Thirty-Seventh Session - The Starred Academy

NOTE: Alana, Fin, and Markoris did not appear in this session.

The session opens as the Keepers are wrapping up their initial errands in Azkaresh. Max has found out from Immanem that an open battle is coming up for anyone (like the Keepers) to participate in, and will feature a hefty prize. He also learned that Azkaresh's famed griffins are often featured in the local gladiator scene. Alice found out that Azkaresh's couriers have access to a network of teleportation sigils that aid in their duties, and that one of the couriers should be returning from the province Abdura and could have news.

Celia, disguised as a human, is shopping for new armour, and Max accompanies her to lend his martial expertise.They find a blacksmith's shop run by a red dragonborn who uses his breath to aid in forging, and take the opportunity to get Celia's shield, which has been broken this whole time, fixed and usable. Max persuades the blacksmith to display his enchanted pieces, but they are beyond Celia's price range, so she buys a Chain Shirt instead and sells her old Leather Armour. While shopping, she also buys another Greater Healing Potion.

In the late afternoon, four of the Keepers (Alice, Celia, Ishaq, Max) reunite at the Crownsguard barracks where they are staying, while the rest of their compatriots are still absent. Ishaq gathers them close to discuss the Rune that the Starred Guard found in the city, the symbol of the Dream Devourers, and his arrangement with the SG's to lend his aid in investigating its experience, which involved an invitation to the Starred Guard's Academy. Ishaq does not reveal that he's the one who put the Rune up in the first place.

The Keepers head out, not accompanied by Raul this time. Starred Guard Academy is near the Palace of the city, which as at the heart of the Azkaresh within the mountain. Ishaq decides to take the long way to the Academy in order to get a look at the Palace, which the Keepers are forbidden from visiting. As they travel, they see that Azkaresh is crowded and bustling, a city rich with trade that is cut into the rock inside and outside the mountain in concentric rings and levels. Max keeps an eye out for anyone following them, but sees nothing suspicious.

Passing the Palace, they see that it is walled off and heavily guarded, but also appears to permit tourists. During travel talk, Alice reveals that she has spent time in a river trading city called Kios, in the small, remote province of Abdura. Under questioning from Ishaq, she also reveals that her father is involved in smuggling and illegal trading. For personal reasons, she cannot attempt to escape the Keep or otherwise flee or her family will pay a price. Ishaq suggests faking her death, which she rejects. She asks him why he's given so much thought to this, and he says that it was just a thought experiment; he can't deny who he is, because of his cult. Ishaq also fist-bumps Celia, which is important.

The party arrives at the Academy, which is built into the inner wall of the cliff and extends all the way up, an enormous complex. It's built of sandstone and engraved with a massive star sigil. Ishaq notices that the building is placed so that the North Star will shine directly on its face at night. Alice realizes that the North Star is connected with the Sky Knife, a relatively obscure deity of the Raithir pantheon, and Ishaq clarifies that the Sky Knife holds a special resonance with those who are involved with arcane. The Starred Guard are a natural fit.

They enter the Academy lobby and parley with four clerks wearing the starred robes of the Starred Guard. Ishaq discusses the Rune and displays it using his magic, which immediately alarms the clerks. The Keepers are permitted to enter on condition of totally disarming of weapons and arcane focuses, and are warned against any violence as the Academy has defences in place. Max tries and fails to hide a weapon on his person, and gives up his sizable armaments along with he rest of the party. However, they are allowed to keep their shields, and no one tries to confiscate Ishaq's magic beans.

Note: the Captain of the Crownsguard in Azkaresh is a woman named Najhila.

The party is led through a door marked XIII into the occult department of the Starred Guard. Along the way, Max notices Runes engraved in the walls and floors of the hall, likely involved in the countermeasures of the Academy. They are walked to the office of a very elderly, white-haired male Elf called The Professor wearing very old robes and owning a lot of plants for a desert city. He, too, reacts strongly to Ishaq's display of the Rune. Celia is back in mushroom form and takes a seat, which magically elongates to accommodate her. She then lies down and lounges in front of the desk like a French girl during the discussion.

