User blog:MMetzner/Session 4 - Strangers' Rest

Day 6 - September 21st 420
 * After challenging Lost Canvas to a game of Pirate's Craving in his shop, trying to get a better deal on an ornate compass and navigator's tools, Ronan soon found that her deck was hugely outmatched by the Tabaxi trader. She attempted to use magic to cheat, but the illusion didn't fool Lost Canvas, who was annoyed at her attempted deception. He asked her to leave the shop.
 * As the Adventurers continued shopping, Maiya entered Darryn the Fletcher's shop, buying crossbow bolts, Kyanna  visited Rustys Forge to use the whetstone there for a price, and Farrus  visited Thyra's General Goods to buy supplies including caltrops. Thyra  appeared scared of Farrus as he entered. As Farrus left, Maiya and Kyanna entered, scaring Thyra even more. Maiya purchased some cook's tools and enquired about healers kits. Thyra told the Aasimir that she was out, but would probably have healers kits back in stock soon.
 * The Adventurers spent some time discussing their next steps, knowing Thirdson Mutt was on the island and seen visiting the Strangers' Rest Temple they decided to head to it. Ronan found a local townsperson named Andrik, claiming to be an author wanting to write about the temple. The townsperson pointed out the temple on her map and told Ronan that the temple was run by a group called the Sisters of Eternal Mercy.
 * While hatching their plans, Ronan introduced the group to her octopus familar, Lord Algernon Montgomery Oswald Jones (Algie for short).
 * The Adventurers headed to the Stranger's Rest Temple. Kyanna, Ronan and Gauner headed to the front door, with Ronan posing as the author 'Tulula Von Trapp', Kyanna acting as if she were dying, and Gauner turning invisible. Maiya and Farrus flanked either side of the temple.
 * Ronan knocked on the door and was greeted by Lista, one of the Sisters of Eternal Mercy . Kyanna faked an illness which Lista believed, and the Sister invited them in.
 * Inside the Stranger's Rest Temple, two poorly dressed and sorry looking people sat on benches either side of a pool sipping from cups. Lista offered Ronan and Kyanna a drink but they declined.
 * Meanwhile Gauner, invisible to the Sisters, searched a couple of the side rooms, finding only meagre but well kept rooms.
 * Maiya investigated further along the side wall of the temple. Hearing the sounds of goods being loaded onto a ship, and the voices of a large group of men. One man stood out, with long dark hair and wearing dark clothing instead of the Sailor's Wyk Guard uniform that the rest wore.
 * Back in the temple, as the Sister Attora went out through a back door, Gauner followed her, finding a room with a number of stone slabs, many coated in blood, that looked like it had been used as a morgue. However the room was empty.
 * Kyanna and Ronan managed to distract the Sisters Lista, Attoria and Pietra, diverting them to a position far enough away that Gauner could pick the locks of the three rooms opposite.
 * Once inside the rooms, Gauner found them to be modest in decoration, but with some recently added luxury. Each room had a chest containing expensive items that didn't match up with the modest nature of the Sisters' work. Gauner took an expensive looking necklace, and some gold coins.
 * Upon hearing rustling in the trees by the Temple, two guards came to investigate, but didn't stumble upon the hiding Maiya and Farrus.
 * Ronan declared that Tulula had enough information for her book, and took her leave of the Temple. Kyanna tried to convince the Sisters that she was feeling better, which they did not believe, and asked them to leave. After Ronan and Kyanna left, the Sisters closed and locked the door, trapping Gauner inside the Temple with very little time left on his invisibility spell.
 * Gauner overheard Pietra and Lista  talking, worrying that something was wrong, but that the bodies had been loaded on the ship and that the ship had departed. Pietra asked Lista to go and check that Royston  had encountered no problems with the operation.
 * Gauner managed to escape the Temple by climbing out of one of the windows, meeting up with the rest of the group to discuss what they had found. They began to hatch a plan to capture and interrogate one of the guards by drawing them away from the group Maiya had seen behind the Temple.
 * Kyanna turned into a direwolf, Farrus climbed a tree and readied his bow, and Ronan made the sound of a snapping branch, alerting the guards.
 * The investigating guards Charlie and Neil came across the Adventurers, calling to Royston for backup. However before the rest of the guards could join the battle Farrus had already fired a broadhead arrow into his chest, killing him instantly.
 * Ronan tried to throw Algie at the second guard, however the octopus couldn't cling onto the guards face, falling to the ground limply.
 * Gauner slashed the achilles of the second guard before fatally stabbing in the back with his dagger.
 * As Royston and his men reached the group, the fighting intensifed, Eldritch blasts, arrows and bolts all misfired in the chaos. Kyanna, in direwolf form, tore at guards with claws and teeth.
 * Farrus placed a curse on Royston, temporarily making him swing wildly and innacurately.
 * When Algie flopped onto the floor next to one of the guards, the guard speared him, dissapating the octopus.
 * As Kyanna continued to come under fire in her direwolf form, she changed back into her true Elven form, but just as she changed back, another guard stabbed her with his spear, knocking Kyanna unconscious.
 * Maiya defiently stood over the downed Kyanna, taunting the guards into attacking her. After deflecting a flurry of blows she took a healing potion and poured it into Kyanna's mouth, reviving her.
 * Ronan unleashed a stream of black tentacles, damaging everyone around her, friend or foe.
 * Maiya faced a dilemma, unfurling her wings and getting a potion over to Gauner, but with desperately flagging health herself, she decided to drink the potion rather than give it to the tiefling boy.
