People we met: Rictavio, Brom Martikov, two children on the road, three more children begging for money (Ivan, Clavdia, and Miroslav)
POINTING CHILDREN, BUILDING THE NETWORK
After making a hasty exit from the Watcher’s house, the adventurers head along the path to the Inn. They meet up with a couple of children, who point and laugh at Syrren, having recognized him from a doll at Blinsky’s.
Syrren trades secrets about the evil, authoritarian Isaac with the two, in exchange for some berries. Their impish friend is ready to be let out of the bag of holding and immediately starts asking about smothering and eating people.
A PUPPET SHOW
The group decides it’s time to eat (animals, not people) and drink before heading off to take the children to the orphanage. When they entered the Inn they saw children in the corner, huddled around a man in a bright costume.
He is a half-elf bard, named Rictavio, who happens to be going to the orphanage for a puppet show performance. He is entertaining the wee ones with the tale of a mage who was made mad by the devil. Seeing that Tilly is also a bard, he invites her to take part. Tilly happily joins in with story of her own.
In the course of the performance, Tilly manages to get Rictavio’s hat and one of Aydin’s socks. At the end of the folly, it’s time to head to the orphanage, and they learn that Rictavio is headed in the same direction.
VASILLI ASKS IF THE PARTY WILL ACCEPT HIS MISSION
Tilly, Thaldir, and Jaylin leave with Rictavio. Ireena asks to be excused, due to a headache, so Aydin and Syrren stay with her. At that moment, the door to the Inn opens, and in walks Vasili Von Holtz. He instantly zeroes in on Ireena.
Aydin and Syrren flank Ireena as she sits at the table to prevent the creepy Vasili from getting too close to her. Vasili brings up his previous proposition to help him locate a lost merchant. The missing merchant possessed a ledger of Vissili’s transactions and a purse with money. One of her guards (Aliah) possessed a suit of armor that is enchanted and shoots fire bolts. Gives them a letter inviting them to dinner with his employer, the Baron. The trio politely change the subject and make their apologies to get him off their backs.
THALDIR’S TEARS
Tilly, Thaldir, and Jaylin take the children to the orphanage, accompanied by Rictavio and drop off their young charges. On the way, Rictavio asks Tilly to perform at the Festival of the Blazing Sun, which she agrees to consider.
The children are greeted by headmistress Belasco and Emma at the front door of the orphanage. A young boy approaches Jaylin and asks if he is magic. The little one is hoping to see how magic is made. Thaldir sheds more than a few very manly tears as they leave the children behind at their new home.
HORRIBLE NIGHTMARES FROM THE HAGS
When they return to the Inn, they spend the better part of the evening trying to decide where to go next. The brave crew decides to wait for the crafting of their dolls and weapons before going to Windmill.
As they sleep, the crew has horrible dreams of the hags at the windmill. They each toss and turn and wake exhausted. Only Term and Thaldir were able to snooze. Ireena lets out a shrill scream, as she, too, dreamed of wrinkly witches. To add insult to injury, Aydin also heard the haunting, angry voice of Little Rose who wants him to return the diary he stole.
THE MISSING BONES OF ST. ANDRAL
The weary warriors manage to drag themselves downstairs, where Father Lucien gingerly approaches them. He tells of a disturbing event…the removal of St. Andral’s bones. He has no explanation as to why the bones are missing. When questioned, he can only recall mentioning to Yesca (who cleans the church) that the bones are missing. Syrren dismisses the priest with a half-ass commitment to look into the location of the bones.
BREAKFAST NEWS
A strange man enters the Inn, looking haggard and worn. Thaldir inquires as to the man’s state and learns that Andrej, the stranger, had spent the night in the stocks, on the order of Izek.
As they begin to eat the breakfast, including espresso, that Danica brought them, Thaldir recalls Madame Ava’s words about the card he possesses, containing the figure of the Bishop. Aydin says he also has a card depicting a priest. While they’ve been talking, Syrren has slipped away upstairs.
A VISION FOR TILLY
After Syrren gets up and heads upstairs, Tilly grabs her head as she is taken by one of her visions. She see’s Syrren leaving the Inn, sneaking past the guards and heading to the windmill. She sees him trying to light the windmill on fire, when all of a sudden Granny appears behind him and slits his throat open. She cries out and the rest of the party stops talking, looking at her questioningly.
PIDLWICK II IS A MURDER HOBO
As the group just stare at Tilly, they turn to notice Pidlwick II sitting in the corner with a huge grin on his face. He sheepishly regails them with his activities of the night – skinning a cat, stomping a mouse, and slitting a guard’s throat. The little imp has managed to drag a dead body into the Inn undetected and left it as a “present” outside some unlucky guest’s room.
We leave off there and will pick up with what the group decides to do with everything that has just happened.