Session 3 kicked off not with a well-deserved rest, but by plunging straight into the grim discovery made at the end of the previous session: bodies afflicted by the plague were being unceremoniously dumped into a sewer grate in the Copper District. Before venturing into the underground darkness, the session began with some necessary practical steps, including updating character sheets, checking levels and hit points, and handling character sheet migration within the virtual tabletop environment.
With preparations made, the party descended into the dark and grimy sewers. The environment was notably dark, challenging even those with darkvision. Shortly after entering, they overheard a clandestine conversation taking place deeper below ground. They heard mentions of House Blackwood, a need for more silver, and a lament about three members of their clan being dead. This immediately established a connection between the mysterious body disposal and the powerful Blackwood family, suggesting a darker plot than just illegal dumping.
The eavesdropping quickly escalated into a combat encounter. The party faced the individuals they had overheard, initially described as half-orcs and a human. These opponents were later joined by animated dead, specifically zombies. The fight involved a variety of tactics:
- Spells like dissonant whispers were used to cause enemies to flee.
- Magnify gravity was employed to damage and slow opponents.
- Physical maneuvers included attempts to shove enemies into the sewer water and grappling.
- Character abilities such as reckless attack, rage, and sneak attack were utilized effectively.
The combat proved challenging, with characters taking damage and one being subjected to debilitating spells like blindness/deafness and hold person, which left them paralyzed for a period. Ultimately, the party defeated their opponents. Following the fight, there was a brief discussion about looting the bodies before the party decided the priority was to return to the surface and report their initial findings.
Their destination was Sandor Lachman, the Copper District Council member who had initially hired them for relief efforts. They located him at the City Council meeting hall and secured a private audience. The party relayed their discoveries: finding bodies being dumped into the sewer, and their previous, unsettling experience at the bakery. Regarding the bakery, they described encountering suspicious individuals (later confirmed as the half-orcs and human from the sewer), noticing barrels bearing the Blackwood logo, observing these individuals mixing contaminated grain from the barrels with the normal supply, managing to procure a sample of the suspicious grain, and noting the panic of one individual when some of the substance touched him.
Sandor examined the vial containing the grain sample, observing that it looked “a little funny”. His demeanor changed significantly upon hearing about the individual’s panicked reaction to contact with the substance; he became extremely cautious with the vial. At this critical juncture, an assistant interrupted, delivering news that visibly shocked Sandor: three bodies had been found dead in the bakery that morning. Sandor immediately turned to the party, asking if they knew anything about the “crime scene”. The party maintained that they had only taken a sample and left before the bodies were discovered.
Recognizing the gravity and political sensitivity of the situation, Sandor urged the party to keep their findings “hush hushed”. He promised a reward for any concrete evidence identifying who was behind the poisoning. He then introduced another pressing mystery: the fate of the dead bodies. He explained that plague carts were supposed to transport bodies to the Temple of Mysteria for cremation, but none had arrived. Sandor himself had attempted to follow a cart but lost it in the winding streets. He tasked the party with investigating what was truly happening to the dead, emphasizing the need for discretion and warning them to “trust no one,” specifically advising against asking Lieutenant Dan directly about the missing bodies.
Before concluding their meeting, Sandor provided some insight into the Blackwood family members currently involved in the relief efforts: Mora (whose name is on the daily reward flyer), Ander (being promoted as the new heir and also heading relief efforts), Lady Webster (described as cold, formal, and “old money”), and Bram (who was involved but mysteriously disappeared for a week before recently returning).
Session 3 concluded with the party having shared their initial, alarming discoveries with Sandor. They now had a new, two-pronged mission: investigate the potential poisoning and, more immediately, find out what was happening to the missing dead bodies while maintaining discretion. They were instructed to return the following day for payment and potentially further assignments. The escalating situation in the Copper District suggests their involvement is becoming increasingly entangled with a much larger conspiracy.