Session 46 - The Murkwater Maniac Gets Away (recap)

In this session, our party escpaed the theatre, saved Sexton, but lost the Murkwater Maniac…

Saving Sexton

Flaming Fist Guards

More messages

• The party left the theatre with the intention of returning Sexton to his mom.
• As they exited, they were stopped by an urchin in tattered clothes and glazed-over eyes holding a piece of paper. He held it out to the party and bowed, “This is for you.”
• Aegar, (Nat 20 Insight), got the strong sense that he was under a similar compulsion to the crew on the Patience of the Waves and following whatever orders were implanted in his head. (With an Arcana 14 check) Aegar put together that whatever charm or spell the urchin was under has them programmed and have a duration for how long they affect the person, but once the person is charmed, the spell may or may not even need concentration. That kind of spell is not line-of-sight when cast and may even work across planes.
• Pliny reached out with his Mage Hand, took the paper, and had the Mage Hand open it.
• As soon as the paper left his hand, the urchin slumped over. “Whaaa? What happened?”
  • Aegar provided aid while asking questions. The urchin shared his name (Stefan), that he was curled up for bed a few blocks away. He had his blanket over him in a doorstep, and was awoken by a dark figure and then he blinked and was here.
  • Aegar suggested that Stefan share his experience with the guards, and had the urchin sit down to catch his bearings.
• Aegar turned to Pliny: “Pliny, I do not know much about the arts, but is incorrect of me to say that this man has no feel for meter and rhythm?”
  • “Aegar, this man has no feel for anything except for his own fucking ego. He’s the worst thing to happen to theaters since John Wilkes Booth.”
• On the front of the note, the inki still wet, the message read:

You ruined the play, but my play will continue.
We’ll strike this set, but our next opening will come soon.
-TS

• While Aegar read, Pliny noticed writing on the back of the note:

LEND GLOBE

T.I.A.M.A.T.
    Is she an ancient chaos serpent of death?
        Is she the prototype of the mother?
              Is she just a myth or, has she been created?

• The writing on the back was set and smudged, suggesting it had been written before. The smudges and differing ink marks made “LEND GLOBE” and the Tiamat poem appear to have been written seperately. The writing in all three passages looked to be by the same hand.
• Aegar wondered aloud about who TS might be. Pliny’s memory cast back to the horrible director Hans Rimmer from his college days.
• The party discussed whether T.I.A.M.A.T. was an acronym or just the title of a poem. Pliny (Insight Nat 20) had the strong sense that it was the title of the poem and the periods a stylistic choice; the formatting lacked the feeling of the hidden messages in the Murkwater Maniac’s other notes.
• Pliny pulled his journal of the Five Leaf Clover and turned to the section with Frulam’s dragon poetry ([Session 34] (/sessions/session-34-making-black-pudding-omlets-recap)).
  • Frulam’s poetry, however majestic, did not shed light on the newest poem.
• Pliny wracked his brain for how “LEND GLOBE” could be a refernce to a theatre, but he knew of no Globe Theatre in Baldur’s Gate.
• When they turned around from looking at the note, they realized that Stefan had quietly excused himself into the night.

Reuniting the family

• The party returned Sexton to his mom.
  • As soon as the group got close, the kid went running over to Caril. There was hugging and there was crying and there was the thanking of the Looting Luters.

Fang the ape

• After an exhausting day, the saving of many lives, and the frustrating escape of the Murkwater Maniac, the Looting Luters returned to Baldur’s Burrow.
• Along the way, Zoyana approached Fang about whether he would want to turn into a Giant Ape.
  • Fang, you saw that ape. Would you want to turn into it?
  • What?!?! I could what?!?!?
  • I could do that, and then you could smash the shit out of everything. Including Aegar when he’s being a dick.
  • I could give Aegar a hug!
    • You could!
  • I could give Aegar and Pliny super hugs!
    • But only when I tell you it’s ok!
  • No! No, when I’m big and strong I can choose!
    • No, because I get to make you big and strong.
  • …And then I can take Aegar and then I can squish him up (he pantamimed rolling him into a ball) and I can throw him…
  • No, because then I turn you small, it’ll be Aegar and Little Fang, and who do you think it’s going to win?
    • Pfttt!
  • Do you still want to be bing and strong?
    • Farface!
  • You can for sure still be big and strong, and and you can hug them, but you can’t hurt them.
    • Ehh, so I will tell you I won’t do any of that. I will totally listen exactly.
  • Okay. Fang, I’m gonna turn you back into little Fang if you don’t listen.
    • Pfttt!
  • Okay, I love you Fang. Come cuddle.
• As they returned to the inn, Aegar felt a wave come over him and an urge to eat some hay. It lasted only a second before passing. He turned around to see a little female halfling smiling innocently behind him.
• Aegar definitely did not stay up all night telling Pliny that he wasn’t angry, just dissapointed.

