Session 0 - Sweet Isolation

This is the second session zero of the campaign Echoes 2.

Summary
The war convoy of the Kingdom of Dunland sleeps one last night on the road before heading back into the capital city Kronstrad. A mech called Sweet Isolation is still stirring with activity, as it's pilot Benjay “Bags” Maddux prepares dinner for three. He fiddles with the back compartment of his mech and out spills Astrea and her tiger cub Flora. Bags goes and gets their other friend Acaelus. The three enjoy dinner together, Bags and Acaelus complaining that the military planned for them to wait within eyesight of the capital, but not to go in until the morning so they could be part of the parade. There is a sudden knocking on the cockpit of the mech and the figure indicates to turn off the cabin light. Bags complies, and the trio sees a member of the Junagauge Arcanis standing there. The member stares into the cockpit for a little too long before she walks off. The trio discusses how they need to keep Astrea hidden from people who pry too much. After some drinking, Bags suggests that the three head out for the night and shoot some arrows since he heard Astrea was a good shot. The trio finds a clearing with an odd patch of turned up grass as if something was dragged through there, and Astrea has a flashback that she doesn't remember, seeing the crack in the earth as a crack in a white cobblestone road. Astrea shows off her shooting, and Bags tries to show off his knife throwing, losing it in the brush and darkness after a wild drunken throw. After a minute or two of Bags not coming back after looking for his knife, Astrea and Acaelus start looking for him. They find Bags in a clearing bleeding out, surrounded by woodland animals. The woodland animals suddenly shift into demons and they attack Astrea and Acaelus. After they fight off the demon and ensure that Bags is alive, the group sees a massive yellow-eyed demon pass through the wood, deafening the group as it grew closer, and returning the sound as it left. The three then discuss if they should keep this incident silent or inform someone. They agree to hide Astrea while Acaelus goes to inform the JA member they saw earlier in the night, her name is Delphine Gerhart. Delphine inquires on the missing member of the trio in the Sweet Isolation and says that while she investigates the demon activity that Acaelus would need to find where Astrea went. They decide to quit the ruse and have Astrea appear but only in the Sweet Isolation, not to come outside. Delphine questions the group more and realizes that Astrea is an aasimar, but seems like she’s not going to tell anyone, and if the group needed help in the future that they could keep in contact. The next morning the gang arrives into Kronstrad to the fanfare of the city, but with some sideways glances at the returning soldiers. The parade stops when it reaches near the inner circle of the city by the Heroes Promenade. It looks as though the King is giving a speech, but Acaelus and Astrea are too far away to hear. There are sudden sounds of angry and disgust that pass by like a wave down the line until the news hits the group. The King declared that they would be unable to pay all of the returning soldiers all at once for their duty, which was one gold piece for every day of their service. Instead, the soldiers would be paid once a week 7 gold pieces on Coinday. This would mean that the soldiers would have to stay in the city for another 10 years to get their true payment, or until the King can acquire more money. Many of the soldiers are unconvinced that the Crown has any money. Bags suggests getting away from the area before a riot starts, so he parks the Sweet Isolation with his camp and brings the others with him to stay with him at his family’s place. Bags’ family lives in a shabby apartment on the southern side of the Gullies, and when they arrive Bags father doesn’t seem to be happy to see his son, and eyes Astrea and Acaelus warily. The two meet Bags sister Lacie, who seems like an innocent child. As the night continued Astrea overhears Bags’ father talking with Bags about how she seemed weird, and that he called the guards to take them away. This caused Astrea and Acaelus to hastily leave the apartment, and evade capture. They succeeded and ended up at a bar known as the Jaunt, where they met a barmaid named Joy, and her mechanical bartender Mix. The pair went to sleep for the night in the establishment, on the run, but safe.