Having successfully fought off Elethi’s Wards, a team of assassins sent to kill Keen on behalf of “Handsome” Henry Smalls, the party made their way down to the Forth Tier to find a place to rest and regroup in a tavern they could afford.

Sirlius had several questions for his new companions, not least of which why armed assassins were being sent after Keen. Reticent to answer as always, Keen eventually divulged to the party that he’s been on the run from Smalls and the Spectacular Spectacular since the night his partner Abel died. He thought it was an accident, but there were whispers of murder. Worse still, in the chaos someone robbed Smalls, cleaning out the ringmaster’s tent. Henry Smalls blamed Keen, so Keen ran. While the party was inclined to believe that Keen had in fact robbed Smalls, he was adamant that he would do no such thing: he always hated Smalls, but the money stolen was for the entire circus, whom Keen called his family. Yuna decided Keen was being sincere, but he was holding back.

While they spoke, Keen had been idly playing with a gold coin, running it across his knuckles. When he focused on the coin, it disappeared. Initially surprised, he quickly realized he could create a coin at will. Sirlius recognized the prestidigitation spell, and was surprised that Keen seemed to have spontaneously manifested arcane powers. Initially worried that Keen had accidentally entered into a pact with some nefarious power, Magnus observed that prestidigitation was in some ways similar to Keen’s dreams manifesting as reality in that both appear to be rooted in the School of Evocation, and realized that these effects had begun soon after their encounter with the first Shard of Bahamut, which Keen absorbed into his body. Unnerved by Magnus’s suggestion that Keen was somehow manifesting some fragment of the unbridled power of creation, a mote of Bahamut’s divine essence, the party wondered whether this might continue to escalate. Keen offered no opinion, and Sirlius showed great interest in acquiring more of these “shards.”

Later in the evening the party was surprised by a visit from Sabetha, the tiefling assassin who stole the Dragonhead coin from them on behalf of a client of Madame Elethi’s. She had apparently been keeping track of the party’s adventures in the city of Uman since being arrested in her dressing room at Zandilar’s and openly expressed incredulity that in two days they had been arrested, released, deputised, fought strange creatures, took a meeting with a notorious gangster, tried to case Pashtum Bank, and both attacked by and defeated a group of Elethi’s Wards. Sabetha reluctantly allowed that the party seemed somehow capable, and as such, proposed a partnership: if they agreed to retrieve Madame Elethi’s ledger, Sabetha would assist them either with gaining access to Pashtum Bank, or “taking care” of Danta Kosht’s crew.

Sabetha left the paty then to consider her offer. They debated whether aligning themselves with Sabetha was wise, but Yuna pointed out they didn’t have any other allies, and despite how they felt about robbing a bank they did need the Dragonhead coin in order to find the next Shard of Bahamut. In the end, they agreed to work with Sabetha, and sent a message coded in Thieves Cant asking her to help them get into the bank ahead of Kosht’s crew.

Exhausted and bloodied, the party made ready for a long rest. Keen and Magnus were both asleep almost instantly, and Ara settled in to take a watch. As Sirlius made himself comfortable, he heard the familiar, inky black voice of his mysterious patron in the back of his head whisper “Touch the feather.” He began rooting around in Levani’s pack looking for something with a feather on it. When he explained what he was looking for, Yuna became alarmed that Sirlius would find and activate the feather Levani had found in Dis, which had granted them a vision of death on the Shore. Once it became clear Sirlius was intent on touching this artefact despite her warnings, Yuna summoned Stella and had her watch the tiefling warlock. In the morning, Sirlius again tried and failed to avoid Stella’s watchful gaze, and was not able to retrieve the feather.

Session Chronology Rating: Timey-wimey

Allies Acquired: One?

Keen Backstory Revelation Level: Guarded

RP Rating: Awesome!