[Challenge of the Frog Idol] Session #14: Conspiracies over Coruvon Part III

After being released from their incarceration, the characters proceed with their investigation, being more mindful to not get in trouble this time. With the valuable information taken from Uthgat and Vonhilda's mysterious letter, the party decides to visit Dr. Jubal, the head of the the festival grounds. It is there, beyond the city's eastern walls, that Andros is seen, confronting a familiar face - the man with the striking features encountered the day before. As they listen to the confrontation, apparently this trickster, named Damian, was dating Petra, Andros's daughter and the groundskeeper firmly believes he is responsible for her disappearance. Their brawl however brings a mess, as an animal standing nearby is scared off and knocks a cage, where a large white ape emerges and lashes against any onlookers in rage. Aiding in the animal's capture and apprehending the groundskeeper earns the gratitude of Dr. Jubal and Damian, respectively, who relay their story to the characters: the ringmistress had a dispute with the Magistrate over missing tax money from this side of the city, which she eventually paid; the trickster claims Petra came to him in distress, when she found out that the Magistrate disallowed residents of the Red Lanterns to work at the Mancoor Estate but him being the womaniser he is, sent her away in favour of another love interest. Clementine Eugenia Jubal also informs the party of Bicke's whereabouts, the Saucy Maiden tavern, one of the notorious Red Lanterns houses.

Immediately after their meetings in the festival grounds, the adventurers head straight to the ill-reputed tavern, where they happen on an angry mob trying to storm the building and lynch everyone in there. As a violent clash breaks out, the characters jump in to calm things down, with Beldar tossing people out of the brothel. Their actions get noticed by the tavern's matron, Glenda, who shows an affinity to the burly gladiator and, after a turn of free drinks, she divulges Bicke's hideout: the Dragon's Breath, a rose leaf den nearby the City Arena, where the party sets out for right after. Their visit is not without dangers, as the den's staff (all of them thugs and cutthroats) are suspicious of the party and capture them while snooping close to the main office. The thugs disarm the characters and take them to the den's owner, Karl Dulford, and his halfling advisor, Bicke Bitterwood, who recognises them as the late Magistrate's bodyguards and investigators. Discussing briefly, the halfling reveals his side of the story: about a month ago, he found out that the assignment of Jhanos as Magistrate was a sign that the Mireport Emporium Representatives wanted him out of the guild business in Mireport. He informed Jhanos of this treachery and the bittered guildsman decided to resign and transfer his position to Karl Dulford, after consulting with Bicke. Moreover, due to a law enabling the guild with a majority of holdings in the city to have the right of appointing a City Magistrate, Jhanos offered to sell the Merchant House to Bicke, thus denying the Emporium of its right. The Magistrate's death, however, complicates things, as the guild might claim the signed deed invalid and even accuse the halfling of orchestrating the murder.

Further investigation in the Merchant House shows evidence regarding the previous Magistrate, Thaddeus Zephos, who seemed to be involved in cults and scandals, and asking the undertaker, the party is informed that the corpse of Thaddeus was never recovered, as Kendrick claimed his master went in the Black Mire to find a cure for his ailment and never returned. The party now is certain the employees, most of them working for the Emporium, are hiding something sinister and plans on infiltrating the estate, despite being forbidden to even approach. Spying on the building at night, under heavy guard, the adventurers spot a horse-driven cab entering with a few figures in dark hooded cloaks emerging and vanishing into the shadows, and immediately call Silas, the ginger sergeant who arrested them the previous night, to allow them to enter the building by claiming a sacrifice most foul is to be taken. But when they arrive, the cab is nowhere to be found and none of the guards recalls a cab arriving at the scene. Mystery intensifies.

Characters involved
Rolf the Bold, fighter 1
Yudel, dwarf 1
Beldar the Brave, fighter 1
Li, halfling 2

By the end of the session, the players had a general sense of the machinations pertaining the Magistrate's position and a cult possibly linked to his death. They had no doubt the employees of the estate, along with some of the fateful night's guests, were involved in all the grim events surrounding the murder, or even were responsible. The major setback they had was the estate being under heavy guard, thanks to the reckless invasion, from the last session, that alarmed the residents and let their connections to the city garrison take special measures. As they would be immediately arrested, had they had their presence known near the estate, the players were forced to plea for help, first seeking Gylain the city official, then going to the city barracks and trying to persuade the sergeant into letting them gain access to the estate. This route caused them to spend extra time, thus missing any chance of catching the real culprits red-handed.