Session 28

Recap & Opening

You left the library in the mid-afternoon—the custom weapons from the Canopy Forge wouldn’t be ready until tomorrow—and were intercepted outside by a canopy porter carrying a delivery from the mayor: a letter that had arrived the night before. The paper was weightless, and could not be bent, torn, or burned. Its wax seal bore no crest, only the impression of an open hand, palm up. The inscription read: “For Presentation to the Bloodline of Germonia, in the Matter of Outstanding Debt, Instrument No. 7,441. — The Ledger.”

You went into the jungle to check on Sable and found her with the Wild Things. Sable got ahead of the bad news before anyone had to tell her: she already knew her bargain with Dagon hadn’t ended anything. She spoke plainly about killing her mother—not with regret that it happened, only that it had been necessary—and admitted, for the first time, that she had no plan beyond surviving day to day. Then, reluctantly, she produced a letter of her own: the same weightless paper, the same open-hand seal, found pressed into a tree three days earlier and addressed to her by name. She hadn’t opened it.

Back at the Coconut Grove Inn, both letters were finally opened. The envelope from the mayor unsealed at Sable’s touch, confirming she was the Germonian heir it was meant for; her own letter opened the moment she picked it up. The first was a formal notice: Instrument No. 7,441, declaring that the debt Dagon had extracted from the House of Germonia had been purchased, consolidated, and transferred in full to a new holder—The Ledger. Dagon no longer held the claim. The terms remained the same: one daughter of the Germonian bloodline, freely given, for dominion over the fractured kingdom of Grimm.

The second was personal, addressed to Sable. It told her, plainly, that what she gave Dagon was an offering, not a payment—that gifts don’t close debts. The debt was her bloodline’s, older than her, older than her mother, and not her fault. It was also not resolved. The Ledger claimed to be neither her enemy nor her friend, only “the record,” and told her that if she wanted to know whether the debt could be voided, she should ask her companions to take her where the compass points.

The moment Sable finished reading, the buoy—still in the party’s possession—pulsed with cold necrotic energy, striking whoever held it. Prying open its brass core revealed an enchanted brass compass whose needle spun and settled toward four distinct bearings. Cross-referencing the compass against local nautical charts, the party mapped out four possible destinations: Wonderland to the northeast, where the Queen of Hearts holds tyrannical court; the Highlands to the north, where McGonagall has been investigating the Ledger-Keeper; the Lowlands directly east, the Beldam’s expanding domain; and Micchu to the southeast, a purely mortal empire ruled by Emperor Kuzco, untouched by divine or fey bloodline deals.

With a merchant vessel bound south, the party weighed the options and made their choice: they will head southeast toward Micchu.

The Canopy Forge & Settling the Ledger in Belleville

The party collects their finished custom steel from Petra at the Canopy Forge, who reviews the balance points and craftsmanship of each weapon before sending them off.

Before boarding, the party meets with Mayor Barnaby at Town Hall to conclude their business in Belleville. The party presents evidence that the magical buoy’s necrotic core has been extracted, the surrounding waters are clear, and the localized maritime hazard driving monster attacks and deliberate shipwrecks has been permanently neutralized. Barnaby inspects the findings with visible relief, officially signing off on the contract and counting out the party’s full reward of 500 gp in crisp Belleville mint coinage. Cassidy Wren also provides a packed send-off basket from the Coconut Grove Inn to sustain them on the voyage.

Contracting Passage: The Saltwharf

At the ocean docks, the party books passage aboard the Gilded Condor, a sturdy southern merchantman under the command of Captain Imara Quispe.

• Captain Imara Quispe: A blunt, sun-weathered mariner in an oilcloth hat adorned with harbor tokens. She charges 15 gp per person for shared berths (40 gp for private cabins), offering a 20% discount if the party works watch rotations.
• The Complication: Imara has caught wind of debt-collector rumors surrounding Sable. A DC 14 Persuasion check (or candid honesty) is required to assure her that the ship will not be endangered by imperial or supernatural warrants.
• Secret Cargo: During boarding, the first mate quietly stows an unmarked crate with no manifest tag, evading questions if pressed.

Underway: The Open Ocean

The three-day voyage southeast across open water features quiet shipboard life, watch rotations, and long conversations with Sable regarding the inescapable nature of her mother’s defaulted obligations.