| Session Summaries: |
After returning from the Third Gate, Osmodel decides to check in on the Blackshields dispatched to speak with Maliyet. He leaves Quarian and Feng behind to watch their charge, Dalimyr. Upon arriving at the temple, he enters the great room and notices a pool of dark liquid near the end of a row of seats. Investigating closer, he discovers the liquid is blood pooling from one of the Blackshields' bodies. One is on the other side of the great hall and the third is at the front, near the altar.
Before he can leave the shrine, he's ambushed by three coal goblins. Severely wounding and forcing his way past one, he bolts, heading for the safe house with the two others in hot pursuit. Hearing the alarm, Feng charges out the front door, leaving Dalimyr with Quarian. Feng beats the first charging coal goblin unconscious with a single strike with the flat of his sword. Seeing his only comrade in arms, crumple into a heap, the remaining coal goblin turns to flee and escapes into the night.
The remaining coal goblin is brought inside the safe house and interrogated at length. It is from the coal goblin that the three learn how the goblins came to be in the city, of Maliyet's involvement and subsequent disappearance, of of Ner Akem's desire for the book, and of Isarn's innocence in the death of Linlith Aslan. Though they still do not know the reasons why the book is so coveted.
After turning the goblin and the book over to Isek, the small group finishes out the night watching Dalimyr, though, according to the coal goblin, he is not and never was a target. In the morning, Osmodel, Quarian, and Feng return to the inn to find Isarn sitting quietly at a table in the corner. He offers Isek's promised payment and permanent citizenship tokens and then requests, and is granted, he be allowed return to Burok-Torn.
The first half of the day is spent gathering supplies and equipment necessary to hunt down the, still at-large, remaining coal goblins. During this time, they observe Dalimyr conversing with three cloaked figures -- the dark elves who've been skulking about and being less than honest.
After eavesdropping and hearing something about a meeting with Ner Akem, Quarian begins to shadow the dark elves with Feng and Osmodel in tow. They follow the dark elves to The Door of Night -- the shrine to Belsameth -- and are heard as they enter behind the dark elves.
After another less-than-helpful question and answer session in which the dwarf accuses the dark elves of lying and murder, the three dark elves reveal the existence of the entrance to the coal goblin lair via a ladder carefully hidden beneath the altar then depart. Osmodel, Quarian, and Feng all proceed to climb down the ladder, stopping at the first small room and re-discovering the coal goblin lair. Continuing down the ladder, the three come to a winding passage carved from the rock.
Following it eventually revales it exits into the forests surrounding the base of the Faust. Spying a campfire in the distance, the group decides to investigate further. Quarian, being the Druid, moves to scout ahead while the other two remain behind. Unfortunately, he uncovers several traps, triggering a couple and eventually drawing the attention of the coal goblins. He survives the ambush and entangles the final two, fleeing coal goblins with a spell allowing the, now present, Feng to pick them off with a crossbow.
Deciding to return to the city with the bodies and sell them at the Bone Market, they gather the three bodies into the net from one of the goblins' traps and make the short trek back up the road to the city. It is late in the afternoon as they make their way to the Bone Market and sell off the bodies for what Feng believes to be a fortune. The goblins' equipment is sold off with the exception of a wonderfully crafted short sword which is later revealed to be magical by the outfitters at Cremin & Creyol. They leave the sword with the two merchants, agreeing to pick it up and either sell the weapon or pay the commission to identify it the following morning.
The day ends with Quarian and Feng returning to the inn for some eats and Osmodel spending the remainder of the day in the local library seeking information on the laws of Hollowfaust and the University of Arts in Amalthea...
Written By: Thoth
30 June 2003
