranger than the cult.

Meanwhile, Zo rose, and she and Seth discussed the revelation that Seth's ring was somewhat sentient, wondering whether or not it would be worth bringing the ring to Kiran to see if they could offer more insight into its nature. They theorized that perhaps the cult extended far beyond Red Deer, which would explain the presence of Aleida and other such prominent religious dignitaries. Waking Gulo, they decided to go to the Gentle Thicket to see what they could learn, taking their Guard escort — a nice young man named Moyrkus who was taking the opportunity to read on his shift — with them.

The mood at the Gentle Thicket was understandably subdued, as one of the owners' children was in jail at the time for having been a murderous cultist. A couple of werewolves, a couple of Guards, and a handful of townspeople were picking at their breakfasts, but most seemed content to ignore the group. Our heroes took a seat at the same long table the werewolves were seated at, and did their best to inconspicuously listen in on nearby conversations — they did listen okay, but not inconspicuously, and some of the crowd began to clear out when they noticed what our intrepid young spies were up to. Before they left, Gulo managed to overhear the Guards complaining that if they wanted this kind of work they would have joined some City Watch or another.

Having managed to procure some instant coffee, it wasn't long before Gulo — having never had coffee before — began to experience his first caffeine high, getting progressively more jittery. Zo and Seth suggested, as his fur fluffed up more and more, that perhaps he needed some water — or alcohol, suggested Gulo! They made their way to the bar, where Gulo made a clumsy attempt to express his condolences to Breasal, mortally offending the vampire in the process, though he held back his temper in response. Right around the time Zo and Seth were trying to decide how to subtly extricate Gulo from this social situation before it led to his demise, Gin arrived with the mail — more letters for Seth, some calmer than others. They caught up with Gin back at the table, with Gin confessing that a) she'd been made the interim Roger's Regent in Red Deer while Elfrieda was being investigated, and b) she hated it.

Back at the temple, Vyre told Rorrik that she felt like her visions had been trying to warn her away from Eustachy — Rorrik noted that the story he'd been told ended with the moral "Even gods make mistakes." Thoroughly unsettled by their resurrection, the mystery of who had performed it and why, they began to theorize as to why someone who seemed to have no love for the Nine would bring back two of their champions. Perhaps the Stranger only punished the corrupt worshippers. Rorrik confessed to Vyre that he had indeed seen the strange man, but that Aleida and Edmund's palpable zealotry had left him disinclined to share any information with them. He suggested they limit their interactions with the priests — Vyre pointed out that it was their intervention which had seen her released from jail, and some gratitude was in order. She suggested an alternate meaning to the vision he'd been shown: perhaps it was about the dangers of scapegoating, an order to protect the remaining werewolves in town from resentment over their cultist peers. If nothing else, they agreed on one thing: they needed to warn their companions of what they'd learned, lest they say anything that would draw greater suspicion to them.

Session 14
Vyre and Rorrik found their companions at the Gentle Thicket, where they offered their condolences to Breasal rather more effectively than Gulo had. After a brief discussion, they decided to head over to the Red Bed, partly to check in on the requests they'd made of Francisca before, and partly to ensure the place hadn't been vandalized in the backlash against the cult due to its vampiric management.

They found the Red Bed much the same as they'd left it, pianist at the piano, and a couple of staff in the taproom to assist them. Moyrkus settled in with his book and our heroes ordered various beverages and wings, including some rather good coffee. Content that Moyrkus seemed more interested in his book than their conversation, the group began to theorize, discussing the timelines of the Guard's arrival and the priests'.

Heading upstairs with Francisca, Vyre got an update on Trennen. In her absence, he'd made all the appropriate mourning gestures, and his reputation had never been better, as their friends and business contacts were touched by how deeply he mourned her loss, but impressed by his ability to push through his grief and keep the family business running. Vyre asked if Francisca could also find information on a woman named Bree Tathviel and her connection to Trennen; Francisca agreed to look into the matter. Before Vyre left, Francisca told her that she had the information for Gulo, provided he could pay — when Vyre inquired about the nature of that payment, Francisca declined to share, stating the arrangement was between her and her client.

