Sessions 13-14: Harmonious Gab; A Heist to Dream of

The orb-like creature introduces herself by the name of Melodious Vow. She had met Gab many years ago and gave him a part of herself. Introductions are had and Sila Ularien comes back into the room. She recognizes Vow from her own travels centuries ago. Vow apologizes for the ceiling, but Sila dismisses the concern. Vow states that she has a guaranteed way to bring Gab back to life, but it might have side effects. Sila's offer still stands, and she reveals what the debt would be: The Hunters would offer her 250 gold for the Raise Dead spell and would commit themselves to a mission to venture to the fabled Elyse to find what hidden knowledge lay there--and if the rumors are true, the Emerald Queen-- in search of a means of raising a Maius from the grave to protect Saile.

The party weighs their options. Raise Dead is no guarantee and would be putting the group in a rather large debt, but Vow is a Maius and has no idea what sort of side effects might come out of her abilities. During this debate, Patch started back up. Vow rolled over to Patch, who immediately grabbed a weapon and went to attack Vow. Their friends restrained them and asked what was going on. Patch explains that all they remember from their past life is that Melodious Vow killed their best friend. Vow thinks for a moment and calls Patch "ETN-JS 0A" and herself "ETN-JS 0B". Patch asks not to be called that, and Vordia tells Patch to calm down and hold fast at least until they bring back Gab. After deliberating, the Hunters choose to let Vow revive Gab. Vordia tells Sila to keep her mission offer open, because they might want to partake anyway.

Melodious Vow glows brighter than the sun. When the light fades, her eyes are dark. Harmonious Gab wakes. He sees the familiar ball on the ground and scoops her up. The group explains the situation and gets him caught up. They say goodbye to Sila and company and head back to Onika's house after Arraz's assurances the previous day. But not before a quick pit-stop. The group wants to find Filtar and inform him that they are staying back at Onika's. Thus, the party drops by the Whispering Woad on the way. Ariatiaana Ayre greets them and says that she say Filtar a bit ago covered in tomato sauce, but left saying they did not have his drink. Vordia leading, the Hunters move angrily down to the Silver Skillet to check there. Lo and behold, the white Leonin rests face down on the bar, a flagon still in hand, fur still stained with tomato sauce.

Vordia angrily shakes Filtar awake while the barman stifles a giggle. Filtar startles awake, sobbing and drunken. He explains that he does not want to do contract work anymore. Apparently, he had signed up to help an old woman walk home with a bunch of ducklings. Something happened and suddenly the old woman was gone and the ducklings dead and Filtar was kidnapped in some sort of restaurant or factory. Something about a ladle, something about boiling, something about tomato sauce. Vordia felt a twinge of sympathy, and they all went back to Onika's abode to rest off their long days.

Once home, everyone but Patch collapses instantly, completely exhausted. Patch waits for everyone to fall asleep before grabbing a box from Onika's lab and throwing it on top of the powered-down Vow who Gab had set down. Patch rests, but not for long. They wake up to a thunk, and see the box shifting. They go over to it and sit atop it. Vow mumbles from inside and the two begin a heavy discussion. Patch assures that they want to kill Vow and do not trust them in the slightest. Disheartened, Vow tries to explain that they might be the one Patch is looking for, not the one who killed her. But Patch doesn't budge. They return to sleep, and the Harmonious Hunters rest long into the morning, up to the early afternoon.

Patch was not the only one who remained awake for a time, however. Vordia climbed onto Onika's roof once more, feeling the tug of the Raven Queen calling a meeting. She sets up her ritual and fades into the interstitial land between planes. Seeing Myrcia, she gives her full report on her mission and the past week. Myrcia shows doubt at her desire to pursue Sila's quest but understands the intent behind it. The two share an emotional moment as Myrcia attempts to hug Vordia but merely passes through her form. She expresses that she wishes that she could be physically present with her Vordia. Vordia reassures the goddess that they will someday meet. With that, Vordia rests.

In the morning, Vow is removed from the box and requests to be held by Gab, who happily obliges. Vow tells the group that they do not have much time before she needs to be returned to her body: it would be approximately 24 hours from when she detached. Meanwhile, Vordia helped Filtar wash off all the tomato sauce in the shower at the back of Onika's house. With no easy way to dry off after, Onika sets up essentially a graviturgical washing machine which Filtar whips around in. Toni jumps in as well. Seeing the fun they are having, Vow dishearteningly states that she wished she could have the means to live a little like all of the Hunters. She also tells the group that she wants to find a way to remain in contact, though she herself cannot easily and safely be around them or any civilized place. Onika comes up with the rather sudden idea to pull off a heist.

