PotA Session 8

Summer is still making it hard to get into the twice-a-month schedule.

I skipped the Tomb of the Moving Stones so there was nothing to stop the group from proceeding to Feathergale Spire.  I described how the tower rose up from a canyon, and offered them the choice of heading to the base or staying along the edge of the canyon; they opted for up on the ridge, so they arrived at the front door.  Then they were polite about seeking entry, so they got to meet the Feathergale Knights on good terms and visit the rooftop.

The sentries on the roof were accompanied by their giant vultures, which put Freyja on guard, but she didn't do anything overt.  Su'uvarax asked about the odd phenomena, but Merosska disclaimed much knowledge.  He did point the party toward the Sacred Stone Monastery as people who were probably up to no good.

Not everyone stayed on the roof.  In the hall, Maendir and Zook observed the preparations for the feast.  As the kitchen staff started bringing up food, Maendir recognized a halfling woman from his caravan from Phandalin to Triboar; this caravan continued south immediately and the party found the remains where it had later been attacked.  Maendir spoke to Zook quietly but again avoided any overt action.  Zook flubbed his Insight check and didn't notice how scared/nervous she was.

During the feast, Su'uvarax asked Merosska a leading question while Truth cast Detect Thoughts on him.  Truth read: He feels smug, they don't know anything, it will be fun to set them on those earth dolts.  Truth was not very subtle in his casting; Merosska didn't notice but some of the knights did.

We finished up with the manticore hunt, which is perhaps more intriguing in theory than in practice.  Freyja, Thoril, Silaqui and Truth took part.  The manticore rolled like a champ against the attackers's mounts and forced the knights to withdraw pretty quickly.  Truth used some healing spells to keep himself and Thoril in the chase a little longer, but the manticore rolled more consistently and escaped.

I'm still wrestling with the nature of the air cult.  The knights are described as law-and-order types who have been seduced by having the power to act against enemies of peace, but Aerisi is spoiled and self-delusional.  I'm tending toward the more childish side, people who feel special and entitled and thwarted, who construct fantasies of revenge.  However, this could be wasted effort -- does the party really need to understand the nature of the cult?  Or is it enough for them to get in a fight?

So I have a couple of conversations planned that might be set aside in the end.  Being into birds, Freyja helped out with the injured mounts.  So there's an opportunity for one of the knights to see if she could be recruited, and introduce the idea of seeking power to avenge herself on her oppressors (in Freyja's case, her backstory is that her brother's wife is trying to have her shunted into a more traditional woman's role in the tribe).  I think Merosska would feel out Su'uvarax as a possible recruit, and he'd have an eye on the bard for Aerisi.

The big question is whether the air cult would decide to try to sacrifice the party, and I think they'd find it more entertaining to use them against the earth cult first, with the thought of either recruiting or sacrificing the survivors.  But the knights are feeling a little suspicious and could tip over to sacrificing if they seem nosy.  The likeliest goad to a confrontation will be the party trying to investigate this halfling spice merchant in the air cult's kitchens.  So I'm waiting to see what the party does next.