Realms S1E14 Mole Hunt

What do you do after semi-successful adventure? Shopping, of course! But after that brief respite our heroes once again find some Trevyll plotting in Edayk and this time they’re out for blood.

Player Characters Present
Jeidobii, Torq, Denahi, Burakubuu, Guest: Ted

Synopsis
The party, save ever-abstinent Burakubuu, wake up with the -worst- possible hangovers. Buu advises Rydel to make sure breakfast has plenty of protein and sodium. Everyone enjoys a bountiful morning feast and plans out their day. Wishing to no longer inconvenience the others with his inability to swim, Buu asks whether anyone would be up to teaching him. Jeidobii excuses himself and absconds to the roof. In high spirits, Torq and Denahi gladly take up the task of instructing their blue friend on the fine art of aquatic survival.

While the trio heads to the docks, Jeidobii takes his place upon the roof of the manor. He enters a deep meditation and feels the wind, the heat of the sun, the presence of nature even in the midst of the city’s bustle. He takes it all in and begins a quiet ritual; all around him green life begins stretching and growing, covering the manor.

At the docks, Buu hands his pet rat, Arlo, to Denahi and stands hesitantly at the dock’s edge. Torq pushes him in and offers instruction. Buu sinks but Denahi lifts him back up, walking upon the water’s surface. After several dips and lifts, Buu is still not getting it. Denahi releases Arlo into the water where he begins swimming away. Buu chases after his pet and retrieves him and realizes he’s finally swimming!

Torq pulls him up onto the dock just as a shark snaps at his feet. Back at the manor, Jeidobii surveys the scene of new life and vegetation upon the roof. He decides this an ideal location to sit and study his scroll of Spider Weave. At the docks, Buu’s lesson is complete. Torq is eager to peruse some new gear and sets off to visit Heavy Metals, the shop run by Lela, the widow of a fallen dwarven smith. The trio arrives to find she is herself a capable smithy. Lela offers Torq a promising deal: two axes, both of superior quality to his own, in trade for the axe he holds and some gold. The trio heads back to the manor to gather anything they can trade.

As the trio heads back to the manor they run into Jeidobii on his way out. Jeidobii hints that they may enjoy some new additions he made and from afar the trio notices what looks like a tiny forest in the midst of the city. They carry on and while gathering errata for trade, Dorius visits. He gifts them a chest of gold as recompense for their recent endeaovrs and asks what new knowledge they may have of the plot against the Duke. They admit to having nothing new but allude that they may know where to ask and with that, bid the Duke farewell and head back to Heavy Metals.

Meanwhile, Jeidobii enters a shop known simply as The Potion Shop. Inside, his senses are immediately assailed by intoxicating scents and he finds himself succumbing to their potent effects. He approaches what he assumes is the shop’s owner, Kahahn, and as they discuss some trade what seems to be a tiny red dragon flits about. Startled, neither of them is certain what they’re seeing is real. Jeidobii makes a deal on a number of reagents needed for crafting healing potions, with some Pentapetals thrown in as well. Kahahn suddenly remembers the dragon is not only real but his pet, Nyco, just after the small dragon burns Jeidobii, though only slightly.

Torq, Denahi and Buu drop their trade items with Leela. Leela advises them she can have the new axes ready as soon as the evening. They head off to make a brief visit to the Honored Palm monastery but find the door open and no one inside. They take a look around and see there is no apparent cause for concern, so Buu simply leaves a note. With that, they head off to the Cracked Rock to see if they can find Romyn and ask what new information he may be able to provide on the Duke’s potential assassin.

Jeidobii leaves The Potion Shop and Aros, the entity within the jewel upon his arm, urgently calls Jeidobii’s attention to a dark figure headed down the alleyway. Jeidobii takes the form of a bloodhound and follows stealthily. Blending in with the other strays, he listens in as the dark figure speaks to a young man. He picks out only a scattering of words including “Cracked” and “soon.” At that moment, the dark figure turns and addresses Jeidobii directly within his mind, just as Aros had done. Jeidobii sees the mask of the figure, a Trevyll! The Trevyll warns Jeidobii to leave and abandon this endeavor, and there will be no further warnings. With that, the Trevyll disappears and the young man flees. Jeidobii tries to call out to Aros, but finds him silent. He heads immediately to the Cracked Rock.

