Session 3 - Phryne Makes A Comeback

The surviving companions, Mindratis, a Sylvan elf rogue, Vanderjesus, a tiefling sorcerer, and Aubrey, a half-air spirit monk, load the corpse of their friend, the half-orc fighter Phryne, onto a wagon towed by their donkey recently acquired from a band of aggressive goblin miners. The friends consider trying to find the forest spirit, but they're unable to locate the magical path they followed. Before leaving the cave they discover that the goblins were mining a stone that, when untouched by light, glows a light, faint teal. Vanderjesus takes a moment to study the stone, and finds that it has a faint magical aura. They decide to bring a crate of the stone with them.

Mindratis has contacts in Bridgton who may know who can help them revive their friend, so they travel for days before rounding the bend to follow the main road to the river-spanning town. Bridgton is a fortified settlement built on a great stone bridge during the 5 Century War, and is the Magisterial seat of the region, and also home to the local royal family.

Aubrey introduces himself to a farmer just outside of town, who recognizes the local folk hero, famous for saving some residents of Three Mills during a great flood. He doesn't know anyone who can bring the dead back to life, but directs the adventurers to the town's Pentacle Temple. They make their way into the bustling town centre, locate the temple, but none of the High Priests there have healing powers that the party needs.

Some of the acolytes, especially the worshippers of Apexion, are agitated about some defectors to the New Church of Apexion, a congregation who believe the traditionally feminine warrior god is a masculine one, and her earthly manifestation, Aubrey, was also a man, which is wildly radical to traditionalists. The New Church also believes in war for peace, and human emancipation and dominance over submission to the elves. A war veteran and powerful cleric was one of these many defectors, and while they admit it begrudgingly, he may be able to help the party.

The party with donkey, corpse and crate of teal stone in tow, find the New Church of Apexion, a building with a steeple of metal worked into the shape of a gauntlet hand holding a longsword. Mindratis doesn't want to deal with what he sees as a church of racist humans, so he decides to go look into his contacts in the city. Vanderjesus, a tiefling, pulls her hood up, and she and Aubrey find Fineous, the cleric, one of the only people in the region with the power to raise the dead.

They quickly find out that they don't have the money to pay the Church's fees for a resurrection, but Fineous is willing to waive the fees if the party does some work for the Church. The local branch is looking to discredit the corrupt Elven Magistrate, he explains. Just a day ago, a great pillar of smoke was spotted coming from southeast of the city, land he believes belongs to the Magistrate.

The party agrees to look into the matter, but first they need to find a place to stay, and they need to find a diamond for the ritual to bring Phryne back from the dead. Aubrey finds an innkeeper who knows of his heroism, and offers the hay loft of their stables for he and his friends to stay. Mindratis' contacts know of a merchant who collects precious gems, and while Vanderjesus isn't able to convince the merchant to trade a diamond for the teal stone, Mindratis burgles the man, and the companions make a hasty escape from the merchant's guards.

The next morning, Fineous completes the ritual and Phryne's soul, after spending time in a shadow realm looking onto the Material Plane, with other wandering, lost souls, is brought back into her body. She's exhausted, and needs some days of rest, and Fineous understands that she'll need a few days to recover. Vanderjesus, however, noticed how Fineous seemed less willing to perform the ritual because Phryne is a half-orc, and she revealed herself as a sorcerer tiefling and threatened the cleric that the party wouldn't be helping them. She was asked to leave immediately by armed, hostile soldier-acolytes, whose attention seemed especially heightened by the fact that she is a sorcerer.

Allowing for a few days of rest before investigating the smoke in the southeast (against Vanderjesus' wishes) the party set about to their own business in town. Phryne decided to eat, drink and get into bar fights, "just to feel alive." Mindratis took to the criminal element of the town for work. Aubrey took his woodcarving talents to the markets to earn a little more gold for more comfortable lodgings. Vanderjesus decided to seek out information among the taverns and lower class of the town. She found out that the townsfolk are anxious about the smoke in the south, but the Magistrate and local ruling Lord don't believe there's any issues. A drunk gives the sorcerer a tip about a brothel in the docks, inspiring Vanderjesus to grab her friends and check it out.

The House of 1000 Ribbons is a high class brothel hidden among the dilapidated shanties of the docks. The owner, Ellys, welcomes the guests into the brothel.

"Where do you come from, honoured guests?" Ellys asks.

"Three Mills!" Vanderjesus replies.

"What brings you to Three Mills?"

"Threesomes!" the sorcerer quips. She is not disappointed.

Ellys introduces her charges, a diverse range of talented, attractive and respected sex workers. "I CALL THE GINGER!" Phryne cries out about an enthusiastic, flirtatious, flame-haired young man. Vanderjesus engages the services of a couple of the others, while Aubrey meekly opts to simply spend some time playing tiles in the comfortable foyer.

After a first round with her bedmates, Ellys knocks and asks Vanderjesus if she and her companions will ever make it to Elysium. She has a message she needs to deliver to her colleague in the Elven capital, and promises a reward if the heroes are able to deliver it. Vanderjesus consults with her friends, and they agree that at the very least they can accept the mission.

Ellys offers their bedfellows efforts on the house for the evening, and says that if they ever need a place to stay, her colleagues in other cities will give them a bed to sleep in, but that any further services will require the regular fee. "Blessings come upon you," she intones as Vanderjesus' bedmates rejoin her.

The next day the flame-haired young man, Edlee, follows the heroes out of the House of 1000 Ribbons. They question why he's following them, and he grins, "I'm the message!" He explains he's a healer, and can fight, and will try to make himself useful. He seems a little enamoured with Phryne.

The heroes make their way out of Bridgton, following a lesser used road. Eventually, after traveling a few hours, they find the road blocked by elven Directorate guards who will not let them onto the Magistrates land. A battle ensues, Vanderjesus starts a small forest fire, and the party dispatches several guards, although one gets away.

They continue on to the end of the road where they find a section of burned down forest, surrounding the empty husk of a small manor. They investigate, and realize the manor had been empty when it burnt down. Vanderjesus uncovers a stairway to a stellar, and they enter the cellar where they're attacked by swarms of rats, and a couple of giant rats. Edlee is downed, but his companions manage to dispatch the vermin and revive their new companion. There's a rift in the wall of the cellar, and beyond they hear strange noises. What will they find further in the darkness?