Session 39: A Town Day in Otari — Journals, Jobs, and the Mayor's Sick Daughter

S39 Recap: A Town Day in Otari — Journals, Jobs, and the Mayor's Sick Daughter

TL;DR

A quieter downtime session back in Otari with no combat. The party recovered from the crypt: Venris was treated for the affliction he caught below, and Abbas finished shaking off stupefied. Venris translated Belcorra's recovered journal into common for everyone, earned income (and a crit on Making Money), and arranged for Carman to train him into Quick Draw using his new throwers bandelier of chakrams. The big thread: snooping at Manhem's manor, the party learned the mayor's ~12-year-old daughter Dorianna is gravely, magically ill — gaunt, nightmare-ridden, drawing pictures of a "Motley Man / Mummy Man" friend, with a drained max HP that Heal can't fix. The clues braid together Tarnak (son of Otari, who knew about Sefna's condition and built "something that helped"), Sefna/Asefna killing Belcorra while showing the same early symptoms, and Venris's own worsening affliction — all echoes of the "empty death." They borrowed Tarnak's journal and the Thresholds of Truth book, and consulted Wrin (Rain) before heading back to the Gauntlight. No level/XP awarded yet.

Previously on

The party returned to Otari (Watari) after the crypt fight, going to the Dawnflower ("down") library once they realized Venris had caught something nasty down in the vaults. He was treated, and the table cleaned up deferred downtime (buying/selling retconned as having happened back in Absalom).

What happened

Recovery and bookkeeping. Venris got treated for his vault affliction; Abbas needed about two days to recover from stupefied. The group resolved retconned shopping, an earn-income day, and Venris's stalled plan to retrain a feat (gated on being able to buy an item now that shopping finally opened). Venris is still owed lore on the Thresholds of Truth.
Belcorra's journal translated. Venris transcribed and translated Belcorra's recovered journal out of its original language into common (spending income paper to do it) so the rest of the party could read it, then shared it. Recall-knowledge on Belcorra, her patron (a counterpart/greater power opposed to Pharasma — i.e. the Nimbaloth thread), and the "empty death" that corrupted the book turned up little: it is a curse that prevents a soul from passing on. Asking Morlibint at the library long ago had only yielded children's tales.
Earning income. Venris crit a 20 on Making Money/Crafting (four silver instead of two, +5 reputation). Veve played music for coin, prompting a long rules tangent on whether her instrument's performance bonus, virtuoso, and proficiency applied to the earn-income check (settled in the low-30s but capped by the GM's task level).
Carman and the chakrams. Venris showed Carman (Carman Rajani) his new throwers bandelier, hurling ten +1 striking "giga chakrams" at her practice wall (the bandelier also holds four bolas and four forks, pre-loaded). He asked her to retrain one of his thief feats into Quick Draw so he can draw-and-throw in a single action instead of two. Carman agreed to train him over roughly a week.
Snooping at the manor. At Manhem's (Manhattan's) manor the party split duties: borrow Tarnak's journal, and quietly find out why the household was so tense. Working the servants, Cid learned the mayor's young daughter Dorianna (~12) is gravely ill; Osef and his wife were up all night and are resting, and a doctor had just left. A family painting showed a man resembling a "black Otari" / Otari's ghost — identified as Tarnak, son of Otari — beside the woman who founded/re-founded Otari (the undead McLani who nearly killed them in the catacombs).
The Tarnak / Sefna thread. Manhem let them borrow Tarnak's journal and said Tarnak's feared "troubles" were proven wrong and never came to pass; he had traveled widely. The party tied it together: Sefna (Asefna / Azephnovos) killed Belcorra, showed early symptoms like Venris's, and Tarnak knew about Sefna's condition and made "something that helped."
Dorianna and the Motley Man. Meeting Dorianna directly, the party found her gaunt and nightmare-ridden, showing a drawing of her imaginary "magic man" friend — recognized with dread as the Motley Man / "Mummy Man." Abbas/Venris cast Heal (it landed but didn't touch the affliction); her max HP seems drained — she's "full," but to a reduced ceiling. The cause reads as magical/curse, not disease. They distracted her with floating lights and chakram tricks to secretly Detect Magic, kept their alarm to themselves, and reassured Manhem.
Consulting Wrin. Before leaving early for the Gauntlight, Venris stayed the night at Wrin's (Rain/Rings) to discuss three things: his own worsening affliction, Dorianna's illness and her Motley-Man friend, and the legendary Thresholds of Truth book — which he connected to the Whispering Reeds he'd read there and to "the empty death, but not really." Wrin knew the broad Belcorra / Vol / Acephonus story but nothing specific about Venris's condition.

