Session 6, 2007-08-25: Cat and Mouse

Session 6: wherein Serpenti spies spread sands, and sneaky singers and sorcerers slaughter snakes.

Players (Characters)
Scott (Filthy Ike)
Jeremy (Flynn Flamm)
Tony (Brother Jakob)
Rachel (Lotus)
Tom (Nathaniel Graythorne)
DM: Catherine

Mary met with the party and some other Kingsmen, outlining the current threat and planned response. "We have learned more about the spies in Waecleft. One of their meeting houses is owned by an old woman named Aleisha. She is old and poor -- and needs the money, so they pay her for silence. With frequent divinations, they would know if she told anyone they met there. Alicia's nephew Jonathan lives with her. She has not told him about the secret midnight meetings, but we gave him a clairaudience device and asked him to spy for us. He has agreed. Based on his information, we know there are three major spies in the city, directing other minor ones. We have identified all three. Their plans are to begin spreading something called 'the thirsting' in Waecleft before departing. The time to strike is now. Tomorrow night, Sarahain will be doing this outside town on farms. We must strike him. Another, James, an ambitious cleric of heironius who recently turned reclusive, will be doing it in the city. He will be a harder target. The third, Sannis, we plan to lure outside." The Kingsmen planned to simultaneously assassinate all three major spies right at midnight, to give them the least opportunity to warn each other of danger. One group of kingsmen would take out Sarahain, while our party would strike James and Sannis.

Nathaniel disguised himself as a yuan-ti operative, and, along with a bard named Eron, met with Sannis. Eron claimed to have important information that he wanted to share on a particular field at midnight. Sannis, who had a spell that would allow him to detect lies, asked Nathaniel "do you trust this guy?" Nathaniel's response was "absolutely." Sannis asked "can I trust him?" and Nathaniel responded "I've never had problems with him." This was enough to convince Sannis to meet with Eron at midnight. Unfortunately for Sannis, Eron brought Jakob, Flynn, Lotus, and Nathaniel to the meeting, and the "information" he had promised was quite painfully administered. Flynn began singing a highly inspirational song while Jakob and Tara dragged Sannis to the ground. Nathaniel rendered Sannis completely helpless, and he was easily slain.

Ike volunteered for the more dangerous mission -- an assassination within Waecleft. This would certainly lead to his exile if he survived, but since he didn't much like the city anyway, this wasn't a great threat to him. He and a paladin named Aaron positioned themselves to attack James. To begin the fight, Aaron tossed an exploding bead over the top of a nearby building, which distracted the local guards. He then stepped forward and stabbed at James, while Ike fired his bow from the shadows. James responded by casting Destruction on Aaron, which killed him but was not enough to destroy his remains. Ike's final few arrows were enough to bring James down, and he carefully snuck away as the guards began to filter in. One of the kingsmen-friendly guards sneakily poured an oil of lingering soul on Aaron's body to allow him to be raised later.

The Waecleftian guard cast a divination to determine Ike's involvement in the assassination, and gave their guards standing orders to arrest him. Aaron's remains were quickly buried outside of town, and he was secretly raised within the hour, though unable to return to Waecleft due to the town's strict laws regarding murder.