Run Like Hell - 01/02/2023 - A Kavel Perspective

Silvia’s (and Sorrel’s) House - Castleside - Daring Heights

We had talked about this during a recent workout together, Sorrel and I. The House - her organisation/family, which she was sold to as a teenager - had reached out to her for the first time in ages. She said if I helped her it would be an unpayable debt - another one for her. I insisted she claims matters to be unpayable debts too often that she must be loyally destitute to so many of our comrades by now. More importantly; I said of course I would help. And, of lesser importance, but also worth noting; Sorrel’s getting stronger. Her Get-Ups are much better now. My own Get-Up gains are of course ridiculously strong. Sorrel will never reach the same heights. In fact, I doubt many people here could lift the 200lbs kettlebell that Mendal made for me, and by ‘here’ I don’t just mean Daring Heights; I mean Kantas.

Sorrel had said that it was time, and asked me to meet her at her home by the Temple of Selune. Together we walked down from Castleside to Graveside, where we would meet the rest of the party she had put together.

Derthaad, our Dragonborn; sorcerer, Watch member friend was there. Derthaad is not doing too well, having re-lived a very painful trauma. He has Ulhar, his dragon summon back though, so that’s good. Zola, our Half-Drow, duel-wielding sword master friend was there too. Zola - is badass, but seems to always chase after bad men. I don’t know what her mental state is at the moment. But, she’s always very reliable if you need her to cut someone up with a sword or two and pump massive amounts of divine radiance into those cuts. Itzal, my friend, and Sorrel’s new friend was also there. Itzal has some similarities to Sorrel in that they are part cleric and part badass fighter. However, Itzal is also similar to me; they throw a mean punch.

With this team, including Sorrel’s archery skills and my superior conditioning I thought we were a pretty decent team to face down whatever the House may have sent. If things end badly, fair enough.


The Cannon Fodder Cafe - Graveside

Sorrel explained more about the House to us all. She was sold to the House and was collected from her parents at the age of 16. The House is a mercenary organisation that trains people, and deploys them for espionage, security, extraction and in all cases; the employment of violence. Sorrel had a lover at the House, Sana. Love within the House was encouraged between team members. Love fostered loyalty. But, on a mission protecting some elderly mages, only Sorrel drank a potion prepared for protection. Sorrel was the only person left alive among her clients; the mages, and her team members; including her partner Sana. Sorrel was offered aid from the House, a new team, to hunt the killers and honour the contract as best as they could now the mages were dead. But, Sorrel chose to work alone. She found the killers and got her vengeance. But the House were not happy with Sorrel exceeding the limits of the House. The House may be known for violence and a bit cultish, but they have rules and felt Sorrel went too far. She was given a sabbatical, and went to Kantas.

Kelimar, the House trainer for the College of Persuasion, reached out to Sorrel before the Gith invasion. Sorrel refused the job offer, because the House wouldn’t help against the Gith. That was the last she had heard from the House, until she began being followed recently and was instructed to meet in the Silver Serpent tavern in Graveside.

Itzal, informed us that the meeting location was good - it’s a known criminal bar where warring parties can meet free of hostilities to make deals. So, this was something of a good sign that the House had chosen this location to meet.


The Silver Serpent - Graveside

This place was not impressed with a Watch member being here. I, and Itzal were impressed with the Goliath behind the bar - he had pitch black eyes, which is unusual, and he was bigger than me. Respect. I suddenly felt I wasn’t the only person who could lift a 200lbs kettlebell in Kantas.

We were told to go into the backroom where drinks had been paid for us. Sorrel chose to pay for some shots of brandy before going to the backroom.

In the back room was a large, round table and a large fireplace. Five tankers were set out on the table. By the fire, a figure holding a sixth tanker turned around to face us, she pulled down her hood and welcomed us in. This was Specialist Yhsa Al’astor, from the House. Yhsa, I believe is a Tiefling. She was, to be fair, also quite fit. I will ask Sorrel at a later date if the House selects for that quality. I drank some of my tanker, it contained ale with whiskey poured in as well. Not bad. Yhsa watched us much like how Sorrel watches people - like she’s taking notes.

Yhsa was not impressed with seeing a House member in the wild and enjoying herself away. Yhsa mentioned that Kelimar wanted to come himself, but has been nominated to become Master of the House. So, Yhsa volunteered to meet Sorrel, as she was interested in meeting another so-called prodigy of the House.

Yhsa informed Sorrel that her mother was dead. Sorrel’s mother had left a letter, which Yhsa had. Sorrel’s mother had made a second deal with the House before she died, and she couldn’t pay for it herself, but volunteered Sorrel as payment (again). The House had chosen two jobs for Sorrel to do, which would pay for Sorrel’s mother’s second deal. If Sorrel completes both jobs, then the House will perform what Sorrel’s mother made a second deal for. In addition, Sorrel, as per her mother’s request would then get the letter Yhsa held upon the House completing their end of the second deal - the letter, Ysha said, contained words about both the first and second deal which Sorrel’s mother wished to convey to her daughter.

