We begin this weeks session with Jabari, Carlo and Marco
still captured by the invading Egyptians and Tiamat Inquisitors and Lete and Lex being awakened by Tazed, the Gypsy’s Heart chief
of security. Tazed hastily gathering the two of us out of our brief slumber and hustling us to back stairs and a
different set of clothes; as we do Tazed explains the Gypsy’s Heart is being overrun by
‘the enemy’. We head down to an employee exit and come out to early morning
Bugibba and a ring of dragon scaled armored warriors and inquisitors round the Gypsy's Heart. Here Lete and Lex recognize the Zordam the tiefling and Sironu the kitsune.
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| Lex |
We approach the perimeter and are intercepted by a couple of
dragon armored individuals and after a few tense moments we are allowed to pass and
eventually catch up with Lermang at a safe distance from the GH. Our immediate goal is to make contact with
Lex’s contacts in Paola… the Boxers; and Lete’s contact with the Borg House.
It takes about an hour for Lex and Lete to get out of
Bugibba taking routes to stay unnoticed. In doing so we see the Sumerians rousting
followers of Dispater along with a vast amount of people heading to Mosta,
Naxxar or some other small community elsewhere; eventually the throng of people spread
out south of Bugibba.
As we approach the unwelcoming town of Naxxar, we are acknowledged by
the tree guards and see with delight the group foiling our tracks as we pass by. A half hour
later we find the Halfling
village and encounter a Halfling named Cookie who tells us it safe to stay
here. After some conversation he explains there was a stop in the village by a murder of crows looking for our
characters. The halflings did not have any useful information for the tengu. The group
mentioned crimes of piracy and active groups contesting for our characters. Lex
and Lete give Cookie the cliff-notes version of how the leadership of Malta are
being replaced with Tiamat sympathizers. This completely misses the Halfling
but we do learn that Cian
is being tied to us and the enemy has captured Sven.
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| Lete |
On a different subject they have not seen the old centaur Nogamon in a time (since
our characters told him about the Black Druid) and the Egyptians went in that
direction about a week ago. He also indicates that the bard college in Paola is
closed, confirming what we heard from Metas.
We end up taking Cookie up on his hospitality and rest,
meaning to enter Paola in the cover of night. We depart around 5 in the evening
but not before Lermang purchases a healer’s kit; the beginning of a plan.
In Paola we pass through the archways and moments later Lex
is signaled and guided along to the Golden horn. We encounter
Charlie and brief him on recent developments. Charlie tells us what he
knows, much of it we already knew or suspected. Charlie says the safehouse near the Bard's College is
still safe but admits he does not know how the Egyptians are deploying their search. Cian
is under house arrest and is expected to walk the plank with us. Other churches
want our character’s tried fairly, but it is the Egyptians who have a hard-on
for our characters. Do learn that Kassok in fact leans with this line of
thought of a fair trial and adherence to the ways of the Seven Churches.
Lex, Lete, and Lermang learns that the other Boxers are
spread out in order to find Lex. Lex tells him to find the others and try to
find out where the other characters are and meet up at the safe house...
Later, at the safe house near the Bard College, the other
Boxers arrive one by one with random items and weapons- donations toward our
cause. While here our characters learn of two other safe houses in Dingle and Sannat. Last
to arrive is the leader Paulie and confirms the Bonded Mind was brought into
docks with crew being taken to the Seven Churches. No mention of the Sea Scale or mention of our missing characters but we can assume they have been brought to Paola
as well.
Several bards have been summoned, so an official proclamation is about
to be made. Lex tells them where we’ve been in the past month, specifically the
magic we got from Naxxar- magic lost with the capture of the other characters.
Paulie does not believe such avoidable measures to be effective. We learn
Garamaldi has disappeared; we tell them where our characters last saw the man. They
don’t know the status of IL-Kataniz.
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| Egyptian Representation of Tiamat |
Paulie would like to try some spells in preparation for
walking the plank, it was suggested the possibility of turning ourselves in an
11th hour display of solidarity for our characters.
We rest while the Boxers fan out across the city to learn
what they can on the trial.
The next day, around 10 am we begin to hear bards call out
the trial of the pirates and in some areas our character’s names are specified;
the trial is at dusk today. We wait and load up into a wagon the Boxers have
arranged to get Lete and Lex closer to the much anticipated trial.
Meanwhile as far as Jabari, Marco and Carlo are concerned they just
arrived to Paola just hours ago and have been deemed guilty and awaiting the sentencing of
the plank hours before the public 'trial' spectacle; all of their possession in Marco’s magical bag thanks to an Italian
infiltrator honoring longstanding Italian family traditions.
Outside, a sham trial is performed for the benefit for the
crowd. But the site of Cian somewhat crucified does not sit well with the
populace inciting an unfavorable reaction.
Then at the opportune moment, when no one would speak up for the characters,
Lete and Lex reveal themselves in dramatic form; unflinching in the face of the unknown. Lermang meaning to remain in the crowd with the items
from the Boxers and his healing kit in the event of a fighting escape eventually includes himself in surrendering to the fate of the large group.
Our speech is curt and to the point, earning the ire of
Zallas or whoever it is. From the crowd a devious Meeka gives evidence to what happened on Selmunett and our character’s
‘nefarious crimes’ including the assault and murder of several Egyptian citizens;
obviously betraying Sven and Cian.
There are others whom we don’t recognize who speak against us
but it all comes down to: if the plank proves our innocents there will be a lot to answer for and there would be an
investigation.
Next follows a series of dispel magics while our characters are being forced
down the plank. Carlo, in his semiconscious state, is the first to encounter
the portal at the end of the plank. Cian is next passing through the portal
followed by a crowd utterance of GUILTY with each individual who passes through the portal. Jabari next followed by Marco,
Evagara, Lermang, Scorintino, Sven, Ahumm, Lex and finally Lete. Each of our characters have a sense of falling then the sudden impact of dark cold salt water.
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| The Ancient Portal |
We arrive at the end of Tiamat’s attack on the Jailer; our
battle is for survival and when the jailer is finally defeated by Tiamat we are thrust back
through the portal along with another hundred or so other of the jailer’s
prisoners shocking the assembled at the Seven Churches in Malta, leaving the
plank/portal destroyed. Our characters gain two Mythic tiers while everyone else who walked the plank including the hundred or so of the jailer's timeless prisoners who were flushed to Paola gained one mythic tier.
Many of us, save for Carlo, know what was occurring around
our characters. Chaos ensues with the new arrivals and the sudden tsunami of water from the portal. We are
gathered up by the Boxers and taken, broken and bruised, to the safe house where we begin next game session.
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