Orphans & Organizations: session 21

New blood

18 Eleint (flashback)

Heyax had to be encouraged to go and enjoy Brightswords. He watched the tournament and afterward, wanted to try the smoky, misty drink at the Trollskull Tavern. While looking for a drink, he saw a drink apparently pouring itself at the bar and tried to tap at where a shoulder would be. His hand passed through the air and, confused, he asked for the special. The drink seemed to pour itself and a chalkboard appears with "1 silver please".

After several hours of drinking, Heyax left a tip and waved in the general direction of where he thought the spectral bartender was before heading back into the night to prepare for the next day's work. Along the way, he found himself at the Steam and Steel and stopped to admire the fine detail of their work. After looking over the items he could make out, Heyax started slogging his way back and after 30' or so, he took a quick break. But the next thing he knew, early morning was gathering in the streets and the sky was too bright to be night.

"Shit, he got too far! We don't need to do this... Shit, we need to do this" from a halfling who then blew a short, sharp whistle. Then he felt a massive explosion through the ground and air that echoed in his chest! After the roar died down, screams and footsteps filled the silence and flames lit the alley.

19 Eleint (present)

After the explosion, Zephyr bolted into the alley to find three people downed, unmoving in the street. I followed and found that the three were likely dead. Heyax awoke to hear our voices and saw someone in the alley in front of him, with a shimmer over him in a runner's stance; Heyax recognized it as some kind of defensive magic.

Through the din, I heard Fala crying out of help - I ran (and leapt through a tunnel in space) toward Corellon's Crown to find her shop catching fire. Uncovering the Lantern of Remembrance, I extinguished a section of flame and called for Fala to make her way outside.

Vivi, using magically assisted jumps, went to The Book Wyrm's Treasure to find Rishal's shop, and likely bedroom, are collapsed and burning.

The figure Heyax saw came up behind him and suggested he help assist the living, which Heyax was compelled to do. Heyax ran over to Zephyr, who shouted for him to look for an elderly dragonborn (Rishal).

About this time, Vivi got a bad - worse - feeling. Something is off, even considering the chaos of the moment.

Zephyr and Heyax searched through the rubble of shops, looking for Rishal, while I ran through Corellon's Crown to find Fala. Meanwhile, Vivi sent a sending to Renaer and warned him there was an explosion and he may be a target. While searching the remains of the Book Wyrm's Treasure, Heyax and Zephyr heard a gasping breath from above them. Vivi joined them and the trio made their way to the second floor, which trembled under their combined weight. With inspiration from Vivi, Heyax cleared rubble away to clear the way to Rishal, who was buried in it. Vivi spoke a word and brought Rishal back to consciousness while Heyax cleared more wreckage to free Rishal, who disappeared and reappeared in a cloud of bronze dust.

I heard Fala behind a door that was blocked by a pair of beams. My only real option was to blast at them with starstuff and thankfully, they split and partially cleared the door. I kept blasting at the beams, trying to make space for Fala to escape. After the beams were shattered, Fala somehow blasted the door apart and sent the thunder and shrapnel into me as well. Since Fala had freed herself, I ran downstairs, used the Lantern to consume more flames. Then I stepped through a magical tunnel back into the street.

We gathered in the street once everyone was safe and realized that the bodies in the street were a group of halflings that sometimes came to Trollskull Cavern. Looking at the body closest to the tavern, they're a bald human with a mass of scar tissue on his palm. It's got to be Krentz.