Session 15 Notes

BOOM! Time freezes for an instant and then comes rushing back as the explosions’ reverberations give way to a rush of air carrying distant screams shrouded in a light haze of dust and soot. As you regain your senses, some see a dark cloud of smoke rising to the south, where the market gives way to the houses of nobles. Others see a group of Grey Cloaks take off, chasing one Ragnar the Ruffian from the scene. Then the screams suddenly are coming from much closer as armed thugs fall upon panicked civilians. Thorne gives words to the moment, yelling, “It’s Party Time”, picking her target, an unlucky thug named Sonnova.

Dungar, Val, and Guil approach a box with a latch and rune left by Ragnar but find it unmovable and immune to Guil’s hammer and Val’s dispel. Feeling it growing hotter, Val tries to cool it with chill touch, causing the rune to fall away and the box to open. Guil goes to evacuate civilians and then joins Thorne in defending the civilians, although Thorne may be more focused on killing Sonnova, urged on by the whispers of her blade. Dungar creates a giant image of Ragnar informing the world that he sucks and that everyone should run before there’s another explosion. Yglesia returns from fighting a thug to open the box and find a corona-like object that is the heat source. Inspired by Linu, Yglesia places her egg in the object; there is a burst of color as the corona begins pulsing and the endothermic egg turns red.

Screams and blood draw Dungar to a northern alley where another thug, Dotaro, has killed one civilian and threatens another. Dungar chases him off with Dissonant whispers, then returns to Yglesia, having the image of Ragnar urge the other thugs to flee. A muscular thug named Gladys turns to escape, but Val gives chase and tackles her to the ground, using her wiry frame to entangle Gladys’ limbs as they roll in the rough dirt road. Yglesia asks Dungar for the platinum ring given long ago and uses it to create a warding bond with the egg to make sure it doesn’t overhear.

Dotaro joins his colleague Sunnova, charging Guil with a leer, but Guil leers back even harder. The four exchange heavy blows, with Thorne stabbing ruthlessly for Sunnova’s heart. Dungar pauses the fight by hypnotizing Sunnova, Dotaro, and Guil with a hypnotizing panpipe melody and then hitting a screeching chord to distract bloodthirsty Thorne. Dungar snaps slaps Guil out it, and Guil and Thorne tie-up Sunnova and Dotaro. They turn back find Yglesia as a noble elk, majestically creating a uric heat sink to protect her unhatched child (nature is lit). Guil assists in his own majestic way, and the heat finally fades around the now blackened egg. Thorne and Dungar race past to the glorious ladies of wrestling, Val and Gladys. Gladys finally pushes Val free only to have a psychic blade fly into her chest, giving Dungar and Val time to tie Gladys up.

With one crisis averted, you barely have a minute to breathe before Greycloaks approach telling everyone to stop. Aurelien and Fie appear from the first blast's direction, warning us that the Greycloaks are taking everyone prisoner and that we should flee while they stall the approaching garrison. Dungar and Val grab Gladys, and you all run towards the artisan district, passing demolished mansions, including the now-rubble manor of Lord Aralast. You quickly find Bruenor on his cart yelling that the guards are locking down the cities. You jump on, and the cart charges past sentries and out the gate, leaving the still-smoking Neverwinter behind.