April 25, 2021

The blue dragon swoops down and starts speaking telepathically to Linzi. They introduce themselves as Dembra Koff. He was in the Court of Natash where he was given the beverage  Fartarstyx (?), and he now asks Linzi to make a keg so that he can continue living. He gives Linzi a scale with which to communicate with him, and says the recipe was last seen in Katash. Shump Shump, Linzi, and Laudius ride back to Magnimar and retrieve iSophie, the little old lady wizard who will help with the trial in Sandpoint. They also shave the bottom of the beanstalk, and Laudius instructs Billy to have a guard stand by to prevent anyone from climbing. We return to Sandpoint and have Durham join the orcs south of the city. He seems pretty happy eating birds and observing grass. We are asked for our names at the gate, and Shump Shump compliments Hemlock on the guards' good work. We go to the Half Pint brewery and it's hopping! Tathrean is working the bar and Kelda is the bouncer. We go to set up a barbarian camp/fight ring in the basement. Laudius finds a map in a book: it's a message from Nethys, and he learns at the map shop in town that it's the city of Korvosa (or perhaps future Sandpoint?). The map has a star on it that corresponds to a temple for Aroden, who is a former god but still has temples around. Meanwhile, Shump Shump and Linzi try their new experimental beers. The first, a strong ale, makes them only communicate via barks. The second, a mead, causes each to grow a second set of arms. In the last beer, a steel forged stout, there appears to be floating glitter, and it makes your breath very fresh and nice. Shump Shump goes to check on the orcs and sees a woman with a rapier fighting the orcs in a training ring. She learned about Shump Shump while traveling and came to train with him. Her name is Sell and she is a level 5 blade master (and stronghold follower). After several consecutive nights of work, we finally clear through the blocked spiral staircase in the basement of the glassworks and reach a wooden door, which Laudius blows open. Inside there is a stone room with columns that is well cared for. A voice asks what he seeks, then a portal appears and disappears. Laudius sees that the walls are covered in Thassalonian, some runes carved and some written in blood. Dionaea runs up to grab the others, and we all enter the room. We see a bunch of lit candles and a large statue of a 3-eyed jackal. Shump Shump runs ahead and sees a giant 40 foot monster with glowing horns. The jackal appears to be glowing slightly. On either side are statues of jackal-headed pregnant women. We roll initiative...