Sleeping City
Adventurers from the Prismatic Guild were hired to provide security for an Inspired inquisitor by the name of Daedrin, who had unspecified business with the Tribunal of Thronehold. A House Medani tracker whose services had been contracted by the inquisitor, Theran d’Medani, was the one to reach out to the guild, out of concern for his employer’s safety while in the unsavory port city.
Upon meeting Theran, astute members of the party noticed the man was suffering from a debilitating headache. Lysette chose to follow Theran back to his room at the Silver Way Inn while the rest of the group conducted a dry run of the route. At the inn, the Medani revealed he was helping the inquisitor track down a war criminal, a fugitive wanted by the Tribunal of Thronehold. His symptoms had started a few days back, when he and the inquisitor had been hot on the criminal’s trail outside of a mining town in Karrnath.
At a merchant’s estate in Greenwall the next morning, where Daedrin was staying, Theran arrived late, his illness appearing to have worsened. At times he would utter words in a strange language, or display fleeting aptitude with psionic abilities. The inquisitor’s first stop was at the Riedran offices in Throneport, where the inquisitor met with a woman by the name of Lupea. After the meeting ran long, the inquisitor insisted he skip his planned lunch at the Greenwall estate and proceed directly to Thronehold for his audience with the Tribunal. Outside the Throne Gate, tensions began to mount owing to Theran’s erratic behavior and Lexi’s detection of an outside presence interfering with his thoughts. When the party revealed their concerns to Theran and the inquisitor, the Medani drew a dagger—and stabbed himself.
The party split after this, with Lexi and Hjalrom accompanying the inquisitor to the castle; Mario and Art bringing Theran to a Jorasco healing house; and Lysette heading to the Silver Way Inn to find Theran’s antidote for his poison-tipped blade. At Theran ’s urging, Art also searched the inquisitor’s carriage and found his journal. At the Silver Way Inn, Lysette was ambushed by an unseen assailant and left unconscious. At the Jorasco station, the party discovered that Theran – or someone – had attempted to flay his dragonmark from his face. Meanwhile, Art deciphered the following message in the pages of the inquisitor’s journal: “I am forced to communicate using simple instruments. We must cease normal communication. I have confirmed it is her. She is able to track our communication. I do not know how.”
Back at the castle, Daedrin is informed the Tribunal has rejected Riedra’s request to summon the war criminal. On their way back to Greenwall, Daedrin told Lexi about his suspicion that the criminal he was hunting was here in Throneport, and warned that the paladin’s friends could be in danger. Too much time goes by without hearing from Lysette, which leads to the party going out to look for her. The party finds her unconscious on the floor of Theran’s room, which is in a state of disarray. They recover the antidote and wake up Lysette, who had been suffering from a strange, terrible dream. Lysette and Art then went to deliver the antitoxin to Theran while Hjalrom, Lexi, and Mario went to find the inquisitor in Greenwall.
Lysette and Art encounter a mysterious woman at the healing house, with shadows seeping from her eyes. She says her name is Laurelanya and claims to be the criminal the inquisitor has been hunting. She is visiting Theran to see to his recovery and informs Lysette that she, too, has been afflicted by the strange disease. Laurelanya reveals that the inquisitor and his companion, Lupea, are behind the affliction, and that the party in Greenwall is in grave danger. Lysette and Art rush to their aid.
By the time the party is reunited in Greenwall, it is clear that Khyber herself has visited the merchant’s estate. The bodies of the house’s owner and staff are found, dead and mutilated. The group, convinced this is Lupea’s handiwork, search the rest of the mansion for survivors. They find a frightened maid, Antonia, who says the carnage was caused by a woman with dark eyes.
During this time, Lysette’s headache had begun to build. She began to speak in a language she didn’t know, which frightened Antonia. Pushing forward, the party is confronted by the inquisitor, who does not seem particularly upset at the grisly scene. He demands that his journal be returned to him. However, when he attempted to suggest that Hjalrom fetch it, the party retaliates. During the ensuing battle, Daedrin summons nightmare creatures while Lysette receives strange powers from the Dream entity, who is keen to weaken the inquisitor before the arrival of Lysette’s “sister.” This is revealed to be Laurelanya, not Lupea, who makes quick work of the weakened Daedrin. Laurelanya tells Daedrin her “master” has coveted him as a vessel of the Inspired, and also demonstrates her power by finding his quori within Dal Quor and banishing him. The party learns it was Laurelanya who had committed the murders at Greenwall, and was the one to infect Theran and later Lysette. She – and the Dream – have orchestrated everything and manipulated them into helping her. In the end, she teleports away with the unconscious Daedrin.
Theran is nowhere to be found, but the party’s payment was made, with compliments. After all, it was Theran who had hired them, and he now belongs to the Dream. The whole party is certain that this is not the last time the Prismatic Guild will see Laurelanya. Especially not Art, with Daedrin’s journal, and Lysette, who has been plagued by constant headaches and nightmares ever since...