Adventures in Beast World - Session 17 - Dinner with the Baron

Session Date: 2024-02-27 5 Saattaa 1365 After a day of shopping and primping, the crew makes it way up to estate of Baron Mansque IX. Some of the party is visibly on a bit of an edge, some are bubbling with nervous energy, while others try to maintain a sense of composure. They are brought into the estate by Vaughn Larkspur, the Baron's manservant. Vaughn makes it quite apparent that he looks down on the station of the party, even seeming to question his employer's taste in bringing the rabble into this house. The party is briefly greeted by the Baron, who asks them to wait just a bit before dinner will be ready. Vaughn ushers the crew into a sitting room and before leaving is mindful to warn the crew not to break anything. While waiting and looking around the room, some of the crew do and discover some interesting things. Sam finds a jade chalice that is nearly exactly the same as the one her mother has at home. Without really thinking about it, Sam gravitates toward the chalice, and has to be blocked by El from actually trying to take it. Meanwhile, Fynn discovers some books talking about some of the new arcana that has been being documented since the collision of the Broken World with the Beast World. Of particular interest was a book talking about the Astral Sea. Phil finds some interesting collections of ancient iconography of the known pantheon of Beast World deities. Alex seems to fixate on the organization of the room. Something about it just doesn't sit right with him. As he starts to try rearranging the furniture, Vaughn returns and gathers the group to usher them into the dining room. He directs everyone to very specific seats at the grand table. The crew find themselves sitting at a grand table with settings and decor that make it quite difficult to see anyone else at the table. Their place settings consist of silverware that they are not used to seeing. Clearly this is not going to be your average fork and knife meal... The Baron starts to tell the group about why they are here. He has been following their exploits, and seems to know an awful lot about most of the crew. What might be most alarming though is that the Baron had Sam's parents in his employ, and on many a previous occasion it would seem. However this time, they seem to have gone missing and not checked in for over a month. The Baron brings up Phil's past, in a public, yet discreet way. Asking if the party knows what Phil is there trying to do. The discussion seems to go largely under the radar of the rest of the crew, though they were watching salad carnage. Phil and the Baron do come to agree that this crew seems to have potential that Phil's last did not. The Baron addresses Fynn. Making some comments about family and lineage and being in the right place at the right time, he is somewhat cryptic, but strangely similar to a past conversation Fynn has had. The Baron now trains his attention to Alex, the somewhat unexpected guest. However despite Alex only recently joining the party, the Baron has done his homework and is able to speak intelligently about Ale's past. He suggests that Alex may have found himself in a position to make some old debts go away. In general, the Baron seemed to know far more about everyone in the crew than any of the crew expected. The Baron explains that he would like the crew to pick up the investigation where Sam's parents left off. He also would like to find out what happened to and hopefully rescue Sam's parents. He explains the dire nature of what he suspects, the ancient evil that is stirring and trying to make use of the new Dungeon magics to further their agendas. Everyone raises a toast to the his new partnership. The baron agrees to give the crew a bit of financing for the upcoming adventure as well.