Session 3 -- Recovering Clorissa's Sword

The heroes gather at the Lower Snakehead and realize that they are covered in the filth of the sewers. They request baths, and the inn keep insists that the Elf takes the last bath. Clorissa receives her own bath and fresh clothes. Only Dernon the halfling takes advantage of the female "bathers" offered, and requests 4, but, unfortunately, he is tired from a long day's adventure and can only entertain for 30 minutes or so.

They spend the night at the Lower Snakehead, except for Sir Khylsan, who is called away by his superiors. In the middle of the night, the maid they hire to guard Clorissa in her own room knocks on the door and says Clorissa has sneaked away. First Gacokia, then Dernon and Airk, find CLorissa, clothed only in a blanket, singing to the crowds below. A fight erupts when a young fellow tries to "escort" Clorissa home, but through ingenious use of his medical knowledge, Airk is able to help Gacokia and Airk diffuse the situation and return Clorissa to her room.

In the morning, mysteriously, Sir Khylsan has not returned -- only a note insisting that the troupe not seek out the stickl. But Clorissa insists on finding her sword which, she says, speaks to her. They decide to discover where Clorissa was captured, which she says was at the beech. Through careful questioning, Gacokia, over the protests of Airk, determine that Clorissa was on the public beech. The heroes make their way there, buying Clorissa a dagger in the market place. At the beech, Gacokia says "show us where you were captured." Clorissa walks out into the sea until she is almost most covered -- because it is high tide. Dernon swims out and captures a giant cockroach, which he smashes between his fingers. Digging in the dirt, they uncover another one. A boy sees them and approaches to see the cute little bug. They are able to squash it and drive the boy away.

Airk and Dernon decide to earn money by putting on a show. Dernon makes a phenomenal performance gathering but the crowd is stingy and only gives him 1 gold, whereas Clorissa makes a less spectacular performance but has a richer crowd and wins almost three gold.

Meanwhile, Gacokia travels to the library where he spends most of the day looking up references to "mok-stickl." (FOr Gacokia's knowledge only: He comes upon one reference from a famous theological history which states that mok-stickl was just a word to scare the commoners. The famous Cleric denies mok-stickl are any different from stickl.)

Gathering together in the evening at the beech, they ask Clorissa to show them where the stickl took her. She walks towards the Venia Beech -- in the noble's quarters. She stops at the wall that separates Venia beech from the Public beech. They discover a part of the wall pushed away there, and Clorissa disappears. Dernon realizes that the sand is a sand sink and he jumps in, deftly avoiding any damage. Airk follows quickly. Gacokia decides to tie a rope around a stake in the ground before following them in. In the process, the boy from before comes along and asks to go along. Gacokia scares the boy by stating that elves eat human children. The boy runs away and Gacokia makes his escape.

Below ground, the heroes find themselves in a stickl made tunnel that goes along for several hundred feet until it smooths out into smoother more secure human tunnels. They follow these past several shoot offs. Down one shoot off, they hear stickl, but the move on without encounter. Eventually, a mile later, Clorissa leads them down one of the turnoffs. This one had other turnoffs from it, and she chooses one which ends in a wall. The heroes look up and find a shaft leading up into darkness. Seeing no ladder, Dernon begins a climb until he is thirty feet up. Realizing the impossibility of making this climb, Airk and Gacokia search and find a little indention in the wall. They push on this, and rungs pop out from the wall. They climb up the ladder to where Dernon waits for them.

Dernon searches the door for traps and finds none, but he can't figure out how to open the door either. Eventually, he realizes that there is a small circle in the door and he opens a panel to find a turning knob. He turns it and poisoned bolts shoot out injuring Clorissa. Then Dernon opens the door and discovers two stickl waiting. He jumps up, soon followed by Clorissa, Airk and Gacokia. THe stickl attack, managing to injure Clorissa. But the heroes easily defeat the stickls. They find a secret door out of the room. Once more Dernon searches for traps and finds none, but Airk also searches and discovers one which he easily disables. They open the door to find themselves in another room. this one has a door that opens onto stairs leading up. They walk up the stairs and hear noise on the other side of one more door. They break through, creating a loud bang that scares the cooks and cause the cooks to call for guards.

Hurrying now, Clorissa runs through the kitchen, into the outer feast hall and up some stairs. The heroes follow close behind. They see a man in scale mail who runs and locks himself in a room. The heroes come to the doors of this room but find it almost impossible to break the door. While they try, they here chanting from the other side.

At last, the heroes break down the door to discover the scale mail knight and a full plate armored cleric. CLorissa runs to her stuff and is hacked at by the knight. The heroes attack. When the cleric gets a chance he declares that Clorissa is his sick daughter and they should stand down. But the heroes, fearless and reckless, fight on. The cleric casts a spell which causes a heavy flail to appear next to Gacokia and attack him ruthlessly over and over. Eventually, Gacokia falls, and, to all of their wonders, Clorissa sacrifices herself -- earning an attack from the knight -- to heal Gacokia -- which she does by whispering "Believe in Telusia." The city guard show up, and the cleric proclaims his innocence and that CLorissa is his daughter, but the heroes fight on, Gacokia falling twice more.

They finally defeat the cleric and knight. But then, desperately, crazily, Airk throws a dagger at one of the city guards and poisons him. Clorissa heals the city guard and tells the heroes not to hurt them because they are innocent. Still, Dernon and the others attack giving non-lethal blows until the guards fall. They make sure to kill the cleric beyond healing and run off into the streets of the noble quarters.

They make their way to the Druid's Grove in the King's Quad where Clorissa prays for our heroes.

All over the cleric's house are one symbol: two crescent moons crossing each other.

When Airk goes through Clorissa's belongings, he discovers a note:
Let these prophecies be fair warning
to those who've forgotten morning
A company must be found anew
To stop Keran's growing brood

They also go through the cleric's belongings and find the following note:
"The blood of Andorus runs true in Agus, It will bring K back."