Loot and mechanics

Venris's new throwers bandelier: +1 striking "giga" chakrams (he can summon all thrown chakrams back at once with a two-action interact), plus four bolas and four forks pre-loaded.
Earn-income day: Venris crit Making Money (4 sp + 5 reputation); Veve earned coin playing music; long discussion on performance/virtuoso bonuses and task-level caps.
Quick Draw retraining initiated with Carman (about a week of training).
Heal cast on Dorianna: successful cast, no effect on her curse-like affliction; her drained max HP confirmed.
No level or XP awarded this session ("it's been a while"); hero points were maxed for most of the party.

Open questions / reminders for next session

What is wrong with Dorianna? It reads as a magical curse / max-HP drain tied to the "Motley/Mummy Man," not a normal disease. Follow up — possibly via Bandy for a second opinion.
Is Dorianna's illness the same thing afflicting Venris, and the same "empty death" echo? The party fears yes.
Tarnak's journal and the Thresholds of Truth book are now in hand — read them for the cure / for what Tarnak built that "helped" Sefna.
Did anything in Belcorra's journal name her patron or the cure? Library/Gauntlight research remains an option but costs time.
The party is heading back to the Gauntlight early; Carman's Quick Draw training and Abbas's recovery span downtime days.
Table item: the GM may set up a town shop restocked weekly — keep it ready so it exists when they next pass through.

Scene timeline (8)

