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<!DOCTYPE markdown> # Session 12: Blackreef's Ruin and The Carnival of Shadows ## Post Leviathan Fight The party stands on the surface of the water near where the drowning star once was. Gimbol hands Vesper the orb, it burns Vesper, causing Vesper to sink deep into the ocean. Suddenly the party can no longer stand on the water and plunge into the surface. Moss swims down to retrieve Vesper, and Gimbol takes back the orb, allowing the party to stand on the water's surface once more. The party then returns to the boat. ## # Later that Night Gimbol converses with the “Orb of the First Dawn”, it asks him what he desires, and Gimbol replies that he wants Durim back, and Parsons gone.
- The orb reveals that the wizard (Parsons) was with or around the emperor at some point.
- Gimbol just wanted to learn magic, and the orb replies that it can give him magic.
Just remember the power I give you, I can also take it away.
The Orb expresses that it doesn't like Moss
Why do you want to blow him up?
>Why not, don't we love chaos?
## Return to Blackreef The Party returns to Blackreef, seeing rising smoke, and battered ships. As they approach the port, an eerie silence hangs over a ruined landscape. The shattered ships and rotting docks are shrouded in a thick, ashy mist and slicked with patches of ice. Further nearing the port, dead bodies float in the sea water, and the ground is littered in piles of ash.
Moss notices the rot looks familiar, and speaks with the Scepter of Oaths. The scepter reveals that the orb doesn't like it.
Hes a dick. Stay on his good side, he's probably the most powerful out of all of us.
### The Identity of Cantor and the Orange Cat The party notices a figure kneeling, covered in gashes across their back.
- Wings of Black ash and flame are tucked beneath their clothing
- Wearing a headband
- Shattered halo
The Figure calls for Carl, the little orange cat the party has seen since the assassination of the Emperor. The cat jumps on the figure's shoulder, and the figure is revealed to be younger looking version of Cantor, wearing a blindfold. Charum gestures to the cat.
I’d like to introduce you guys to Charum the Chainbreaker, the last god.
Moss asks the cat (Charum) where the other gods went
As far as I know, I’m the last.
Moss asks what the flame is, Charum explains that it's a parasite that showed up when gods fell.
Apparantly you've made your friend angry, and he is soon to find other friends.
Cantor explains he showed up to see how things were going, and fended off JoyBoy's attack.
Parsons now knows the last god lives.
Cantor spreads his wings of ash and fire, further explaining:
- The Artifacts were used by the emperor to kill the gods
- Charum can be restored if all the artifacts are used
- Parsons has one artifact, the mantle, leaving only the Chalice of Concord unaccounted for
- The Chalice was in the possession of House Marrow
- Cantor was Charum's angel, saving Charum from the same fate as the other gods
We can't let mortals wield these artifacts, need to restore gods and break cycle
Cantor walks off, as his shattered halo and youth disappear. ### The Amulet and Gimbol's Soul Gimbol makes his way to the bar to speak to Varnus and the disguised halfling guarding the door, finding only the halfling.
- Returns the amulet that made him appear as Bullog
- Explains what happened at the drowning star
- Learns that Varnus died during the attack, so his debt of ore likely no longer mattered.
Gimbol questions the halfling about the amulet, and his strange experience as Bullog
That's not my shadow.
The halfling explains the amulet should just disguise someone, but somehow it seems to have done more than that.
Interesting, You have two souls in you
Gimbol reaches into his own mind, feeling that he has bits of someone else memory, someone that may have attached to him when he revived.
### Later in Blackreef Vesper and gimbol wander about town. Gimbol asks Vesper if they know anything about souls, Vesper doesn't Vesper is an idiot.
The ghost of the little girl pops out of Vesper's ebony viol:
I do, Maestro grin, he knows. Hes a bad bad man, he knows all about souls though.
Vesper vaguely recalls, and the girl continues:
You dont want to meet him, he's an evil man
The party meets back up at bar, and Sol returns to the vampire manor with Moss. Moss enters without trouble, but Sol is unable to enter until invited in. Sol speaks with the owner of the manor *who is totally not a vampire*:
- Sol wants to let the refugees stay in Lunaris, and wants to fix Blackreef up
- Sol wants to take over the town and put him in charge
### Night in Blackreef Later at the rooms at the bar, a messenger hands vesper a note, an invitation to a circus familiar to those who know where it is, the place where first Vesper first joined the circus. Vesper tips the messenger, and the messenger backflips twice, disappearing into the shadows.
Sol speaks to the flame and reveals the plan to restore the gods
- The Flame says it’ll follow along with the mortals
- The Flame doesn't fear gods, and doesn't care if the gods return
*Not a Vampire dude* walks into the tavern, the bar hushes, and he returns his servants with him back to his manor. Jin and Moss tail them stealthily, Moss less so.