As updated as they could be for the moment, our heroes made their way back to the cabin to discuss further. Rorrik confessed to his newfound friends that he had seen the Stranger, and he and Vyre shared what they'd seen and learned that morning. The group agreed that he seemed to be the most likely explanation for their mysterious resurrection, but were at a loss as to why.

Eager for all the help they could get, Seth reached out to Fendreal, asking him if any of what they were going through sounded familiar, or if he'd heard of a being fighting back against the gods. Fendreal replied that it didn't ring a bell personally, but anything powerful enough to fight gods would need godly powers itself, and to tread carefully.

Rorrik resumed work on his healing potion, hoping the hours-long interruption hadn't spoiled the brew, while Vyre began to work on a letter to her sister. Gulo, Zo, and Seth decided to go to the temple, to speak with Kiran. They described the magical items they'd found in the dungeon, along with the cards they'd awoken with explaining their properties. Kiran seemed somewhat alarmed, suggesting independent verification of the items' properties would likely be a good plan, suggesting both Elfrieda and Beatriz as possible avenues for verification. They mentioned Mephistopheles' favouring of powerful and clever mages, and suggested that if the cards had anything to do with Mephistopheles, they might conceal any dangerous effects the items may have.

When asked about the cult, Kiran admitted cults to Mephistopheles run by vampires and werewolves hungry for greater power were not uncommon, but that they'd never heard of one in Red Deer before.

On their way back from the temple, they stopped by the Hall and asked if Moyrkus could check to make sure Falk wasn't there so they could talk to Elfrieda — Moyrkus came back with the report that neither of them were around.

With Moyrkus tragically finishing his shift and handing our heroes off to the next guard, Seth asked about the book he'd been reading — he answered that it was The Billion Gold Rebellion.

Session 15
Going inside the cabin, the three found Rorrik still working on his healing potion, and Vyre asleep. Catching Rorrik up on what they'd learned from Kiran, and then had a spirited discussion about whether or not Moyrkus had been secretly reading erotica, but was too shy to admit it. The general consensus was yes.

Zo and Seth decided to check in on Beatriz; their new guard yelled over one of her companions to watch the cabin, while she escorted the pair to La Voile Sauvage.

They found the apothecary closed, but Beatriz in her home across the street; she invited them to share her dinner and have some wine. The three of them talked, with their Guard mostly listening — when the conversation got to sensitive topics, Beatriz asked the Guard to plug her ears and go LA LA LA LA LA LA, which she did, because she was not nearly as invested in Falk Mistsplitter's reputation as Falk is. With the Guard sufficiently plasible-deniability'd up, Beatriz suggested that if they wanted to flee, the Guard would get distracted soon enough, not being the sort of organization made for dedicated long-term hunts unless dragons were somehow involved.

Back at the cabin, Vyre awoke from her nap and gathered her abandoned attempts at a letter, burning them in the fire Rorrik was using to simmer his healing potion. Meanwhile, Gulo napped on the rug, which was surprisingly cozy, if not particularly clean.

Seth purchased the Sparkle Princess Star Wand from Beatriz, and she, Zo, and their guard returned to the cabin, freeing up the Guard's compatriot to the date she'd been in the middle of. The group discussed their day and Vyre asked the obvious question: should they just try to flee? They discussed pros, cons, and the possibility of taking Sam with them, though they ultimately agreed a prison break on top of trying to slip away from the Guard was likely more than they were up to, especially in their weakened post-resurrection state.

They spent the next few hours relaxing in the cabin, until Theodard Longhole arrived with news and cheap wine. Pouring them all drinks, he regaled them with what news he'd been able to gather around town, including the various rumours he'd heard about all of them (some true, some less so). Rorrik finished his healing potion, and the group began to discuss where they may have been in the last few weeks. Zohal described the strange woman she and Gulo had seen while they were dead, and how she had said they were being brought back to life as a favour for someone. Vyre remembered no such woman, while Seth could recall a voice before being knocked out, but remembered it clearly.

The party asked Theodard if they would flee town with him, and he said he'd be happy to, once they were ready for a long journey. The party also discovered that Theodard knew Seán — well enough to ask what he'd done now. While some called it a night at this point, Theodard and Vyre went out drinking; by the time they got back, Theodard was essentially carrying Vyre, despite their considerable height difference.

