session:6

Session 6: The Trial and the Carnival of Masks

Rumor Recap

  • Skirmishes along the Regency/Marrow line.
  • Joyboy’s body is on the way to the Peaks.

The Trial

  • Solara pays an official to buy Jin.
  • The Trial:
    • Jin is hit with fabricated/exaggerated charges.
    • Solara speaks up to reduce the sentence, but Jin is found guilty.
    • Parsons is spotted smiling in the corner.
    • Jin is handed a death sentence.
    • Prisoners are dragged off; Jin is taken in a different direction.

The Rescue

  • Jin is dragged to an abandoned house; the party follows in secret.
  • One guard betrays the others, getting “stabby” to help Jin.
    • “What are you doing?” / “Helping a friend.”
    • Revealed to be Solara's acquaintance (“booty call”).
  • Guards are killed; Jin is acquired.
  • The party escapes in a carriage; Solara notices a pouch on Jin and gets her money back.

The Carnival of Masks

  • Stopped at Thrushwood (Trade Town).:
    • Thin fog on the ground.
    • No people in sight.
  • A Carnival of Masks flyer blows across the path.
  • Follow the music to a collapsed tent:
    • Faceless bodies and masks litter the ground.
    • Some masks resemble Vesper's mask.

Encounter: The Collector

  • Encounter a large clown surrounded by floating masks (The Collector).
  • The Collector gives Solara a beard (epic).
  • The Fight:
  • High stakes; many party members go down.
  • Masks approach, presumably to take faces.
  • The Collector removes Solara’s beard and calls her by name.
  • Jin is downed and dragged into a tent.

The Collector’s Tent

  • Inside the tent:
    • Glowing statues with masks and nameplates.
    • A glowing well (reminiscent of Vesper’s* vision). * Both Moss and The Collector are defeated in the fray. * One of the statues is Moss wearing a frog mask. ===== The Soul Shard Puzzle ===== * Each statue has a place for a shard. * The Mechanics: * 14 broken shards of masks with “soul whispers.” * 2 shards for each mask (one True, one False). * Match the right shards to the right statue to release the soul. * The party takes psychic damage on a wrong answer. * Outcome: * Moss is revived after matching his mask correctly. * Jin bites the big one (RIP) after a wrong match. Note: He had large hands. * Conclusion: * The party matches all the masks. * The floor spins and opens; souls are released, the fog dissipates, and the hole vanishes.