Session 2
Session Summary
The party dug into Isvyn's power structures — pressuring the Mining Head Office, exposing the Debt Hall's hidden ledgers, and forcing both under Lilith's authority. A stranger at the Copperleaf Provisioners brought word of the Ashford expedition's fate in Wisklle. The session ended with a body eaten, a shop robbed, and Father Yorick barreling up the road demanding answers.
Recap
Session Summary
Lilith drafted contracts for the townsfolk moving into the estate — fair wages, no indentured labor — and the party split up to deal with what remained of the Vaelorin power structure.
At the Mining Head Office, Marwen and Dijkstra met Hilda Broadback and extracted the truth: the third mine was being kept shut under pressure from Lord Fisker. They coerced her into agreeing to secretly tunnel production from the second mine into the closed third, bypassing Fisker's knowledge. They also discovered three miners imprisoned in a cellar beneath her office — held because they'd stolen an artifact from the mines and tried to sell it. The miners were freed. The artifact, carried by a woman named Kelra, had already left for Agar.
Lilith and Pibble made two trips to the Debt Hall. The goblin brothers Draco and Drago ran the ledgers — and weren't convinced Elarose Vaelorin was dead. They demanded proof. The party obtained it through means best left unrecorded. What they didn't know was that Gertrude — the maid they'd threatened into silence — had run straight to the Debt Hall the moment they left. By the time Lilith and Pibble returned with their "proof," Drago already knew what they'd done. He opened fire the moment he saw it. Draco, once subdued, admitted the brothers had been quietly skimming from the accounts — partly for themselves, partly to help indentured workers buy out their contracts ahead of schedule. Lilith had him sign a statement. He is now her subordinate. The miners will be paid fairly.
The party reunited at the Rock and Stone Café. Lilith gave Susy the barmaid a promotion: she'd oversee part of the estate while her cousin ran the café. Marwen ordered something called the Juggernaut, got extremely drunk, and the party went to sleep.
They dreamed.
Lilith found herself in space, falling faster than light before the dream cut out. Dijkstra beat a criminal bloody and saw the face of the wizard he once killed — laughing at him. Pibble walked with her companions until blood spread from her neck and engulfed everything; when it cleared the party was gone, replaced by circling creatures. Marwen stood in a field of flowers and spoke with something made of vines and leaves that said it was sick and needed help — that the problem was old, dormant, and only now waking up. She vomited when she came to.
In the morning, Lilith's eyes were purple. The party noticed. No one knew why.
At the Stone and Ember Forge they met Janice, the smith — a giant of a man with a gentle manner. They helped fix his forge and agreed to bring back ore from the mines in exchange for magical crafting work.
At the Copperleaf Provisioners, while questioning the owner about Lord Fisker, a stranger appeared in the doorway. Pibble and Marwen followed him outside. He said he was from the Ashford expedition — one of three ships Veyron sent through the barrier. They had docked in Wisklle. The entire city was waiting for them at the shore, smiling and applauding. He described it as deeply wrong. He jumped overboard and swam. He didn't know what became of the crew or the expedition's leader, Aldrich Axle. His name was Solomon.
Back inside, negotiations with the provisioner broke down sharply. He was dead before anyone had a plan. Marwen handled the body. Pibble handled the evidence. Lilith handled a grandmother who came in for oil and left satisfied. Solomon was given an axe and leather armor and welcomed to the group. They helped themselves to the shop's remaining stock.
They were heading for the door when Father Yorick came up the road, yelling.