The goblin explains that there is a family that gave the Greaves family a hard time when Onika was little and they wouldn't mind getting a little revenge for a good cause. The family, the Husktons, were arcanists like the Greaves family, only they held lots of business and wealth. They would no doubt have at least one set of sending stones one of which they could give to Vow. And besides, what better way to live is there than to have a heist?

The party moved out, over to the Upprenk district of Saile. They located the Huskton house and began to scout as simple recon with a plan to come back later. Gab put Vow in his bag; and so himself, Patch, and Toni knocked on the front door. Meanwhile, Vordia and Onika stealthed to the side of the house and began to ascend to the roof to begin the climb to a rather on-the-nose wizard tower perched as a second floor of the estate.

A butler greeted the door team who, upon asking their business, were told that the band of adventurers known as the Harmonious Hunters had discovered unique automatons and were looking for investors. The butler, though quite brusque, seemed quite interested in Patch and offered for them to come inside. While waiting, he gave the two non-robots some copies of Mr. Huskton's autobiography.

Up above, Vordia and Onika bounce off of each other's abilities to climb to the top of the tower. Most of the walls are all stained glass with one big window that seems to have a latch. They see a figure moving through the blurry stained glass and jump back down to the main roof. They make to wait and see what the other group does.

Back inside the manor, the Butler takes them to a waiting room outside the master's office. Gab and Toni fib more about having automatons for sale or order and take Vow out of the bag. The butler says he will go get the master and heads through a few doors within the office. Then, Toni gets another butler to accompany her back to the atrium, where she uses the sending stone to inform Vordia that Mr. Huskton is coming downstairs.

Receiving the message, Vordia and Onika move back to the window. Vordia deftly picks the lock on the big window and the two make their way inside. Vordia blocks the door with a chair and Onika geeks out about the various tools and books the pompous arcanist was keeping. Vordia suggests taking any books the goblin finds interesting since they are apparentlydoing the full heist on what was supposed to be a recon mission.

Downstairs, the butler introduces Mr. Wil Huskton to the rest of the troupe, who attempt to sell him on donating to their group to provide funds for recycling more automatons and parts. Claiming that Patch can also be a defense robot, Huskton brings them all into his office for a bit of a test trial. He summons one of his maids who apparently is also a mega bodybuilder, and the two go into a brawl. Patch struggles to keep up with the maid-brawler, but won't let themself be caught for long. Eventually they strike a blow against the maid-brawler, and the match is called. Mr. Huskton is impressed. He asks how much to buy Patch, but Gab and Toni insist that they are not for sale and are in fact one of two models they have recovered--the other being Vow.

Back in the tower, Vordia digs through a few chests and finds a number of magical artifacts, as well as some expensive components for other spells. From the chests she loots notably a Flood Pauldron, some Boots of Striding and Springing, a Mug of Milk and Mead, and at last a set of ornate sending stones. Success had, the two retreat from the same path and join up with Filtar, who was keeping watch.

Angered by the seeming empty promise from Gab and Toni, Wil Huskton demands the rest of the Hunters leave the premesis. They too are ushered out where they go and join the rest of the gang. Vow positively beams at how much fun she had. The party jauntily saunters back to Onika's place where they catch each other up on what happened, as well as go through their loot. During this, Vow scoots over to Patch and asks if they can go talk outside. Patch gives a robotic sigh and they move to the back alley, Patch actually picking Vow up in order to get past the stairs at the door.

The two have a rather emotions-filled conversation. Vow asks why they hate her so much, and Patch explains teir final memory from a lifetime ago in detail. They were fighting some soldier that started to bloat as bells rang when what seemed like the original body of Vow dove in from of patch and turned back lovingly as a blinding light took her and the soldier. Patch firmly believes that Vow killed their best friend and is just puppeteering the body of 0B. Vow disagrees and explains her side.

She reveals that she is not alone in her body and is terrified of going back. Her eyes shift to blue, signifying her control, and then to red, signifying the second voice's control, and then back to purple, signifying a third... presence that holds them all together in an endless fight. She also reveals a rather similar food flap to Patch's own. Vow expresses unbridled sadness and remorse at the whole situation, to which Patch pats her head and scoops her up to take them both back inside. They arrive at some form of truce it seems.

The group strategizes and Vordia suggests skipping town after their robbery. They also need to turn in the quest with Gaelen. And then there is also Sila's quest. The session comes to a close as they begin to plan. But one thing Vow adds is that before she has to be returned to her body, she would like to have dinner with the group.