10. Murder on the Orien Express

5th Lharvion, 998 YK

• Ell does the recap, so Damien gets an advance on his least developed theme
• Yashira's consciousness snaps back into her body, the montage over, and she freaks out
• "I fucking hate this place can we get out of here already?"
• "You've been quiet"
• "I've been stuck in a montage this whole time!"
• Yashira goes off about how they were all having fun and laughing and she was just watching, not consciously doing anything that she was doing! It was hell!
• Nerys asks about the racist goblins? That plot thread seems unresolved
• Damien comments maybe they should get moving before they show up?
• Yashira hopes they do, she's gagging for a fight. "I'll gladly go to town on them"
• "No, not like that!"
• "God I could hear everyone's inner monologues, and then there was a 20 minute recap by the voice of god?"
• Tantuul waves at them from his camp, they've just been stood there!
• They go over and tell him they did it!
• "But you were only gone for a few hours!"
• Tantuul says he hopes it wasn't too rough, whilst looking at Yassy
• Before they leave (which Yashira really wants to do), Nerys picks up a flower and puts it in their book to remember it by

7th Lharvion, 998 YK

• They return to Rhukaan Draal
• Lhara is waiting for them when they get back. Nerys tells her to give Tantuul a tip
• "See ya later, asshole!"
• She ushers them into a carriage, and then asks to see the Chains.
• Nerys produces them
• Lhara is very impressed, and almost laments not being able to keep them for herself
• We have another montage as they travel back to Sharn, but one that they experience as themselves, not as observers (thank the gods)

Between

• Nerys tries to organise drinks for the gang but
• Ban rushes to get his frying pan fixed
• The rest of them get drinks, with the first round on Nerys
• Damien goes to the library to get a history book on Dhakaani history (in goblin). We all thought he was gonna do some learnin', but no, it's a gift!
• Nerys sends half of their money back home to their mother, along with a 7 page letter about their adventures
• They also spent time trying to make some connections in Sharn to try and speak to House Tarkanan. They go to dubious pubs and stuff.
• Yashira goes with them once they notice what's going on, to make sure Nerys doesn't get killed
• They have a discussion about who else to involve in their investigation, but decide to do it just the two of them. It was so hard to get them to go for drinks...
• Nerys buys Yashira a drink for every trip, and Yashira buys Nerys a drink too

24th Lharvion, 998 YK

• Nerys opens up a bit to Yashira, letting it out that Nerys is actually a noble but their family has lost a lot of its assets. They left the Holds due to the pressure from their parents, and they're sending money home to try and make their family okay with their profession (adventuring bard).
• Yashira checks that Nerys drink isn't alcoholic but no, they're just oversharing
• Yashira uses Nerys boisterousness as a cover to do her investigations, and learns that House Tarkanan is maybe based in Dragon Towers in the Upper City. She also realises how dangerous a line of questioning this is, that is Dragonmarked territory
• On their way home, Yashira notices an abnormal number of rats around.
• They get on a lift, and after it starts moving Yashira notices the others on it. A homeless looking man and a dirty halfling girl. A rat climbs into the girls robes.
• The man coughs and in a gravelly voice asks why they're looking into Tarkanan.
• Yashira asks why they'd think that?
• "Heard it on the grapevine"
• The man tells them to stop, showing off an aberrant mark of his own.
• Nerys interjects that they're looking for a friend, they're worried about them
• There's a flash of empathy on the man's face, and he asks them to tell him more
• Nerys gives a description of Razgon, and tells them a bit about him. He told a lot of stories about how he lost his eye (he didn't, he just wore an eyepatch)
• The halfling girl says it could be Brom?
• The man agrees, but can they trust these two? The woman is Medani
• The man asks if this is House business? Medani assures them it is not
• Yashira says that they've gotten off on the wrong foot. Nerys has been forthcoming, and so has the halfing. Maybe they can work together?
• Fair enough
• The man introduces himself as Bal, and the halfling is Zae Tarkanan. Of House Tarkanan.
• Yashira and Nerys introduce themselves.
• Nerys suggest they can give them a letter, and they can pass it onto their friend and they can maybe get in contact
• Zae thinks they should help. The rats do too
• There's a growing swarm of rats gathering on the lift
• Bal says if it's not obvious, Zae can talk to rats. People die when Bal touches them.
• Yashira asks what they want in return? 
• Nothing
• That makes no sense? Why?
• "We exist to help Aberrants. It's what we do"
• Also, they owe the group a favour for helping Chandra Thane. Bal says she's doing well.
• "We'll pass your letter on, try and get you in contact. If you need to contact us, speak to a rat"
• "Upper city, lower city?"
• Zae says "any rat. Any where" and then giggles
• Understood
• Yashira is going to be so paranoid from now on
• They get off at the next stop and have to sit with that

