Session 09
In the morning Seldion and Arcas to go find spells. Seldion brokers a deal for spell access but Arcas gets distracted after shopping for some clothes with Qimae for the tea party. Qimae insists he buy a nice Thule suit but he prefers athletic wear tailored with various Thule designs. After putting on a satin fighting outfit tailored with dragons Arcas uses magic to make the dragons on his shirt snort smoke. The young punks nearby seem impressed but what really gets their attention is when Arcas tells them that nothing will piss off their parents more than if they go study magic like he did. He then turns and walks off tailing plumes of smoke.
An hour of shopping later they have several outfits and Qimae has decided that they have at least some common ground now. While returning to the inn for lunch Arcas and Qimae pass by an open air lecture where they hear a professor espousing the belief that all Thule ancestor worship is self delusion perpetrated by the unconscious mind using its powers to sniff ambient knowledge from nearby minds. Arcas stops in his tracks turning to Qimae for a second before rudely raising his voice so it carries over the lecture. "Thank god, I was afraid I was stuck with her. Please professor, tell me how I can make this figment of my imagination go away." The professor looks up and then smugly announces to the class that they have yet another Thule visitor about to demonstrate the fallacy of the collective mind when the relevant facts lie too far back in history for the unconscious mind to properly detect. The professor idly fingers his ring while making that statement but then looks confused when Arcas sneers to Qimae and says "Hear that great great grandmother? You don't exist. Figment of my mind I disbelieve!" Arcas then makes a great deal out of banging his head on a nearby pillar while shouting "I disbelieve I disbelieve" By this point the lecture is in disarray, Qimae sighs and at Arcas's whisper she finally demanifests leaving Arcas's shopping bags to all fall to the ground. A moment later she re-manifests and picks the bags up and says "Sorry great nephew I am still here"
The professor stands slack-jawed. "But wait, physical manifestation isn't possible. The tests were conclusive, psionic manifestations are unwilled and composed of ectoplasm." Arcas looks at the professor and then says "I guess you are right, my tiny Thule brain can no understand your big theory. But next week I may teach a lecture on not listening to pompous assholes spewing shit that obviously isn't true" he then turns and hurries away despite the professor yelling for him to stop. Qimae however does stop and looks at the professor puffing with exertion at having run to catch up. But any efforts at conversation are interrupted by Arcas making rude noises and comments. Finally the professor loses his temper and tells Arcas "look if I give you my library pass will you just shut the fuck up so I can speak with your Grandmother?" Arcas opens his mouth to make another rude comment when he notices the badge in-front of his eyes is embossed senior arcanist divination/illusion specialist. Mouth drooling at the thought of accessing the universities stacks he says "ok" grabs the pass and runs to the library. The professor then turns to Qimae introduces himself as Leon Traxel and asks if she would be interested in joining him at a nearby Elvish bistro for crepes and a discussion of her remarkable manifestation. Qimae negotiates access to the stacks for Arcas as an assistant researcher and Leon agrees somewhat hesitantly. At the bistro it comes out Leon has some ancient Thule texts that differ markedly from so called ancestor knowledge. This combined with other observations and the inability of Thule spirits to manifest had lead to years of research that her presence had turned on the head. Arrangements are made to meet later that week with some additional researchers as well as after Qimae has had a chance to ask others for more regarding the events surrounding the first invasion which are so different according to the professor. With that done they finally return to the Hotel to find out that there is a meeting with Reginar scheduled at that evening at an open air beer hall.
Shel and Seldion head out first as performer and patron to observe the meeting place. Next Arcas and Qimae go as "tourists" to sit nearby as backup. Finally Karsa and Ariel go to meet Reginar. Shel arrives only to learn that performing requires a license of some sort. She says she will go grab her permit and her spare strings and after leaving Seldion helps her forge a permit passes muster based on the permit that had been hanging at the Mandrake. Permit problem solved she begins to entertain the boisterous woodsmen in the bar with her folksy tunes adding just enough sass and heat to her delivery to really get them all worked up. The show is sultry enough that Arcas upon arriving looks at the stage and muttered, "Why in the hell did I I grope her on the boat and blow my chances of ever being with her". Qimae and him order some food Qimae request the elvin special having taken a real liking to Elvin cuisine.