Session 15 (cont)
The following morning, Kiran arrived at the cabin around 7:30 a.m., asking to speak to Rorrik. They seemed quite unsettled, and asked Rorrik if there was anything he knew about Sam or the Stranger that he hadn't disclosed. Rorrik denied knowing anything, and Kiran seemed relieved to hear it — Sam had escaped the night before, after revealing that she was apparently the Stranger's wife, by turning into a unicorn and then... disappearing.

Session 16
Unsettled by this news but unable to do much about it, our heroes went to the Phoenix Forge, where Rorrik sold a warhammer he'd found in the dungeon, and Vyre commissioned some coins. Realizing Falk leading the hunt for Sam meant they could speak to Elfrieda without supervision, they headed to the Hall next, with both Seth and Vyre sending letters to their family members.

Going into a private room to discuss their newfound magic items with Elfrieda, who had no magical ability to identify them but offered some sound advice: if it tells you to kill anyone, take it off. If you can't take it off, find someone who can take it off you. Our heroes' guards for the day were not happy to be shut out of this conversation, with one of them in particular objecting repeatedly and with force. Ultimately, this ended with Elfrieda punching said Guard in the face.

The gang headed to the Red Bed with one quietly furious and one bewildered Guard in tow, where Zohal slipped one of the employees 2 gp to let Beatriz know she wanted to talk. The rest of the day was relatively quiet, with Gulo offering Zohal the staff he'd found in the dungeon, and both Zo and Rorrik working on some potions and salves.

Session 16 (cont)
The party was awoken (save Seth, who doesn't sleep) at roughly 3 in the morning, when Aleida and Edmund arrived with several other religious officials and some guards to "request" Rorrik's presence at the temple. Our heroes were alarmed, but Rorrik quickly complied, making a point of coming unarmed so as to present less of a threat.

Most of our heroes were not privy to the conversation that followed, or what magics were used; suffice to say he did not return to the cabin that night.

Session 17
Left with few alternatives, the others finished their long rests, with sleepless Seth fidgeting and pacing, often casting looks out the window. Mercifully, their guards for the day were less surly than those of the day before, and they even got some remarkably good coffee out of one of them.

Eager to catch a glimpse of their friend or at least to talk to Kiran about what was going on, our heroes went to the Temple for the morning's service, which Zohal noted was far busier than it normally would have been, and not just because of the presence of all the people from out of town — it looked as though many of those Red Deer residents who weren't normally devout had begun attending temple in the wake of the revelation of the cult.

Partway through the service, Gulo heard a mysterious female voice in his head, asking if he and his friends required help. He replied yes before stealing from the collection plate.

Among those at the service, they spotted Theodard, who took it remarkably well when Seth started speaking directly into his brain.

Unable to see Rorrik at the temple, our frustrated heroes returned to their cabin, discussing their options, perhaps not quite as quietly as they could have. Unbeknownst to them, their guards were listening through the door, and some of what our heroes discussed left those guards unsettled. When an acolyte from the temple came to collect Rorrik's things for him, the party tried to interfere, and due to a series of comically bad Deception and Charisma rolls, the situation quickly devolved, with one of their Guards threatening force if they didn't let the acolyte do his job. Slowly, our heroes backed down, but the Guard strongly encouraged them to stay in the cabin until they were told otherwise.

Meanwhile, Rorrik chilled out in a room, having a very calm day, reading.

Session 18
Sufficiently chastened at their earlier lack of discretion, our heroes had a quiet conference in their cabin about what to do next. Seth spoke directly into Zo's mind, and thanks to the telepathic link she had with Gulo and Vyre, they were also able to hear it. However, the severity of the situation was not enough to stop Seth from giving an impromptu lecture on the history of pipes.

Around noon, a knock came at the door, and our heroes met Caitriona and Diklah, two Guard members who came with Elfrieda to ask a few questions about the morning's confrontation with the other Guards. Zo claimed full responsibility, saying she'd been afraid Rorrik was being tortured. At this, the other party members also confessed they had serious misgivings about Rorrik's whereabouts and well-being.

