Session 9
Fact Sheet: verba volent, scripta manent
Date: 26-10-22
Date in-universe: an unspecified Friday afternoon, from lunch to night
Players present: Ecchima, Marty, Meinhart, Tuur and Vinnie. Dins was our GM.
Major developments:
- What we all know
- Akram, the new merchant-king of guards, wants us to keep working with him
- Simeon escaped and appears to be leaving the Sand Sea, heading north
- Eldrin is quiet and has a headache because of their eyes, they're dedicated to killing Simeon (even though even Enza warns against this vendetta)
- Hali is related to Aqueel: their fathers are brothers
- we've adopted Aqueel, with his plushie, his remaining shell phone and Nasser's arcane focus. Hali and Storm are the most visibly protective atm, Enza is the most motherly We're hiding Aqueel, who he is & what he can do. His magic is instrumental to Koh'Shar's current wealth, we don't want to risk him getting enslaved
- we've rescued and released Ratthew, Ratasha and Rathalie
- Ezra is connected to the fashion power house Saree
- when we wake up, it will be Saturday-bagpipe day
- What we don't know
- Fyllion helped Simeon escape
- Eldrin's eyes changed, they still hide their nightmares, what are they putting on a poster (with drawing) all over town
- Aqueel's father is the King of Storms, ruling the Sea of Storms. Hali's father used to travel a lot, it's unclear why
- Ezra's break from Saree, and their mother's treason
Notes
Simeon-as-Fyllion walks through Aqueel’s bedroom, grabs another of Aqueel’s cookies and tries to walk out. Nasser is on a couch; Eldrin is taking a nap with his sword. Simeon-as-Fyllion pretends to check up on everyone after the fight. Hali and Ezra notice that he limps a little, even though he wasn't injured in the fight. Simeon-as-Fyllion bluffs his way out of it, by asking after Nasser's arcane focus. Simeon-as-Fyllion hands a small blue gem to Hali, as well as the other shell phone, unfortunately broken. He ties Nasser's arms behind him.
When he checks on Eldrin, he wakes up Eldrin. Eldrin hides his changed perception.
Simeon-as-Fyllion asks why no one came from the house, but Frey wagers they're mostly thugs & are fleeing the sinking ship. Hali and Aqueel talk about the shell phones: the remaining one can still talk to Aqueel.
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Fyllion changes back into his true form. Storm, having washed the blood off his legs, calls out to the crew to help with the three prisoners here.
Simeon-as-Fyllion claims he wants to check Marduk's body, that's his exit. Hali and Aqueel remain with Nasser, Eldrin and Ezra head over to Storm. When they see Fyllion is there, Eldrin dashes to the well, following the fake Fyllion. They just hear Enza saying goodbye to Fyllion, who's off to get Akram.
Ezra and Storm wake up Fyllion & confirm his identity (there was an embarrassing sock incident, Simeon wouldn't be aware of that). Ezra enumerates our problems:
- Simeon escaped
- Eldrin is in pursuit, on their own...
Eldrin climbs out of the well. After getting a confirmation from Enza, they dash in the same direction, crossing the market square. Eldrin manages to follow a trail of blood splatters, but it ends in the river behind Nasser's mansion. Eldrin returns to the well & notices people leaving the guard house. The council meeting appears to be over. To Enza, Eldrin swears they'll find Simeon again. Enza thinks the group will help Eldrin, but perhaps Eldrin is misguided, Saatia wasn't worthy of Eldrin's life.
Enza mentions Fyllion was paralyzed when she found him. Eldrin convinces her to join the crew down the well.
Fyllion babbles trying to distract Enza from checking on his condition too much. Enza confirms Simeon paralyzed Fyllion earlier on the day. Ezra's suspicions increase.
- does Fyllion have a crush on Simeon
- does Eldrin still have a crush on Saatia
Eldrin asks Enza to check their eyes, because they've got a headache.
Ezra orders us to make a plan:
- tie up all our prisoners (Nasser & 2 bandits)
- hand them over to Akram (despite some reservations, esp. from Storm, about breaking our word we'd help that one bandit escape)
- plan an in-depth conversation about what to do about Simeon
Hali confirms no one is coming from the mansion, it sounds like they're cleaning out the house.
