Rise of the Runelords Recap # 35 [RPG]

[13 Neth 4707 continued]

With the surrender of the last cultist fighting on the fourth floor of the Seven’s Sawmill, a scene previously filled with the sounds of clanging blades, mystical incantations, and explosions suddenly becomes silent.  Arnald collapses into unconsciousness from his wounds, while Bey begins to stare off into nothingness, seeing only images of the impending apocalypse.  Artemis starts to pull the hideous masks off the cultists, and is startled to realize that the cult’s leader was none other than Justice Ironbriar, the judge who sent him to Sandpoint with orders to report on Sheriff Hemlock’s investigation!  Artemis starts to pace nervously, unsure of how to handle the dramatic revelation.

Justice Ironbriar

 Kang explores an office adjacent to the main workshop where the battle took place, and sees that the walls of the room bear macabre decorations: human faces stretched flat over wooden frames by strips of black twine, each face grimacing in slightly different expression of pain.  Behind a desk and rocking chair, a wooden ladder leads to a trapdoor in the ceiling.  Kang opens the footlocker next to a low-slung cot and learns that it contains a variety of knickknacks and oddities probably collected from the cult’s victims over the years, but more valuable items are inside as well, such as an arcane spellbook marked with snakes, an old and beautifully filigreed tome titled The Syrpents Tane: Fairy Tales of the Eldest, and, perhaps most intriguing of all, a slim handwritten journal whose meaning is hidden beneath a complex code made of Draconic, Elven, and Infernal characters.  Fortunately, Kang reads all three languages and knows that with some days’ work, he should be able to decipher the code.

As he tries to make sense of the journal, Kang hears the creaking of footsteps above.  He alerts his companions and they take up defensive positions, waiting for the intruder to attack.  Seconds pass, and then they hear a loud thump on the side of the building!  Artemis bravely ascends the ladder and finds himself in a rookery.  A timber cabinet contains two ravens, while a nearby table holds a bucket of bird feed, a quill, a vial of ink, and several thin parchments weighted down by a polished rock.  But what gets the watchman’s attention is the rope tied to a support beam whose far end dangles off the side of the building.  Artemis hoists the rope up and discovers that someone, presumably a member of the cult, has hanged himself!  The adventurers place the newly-discovered body with the others and search the lot.  Artemis tries to get the cultist who surrendered to talk by threatening him with violence, but the sneering man laughs in his face, knowing that by reputation the watchman is too law-abiding to torture a prisoner.

The adventurers load the bodies, the prisoner, and the unconscious Arnald onto a nearby cart and take it to the Arvensoar.  The officer on duty almost panicks when told that a member of the Watch was involved in an altercation that has led to the decapitation of a member of the Justice Council.  He orders the adventurers detained in separate interrogation rooms and sends a messenger to wake up High Captain Acacia Uriana, the overall commander of the City Watch, and Lord-Mayor Haldemeer Grobaras.  With his notable tiefling features, Kang is treated with extreme suspicion by the guards, who openly speculate he could be a spy or assassin from Korvosa.  When the fiery Uriana arrives to question him, Kang raises her hackles by refusing to talk unless he has a chance to confer with Artemis first.  Uriana moves on to question Briza, and the Shoanti does a fair job of explaining the unusual sequence of events that led to a band of adventurers from Sandpoint getting wrapped up in a murder investigation in Magnimar.  Still, Uriana remains sceptical.  Artemis’ forthright manner, unblemished record for integrity, and corroboration of Briza’s tale is enough to temporarily mollify Uriana. 

[14 Neth 4707]

In the morning, Uriana gives orders to let Artemis and Briza go while the investigation continues, but Artemis’ superior office, Gibble Fank, has to tell him the unpleasant news that he’s been suspended from active duty until the full truth of what happened in the sawmill can be determined.  Kang remains in custody for several more hours and is interrogated  again about both the sawmill and his visit to Boria’s wine shop, as the venue has long been under surveillance on suspicions of criminal activity.  Kang sticks to his story that he was only there to sell wine, and the fortunate presence in his backpack of a bottle of ancient vintage (obtained from Foxglove Manor) and the lack of any other incriminating evidence on his person is enough to mollify his interrogator.  Kang is released with a warning to watch his step.

