Good session this time around. While the party did get sidetracked here and there, we actually got a fair bit accomplished in spite of it all. I'm a little bit annoyed with myself that we didn't do more with Kagemane, but he does tend to be a wallflower without much emotion (Captain Obvious gave me a thumbs up for that one :P). I'm surprised at Jon's ability to get Audrius (the arcanist) to be quite useful at this point, which stems from both boldness with magic AND being able to roll higher than a 6.
I forgot to mention, but two sessions ago, one of my players (Slater, character's name is Flynn) had some work scheduling conflict. We thought he would be gone for a month or two, so I started altering the plot so that his character's absence wouldn't cause undue pressure, which is why you didn't see him around last session. However, he got the issue resolved, so he only actually missed a single session. The rest of the group went out to grab some fast food, so Slater & I did a one-on-one to catch him up and redirect him back to the party in a way that fit the plot.
Flynn heard of the nation of Kasheen, a kingdom renowned for its master clockwork engineers. Since he didn't have a terribly deep connection with the party, he decided to explore this new dimension on his own towards a more interesting location and left about a week before the rest of the party embarked on their quest to the lost city to the north. Kasheen lay to the east a fair distance, but it was over terrain that was much easier to cross than a desolate desert, so he could survive fine on his own.
About four days into the journey, he comes across a vast army that fielded a sizeable portion of undead minions at the front. Amidst the undead horde were a smattering of very heavily armoured humans astride equally barded steeds and carrying both a shield and large banner showing the sign of the Black Lotus Eaters, and seemed to be the herders of the undead. Deeper within the army was a large contingent of adequetly equipped, normal human soldiers with some kind of badge showing their alleigance. At the heart of the army were two siege towers and a particularly larger siege tower, which seemed to almost be a mobile fortress. Surrounding the bases and atop the ramparts of each siege tower were numerous, heavily armoured individuals that all wore black cloaks with a ruby hint. There were also several tracker demons, as seen from last session, scattered at various locations in the army that slither between the ranks in an attempt to keep a low profile. In the sky around the army were at least half a dozen vrocks (previously encountered vulture demons) patrolling the area as the army moved.
Flynn went out of their immediate path, and found a safe spot to watch from, and barely noticed the vrock that snuck up behind him. It inquired as to who would be so foolish as to stay in sight of such an army, and it could sense a feeling of competence that told the vrock that perhaps Flynn would consider it prudent to speak with the master. Not wanting to cause trouble, he acquiesced and was carried to one of the smaller towers. There, he spoke with the arcanist in charge of one of the smaller siege towers, and gave him alot of information regarding the party. However, he bluffed the arcanist and informed him that the party plans on staying for at least another four months in the city and then plans on going to the south for a shield contest (where they're actually leaving in three days to the north into a vast desert).
At this point, the arcanist offers Flynn an offer of employment that will also save his life. In exchange for finding his 'wayward companions', he offered him access to a stipend that will last the rest of his days, access to the Black Lotus Eater's troves of arcane lore, as well as several knowledge demons bound to his service. Flynn agreed to this, taking a sending lizard (anything physically done to it is also done to its mate, and it regenerates fairly fast) and a larval tracker demon (only good for finding the party) with him and planning on being careful since he saw through the lies given tohim by the arcanist. As they walked outside to a demon that would be provided to him, the arcanist cocked his head as if hearing something for but a moment.
Flynn was brought before a flaming horse with iron hooves and molten breath, and recognized it as a high-quality demon of traveling (twice as fast as any mortal horse, able to run across water, through the air for short jumps, and potentially between planes). The arcanist told him that once he mounted the creature, it required a soul for him to dismount, but some animal they pass should cover it (bold-faced lie, it takes the rider's soul once he dismounts unless a human soul is given at the start of the journey). Flynn accepted this, jumped onto the horse in one motion, yet continued to spin and jumped off and landed with his gauntlets on the arcanist's shoulders. Holding himself up for a moment, he grabbed and twisted the arcanist's head until it snapped, and leapt off the falling body onto the horse again (who accepted the escaping soul). He stirred it to move swiftly away from the edge of the army and towards the party. Mechanics-wise, stunts with double sneak attacks do wonders for dealing ~73 damage in a single round.
We now fast forward to the party, a day out from the Silver Flower Oasis along the Red Road towards the 'lost' city of Quarzhasaat. They see off in the distance, a black figure coming towards them supernaturally fast. In short order, they see that it's a fatigued and exhausted Flynn astride a healthy looking horse of demonic power. He jumps off of it, pats it on the flank and waves it goodbye. After chugging a gallon of water, he tells the party what he just escaped from.