Between

• Damien organises his bag and notes the poor condition of his saber. He pops down to House Cannith and gets a new rapier commissioned.
• He gets a magically reinforced one, with silver filigree on the guard (which he gets in the shape of his dragonmark). Etched into the blade is a unicorn charging forward, and the pommel is shaped like a silver unicorn.
• He gets a very good deal on this thanks to his connections and haggling ability
• "With the unicorn sword you're not beating the gay allegations"
• "Yes, it's a pretty gay sword"
• He names it La Licorne Estampillée
• Between Charlie's fan (that Yashira made) and this, they're getting quite fabulous
• We remember that Charlie broke the fan last session and nobody told Yashira
• He also presents the book that he bought to Ruckus, down in The Cogs. Ruckus is surprised to see him down there!
• "Thanks, what is it?"
• Damien explains it's a basic history of the Dhakaan empire, in Goblin. He figured Ruckus would want to read about it, he seemed interested when they were in Darguun
• Ruckus thanks him and takes the book.
• Damien asks what Ruckus is working on? Ruckus says not to worry about it
• Ruckus also takes the opportunity to ask Damien some questions about how his mark works. "How do you teleport?"
• "I uhh...I just think of where I want to be and I go there?"
• Damien doesn't really know how it works, he just knows how to do it
• Ruckus comments about how nice it must be to be born into a Dragonmarked House.
• Damien agrees, but it comes with restrictions. He can only do what he's doing now because he's on his Wander.
• Ruckus spends some time trying to make a focus item for Damien, to empower his mark. He makes a bracer that Damien can use to take somebody with him when he teleports (but it's prone to malfunction) without exhausting himself.
• Ruckus asks Damien to test it. Damien tries to teleport them both, and something that has never happened to him before happens. Both of them teleport into Ruckus table, and physics violently reasserts itself and the table explodes.
• "What the hell was that!?"
• Damien has never been inside of an object before, and he has no desire to do it again
• Ruckus will continue to tinker with it
• Charlie goes to get his battle fan fixed
• He also pines after Damien a bit. What happens in Thelanis does not stay in Thelanis apparently
• But was any of that real or just the story being pushed on them?
• So he pines

11th Barrakas, 998 YK

• They receive a summons to go see Lhara
• She takes them to see Nigel Faurious, who excitedly explains their next mission.
• They're going to Daanvi! They're going to collect an artifact called the Quintessence Engine. 
• They're going to get a train to Karrnath, and they'll need to jump from it into a gorge, where they'll pass through a portal. They'll need authorisation crystals to get in, an associate of the guild will provide those.
• They're all taken aback by having to jump from a train?
• They ask Charlie to check Nigel's maths. Charlie is not a mathematician.
• Looks okay to me!
• Nerys tries to convince him to provide extra hazard pay, but he doesn't bite
• They're all so nervous about jumping from the train
• Nigel reiterates that they cannot use feather fall or anything of the like. They need to hit the portal at terminal velocity to ensure safe arrival.
• Damien says this is the stupidest thing he's ever done
• Yashira asks what they can expect on the other side, do they need to prepare anything?
• Nigel has absolutely no idea what they'll find on the other side. Isn't that exciting!?
• Lhara does provide them each with a potion of healing
• They go to Terminus Station, and the guild has treated them to a first class ticket!
• When they get in their cabin, there's a gnome waiting for them! She introduces herself as Aurea ir'Korran, she's the one funding their adventures!
• She wanted to take the opportunity to meet them, whilst she's paying for them to travel first class. She's very friendly
• She asks them to tell her a bit about themselves on the journey, and Nerys does so gladly. She tells a somewhat embellished version of their adventures, but it's a great story
• "I did not scoot, I glided" - Damien
• Charlie is too nervous to sit next to Damien, so he tries to play it cool and sits on the other side of the cabin
• Damien keeps innocently making innuendos and making Charlie smolder
• They get the run down on who Aurea is as well, and why she's interested in Nigel's research. Before she leaves, Yashira asks for some credentials to prove she is who she says she is?
• Yashira, baby, come on. She's so suspicious about everyone
• Aurea is offended, but doesn't let it show. She shows Yashira her travel papers, but she'll remember this.
• She gets off the train at Wroat, and they continue on their journey. They get to Vedykar, take a carriage to Vulyar, and then get another train (also first class).

