Session 1: Prologue

Summmary (Note, there will be info here that was not shared during the session):

The plan to steal the tree shaper took root with the party doing the below tasks

Sairoselle – Stealing keys and securing a way in and out of the outer gate
Kauss – Intimidated lots of people. Kauss discovered a man who wished to serve Lord Nesta by the name of Kidd. He also discovered an elven boy with treeshaping powers. Kauss intimidated him and caused him to defend himself by shaping a branch to whack Kauss.
Zir- Talked his way into becoming the attendant for the hedonistic head priest of the emperor and subsequently attended a demonstration of treeshaping . He discovered the true treeshaper was a very old elf and the young boy was his attendant .
Samiel: Followed the treeshaper and his attendant and developed a plan wherein Zir and She would pretend to chase an owl from the aviary and then attempt to extradite the shaper and hid attendant from their chambers.

How it went down

Zir and Samiel made it to the treeshapers chambers using the owl as a diversion. The treeshaper had a huge heavy trunk of supplies that he wanted to bring so Kauss was summoned to help. That aroused suspicion. With the help of some tree shaping they made it out the window into a grotto and then made a break for it. A guard spotted the escapees and whistled for help. Kauss attempted to rush the guard while holding both the chest and the old elf and the chest broke open and the treeshaper sufferered a fatal heart attack. Kauss grabbed the body of the shaper and also his hysterical grandson (the attendant) and broke for the door. Zir and Samiel grabbed random items from the broken chest and followed.

The escapees ran to the side entrance of the palace which had been secured when Sairoselle killed the guards’ there. They encountered Waylon who ordered them to the docs and then departed to assist lord Nesta who was attempting to flee the imperial palace along with Octavious and his honor guard. The team headed toward the temple district, near the docks, to lay low for a bit. They were stopped again by the Priest of Bane. Kauss dispatched the priest of Bane and his attendants with extreme prejudice and the team headed toward the dock. Fires could be seen and fighting could be heard throughout the city as preplanned and impromptu slave revolts were occurring everywhere.

The team encountered three elves battling five imperial guards and jumped into the fray to assist the elves. The guards were routed and the elves went to help free some of their brothers back near the temples. The team split as Sairoselle and Kauss headed for the dock and Samiel and Zir followed the elves to see if they could assist in the battle.

Kauss and Sairoselle arrived at the ships shortly before Lord Nesta and Octavious and were ordered on board one of the 3 giant ships. Zir and Samiel found a very powerfull old blood captian was holding back and slaughtering a group of escaped slaves. Zir gave a motivational battle cry and the slaves streamed past the Captian while Zir and Samiel engaged him. Although it was a good fight the two heroes were outmatched and once all the slaves had made it by, they disengaged and ran to the docks. The imperial Captain was hot on their heels until Kidd and his squad, now working for lord Nesta. Sprung an ambush and killed the captain. Kidd advised that Zir and Samiel need not fear and he and his team escorted them to the ships.

Netsta’s men held the docs as long as possible loading 954 on three ships before they were forced to fall back by overwhelming numbers. The ships set sail with their cargo of freed slaves but the celebration was cut short when those left behind on the docks could be seen being cut down by the emperor’s men.

The ships took the longest but safest rout out of the territory of the Tinam empire. Although they ran into no Tinam vessels they were set upon by a Kraken and Lord Nesta sacrificed himself by diving into the ocean and killing the beast. Although the Kraken was killed Nesta’s body was not recovered and he was declared lost at sea.

Waylon delivered Octavious a letter from Lord Nesta which expressed the fact that he could feel himself coming to the end of his life and would be looking for an opportunity for a heroic death fitting of a warrior. He also expressed his desire for Octavious to take what he had be taught growing up and combine it with what he had learned in the imperial court and become a leader for this group of freed slaves.

