Session 33

Tabaxi and Windmills (January 17, 2020)

The citizens of Anchorage gather for the funeral of Jarl Balor Cartier II. His body is placed on a floating pyre and set ablaze. The next morning Balor, Ignatius, Altair, and Wilhelm board the Tiny Turtle and set sail towards Midhaven to rendezvous with Ragnar. Midway through the 5 week trip the ship is confronted by pirates. Captain Bellamy of the Pirate’s Pirate requests gold in exchange for passage, but the party feigns that they are sick with plague so the pirates don’t board their ship. The party pays the pirates and continue unmolested.

When the party arrives in Midhaven the entire island is under naval blockade against pirate attacks. The party docks, and their ship is immediately impounded. They head to the Orlais Café and Altair notices that everyone is youthful and good-looking. When the party attempts to enter a poorer neighborhood, Rosetown, they are stopped by an armed unit that requests their weapons, under the orders of Lady Grey. Rosetown is on lockdown because the poor people have been causing trouble. The party declines to give up their weapons, though Ignatius returns Lorelei to Wilhelm. Altair hears an unusual birdcall that they follow into the woods to find Ragnar and another massive tabaxi, Felix.

Ragnar and Felix explain that the wealthy elite have taken over the entire island and have rounded up the poor people into camps in Rosetown. Every few days caravans take people from the camps to the windmills and then to Grey Manor. Ragnar hopes to interrupt this chain, but fears they are badly outnumbered. That night the party lures a guard into the woods and aggressively interrogate him. He reveals that nobles are gathering at Grey Manor for an event the following evening, and that a large number of prisoners will be transferred from Rosetown to the windmills during the day. He also confirms that Ragnar’s sister Aryll is in the camps. Ignatius doesn’t want Ragnar to kill the guard, so he persuades Wilhelm to alter his memory and sets him free.

Later that night the party sneaks towards the four large windmills to investigate. They spring an ambush and manage to kill all of the guards, but not before one screams for help. The ground is stained with blood, and the party tries to hide the bodies in one of the windmills. Inside the windmill, chained citizens are being forced to grind up bodies to extract their blood.