Chapter Nine "Into the Upper City" (2026-05-30)

Over breakfast discuss plans for ways to get into the Upper City with Reya and break for various plans.

Talon & Sima look for a library only to find they only exist in the Upper City so go in search of bookshops instead.

Flea & Reya spend the morning looking for "Leap" and find him dumpster diving. He assumes Flea has finally gone straight with her fancy armour and kick-ass flail so his hesitant to help at first but after promising to take his boots to a good cobbler he agrees to help find a way. Leep gives Flea a whistle to blew when the group is at a grate he's pointed out to summon him.

Talon & Sima have no luck with the books & end up paying some serious gold for some history books including a "rags to riches" story of Duchess Vanthamper.

They also head to the harbour where Talon enquires with local workmen trying to find out about grate construction but rubs a few people up the wrong way and ends up with a punch to gut for his troubles!

Vaantrick sends his familiar to scout out the Vanthumper residence and she reports back there's many guards patrolling a two story building with a large wall surrounding.

Back at the Elfsong tavern Alan delivers a response to Sima's letter - they have a nobles recommendation to be in the common areas of the upper city and the Jhasso household.

Reya is keen to set out straight away, Sima briefly glances through the one of books they purchased today "From sludge to high office - the Duchess Vanthumper" and discovers the duchess:

  • Is a barrel chested 6ft tall with large, well honed, forearms from her days of bareknuckle fighting
  • Born is sou's foot and worked her way up to the Master of drains & underways
  • She was windowed three times, a son with each husband.
  • She's a smart, cunning and front runner for the next archduke
The group head out with Reya and meet Leap at the agreed grate and, in return for a paid for ticket stump at the cobblers, Leap shows the group a route through the sewers. After an hour of crawling they reach an area they can stand on dry stone. Leap is c onfident he's brought the group to the Vanthumpers residence but a grate is blocking the way.

After brute forcing the grate open the group encounter some cultists on the way the finding the residence. After dispatching with the initial group of cultists they find a room with a 9 pointed star on the floor, 9 candles on each point with a faint hint of divination magic hanging in the air. This is obviously some kind of ritual room with pictures of put fiends on the ceiling.

They later find another creepy room, Honey find some cleric robes, Vaantrick find correspondence and vague journal entries and letters written on behalf of the Duchess. Flea finds a necklace with the symbol of Torm (a right-hand gauntlet held upright with the palm facing forward) and pops it around her neck without a second though. It's obvious this room was occupied by High observer Kreeg.

Reya is even more incensed