Session 20: Return of the Cat

The next day, Vojta and Arran are hanging out at Saleekh’s underground pub when they spot the tiefling Swindler Joe selling jewellery to a patron for an outrageous price. He then approaches Vojta and explains that Ahrm paid him to help them out on their quest, showing Ahrm’s lightning javelin as proof. Vojta and Arran hesitantly accept his help. Swindler Joe transforms into his alter-ego, Trader Joe, and shows them to his own hideout, a shop that was recently shut down by a rival gang for “unethical business practices”. He shows them around the city while they await the creation of Saleekh’s sending stones.

The next day, they retrieve the sending stones from Saleekh. He warns them not to let people know that they’re associating with Joe, since he has a bad reputation. The group buys a new cart and camel and prepares to leave, but not before Grombrin sets up a meeting between Stenneth and the emissaries from Moradhin. As they head out the Glyckheart gates, a shrill-voiced half-elf approaches them. It’s actually Hardruk, the oni shaman who opened Tusk’s memory trinkets back in Muntgard. He came here when Muntgard was ravaged by “the Tahrovinqah Guy”, which is Gyrraleth. He offers the group to have a drink with him, but they would rather keep moving, so they instead let Hardruk join their journey for a while. Along the way, he excitedly converses with the group, and explains that he was kicked out of his oni community in the Namos swamp for not wanting to eat people. They discuss the ancient tower in Namos, which might be the temple of Turagh. He tells that the people who enter it die, and that the stone grows back when chipped off. Joe mentions that there’s a thieves guild in Namos, which can give them refuge when they go there to inspect the tower.

The group eventually reaches Oda Iger, which is deserted now, as a new town has been built on the lake of the fortress city. They seek out Duke Arech, who tells them that Vica recently returned to the dungeon through a portal, and was imprisoned. The others seek her out and find her imprisoned in magical wards. She is now permanently in her horned demonic form after spending several weeks in hell. She is angry that Arran pushed her towards the demon, but accepts that the group couldn’t have done much to stop her abduction. Vojta explains what happened since she was abducted, then convinces Arech to let her go. He puts her into a warded harness that paralyses her, because he doesn’t want a demonic tabaxi to walk the fortress freely. Vica’s demonic aura has to be masked to prevent the other demons from coming for her, so Thillio and Grombrin modify the harness so that it still wards her aura but no longer paralyses her when out of the fortress.

The group then asks Arech about the blessing of Mereteth. He points them to the altar to Mereteth, but says that his blessing was not gained through prayer, but was granted to him when he was near-death on the battlefield. Even so, he teaches them some chants so that they can attempt communion. Vojta, Arran and Grombrin pray to the statue, and are mentally transported to a void-like domain. Mereteth is there as a primordial force that communicates with them through mental imagery. They explain their situation and request Mereteth’s blessing. She will only bless one person, so Vojta designates Arran. When they return to the real world, Arran is blessed similarly to Duke Arech. Grombrin crafts a small metal statue of Mereteth, which Arech claims can be used by Arran to contact Mereteth again later.

Hardruk returns to Glyckheart, while the group travels on to Fayekro. To cross the bay, they set the camels free, Grombrin transforms the cart into a rudimentary boat, and Vojta transforms into a whale to pull it through the water. They enter Fayekro, which is a chaotic city built on a jutting cliff. Joe seeks out merchant prince Blacktusk, a Loxodon. He purchases some magic items from him, and Vica purchases an amulet to hide her demonic aura, one that is less intrusive than the harness. They also buy a better cart and two horses, whom they call Karin and Barbrah.