## The Next Day ### Sol's Speech Sol gathers the townsfolk and makes a speech, telling the town they can stay in Lunaris and that she's going to help rebuild Blackreef. In the crowd Vesper spends this time looking at the invite, and shows Jin. As they speak the little ghost girl appears:
Of course your the esteemed guest, you were last time
The Girl revealed to be named Annabelle explains:
- Theres a man in the soul well that can help, but he's under key
- Maestro Grin holds all the keys
- Maestro Grin gave it to one off his friends but they weren't strong enough so now he keeps all of them, and gathers more every time he moves
### Evening
Gimbol asks Vesper what they remember of Maestro Grin
Moss and Sol return to the manor, but they are turned away as the lord is unwell,Moss sneaks into the manor as an ant, while Gram returns Sol to the tavern in a carriage.
Moss asks the servants where the lord of the manor is, but they won't tell him. He asks what exactly the lord of the manor is, assuming him a vampire, and the servant a thrall. The servent then reveals:
- The master is the child of a vampire,
- He’ll do as Sol asks, he's quite smitten with her
- He's been watching her since back in the Royal Council, proving him to be Sol's face-stealing paramour.
### Night Late at the tavern comes a knock at Vespers door, the messenger from the previous night:
We missed you last night, come to us, or we come to you.
One of Parsons's minions attacked Gimbol in the tavern to take the orb, however the orb destroyed the intruder and saved Gimbol:
Kinda felt good killing that man
Vesper's brain stopped working but was able to parse the following potentially inaccurate information somehow:
- The Scepter of Oaths is father of Asterik
- The gods had to give up what meant most to them to become gods
- Asterik was the hollow star, and is dead now
- The Crown of Stars is the sister of Nemera
- The Orb of the First Dawn was pulled to the fallen star by Vuluun, whome never liked the orb
- The Orb of the First Dawn is the brother of Charum
## Carnival of Shadows The Party heads the way that may be towards the Carnival of Shadows, finding a path through an eerie forest. The sounds of nature are conspicuously missing, leaving only the sound of the wind and a quiet creaking. The party comes across two pillars affixed with black lanterns, as they step forward, both become lit.
- Moss speaks to the grass, it replies that the harbinger is here
- Sneaks past more pillars, each lighting as he approaches
- Peers into the first tent, finding it full of only mirrors
- Stops at second tent, feeling as though something stands in front of him
No no no, before the main event you must prove that you can handle it
2 marionettes appear and invite the party into the carnival.
### Vesper's Tent Entering the first tent, filled with many carnival mirrors, one by one they shatter, and a tightrope across is revealed. Vespe r crosses whilst juggling, receiving a vision of the things they did in the circus, Vesper falters and almost loses balance, but makes it across. Vespers turns and looks, the tightrope wasn't spanning broken grass, at was across a deep void.
Vesper, you’re just as good as I remember, you may proceed
### Jin's Tent The marionette points at Jin,
You, I have something special for you
The second tent is full of spinning posters of people's faces, with a glowing keg at the far end. Jin recognized the faces as loved ones, People Jin cherished the most,people they hurt. A poster of Jin's mother speaks:
Why, why do you need it.
Jin feels pain and sorrow as he continues to the next, his father:
It could have been better, but you let it take you, why?
He continues to a poster of himself:
You know you want to take a drink, take it.
From a cup dripping with red and black liquid, Jin goes to take a drink.
Some just decide to give in to their temptations
### Gimbol's Tent Gimbol handles the next tent, being challenged to perform for a crowd. Gimbol struggles as the crowd starts booing. The performance makes Vesper twitch, and the crowd becomes openly hostile. ### The Main Event As they open up the next tent, the two marionettes speak:
Well that did not go as planned, but since our guest of honor is here, let's let him enter
The party enters the largest tent, acrobatic shadows dance about, and a figure surrounded by dancing shadows lingers near the back near the soul well.
Vesper, you've returned and you've brought us more souls!
The figure is revealed to be the same one Moss glimpsed at last circus, but now unmasked.
Our best soul reaper has returned to us, how the circus has missed our brightest star! Do you remember all the shows we've done together?
The crowds gasps, and the figure suddenly appears next to Vesper.
Each soul you brought, a masterpiece. The last was your magnum opus, the little girl was best one.
Suddenly Vesper is moved to the center spotlight, the crowd cheers as spectral jugglers appear. As the fight starts Vesper is conflicted.
- The Maestro can incite an uncontrollable urge to dance, and throws psychic daggers that show trauma and clouds memories
The fight continues and the Maestro speaks:
Very good all!
The lanterns shadows begin to stretch, and tent goes black:
How many of you can fight in the dark?
A ghostly figure of Vesper throws a child into the soul well, and the crowd responds with thunderous applause.
Soon the Maestro grows bored and questions if these are really the best souls, Vesper convinces the maestro they are not, and that he should look elsewhere. The maestro agrees as shadows appear around Vesper.
Let's reap some souls!
Thunderous applause erupts, and the Maestro spirits Vesper away as they both disappear down the soul well.