The Tower

In the morning, while we are planning our assault on the White Star Compound, the Hippogriffs are alerted.  They see something out in the forest, or someone.

We head over to where the Hippogriffs are circling, and meet Vestian and Roland.  Vestian is possessed by a higher power and was led to us, taking Roland along.  Vestian while possessed told Roland to take Simon’s armor. A clear sign of Divine Favor, St. Cuthbert wants Simon to kick some tail.

Roland was followed and attacked by a group of White Star toughs, which Roland had to kill. We secure the bodies and return to the tower.  The Hippogriff mom was injured by Roland, but Codex treated her wounds, so she’ll be all right.

Roland tells us that Vestian was speaking to the Divine power that possessed her, and was told the fate of Everlife.  Codex get Roland to read the Everlife Gate logs and the rest of the evidence, and then gets Vestian to heal and awaken the Steward.

We have a limited amount of time to speak to the Steward. So we draft a search warrant of the White Star Compound and prepare questions. 

We ask the Steward who attacked him and we find out the Steward saw “Berdyn” This means that a magic user or someone using a magic item is in Hooks’ employ, which is a problem.

We found out that Hooks is keeping an illegitimate heir to the Lord, a teenager. We need to save her as well as Katla.

We head to town and get to the Golds, worried that they might be targeted, we also want to buy some diamonds from them in case we have to revive anyone, as Codex can now bring back the very recently dead.  We arrive at night.

LastHaven

Berdyn and Bale go to the Golds, but White Star had already broken in and taken them. Fury was safely kept under the floorboards, unharmed. They get the Diamonds, but the Golds are in danger. More people to save.

We also find out our headquarters was burned to the ground by White Star.  It was good that we got everyone out, but the house and all the furniture is lost. 

They come back and we head to the White star Compound. Before entering, Codex performs an Augury – Can he save Katla’s life? The answer is “Weal and Woe”, which adds more danger to the situation. The higher Powers say Yes, but there will be consequences.

We arrive at the compound and face off against several White Star toughs. We present the search Warrant and we get a small handful to leave.  The rest attack.  In the ensuing fight we kill many people. We fight our way to the entrance, getting inside. We face off against the more seasoned killers, and defeat them.

We head downstairs into the compound’s Basement, and fight the jailors.  They are guarding a badly beaten Veren Gold, one of the city’s watchmen, and a woman we don’t recognize.  Beyond this room are several cells, one containing a man clinging to life and beyond help, a badly injured younger girl, and Fardonne Liondark, Katla’s husband.  It seems he wasn’t killed in the wilderness, as White Star Claimed.  Fardonne has been imprisoned for the last year, and is alive, but very weak. 

We stabilize Fardonne, the girl, and Veren Gold, the watchman and the woman in the other room.  The man too far gone is checked on by Bale, who tells us he passed away. 

There is no sign of Katla.  So we cast a locate object, focusing on Katla’s wedding ring.  It leads us to a secret door, which takes us to a disturbing scene.

A group of people, including Katla Liondark, Lerath, and Valya Gold, are hung on hooks, tied up and their faces covered by a grotesque mask the covers their eyes, mouth and ears.  Each of them have a spring loaded spike that will impale and kill them, attached to a mechanism that is somewhere upstairs. 

We do not touch anything, as it looks like it is ready to spring and murder these people.

We head upstairs and face Hooks, who is leaning on several levers, all of which when pulled will murder the people downstairs.  Her hostages are at her mercy. 

She tells us that she was given some orders to keep people in the dark about Everlife, but is cagey about who spoke to her.  With few options, Bale pushes to attack her and then save who we can afterwards. But that would sacrifice at least one of the hostages.  Berdyn refuses to let anyone die and permits Hooks to leave, and she uses a magic item to create a portal, taking her to a different plane of existence. 

We carefully free the imprisoned hostages (removing a second death trap that the helmet concealed) and reunite them with their families. 

The White Star Compound is now quiet, and the fight is over.