Game summary for April 22, 2025, Chronoshift: Spelljammer campaign, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, for Phoenix Gaming Club. Session included: Callum Spellhardt (Human Sorcerer played by Parker Harmon), Finch Bloodrain (Half-Hobgoblin Slayer played by Peyton Harmon), Hekera Nephera Mawhesk Vyk’sebekenka (Sebek-ka Fighter played by Preston Harmon), Hwrulf (Human Unchained Barbarian played by Paul Potter), Notch Bowman (Human Fighter played by Andrew Renfrow), and Snagyndar Blackthorn (Huldran War Master played by Casey Scruggs). Game Master for this session was Charles Plemons.
🏛️ Legal Wrangling at the Citadel
Following their detention in connection to the violent scene at Professor Tormak’s home, the party remained under scrutiny—until Vinnie Getz arrived with freshly minted barrister Leo Gambini, who delivered a rambling but strangely effective legal defense. With barely a thread of logic (and a lot of yelling), the charges were dropped, and Captain-General Sental Nurev ordered the group released, albeit with a warning.
As the party stepped outside, Finch reappeared—bloody, battered, but alive.
⚰️ Finch‘s Tale: Death, Capture, and Escape
Finch recounted the harrowing events the rest of the party had not witnessed:
- After entering Tormak’s manor alone, he was ambushed and killed in mere seconds.
- His contingent spell triggered breath of life, bringing him back to life.
- The assailants bound him and led him away, arguing over his identity and discussing the “prize”—which they believed the professor could help them find.
- They also mentioned Tormak’s daughter as a backup target.
- The assailants failed to finish searching the house and only retrieved a letter, which Finch was able to tear in half and steal back before escaping.
- Using his earth elemental belt, Finch transformed and earth-glided back to safety.
The enemies are associated with the Scarlet Brotherhood, a known terroristic faction.
📜 The Letter Fragment
The group read the salvaged portion of the professor’s letter. Key revelations included:
- Tormak had once encountered a tablet fragment rumored to be part of a powerful weapon.
- His encrypted journal is hidden in the vaults of the Guild of Wizardry, and only he and his daughter Adeline know how to decode it.
- He feared for his life and asked his friend to locate Adeline should anything happen to him.
🧭 Gathering Clues
Determined to find Adeline and the journal before the Scarlet Brotherhood, the party pursued several leads:
- They returned to Mirre Soot-Eyes, their candle-smuggler contact, who confirmed the Scarlet Brotherhood is active across the southern continents—particularly in Hepmonaland.
- With no immediate trail to follow, they attempted to visit city archives to find records of the Tormak family, hoping to learn Adeline’s whereabouts.
Unfortunately, attempts to diplomatically gain help from archivists went poorly (with three players critically failing their skill checks), until Finch, ironically fresh from resurrection, successfully located birth and tax records:
- Tormak was a native of Greyhawk.
- His daughter, Adeline Tormak, is 22 years old and currently a university student in Clerkberg, the temple and university district of Greyhawk.
📚 The Grey College Search
Following their release from custody and Finch’s dramatic return, the party resumed their mission to track down Adeline Tormak, daughter of the missing professor and the only known person who could decipher his encrypted journal.
Their investigation led them to Grey College in Clerkberg, where they spoke with university staff. Initially, their inquiries were rebuffed due to strict record-keeping laws. However, after some persistent (and much more charming) diplomacy, Snagyndar persuaded a clerk to notify campus security.
Though the staff wouldn’t break protocol, they agreed to have Adeline located and told about the party—only to later confirm the worst: Adeline was also missing.
🏛️ The Guild of Wizardry and the Trade for Knowledge
Determined not to waste time, the group traveled to the Guild of Wizardry, a massive arcane pyramid guarded by dwarven porters and open only to guild members or those with appointments to trade magic.
Using their credentials and silver tongues, the party met with Kondradis Bubka, the “Mage of Exchange.” They negotiated a deal: in exchange for 6,000 gold pieces and the Apostolic Scrolls of Kyuss, Bubka granted them Professor Tormak’s encrypted journal from the vaults.
The group now held the key to unlocking the professor’s knowledge—if they could find Adeline and her cipher.
🔁 Return to the Garden Quarter and Ambush!
Their final move of the evening: return to the Garden District, to the same street where Finch had been ambushed. The party hoped to retrace his steps and potentially pick up the attackers’ trail.
Instead, the trail found them.
As they approached the manor house, the shadows stirred—and armed thugs stepped out to confront them. It became immediately clear that this was no random mugging. These were the same men—or their allies—who had attacked Finch, and the confrontation was inevitable.
The session ended on the brink of combat once again.