Lord-Mayor Grobaras

The adventurers walk back to Artemis’ house and notice a surprising sight outside:  a massive, opulent carriage attended by several footmen is parked on the street in front of the house.  Guards dressed in matching uniforms have cordoned off the house, while a trio of mages have erected a silver arch in front of the doorway.  Artemis recognizes the scene as standard protocol for when Lord-Mayor Grobaras ventures out into the public!  Artemis tells Briza and Kang to meet him later at Deadeye Lodge, as he needs to learn why the city’s executive has come to his house.  After passing through an elaborate security screening, Artemis is admitted into his own home to see his wife serving the Lord-Mayor tea.  Grobaras is all smiles and compliments, and once he and Artemis are alone he expresses his gratitude for “removing a thorn from my heel” in exposing Ironbriar’s crimes.  Grobaras goes on to say that Uriana has confirmed Artemis’ story, and that the watchman has earned a promotion for his service to the city.  He tells Artemis that he and his “Irregulars” are invited to a party at his residence, Defiant’s Garden, at the end of the month, and that he hopes the two can continue to be of mutual assistance to one another.

Meanwhile, Kang and Briza head to Deadeye Lodge, Magnimar’s temple to Erastil.  Father Fendus is pleased to offer the pair a reward for bringing him the evil-infused masks of the Skinsaw Cult to destroy, and explains that the cult must be affiliated with the god of murder, Norgorber.  While Fendus sets about destroying the masks, Kang whispers to Briza that he’s on the verge of a breakthrough in his quest to achieve eternal life!  He tells her he could use her assistance later that evening, but that the whole matter must be kept quiet lest others try to steal the secret from him.  Having finished their tasks, the two adventurers meet up with Artemis and, after some errands, return with him home to find that his wife, Miryana, is planning a party to celebrate “Artie’s” promotion.  Briza volunteers to help with the preparations, while an unconscious Arnald takes up space on the chaise and Bey continues to be lost in her mystery.  Kang decamps to the Green Lobster to have some peace and quiet to work on his alchemical research and on deciphering the coded book obtained from the Seven’s Sawmill; he obtains a sizable discount from the establishment since a bad case of food poisoning has cleared the inn of customers.

Miryana Lahs

Artemis continues his investigation into the mysterious name “Xanesha” and gets a lead from one of his street contacts that a pesh dealer in the Shadow named Zivix has mentioned the name before.  On his way there, Artemis takes time to give instructions on stealth to the members of the Watch who are supposed to be secretly tailing him.  Artemis finds Zivix disguising himself as a flute-playing busker and sees through the man’s firm avowal that Zivix is dead.  Although Artemis can’t persuade the man to talk, he does notice that whenever he invokes the name “Xanesha,” the man looks frightened and glances over at a rundown clock tower in the distance.  Although it’s not much of a lead, it’s the best the adventurers have found so far. 

Artemis hurries back home to find his house crowded with guests: the party has begun!  Kang draws Briza aside to tell her that he’s made an important advance in his research: a way for his body to regenerate itself when wounded!  Kang tells her a story about a mortal who became so perfect he ascended into godhood, and Artemis overhears this tale and connects it to Irori.  But before the conversation can become too serious, Artemis and his companions are drawn into the garden for dancing where, out of everyone, Kang shows a surprising amount of natural rhythm.

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Director's Commentary (11/02/2018)

The revelation about Justice Ironbriar went about as well as it could have, considering most of the PCs didn't have any interaction with him (Artemis being the exception).  The group continued their trend at being better at battle than investigation, as I don't think Kang ever did get that journal decoded and the idea that the messenger-ravens could be used to track down Ironbriar's mysterious boss never occurred to them.  As for the hanged fellow, I assumed the PCs would rush in when they heard the noise and have a chance to save him--it was Tsuto (whose release was arranged by Ironbriar).  Another example (along with Nualia) of how I wasn't particularly successful at having old villains return for an impactful performance.

The interrogations by the City Watch was some spontaneous role-playing fun, and it was interesting to see how everyone stood up under pressure.  In retrospect, it might have been even more fun if I had made the other players leave the room during each "interrogation" so discrepancies would be more likely, but that's an idea for another day.

The scene with Grobaras was great.  I think Artemis was the most well-rounded and best fleshed out of the PCs because his backstory and connections to other NPCs (like his wife) were easy to tie into the plot.  I'm happy because I think I did a good job portraying a politician who is enormously popular with "the common man" but also manages to achieve his own ends.

The stuff with Kang and Irori near the end arose out of the player wanting to take a spell that was  reserved to worshippers of that deity.  Since the PC had never before shown any interest, I ruled it out unless the player started weaving a growing interest into his character arc.  I think it turned out pretty well and fleshed out Kang's motivations a little more.