Session 14 - 2026-06-08T00:00:00.000-04:00

Player Characters

Recap

Gus and Purrcival spent some time discussing a plan for approaching the village, ultimately coming to a method using their combined skills with animals and magic to scout things out first, and then use that information along with the rest of the team to determine a best approach. While discussing this, the two also started to discuss what happened when they first visited the village, risked their lives, and resulted in Gus being frustrated with Purrcival. They were able to work themselves to a common ground and bury the hatchet… well most of it anyway, Gus planned on calling Purrcival a butt for a while yet.

While Gus and Purrcival were caring for their animal friends after the conversation the rest of The Crew rolled in with wounds and fatigued looks. They had just handed off a prisoner to Naomi and journeyed back to the warmth and comfort of the Celestial Sips. They caught them up a little on what had happened, and proceeded to get some rest and patch their wounds.

The next morning they met to discuss next moves and after a little back and forth decided the best approach would be to hit the facility in Purrcivals Old Village at night, so they made some preparations such as buying equipment and planning details for most of the day and ended up at the outskirts of the village around dusk. The scouting animals were able to determine the timing and number of guards in patrols and that there were two buildings being used, a barracks and a main building, both disguised to just look like abandoned buildings. They also noted that the main building was hard for the little beetles to get into because of a pressure coming from it.

The crew decided the best plan would be to set some traps in the nearby forest and use the illusion generated by Pete’s gem to appear as General Zoric and order those waiting in the barracks to go in that direction to deal with a threat. The crew laid their traps and the mercenaries in the barracks were surprised and Pete’s act was incredibly convincing. As the security team sprung that trap the crew made short work of them, knocking them all out in a very coordinated attack.

The next step of the plan became to wait in the barracks until the next patrol showed up and ambush them when they arrived. They searched the barracks, gaining access to an armory in the rear of the building and taking a few of the items. They also poked around the barracks for information and money, finding a little of each, but not enough to be exciting. They then laid in wait until the next patrol arrived, arranging things to look as much as possible like the others were sleeping and setting a couple of traps.

Paul heard the next patrol arriving and heard 2 voices. He signaled everyone and they hid and waited. The first guy came in quietly, but noticed the armory had been left open, he cursed and started to cross the room to investigate, the second guy following him in. The first one was startled into one of the traps and the second one shoved. The group then subdued them, however, a third guard was outside smoking and had witnessed the fast and violent exchange. He tried to bolt, but with swift reaction and his wings Pete caught up to him and knocked him unconscious, dragging him back to the barracks. They tied them all up and made them look like they were sleeping before moving on to the main building. This only left 3 or 4 unaccounted for guards, and Calix was likely one of them, as he had not been seen yet.

At the main building Rhys checked the main door for magic, found a detection ward and dispelled it with relative ease and the crew snuck inside to find a 4 way intersection ahead, and a door directly to their side. Through a window in that door they could see what looked like a room for coordinating the patrols and guards, including a person alone in there. Paul decided to keep an eye on this room from the hallway and wait, while the others pressed on into the building following the sounds of pained animals and people.

The crew found a kind of clean room at the threshold of some kind of laboratory and inside they could hear a pair of scientists discussing an active experiment while the creatures inside all emitted a tired kind of wailing. The crew decided to wait and listen. The two seemed to disagree on whether the experiment should continue and risk losing their specimens. Ultimately, one of them shut it down and after one more exchange he distractedly headed for the clean room, not even really noticing the crew, clearly lost in his own thoughts. He was quickly knocked unconscious and the crew then moved into the room with the other guy who was cleaning things up. Purrcival restrained the surprised person and Velvet immediately used a blood harpoon to pull herself to the scientist and knock them out.

The crew then began to investigate the lab.

Velvet examined what kinds of animals were being kept, realizing they were mostly medium to small mammals, but a few humans were here and a pair of massive enclosures were meant for something that seemingly was burrowed underground. Each of the creatures here are Lunatics and each is affixed with one of the control collars the crew had seen before.

Gus communicates with one of the trapped hounds, which seems lethargic and tapped of energy. Gus thinks about freeing the Lunatic, but eventually thinks better of it and decides to simply state that they won’t be hurt anymore.

Purrcival takes a closer look at the larger enclosures, realizing that one is for current storage, and one seems to be reserved. Both he and Velvet realize that the claw patterns match a particularly dangerous type of Lunatic, and the kind that seemed to lead the other Lunatics in raiding Purrcival’s village.

Meanwhile upstairs, Paul catches the security officer trying to leave the room, he quickly reacts slamming the guy in the face with the door, stunning and dazing him. He manages to squeeze off a shot, but it flies wide. The close quarters fight is then disrupted as everyone who heard the gun shot rushes upstairs and the man realizes he’s easily out matched. He surrenders and they tie him up and gag him and return to their investigations.

Pete found some notes and research information, learning that the group had discovered a lunatic in the wild a long time ago that used ultrasonic frequencies to control others. They had begun research using lunatics and sound waves and adapted the collars. They also had a list of where they sourced their lunatics from and notes on each test subject.

Rhys investigates the machine the scientists had been using and discovers that it seems to be a transmitter of some kind. But contrary to what Pete found, the current experiment was using subsonic frequencies. It seemed to be hurting and draining the lunatics, but what the purpose of that was was currently unclear.

The crew then searched the rest of the facility, first finding a storeroom with supplies for both the lab and those living here. They then found what was some kind of control room, with a map of the surrounding environs, notes and a desk. Looking through the control room brought the revelation that this operation had been going on before they moved here, instead on the outskirts of the city. An accident happened, setting loose a number of the Lunatics they were experimenting on, which were attracted to a nearby village, Purrcival's Village The lab relocated to the village in the intervening years so they could monitor the lead escapee, a powerful burrower which had set off this chain of events in the first place. They had detailed notes on its last known location.

With this information what will Purrcival do, and how will the group feel about it if he seeks the catharsis of revenge against a dangerous lunatic? Will the crew chase down the lead of where these lunatics were sourced from? What of their other leads? And just where is Calix and the remaining mercenaries?