CW: Suicide mention
Returning to where we left off, the Agate Seekers find themselves in Baron Irving Thorebourne's office in the Mages' College of Bridgeston, as he smiles warmly down towards Sooty. During a conversation, he reveals that, while the accident in the conjuration-course wasn't planned, it left the perfect opportunity for him to reach out to Sooty and the party. However, he wasn't able to tell Sooty directly what's going on or why his memory is gone... But, he could tell him where he could find answers... Behind the trophy-cabinet in the halls near the divination-course. He then wished Sooty well with a reassuring head-pet, asking him to return once his questions were answered.
The party then made their way there, and Sooty pressed down on the Illusion-Trophy, as instructed by Irving, revealing a crawlspace behind the cabinet. The party, led by Sooty, made their way through (though Dareth Lion'el Griffmane had some problems getting through, with his armor), revealing a sizeable room with a mattress and blanket, books, pillows, plushies and the likes; a little hideaway, that Sooty remembered belonged to him and his owner Selene McCoy. And on the bed laid a crystal, which Sooty picked up.
There, a recorded Illusion of Selene was seen, holding a vial... and she revealed several things. Her mother, Baroness Lucinda McCoy, and her father, Baron Hillard McCoy, were preparing an arranged marriage to a merchant from The Principality of Argond, but she was desperate, and didn't want to do it... as such, she was approached by a being called Nuferos. Philomena Snapdragon recognized that name; an archfey, but she didn't know much more, as she heard that name only come up in conversation between her parents when she was a child. This Nuferos made a pact with her... promising to free her from her planned marriage, in exchange for magic... and the deaths of her family, including Helios McCoy and Sooty, so that he could have access to the magics and knowledge of the Thorebourne- and McCoy Family. Horrified at that, she said she would return home and take here own life with wyvern poison, to break that pact; asking Sooty one last time, to make others as happy as he did her, and to be their friend, like he was to her... before she rushed out of the crawlspace, ending the Illusion.
Sooty needed some time to process things, and was left alone in the hideout for a while, before packing everything in it up in his dungarees, and reunited with the party, as they made their way back into Irving's office. There, they noticed the man wiping away his tears, before Sooty confirmed what he had seen. A spell was lifted from Irving, and he was finally able to speak freely; he recently found out about what happened when he looked into the hideout that he made for Sooty and Selene, finding that crystal hidden away. He confronted the Baron and Baroness; and while they were ashamed of what happened by now, regretting having kept it a secret, 10 years later, he nonetheless was threatened with removal from his position if he didn't sign a magical contract to prevent him from talking about it... until Sooty found out, himself; part of the reason why they took away Sooty's memories was because they were scared of how he'd take things, but also, more selfishly, how they'd appear if it became public knowledge that their daughter took her own life because of them. They didn't know about the circumstances and Selene's sacrifice.
Sooty and the party then made their way to the McCoy household, being greeted by Edmund Oakland, one of the butlers. Eventually, the party was led to the manor's conference room, where they found Lucinda McCoy and Hillard McCoy. A heated discussion was had, regrets were admitted, holes were blasted into the table and Sooty revealed the truth around Selene and her sacrifice to her parents, making their regrets even worse. At some point, Helios, Selene's younger brother, listened in, before storming off; it turned out that he never learned the truth around his sister, either. The conversation eventually ended with the McCoys agreeing to move Selene from her unmarked grave to the family crypt, and Volk Lesnoy heard, upon leaving, that Lucinda was considering returning leadership of the Barony to her father, Irving.
Sooty, as they left, did seek out Helios, who was muttering to himself at the base of the staircase. "The entire time... The entire time she's been gone, she actually was..." Sooty and him had a bit of a heart-to-heart, and he mentioned that he's not entirely sure if he wants to remain a McCoy after that revelation, and thinking of taking on the name Thorebourne from his grandfather. Sooty however mentioned he'd stay a McCoy for now, to honor Selene, as she was a McCoy. They talked about what flowers they should bring her... Moonflowers, perhaps? And with that Sooty and the party made their way to Selene's unmarked grave, with Volk carving her name into the blank headstone, and leaving Moonflowers using Druidcraft.
With that, the party returned to Irving, receiving their payment, as well as confirmation that Helios talked with his parents, and that Irving's daughter messaged him that from now on, he'd be in charge of the McCoy household, and that Helios will take on the name Thorebourne once he takes over the Barony, returning the Barony of Bridgeston to Thorebourne hands. He then told the party about a tavern in town, the Arcane Hippogryph, where they could stay for the night. And so, they did.
The next morning, the party made their way to Lordston, to teleport back to Argentis, and after two uneventful nights, arrived on the third day of travel. However, there, they found the local guards barricading a street. While they were unsure of what happened, apparently a sewer blew up after someone threw down a cigarette, and as such, the party had to make a detour... This, however, led them through a rather remote side alley, where, upon hearing some distant chanting, Volk and Philomena almost ran into an invisible wall; one that was now separating the party.
Turns out they ran into an ambush of one Ione Plutarch, who found it rather amusing that Philomena hat the foresight to hide away the sword that she stole, but not the slashed-through emperor-tier Pin that she also took with. However, she now had a debt with her, due to her theft... and now, she came to collect.
A fight broke out, as Volk and Philomena tried their best to hold their own against Ione while the rest of the Agate Seekers fought some summoned Abishai; Sooty and surprisingly even Volk went down at some point. In the end, after some pleading from Philomena, Ione offered her a deal; she'd keep her life and be able to keep her sword, if she returned the pin and the letters... and had her adventuring group do a job for her; which Philomena immediately agreed to.
And with that, the attack was called off, and the Wall of Force was let down, as Ione called out to a younger looking man called Victor. And with that, she invited the party to her ship to discuss things.
SESSION END.