Second Age - Session 14

Sonday 4th Deecambor, Year 599 (continued)
After killing the cultists and the demon, but losing the trail of the robed figure, the Golden Fists were once again very unsure of what to do. They discussed several possibilities, from faking their own death to going undercover. They simply did not trust anyone. In the end, they decided to keep watching the mansion at night and try to gather some intelligence on Victoria Massi. As they found out, there were a lot of rumors surrounding the lady, but nothing conclusive. It might as well just be the typical rumors that stick to the very rich.


Mansday 5th Deecambor, Year 599
They once again spent the day chilling in an empty house. At some point, River made some rounds at the harbor and tried to find a place where poison could be bought, but he apparently didn't ask the right questions, because he was met with blank stares all the way around.

The nightly stakeout was unsuccessful. No robed figure.

Tirsday 6th Deecambor, Year 599
Arpametan visited the Pelor church and learned that there is an Orcus (un)holy day coming up the following sunday (11th Deecambor).

The nightly stakeout was unsuccessful. No robed figure.

Onsday 7th Deecambor, Year 599
Arpametan spent the day buying and scribing rituals, and then testing his new Seek Rumor-ritual. Worked fairly well.

The nightly stakeout was unsuccessful. No robed figure.

Torsday 8th Deecambor, Year 599
The nightly stakeout was unsuccessful. No robed figure.

Freeday 9th Deecambor, Year 599
They got the idea of visiting the Master of Housing. After bribing him, they learned that Massi had 6 warehouses that had been empty for a while. They decided to check them out.

Using the shapeshifting ability of River, it was quite easy to enter the warehouses.

In the second warehouse examined, they found a hidden cellar entrance. They decided to return later and check it out. After nightfall, they returned and went in.

Down in the cellar, they found a secret entrance to an underground area. Down there, they found a huge torture and prison chamber, filled with Orcus art, as well as a young catatonic boy. Beyond the torture chamber was a temple. There they found themselves facing what turns out to be the local Orcus high priest, Victoria and some ghouls.

The two Orcus priests proved to be grim foes, both wielding magic capable of utterly zapping a person of the will to live. Luckily for the heroes, no one succumbed to their fell magic, and soon the evil cult leaders and their undead abominations were all dead.

As the Golden Fists searched the room and the dead bodies, more cultists arrived. Apparently not all had been present when the Fists had penetrated their sanctuary. The fight was short and furious, and while Paavu was out for a few moments, no Fists were in danger of dieing, mostly because the Fists managed to hide and ambush the hapless cultists as they entered their temple to investigate why a magical trap had been set off. 

With a few cultists who surrendered and the dead body of Victoria Massi, the Golden Fists returned to the mansion of Leo Massi to deliver the news. As it turns out, it was not a huge surprise. With the wife gone missing for days, one of her maidens had confessed that she often met with a man named Samuli. Massi had had a little "talk" with Samuli, and learned of the Orcus connection. Unfortunately Samuli had died before he could reveal where the hideout was. Massi had tried to find the Golden Fists, but because they had been hiding in an abandoned house instead of staying at the inn as planned, he had not been able to contact them.

None the less, they agreed to go to the tomb of his grandfather the next morning, as that was where the medallion was.

Lordday 10th Deecambor, Year 599
After staying the night at the palace, the Fists accompanied Leo Massi and his guards to the family mausoleum the next morning. But the medallion was gone. Massi was furious and apologetic, and promised that if they could find the medallion, they could keep it.

The Fists decided that it was probably the Sons of Winter that were behind the theft. Arpametan cast another seek rumor ritual, and learned that there had been an increased activity of the Sons in Laketown the last couple of months.

At night, they all went and grabbed a room at the Golden Pheasant.

Sonday 11th Deecambor, Year 599
Suddenly in the middle of the night, they were woken up by Arpametan. "We have to go, now". "I was just forced to reveal to an ice-cold red-eye person where the chest is".