Session 4 - Craven Courtier

21/04/5-10

As the party entered the basement, the larges of the cats, Zariel, exclaimed "More, food!", before bearing down on Otto. As the other cats engaged with the remaining party members, Shiek grappled Rosa, who began pleading to be let go, blaming the cats for everything. Despite her insistence that she was being forced into helping, Shiek and Milivoj saw through her trick and Sheik, kept her in place while Cassini tied her up. The cats themselves proved to be supernaturally strong and tough, most curious being their apparent resistance to magic.

In the middle of the fight, the entire basement began shaking violently, causing parts of the stonework to break off and fall on people. During this distraction, Rosa broke free from Cassini's poor knots and made a run for the stairs. She was intercepted by Sapphira who climbed along the ceiling and dropped in front of Rosa on the top of the stairs blocking her way. Shiek also gave chase and watched, as Rosa's hand turned into a long sharp claw, with which she struck at Sapphira, before running past her and out of the house. She was chased down by Shiek and Millivoj, who heard her shout "Queen!" in Almanati, as well as other phrases that they couldn't understand, before eventually being knocked out by Milivoj.

During this Cassini, Otto and Valeyo finished off the remaining cats and freed Mary from her bindings. As she began telling her story, the others returned with Rosa's unconscious body. Quickly they found out that her body couldn't be bound by any restraints, as they would all supernaturally slip off. To prevent her escape, Milivoj broke Rosa's ankle and the party listened to Mary's story. She said that her grandma had come this way years ago and had told her of Rosa, as a way to get in touch with soothsayers. When Mary had arrived at Rosa's she hadn't donated and during the night she had been awoken, by a weird noise, before backing out end finding herself tied up in the basement. Zariel, the large cat, had been watching over her and tormenting her by saying how much it wanted to eat her.

With that, the party decided it was time to speak to Rosa and Valeyo brough her back to consciousness. Rosa seemed unperturbed about her defeat, urging the party to kill her. Valeyo deduced that she must be an Outsider, by her attitude and told her of a way he had read about dealing with Outsiders, which included removing all of their limbs, while keeping them alive. She said, she wasn't worried, as the they had no means of binding her, to which Valeyo asked her to take a look at her foot. Realising that she wouldn't be allowed to leave, until she gave some answers, Rosa began talking. She explained that she was a member of the Unseelie, the court of evil fey. Valeyo and Milivoj explained the idea of the Unseelie to the others, with Valeyo noting that if that was the case then, killing her wouldn't bring her back to the Feywild, but rather end her. Despite this she seemed confident in her safety. Shiek questioned why she spoke in Almanati, but Rosa denied having done so. With that the questions are done and Milivoj, killed Rosa, resulting in her turning into green mist which all folded in on itself, before disappearing.

The party left Rosa's house and went to return to their camp, when they noticed that the other campers, the two humans with the dwarf were still awake. When going to speak with them, they found them holding spears. The campers asked not to be killed like Rosa and the party cleared up the misunderstanding with some help from Mary, offering the humans to view the giant cats tomorrow. Before going to bed, Shiek and Otto were sent to search Rosa's home. In the bedrooms on the upper floor, they found a peculiar looking chest. Verdent green and covered in black metal, with a line of sharp teeth along the opening seam, it was about a foot across and half a foot tall. Otto went to inform the others, who quickly came over, worried it may be a mimic.

While Shiek was alone with the chest, he began hearing calming music emanating from it, but when describing it to the others, no one else could hear it. From his description Valeyo, confirmed that the music was fey in nature and using a spell found out that the chest as not alive. Shiek went to touch the chest and found his mind transported elsewhere. Encompassed by infinite darkness on all sides, he could see nothing, until an enormous golden eye opened before him. As he recoiled back from it, his mind returned. To the others it appeared as if he had simply touched the chest and stood there, but he quickly excused himself and said he need to think, before heading back to camp. When the others inspected the chest, they found writing on it in Sylvan, which Otto read, revealing the chest's name to be the Hungry Twin.

22/04/5-10

Everyone had their night's rest and in the morning, Shiek, Otto and Cassini took the humans to see the large cats, and collected the Hungry Twin, while Valeyo, Millivoj and Sapphira spoke to the ale traders. The traders were unfazed, by the story, when it was explained that Rosa was a fey creature, but they did seem excited about the tremor last night. Valeyo asked about it, since he had assumed it was caused by Rosa, but the traders and Millivoj elaborated that it symbolizes the start of a great hunt. Periodically, a tremor would be felt, unleashing powerful creatures into the wild, which the horse clans would race to hunt down. Milivoj's family had a number of trophies, skulls, skins etc. from such hunts. Valeyo seemed worried about these monsters, but Millivoj was optimistic that there wouldn't be a better way to enter Konskirav, than as the champions of the hunt. While the tremors could normally be felt as far as 80-100 miles away, the strength of last nights' one indicated that the creatures were close.

The two humans and the dwaf, told Shiek they intended to stay in Rosa's house until their companion healed and thanked them. With Shiek and Otto loading up the Hungry Twin on the wagon, the party set off once more.