Yhsa also mentioned that Kelimar had chosen the jobs for Sorrel and because of his soft spot for her, he tailored them to her preferences. Sorrel, perhaps due to her upbringing, has a soft spot for helping children. The first job involved travelling to Kundar and killing a mage who has been whisking urchins from the streets and performing experiments on them. The second job would only be revealed after the first job was completed.

Sorrel had a moment to herself in the corner, as I asked Yhsa some clarifying questions about the deal being proposed. She was already looking my way, funnily enough, before I asked her the questions. Yhsa said that Sorrel could not pay off what she owes to the House through these two jobs. That was not part of the offer. As Yhsa put it, what Sorrel owes the House is incalculable.

I pointed out that the job on offer is one we would have gladly picked up off of the adventuring board if it appeared there. Sorrel agreed, and we all agreed to take it. Yhsa gave Sorrel some notes on the target and a single-use Sending Stone to inform her when the job was completed. A man named Lasai Edan was our target.


Lasai Edan’s House - Kundar

We travelled to Kundar via Portal Plaza, and ended up in a fancier part of Kundar.

Sorrel, Itzal and I did some reconnaissance around Lasai Edan’s home. There was a solitary male sitting in what looked like a living room, but this wasn’t Lasai Edan, not from the House’s description. The Houses notes said he would be there, so Sorrel did not doubt he wouldn’t be. This being the case, Derthaad enhanced our vigour with his Aid spell, ready for a fight. I’m always surprised when he casts this on me and it actually works - I can’t easily imagine being more vigorous than I already am, but the spell always works.


Operation: Kill the Street Urchin Experimenter

Itzal kicked the front door in revealing a man much like the one sat in the living room, but this one had a katana in hand whose blade was ablaze. Itzal, having casted the Spirit Guardians spell, engaged the man with the flame sword. Itzal’s spirit pirates hurt the katana-wielder with burning, radiant fire. Unfortunately for Itzal, they were hurt by actual burning fire, as the man cut Itzal and his red hot sword set Itzal’s clothing ablaze.

Before the man could bring the katana round again, Sorrel loosed a lightning arrow into his shoulder scorching him up badly. Following this, Derthaad summoned his construct golem, Tic behind the radiant and lightning injured man, and Tic bludgeoned the remaining life out of him.

Zola moved into the now hostile free hallway, surrounded by three spiritual young ladies from her Spirit Shroud spell (I had heard this spell manifested Ophanim the fiend she slept with, loved and had to kill - so seeing three ladies now; this was progress).

I ran in and charged up the stairs only to find the stairs didn’t really lead to much of an upstairs - it was completely dilapidated. So, I came back down, entered the dining room in the south of the ground floor and noticed a room with a closed door inside. No Lasai Edan found so far.


Storming Through the House

Itzal joined me from the hallway and opened the door in the dining room, and was hit in the face by some poisonous gas as some vials fractured on the ground. She backed out quickly and didn’t look like she took too big a breath of the gas. This was the second time Itzal took damage by storming into the place ahead of me - I was wondering if I wasn’t doing my job of being the most vigorous person in the party. Itzal was also still ablaze, they ran north, back into the hallway and into a seance-like room. “Stop, drop and roll comrade!” I yelled as she went. Fortunately, Sorrel joined Itzal in the other room and doused her with her waterskin.

Derthaad joined the others in the seance room, but Tic was sent to open the door between the seance room and living room, and found the lounge sitter now readied with his own flaming hot katana waiting. The man’s attack heated up Tic, but it looked like it caused the attacker some pain too, as Tic seemed to send some of the heat back at the man.

I saw Zola move from the hallway into the seance room. As she moved, she looked very angry (we later learned that Corr’ Vandor had been killed guarding the back entrance, and she learnt this through their telepathic bond. Fortunately, he is a summoned being and like Familiars, summoned steeds can be resummoned). I then saw the wispy outlines of the Misty Step spell being cast, and then heard the sound of someone screaming in pain as they were being slashed by radiantly fortified sword cuts - Zola was now in the lounge.

I ran from the dining room, through the hallway, into the seance room and then finally into the lounge. It was busy here, but I leapt over the hostile man and onto the coffee table. The hallway, by the way, was ablaze. Those flaming swords are not safe. The piano next to Tic was also starting to go up in flames. If we were not careful, the whole place would go up in flames before we found Lasai Edan.

The lounge man turned around with his glowing katana and slashed at Zola twice, causing scorching cuts on her body. Surrounded by Tic, Zola and me, the man casted Misty Step himself to escape our encircling and then run towards the back entrance. We heard him pound a door three times, and crystals above us exploded causing locked in Magic Missles to rain down on us in the lounge, but also in the seance room on Sorrel, Derthaad and Itzal.

We charged eastwards to follow our man, which was good especially for Tic since the fire on the piano he was standing next to was really more bonfire than piano now.


