Entry 6 - CoS: The Marionette pt 1

VI. The Marionette (DDAL04-04) part 1

5/1/2016 Get Your Game On, Ann Arbor, DM: Aaron 4511659554

Tale - tiefling warlock (John), Dale – half elf bard (Kirk), Gaven half elf sorcerer (Zach), Ahnfred – human druid (Chris), Selvan – wood elf cleric (Chris), Thraek - half orc fighter (Alex)


Draft (session notes only) 

After the events of “The Executioner” the party finds itself at the Seven Tables Inn owned by Marco. One of the boys who makes their supply run is missing. He was suppose to have returned in a wagon by now with supplies from the blacksmith Graylon in the next village over called Coral which we are told is frequented by the Vistani. The boy, Valkie was familiar with the run and never encountered any problems he couldn't deal with previously. The party agrees to head towards Coral and see what they can find out.

Gaven rents some horses and a cart for the trip and the party sets out. Less than half way down the road to Coral the party sees a pair of bears and an ogre. The ogre appears to be standing watch as his bears chew on the carcass of two horses tied to a wagon. The party seeing this approaches calling out to the ogre asking if they can tend to what looks like a boy buried up to his neck in the snow. The ogre tells the group the boy is food and after Selvan attempts to trade for the boy, the ogre decides our whole party would add to his food stores and releases his tethered bears.

The group defeats the ogre and his bears and finds the buried boy is dead but there is another boy tied up in a blanket in the back of the wagon. This turns out to be Valkie and the other boy was a friend of his. Valkie appears quite ill likely at the hand of some life-force draining undead creature. The corpse of the other boy in fact turns undead and the party dispatches it. After some arguing over whether to press on to the next town the majority finally convinces the others to turn back to Aransnod and get Valkie to the hospice.

Once they get the boy settled with Glovia and her apprentice at the hospice the party hears the town crier making an announcement. He calls all the adventurers out by name and asks that they meet at the burgomeister's home while reassuring the town that these individuals are not wanted for any criminal misdeeds. Walking up to the burgomeister's home the party sees a wagon out front guarded by two heavily branded shirtless men, which strikes them as odd in the middle of a snowy cold winter where every other local is wearing warm clothing.

At the door they are met by the butler who invites them in cordially and introduces them to the burgomeister Ivan and his gust Sibble, a Vistani seer. Ivan greets them heartily and invites them to sit at his table. There is a chair for each member of the party with that person's name carved into it. As soon as everyone sits servants dressed in the fashion of each party member's respective homelands bring out one of their favorite dishes. After the meal Ivan tells the party why he has called them.

Sibble did a reading earlier for him and saw the town in flames with us in the center of it attacking his citizens. He demands to know why we would do such a thing as if it was a certainty we would do so. When the party explains they have no intention of attacking anyone in the town unprovoked Ivan requests we submit to a reading as well. Sibble produces an orb and once the party joins hands around the table the experience some sort of vision, which seems real while it is occurring.

They find themselves in a home of sorts with a large ballroom lined with some sort of clockwork dancers and music coming from seemingly nowhere. One wall is battered and scratched as if something was attempting to escape, unsuccessfully. Once the chandelier is lit some of the clockworks appear to be in distress but only from a distance.

Another room has glasses that once worn allow the person to see strings leading up from people as if they were marionettes. There is also a scrying bowl in the room much like the one found in “Death House”. In the room is a young girl who's back is to the group. When some get close she turns to show her face in ruins from a claw wound of some sort stunning one of the party from the sheer horror of it. The girl seems normal and unaware of the injury and talks to the group while playing with dolls.

She tells the group about an item her mother is hiding from someone. The party sorts out that this is the child of Glovia from the hospice, the item is being hidden from Lazlo and seems to be the powder box he was looking for. As she shows the group it's hiding spot Lazlo smashes through the window, rakes claws down the girl's face and steals the item before the group “wakes up” finding themselves in Ivan's dining room with him yelling.

The town is in chaos, he claims never to have met us and demands to know what we are doing in his home. The group briefly describes meeting with him and the Vistani seer and that seems enough to shift the blame of any wrongdoing to the Vistani rather than us. Besides, there is a town to save!

Zombies are running around town chasing people. Two stay in the windows and attack undead from there while others run outside to aid others. The group outside notice a man in the window of the now burning jail calling for help. They manage to free the man who promptly turns into a raven after throwing them a bag in thanks. Eventually the group rallies and fights off the remaining undead in town.

OOC:  Group received the story rewards "Eye of the Raven".