### Conditions - **The Ribbon** - 1 use (-2 penalty to death saves) - **The Fiddle** - 1 use # Session Start > The stones that form the walls of the meager tavern are darkened from the oils that have accumulated over years of the taverns patrons coming and going. A small community of hardworking miners and laborers frequent the pub, and where they lack in number, they surely make up with heart. You smell the fresh Pina Colada as you raise it to your lips, the glass nearly slipping from your hand as it shifts beneath the melting frost that once comfortingly coated its polished surface. A cozy moment momentarily teases you in the distance just before you're alerted to the reality of the world around you. The crimson Monastery looms large in the distance, and the friendly bartender stands before you. # Session Summary Session began with the party in the pub in Dawn's Gate, where the bartender was briefing them on the comings and goings. The party learned that the followers participate in the Sanguine Hunt, where they collect living things for some ritual purpose at the monastery. The bartender informed them that there are lots of creepy rumors surrounding this, but didn't seem to really buy into it. They also learned that many people in town are not fond of the Crimson Dawn or what they've done to the monastery. He's free to talk about this stuff at the moment because it is the Night of the Flames, when the sanguine hunt returns from their raids for the purification ritual. Parabellum asked about landscaping/trash collection for the monastery, and the bartender told him about the landscaping company that is responsible for this. Louis then went to search the landscaping business and (having rolled a nat 20 on stealth) found little resistance to his surreptitious efforts, uncovering a whole bunch of interesting trash and items that he collected in a cart that he wheeled back to the pub. He also opened a chest using a key he found nearby and retrieved a journal and some valuables from there as well. He collected some landscaping uniforms as well, which the party wore as part of their disguise in a plan to infiltrate the monastery. They used some of the tools they've gained in their travels to forge the name tags on the jump suits to make it more believable. Meanwhile, Cletus was learning about the Crimson Dawn attire from the bartender, who apparently is keen to represent their clothing using his abstract art skills. Cletus used this information to create an outfit that he then donned before leaving the pub to try and blend in and interact with other members of the Crimson Dawn. He was fortunate to find a group of stragglers getting into a carriage destined for the monastery, and they were more than happy to take them along to the purification ritual. The other party members joined them, some claiming to be interested recruits and others saying that they are headed that way to perform some landscaping. Eventually the party arrived at the monastery, where the guards admitted the carriage hastily as to not interrupt the ceremony. When reaching the courtyard of the monastery, the party saw a number of people bound to stakes set seemingly destined to be set ablaze. One of these unfortunate individuals was their friend Gazza. While the party watched, Parabellum was cruising around in the sky and eventually landed on the bell tower of the Monastery. Before long, a welcoming Father Renathyr magically appeared before him, and Renathyr did not seem concerned about Parabellum's presence. He welcomed him to view the ceremony from the bell tower should he chose to do so, and went on his way. The ceremony then began, with Father Renathyr talking about the purification process, and sent Friar Olaf around to the heathens to see if they would submit and bend the knee to the Crimson Faithful. All of them agreed with the exception of Gazza. Seraphine and Ember succeeded in persuading Renathyr to giving them a private counsel, where they performed a seductive dance in the name of the crimson dawn. He was fascinated by their performance, and encouraged them to continue their pursuit of the Crimson Faithful. They did get some clues from him about his sword, Duchess. Ember even attempted to touch the sword at one point, which caused her to experience a powerful hallucination of a witch/deity-like character who seemed to be aware of Baba Yaga. While Seraphine and Ember were performing for Viraxys, the party used Hypnotic Pattern to hypnotize the cult members so they could free Gazza from his post. With even more insane rolls, this worked out. Louis crafted a grass scarecrow that resembled Gazza which they burned. The real Gazza was given a landscaping uniform which he donned and did his best to blend in. As far as the party can tell, this seems to have worked swimmingly, and Renathyr appeared pleased with the cleansing upon his return to the ceremony.