Tales of Scale and Fail

# Session Recap: The Parallel Tales Convene

**TL;DR:** The nine adventurers gathered aboard the Tide Skimmer to receive a furious briefing from Kristoff, who revealed the House of Five's plans and urged them to strike Scarbosa's crew before sailing north to destroy Cindradel's ale distillery near Phalen.

Reconnaissance and Recklessness

The party debated their next move at the Withered Bird Inn, weighing whether to infiltrate the Lavish Chateau, ambush Scarbosa's ship, or lure the dragonborn bodyguards into a trap. Kithri transformed into an owl and flew to the chateau, perching on the opposite building to scout the entrance. She spotted only the doorman standing outside while flickering lights and shadows moved within the stained glass windows. Meanwhile, Grisyl headed downstairs to the inn's bar and asked the young blonde barkeep about the chateau's schedule. The woman confirmed a show was already underway and would run for about an hour. Kithri returned through the inn window mid-flight, transforming back into herself and colliding with Mervyn. She reported no one outside the chateau, prompting the group to decide on a split approach: some would enter for intelligence, others would stake out the area.

Inside the Lavish Chateau

Grisyl and Kaelan approached the chateau's doorman, who initially refused them entry since the show had already started. Kaelan slipped him ten gold, and the doorman quietly ushered them inside. The Ruby of the Sea performed on stage, her ribbon dancing mesmerizing Kaelan while Grisyl scanned the room. She spotted Kristoff seated at the front left table, flanked by Scarbosa, a red-haired dwarven woman, and an angelic dark-skinned woman in silvery robes—Lady Kisara and Cindradel. Behind them stood the four dragonborn bodyguards. An empty chair sat between Kristoff and Scarbosa. Grisyl touched her earring and relayed the information to the others waiting outside. Kaelan sent his pseudo-dragon Jaxxeth scurrying along the floor toward the table, where it picked up fragments of conversation: Kisara demanding urgency, Scarbosa vowing to find and kill whoever sabotaged him, Cindradel boasting about her new ale, and Kristoff reporting clear skies.

Scrying and Surveillance

Behind the Stoutbridge fishery, Kithri cast Scry on Kristoff's earring. The spell lifted her incorporeally through the chateau roof, and she heard the full conversation. Lady Kisara snapped that the three dragons needed to hurry and carry their weight—Scarbosa maintaining the ocean, Cindradel the land, Kristoff the air. Scarbosa admitted losing his base and another ship but vowed to find the culprits. Cindradel claimed everything ran smoothly on her end, promising the world would soon be introduced to a new ale that would wash away concerns. Kristoff confirmed no aircraft threatened the skies. Kisara ordered Scarbosa to fix his failures. The scry ended after ten minutes. Meanwhile, Novriel sat with Litton and Mervyn outside the fishery, quietly praying with his hand on his sword hilt. He invoked the Platinum Dragon with a formal prayer, asking not for the deity to fight in his place but to stand beside him against the four evil dragons. He rolled for divine intervention and succeeded. Warmth pulsed from his pendant and breastplate, emanating outward. Litton and Mervyn felt the overwhelming heat encompass their area, and a wordless feeling reached Novriel: *I hear you, my child. When the time comes, I will aid thee.*

The Show Ends

As the Ruby of the Sea's performance concluded, the audience applauded and began filing out. The House of Five remained seated, waiting for the crowd to clear. Scarbosa and the four dragonborn rose first and headed for the exit, walking past Grisyl and Kaelan at the bar. Kristoff slowed his pace, glancing back to ensure the others were out of sight, then stopped beside the two adventurers. He told them sternly they needed to talk somewhere safe, instructing them to meet at their ship with the dome ready, then continued out the door. Outside, the party at the fishery watched Scarbosa and his guards walk south toward the docks. Viktorin cast Scry on one of the red dragonborn, following the group as they cut through the southern district into the Open Key. The two reds bickered and bet on who would score the next kill fastest until Scarbosa turned and ordered them in Draconic to shut their mouths. The scry ended as they reached the docks.

Kristoff's Fury

The nine adventurers reconvened aboard the Tide Skimmer. Captain Cotton and his crew—including the red-skinned tiefling BoJack, who exchanged a secret handshake with Kaelan—retreated below deck. Kaelan set up the hourglass dome, and Kristoff snapped his fingers, transforming the interior into a campfire surrounded by stump seating. He began by furiously rebuking Grisyl and Kaelan for entering the chateau after he explicitly told them not to. He warned they could have exposed the entire alliance and ruined everything, though he admitted they got lucky because the House of Five had been distracted. Mervyn, frustrated by the bickering, fired his pistol into the air to silence everyone. Kristoff whirled on him, half his face covered in blue scales, and snarled that the gnome was fortunate the dome muffled sound or the shot would have alerted the entire dock. Mervyn stood his ground, demanding Kristoff speak to them as allies rather than scolding them like students. The tension simmered as Kristoff grudgingly acknowledged nothing had gone wrong—this time.

The Plan Takes Shape

Grisyl demanded information about the House of Five's plans. Kristoff explained that Cindradel operated a distillery in a mountain northeast of Phalen, where she brewed an ale designed to make people forget their problems and crave more. Kobolds would deliver the first shipment to Phalen within the week as a test run. He revealed the four dragonborn bodyguards were contracted by the House of Five—the gold one raised by Cindradel, the two reds hired muscle, and the violet one belonging to Kisara. They currently guarded Scarbosa because he was failing and needed protection. Kristoff proposed a two-stage plan: first, the party should coordinate with their city contacts to clear the western docks, then ambush Scarbosa's ship and crew while Kristoff lured Scarbosa away. If they eliminated his crew and the dragonborn, Scarbosa would flee, scattering the other dragons and forcing Cindradel back to her lair. The party could then sail to Phalen, intercept the ale shipment, and assault the distillery. Kristoff warned that if Scarbosa transformed into his true dragon form within the city, he could devastate Nikodranas, though doing so would ostracize him from the House of Five. He instructed the party to contact their allies tomorrow, then reach him via earring once the docks could be cleared.

Tomorrow's War

Kristoff stood and told the group to avoid doing anything else stupid tonight. He departed the ship, leaving the nine adventurers sitting in the dome as it reverted to tents and bedrolls. The party now faced a narrow window: speak with their Nikodranas contacts in the morning, coordinate the dock evacuation, and strike Scarbosa's crew by tomorrow night—all before sailing north to stop Cindradel's ale from reaching Phalen.