When Ariel and Karsa finally show up it turns out that the hulking bowman was Reginar. He was almost unrecognizable as the man Cygar had described. His long hair has been cropped short and his distinctive scars were burnt badly enough to be completely unrecognizable. A long meeting is held where Reginar reveals that the Cult has deep influence in the government. There are parties that want to get rid of the cult but they need evidence of crimes and more information about how deep the cults influences have gotten in government. The cult had sent a large group south two moths ago but only 3 men came back a month ago. The cult then started buying goods and "recruiting" sailors. Then last week about 40 members left and boarded a boat heading West. No more information is know about destination. It is known that more than half of the upper leadership left and since then the remaining cult members lead by a cultist named Encarthis have been recruiting like mad to regain strength. Of all the ways to gain information joining is perhaps the least dangerous. Cygar had managed to learn a bit but was caught when he tried to access the second floor of the building. The party agrees to learn what they can
The group then decide that Karsa should go early to join the cult since he had already met a priest and can use the excuse that he has no money after losing his purse to the corrupt guards. He is used to smuggle in Ariel's holy symbol as apparently those are confiscated by the cult. The rest of the party will go the next day when the scheduled recruitment is held. Karsa joins without problem but then goes stir crazy when told he needs to meditate for a day and a half until the other new recruits join. He spends the time banging his head on the walls and annoying the guards.
Meanwhile back at the inn the party prepare to infiltrate the cult. Qimae decides to de-manifest and investigates the historic events Leon Traxel was talking about.[1] The others go to the meeting place which is a bar near the temple grounds.
After the group arrives a half-elf named Elvar also shows up. 6 members of the church show up. 2 in grey cowls, 1 black, and 3 white. All have identical masks. The black robed member carries a staff and takes the stage to give his spiel on the church. After talking for a bit he asks if anyone is not interested in joining. Then he offered to buy everyone food and drinks to celebrate their acceptance to the fastest growing organization in Nithalmas. The party are all interviewed and some do better than others. Arcas in particular gets interviewed by the black robed cultist and refuses to drink or eat with him. A subtle gesture is made and Arcas found himself sitting between two burly men in grey cowls. A moment later as others in the bar succumb to the drugged drinks Arcas is set upon by the rogues who beat him unconscious.
They wake up in cells. Everyone has been stripped of their equipment. The cult tells everyone to meditate and they will be inducted later that day. 10 minutes later Seldion is out of his cell having jimmied the door to his cell open. He then scouts out the room where everyone's stuff is kept taking all of his stuff back and then picking all the other cell doors. He then goes back in his cell and closes the door. A moment later the guard comes in and is confronted with the sight of several cell doors standing open except Seldion who is fully geared and sitting on his cot holding his magic horn.
The alarm is sounded and half a dozen cultists are in the cells only moments later. A huge grey cowled cultist of immense girth glares at the "escapees" itching to bust some heads. The black cowled leader coaxes Seldion into turning over his equipment (but not his hat) and then being impressed with how Karsa dealt with the whole thing invites him to come be inducted before the others.
Karsa and the big grey brute named Krantz hit it off rather well and wind up sitting near each other during the ceremony until Krantz has to go round up the new acolytes. Downstairs Arcas mouths off at Krantz and gets left behind. Upstairs the party is inducted while Arcas chills in his cell. Upon coming downstairs Karsa takes insult at being called short by another acolyte. The acolyte has a sword but Karsa beats him into unconsciousness with his fists and when Krantz burst in and sees Karsa covered in blood suffering from several stab wounds when asked what happened Karsa says the other Acolyte fell down the stairs. Krantz laughs heartily and slaps Karsa on the back laughing even as he drags the other acolyte out to parts unknown.
Later that night the group goes to eat in the cafeteria and Karsa almost chokes on the watery broth given the foul odor and the soapy froth of bubbles. But when he complains Krantz takes umbrage at the insult to his cooking. Thinking fast Karsa asks to see the kitchen and upon seeing the tower of rotting dishes convinces Krantz that he can beat some sense into the scrawny kid in the poke and make him into Krantz's cleaning wench. Krantz is interested but instead of leaving Karsa to convince Arcas he comes to watch the beating. Karsa dishes as well as he can but Arcas is no stranger to a fight and dodges several blows before the hits make him woozy. Picking Arcas up Karsa drops him so he can high five Krantz. Then lifts Arcas up again to let Krantz take a swing. Krantz winds up as if to use his club (which would clearly have killed Arcas) but Karsa convinces him "to just soften him up" Krantz then takes two huge swings that crack ribs and almost knock Karsa over as well. Appraised of just how dangerous Krantz is Karsa lifts his comatose ally and then carries him back to the kitchen where he will slave away cleaning pots. Krantz also straps on a locking mask that makes it impossible for Arcas to cast or even speak. The party then go to their bunks for the night hearing that their "normal routine" will start early the next day under Krantz tutelage.
1 - Qimae's research reveals a clear discrepancy. Everyone has similar memories but she encounters one ancestor who was too sick to attend the mandatory departure ceremony. What he recalls is completely different. Where all others remember leaving a small resource strapped land in search of better lands what he recalls was a fractious power struggle for control of a huge empire where the losing side was forced to become shock troops for the that had exiled them.