00:00:25	Recap and downtime bookkeeping in Otari The session opens back in Otari (Watari) after the crypt ordeal. The party recaps: they returned to town, went to the Dawnflower ("down") library after noticing Venris had caught something nasty down in the vaults, and got him treated. Abbas needed roughly two days to recover from stupefied. The table handles deferred downtime: buying/selling that was retconned as having happened in Absalom, earn-income for the day, and Venris's plan to retrain a feat (which is gated on first being able to buy an item, since shopping only just opened). Venris is also still owed information on the Thresholds of Truth book. [S39 · 00:00:42 · turn 0003 · scene 001]
00:16:28	Translating Belcorra's journal and chasing the empty-death lead Venris transcribes and translates Belcorra's recovered journal from its original language into common (spending a piece of income paper) so the rest of the party can read it, then shares it. The party tries to recall knowledge about who Belcorra is, who she served (a counterpart/greater power opposed to Pharasma), and what the 'empty death' that corrupted the book actually is; all they really have is that it is a curse that prevents a soul from passing on. They recall that asking Morlibint at the library long ago yielded only children's tales, and consider using a library (Gauntlight/flume) for deeper research, but worry about the time cost. [S39 · 00:16:28 · turn 0058 · scene 002]
00:31:46	Earn income: making money and music in town The party spends a downtime day earning income. Venris rolls Making Money / Crafting and crits a 20, getting four silver instead of two and gaining +5 reputation; Veve earns income by playing music. The table works through a long rules discussion about whether her instrument's performance bonus (the +2 'while playing' clause, virtuoso, master vs expert proficiency) applies to the earn-income check, settling on a total in the low 30s but capped by the task level the GM sets. Copper-coins-in-fungus and 'I'm too heroic for this campaign' table bits run through here. [S39 · 00:34:46 · turn 0123 · scene 003]
01:04:41	Carman and the throwers bandelier: retraining Quick Draw Venris visits Carman (Carman Rajani) the blacksmith/knife-thrower to show off his new throwers bandelier and ask for training. He demonstrates by drawing and hurling ten chakrams at Carman's practice wall; they identify as +1 striking chakrams (giga chakrams) dealing good damage, plus the bandelier holds four bolas and four 'filter forks' already loaded. Venris asks Carman to help him retrain one of his thief feats into Quick Draw (draw-and-strike in a single action), since his throwing currently costs two actions. Carman agrees to train him over about a week; Venris is thrilled. [S39 · 01:05:55 · turn 0278 · scene 004]
01:13:05	Snooping at Manhem's manor: the mayor's sick daughter The party heads to Manhem's (Manhattan's) manor on two errands: borrow Tarnak's journal, and quietly investigate why the household is so tense. Cid chats up the servants and learns the mayor's young (~12-year-old) daughter, Dorianna, is gravely ill; Osef (her father) and his wife stayed up all night and are now resting, and a doctor was just seen leaving. Venris searches the manor library for a journal written by Tarnak. The party finds a family painting/photo: the man looks like a 'black Otari' (resembling Otari's ghost) and is identified as Tarnak, son of Otari, with the woman being the founder/re-founder McLani (the undead that nearly killed them in the catacombs). The party starts connecting Dorianna's symptoms to Venris's own affliction. [S39 · 01:15:54 · turn 0326 · scene 005]
01:52:53	Tarnak's journal, Sefna's condition, and Venris's parallel The investigation deepens. Venris (resigned that he may die soon) keeps researching his own condition while the others borrow and skim Tarnak's journal. Manhem grants permission to borrow the journal and relays that Tarnak's 'troubles' were proven wrong / didn't yield the feared results, and that he traveled widely. The party recalls that Sefna (Asefna / Azephnovos) killed Belcorra, that Sefna showed early symptoms like Venris's, and that Tarnak knew something about Sefna's condition and made 'something that helped' with it. They use diplomacy/sense-motive on Manhem and decide the priest-cleric (Abbas) should examine Dorianna. The party agrees Venris should sleep somewhere trusted (the Dawnflower library) so his nightmares can be observed. [S39 · 01:52:53 · turn 0511 · scene 006]
02:18:55	Dorianna, the Motley/Mummy Man, and the failed Heal The party meets Dorianna directly. She looks gaunt with dark eyes, wakes in the night with 'conclusions'/nightmares, and shows them a drawing of her imaginary 'friend' — a 'magic man' the party recognizes with dread as the Motley Man / 'Mummy Man.' Abbas/Venris examines her and casts Heal (it lands but does nothing for the affliction), concluding her max HP seems mysteriously drained—she is 'full' but full to a reduced ceiling, and the cause is magical/curse-like rather than disease. They distract her with floating lights and chakram tricks to secretly Detect Magic. Privately they note the disturbing match between her 'friend' and the mummy/empty-death thread, but say nothing aloud, and reassure Manhem before leaving. [S39 · 02:23:14 · turn 0669 · scene 007]
02:45:39	Consulting Wrin (Rain) and wrapping up; the shop question Before leaving early for the Gauntlight, Venris stays the night at Wrin's (Rain/Rings) to lay out three things: Venris's worsening affliction, Dorianna's mystery illness and her 'Motley Man' friend, and the legendary Thresholds of Truth book he acquired. He links it to the Whispering Reeds he read at Wrin's place and the 'empty death (but not really).' Wrin knows the broad story of the fight with Belcorra and the aftermath with Vol and Acephonus, but nothing specific about Venris's condition. The session closes on table business: no level/XP awarded yet (it's 'been a while'), hero-point bookkeeping, and a back-and-forth with the GM about keeping a town shop stocked with new items each week. [S39 · 02:51:49 · turn 0847 · scene 008]

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