This was written by my friend and player Rob L., posted here with permission:
Went to Moldy Unicorn to inquire on owner of the purse + wooden nickel found at the bookshop. Barkeep Gorra identified “Latch” as the man with the scar, member of the Severed Hand Gang. Approached by “The Sage” of the Bloody Crown gang who claimed to know the way to the bathhouse that was the head quarters for the Severed Hand Gang. Super trustworthy, 10/10, no notes. The Sage lead the party into an ambush. Rosie and Theodred injured. Acquired crossbows from thieves. Party pushed on to the bathhouse, Theodred swapped out with Raybrid. Infiltrated bathhouse to find secret entrance behind the shrine to Elana which is opened when a small silver statuette of Elana is placed on the plinth. Door opens for one minute and then closes. Three guards down inside. Party moved on to question Temli. Telmi lets party into the store, and he feeds the cat. Party learns that Magister Baiene may be (TB) on the library card and Veric may be (VC). The bookstore owner (Seraine Malcorven), Veric, and Baiene summoned the demon and when the bookstore owner was at her weakest kidnapped her and took her to the bathhouse. V.C. is likely the character Latch was seen with by Temli.
Our heroic adventurers start today’s adventure in the Cats Lantern Tavern, which is in a working class area of Crodeux. We learn from our larger adventuring team that a blind beggar said there was an entrance by the Ink & Ash bookshop. The owner of which hasn’t been seen in 12 days. Our teammates earlier broke in and stole almost everything. Among the finds were a wooden nickel with a moldy unicorn on it, and a bookmark that said V.C. authorized by T.B. of Lyceum academy.
Ran from specter/ghost. Early in the day, we head to the Moldy Unicorn, in the Warrens, a rougher part of town, over the Saint’s Row Bridge. We meet some friendly guards who inquire if we’re there to solve the issues with the poor. We have no idea what that’s about.
Moldy Univorn is 3 stories tall, placard actually moldy with unicorn on it. We meet Gorra, a burly eye-patched woman and see a few straggler patrons. We can tell through reluctant conversation she knows the scarred person as Latch, he lost his coin purse 2 days ago. We pay her 4 GP for the info because he’ll be violent with her if it comes out she’s talked about him. She doesn’t know the cowled fellow with dusty cloak except he’s a student of Lyceum. Latch may be at a nearby Scaldworks bath house.
One of the patrons introduces himself as the Sage. We ask if the bath house is a thieves guild, he says yes, and can take us a shortcut through the sewers. We agree and then notice he’s taking a roundabout route that’s confusing so we mark our path between buildings.
Sage leads us into an ambush, 8-9 people with crossbows. We engage, 2 of our team nearly die, but they are no match for us. We gain their crossbows and coin. Their group is called the Bloody Crown, Sage ran away when the fighting started.
We learn Latch is part of the Severed Hand guild and bath is one of their fronts. Rumored to engage in foul sorcery, as well as abduct and eat children. We learn that the guy with robes is called Veric. We go back to our tavern and exchange a PC with a Barbarian.
We go to the Bath house, which has some goddess architecture around the entrance. Latch shows up with a cart of supplies and helpers at the house help to bring supplies in. Latch is a brawny guy with a scar that looks like it was the result of a fight or torture.
We talk to Latch, try to buy our way in, then enthrall him, neither works. We can see inside a bit and see a marble statue of Elana, ancient goddess or Purity. One in our party distracts the clerk, another sneaks in behind the serving girl bringing in supplies. He finds barrels with supplies, many small silver idols that are illegal to have. Takes one, gives to our member Rosie. Rosie pays to go into the baths.
A serving girl comes up to Rosie and mutters in thiefspeak ‘Unchained is the hand that is severed’ and shows her an idol. Rosie fails the response, and then tries the same tactic on another girl. She learns the response ‘To be severed is to be liberated’ but is confused by the next interaction, and tells Rosie to take the statue to the chapel area with the statue. Rosie finds a spot to put her if. Secret door opens, she goes in, realizes people are downstairs and she’s out of her depth, so she heads back to us and lets us know what she found.
We then go to the alley by the shop and don’t find anything. We go to the warehouse and talk to the attendant, Temli. He tells us what he saw including Latch and Veric leaving with a body-sized bag, and earlier a professor, Magister Baiene, dropping off a book. We go into the shop with Temli’s help, one of our party talks Feline to the cat, named Ser, stole a ring from Veric, gives it to us, one of us puts it on, it’s magical and is a ring of protection + 1 or equivalent. We also find a paper that says ‘on request if T.B.(Magister), summon demon with Veric’ (or something similar)