Episode 3 "False Princess"

Session #32: 4/11/2021

2nd of Dalian 2350 of the 5th Age

Recap

 * The session began as the party celebrated their rescue of Princess Florence Adimar from the clutches of Lord Protector Gideon Ireburn.
 * As Vendrin and Florence were reunited however, Torvald Von (Vendrin's Father's right hand man), burst into their suite with the news that Irebrun was pinning the attack on the Peak district and the castle, on Vendrin's father.
 * Arthur Daltumel had already been arrested and taken to The Belly, a horrid prison in the bowels of the mountain. In addition to the arrest, Ireburn had also burned down Vendrin's ancestral estate.
 * The party began discussing how best to save Vendrin's father and ultimately deal with Ireburn who, while evil, may be Romalia's best bet in the coming war against Zarath.
 * As the party schemed, Kandra thought to use a forgotten magic item, Echo's Guide to Your Life in Particular, to help them decide on the best course of action. Kandra opened the book to a new page and saw it's warning. Two words written plainly in the center of the page, "Imposter Princess."
 * Kandra utilized her new telepathic powers to warn Vendrin of what the book had said. Vendrin immediately cast a spell on Florence that compelled her to speak her true name. The name she spoke however, was not Florence, but Zenn.
 * Vendrin requested that Deadman Thokk beat Florence into unconsciousness, which he did, much to Torvald's dismay. When unconscious, Florence's form shifted and melded to reveal a changeling imposter!
 * The party quickly tied up Zenn, the changeling imposter, and found a sending stone in their pocket.
 * The party decided that finding the real Florence was worth getting their hands dirty, or at least make the changeling think they did, and so Kandra fed Zenn several ball bearings.
 * When Zenn awoke, the party intimidated them by threatening to use Heat Metal to toast them from the inside out.
 * The party found Zenn to be putty in their hands, easily breaking under the gaze of the famous Good Samaritans. Zenn told them that Ireburn had sent him to find out what they knew, and who had helped them, and that when Zenn was finished gathering intel he was to call Ireburn on the sending stone and have a group of Thronesmen come to arrest them.
 * Zenn also told him that when he copied Florence, it was in Colyn Garro's office in the Towers, and that he had not seen her leave afterwards, and there was no other exit.
 * The party formulated a three prong plan based on the information from Zenn and local knowledge from Torvald:
 * Zenn, who had now been paid and suggested would travel to the senate as Ireburn and embarrass him.
 * The party would use the sending stone to trick the Thronesmen into arresting the head of the centrist caucus in the senate, making it appear that Ireburn was instigating a coup by arresting his political opponents.
 * Meanwhile, the party would use the portable hole and Zeevah's etherealness to travel back into the Towers and hopefully find the real Florence somewhere in Colyn Garro's office.
 * The party also realized that the one imperfection in Zenn's disguise was that he was not wearing the Sunbright Necklace, as Ireburn did not trust them with it. The real Florence would more than likely be wearing it.
 * The party all piled into the portable hole, along with their animal companions, while Zeevah folded it up and placed it in her pocket. She then cast Etherealness and began travelling up the mountainside.
 * After a little bit of wandering and being turned this way and that, Zeevah found her way into the Tower walls, but something was amiss, she was certain she was being followed through the fog of the Ethereal Plane... and she was right!
 * The session ended just as she was being cornered by a MASSIVE Ethereal Dragon, with the rest of the party none the wiser, tucked in her pocket.