16th Barrakas, 998 YK

• At Irontown, last stop before their jump, a friendly dwarf joins them in the cabin.
• He's Amaldi Kolkarun, an associate of the guild! He's a bit rattled, he had an incident at the station where someone bumped into him.
• Damien slides him a red wine. 
• He chats to them for a bit, regaling with the story of acquiring the crystals, and warns them about Daanvi. Then he finds that he can't find the crystals! Oh no, that person with the green scarf must've taken them!
• Yashira suggests splitting up to find them, if they got on the train, but not splitting up too much.
• They step out of their cabin, and there seems to be a party in full swing in the car. Over a dozen women dancing, singing, and shouting. There are two guards, House Deneith, who look a bit uncomfortable
• The party seems to be some kind of hen do?
• Ruckus is offered a frog? He sucks on it, and it gets him high
• The guests seem to think the party are entertainers of some kind? Charlie's up for that
• Damien gets everyones attention whilst Charlie gets himself ready
• Charlie emerges from the cabin again as Trixie Towers, his drag persona. Bro did that so quickly
• Ban is aghast that he just carries all of that with him?
• You never know when you might need it, as evidenced by right now
• Ban goes round handing out cookies while Charlie performs
• Damien gets his unicorn sword out and does a flourish, sending glitter around Charlie (yeah the sword does that)
• Most of them have never seen Charlie do this. Charlie is gone, it's Trixie Towers now
• It's enrapturing, Charlie is an incredible performer. This is Luca Syara's prize funny boy!
• Amaldi is so confused? Is this helping them get the crystals back?
• Yashira keeps an eye out for anyone being sus, but nobody stands out in this car. Nobody with a green scarf.
• The bucket of frogs gets knocked over so now there's frogs everywhere
• Yashira struggles to focus on the job, she keeps getting distracted by Charlie's performance
• Damien and Yashira go to check the engine car first. They knock on the door, and then Yashira presents her credentials and says they're doing an investigation
• The co-pilot opens the door and asks what's going on?
• Yashira explains about the theft, and that there's potentially a dangerous criminal aboard. The co-pilot says they should speak to the guards, but they haven't seen anyone getting on or off, they haven't left the engine car since getting on at Vulyar
• Yashira thanks them for their time, and they go to speak to the guards
• Yashira instructs them not to open the door to anyone else, other than their superiors. The Orien employee asks if they're in danger?
• "We don't think so, but just to be on the safe side"
• The co-pilot laments about the upcoming paperwork
• They empathise, they'll get it sorted
• They go to the guards, who don't let them pass. Weird.
• Yashira asks to know on whose orders?
• "Wouldn't you like to know, crime woman?"
• Yashira whips out the badge and says "are you obstructing justice?"
• They laugh at her, "the independent investigator is trying to throw her legal weight around"
• Damien notes how strange this is. Deneith are usually much more professional, and first class passengers are usually free to traverse
• One of the guards puts their hand to their weapon, a flail
• Nerys comments that they think they're being kidnapped
• "You've been very rude to my friend! Apologise to her!"
• "What are you going to do about it?"
• "I haven't thought about that yet, but it's not going to be great"
• Nerys tries to empathise and reason with the very suspicious guards
• Yashira asks to see their credentials. They say no, and tell them to get back in their cabin
• Hmm
• Damien puts his hand on one of the guards and teleports them both onto the roof of the train. Damien immediately teleports himself back in, leaving them up there
• They all hear something collide with the roof. Damien just killed that man
• The other guard pulls their weapon and attacks. Damien just killed that man!
• Damien takes a flail to the face that takes him to the ground
• Nerys yells "oooh now you've done it!" and tackles the guard to the ground
• Yashira takes advantage of the situation, pulls out her dagger and shoves her cloak into the guards mouth, then stabs his hand (with the flail)
• He, obviously, let's go of the dagger
• "Think twice before not showing me your credentials, bitch"
• Charlie is watching all of this whilst doing his best to hold the crowd's attention
• Damien comments that he really hopes these aren't actually Deneith
• Yashira agrees if they are, they're cooked
• Whilst Nerys holds them down, Damien rips the guards helmet off and Ban bludgeons them with his frying pan to knock him out
• Nerys notices the guard is not breathing, and Damien notices the helmet is not the one he took off?
• Wait did Ban kill him?
• Ban starts freaking out, no! He didn't hit him that hard! He can't be dead!
• Damien checks his pulse and he's dead
• Nerys says maybe he was undead, as they're in Karrnath?
• As they check it out, the guards armour seems to shift, the Deneith insignia being replaced by an insignia of a clawed hand in vivid green
• And we end the session there

Nerys' letter

Raz, I hope its you who is reading the letter. If not and you have no idea what I am talking about, you can just ignore this. ITS ME! Nerys! I am in Sharn!

WHAT THE FUCK?!?! I thought you were dead! Why didnt you get in contact you ashole?! Please, if you are here, come talk to me. I am staying with the Wayfinder Guild right now. Mom and Dad let me finally go out.

I really miss you