1. Journals

Session 05: The Solari

Session

Continued from Session 04: The Apothecary.

The group left to visit The Solari at their home called Giving Hands in the Oldkeep neighborhood, hoping to find Sana Eillar. The Giving Hands was once an open market, but had been abandoned for several decades.  Recently, the Solari had converted the space into a soup kitchen/dispensary to help the locals of Oldkeep.

Constable Amos Crow and Tor'in entered the open market to look for Kennick, the local leader of the Solari.  Meriel Ravenstone and Zarin of Bluereed decided to remain more out of sight, and began looking for Sana.  They had a description of her from her father Amaiur, and a description of her mother's locket that she always wore.  They discovered that Sana was not around, and had not been seen for a couple of days.  This was making some problems for the Solari, as Sana's gift was used to help the sick or injured.  Without her around, Clara at Giving Hand's small infirmary was overwhelmed.  Zarin pretended to have a mysterious ailment that only Sana could heal in an attempt to draw her out.  This was inadvertently foiled by Amos volunteering his divine services to help out, which was greatly appreciated by Kennick and the Solari.

From what Tor'in and Amos learned talking to Kennick, he last saw Sana yesterday morning. They had argued about the protest at the Gilded Stage.  He wanted to stop protesting and return to Giving Hands.  The party also learned that Sana goes to visit her father every few days, but her father says he had not seen her for weeks because she was spending so much time with the Solari.  Kennick compared the Solari to the early Vigilants, who were also a minor sect of Kolrehs, the god of war.  Like those Vigilants, the Solari are not entirely welcome and some consider their ideas heretical.  Kennick pointed out that it's worse for the Solari because at least the Vigilants still worshipped a god, whereas people feel the Solari are worshipping a man.  Kennick thinks that Sana's gift is perhaps a sign of Solari legitimacy.

Searching Sana's room, the party found an unlabeled map with a circle marked on one of the streets.  Recognizing some of the streets on the map, Amos realized it was the Alabaster Heights neighborhood.  Zarin decided he shouldn't be late for his date, and went to the Ten Torches Theater with Braelyn.  The others found the spot marked on the map, which turned out to be a sewer grate.  Rather than go through an obvious entrance in the middle of the street, Amos wanted to talk to an expert on the sewers.  Michael Roland—known as Mike Ro to his friends—used to work in the sewers, until he had an unfortunate encounter with magical slime fifteen years ago. Amos's mother Trisa, also a Vigilant, saved him.  He was able to give the party a partial map of the sewers of Alabaster Heights, and a more secluded entrance.

Using Micheal's rough map, the party entered the sewers and made their way to the grate they found earlier.  Along the way, they found a trail: someone else was also in the sewers, and was going the same direction.  Treading carefully, the group entered a round chamber.  Two Hammerfall members were dead inside, and a third was hiding and wounded.  He quickly surrendered.  Of the other two, one had died from an acid spray, and the other had violently coughed up a deadly amount of blood.  The third had a knife in his shoulder, and claimed it was Sana that threw it at him.  He said that she then retreated about thirty minutes ago through another passage, which she had locked behind her with an iron gate.  Unable to reach the lever to open the gate again, Tor'in was able to tie a rope around one of his throwing axes and successfully got it through the bars and towards the lever to re-open the gate.

The way was clear—but what awaits at the other end?

Continued in Session 06: The Cistern.