Intentions Revealed 

November 19, 2015

The group continues searching the area but only finds the one lever.  After pulling it, a passageway opens up to another cavern.  Once they get through it, the passageway closes behind him, leaving them in a new area.  They follow the passage to another wooden door, again with a tiger motif on it.  Niko is not able to disarm the trap the first time, much to Cress' chagrin as the explosion of fire nearly kills him.  Fortunately, Laori is quick with healing and the group keeps going.  They find a torture room and cells, one with a prisoner in it.  He says he is a baker and was grabbed off the street.  They don't believe him but tell him to stay put once Niko again sets off a trap in trying to open his cell.  Another set of double doors worries Cress, but they are untrapped and unlocked.  They lead into a large, arena like area.  

Bahor, head of the Arkona household, is there in his true, tiger headed form.  He tells them that they have done well and that the offer to be partners is still on the table.  Cress won't hear of it, though, and Grohlyn agrees, charging into the fight.  Bahor is not alone, with some sort of sphinx like creature on his side, and two dragons were here as well.  The dragons stay back, though, as Bahor and his servant attack.  After some swings back and forth, Cress is able to slow both of their opponents down but Bahor is able to shake it off.  Sivit, the sphinx, is slowed but seems fine with bantering and complimenting them on their attacks.  

After a bit of fighting, Laori looks to Lazarus and yells at him to use his bow instead of singing.  There is confusion all around until Cress and Niko join in telling him to shoot Bahor.  Lazarus shrugs but readies his crossbow, aims . . . and takes out Bahor in a well placed shot to the head!  Lazarus starts to brag about how his shot brought the big bad down when he is reminded by Niko and Cress that Laori and blessed the bolts and the weapon was basically a rakshasa killer.  His mood slightly dampened, Lazarus figures that won't play well and is already composing in his mind how his version of it will go.  

In the meantime, the dragons attacked and shredded Sivit, once Bahor was down.  They confirm he had some influence over them, more than they were happy about, and they wanted it stopped.  As soon as combat is over, Laori calls Claimed on the orb!  Cress stares at her dumbfounded, saying that's not how it works.  She only repeats her claim.  However, the dragons have other ideas and say they will take it but the group may have whatever else they want.  Laori bargains to confirm that Kazavon is in the orb, saying it won't leave their sight, and the dragons are fine with this.  Cress watches her closely but she does as she says and then watches, disheartened, as the dragons take it away.  She did get her answer, though, that Kazavon is inside it.  They group grabs some of the magic being used and heads back to talk to the baker.  

They soon recognize the seneschal of Castle Korvosa, Neolandus Kalepopolis, who is able to confirm their suspicions that they Queen had indeed hired the Red Mantis Assassins to kill the King but they refused.  She apparently found another way to do it.  Worse than that, though, Neolandus says that the Queen found a powerful artifact of Kazavon and it has given her great power.  She disbanded Sable Company, when it was obvious they weren't following her orders anymore, and did so by surviving a crossbow to the temple!  She casually pulled it out, then killed her attacker, the commander of Sable Company, with it.  Neolandus figured out that his captors were worried about this and were laying low, trying to build up power, which was the reason they were willing to ally with the party.  They offer to hide him the same way they hid Trinia, and he agrees.  

They head back to the Inn and have a big celebration, which included the dragons.  The dragons paid for it all and it turned into the equal of a minor holiday, with hundreds present for it!  Then they divvy up the loot.  

(A level gain puts the group up to seventh.)  

GM Notes

• We didn't get near as much done as I had hoped but that's fine.  We ended early and played a board game because we are definitely not playing next week, with Thanksgiving.  
• I was really torn about having the NPC call out about the crossbow.  I wanted to the players to remember it, either during combat or after.  However, that's not how it works.  Players, in general, try and use the best, most effective tactic they have and that would mean the crossbow.  I can only hope they don't feel cheated that Bahor then went down easily.  
• I was also trying to contrast the previous run of three very tough fights at the hospital with a fight that could end, almost as if they had a vorpal axe and critted with it.  
• I used several item cards as I think those are fun and I want to use what I have more!  I need to keep looking at what I have so I can do this.  
• This was a nice chapter end and now we move onto the next part of the story.   

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