Session 9: The Lady's Servants

S9 Recap: The Lady's Servants

TL;DR

After leveling to 4 and consulting Rin's oracle reading (which warns the Gauntlight is "a door" and more invasions of Otari will come), the party returns to the Gauntlight. They clear the boathouse wing: cobbled ghosts in a ruined dining hall, a trickster brownie ("Mr. Beakers") faking a ghost, and a soulbound doll. They find paintings tying the haunting to Belcorra "the Lady of the Light," plus an Aklo message — "I serve you still, you shall be avenged." Descending a spiral stair, a brutal blood-draining monster nearly kills Cid (dying 3) before Veve beheads it with Cid's thrown Malunar rapier.

Previously On

Last session the party killed a swamp drake, returned its head to the Morlock leader (who was unimpressed), freed prisoners from the Morlocks, and returned them to Otari (one died). They sold loot, reached level 4, and asked the oracle Rin to read the stars.

What Happened

Pregame & leveling. Everyone advanced to level 4, which opens archetype dedications. Cid chose the Duelist dedication (over Swashbuckler, which needs Charisma). A long, recurring rules thread about bard spontaneous casting / signature spells / heightening was opened and deferred to after the session.
Rin's prophecy. In Otari, the oracle Rin entered a trance and delivered: "The Gauntlight being a door, it remains bound in shadows held by chains. As restless tides rise once in turn, the monster's path shall then return." The party reads this as: more invasions are coming, clear the Gauntlight fast. (They also earned a +1 circumstance bonus to saves from the reading, which they later forgot to apply in play.)
Town errands. Cid collected his new Rajani's Malunar Rapier (cold iron, near-replica of his old one) from the blacksmith — who is a descendant of a Rose Guard hero (the Rajani line), dislikes the mayor ("he only has the job because of his name"), and dreams of becoming mayor himself. Venris bonded with him over the Rose Guard. Cid pressed Ginjana (the smuggler at the Crooked Nest) about what she wanted in the Gauntlight; she deflected toward her missing men Goral and Shadowly, who went off on their own and lost a partner. The party can now earn coin working with her crew.
Back at the Gauntlight. Signs that someone recently passed through (tracks fading by the bridge). They skipped checking in with the Morlock boss and went to explore the boathouse wing.
Cobbled ghosts (dining hall). Six cobbled ghosts surged from the rubble of a ruined dining hall, frightening the casters. Physical weapons passed through them harmlessly; only Veve's sonic spells and Viz/Abus's delayed exorcism worked. The ghosts were tied to a pile of tiny bones under the rubble, which the party gathered and threw in the water to lay them to rest. Loot: 3 GP, 20 SP, a caltrop-snare component box, a magical wolf-tooth talisman (Cid took it — on a trip, deals damage equal to spell modifier), and a vial of black liquid labeled "yum."
Boathouse & lens workshop. Venris scouted ahead over a broken pier and rooftops, spotting a bejeweled spyglass in the ruined lighthouse-lens workshop.
Mr. Beakers & the soulbound doll. A glowing orb told them to leave — actually a brownie (fey) using Ventriloquism + Light to fake a ghost. Venris squashed and grabbed it; it pointed them to its "shiny" (the spyglass). Four paintings were found: Absalom in flames ("so shall the fools suffer"), the Cupola Gauntlight in its prime ("let the light shine forever"), a shredded "the artist at work," and a portrait of "the lady of the light" = Belcorra, with Aklo scratched below: "I serve you still, you shall be avenged." A soulbound doll (a creation of "Master Zene") then attacked from the workshop; it held a soul-gem on its back, which the party later broke to free the soul. The enraged brownie returned, confused Venris with a spell — he attacked the party (slashing Veve, smashing a door) until Cid tripped him and he came to. The brownie was killed.
Down the spiral stairs. A staircase led to a lower level. In a study the party found a note listing books — "What the Worm Knows," "Brave Feasts," "Secrets of the Skull" — with a transcription note signed "my love." A servants' quarters reeked of wet dog.
The blood siphon. In the dark, a medium blood-draining monster ("blood siphon," not in the usual references, slashing weakness) ambushed Cid, bit his head, restrained him, and drained his blood to dying 3. He burned a hero point to recover. Once the slashing weakness was found, Venris's arrows wore it down and Veve telekinetically threw Cid's Malunar rapier through its throat, beheading it. It burst in a 4d6 blood cloud over the party.
Cleanup. Veve cleaned everyone with Prestidigitation and treated wounds; the party fully healed over several ten-minute intervals while standing watch, then bunkered down without splitting up. Session ended before the last basement room.