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From Ezra's pocket, Ratthew squeaks he wants his family before. Ratasha and their daughter Rathalie join us, before we block the passage again. Frey drags the bandits along, despite Storm's protesting that we promised we'd let the one of them go. Our word is our bond, and breaking promises is a slippery slope... but in the end we agree to hand them all over to Akram. Just cooperate and it will be okay.
Aqueel throws us up towards the edge of the well with a strong jet of water. While we walk, we talk about the sock-incident that proved Fyllion's identity. We learn
- Fyllion had bad personal hygiene when he first joined the crew
- Ezra used to just wake up to clean clothes: was it magic, or did they grow up with servants?
Enza bonds with Aqueel, despite their language barrier. Hali introduces him as her nephew. Aqueel is nervous to be on the surface. Storm asks Hali about Nasser's arcane focus & we decide to give it to Aqueel, mostly as a comfort object, but perhaps he could use it as well. We decide to hide Aqueel from Akram & to not mention Nasser's magic.Eldrin shades their eyes to avoid the discomfort from the sun. Fyllion hands over Ghorann's glasses, which they can blacken with a torch, to make some sunglasses.
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Many people startle when they see us hoisting an unconscious Nasser around. Ezra and Fyllion work the crowd, while Enza, Hali and Storm make sure Aqueel isn't too visible. Fyllion, Ezra and Frey head to the guard house with our prisoners, the others lead Aqueel away.
Akram pulls the crew into his office, demanding an explanation for Nasser's condition. Ezra explains, with some interjections from Eldrin. Akram is disappointed, but not surprised. When Simeon is mentioned, Fyllion and Eldrin start bickering. Nasser's secret as a magic user comes out, Akram is angry & mentions Rosaria demanding any magic user joins their army. Akram sends guards to investigate and sort out the mansion. He implores us to both testify and help some more in the future. Akram reminds us there are still smoke signals rising from Nawa.
Eldrin asks how they would go about putting up a poster in the city. Akram points them to the traders' guild.
As we leave, Akram asks "Saree, can we have a word in private"? Storm uses the Saree handkerchief to dab some sweat from Ezra's forehead, a subtle nod towards the meaning of the name.
Akram: what is your game here?
Ezra: what do you mean
A: you're under my protection as Ezra, but you're flaunting your connection to a traitor to the Rosarian crown?? (it's the cheese merchant who informed Akram)
Aashvi Saree (Ezra's mother) was unmasked as a Kharkhorin spy after the death of the king, infiltrating the Thamyrian court to spy. When caught, she fled north with an associate.
E: I left the family 10 years ago, I'm not aware of anything
A: I believe you; I'll keep protecting you as I'm now the new merchant-king of the guards, but just be more discrete
Totally stressed out and pale, Ezra leaves the guard house. Eldrin is speculating about Ezra's secret identity.
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We push through the crowds observing the guards in the well and in Nasser's mansion. Storm tells Frei to send a message to her mom, so she can come with us to be safe, and make plans, and sleep.
We arrive at the Moonflower; in the late afternoon the inn is quite quiet. So, we reach our rooms safely. Like in the movie Pretty Woman, we'll have clothes and kid stuff sent to our room, so we can outfit Aqueel safely.
Exhausted, Ezra faceplants, cushioned by their sand snake Baaloo. Enza is worried and helps them into bed. As Ezra asks, Enza holds their hand.
Fyllion misty steps into his bed. He hears a paper crinkle under his pillow:
Fyll, I should leave you a letter before I leave. As thanks, some words of advice: don't fuck with Na'Dir. Since you won't listen, some more advice: be ruthless and don't stop till the job is done, because they're evil. Don't get killed before I have the opportunity to kill you. I'm probably headed north; the desert turns out to be bad for my health.
Fyllion can't hide the letter, but he doesn't read out loud the entirety of the message. Eldrin mentions they want to talk in the morning, because they have a headache right now. Fyllion casts healing word, which Enza appreciates as a nice gesture. Eldrin feels better.
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Early the next morning, Eldrin sneaks out to order their posters: a secret text with a rough drawing, spread all over town. They spend 19 gold on it.
Fyllion and Hali want to see Skourja to plan a performance on Saturday night.
Episode Line-up
Previously: session 8 Hello Aqueel, so long Simeon
Next up: session 10 Friends of the Weave