Hopstra

• The next day, birds began chirping with the sunrise. It was almost anachronistic to the craziness of not just the past day, but the past couple of weeks.
• Aegar and Pliny were woken by a Da-da-da-da-da-da-da knocking on their door, followed immediacy by a halfling voice saying: “You-promised-Pliny-Pliny-you-promised-Pliny-you-promised-Pliny-you-promised.”
• Aegar opened the door and welcomed Zoyana, commenting on how early it was for her.
• Zoyana used her Halfling Nimbleness to shove her way past Aegar: “You promised Pliny. You promised.”
• Pliny: “You’re right Zoyana, you get the free muffin.”
• Zoyana: “Purple mist. You promised Pliny. You promised.”
• Aegar closed the door behind him, stood in front of it, crossed his arms, and said “I was getting to this too, as well Pliny.”
• “You promised.”
• “You promised.”
• Pliny: “I understand. I’m a man of my word. We can go to library. The library is decent. So we’ll go… We’ll go… We’ll go… But, isn’t university about the lectures? Don’t you think that you’d maybe get…”
• The party proceeded to grill Pliny about his reticence to go to the school or the library. Zoyana called his bluff, but Aegar shifted gears.
• Aegar sat on the bed next to Pliny, put his hand on Pliny’s shoulder, and looked directly in Pliny’s face. “Pliny. I was once a Noble. And I, for my family, I killed many people as a soldier. And I had to execute a man I loved.”
  • “It is not easy for me to tell you this. But I trust you. I trust the both of you. And I hope that you trust us enough to confide in us as well.”
  • “This is important for Zoyana. She needs this.”
• Zoyana walked over and held Aegar’s hand.
• Aegar: “Trust us.”
• Pliny: “This town is not a town I want to be in. There’s no town I want to be in. There’s no place I want to be in. If we want to go to library… we can go.”
  • “I am… not… the full bard you thought I was. I’m not anywhere close to where you thought I was. And while I appreciate you telling me your struggle Aegar it’s… they’re incredible… And I don’t feel anywhere close to the struggle you felt. But i’m not quite there. Um.”
  • “If we need go to library, we can go. There’s books. There’s this. There’s that. There’s not a single thing here that’s going to answer anything for me. I spent four years trying to figure that shit out.”
  • “So if we’re going to go to the library, let’s go. And let me know if you hear anything about any lore that goes beyond what Barley Pan has to say. Or if there’s anything that tells any story of value. But otherwise, we’re in, we’re looking for what we missed, and we get the fuck out of here as fast as we can.”
  • “Because I don’t love this town. and I don’t really need to be in a library.”
• Zoyana: “Clearly this is as much pain for you, as the purple mist is for me, so is there the possibility that you can get us in and not have to stay?”
• Pliny: “I’m happy being there, I just don’t need to have discussions. I don’t need to talk. Let’s get in and find what we can find. Let’s move forward. If there’s a lecture that’s worthwhile, let’s go.”
• Aegar: “Is there anything else we should know? Anything you need from us to make this so?”
• Pliny: “I tell you both that any time you see the name ‘Pan’ on anything with a fuckin award, it’s not mine. I let you know who the Mercwater Maniac is, I let you know what I know about tghe things in the theater and in that world. And there’s some gaps, but I don’t have anything I think you’re fishing for. This wasn’t my town, this was my dad’s.”
• Aegar: “Pliny, I only know you as an Honorable man. I do not know the Pan name. I do not know where you come from. I only know your deeds. And I am honored to stand beside you.”
• Pliny: “Thank you. After we go to the library, you get to stand beside the rest of my family.”
• Aegar: “I… chose you.”
• Zoyana: _"Pliny, I recognize that this is costing you to help me. And whether it’s because you want to keep your word or you want to help me, regardless, I just want you to know that I see that. So let’s go let’s fucking find out what we can fucking find out and then fucking get out.
  • “We’re there for purple mist. We’re not there for Pans. You’re the only Pan we need, right Aegar?”
• “Indeed.”

Loot

+

NPCs Interacted With

• Sexton (child)
• Murkwater Maniac
• Stefan the urchin
• TS (written on note)
• Tiamat (written on note)
• Hans Rimmer (mentioned)

Locations Visited

• The John Wilkes Booth theatre

Experience Per Character