Session Log 2023-07-14

The party caught their breath in the abandoned hangar as the undead horde howled outside, unmuffled by the Klaitos-damaged metal barrier. A few ships lay unused in the gloom, but much of the platform was empty.

Over the din of the creatures outside, the sounds of footsteps and voices echoed across the room. The party decided to greet whomever it was diplomatically, and strode forward to meet them in the gloom. They encountered a sizable group of Torch militia, led by an unkempt goblin in a Torch lieutenant's uniform. The crowd was nervous, and alarmed to find the barrier damaged, but she interrogated the party unintimidated.

She demanded to know why they had broken through the siege, and how, and whom they were working with. Klaitos answered honestly - to help rescue the civilians of Golarth, recklessly on foot, and the Windwatcher's Keep. With this last answer, the soldiers recognized them as the wanted Keep terrorists - Robin heard mention of their bounty. The goblin found their explanation implausible, but Ignis was able to smooth over their concerns and maintain peaceful parlay.

The goblin lieutenant ordered them to leave their weapons on the ground - the Invernus blade, Krotokos's maul, and Robin's trusty crossbow - and follow her into the halls beyond the hangar platform. She had a soldier go on ahead to relay news of their arrival.

Soon, the group joined with two other Torch officers - a stout dwarven lieutenant and a tattooed elven captain - as well as an additional squad of guards. The captain took over, leading them through the complex as he and Ignis questioned each other.

The captain wanted to know about the Keep's evacuation plans, and where and how many ships they had gathered to that end. Ignis asked after the city at large, and was told that things were relatively stable as far as food and security for the time being. Ignis, sensing something amiss, warned the elf that they were prepared to fight if they were being manipulated. He brushed it off, and offered to take the party to a war room where the necessary logistical records would be available.

Ekkels noticed some of the guards were acting nervous, idly grasping their weapons when they thought the party wasn't looking. Robin decided that she had no interest in being led unarmed to a second location by the Torch militia and pulled a vanishing act as the group turned a corner, hastily disguising herself as another guard.

Her absence was noted almost immediately, and as the militia drew their weapons, the goblin lieutenant growled that she had known this would turn ugly. The captain called for a peaceful resolution and asked the party if they knew to where their ally had vanished. Ignis replied that she had probably left because she knew something was up, and that he trusted her judgment. He demanded the militia reveal what they were plotting on threat of his infamous proclivity towards violence.

Though the mob of guards were daunted by Ignis's threats, the officers gave up their deception and launched an attack on the unarmed party. The elf fired his bow at Ignis, but the already-wary Ekkels swapped positions with him and the arrow sailed harmlessly overhead. The dwarf raced after Ignis with gauntleted fists and violent joy. Klaitos intercepted him and got uppercut to the jaw for his trouble.

Robin took advantage of the chaos to slip in, still disguised, amongst the nervous guards. She looked around for the party's weapons, but saw only Klaitos's maul being hauled by several hapless soldiers. Her bracelet of greed couldn't sense the heraldic blade in the vicinity, and she surmised it had been stashed somewhere in the facility.

Ekkels teleport-swapped with the dwarf next, causing a haymaker intended for Klaitos to knock out an allied guard instead. He charged back into the fray, laughing at the "cheap trick", but was again intercepted by a charging Klaitos, taking a solid blow in the collision. Ignis summoned a flame of blinding brightness and shoved it into the dwarf's face, disrupting his boisterous melee by searing his eyes.

Robin found herself being pursued by a speedy, erratically-moving quadruped the size of a dog. It called her out as an impostor in an even growlier version of the goblin's voice. Lacking a weapon and surrounded by enemies, she drew a vial of sleeping potion from her pack and tried to get a good angle to throw it down the creature's throat. Unfortunately, the lieutenant leapt at her from her blind spot and scored some shallow cuts on her with scrabbling claws.

Ekkels noticed the elf's tattoos glowing, and a serpent of flame manifesting around his notched arrow. He scrambled up Klaitos's back to try and throw off his aim with borrowed wind magic, but wasn't able to conjure enough of a gale in the crowded hallway. Klaitos noticed Ekkels's attempt and supplemented it with a charging blow, knocking the elf aside before he could fire the enchanted arrow.