The blood-bound Paragons ushered the semi-conscious knights out of Siren’s Kiss. The young front woman was bribed with a simple drop of Akalar’s blood, and the knights retrieved some of their gear from a nearby chest. The blood-bound and the knights reunited with the other half of the party.
While hidden behind the blacksmith’s curtains, the party learned from the knights some of the mages were taken to a dark spire on the outer section of the city. The Paragons decided to continue rescuing their crew before heading to the docks.
At the tower, named Sanguine Spire, the Paragons spotted a ring of windows at the uppermost floor. Arturo led the way, scaling the tower with the grappling ropes the party had created. Once Arturo had a ring of ropes leading to the top, the party scaled the tower. On the top floor, they found a dozen people resting in the semi-sunlit room that were blood-bound to Nicoletta. One warned Arturo to stay away from “her”, that she was “no good”. Arturo investigated the man but did not seem to know what he meant. A second person claimed he had been sold out at the second Festival of the White Flame by the reigning champion, Avus. He asked the party for one final favor before he passed: that they bring Avus to justice by any means. The party promised to pay him that kindness. Finally, a third person, seemingly the most recent prisoner, offered to give the party a distraction if they were to descend into the inner sanctum of the tower. He claimed they would need it if they planned on facing the “First Sister”. The party agreed, giving the man a battleaxe. Afterward, they descended to the ground floor on a magical stone disc that descended. After retrieving Vinio and two of the knights from outside, they took another disc that descended into the depths of the Sanguine Spire.
Underground, they found the First Sister, a blonde siren, performing some ritual on a massive black cauldron filled with blood. The blood seemed to have a magical essence that would hop across the surface like fish leaping from water. Around the cauldron were countless rows of tubes that held many people suspended in a strange fluid. After a moment of waiting, a flash of red lightning flashed in the blood cauldron, seemingly angering the First Sister. She began to storm to a separate disc to ascend the tower. As she ascended, she happened to spot the Paragons hiding on a high platform, so she descended off of her disc, sprouting black membranous wings to break her fall, though she did seem to suffer some damage. She goaded the party down into the chamber for a “fair fight”. The Paragons descended from the platform to face the new villain. During the battle, the First Sister willed the tubes to fire magical projectiles upon the party while she remained levitating above the blood cauldron, which was allegedly one of Nicoletta’s “phylacteries”, if the prisoners from the top floor were to be believed. Once the party at last defeated the First Sister, she sprouted her black wings, her features elongated to similar characteristics of the strange, feminine statues around Atrae, and she attempted to fly out of the “Chamber of Marrow”. Her wings gave out from the injury, and she fell into the cauldron of blood, her last words being, “Forgive me, Matriarch.”
Once the mages awoke from being suspended in the tubes, the Paragons were relieved to find they were not yet blood-bound. The pony-tailed female mage added that her name was Wave, named after the seas of Naviga, and that these sirens, known as “blood sirens” seemed particularly interested in magic users’ blood. Wave also regretted to inform the Paragons that she did not know where Leo nor Cassian were, but that the crew was being held in a warehouse by the docks. Akalar had thought to check for a stealthy path when he had ascended the Sanguine Spire, so that they could avoid the blood sirens that were now out and about Atrae since the moon had risen.
The party successfully snuck through Atrae, avoiding being spotted by the roaming blood sirens going about their business. Though they now felt the spray of the sea water by the docks, they still only spotted ravens as the ubiquitous wildlife.
Inside the warehouse, the party saw several groups of humans, elves, and various other races that were blood-bound, moving, sorting, and inventorying a warehouse full of goods. The remaining crew they were searching for appeared to be blood-bound. Wave noted they would have to find the Overseer and break her hold on the crew.
Cain checked some of the manifests, noticing that several shipments were missing items, or that the manifests had been altered. The Paragons realized that perhaps the Overseer could be blackmailed, or even bribed for the crew, to avoid another scuffle. They snuck to the looming Overseer’s office that overlooked the warehouse. Those blood-bound to Wren offered to speak to the Overseer.
Inside the office, they found a rather bored Blood-Siren, six knights standing guard. Though the blood-bound Paragons tried to issue veiled threats of revealing the Overseer’s sticky fingers, when they mentioned wanting Dieter’s crew as the recompense, she rifled through a logbook on her desk. After looking at it and each of the people inside, she saw through the ruse. Though the jig was up, the Overseer added rather bluntly that she was open to bribery. Though they paid more gold and valuable items than they really wished to, the Overseer performed a spell on her amulet, freeing the crew, and she said she would not mention a peep of their escape to anyone.
Once all remaining members of Dieter’s crew had been reunited, save for Leo and Cassian, the party began discussing their next move. As they were talking, Cain interrupted, two manifests in his hands. He explained he had found the records of Lucia’s ship, Red Midnight, and Nicoletta’s ship, Sanguina. They both had a departure time of mere minutes from then, and both figures would be on board each ship, with five other blood sirens in tow. Cain added that they would ideally need to avoid these ships and find an empty one, but with a somber tone, he explained Leo was listed in the cargo for Red Midnight, and Cassian in Sanguina’s cargo. It appeared that Nicoletta had planned for insurance. Cain also handed over the flame-shaped plaque Cassian had made for the Paragons, stating he had found it in a nearby container. Though it was a heart-wrenching decision, the Paragons decided that if they had to choose, Cassian was the wiser person to save. With that, they made their way for one of the bay doors to find the Sanguina…