Session 132 The sigils of the Silk Rose and Yellow Orbs

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• Session 133 The Sage, the Suitor, and the Smashed Blacksmith (← links | edit)

Session Details

Session Date:	18 April 2025
Game Date:	Evening, CY627

Session Summary

Synopsis

The party learns Lexana Brightshores is alive and has brought the book to this region but here whereabouts are unknown .

This Session

The Unfamiliar Symbol and the Raven

Upon entering the warehouse, an old woman immediately questioned if they were from the council (referring to the PCs' original quest) or the court. She urgently insisted they leave before "the others" arrived, explaining that another convoy was coming and they risked being caught. Ignoring her pleas, Durmen and Egon moved deeper into the warehouse, noticing stacks of crates bearing an unfamiliar symbol: two golden orbs in front of a pyramid. A larger crate at the bottom, marked with a rose, particularly caught Durmen's attention.

Meanwhile, Balmaris's sharp eyes spotted a large, bluish-black raven hidden in the rafters, intently watching their every move. He couldn't determine if the woman's nervousness stemmed from their presence or the raven's watchful gaze. Balmaris subtly pointed out the raven to Egon, to which he nods and discreetly casts a spell, causing the creature to become blind and deaf. The raven immediately began shifting around nervously, aware that something had transpired.

Amidst this, Aldarn attempted to distract and impress the old woman by flexing his chest and uttering, "Pecatude baby." She blushed slightly at the display.

The Discovery in the Crate

Durmen tried to pry open the rose-marked box, but failing that, considered pushing it over for a better look inside. However, the box was far too heavy to move. As the old woman continued to urge him away from the goods, and running out of time, he took a swift kick at the corner of the box. The critical hit smashed open the box, revealing a suit of armor. More interestingly, there appeared to be a body inside. Before he could examine it further, the sounds of a commotion erupted outside.

Ambush at the Door

While the others were occupied, Nail stood watch near the door and heard approaching footsteps. As he stepped through the doorway and closed it behind him, two town guards quickly moved towards the front of the building. They had apparently noticed the cut lock left on the porch and assumed Nail was a thief. Drawing their weapons, they rushed towards him. In his haste to attack, the trailing guard made a wild swing with his axe, hitting his comrade! Stunning the guard for two rounds and incapacitating his companion as the ax cuts into his leg.

Nail deftly stepped aside as the two guards crashed onto the porch at his feet. Looking around and seeing no one in the darkness, he sheathed his sword, kicked the door open, and dragged the wounded guard inside, calling out for help. The party stopped what they were doing and moved to the doorway. The old woman looked at them in shock, but the party quickly fabricated a story about meeting the convoy to provide an escort. The uninjured guard seemed to believe their tale. While the old woman remained skeptical, the guard asked if she had been harmed. She replied no, stating that these gentlemen had just arrived. All drew their weapons to help bring the wounded guard inside, and the party decided it was an opportune moment to depart.

Departure from the Warehouse

Having subdued the guards, they dragged the bodies inside and asked the old woman to help tend to them. After exiting the warehouse and realizing the time was short, they debated their next course of action before heading back towards the door they had entered from. On their way out, Durmen replaced the lock on the door and used the mending spell to repair the damage, concealing any evidence of their intrusion. They estimated it would take 90 minutes to travel up the mountain, enough time to reach the auction. In the time they had been inside, the snow had completely covered the road, so Egon cast water walk to ease their uphill journey.

Visions and Voices

As they retraced their steps, the biting wind whipped around them, carrying the faint scent of woodsmoke from the distant village. Looking to their left, the twinkling lights of the village seemed small and fragile far below. As gusts of wind buffeted them, the whispers returned, indistinct but undeniably present, and with them, fleeting images flickered at the edges of their perception.

Egon's mind filled with glimpses of Lexanna: a young woman with fiery red hair striding confidently up the path, then an older woman, her steps slower but her eyes still sharp, and finally, a frail figure leaning heavily on a staff, all as if moments in a long journey across time.

Balmaris gasped, his eyes widening as he saw a brilliant, bluish-white column of fire streak down from the overcast sky miles to the northeast. The sudden flash illuminated the snow-covered landscape in stark detail for a heartbeat before darkness and swirling snow reclaimed it. A chilling realization washed over Belmarez: it was a flame strike, and it appeared to be in the very direction the earlier convoy had departed.

Nail felt a prickling sensation on his skin, a sense of countless others having walked this path before them. He saw phantom images overlaid on the snowy trail: the rough boots of mercenaries marching in loose formation, followed by the disciplined ranks of well-armored troops, the yellow pendants on their chests glinting in a long-vanished sunlight. The echoes of their passage stretched back through the mists of time, perhaps a thousand years or more.

Meanwhile, Aldarn, his brow furrowed in concentration, mumbled softly to himself. His eyes glazed over as he seemed to slip into a waking dream, his lips moving in silent conversation with the spectral image of his deceased uncle Borin Frostbeard, who offered a few cryptic words of familial wisdom that faded quickly from Aldarn's grasp.

The Talking Door

The party found the stone removed and the door shut, with no doorknob visible. Aldarn, Balmaris, and Durmen took turns attacking the door with spells, but their efforts had no effect. Balmaris discerned very faint glyphs around the outside of the door. As he began to recite the words, a voice from within spoke to him: "I am here to serve; it is my pleasure to open and close for you."

Durmen asked the door to open for them, and it responded, "You are not permitted to pass." When Durmen inquired why, the door replied, "Why do you seek entrance?" Durmen stated they were trying to get to the auction. The door responded, "This door is closed to your kind." Durmen's frustration grew, and when he asked "why" again, the door replied, "The master has forbidden your entrance to his realm."

A mild panic began to set in before Durmen asked if there was any other way back to their realm. The door responded, "There are other portals." When he asked where, the door said, "Over the mountains, seek the stones."

After a brief discussion, the party asked if Lexanna Brightshore had passed through with the book they sought. The door responded somewhat mysteriously, "Yes, the book has passed through." Further questions followed before the door finally stated, "The book is here, as is Lexanna." When Durmen continued his questioning about "where is here?" in multiple variations, the door simply repeated, "Here is here, and it has passed through here." Frustrated but at least assured that the book and surprisingly Lexanna were in this realm, they headed back down the mountain path towards town.

Session Results

Experience

The running tally of XP earned is found on the Party Experience page.

Treasure

Party Treasure

Tasks or Quests

List of tasks or quests undertaken.

Rumors or Intelligence Gained

Apparently nothing noteworthy this session...

NPC's of Note

Borin

Elara