Astvanor Session 97 (12/16)

[cinaed]

Session 97: 12/16 (Day 17 of Veksdan)

Before entering the shop, Terran appears beside the group and is told about what passed in the last fifteen hours since he left them. He takes a long drag of his weed and tells them that they should stop doing so much, what would they get up to in twenty years.

Inside, Mother gestures for them to sit. Hava sits awkwardly on the edge of the nearest sofa. Mother waves her hand and one of the nice porcelain teapots begins to steam. It is a large, impressive space, with ceilings high enough that even Terran and Galowen are comfortable.

Mother asks if they’re here to join her roster. She’s always happy to expand her ranks, especially for the impressive people who killed the dragon. She says they even have their own pet dragon, apologizing with apparent sincerity when Diana explains that Adrin is her sister.

Hava says that they’re not here to join.

Mother asks if they’re sure, they would fetch quite a price, over 200 gold a head.

Hava glances at the party, with Az shaking his head and Diana musing that she’s never been a mercenary before Hava says that the offer is appreciated, but she’s here to find her sister.

Mother says that unfortunately she cannot give out information about those in her employ. When Yolov asks if they could hire them, she explains that the Stormriders are in the middle of a job and unavailable.

Terran realizes Mother is bribable, but Hava ignores his gesture for her to offer Mother coin. Instead Hava leans forward and says that it’s been a very long time and she’s come very far. Mother repeats that she cannot risk her people, Hava might not even really be who she claims.

Hava says that she is Maeve’s sister, her voice shaking, and describes Maeve as bossy, who puts her hands on her hips when she’s mad and flips her hair back and decides what they’re going to do. She doesn’t know if any of that’s still true, if Maeve even calls herself Maeve, but it was when they were young.

Mother leans back, stroking her chin and says that Maeve does still put her hands on her hips, usually during an argument. She asks what they want with the Stormriders, and Hava says she didn’t know who the Stormriders were until today.

Mother says that the Stormriders are some of the most dangerous mercenaries who contract to many guilds. They come through Radiscune from time to time and take a few jobs before moving on. They even have a ship in Upper Crescent Port City.

Hava asks what she’s like. Maeve is described as brave, fierce, strong-headed and foolhardy, and a very good negotiator. Hava asks if they’re coming back here and Az asks when they left. When Mother demurs, citing confidentiality, Yolov asks in the Telepathic Bond if they should tell her that they know about the job from Loren himself.

Hava barely lets Yolov finish talking in her head before she tells Mother.

Mother explains that the Stormriders were expected back for their payment four days ago. Hava asks if they have any way to contact each other, and Mother says that’s not how it works, they are not mice to be chased down. If they die, then that’s unfortunate.

Hava asks if that’s everything Mother knows.

Mother leans back and settles deeper into the cushions, watching her with sharp yellow eyes. She says that the Stormriders are a very impressive group, one she’s worked with many times, who have never disappointed her or left her wanting. If someone were to recover any information about them or rescue them, it would be considered a great favor to her business.

Yolov asks if that means she can give them more information about where the Stormriders were headed in the mountains, or if they should speak with Loren directly.

Mother says that hypothetically if the person who hired the Stormriders, then hypothetically the person wouldn’t know where the Stormriders were headed. Also hypothetically if the Stormriders had gone, they might’ve found a way less difficult way up the mountain, avoiding the shadows and known dangers, and might have gone under the mountain.

Hava asks hypothetically how they would get there. Mother says the dwarven roads.

Any Avisian and most people know that just north of Radiscune, underneath the Kastvar Mountains is the dwarven capital of Khavran, near the Kelfemma. It is a sprawling city-state of dwarves. It would make sense that if the Stormriders knew of the danger, which they did, they would’ve tried to take the dwarven roads and go through the city to avoid traveling over the mountains.

Mother suggests looking below.

Hava says they’ll do that soon. Yolov puts his hand on her shoulder and says they’ll go as soon as they can. Hava says she’s waited so long, she can wait a little longer, as long as Maeve is safe. Mother tells her that Maeve is very capable, as is most of her mercenary group.

Hava says she has one last question. Did Maeve ever tell the Mother how she became a mercenary? Mother says no, it was all strictly business. Hava asks if she’s happy, and Mother slowly admits that Maeve obviously enjoys her life and the finer things, but always seems a little sad. Mother thinks that was one reason Maeve kept taking bigger jobs.

Hava thanks her for the information and says that if they find the Stormbringers, she’ll hopefully see Mother again.

Mother waves a paw and says if Hava and her friends decide to take any jobs from her, the offer is always open, as is the offer of the teapots.

Hava leaves, with the party following close behind her.