Frankly - Fire Swords Indoors are Very Reckless

I thought I was fast, especially with my flight legs. But, Itzal, they’ve got some leg muscles. Once again, they sprinted right past me to follow the misty-stepper, and they reached the internal door the guy was pounding on before me, and whacked the guy with their staff. As Itzal got in close, they punched the guy right in the face. Solid punch - good stuff! Her spectral pirates did some damage to that guy, but also another sword guy - and yes this new guy’s sword was also red hot.

Sorrel reached the eastern wall of the lounge and had line of sight on the misty-stepper that Itzal was now engaged with and loosed an arrow into his leg. The guy was looking like he was ready to quit.

As I was storming past Sorrel, I saw Derthaad reach Tik in the lounge, cast Dimension Door and walked through with Tic. “He’s teleporting blind!” I thought to myself. “Reckless!” But, on the other hand, he was away from the corridor, which was good, because I could now see a flaming light in that direction from the lounge. Whose idea was flaming swords in your own house? I couldn’t see any buckets of sand on standby.

There was some noise from behind the piano wall. It sounded like Tic hitting someone hard.

The second swordsman, despite being attacked by Itzal’s spectral pirates as he engaged with them, managed to slash Itzal and set their clothes ablaze again. Zola wisely doused herself with her own waterskin - she was ablaze, and then she joined what was now a bottlenecked corridor. This was no problem for me though. I may have been too large to squeeze by, but there was plenty of space above. So, I used my flight legs to propel myself over Zola, Itzal and the misty-stepper, to land behind the misty-stepper. As I landed I planted my feet firmly in the ground and delivered a lights-out, powerful left cross to the misty-stepper as he turned to face me. I connected so powerfully with his jaw, I felt and heard the jaw bone break as more than the lights were turned off; he was dead before he hit the floor. Now, with the door he was standing in front of clear of an obstacle, I moved in front of it (over the guy’s corpse), and delivered a tree-toppling sidekick to the door, breaking it open and ruining the lock. There was another swordsman inside, and; Derthaad and Tic! The swordsman looked like Tic had clobbered him - I was right.

As I considered storming the now opened room and punching the new swordsman, the space beneath me was catching fire! The flames, I guessed, were a parting present from the guy I death punched. I turned round and punched the second guy that Itzal was facing. Another cracking left cross, but the guy did not fall over.

From inside the central room, I could hear a counterspell duel occurring. Tic was gone, and I heard a new voice say, “you’ve made a terrible mistake!”


Target Finally Found

Itzal, still lit up, delivered some funky monk strikes to the remaining swordsman between us. The guy looked sickly now. Sorrel loosed an arrow into him and put him out of his misery. The guy of course gave us the now customary gift of dropping his flaming sword and starting a fire where he lay.

The bashed up swordsman from the internal room decided to go after me. He moved into the doorway before I could react and unleashed three strong sword strikes at me. I did manage to get my arms up though, and took all three strikes on the arms and shoulders. The strikes and subsequent flame coverage didn’t affect me much, but it was annoying. This guy didn’t last long though. Before I could get my hands on him, the combination of Itzal’s spirit pirates and another of Sorrel’s arrows took him out.

Zola squeezed past us all to get into the room, as Derthaad unleashed a very powerful Lightning Bolt spell at Lasai Edan, which he was lucky to avoid the full brunt of. Still, what did hit him scorched him up badly. Zola got burned a little running through all the fire, but this was Zola - if someone needed smiting, she was gonna give them their smiting. I walked into the room just in time to see a tornado of radiantly empowered sword slashes tear Lasai Edan apart. There was nothing left for me. I had a good look at the guy. Lasai was an emaciated, evil looking person - he fit the description of someone stealing homeless children off the street and experimenting on them. We had wrecked his house and killed him. This was, I felt, very justifiable.

While the house was really starting to transform into a giant bonfire, we searched the place. I smashed another door down, but it was only the bathroom. Derthaad found a Potion of Heroism and a Ring of Protection (it looked just like mine!) a load of gold and some experimental notes; a list of names, and all marked with ‘terminated’. Sorrel and Zola went looking for children. They found an outside room near the rear entrance. Only remains were found. Before we left, we helped Sorrel pack up what remains there were for burial.


Aftermath in Kundar

Zola picked up a couple of swords for trophies. Sorrel used the Sending Stone to send a message to Ysha that we had succeeded in the mission. Sorrel was told that further instructions would be found in her house.

Derthaad gave notice to the local authorities of what had happened. Sorrel agreed with the authorities that the remains should remain in Kundar to be buried. She was very upset that we couldn't protect the children from their fate. We at least prevented others from following their path.

It was a sombre walk back to the teleportation circle.


Back in Daring Heights

Sorrel found her new envelope.

There was an instruction to meet back at the Silver Serpent in a month’s time.

Sorrel thanked us for our help. I mentioned I was sorry to hear about her mother’s death and not have mentioned it before. Sorrel wanted to get shit faced.

We all went off to the Three Headed Dragon in support of Sorrel. Among the many drinks we talked about what’s next for Sorrel, and how we could help.