Caitriona and Elfrieda explained that to the best of their knowledge, Rorrik was in temple custody because of his involvement in a temple matter, and these were not matters they generally had leave to interfere in, but they had been given no indication that Rorrik was in any immediate danger. However, they promised to look into the matter, as well as bring some provisions and creature comforts to the cabin, to ease the party's wait.

Later that afternoon, Moyrkus brought over some books; Gulo picked out Tusk Love, a steamy romance novel, while Vyre picked out The Feminine Mystique. Later on, Theodard came to see them; the party attempted to hire him to break into the temple to check up on Rorrik and he asked if they had a couple hundred spare gold lying around to pay him for such a task — they did not.

Stymied, the party discussed what allies they had in town, coming up with a short list: Kiran, Elfrieda, Chandra, Gin. Elfrieda and Caitriona dropped by, expressing some unease at the lack of information the temple had been willing to offer regarding Rorrik's status, but to hold tight while they looked into things.

Aleida paid Rorrik a visit and Rorrik tried to withhold information from her; he did not enjoy the experience, almost going unconscious from the resulting psychic damage he sustained.

One by one, for lack of anything else to do, the party began to sleep (save Seth, who no longer worried about such petty mortal concerns); they were abruptly awoken around a quarter to 11 when a harried-looking acolyte came to fetch them to the temple, where they met Piotr, who claimed to be a priest of Eustachy and who was VERY UPSET with what he'd heard about Rorrik's treatment! Rorrik is a SPY! HIS SPY! A NOBLE SPY ACTING ON EUSTACHY'S BEHALF! HOW DARE???? THE NERVE!!!!

This did not convince everyone, but it did convince a lot more people than it should have. Piotr and his mousy-looking assistant, escorted by a handful of Guard members, went to debrief Rorrik The Super Spy, along with our heroes, marching off into the night, with promises to return as soon as Piotr was done speaking to him.

Session 19
To the surprise of not much of anyone at all by that point, Piotr's mousy assistant turned out to be none other than Sam. She answered a few of our heroes' questions, but seemed reluctant to drag them into her world any more than they already had been. Telling Rorrik that he could trust the Guard members that had come with them — who were, at the time, waiting outside the small abandoned cabin they'd gone to — Sam left with Piotr via means of a spell none of them had seen before, to parts unknown.

It was at this point they realized Rorrik was Super Charmed by Aleida. Being rather short on options to remedy that, they began to make their way back to Red Deer, theorizing that perhaps Kiran could remove the effect. This did take some talking back and forth with the Guards who'd come with them, with Martin in particular letting them know he'd really appreciate it if they didn't get him and his friends killed by making a run for it and leaving them to pick up the pieces.

Session 19 (cont)
Making their way back into Red Deer, and successfully making it to Kiran's room in the wee hours of the morning without being challenged by any of the Guard stationed there, our heroes woke Kiran, informing them that Rorrik was charmed and that they believed Aleida had done it, and imploring them to remove the effect. Kiran hesitated at the prospect of potentially defying one of their superiors without proof of wrongdoing, and before our heroes could make their case, none other than Aleida de Gris appeared in the doorway, assuring the party she'd be happy to look Rorrik over along with Kiran.

The pair disappeared to another room while the others were left to stew in their anxiety. Kiran, looking Rorrik over, confirmed he was under a charm effect, and guessed that Aleida had been lying about the matter, but when challenged, Aleida reminded Kiran that Rorrik had been withholding sensitive information that could harm the Nine and their faithful, Kiran readily backed down. Aleida healed up the psychic damage Rorrik had sustained earlier on, gave him some final instructions to continue to report to her on everything he knew about Sam and the Stranger by whatever means necessary, and sent him merrily back to his friends. There was, she informed the rest of the party, no sign that Rorrik had been charmed — despite their misgivings, most of the group got the sense she was being truthful.

For lack of any better options, and not knowing the extent of the charm on Rorrik or how it might affect his behaviour, our heroes returned to the cabin, sleeping through most of the morning.