As soon as Terran gets outside, he asks if she wants to go find her sister. Hava says they can’t yet, they have to help Dailiir first. The party begins to plan on how to approach Loren and Maviana, with most of the group deciding Maviana genuinely cares and even loves Loren and to use that to get her to help them.

Yolov points out that whether or not they tell Maviana the truth, they also need to figure out what to tell her that will draw the Sworn Edge out of the Shadowfell and rescue Dailiir. They debate among themselves, deciding that they need to talk to Maviana first and learn more from her before finalizing how to draw out the Sworn Edge.

When they get to the Ravenheart manor, however, there is no sign of the gardeners. No one answers their knocking, and when Hava tests out the door, it is unlocked. The hallway is slightly dusty, and they catch some faint sounds of porcelain shifting deeper into the house.

Leaving Tommy, Raleigh, and Audacity to guard the doors, they head towards the sound, through the waiting room. They follow the sound all the way to a little kitchenette, where Maviana is sitting with a saucer of tea. She looks up, startled, and says that she didn’t hear them come in.

Hava and Terran realize that she’s unsettled by something.

Hava tries to cast Calm Emotions on her, but Maviana shakes it off and scolds her. Hava says that she’s upset. Maviana says that she isn’t upset. The party asks where Loren is, but Hava squints at her while Yolov casts Detect Magic.

Several things happen at once: Maviana says she thinks he’s in his study, Terran points and says that he’s going to go check, Hava realizes that she’s lying, and Yolov realizes that Maviana has a strong illusion spell on her.

Yolov remembers that Esrani said the gardeners knew where the bodies are buried and Dailiir’s warning that one of them wasn’t real. He instinctively casts Dispel Magic, which the false Maviana instinctively counterspells before she curses over her slip-up and bolts out of the kitchen.

Diana races after her and grabs her. The fake Maviana tries to dodge, but Diana gets her in her arms and holds her tightly. Adrin rushes forward as well. Maviana squirms in her grip and demands to be let go. Diana says only if she says please, and then says no when Maviana says please.

Maviana clicks her tongue and approvingly calls her a liar.

Yolov moves towards the door she was running to before he tells her to drop the illusion and explain herself. He casts Mind Sliver, which she shakes off easily, and he realizes she’s a wizard and not a warlock. She tells him not to worry, they won’t kill Dailiir. They’ll just make her wish she was dead, and maybe kill her later.

Yolov just stares at her, ready to cast Counterspell if she tries anything.

Meanwhile Terran wildshapes into a wolf. He can smell a sickly sweet smell coming from the room Maviana was going towards and realizes there is someone inside, though not exactly where. Terran sprints over and breaks the doorknob off with his teeth, managing to shoulder the door open.

Hava follows Terran, dashing into the room. As soon as she gets inside, the smell of a sickly sweet rot hits her. She spies two shapes moving in the shadows, lingering and twitching, and steps further into the room. The closer she gets to the shadows, the more they take form. They don’t ever have a coherent shape so much as they look like weird malformed manifestations of shadows, writhing nightmares, like the shapes that things make in the darkness of your bedroom.

Hava casts Spiritual Weapon beside herself. She knows that these creatures don’t belong to this plane.

Still in Diana’s grip, Maviana attempts to cast Dimension Door, but Yolov Counterspells it. It fizzles out of her hand and she looks at him and asks if he knows what he doesn’t want to do. She yells in Maviana’s voice, a scream of fear, and then adds that he doesn’t want to make Loren angry, not after what she’s done to him.

Galowen dashes forward to the door as well, kicking it open and getting just inside it.

One of the shadow creatures lunges at Hava, swiping out three times at her. Two miss, but the middle attack hits. It claws her shoulder, digging in its strange talon hand, its fingers wrapping around her and restraining her.

The other one attacks Galowen. The first two miss, but the third one slashes his arm.

Az moves forward, looking down the hallway to see if Maviana’s scream summoned the family’s guards. He doesn’t see anyone, wondering where Loren is. He readies his Eldritch blasts in case anyone comes to help Maviana.

Inside the room, Hava doesn’t see anything, just feels the faintest whisper of air against the nape of her neck before a sword stabs her in the back. She turns to see Loren standing behind her, his eyes glossed over, almost blank like they’re unseeing.

Terran sees this all a half second too late, barking at the man he doesn’t recognize as Loren stabs her again, moving to flank her.

Galowen believes in Loren's betrayal, but Hava knows this isn’t the same man she spoke to in the library. The way that his face is blank, he hardly seems real. Terran recognizes this as a man under mind control. He doesn’t know who the guy is, but knows he isn’t acting of his own accord.

