Session 40: Hidden Messages

The group gathers at the Palace of Cups and compare notes. Sendara reiterates that the spirit of Niman wants help to move on, and that her goddess Lotrad would also want the spirit removed. Amos theorizes that the spirit could be Professor Renatus. Zarin believes that the Arcstones used in the experiments had power pulled in from somewhere else. Tor'in remembers that he still has the pouch of Niman's Arcstones, and he's going to make sure that Sendara doesn't get them. Ren is asked again by Sendara about donating his body to the temple.

The group leaves to go to Hakur's house in Graywall, hoping to find information related to the documents he stole from the University Library. They find a realtor from Golden Key Estates outside his home. Pallida University has decided to sell his house after Hakur's apparent death/disappearance. Meriel pretends to be an interested buyer to get a tour of the inside. Although the books are removed from the shelves and most of the furniture is missing, there is still a heavy desk in the upstairs study. Tor'in spies a hidden drawer, and while Zarin and Amos distract the realtor, Meriel picks it open. She removes the sealed envelope inside.

After leaving the house, they open the envelope and read the message inside. There is a simple thank you written to his assistant Nissra. But with the magical spectacles they discovered in Hakur's house earlier, there was another message written to Nissra:

The truth I’ve been chasing—it’s more perilous than I imagined. The Singers, as we’ve come to know them, are not just myths or the ramblings of ancient texts. They are real, and their influence stretches further than I ever anticipated. The evidence is scarce, fragmented, but it all points to one terrifying conclusion: they are reaching out from the shadows even now.

I’ve come across documents in the University Library—texts that were meant to remain buried. I’ve taken them for safekeeping, to ensure they don’t fall into the wrong hands.

I’m entrusting you with this knowledge because I believe you’re the only one who can continue my work if something happens to me. But you must be careful—there are forces within the Empire who would stop at nothing to suppress this information. And there are those who serve the Singers, knowingly or not.

If I do not return, you must find a way to protect these documents. Hide them where no one can reach. And if you can, seek out those who can be trusted, who can help you decipher the final pieces of this puzzle.

May the truth guide you, and may you find the strength to do what is necessary.

Discussion quickly turns to Nissra and her disappearance. She has possibly gone into hiding, but there were signs that she visited Hakur's house before Meriel and Tor'in were there earlier. 

Zarin, Sendara, and Tor'in go to Aurum Bank. They find paperwork showing that Cassus Optino from the University authorized selling the house. Tor'in and Sendara are confused about imperial banks because when someone deposits money, they don't get the exact same coins back when withdrawing the money later. Much discussion followed.

Meanwhile, Amos, Meriel, and Ren take Kith to the University, along with her bodyguard Thesserram. They hope that Kith may be able to help.