Lucky 13. Not really. The last few weeks have been a little crazy and so I am behind on posting recaps. Session 14 was last week (10/5) and I believe that Session 13 was three weeks prior (9/21). I’ll be combining both sessions in this single, somewhat abbreviated, recap…I may have some of the in-game dates and actions a bit jumbled. Thanks goodness for Rachel’s notes or I probably wouldn’t be able to do even this much. At the end of Session 12, the party had dealt with another one of the monsters resulting from the Shiver Killing victim. Darcy was tailing a group of Acadamae members and nobles from the Asylum back to where the party had faced off against the Mosquito people. As she got closer to the building, she could hear screams and smell smoke. That is where we will pick up after the break.
There should be no spoilers for any published module and my GM comments, as usual, will be in italics.
RJ was missing for Session 13 so Pop was out of play and Jen was missing for Session 14 so Isabella was out of play that session.
10 Pharast
- As the screaming and smell of smoke grows stronger, Darcy can see a soft glow from the building that they had recently fought in. She runs forward.
- A tiefling guard from the Acadamae group stops her, telling her to leave, and that it is all being taken care of. When asked, Darcy does not give the tiefling her name. She can see that the individual looking like an Acadamae professor is standing in front of the building and concentrating.
- Darcy and the others regroup and look for a way to the building via the rooftops of the Shingles. As they go, they spot one of Graco’s men that they recognize. He assists them in making their way to the building with the mosquito den.
- A tiefling is atop the burning building. As a resident exits a door on to the rooftop, the tiefling, smiling, runs them through with his sword before barring the door so no others can escape via that route.
- Darcy attempts to sneak up on the guard but falls through the weakened roof into the building. Critical failure on her stealth check. The others slay the guard and all begin to help evacuate residents as best they can. As the fire and smoke make rescue too difficult, Darcy can save only one of two individuals…a mother or her child. She saves the mother and the child is taken by the flames. Yes, I can be heartless while running a game, but I’m tearing up thinking about how hard and horrible such choice would be and the guilt and/or anger that the mother will likely be left with.
- A large fire elemental bursts through the roof and our heroes fight and defeat it while the residents flee with the aid of the Steel Union gang.
- In the aftermath, the party spots a tiefling guard on the ground turning away the Korvosan Guard. Graco’s man catches Darcy’s attention and mouths for the party to get out of here.
- The group takes a circuitous route back to Ovid’s apartment. Elvo is there waiting and they fill him in on what has happened.
- Elvo shares that he has closed the shiver den in his territory as well as some information about other nearby gangs…the Black Claws, the Midnight Sirens, and the Dark Shadows. The group sleeps through the remainder of the night and into early afternoon.
11 Pharast
- After waking, Darcy takes some groceries to Crem and his “family” as Cassia (a victim of the jellyfish thing) used to take care of Crem.
- The party arranges to see Graco’s shiver den (at the cost of three of the shiver vials that they still have from Lamm’s place). The witnesses share that the “smoke” went through them on 4 Pharast, entered a man named Arminius, and he then just faded away and disappeared.
- The group is taken to Arminius’ little home and meet and speak with his roomate Didius. Didius shares that Armimius was really scared by beetles. Didius has been hearing beetles buzzing about and feeling like he has bugs crawling on him all the time in their hovel all week. Some neighbors are brought in and they hear and feel it too.
- Mac provides Didius a gold sail to go stay somewhere else. He asks if Elvo is good to his tenants and when told yes, Didius seems keen on moving there.
- The party waits and eventually they all start to hear a loud buzzing. A man’s body starts to fade in and gets more and more solid. The eye sockets are empty, body convulsing, and face frozen in a scream Everyone hears the scream in their heads.
- As soon as the body is solid enough, Stan slices it in half with his sword…hoping to slay whatever might be inside.
- Hundreds of iridescent beetles burst out of the two halves of the body, scattering everywhere. As they scatter, all in the room can hear from the beetles, all in unison, a woman’s voice ask in confusion and concern, “What am I?” This is followed by a woman’s scream from all of the beetles.
(This was the end of Session 13.)
- Aimar checks the remains of Arminius. His insides are completely gone…only bone and skin left. Most disturbing is that his skin holds it shape despite no flesh remaining. Stan takes the remains and pops back to his home plane.
- The two neighbors, Vibio and Tibula, are asked to come in. They no longer hear or feel any beetles.
- Pop is seen talking to himself and the group decides it is time to confront him about all of this.
- Pop shares that he drowned and died but was brought back by an elemental prince who is always with him. Sometimes this prince, Tarquin, helps him do things.
- Aimar checks and confirms that Pop is not undead.
- Pop gets Tarquin to help in this situation by owing the prince a favor and getting everyone to drop a drop or two of blood into a bowl of water. In exchange, Tarquin will try to follow the path of all of the beetles.
- All of the water in the bowl explodes out into tiny droplets, almost a mist, and starts to follow the different paths that the beetles scattered. Pop is very relieved that everyone else saw this happen and that maybe…just maybe…he’s not crazy.
- Tarquin “returns” and tells Pop that the beetles all gathered on the roof and formed into a woman in a green dress with dark hair and brilliant green eyes. She is no longer on the roof.
- The group makes their way back to Graco for a little heart-to-heart. Graco has a little trouble understanding that our heroes are doing this for free and that Elvo is neither paying them nor are they doing it to help Elvo get more territory. Despite his lack of understanding, Graco sends his younger brother, Nico, to assist the group in moving his territory.
- They group retires for the evening. Nico stays with Pop that evening…raising Aunt Jenna’s interest even more now that Pop has brought two different men home.
12 Pharast
- In the morning, the group learns that three individuals had been found dead…all in Graco’s territory…and they headed out to examine the bodies. Each had dozens of little fang marks in paired rows around their neck. Each looked emaciated as if the life had been sucked out of them. Aimar determines that their souls had been sucked out. They also similar fang marks around their wrists and midsections.
- Each body had been found in a secluded area, somewhat hidden, on the roof of the Shingles, open to the sky.
- The group elects to do a stake-out during the night…finding a spot similar to where the bodies had been found. Each of the characters finds a spot that is relatively well hidden. Darcy, who is quite at home on the rooftops and with being stealthy, was able to find a spot where she could be hidden and yet have a good view of the area.
- Pop is the least well-hidden, acting as something of a snackrifice, takes up a position in the same location the bodies had been found, pacing back and forth.
- Darcy notices movement behind Pop in his little alcove. She rushes out in his direction. Before she can arrive, Pop hears a woman’s voice whisper behind him, “I’m sorry, but I’m so hungry.”
And that is where we finished Session 14 and that is where I’m going to wrap up this delayed double header recap.