An accounting was made of the survivors. there were 953 in all, mostly former elven and human slaves with some dwarves, dragonborn, and free men loyal to Nesta. The only known old bloods are the PCs, and Cpt. Kidd and his 3 men. Per his father’s wishes, Octavious stepped into a leadership role with Waylon as his advisor and the PCs and Kidd as a council. Supplies were running dangerously low after a three and a half month journey when finally land was sighted. The ships traveled the coast for spell until a stream of fresh water was found and the decision to make landfall was made. The first shore parties and now rowing ashore.

If you have any questions or Char thoughts please post them below.

What have I done...

Sairoselle stared off the stern of the ship into the black depths below. His whole life he'd lived in the slums of that city; and while it was not a good life, but it was his life. The rocking of the ship made him ill, and he leaned over the deck to alleviate the aching in his stomach.
He turned around and sat heavily on the deck. What good will coin do me now? he thought, hefting the pouch in one hand, and rolling a gold piece with the other. He stared at the others, hundreds of freed slaves. They don't even have anything for me to steal. What kind of life can a beggar and a thief make for himself among people who have nothing to give.



Over the weeks he built a rapport with the other people on deck, and he endeared himself to everyone with his charismatic (and mostly made up) recounting of his former life. He found himself somehow happier to find company with these honest folk, no longer having to hide behind his former facade. He was eager to assist with any task and did more than his fair share to make sure that everything went smoothly on the journey to the new land.
Yet, while he enjoyed this new company and camaraderie, strange dark secrets began to awaken in his mind.

Zir Zenri smiled broadly as he watched the moonlit ocean from the helm of the ship. A blue glow silhouetted gentle waves as far as the eye could see, crowned by a large white moon and a starry sky. Sehanine's love is in full bloom. It was a pity that everyone else on board the ship were not appreciating the beauty of the moment. The decks were crowded with people who were mewling about "lost loved ones" or whining about "leaving everything we had behind." Truly, it was a damper on his mood. A tugging on his robes distracted him, and Zir looked down to see a little elven girl dressed in rags. He recognized her as Mayla, daughter of one of Lord Nesta's cooks. She looked devastated. Zir took a moment to roll his eyes then regained his composure smiled at her.

"What can I do for you my child?" He asked her softly.

"Acolyte Zir, my dad is dead." She said with a small sob. Zir looked perplexed. What do I say to that.

"I'm going to miss his Onion Lamb Stew, he was very good at it." He finally stated. The girl started to sob. "Wait, wait, wait, don't cry! Here, play with this coin. You can stay here next to me until you feel better, and you can keep the gold." She nodded, tears streaming down her face. She took the coin Zir held out towards her and began throwing it around and flipping it.

This is pathetic. How am I supposed to enjoy this night with this pathetic sight mewling about. Zir looked down. The sight of the ragged elven child playing games at his feet reminded him of the streets of the city. He always felt his stomach squirm at the sight of poor children and did his best to avoid the common areas of the slums as a result. But now, on the ship, the slum was with him wherever he was. Something had to be done. Zir knelt and spoke up to the child.

"Mayla, let me see that coin." Mayla handed it over without question. "Now watch this." Zir began performing a series of sleight of hand tricks, causing the coin to disappear and reappear over and over, glinting as it spun in the moonlight. To the delight of Mayla, Zir's trickery culminated in the production of several coins from behind Mayla's ears. She managed a quiet giggle and smile, and these antics resulted in a small audience of other ragged refugee children. Zir raised an eyebrow at the sight around him and he stood. "Hello children," he said. The children looked back at him. "How would any of you children like to learn how to make coins from thin air?"

----

Zir is spending his time creating the makings of an orphanage under the guidance of his god, Sehanine. He's making the most of the wake of the loss of Lord Nestor's head priest dying with getting political resources to start and build a temple to Sehanine at the end of the exodus that will act as permanent housing for children who have lost their parents in the escape. Despite this seemingly charitable act, Zir is teaching orphaned children how to be the next generation of thieves.

If there is not enough time to do that, then that will be Zir's general goal throughout the entirety of the trip.