Three Murders and a Mage

On the 14th of Sky's Breath, 6911, the half-elf warlock rogue Cromwell, the elvish rogue Castien of Valris, and the Ren Berig alchemist artificer Kiernan MacElroy meet with Erindaenug Flean, a Kefala tiefling who has journeyed to the Sunlit Isles in hopes of retrieving the Staff of Medrevaine, an artifact sacred to her people. Having failed to do this herself, she asks Cromwell, Castien, and Kiernan to do so for her in return for gold. Flean further warns them that since she has already tried to steal the staff and failed, the security around the staff will likely be tight. She informs them that they may be able to retrieve it during a party that night, which House Anaxos, the noble Daphnea family who originally took the staff, is hosting. Our heroes are provided with fake invitations, and bid Flean farewell.   As the three make their way to the marketplace of Upper Senoma, an initially icy relationship amidst them begins to warm up. They purchase healing potions from Straton & Sons Apothecary, and fine suits and dresses from Polydora's Fabrics and Fine Goods. After this, Castien and Kiernan go to scout out the location of the party, the Anaxos Palace Complex, while Cromwell returns to the apothecary to purchase sedatives.   Each of our heroes have secondary, murderous goals at this party. Cromwell has been instructed by her divine patron, a mysterious figure known only as the Partner, to kill a Trebai ambassador at the gathering named Zina Anderthe. Castien, a former noblewoman who abandoned her family, House Valris, after becoming fed up with the life of the nobility, hopes to assassinate a nobleman named Asterion of Charis. Asterion's family has largely taken control of a key trade route running out of Senoma, and is an obstacle in the combined efforts of Castien and her associate Ianthe, who seek to put control of that trade route in the hands of the common people. Finally, Kiernan's familial reputation was stolen from them after House Anaxos took credit for the alchemical cure to Stuck Gut, which she invented for the purposes of curing their oldest daughter, Eriphyle. In particular, Eriphyle's younger sister, Sirsion, took credit for the cure, and Kiernan now seeks to kill her and find documentation proving that she came up with the cure.   After reconvening to discuss a plan of action, the three enter the party without issue, with the guards accepting their fake invitations. Briefly stopping to admire the Mural in the entrance hallway of the palace, they make their way to the Banquet Hall. They notice that only the Lord and Lady of House Anaxos are seated at the head table of the Banquet Hall, and see a bandaged, stressed-out man milling about as well as a frustrated Trebai sailor.   The gang decides to head to the gardens, where they overhear that the Staff of Medrevaine has been moved from the palace museum to a more secure location, supposedly in light of the recent attempt to steal it. They also learn that Sirsion is involved with the artifact in some way. Cromwell notices her target, the Trebai ambassador Zina Anderthe, in the crowd that is discussing the staff with Eriphyle. Additionally, Castien notices Asterion of Charis drinking in the corner of the gardens. The three, however, decide to retrieve the staff before moving on to their assassination attempts. Politely declining Ikkatha chief Olog Truunkel's offer to recite poetry for them, they head to the eastern end of the palace.   Cromwell manages to get one of the guards monitoring the entrance to the eastern end of the palace to drink a sedative-laced glass of wine, and tricks the other guard into leaving her post. The three move the sleeping guard onto a sofa in a private residential area next to the also-passed-out Arturus "The Man" Devaux. In this private residential area, they find the Sword of Zempelion, as well as a meeting log from the Anaxos Family. This log informs the players that Sirsion has been working on the Staff of Medrevaine, and has made a groundbreaking discovery that relates to it. The log also records some intra-familial strife.   After Arturus "The Man" wakes up, he informs the group that he got into this area of the palace through a nearby window, and promptly passed out from drinking. The gang exits from this window and move around the palace to the secret docks, summoning the magical likeness of Arturus "The Man" to distract nearby guards. At the docks, they find the handiwork of Rhoda the Looter (several unconscious or dead guards, and two whom have passed out from drinking) and then Rhoda herself, as well as several crates of dried perim. They help Rhoda out from a number of containers that have fallen on her, and they agree to stay out of each other's way during tonight's thieving and murder.   After briefly stopping at the chapel and deciding not to summon Senemes, the god of Senoma, the group heads into a private living room. Here, they discover more information about the Anaxos family's use of the staff. They learn that the family, particularly Sirsion, used the break-in as an excuse to research the staff, which is a powerful magical weapon. They also find a pair of Boots of Invisibility, which become invisible when worn.   After sneaking through an office room and an unsuspecting clerk, our heroes enter the palace's arcane library, where they confront Sirsion. After a fruitless attempt to try to persuade Sirsion to hand over the staff, they do battle with her and a couple of guards who are in the room. Though Sirsion uses the staff to cast powerful spells, the group overcomes this challenge by knocking out the guards and performing sneak attacks on Sirsion. With Sirsion killed, Kiernan finally gets her revenge. She also finds documents that certify her as the original alchemist who came up with the cure for Stuck Gut.   Following this battle, Castien and Cromwell return to the party while Kiernan heads to the docks to prepare their escape. Castien manages to get Asterion drunk, and takes him out into the woods and kills him. Cromwell finds Zina in the bathhouse, and lures her out into an empty hallway by promising information crucial to the High Kingdom of Beurum. She assassinates Zina, and returns to the docks with Castien, though not before informing Ericha Von Varsham on the whereabouts of her shipment of dried perim. Together with Rhoda the Looter, the three women escape.   Saying farewell to Rhoda, the three return to the cave where they originally met with Flean. After returning the staff to her, being paid, and learning more about the staff's true history, they take a nighttime ride in the boat and reflect on the events of the evening.