Denahi, Torq and Buu arrive at the Cracked Rock and greet Stix the goblin. They head to a private space to ask him what he may know. Stix has nothing to offer but tells them Romyn is somewhere in and around the tavern, in disguise. In the common area, the trio sees Romyn’s partners, the Tabaxi Aneko and the human woman, Trine. Just then, Jeidobii approaches the tavern’s exterior, still in dog form, and finds himself mounted by another dog. The dog breaks down in laughter at Jeidobii’s shock and reveals himself as Romyn. The pair enter the tavern together and see Denahi, Torq and Buu already within.

The group once again reformed, they take Romyn to the same private room and share what they’ve learned. Romyn reveals he was also in the alley with Jeidobii, and heard the additional detail of “two days.” Out in the tavern proper, the group spots the young man they’d seen speaking to the Trevyll. He is reluctant to tell them what he knows except for his name; Fen. Jeidobii charms him with a spell and yet the young man’s fear overpowers him still. Looking about warily, he tells the party that he acts as a sort of courier for the Trevyll in the city, and that their numbers are great. He expresses a deep fear of what they may do to him should they find him speaking to the party. He fears not death, but rather how they may bring him back.

The tavern goes silent and time comes to a full stop. A Trevyll appears in the doorway and launches a powerful black arrow. Only Burakubuu seems able to perceive this, though at a massively slowed pace. He attempts and fails to intercept the arrow and it finds it’s mark in Fen’s chest. The boy drops instantly. A second arrow is fired, aimed at Romyn, but the Tabaxi Aneko throws himself in its path. Enraged, Burakubuu explodes with light, his wings spreading open. He charges for the Trevyll but the assailant disappears before Burakubuu can reach him.

Time resumes it’s normal path and the tavern is silent, broken only by Romyn’s shattering anguish as he rushes to Aneko. Buu tries and fails to stop the blackness from consuming the Tabaxi. Romyn quakes with anger and assumes the form of a Goliath in a burst of rage. He storms out of the tavern. Trine approaches Burakubuu and whispers in his ear a way to retract his wings. Realizing the eyes upon him, Buu tries and it works. Trine alludes to not only knowing what he is, but sharing his lineage. She turns and warns the group the bodies must be burned and leaves with Aneko’s corpse to prepare it.

Jeidobii and Denahi attempt to study the arrow that struck Fen but it crumbles and dissipates. Heeding Trine’s warning, the party rushes to the nearest temple of Azeer with the boy’s body. Within they find Christophe. He immediately recognizes the dark affliction taking the boy’s body and obliterates the corpse in a burst of powerful magic flame. This triggers something within Torq and, whether it be the drinking or just the anguish of seeing another young soul lost he lashes out at Christophe. The blow is thankfully deflected. Christophe and Jeidobii appeal to Torq’s reason, offering empathy at his pain but explaining that the boy was long gone already. The body had to be destroyed to prevent further spread of the dark affliction. Torq, anguished and broken, departs for the manor and Denahi follows after to watch over her friend.

Jeidobii and Burakubuu make for the Emerald Keep and find it on strict lockdown. They call for Dorius who comes to greet them. They share what little they’ve learned and Dorius asks for their source. Burakubuu is reluctant to reveal but Dorius assures them he already knows and does not begrudge them. He reveals that he’s already received reports of a Goliath rampaging through the city and he knows it is Romyn. He explains that, once upon a time, he and Romyn were part of a group hunting down the Trevyll, along with Trine and Aneko. Though they later parted ways over a disagreement, he still laments the loss of his old Tabaxi friend and knows what pain Romyn must be feeling right now.

Dorius takes Jeidobii and Burakubuu to an upper level to show them a pile of corpses. Among the dead are both cultists and soldiers, ready to be burned. Dorius explains there was an attack only shortly before their arrival. Though the Duke and Jeidobii’s sister are safe, Dorius asks that the party be in attendance in two days when the Duke holds his Summit to that they may offer protection from whatever is coming. On behalf of the group, Jeidobii and Buu agree.

Back at the manor, few words are exchanged before the party retires, with Torq asleep at the table, deep in drink.