Session 4 (In-Person)

Starting Recap

Deborhai tasked the party with following Shirlos Agretsa into the Cilian Forest to investigate possible signs of the assassins. Upon entering the woods, mild shenanigans and severe annoyance took place, culminating in Shirlos Agretsa suddenly being stabbed in the side with a scimitar by a hooded figure. One cultist became two, and then two became mutilated corpses and a treant. However by the power of fire, friendship, and fossorial rodents, the treant was felled and the party escaped home with minor casualties and slightly more of an idea about just what they're facing.

Re-read Cultist quote:
"OUR DEATHS WILL MEAN NOTHING! THE GREAT MISSION IS LARGER THAN ANY OF US, LARGER THAN ANY SO-CALLED GOD! IN TIME YOUR FEEBLE MINDS WILL WITNESS THE GREATNESS OUR PROGENITOR ENVISIONS—BE IT IN LIFE, OR IN DEATH!"

Deborhai:
"Despite my initial reservations, you've proven yourselves somewhat capable to act accordingly with this situation. I know slaves do not work with much zeal, and that is why I'm no longer holding a metaphorical dagger to your throats. I have faith that you will carry on investigating and combatting this threat without my stewards' oversight. Though I can no longer make out your individual fates, I can still see that they stretch far into the distance.
Tomorrow morning my staff will outfit you with some supplies—as well as the payments you were initially promised. My informants tell me that there's much hostility brewing in Cathanna. Frankly, that's not much of a surprise given the inhabitants of that wretched nation. They've been eternally itching to cause conflict since the Pantheonic Peace Deal—but I digress. This assassination attempt was an act of war, and I see no stronger suspect than the god of war, Tempus, himself. I'll have Skago take you to just shy of the border, and from there you're free to investigate however you see fit. These people are tactical, so if there's a conspiracy brewing in their midst then I need someone investigating that can earn their trust. However, remember that my connections span every city across the continent. If you intend to abandon this mission then it will get back to me and I will not hesitate to return a dagger to your throats."

New Content:

Let them get bonus for chosen deity worship
Introduce Alton to the story of Acadius Greysson through Undello
"Alton, I actually wanted to get back to you about the question you had asked me earlier—regarding the architecture of the temple. Specifically, about the guest bedrooms and their peculiar shape; they are rather interesting features. I spent some time in the archives to cool down and did some research into your question. It seems from my analysis that uh, the people that built this temple was a decently large group of Gondian architects commissioned under the direction of the king. There were several prototypes of the design, but curiously none included the triangular bedrooms until after a certain point where they had mentioned Acadius Greysson paying them a visit. Are you familiar with him?
He was a great craftsman who grew to prominence about a decade after the Pantheonic Peace Deal was made. He really helped spearhead Gond into the Great Empire is today to be able to manufacture all the technology and luxury that we have...but I digress. He was around at the time, and it seems that he struck conversation with them, spent time with, and was able to witness their designs and 'give advice'—as the architects wrote. And it's only after this moment that there are triangular bedrooms seen in the designs. I'm unsure of how long he stayed—or even if he gave that input—but that's what I could gather, as it was a rather significant change from the the one prior. I'm unable to show you the previous ones, as that requires a security clearance that I'm not permitted to give—and frankly, there are some more important matters at hand. But, I thought I'd let you know...
The reason I bring up the whole history, is because Acadius is actually the one that made that box that you commented on earlier. I was surprised; you were seemingly able to pinpoint the the distinct properties of Acadius's work in ways that I had never even seen. I have a great admiration for Acadius and his work—it's truly unparalleled—but I had never really thought that he could have had a hand in the creation of the very temple that I work at. This whole ordeal seemed to enlighten me about things that I had never expected, but I'm quite happy to know now. So, uh, thank you. You've got a good eye for craftsmanship...perhaps after this existential threat is concluded I'd be interested in seeing what you put into the art yourself."
Get them on the carriage with Ol' Skago to head north
Have them dropped off in the Cilian Forest and start wandering north by themselves to encounter The Corpse. (Tease spotting a long-ruined encampment)
- Description:
  "You come across an old rotted corpse slumped against a ruined wall. Its eyes have been plucked out by birds, its hair is all but gone, just wisps still clinging to its shriveled patchwork scalp. The body it once belonged to obviously met a brutal fate; its limbs are stumps—if even there at all—and it lies in what you can make out to be a pool of its dried blood. Above all, you can tell by the horrifically anguished face it makes even in death, that something terrible has occurred. It—however—seems wholly uninterested in returning to the earth. Its deepest hatred and rancor has soaked into the ground just as its blood has."
  "Roll for initiative."
- Party cannot disengage, but they can fight and they can flee. If they continue fighting then I will choose a random point where they will no longer be compelled to fight.
When they make it out of the forest they'll arrive in the outskirts of the town of Surrey
They'll see a tavern called The Rat's Nest, a small smithy called The Iron Norveg, and some strange building called Cheddar by Chester.
When they get to the tavern they find that they can only purchase by using cheese, and can only earn cheese by winning it in rat fights. They can find rats west of town in The Cavern
They have to enter The Cavern and get their respective rats to fight with, name them, draw them, and then get them validated by Joseph before they can enter the fighting ring.
Let them sit down to draw their rats while I figure out how to do rat combat mechanics

Rat Combat:

???
Tournament style