Session 10.9: Nestora: Parade of Terror (Party Reset)
Pregame Write up: 2017-02-03
The party found the abandoned warehouse containing some kind of flying vehicle being prepped by Autonomous Front members. They also saw rolls of razor thin mono-wire sitting nearby. This did not bode well for the parade but there was nothing telling them what their plan was. After wrestling with what do amongst themselves, they did not feel they had time to do anything about it and proceeded to find Max’s sister – Rose Blossom.
The intelligence they had lead them to the Thousand Blessings Temple. It was being observed from two places – one was an old hotel across the street and the other from a rooftop of a apartment complex. Neither location provided any information about Max’s sister from a distance. The group split up to investigate both. One (in the hotel) turned out to be an unknown group of thugs with real high-tech equipment (from Lhalambra Arms) – more than the AF could afford. The other (on the rooftop) was the AF group but no Rose Blossom. After the inevitable combat (in both cases), the high-tech thugs got away but they were able to save one AF member for interrogation.
Interrogation revealed that the sister was already in the Temple, setting up the bomb. A funeral of a prominent Guild family member was just finishing up in the temple . The party searched for Rose Blossom and eventually found her in the catacombs beneath the Temple. Something had lead her there, still gripping the bomb. “You must save her!” she said pointing down a catacomb hallway. Yelling and screaming from above distracted them from what had her interest, as more high tech thugs arrived with big guns. They had cleared the temple and were intent on killing the party. The party decided to take the catacombs to find a way out.
They found ancient hallways that lead to an equally ancient dungeon. Unfortunately it was a dead end. They took position to fight when everything was interrupted by an immense creature out of the shadows. Fur and claws blurred past them as it proceeded to slaughter everyone in its path. The small team of high tech thugs were no match for this massive beast. Neither were Ba’Vek or Vjorn, who were savagely clawed and taken by the creature as it barrelled its way through hallways, disappearing through hidden passages the party missed on the way in.
When the dust and smoke cleared, they stood with several bodies and pools of blood around them. A whimper came from one of the dungeon cells. “You must save her!” said Rose Blossom again. Ragnar approached the cell to find a young elf trapped inside, paler than the usual elf, skin and hair glistening like she had just come from a swim in the ocean. The faint smell of sea water was in the air as well. “I am Preslana. Please help me…” She seemed harmless enough, so they freed her from the call. Ragnar noticed she looked at the pools of blood hungrily but she made no move to them. She pulled a cloak that looked like was made of large fish scales over her head and smiled. As they left, she lingered behind a while but eventually caught up.
The parade was going on gloriously when they re-surfaced. Huge floats and balloons sailed down the river as the magically powered drawbridges lifted high as if in salute. Fireworks exploded brightly everywhere even in broad daylight. The big moment everyone was talking about came when a huge and very elaborate blimp tied to a float came down the river. The announcer shouted that this was an unprecedented event – a special appearance of all the High Guildsman in one place – to honor the Fallen and great the people of Nestora (in blatant defiance of the AF and their recent violence, as many noticed). The crowd went crazy!
Then the explosions began to occur all over the city. Security scattered to investigate while the High Guildsman stood on the blimp gondola, waving to the crowd unconcerned. The party noticed as the security at the parade thinned out considerably when all were sent out to investigate explosions further away from the river. Then two familiar flying machines swooped down along the river. Few could see it, but a monofilament wire was suspended between them. It became apparent that the AF intended on cutting the blimp from the float and kidnapping the High Guildsman. The party stood unable to do anything.
The blimp was cut free as the aircraft circles back around extended a tether out to capture the blimp. When the tethers attached, suddenly the blimp exploded, taking out the planes with it. Suddenly arising out of the crowd were more armed guards disguised as citizens, dressed much like the high tech thugs the party encountered before. They proceeded to arrest anyone that seemed remotely involved in the terrorist action, including anyone that seemed happy the High Guildsman were dead. This all was a big set up, it appeared. The party quietly left the riverside to return to their inn.
Their suspicions of a trap were confirmed when on the news that night, the High Guildsman appeared live, showing they were not in fact dead. The blimp passengers were an illusion to lure out the AF and take them out once and for all. They hoped the citizens enjoyed the show of Guildsman power, guile and resolve.
A knock at the door surprised the party as they were cleaning out Ba’vek and VJorn’s belongings. “The Beer Baron told me that a kobold named Vjorn could be found here?“