They were awoken by a knock at the door — Elfrieda, Caitriona, and Diklah had returned to check in on the group, and inform them that Aleida, Edmund, and most of the religious dignitaries had abruptly departed that morning after whatever threat they'd been fighting had been spotted south of Mohkinstsis. Vyre took Elfrieda aside to one of the bedrooms, informing her of their dilemma with Rorrik and the charm effect. Elfrieda tried punching him, just to see if it would help. It did not. Looking well and truly exasperated, she promised to go Talk with Kiran about this, saying they'd be back later. A couple of hours passed before she returned with a somewhat abashed Kiran in tow; whatever she had said to them had been convincing enough that they cast Greater Restoration on Rorrik, ending the charm effect. However, upon asking Rorrik a few questions and establishing that yes, Rorrik had been withholding information that could harm the Nine and yes, the charm spell had made him disclose information he otherwise would not have, Kiran began to get frustrated. After Rorrik tried lying to Kiran's face — something that, as a cleric who had dealt with many adventurers who came up with creative stories re: how they had ended up with various objects in various parts of their bodies, Kiran was more than well-trained enough to see through — Kiran, visibly holding back anger, asked Rorrik to come back to the temple with them — Rorrik agreed. Vyre objected perhaps less diplomatically than she could have, earning some sharp words from Kiran regarding where her allegiances lie and what her home temple might make of her behaviour, promising they would check in with the temple on the matter.

Session 20
With Rorrik in custody at the temple (again) and the rest of the party confined to their cabin (again), Gulo composed a frustrated pop single (far catchier than it had any right to be), Seth flipped aimlessly through her grimoire, and Vyre worked on a letter to Хладнокровье, trying to figure out how to say “I repeatedly undermined senior religious officials to assist someone who may or may not be allied with a legendary enemy of our religion” in a way that made her look good. While "reading" by the window, Seth overheard someone say "tonight" in a low tone — glancing outside, she saw a pair of men with weatherbeaten skin in plain clothes walking quickly by.

Back at the temple, Kiran confided in Rorrik, telling him the story of how they had ended up in Red Deer. They explained, in short, what the Nine meant to them and what Barica had saved them from — what Rorrik was asking them to betray by protecting him and helping him escape Aleida's control. They asked Rorrik to convince them that he was worth the risk.

Rorrik replied that he wished he could take back the months of confusion that had led to this moment, saying it had always been his goal to help save the people of this town, and that Sam had been one of those people he'd taken under his protection. When asked to betray her, he hesitated. But he had never intended for it to escalate as it had. He has no political aspirations to rise through the ranks of the Nine — he just wants to help people. Kiran shut their eyes and prayed, and though they did not seem reassured by any response received as a result, they agreed to let Rorrik go. However, they asked Rorrik to keep up the illusion of being charmed with Aleida, to protect them from repercussions down the road.

Rorrik returned to the party and, to their delight, did not appear to have been freshly charmed. Gin arrived at the cabin shortly thereafter, delivering a letter to Seth from Deck, as well as the coins Vyre had comissioned, and her change. In exchange, Vyre sent GIn away with another commission, and a request to ask Moyrkus if he had the sequel to a murder mystery novel she'd found in the dungeon.

They spent the rest of the evening playing poker; Gulo made some money, Rorrik made quite a lot of money, Seth and Vyre lost money, and Zo, the wisest of them all, stuck to dealing.

Session 21
Towards the end of their evening of poker, Gulo and Zo heard an unwelcome sound: alarmed shouts from somewhere to the northeast. After a brief alarmed moment, our heroes began to bolt, running alongside their Guard, who were also beginning to hear the commotion. With all of them running as quickly as they could, they came upon quite a surprise: someone had set fire to the jail, with the remaining known cultists and Rulf Cartwright still inside.

Our heroes began rushing to do what they could to help save those inside, breaking open the walls and dodging the fire themselves as it spread. Fortunately, they managed to free everyone who had been inside. Unfortunately, aside from Rulf, everyone else tried to escape — while he stayed to help fight the fire, Kyle, Rosa, and Ade all fled into the night, with members of the Guard hot on their trails.

Session 21 (cont)
While the cultists were chased, our heroes worked with the people of Red Deer to help put out the fire, some of them pretty much collapsing from exhaustion in the process, but by 11 a.m. the next morning, the fire was finally out, with no casualties to speak of, and only the jail destroyed. For the third time, our heroes had been instrumental in saving Red Deer from disaster.

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