The Keepers tell the Professor the story of their encounter with the Dream Devourers. He is alarmed they were encountered above the Underdark, and impressed we defeated them. As he pages through his notes, Ishaq notices that all drawings of the Rune are partially incomplete, deliberately avoiding portraying it in its full form. Unlike the rubbing Ishaq has, which is complete.

The Professor indicates there have been previous encounters with these monsters over the last century. They hail from the Underdark, which is effectively a foreign territory beneath the continent whose surface the Crown controls. It's possible the menace in the catacombs that the Keepers have been deployed to handle is linked to this case, but the Professor can't be sure as the Catacombs are Crownsguard business. When questioned by Alice, he admits that having two overlapping bodies of authority in the city is a tumultuous situation.

He says he has the best interests of the city at heart and seems to be genuine in saying so, and Ishaq persuades him to trade information on the case with the Keepers. The Professor divulges that the Starred Guard are already familiar with the Dream Devourers' penchant for abduction and feeding on nightmare, and theorizes they are a kind of sect among Underdark society, distinct from the other cultures down there, arising sometime within the last century.

The caravan attack is new, and he estimates 20 people have been lost to them over the past year- it's possible their predations have been escalating. The Professor says that the SGs were making progress on this issue, but the CGs took over immediately once the Catacombs became involved, no progress known since then. Alice persuades him to attempt arranging a meeting with someone who was rescued from their nightmares, and Ishaq offers to share the party's experience with the nightmare dimension in return. The Keepers arrange to meet the Professor in a neutral area (a tavern) tomorrow and trade stories.

As the rest of the party departs, Ishaq sticks around, Max hanging behind him protectively, and gets dead serious with the Professor. Ishaq has deduced that the Raith Pantheon has a very low hold in Azkaresh, and most of the faithful hold to older gods, and he tells the Professor that this makes Azkaresh a great front for the coming Godwar. Prof looks at him like he might be crazy, and so Ishaq writes him off as a potential resource.

Ishaq and Max leave, but then Alice doubles back to talk to the Professor some more. She asks if there's any chance they can dodge the political obstacles to this investigation. He says the possibility is doubtful.

Also, Celia yells that the Prof is 'dummy thicc' as she departs.

Ishaq tells Max he can consider himself free for the rest of the day, while Ishaq is going to go start seeding a new branch of the Host Radiant in this setting. The party retrieves their weaponry from the front desk and leaves the Academy.

Moving on to other errands, the Keepers get the Summoning Gem they found in the desert identified, and find it contains and imparts control over a Water Elemental for a single use. Additionally, the necklace they found has a diarrhea curse on it, and they cannot find anyone with the power to remove the curse.

Alice proposes a drink at a tavern. Max and Ishaq concoct a plan to con a priest into buying what is now known as the 'poop necklace.' Ishaq and Alice have been having friction this session, with Ishaq being greatly inquisitive into her personal history. As they climb through the city in search of a tavern where rich marks can be found, Ishaq takes her and Dimension Doors them upwards away from Max and Celia for a private conversation, while Max and Celia run up stairs to catch up.

He speaks to her about friendship and history and being allies while touching her, but Alice denies friendship and makes it clear she's annoyed with him and that he's on thin ice. He presses her on her father in particular, and Alice admits that she's not a fan of his criminality, but she still feels loyal to him for reasons of blood. Ishaq expresses pity at that sentiment and makes a speech to her about how he sees great potential in her, and Alice makes it clear that he's very close to getting fucked up. Just as Max and Celia are catching up, Alice casts Nature's Wrath (restraining vines) on him, but Ishaq dodges.

The two de-escalate with Max and Celia's arrival, and Alice storms away into the tavern and buys a first round for everyone who isn't Ishaq, but actually also Ishaq. Max and Ishaq put on a show of the finding and display of the necklace, and take note of whose attention they attract. Max also talks to Ishaq about his needling of Alice, who shares that he means no harm and sees potential in Alice to be part of his new pantheon after the intended Godwar. Meanwhile, Alice talks to Celia about the town the latter destroyed. Celia is evasive, insisting it was just part of the game she ran, but also indicates she did it for her family, which is what is most important to her.

END OF SESSION

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