Adrin pins Maviana to the floor, while Diana raises her shortsword and stabs Maviana through the palm of her hand, hard enough the tile cracks and Maviana is pinned to the ground. Maviana screams. When Diana looks down, Maviana is bleeding blue. Diana comments that it looks like it hurt, Maviana hisses that she’s going to regret that and swears in a language Diana vaguely recognizes as Primordial from Audacity speaking it.

Diana bolts into the other room. Not knowing he’s mind-controlled, she yells at Loren to stay away from Hava and stabs him with her special dagger. She watches him not even blink at the pain. He looks over his shoulder at her wordlessly even as she notices and yells at the sight of the shadows.

Yolov moves. Looking into the room, he also realizes that Loren is mind-controlled. He warns the group before he summons Es next to Hava’s Spiritual Weapon. Then he turns back to the false Maviana and tells her that they’ll rescue Loren and Professor Dailiir and that she’ll regret what she’s done today before he hits her with a thunderous chromatic orb.

She curls up under the onslaught before she says she has worked so hard and long for this, it would’ve been so easy once he left and she could become him.

Terran jumps up and bites at Loren before he turns back into human, realizing he’ll need his spells for the rest of this fight.

Hava’s Twilight Sanctuary fills the space before she heals herself.

Maviana remains pinned to the floor. Gritting her teeth, she gets partially up on her knees and casts Lightning Bolt through most of the party. Yolov takes the brunt of it, wobbling on his feet as Galowen rushes from the other room to put himself between her and Yolov.

Galowen swings out with his sword twice, his sword flashing with divine magic. The first attack slices her from her shoulder to her hip as she flinches, clearly unused to pain. With the second attack, Galowen’s sword blazes with light as it goes through her shoulder and out her hip, pinning her a second time to the floor. The blue, watery blood begins to spread.

When she gasps out her last breath, her illusion disappears. A lean, water genasi lies dead on the ground, arms covered in the swirling tattoos of the Sworn Edge. Galowen rests his boot on her chest.

Hava is in so much pain, still grappled by the shadow creature. She looks back towards her friends as Galowen kills the false Maviana, and sees Loren, who is holding his weapons in perfect fighting position, blink and come back to himself. He exclaims over her bleeding injuries and asks if she’s okay.

She tells him she’s fine, but that they need to kill these shadows. He looks down at his weapons, realizing that he stabbed her. The color drains from his face as the first shadow attacks and grapples Hava.

The other shadow attacks Terran, who is injured but able to avoid being grappled as Az sends two Eldritch blasts into the shadow grappling Hava and sends it flying back twenty feet.

Diana attacks the shadow creature closest to Loren and Terran. She stabs it hard with the first attack but misses with the second, the blade passing through the wispy shadow tendrils. Adrin rushes forward as well, lunging at the shadow. She bites into it.

Loren stares down at his hands and apologizes again, clearly rattled. Hava tells him to fight these things and they’ll talk about it later. He looks conflicted for a second before his back straightens and he steels himself. Hava recognizes the look of someone who’s been told what to do all his life, and who wants to break down, but is digging in and holding on for just a while longer to do what needs to be done.

He whirls and slashes viciously into the shadow creature.

Yolov looks and sees how injured Hava is. Galowen sees him gesture and the shadow closest to Hava vanishes as though it has been blown away into nothing even as Hava takes a breath and some of her wounds visibly heal.

Terran raises his staff and rushes towards the shadow, lashing out and adding the lightning he absorbed from the false Maviana’s spell. The quarterstaff doesn’t seem to do much damage, but the creature shrieks in agony after the lighting sears it. He casts Healing Spirit on top of Hava.

Hava feels some of her injuries heal a little more. She casts Healing Word on Yolov before she draws her bow and fires a shot at the shadow. The arrow pierces it, but the shadow is still standing.

Galowen puts a hand on Yolov’s shoulder and casts Lay on Hands, healing most of Yolov’s injuries. He keeps his hand on Yolov’s shoulder, holding him there as though worried Yolov is going to run into the next room.

The shadow attacks Terran, hitting him all three times. On the third attack, Terran lashes out with Hellish Rebuke, flames striking it. The shadow creature now smells sickly sweet and burned.

Az stares through the broken open door towards where Terran is face to face with the remaining shadow. He sends two Eldritch blasts into it, smashing it against the wall twice. The bolts go past Yolov’s head and Terran’s face, and Terran can smell the fey magic roiling off the first blast and then the second as the shadow creature disappears into mist and then nothing, taking the horrifying stench with it.

The party is left with a dead water genasi pinning to the floor, the fading scent of rot and decay, a scorched Yolov, a badly injured Terran, and a very confused Loren Ravenheart.

Loren catches Hava as she starts to sink to the floor.

Diana dashes over to Yolov and asks him if they need answers from the Sworn Edge. When Yolov says they need information, she offers to revive the wizard, only for Hava to wearily point out she has Speak with Dead.