The party informs Flynn of what has been happening on their end of things, and invite him along on their journey to Quarzhasaat. While they travel, they speak with the dreamthief to better understand his craft, who gives some detail but unable to properly word the method of his profession due to both secrecy and the training/background required. Under some request, he agrees to keep an eye out in the dreamscape in case the Black Lotus Eaters make a move he can notice; and agrees to take a dream from Flynn (nicest one to enter) so that they may try out a stolen dream.
They camp for the night and resume their journey, eventually seeing the filled city of Quarzhasaat. At this point, the dreamthief began to inform the party of some of the rules as he was aware last time he left...
* No container is to be pure wood or skin; a metal or clay/ceramic is required
* All stoppers must be airtight, no cork
* All consumption and/or trade of water must be conducted such that no party is in direct contact with the sun
* None are to disturb the public fountains
* The sale of containers for water must be on the northern side of town, with windows open from the east, and certified by the Water Watch (local police force with a dedicated purpose)
* The minimum punishment for all infractions is flogging
* Updates and/or changes to these rules are announced once a week in town square at the 7th hour after the sun has set
* Changes to the system of announcing updates/changes will only be announced on an even hour on the NE corner of Sunny Sundries
There were a few other rules, but the party got the gist of the situation they were entering; especially after being told that the Water Watch had domesticated achthu (anteater-badger hybrid that can smell water). Before planning too much, a group of what seemed to be desert nomads came to them, all wearing the same robes of black silk. Their eyelids and wrists were densely and intricately tattooed as if a veil was placed over them. They greeted and welcomed the party to the most wonderful city of Quarzshaat, and told them they will without trouble with bringing their demon within the walls of the city. After a bit more pleasentries, Jorn and Flynn could tell they had their eyes set on Ino from the beginning, and would probably attack if the party decided to just leave without going into the city.
The dreamthief, after the group left, told the party that was the Brotherhood of the Moth, a clan from the Sorcerer Adventurers who are all beholden to the whims of the nobles of this city. Ino asserted that he was correct, but didn't like to speak of them much (woman form by now), and warned the party to beware of the Brotherhood of the Spider.
Parking their camels a distance from the city itself, Kagemane and Jorn went into the area to get an idea of what was necessary to procure containers that were up to code; as they had brought about a hundred gallons for emergencies (only to discover that their skills at surviving in the outdoors were sufficient to go out there naked, practically).
Inside the city itself, which literally had gold paving the aqueducts, but the party could tell there was an undercurrent of stress at every corner because of the numerous & obscure water laws. There even seemed to be some code spoken between a trader & noble even they, with their trained social senses, couldn't understand. After a close call when Jorn took out his non-code canteen in the light of the sun before a container salesman, they managed to find a member of the Water Watch to exchange said canteen for a water token (safer means of exchange, subject to same rules). They had to do this, because Jorn's bag of a hundred pieces of gold might have gotten him a thimble of water.
The entire time, Ino (innocence demon) was acting morose, having shifted to woman form and began to accrue white streaks when Jorn & Kagemane started getting near the upper-class part of town.
Once they had this business settled, they asked around for information regarding the ruins their journal/map spoke of, and found out there's a haunted section of the city that was walled off shortly after the cataclysm left in ruins and on the other side of the city from where the party was camped. They left behind Kagemane and Flynn to watch the camp while the rest of them went into the ruins to investigate (Jorn, Antric, Audrius).
Audrius thought he saw movement near the border of the ruins as they approached, but they were all distracted when the image of the unruined city began to fade and the trees of an oasis began to superimpose around the ruins, with a bit of concentration from the feeling of pressure in their heads, the images faded away.
Cautiously, they approached the ruins, watching for trouble, and eventually came upon what seemed to be the original markings that the mapmaker came upon. As they examined them, Jorn heard footsteps and alerted the other two. Jorn and Audrius moved close to Antric's armored side, which saved their hides, as a trio of scimitar-wielding Sorcerer Adventurers jumped out of...something...and hit Antric's shields.
They told the party to hand over the demon, which was theirs by right, and would take it by force. Jorn warned them that force was a bad idea, and they weren't giving up Ino; at which point, our warriors attacked as usual and two were slaughtered within 10 seconds. The third chopped at the air and stepped between it, disappearing from sight.
After a few moments, Audrius casts a scrying spell and begins to follow the surviving assassin. He turns out to be in an underground passage, moving swiftly into a large room with a massive water fountain against the wall. There are arcane sigils strewn across the cavern (Audrius recognizes to be various warding and binding sigils). Immediately above the well is an oriental dragon with ocean-blue scales, literally pinned to the wall on massive iron spikes. It's lifeblood, pure water, continuously flows out into the well and into gold-lined aqueducts.
One of the sigils begins to glow, and the scryed sorcerer pulls out some dust and throws it on the sigil, where it begins to burn and the smoke follows the scrying enchantment. Audrius cancels the effect, calls for the rest of the party to convene, and thus begins our first dungeon crawl in the campaign!
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