The Pillar of Heaven

Session 2: The Patrons of Fairhaven

O! The rising numbskullduggery...

The evening at the Inn of the Porcelain Pussycat had reached its conclusion. The party finished its conversation and its business there. Both “Grizeldo” and Berouwvol continuing their binge drinking. Nyx wrote a private letter, which the party later learned was intended for her mystery patron, Otis Shipman.

Heading outside, five large, dangerous dogs confronted the group. These dogs had surrounded a frightened boy. With some small difficulty, the party fended them off. The boy revealed that his name was Wilfric. His slain older brother had been a sergeant in C’s platoon. Wilfric hardly escaped from the Battle of Trademeet with his life, and he now sought service as C’s squire. C ordered the boy to remain at the Porcelain Pussycat until the appointed meeting time the following day.

The group then moved onward to secure the sponsorship and payments from their three patrons. The party made contact with Nyx’s contact, Reglor. He’s a sly-looking fellow whom, it was later learned, is associated with the Guild of Crossed Daggers. She gave him her letter for delivery, and the group agreed to meet up with him following the first patronal encounter.

At the first meeting, the party agreed to a contract with Father Bilwill Gildshine, a cleric of Gwalto. Bilwill informed the party, through his oftentimes unintelligible high-pitched glee, that a group of Gwalto’s cleric had discovered that the leaders of the faith had made a secret bargain with the followers of an evil god, Morkano. Now, Gildshine and his fellows sought secret allegiances with other powerful groups within Fairhaven. Toward that end, Bilwill thought that both Berouwvol and C made excellent additions to the party. Bilwill also confided that he felt like Li Peng’s vision had been misunderstood, and that the Pillar of Heaven was really to be found within the great Stone Spire of Etala, upon which the Weirdrangle was constructed.

During this meeting, it was revealed that Grizeldo Croon was, in fact, an elaborate disguise cooked up by none other than the son of Bilwill Gildshine, the gnome Pemming Gildshine. Pemming had distinguished himself of late by making a mess of a plateful of table scraps, and by failing to lift Nyx’s letter from her hand. Later in the evening, fatigue would cause Pemming to retire at a safe location within the Sea-Vault of Aearmo.

Next, the group met with Otis Shipman, Nyx’s patron and the guild master of the powerful League of Shipwrights and Sail Makers. Ship proved an affable fellow. He stated that the guild leaders did not want the Pillar of Heaven to fall into the hands of the ruling Aristocracy, because it would perpetuate the iniquitous status quo. Otis assigned Reglor to be a “fixer” for the group, to take care of administrative needs prior to the departure on the road to the Weirdrangle. Also, Otis professed his belief that the Pillar of Heaven was to be found in a churning, roiling, magical sea somewhere off to the north of far Dykumo. Only one of Otis’ ships could survive such waters without foundering, he said.

At this point, the party headed down to the nearby docks to catch a ferry to the Sea Vault of Aearmo. At the ferry, Wilfric revealed that he had followed the group and gained the valuable information that Reglor had been using their names in discussions with several other individuals. C was notably upset that Wilfric had disobeyed his orders. So, Wilfric was sent back to the Porcelain Pussycat and given the task of proving to C that he could be trusted.

Within the majestic Sea-Vault of Aearmo, the cleric Beranleod became the third patron to contract the party’s services in search of the Pillar of Heaven. His contract bore the same terms as the other two patrons. Beranleod asserted that the clerics of Aearmo are interested in the Pillar of Heaven as a means to purify the poisoned fresh water sources that are impacting drinking water supplies and crop irrigation across Fairhaven. Beranleod also professed his ignorance of the final resting place of the Pillar of Heaven. He strongly believed that Li Peng’s vision had significance and that the Weirdrangle should be investigated. In addition, Beranleod explained that he had been contacted by Otis Shipman who, having received Nyx’s letter, wanted to ensure that the mutual patrons could cooperate in their sponsorship of the party.

It was at this point that Pemming retired due to the fatigued of a long a stressful day. The rest of the party returned via ferry to the docks. They were greeted by three guard who claimed to serve under the command of Baron Cruikshank. These guards demanded the surrender of the party, and a general melee ensued. Wildward knocked one of the guards into the harbor, and two other guards were knocked unconscious. Two thugs, issuing order to the guards, moved in to thwart the party, but they were quickly overcome by the combined efforts of the group.

Currently, the party has apprehended three guards and one of the thugs. The other thug died as a result of his wounds.

Comments

David’s Highlights:
- Berouwvol trying to negotiate and getting shut down
- The gravy incident
- A beer to go
- Nyx cozying up to the kid
- The drunken Gnome gambler!!!
- Pem’s reveal
- That crazy fucking whip The Wildward has
- What da fuck is up with bird request?!
- Hexes and necromancy from the Dark Elf
- Who to believe: the kid or the thief?
- Nyx and C’s good cop / bad cop routine
- C’s rushing the guards
- Guard 1 checked into the water
- Finally killing stuff

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