Decisions

Clear the Gauntlight quickly because the oracle warns of more invasions.
Investigated the boathouse wing instead of reporting to the Morlock boss.
Laid the cobbled ghosts to rest by removing/discarding their bones in the water.
Broke the soulbound doll's soul-gem to release the soul to the afterlife.
Cid took the wolf talisman; Venris offered Cid the (disappointing) Kukri as a throwing weapon.

Open Questions / Threats

What is the nature of the Gauntlight "door," and how do they ultimately disable it?
Who is the "my love" the book-note is addressed to, and where are the books "What the Worm Knows," "Brave Feasts," "Secrets of the Skull"?
The Belcorra portrait + Aklo message ("I serve you still, you shall be avenged") — who serves whom, and against whom is vengeance sought?
Someone recently passed through the Gauntlight — who, and are they still inside?
Ginjana's missing men (Goral, Shadowly) and the lost partner.
The unexplored second basement door / remaining rooms.

Next-Session Reminders

Apply (or note the loss of) Rin's +1 save bonus.
Finalize Veve's bard spell repertoire / signature-spell handling after the rules discussion.
The blood vial labeled "yum" is still unidentified.
There is still a magical wolf-tooth talisman in play; the Malunar rapier doubles as a thrown slashing weapon.

Scene timeline (11)