 * To Maiyas horror, one of Royston's guard stabbed Gauner, knocking him unconscious.
 * Ronan unleashed a viscious bolt of lightning at Royston through her weapon, shocking him.
 * Gauner snapped back awake suddenly, returning to the fight. Maiya used her healing hands to revitalise him further.
 * The lightning bolt he took earlier continued to stream through Royston's veins, and unable to take any more, he collapsed to the ground.
 * Maiya flew above the last remaining guard, dropping the rope in a noose and then pulling it tight, trapping him. Farrus struck him with the butt of his sword, knocking him unconscious.
 * The Adventurers looted the bodies, with Farrus taking a large coin purse and four gold rings from Royston. They split up Royston and the captured guard, and tied up the guard.
 * They decided to wake the guard, with Maiya standing over him with sword drawn, Ronan lied, telling him that Royston was dead, and that he would also be dead if he didn't talk. The guard told them that the ship was heading north to Mutt's Crag, carrying bodies. He claimed not to know why, but that they had been loading bodies onto ships 3 times this week. He denied having killed the people, claiming they were already dead. He also claimed that Thirdson was on the ship. He told the Adventurers that Thirdson and Royston paid him better than the previous government.
 * The Adventurers offered to release the guard, on the condition that he leave his armor, and disappear from the island. Farrus slashed him and took a sample of his blood in a vial, the guard fled. As he ran away Kyanna and Farrus questioned the decision to let him go, remarking that it would inevitably come back to bite them.
 * Before waking Royston up, the Adventurers agreed that whatever the outcome of the questioning, they would kill him. To wake him, Farrus stabbed an arrow into Royston's knee. Royston woke with a scream.
 * The Adventurers told Royston that the guard had told them everything about the bodies, except for what they were using them for. Maiya told Royston that they were going to kill him regardless of what he told them, but that cooperating would grant him a quick death. Royston responded by spitting in his face.
 * Kyanna grabbed Royston's hand, and cut off his finger. He remained surprisingly calm, until Ronan threatened him with more of the lightning that she had fired at him during the battle. Resigned, he told the Adventurers that he didn't know what the bodies were for.
 * When asked about Mannaphi, Royston told the Adventurers that he was tasked by Thirdson with tracking down any survivors from Hogstone that could have proven a problem, Mannaphi, Hermann, and the group of archers.
 * Farrus poured oil over Royston, the implication clear. They asked him what the Mutt Clan had planned next, he replied that they would be going island to island, bringing everyone under control.
 * Farrus asked Royston if Thirdson killed Ranulph, to which Royston replied "probably". He denied having killed Ranulph himself. When asked about the sisters, he informed the Adventurers about the deal. Landon  and the guards would make the island more unstable, leading to more homeless people seeking refuge at the Strangers Rest Temple, and therefore more bodies. He admitted to paying the sisters himself.
 * He told the Adventurers that there would likely be another ship along in a week to collect more bodies.
 * When asked about the Sekken Steiner, Royston told the Adventurers that both Thirdson and Landon Mutt had one, and that Thirdson was in possession of one named the Star Statue, that made him more persuasive. He speculated that the rest of the statues would be in the hands of the clan leaders.
 * Royston told the story of how he and Thirdson returned to Hogstone after the Sack, that Thirdson wanted to control the people that had come out of hiding rather than wipe them out, but wanted to kill anyone who would prove a problem, that being the archers, Herman, and Mannaphi.
 * While they spoke, Ronan stared at Royston with deep concentration, committing his features to her memory.
 * Kyanna pulled her sickle, and slashed it across Royston's throat. He gargled on his own blood before falling face-first to the ground. After throwing his body into the sea they headed back to The Galleon.
 * Having found a quiet corner at the Galleon, the Adventurers discussed the beginnings of a plan to break into Landon's Mansion, using Ronan's ability to disguise herself as Royston, and with one set of armor stolen from one of the guards, and an invisible Gauner. The group discussed using a codeword of 'beansprouts' to alert each other to danger.
 * The Adventurers retired to their rooms for the evening, Ronan reconjured Algie using her brazier and herbs, and Farrus started preparing some acid.
 * In the middle of the night, Maiya and Kyanna heard the sounds of footsteps in their room, Maiya sat bolt upright, seeing a small girl carrying what looked to be hers and Kyannas pouches of gold. The Aasimir dived toward the girl as she made for an escape at the window. The girl made a hissing sound at Maiya, showing that she had no tongue. She dropped the bags of gold and half-climbed out of the window. Maiya attempted to grab her, but the girl wriggled away, diving from the window, landing nimbly on the ground below and running into the night mist.
 * The next morning, meeting downstairs at the Galleon, Kyanna and Maiya discussed the attempted robbery of the previous night. They planned some shopping to aid their plan of the previous night. They headed to Trader's Square
 * Maiya headed toward Rusty's Forge, Farrus to Darryn the Fletcher , Ronan and Kyanna to Caedwella's Cauldron.
 * At Caedwella's, Kyanna and Ronan purchased 6 healing potions, after a lengthy amount of haggling with Caedwella.
 * Maiya asked Rusty about lockpicks, he told her that he had sold a batch recently to Thyra  at her General Store. Upon visiting her, Thyra was disappointed in there being 'another thief in Sailor's Wyk '. However she sold 10 lockpicks to Maiya, who gave them to Gauner.
 * At Darryn the Fletcher, Farrus asked if he could sit in while Darryn made arrows, to learn how the process goes. Darryn told him that he could do this for free if he continued using Darryn as his supplier.