Session 11: Claws of the Lioness - Dinner with the Lady Rota

Dramatis Personae:

• The Paladin of St. Faruin - Alsuna of Vlamesht, Bulwark and Vanguard - Played by Sophia
• The Henchman and Dwarven Delver - Noravras of Beasthold - Dwarven Caver and Pest Controller - Played by Sophia
• The Elven Spellsword - Braem the Burning, Arcanist-Guardian and Flametongue - Played by Ben
• The Henchman and Legionnaire Kumban - Played by Ben
• The Henchman and Legionnaire Kemog - Played by Ben
• The Thief - Kiz of Aesta Suvash - Footpad and Failed Apprentice - Played by Chris
• The Dwarven Craftpriest - Moriana of Beasthold, Dwarven Craft-catechist and Reliquary Guardian - Played by Andrea

When last we left our heroes...

The heroes spent the next two weeks in the city of Aesta-Suvash, resting, healing their wounds, and taking advantage of the downtime to train, research, and prepare. In particular, Tim and Mix took some time to research Tim's Wand of Fireballs as well as teach Mix some new spells. Regarding the former, Tim learned the following:

"You spend two weeks examining it carefully, testing it in various ways. What's tricky about it is that it isn't a "device," but rather a living, organic thing from another elemental plane. Despite the fact that it has been severed from its original tree, it maintains its connection to the elemental plane of fire in some way. However, as you start to dig into this, you begin to realize that the fire demon which you captured, and which gave you this branch in return for his freedom, may have tricked you."

"As you carefully examine the seed pods, you realize that using the wand has a side effect you had not previously discovered: Corpses slain by the Branch of Demar Norei will sprout a Firetree sapling in 1d4 days. This tree grows rapidly and reaches maturity within 1 year. During that year, it gradually transforms the terrain for 6 miles (1 hex) into a burning wasteland resembling the elemental Plane of fire. The firetree is guarded by 2d6 fire elementals who reside among its boughs. If 3 or more mature trees exist in a single hex, during their second year they will transfer an area of eight hexes into a vast, burning forest inhabited by creatures from the Elemental Plane of Fire.

"Although you are still not closer to figuring out how to make the branch sprout more seed pods, you take a couple of things away from this:

"1) The demon definitely tricked you, and his plan was probably that you would use the wand until you transformed your region into a demi-plane of the Elemental Plane of Fire.

"2) There is no guarantee that the trees that grow from the branch would allow you to make more branches (that seems a little too easy to you), however it's definitely the case that if you could harvest them, they would count as valuable components for making fire-based magical items, such as scribing scrolls of Fireball (which is basically a 1-time use of the spell that doesn't use up a spell slot), potions of fire-breathing, and so forth. They could even be harvested to craft a more traditional wand of fireballs, although this isn't something you've yet learned how to do."

While the party continued to process this information in order to decide what to do about it, they examined the bounty board at the Claws of the Lioness Guildhall, eager for their next opportunity to make some coin and possibly find magical solutions to their new problem. Alsuna and Braem also took the opportunity to hire some new hirelings (three in all) to bring their numbers up after surviving the rigors of the previous dungeon.

In the meantime, Morianna the Dwarven Craft-priest spent some time at the local goldsmiths guildhall in hopes of meeting interesting people and perhaps gathering rumors about the city's rich citizens. While there, she met a strange, decrepit woman, her face veiled, who was there to pick up a very special and unusual mirror. When she learned the mirror was not ready, she said it might not matter anyway since she had not found anyone willing to retrieve the healing waters which would be necessary to complete the mirror's intended purpose. Morianna accosted her, and learned that her name was the Lady Rota (the same Lady Rota whose name had been mentioned on the most recent bounty posting). She has suffered from a terrible malady these last twelve years, which first began as a scaly infection in her skin, and has gradually spread to her bones, and now to her blood. The leeches and apothecaries of the city, as well as the temple clerics, have been unable to cure the apparently magical disease or curse. Her one remaining hope is the healing waters of a lost Elven city deep in the Ettinmarsh. Morianna expressed interest in helping her with this problem, and the Lady Rota invited her and her friends to her villa outside the city for dinner that evening.

After conferring amongst themselves, the companions decided that there were two or three bounties which interested them in the general direction of the Ettinmarsh, and so there was no reason they should not take Lady Rota's in addition to the others in the hopes killing multiple birds with one stone. Specifically, the stories of bird-headed beastmen raiding villages along the south road near the Ettinmarsh and selling sorcerous weapons to kobolds intrigued Braem. 

That evening they met with the Lady Rota at her villa. Her villa, beautiful on the outside, was bare and cheerless within, as the Lady had sold off most of her most valuable possessions in order to pay for various treatments over the years. Despite her poverty, she managed to provide a good dinner (some would say a suspiciously good dinner) for the companions, whom she did not however join for dinner. After the meal was over, the Lady Rota joined them briefly, and told them of a scarred and half-mad elf who had stopped at her Villa for shelter one night many years ago. He had spoken of the healing waters (which perhaps also impart madness? The Lady Rota isn't sure, but she's willing to risk it) which he had found in the ruins of the great city of Cyfandir, a great Elven city to the south which was destroyed by a Dragon and an army of Ssanu and their beastmen slaves a thousand years ago. No living man has looked upon its ruins, but according to this elf, there are still healing waters there through which flow the life of the Fae. 

The Lady Rota

The companions gathered as much information as they could from the Lady Rota, and were provided with four horses to help them on their way. From there, they began their journey down the road to the village of Vlamanishiki, a day and a half or so to the southeast. They were only a few miles outside of Aesta-Suvash when they stumbled across a pack of six Giant Weasels hunting in the morning mist. Thanks to Braem's sharp eyes and quick thinking, the companions have managed to see the Weasels before the Weasels see them.