Session 53

Typhon, as a giant ape, threw one of the guards half way across Silverward's keep, breaking his neck on impact. Crossbow bolts pelted the wizard, forcing him to transform back into himself and fall the 15 feet down to the ground. Vigwalin quickly cast lightning storm and bolts of white and blue hot electricity came running down from the sky and met their marks in the rogue Sovereign's Shadow guards and abjurer.   A guard decided to withdraw from fighting Vigwalin and Sir Didymus at once, only to be set upon by Bloodbane and his mighty axe. The rest of the guards began to drop one by one, as several were locked up in Vigwalin's confusion spell. This allowed the rest of the Party to take on the guards one or two at a time.   As Bloodbane finished off the last guard in conjunction with Jencerys Paren, the group took a moment to patch their wounds before re-entering the keep. They weren't quite sure what else was in there waiting for them.   They entered the dimly lit stone building and immediately headed for the room that Lady Joanna Byrne had barricaded herself into. Typhon, remembering their last encounter, used disguise self to transform himself into her dead lover, Liam Carr. He told her that he had survived the encounter with those adventurers and that he can come to rescue her. She believed him and opened the door. Much to her horror, Typhon and the rest of the party stood before her. Her face turned pale white with a slight tinge of green as fear and nausea overcame her. The group forced their way into the room and cornered her. Typhon interrogated the deposed noble and forced her to tell them everything she knew. Lady Byrne revealed that Qidius Hazeflower, the Shadow Walker, was leading a take over of the empire. He was currently located at Hollow Mountain and would likely have Ovrul Rend nearby.   Typhon, not seeing any further use for the noble, and sensing that she would likely betray them again in the future, froze her solid where she stood.   The group headed downstairs, on guard for whatever they may encounter. To their surprise, a pair of steel-barred cells, side-by-side, stood in front of them. In one cell, a tall red-haired woman of haughty stature stood, along with a shady-looking gentleman, two nobles, and a gentleman with a dark complexion and fine clothing. In the other, there was an older soldier as well as a Sovereign's Shadow guard. The group unlocked the cells using a key they found in a storage room upstairs, and after they had briefly questioned the prisoners. They learned that the red-haired woman was none other than Laura Holsey, Countess of Trepia District. The shady figure was Reigunn Glorigg, the commander of the local contingent of Sovereign's Shadow. The well-dressed dark-skinned man was Fabian Murphy, magistrate of Silverward.   The group left the keep and headed back into the sewers. Despite her noble upbringing, Countess Holsey was unafraid of taking the lead in the darkness. They arrived back at the headquarters of The Fool a short time later. The Countess revealed what she had learned about the plot, based on what she had heard from the rogue guards. She suggested that instead they head back to her home, outside of the city, to regroup and plan their next steps.   The manor sat in the distance, its lights off and not a sound to be heard except for the occasional whiney of a barned horse or two. The group entered, and surprisingly, there were no servants or anything. Countess Holsey gathered the Party in the main living room and began to organize. She told Sybasten Lynchfield, whom Typhon had recognized from his own readings, to head back to his home and send a raven back to the king in Sunhall informing him of what has transpired here. He and Glorigg left immediately. The Countess then requested that Jencerys use her resources to make the lives of the rogue guards a living hell through spying and intercepting their supplies. She then told the Party that their next priority would be the recovery and rescue of Kisar Grav, lord of Paglary Province. She last knew that he had gone on a hunting trip about a week earlier, before all this happened, near the Wandering Brook about 24 miles to the east.    Their missions clear, the Party got cleaned up and took a good night's rest before heading out.