A long awaited reunion
General Summary
Our heroes , already exhausted from their battles in Queen's Park Garden started the session deep in an underground cave which had been fashioned into a make-shift bedchamber. Using flattery and harmless deception they convinced Lenore, the Queen of Drakkenheim now turned-monster, to gift them 6 eldritch lilies for the study of contamination resistance. This was done by convincing the Queen that they were emmisaries of the Amethyst Academy sent to develop "Screen of Sun," a cosmetic lotion which could rejuvenate the skin to which Lenore ravenously desired. To appease her, they promised they would be back very soon with the lotion. It was also discovered that the Queen had arrived from the castle by boat passing by a large willow tree somewhere in the garden.
With the lilies in hand, they were escorted out by the barkskinned maidservants to the outside of the park. Their time the deep haze of the park proved too potent for Pops who discovered the limits of the aqua expurgo developed by Oscar Yoren as he began violently vomiting and tactically "centering his gravity" in exchange for his clean pair of pants. Incapacitated, Vash carried Pops until they were assaulted in the streets by a swarm of harpy hunters and their crone leader. Kyrith dashed into a nearby building prepared to fracture the sky where the harpies flew. Pops showed an impressive display of quick thinking and skill by shooting a flask of alcohol with fire into their midst, critilcally injuring the birdlike horrors in a conflagration of flame. Vash followed this feat by hurling large ruins at the assailants while trying to ground his feet against the harpies who strove to drop him to his death. In the heat of the battle, flames rained down from the sky as 3 griffon riders descended on their prey bringing a swift end to the harpy hunters and one rider split from the pack to chase the cowardly crone who attempted escape.
The two remaining fighters introduced themselves as Adam Palute and Austin Edwards , paladins with the Knights of the Silver Order. Impressed by the party's show of strength, they invited them to meet with their Knight Captain, Theodore Marshall. Swiftly soaring on the backs of griffins, they soon reached Camp Dawn where they discussed the goals of the Silver Order. During this time, the party spoke secretively using Kyrith's telepathic bond to determine which factions most closely aligned with their values. To this point, they felt they had already developed some alliance with the Hooded Lanterns and the Followers of the Falling Fire. Kyrith mentioned that he did not trust the Queen of Thieves and that it would be best to avoid working with them. For one reason or another, they did not trust the Silver Order to preserve the city in their quest to rid it of monstrosities and delerium. However, they decided the best course of action at this point would be to attempt an alliance with the Hooded Lanterns in an attempt to take Temple Gate from the Garmyr and their leader, the Lord of Feasts.
As they were leaving, one of the guards who had been present in the room during the period of them sitting in silence followed them out, gifting them gold, wine, spell scrolls, and a decanter of endless water. Kyrith suspicious of the individual asked their name who responded their name was "Alex." Before they were able to ascertain any more information, they walked away seemingly disappearing around the corner. Upon asking others in the camp, no one appeared to know anyone there named "Alex." Tired from their busy day, they retired to bed in one of the tents.
The next day, they rode on borrowed horses to Shepherd's Gate and the Hooded Lanterns. After successfully winning the Caspian Duel against Jupiter Jones with dramatic appeal, the party met with Elias Drexel to discuss what was found in the park. Upon hearing that the Queen was alive, though grotesquely mutated, a discussion was had concerning the next steps. Stating that if she were to be nothing more than a figurehead, the news of the Queen's return might be enough to rally the support of the Dukes and unite Westemar once again. He immediately called for the organization of the royal guard from the corners of Westemar as the Hooded Lanterns began preparation for her rescue. It was at this time that Pops revealed to Elias Drexel in the private of a room of nondisclosure his well-kept secret. Somewhere in Drakkenheim whether alive, dead, or worse was another heir to the throne. The clandestine daughter of Pops and Cecilia VonKessel. Eliias mentioned that while this certainly could be an option, various illegitimate claims to heirdom had been made throughout the years in an attempt to subvert the crown but none had been able to be proven. He explained that the claim to be a member of royal blood could only be validated by crosstyping with known members of the royal tree whose blood was locked away deep underground in the crypts of St. Vitruvio's Cathedral. The possibility that an heir could be discovered who might not be as mutated as the Queen gave enough reason for Elias Drexel to contemplate aligning with the Silver Order to breach Temple gate and push towards the cathedral.
Before this could be accomplished, Elias explained that a base of forward operations would need to be established. Recent reports told of birds that had been seen flying in and out of the The Cosmoligical Clock Tower within the city. The theory then is that there might be an area within the city outside of the Haze where one could rest.
