This session happened to fall on Ymir’s Player’s birthday, so I decided to gift a free Nat20 that could be used at any time for this one session. Jyn’s Player got one, too, since their birthday passed mid-campaign and I hadn’t thought about gifting Nat20s at the time.

With the letter of introduction in hand, the Party left the garrison for the asylum. Draco met up with them partway, since he felt safer being with them after everything that had happened.

At the asylum, the Party saw a bell with a rope attached by a reception window. A sign that read “Ring for Service” hung above it. Jyn “took off his ring and threw it at the bell” (I’m ashamed of myself because I didn’t catch what happened right away). A few minutes later, an ornery Psychiatrist wearing a turban came to the window. Unfortunately for him, Chaka continued to ring the bell because “he liked the sound.” Important work and Chaka’s ringing made the Psychiatrist less inclined to let them in, but the Sheriff’s letter persuaded him otherwise.

“My orderlies will fetch the patient,” the Psychiatrist said. “Please wait here, and DON’T touch anything!”

To which Jyn promptly responded, “This one touches EVERYTHING.”

Not maliciously, mind you, just simple taps and pokes on every item, table, and chair. Needless to say, almost half of this Party probably needed admittance into this insane asylum…

The orderlies cart out the Bodyguard, bound in a straitjacket. He’s pale, frazzled, and mumbling. Jyn could tell he was close to death’s door. Chaka tried casting his trademark Detect Magic, but couldn’t sense anything. Ciara decided to take a closer look at him.

The moment she did, the Bodyguard jerked his head up and turned straight to her.

“He said you’d visit me. My master has a message for you. ‘Meet me at my [redacted], and I will end the hunt in your honor.’”

Thanks to a high enough Knowledge (local) check, Ciara knew that [redacted] was a mansion far to the south that was tied to the Nobleman from Session 1. (cue wide-eyed look from Ciara’s Player).

The Bodyguard broke free of his restraints and attacked her. The Party voted to go for non-lethal damage. This was Ymir’s first combat session, and for her very first attack, she dealt 20 points of damage with the flat of her blade (this was when I realized that if I didn’t beef up future enemies, this Blood Rager would wreck everything). Chaka followed up with tripping the Bodyguard with Thunder Stomp, and Jyn wrapped everything up by knocking him out.

As the orderlies carted the unconscious Bodyguard away, the Psychiatrist begged them not to tell anyone about one of his patients attacking someone, lest he lose face. The Party said they’d have to tell the Sheriff, but they wouldn’t spread it further than that. The Psychiatrist asked them to wait for him to wrap a couple things up before leaving and went downstairs for something. Sensing something amiss, Chaka summoned another mouse to tail him. The Psychiatrist returned and went to fetch a couple more papers, but the mouse came zooming back to Chaka, squeaking something about “dead men.”

Jyn, who may or may not have heard what Chaka said about the mouse’s message, decided to cash in his birthday Nat20 to “tie up the Psychiatrist and check for a face underneath the turban.” Obviously, since this isn’t Harry Potter, the face of He who shall Not be Named wasn’t there, but the Party did use this opportunity to check downstairs.

Down below, the Party was greeted by a Necromancer and two zombies. Complaining that the Psychiatrist couldn’t do a good job at keeping outsiders away, the Necromancer and his servants attacked. Of course, this did not work in his favor. The Party was more than a match for him, and Ymir did some of the most damage. First, she defeated one zombie with a single attack (described it as bisecting the zombie “the bad way”). Later, she used her birthday Nat20 to insta-crit the Necromancer. How’d she do it? If you’ve ever seen Dragon Ball Z when Future Trunks cuts through a bunch of Frieza’s men, nothing happens, he sheaths his sword, and then everyone’s armor falls to pieces, picture that, except with a 360 No-Scope maneuver and instead of armor falling off, it was the Necromancer’s head.

Unfortunately, while the Party was busy downstairs, the orderlies returned, freed the Psychiatrist, and all of them escaped. The Party reported to the Sheriff, and a warrant was issued. They ended the session wondering how everything was connected (all while upgrading their now 5th level characters).