59 - The Price of Water

Nesvalyn gets back from Vizerrik from his search.

Nesvalyn gives the Tiara to Melody and we wait that Persy and Melody are ready.

After the teleportation, we're in a desert in direct sunlight. When turning around, there's a small city,

It stinks a lot, with a musk of sweat and human waste.
We head towards the city, near sandstones buildings. And we notice that many blankets are tied to make some shade to protect themselves from the sun.
We're exposed to a Wundera we knew from before, but with a Post Apocalyptic look.
It was originally a Dwarven city, as they're still a majority. We notice a few Bright Irons, and a few Warforged and Dwarforged.
Except when we analyse them closer, they seem more advanced than Persy, like they're further iterations of his model.
We're getting new clothes, and when we're about to pay, we realize our crystal shards won't work anymore. We trade Persy's old waterskin, as water is more valuable than gold in this place.

After thinking a bit, Axel realizes they can create Water, and so is Hugh.
We're going to the jug saler, and try to get a jug against some water.

We go to the "Water" forage place a bit outside the city.
↪ [Sleight of Hand - Pass ✔] Axel casts the spell "silently".

Persy sighs

[Investigation - Pass ✔] We find the stables in town, looking like a big garage with two big doors. When we're going inside, we find these strange vehicles with two wheels, and the front has a metallic horse head.
We're trying to learn more about these from the salesman.

We walk out and leave Gemini alone with him for a minute. Then Gemini walks out and regroup with us.

[Investigation] As we're looking around, we find more about the city:

• The water reserves are controlled by the Royal Family.
• By passing a white building, we notice one black building with a figure in a black robe, where people enter when they want to join the Undying.
• Near a square, we see a young dwarf, tap dancing on a piece of a wood, but no one gives him money. At one point he stops as he sweats heavily and seems tired.

Axel goes to offer a bit of water to him, who thanks them after dancing too much for the spirits.

Persy leaves.

Nesvalyn goes to check Persy.

We follow Reddi through the city, and we're getting in an underground. We all enter then Persy gets in last, everybody draws their pistols towards Persy.

Coming out from a curtain on a raised platform, we notice a dwarven woman, missing an arm with no prosthetic.

The Leader observes and jauges us, trying to read our intentions.

She turns to Persy.

We start our planification, and start by gathering information about the Barbers.
[Investigation] After exploring, it's a different Barber, and when asking. When observing the joints, Nesvalyn notices that some staff leaves from the front door when the royal guard shifts. Once the main entrance is closed, the second floor closes later.
Persy notices that no one enters for hours, and a Warforged stumbles out and wonders off the street, and he decides to follow the new Warforged. It appears they're stumbling around, looking confused. He grabs them by the shoulder.

[Perception - Pass ✔] Persy notices that the Warforged starts to gently vibrate.

[DEX Save - Fail ❌] The Warforged freaks out and explodes, and Persy takes 19 bludgeoning damage and is proned.
Persy stays down and would cry if he could.

There is some damage around from the blast. Very quickly, Royal Guards are swarming to the place of the explosion. The Guards come to check on Persy.

They go help the others. Persy stands here for a moment, then stands up and goes to check back the Barber, they switch to "Close" and shut down the entire building.
Persy looks for a party member, and spreads rumors about the barbers being the cause of the explosion, and finds Axel, trying their best, not finding much.

And he shares the information he witnessed, while not sounding great.

Persy walks away, notices Hugh and turns away.

We all reconvene after a while and share our informations found.

Nesvalyn enables the [Psychic Whispers] for 6 hours.
Persy casts [Invisibility] on Axel to sneak in a barber shop.

The front office looks like a regular barber shop. Passing the curtain and going to the back office, it looks like a medical lab. There's a shape of a body with bloodstains next to it.
When going to the upper floor, Axel squeezes through the opening, and notices a circle of bright red mushrooms. No one else is here.

[Investigation] Axel finds a logbook with the records of the official barber, and another logbook locked, but cannot find the key. They take it to bring it to the party.
Axel gets out from the window and regroups.

[Investigation - Pass ✔] Nesvalyn detects it's not trapped.
[Lockpick - Unlocked 🔓] Nesvalyn unlocks the logbook, which appears to be for the transformations. The first ones are the name of the people with their signatures, with the payment being done by a "S.H".
The last couple entries have names and pays, but no signature from the patient.

When we ask around, we learn that the King is named Suhail al-Halim, and the princess is Samara al-Halim. We learn that their Queen is dead. And by deducting, we suspect the initials are from the King.

We report to the resistance, and learn that the fruits for the Dryad tears are from a tree from the Royal Palace.

After a bit more planification, we decide to go checking that "Barber".

Next session: 60 - The String Trio