Talsil 18th
The Evils of the Empire
The party stormed the old lighthouse, besting the ‘fishermen’ and grueling it out with the infamous (and overrated) Inquisitor Videl, a regiment of conscripted Edmarkians, and most troublesome of all a fiercely trained quartet of Noran Regulars within a rundown cargo hold.
During the battle, Videl suggested having met Narra before at some training facility (perhaps the notorious Facility Alpha the godengine chattered about), though the girl had no memory of her redheaded antagonist.
Fighting was brutal, but with the enemy strewn over shattered crates and bloodied floor, the party split, half exploring the southern side of the house and stumbling upon a cowardly Edmarkian watchman. He wanted no part of the horrific experiments taking place beneath the lighthouse, in a laboratory he stumbled upon quite accidentally and wished to Nor he hadn’t.
As he began to tell what he saw, the same ominous psychic presence felt during the hideout battle resurfaced, trying to scramble the man’s brains, but Narra’s shielding, Kaylan’s healing and Gen’s common sense to remove him from the building and into the river saved his life.
He’d a dark tale to tell, of a machine that drained people of their essence, concentrated and bottled it, and left them withered as mummies. He’d seen devils in the deep halls, truly from Hell, and the Grand Inquisitor proved able to torture victims without laying a finger upon them. The circusmaster DeWitt had just returned, as well, tending the last poor souls locked in the laboratory cells: elves, northerners (including a pregnant barbarian), and two strange, crystalline folk whose skin lanced with lightning.
Leaving the exasperated man someplace face, the party was resolved more than ever to descend into the laboratory and end the crimes against life. There was, however, a silver lining in all the gloom and horror, Osenth’s discovered stash, which yielded magic items and much coin. Narra had claimed Videl’s curious sword, too, made of the curious metal orium and perfect for channeling her psychic power.
Feeling as prepared as they’d ever be for the next chamber, Tyvis sniffing out dogs and a lone man, they burst on the scene, only for Gens to be swarmed by gnashing jaws and dampening auras of a pack of magehounds! The fight turned even grimmer when the masochistic inquisitor plunged an orium tuning fork into the base of Anita’s neck and made her swallow a bullet!
Party members are shredded, dragged and dominated, and though the inquisitor is on his back with Tyvis and Anita baring down on him, his expression couldn’t be any more vacant. The battle has not turned yet, as not one of the vicious, gray-brown canines is even bloodied...
Experience: 1990 xp each (55,330 total)
Encounter A: Fishermen, 500
Encounter B: Watchmen, Marksmen, Noran Regulars, Inquisitor Videl, 6250
Defending the Weak Minded, 3200
Magic: +1 plate armor x 4, +1 tower shield x 4, +2 longsword x 4, Videl's Orium Longsword + 3, leather armor +3, Ornament of Alertness +4, Staff of Insightful Detection +4
Coin: 93 pp, 13,801 gp, 177 sp, 30 cp, white diamond x 2 (5000 gp each), blood orange jacinth (5000 gp)
Loot: 5 pistols (full resale value as crossbows), deeds to 4 inns spread across the empire: The Goose and Plum (outside Provia), Farrow's Folly (in Brevvy), The Gray Griffyn (outside Noran), The Coalhouse (in Rubina)
New NPCs
Inquisitor Videl (dead): The apprentice of Bloody Bluch, a Lord Inquisitor of the northern Heartland and enemy of Tyvis's family, she was famed for her cruelty and sword mastery. She implied knowing Narra in her youth at some sort of school or facility, though Narra herself had no recollection. Highly overrated, despite her psionic powers, Gens and Anita took her down.
Afflicted Watchman (unnamed): An Edmarkian watchman who learned too much about the facility he was assigned to guard. The vast, psychic entity beneath the lighthouse attempted to silence him before he could divulge anything, but Narra, Gens and Kaylan managed to spirit him out and keep him alive. Gens deposited him somewhere safe where he'd be cared for.
Inquisitor Kenner: The bearded, bare-chested inquisitor with scars of self mutilation across his back, chest and arms, he possessed absolute control over the magehounds. He proved a twisted individual, dominating Anita and making her swallow a bullet, and showed not even the slightest hint of remorse or fear or rage, even when pinned under Tyvis. Wields an orium tuning fork, which he uses to usurp minds.
Next Session
85a: The party continues a desperate battle against a pack of magehounds and their depraved, psychic trainer in efforts to reach the laboratory and free its captives below.
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