#rebaobsessions

There were a few more text RPs between sessions, leading with Gabriel spending the night at Balthazar’s ( @the-grey-hunt) and Rhodey ( @rebaobsessions) winding up at his door in the morning like...a puppy? (He’s the opposite of a puppy, but is very cuddly.)

Following some very good conversations, Balthazar joins Tony and Rhodey on the route back to the inn to see them off to their S.H.I.E.L.D.-assigned quest.

Balthazar finally meets the party under non-stressful situations.

DJ (doxblogsstuff): Hi, Rhodey. Hi, Tony. Hi, random stranger.

Balthazar: We've already met.

Zira ( @heliocentricgeometric): Why are you here.

DJ is apparently masterfully restraining the urge to call Balthazar “Uncle Balthazar.”

Balthazar joins us for breakfast.

DM: Balthazar accepts coffee. 

Tony: Since when do you drink coffee?

Balthazar isn’t the only one to partake in caffeine.

Lynn ( @lynnnnnnnnnnmnnnnnnnnnnnnnmnnnn [again what the fuck]): [Bob] is going to take a cup of coffee, and probably chug it, and burn himself in the process but also keep chugging.

Formal introductions are made, since Balthazar was in too much distress last time to remember anyone’s names. Also Zira was Zee at the time.

Rhodey: Balthazar, this is Zira. Also sometimes Zee and Ezra, depending.

Balthazar, skeptically: Okay.

The cats make a reappearance, doubtlessly crawling all over Bob and Luna.

Balthazar: Why do you have cats?

Luna ( @imagine1117) and Bob at the same time: Why not?

Breakfast is eventually over, and Balthazar takes his leave of us.

Rhodey: It was great to get to know you a bit better this morning. 

Balthazar: It generally is with me.

(The CONFIDENCE)

Balthazar has opinions on Gabriel’s friends.

Balthazar to Gabriel: You have weird friends.

Gabriel really doesn’t have anything to say on that in his friends’ defense.

Luna has another particular comment to make on Balthazar, who is shorter than Gabriel regardless of what he would like to tell you.

Luna to Bob, re: Balthazar: He's shorter than I was expecting.

Bob: I'll tell you next time if he's a giant or not-a-giant.

We wind up on the road, and Zira is...unusually and shiftily quiet. She seems guilty about something. Rhodey rolls insight.

reba: I beat ZIRA on insight??? What is this?

(Zira has passive 18 insight.)

Rhodey goes to ask Zira what’s up and if everything’s okay.

Zira: There's no need to worry. 

Gabriel, under his breath: There's definitely a need to worry.

Rhodey: Is there something you'd like to tell us?

Zira: I'd like to not tell anyone. Ever. Forever.

Zira: What's there not to be worried about? There's always the chance that you'll hate me for something I do, and you'll leave me alone to die.

Absolutely no one is convinced.

reba: Rhodey is giving Zira...I don't know how to describe it except as a patented mom face.

Helio: On reflex, Zira makes a face back.

DJ: I'm gonna tell mom about this! Not Rhodey-mom. My mom. OUR mom!

Zira reluctantly tells the party that she’s joined S.H.I.E.L.D. without letting anyone know and is expecting punishment for it now. 

Zira: We're a unit, and I did something without the unit, so I should be punished right now.

Tony does actually say something at this point, something about how Zira can make her own decisions and it’s her choice, etc. Rhodey is also supportive because they did know what Zira was going to do since she wanted to join.

We end up in the town we need to be in! And Zira wants to put the ring of disguise on so she’s not so blatantly an aasimar.

DM: Natasha definitely took back her ring. Well, I say took it back; it's more like the next time you went to use it, you didn't have it any more.

Suggestions are bandied about with what to do about the book! We were told we can buy it, but not for more than 700 gold pieces. Stealing was suggested as an option - an option Tony did not and does not approve of.

Luna: We split into two groups. One group goes in disguise so we can frame them, the other group steals the book.

Bob & Luna: S t e a l.

Rhodey, Tony, & Zira: :/

DJ: Steal.

Tony: >:|

Rhodey is thankfully very much also against stealing.

DM: Her title is the Lawbearer and her symbol is scales on an axe, and the axe is there to remind you of what happens if you don’t obey the scales.

Around this time I did need to leave, so we’re down to highlights, and I have zero context for any of these quotes, sorry.

Alatar shows her usual tendency to over-prepare in some cases and under-prepare in others (ala accents).

DM: I didn't do this ahead of time, which I'm now realizing was a mistake.

Luna says a thing?

imagine: (clears throat)

Lynn: Hear ye, hear ye.

The Vesper Timberlands are brought up, largely because the person holding the book is interested in them and wants information on it.

DJ: How much do you know about [the Vesper Timberlands]?

Luna: A lot.

The party is apparently discussing ways of getting the book by trading knowledge.

Zira: Does xe want to hear about murder?

reba: This party and knowledge, I swear. 

DM: And yet so many secrets.

They eventually decide on Luna giving Zimmer information on the Timberlands. The entire group goes.

Zimmer: Some chairs have been put out for...the 3 of you that were expected.

imagine: Luna glances at Rhodey. He looks responsible. Rhodey seems like a normal person. Is this normal?

Luna begins her tale of the Timberlands? Which I missed.

Luna: There's also the Old City, which is an...old...city.

(And the New City, which is new! There’s also the Ancient City, which is as old as balls.)

The info given is enough for Zimmer to hand the book over, so...mission accomplished!

DJ to Zira: Well, you didn't get to talk about murder after all.

The party is curious about why S.H.I.E.L.D. is so interested in the book. They try investigating. (At this point I am no longer in an airport and can listen in but not participate.)

Rhodey: Now, you smart people, do your thing.

Reba: And Rhodey continues sharpening his axe.

The book is difficult to parse out, largely because there’s a spell on it. Zira is observant enough that she notices it. There’s a brief argument where Bob really, really wants to rip the front cover off, but most of us disagree. So we wait until the next morning to take the spell off. In the meantime, Tony and DJ have read through it because it’s entirely written in Celestial and taken notes (and continue to take notes on the way back) on the contents.

It’s a book entirely on warlocks and their pacts. There’s also information on a web of dreams that can protect people’s dreams.

By the next morning, Dispel Magic reveals that there’s something hidden in the cover! Zira insists on prying the cover open herself.

Helio, after rolling: Fuck. Wait, no, I have a great modifier, so not fuck.

There’s an actual web of dreams in the book itself! We head back to Ankh and to S.H.I.E.L.D.

DM: Do you hand over the book and the web?

Everyone: (resounding silence)

Rhodey: I certainly hope so!

S.H.I.E.L.D. is very pleased with us.

DM: You each get 320 gold pieces.

Everyone: (various noises of disbelief and amazement)

And that’s a wrap for Session 18! Which saw the party do an entire side quest in one session. Alas, I missed most of it but I think this is still a pretty concise summary.