Bounty Hunters - Session 3

An Alley

Joana questions a barely living Frank

• He is not enthused to begin with, but warms up to her demeanor. He notes that he represents a "consortium of powerful merchant interests" (read: Thieves' Guild), one of whom was a certain Crimmins who appears to have been killed, by Eurasmus (who owed him money).
• This sounds pretty weird to the party, but not completely implausible
• The party tells Frank et al to stay out of their way, and everyone will be happy. Frank counters that he's willing to offer double whatever we're being paid if they get Eurasmus back to his employers for "justice", and then leaves.

Back at the Dragonfly Inn

Sleep, meet up with Lyannia and get the names of the books that were taken, info share.

• Lyannia is surprised to hear about the accusation of murder, but doesn't have much more input.
• She tells us the missing books:
  • RECOLLECTIONS OF GOKAR THE WILD, Vol 1-2; A two volume cookbook set with a comprehensive alchemical appendix and brief historical forward.
  • RECORD OF THE NOTARIES OF WYDMOOR, 1400; Catalogue of new and renewed notaries for the year 1400 -1401 FI.
  • THE BLACK SWAN; Notes and papers, a folio of the collected notes and documents related to the refounding and recharter of Wydmoor.
  • ATLAS OF WYDMOOR; A book of maps and sketches of the pre-fire city of Wydmoor.
  • SPELLBOOK; Book of low level magics by unknown apprentice "E.K."
  • HISTORY OF THE SIDHE EMPIRE; History of the pre-alexandrian Sidhe naval empire, written by unknown sage.
  • She says they were all taken from wildly different sections, not adjacent.
  • The party struggles to find a common thread. There is speculation over whether or not they are being used as a way for a family to press an old claim of property. Anto wonders if the person who wants the books might be a treasure hunter, looking for some remnant of the old Magius Tower.
• Lyannia takes their leave and the party discusses next steps.
  • We know Eurasmus had family in Turstram, so it seems a relatively likely place to go. Turstram is about a day away by barge.
  • Getting access to the library probably won't happen any time soon, so waiting is not ideal.
• They look into barges, and ask around. Nobody remembers Eurasmus, but they do remember a bunch of white-robed guys asking about him, who all went to Turstram.
  • The Bounty Hunters hire passage and are on their way.

Turstram

The party takes a pleasant day's barge ride down river to Turstram.

• The ride itself is relaxing and uneventful.
• On arrival, part of the party goes to arrange living quarters, the rest ask around.
• They find out where Eurasmus's aunt is, and that the white-robe-fellas bought a house where one of them stayed, and the rest went off somewhere else.
  • While the party settles down, Elian goes to scout.
  • He spiders up and reads some letters to the aunt from Eurasmus (asking for money, which he didn't receive).
  • He then moseys over to the other side of town and scouts out the white-robe mini-HQ. He finds an alchemy lab(involving human blood), and three people, one writing in a book and two sleeping.
• The next day, Anto stakes out the white-robers while the rest go to meet Eurasmus's aunt, who starts out cold but warms up to Joana. She's very helpful, but hasn't seen him.
  • She gives info about his parents' death, and his closeness to the neighboring alchemist (Murphy)
  • Bern picks up that Murphy might actually be Eurasmus's biological father, and the cause of his non-bio-dad's death, or that at least the aunt thinks so.
  • She hasn't really talked to him.
• They then meet Murphy, and he also hasn't seen Eurasmus. However, he was mysteriously given a chest with a note that ominously says, "DON'T OPEN".
  • The crew detects no magic from the box. They defeat a trivial lock and open it to see a lead pewter box cinched closed with a bolt.
  • Therunin immediately cautions Joana from continuing, knowing that one use of lead is to block magic detection.
  • Joana asks if the party can keep the box for safekeeping, and to try to find Eurasmus. Murphy concedes.
• The rest join Anto, and approach the white-robed-guy house cautiously
  • Joana pretends to be a neighbor while Elian scouts out the back again. Joana isn't able to engage the man who answers the door with a social pretext long enough to work her diplomancy on him, though.
  • The party retreats (Anto continuing the stakeout). They return at nightfall.
  • This time, Elian and Anto knock on the door, and engage him directly by telling him they might be trying to find the same person. The man who answers offers to make tea, and pretends ignorance.
  • He says he's escaping the hectic life of the city, and that he's here alone. Anto mentions that that's funny, because he was seen with someone in white robes...
  • ...and is immediately attacked! Elian expects this, and becomes a dire wolf, leaping over a couch and giving the man a bad time. Acid is thrown at him from two cultists, who were hiding in the back room.
  • Anto is not as ready, but shrugs off an attempted hold person. He runs next to the head cultist, lunges a quick stab to throw him off his balance, then continues to the other cultist who is visible.
  • The rest of the party files in, spells a-blazing. Therunin blesses, Joana damages, and Bern rushes up and shanks the cultist next to Anto, who feels it.
  • The head cultist disengages and flees to fortify the back room.
  • Elian is momentarily flummoxed by a door, until he decides to just bash it down, and keep gnawing on the head cultist. He returns with a rather nasty scimitar blow.
  • The cultist by Anto and Bern returns Bern's stab with his own slash. He then dies to a ranged spell.
  • Anto rushes to aid Elian, and the head cultist ends up in a bad way. The cultist attempts to shake them with a command spell, but they both, luckily, resist.
  • Elian bites the throat out of the minion, and Anto bops the boss on the head. The fight is over.

Awards

• 125 xp to all for the cultist fight