00:00:01	Pregame: leveling, retraining, and archetypes Table chatter and bookkeeping. The party hit level 4; the GM explains they can retrain feats (not ancestry), and that level 4 opens archetype dedications. Cid (D) settles on the Duelist dedication after considering Swashbuckler (which needs Charisma). Player banter about Player Core 2 being added to the rules database. [S9 · 00:01:54 · turn 0019 · scene 001]
00:06:37	Recap of Session 8 The players recap last session: they killed a swamp dragon/drake and returned its head to the Morlock leader, who was unimpressed but showed them around (including a prison). They freed prisoners, trapped the main hall with caltrops/snares, killed Morlock engineers, returned the prisoners to Otari (one died), sold loot, identified items, reached level 4, and asked Rin to read the stars. Veve was out of commission ('tummy ache') for the prior delve. A side discussion about bard spontaneous vs prepared casting and signature spells is deferred. [S9 · 00:06:47 · turn 0075 · scene 002]
00:13:27	Rin's oracle reading and the prophecy Rin (an oracle in Otari) enters a near-possessed trance and delivers a prophecy in response to the party's question about whether more invasions will come from the Gauntlight. Verse: 'The gauntlight being a door, it remains bound in shadows held by chains. As restless tides rise once in turn, the monster's path shall then return.' The party reads this as confirmation that further invasions of Otari will come and they should clear the Gauntlight as soon as possible. Danny picked the question on the party's behalf. The party also notes a +1 circumstance bonus to saves from the reading (later forgotten in play). [S9 · 00:14:44 · turn 0143 · scene 003]
00:19:40	Otari errands: new rapier, the mayor talk, and Ginjana's lead The morning after, the party runs town errands. Cid picks up a newly forged weapon, Rajani's Malunar Rapier (cold iron, a near 1:1 replica of his Malunar rapier), from the blacksmith. The blacksmith reveals he is a descendant of a Rose Guard hero (the Rajani line) and badmouths the mayor, claiming the mayor only holds the office because of his name; he says he'll be mayor one day. Venris nerds out and bonds with him over the Rose Guard, fishing for relics/heirlooms (wink-wink, maybe). Cid visits Ginjana (the smuggler/'mare') at the Crooked Nest tavern to ask what she was after in the Gauntlight; she deflects, pointing to her men Goral and Shadowly who went off on their own and lost a partner. The party gains the option to make money smuggling/stealing around town with her crew. Cid keeps reservations about meeting the mayor. [S9 · 00:20:23 · turn 0191 · scene 004]
00:29:00	Return to the Gauntlight: signs of an intruder The party travels back to the Gauntlight (about 30 minutes out). At the entrance they spot signs that someone has recently come by (door moved, a trail), but the tracks fade by the bridge. They debate whether to check in with the Morlock boss (who is waiting for the Mortar Lord's head) or explore unchecked areas. They decide to first investigate a building/room they had skipped near the boathouse. [S9 · 00:30:13 · turn 0274 · scene 005]
00:34:01	The ruined dining hall and cobbled ghosts Investigating a ruined fancy dining hall (collapsed ceiling, moldy tapestries, a pulverized dining table), the party notices air shimmering around the rubble. While searching, six cobbled ghosts surge out of the rubble. All three present (Veve, Venris, Cid) roll Will saves; the casters are frightened (Cid resists via Bravery). Veve blasts with a sonic choir spell (4d4); physical attackers pass through the ghosts harmlessly. The fight prompts a long ruling on basic saves vs spell DC (the GM realizes he'd been using fixed save values rather than rolling against the spell DC). Viz/Abus attempts an exorcism that takes a delayed cast; the ghosts defend the rubble and retreat when Venris (their fear target) leaves. Eventually the ghosts are dispelled/exorcised. Under the rubble: a pile of tiny bones (thrown in the water to lay the spirits to rest), 3 GP, 20 SP, a box of caltrop-snare components, a wolf-tooth talisman (magical), and a vial of black liquid labeled 'yum'. [S9 · 00:42:05 · turn 0401 · scene 006]
01:23:45	Boathouse, pier, and the lens workshop spyglass The party explores the collapsed boathouse area where Ginjana's boys had recently camped (a fresh-ish campfire, a relatively new rowboat). Venris scouts ahead alone over a broken pier, climbing roofs with a grappling hook (and nearly falling). He spots a bejeweled spyglass in a ruined lighthouse-lens workshop. A long mid-game rules tangent clarifies bard spontaneous casting, signature spells, and learning vs preparing/heightening spells (deferred to after the session). The party forces open a stuck study door. [S9 · 01:27:54 · turn 0840 · scene 007]
02:00:34	Mr. Beakers the brownie and the soulbound doll In the study, a glowing 'spooky' orb tells the party to leave; it is revealed to be a brownie (a fey, nicknamed Mr. Beakers) using Ventriloquism + a Light spell to fake a ghost. Venris grapples and squashes the little fey; it cooperatively points them toward a 'shiny' (the bejeweled spyglass). The party finds a series of four paintings: Absalom in flames ('so shall the fools suffer'), the Cupola Gauntlight in its prime ('let the light shine forever'), a shredded 'the artist at work', and a portrait of 'the lady of the light' identified as Belcorra, with Aklo scratched beneath reading 'I serve you still, you shall be avenged.' In the lens workshop a soulbound doll (creation of a 'Master Zene') attacks; it has a soul-holding gem on its back. Venris crits it down. The brownie returns enraged over the stolen spyglass and casts a confusion/enchantment on Venris, who attacks the party (slashing Veve, breaking down a door) until Cid trips him and he snaps out of it. The brownie is finally killed. The soul gem is broken, releasing the soul to the afterlife. [S9 · 02:23:38 · turn 1326 · scene 008]
03:29:00	Down the spiral stairs: servants' quarters and the book note A spiral staircase leads down to a lower level with two doors. The party explores a bedroom/study (impersonal decor) and finds a scrap of paper listing book titles -- 'What the Worm Knows', 'Brave Feasts', and 'Secrets of the Skull' -- with a transcription note signed 'my love' promising to return the books soon. They also find a smelly servants' quarters reeking of wet dog. Loot and hero points collected. [S9 · 03:59:06 · turn 2292 · scene 009]
04:06:40	The blood siphon nearly kills Cid Around a corner in the dark, a medium-sized blood-draining monster ('blood siphon', not found in standard references, with a slashing weakness) ambushes Cid, bites his head, restrains him, and drains his blood, dropping him to dying 3 (one hero point used to recover, then he escapes the grab). The party struggles to find the creature's weakness; recall knowledge eventually reveals the slashing vulnerability. The fight is brutal -- Cid is downed and nearly killed -- but Venris's arrows wear it down. Veve finishes it by telekinetically hurling Cid's thrown Malunar rapier (slashing) through its throat, beheading it; its body bursts in a cloud of blood hitting everyone (4d6) except Cid. [S9 · 04:08:42 · turn 2389 · scene 010]
04:54:35	Cleanup, healing, and end of session Post-fight, Veve uses Prestidigitation to clean blood off the party and treats wounds; everyone heals up over multiple ten-minute intervals while standing watch. The GM hand-waves the rest. The party bunkers down, does not split up, and stops for the session before exploring the remaining basement room. Veve's player calls it (kids, 5-hour session). Venris declares the Kukri garbage and offers it to Cid as a throwing weapon. [S9 · 04:55:00 · turn 2852 · scene 011]

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