The session begins with the players discussing their drinks and the Dungeon Master mentioning he is testing a new virtual tabletop tool, Foundry VTT. Sam is absent due to an anniversary trip, and Joe is delayed at work, so the rest of the group begins the planning phase without them.
The party thoroughly reviews the five pages of stolen cargo manifests to create forgeries for their dead drop, aiming to lay “scent trails” and hide valuable shipments belonging to Aria Corp and the Tierwin Kingdom. The key alterations they make include:
Seeking the identity of the “Governor's Son,” the group asks Julian at the Boxcar tavern. Julian reveals the four ruling families of the Hillish Republic: Hillish, Smirt, Lively, and Demoris. The party connects this to the name Benjamin Demoris on their manifest.
The party heads to the Garden Terrace to deliver the forged manifests into the hollow of the area's largest tree. To create a distraction, David (Joe) loudly complains that the area is “too majestic” and rips a three-foot-tall trash can out of the ground. Amidst the bizarre spectacle, Taspar seamlessly slides the forged documents into the tree's hollow.
The group hides in the foliage until midnight when a finely dressed man arrives. Using darkvision, they identify him as Benjamin Demoris—the same rude man who interrupted their brunch in Session 3. He leaves a canvas bag and takes the forged documents. Mali retrieves the bag, which contains 500 gold coins, and the group burns the original manifests to destroy the evidence.
The next morning, the ship's captain, 71, delivers a telegram confirming the party's 150-gold wire transfer and announces that King Dunphrey Tirwyn has requested an audience. The party dresses up and uses their high charisma to bypass the maitre d' at the exclusive Aether Palace, gaining access to the King's opulent private suite on the upper decks.
Over a lavish breakfast, they officially accept the King's mission to help redistribute Aria Corp's power in the new world. The party shares that they have intercepted cargo manifests. The King confirms that Lot 204 is his Royal Trust—the financial backing for a new settlement—but he is completely unaware of any heavy weapons being smuggled onboard.
The King then shares a personal concern: his 26-year-old half-elf daughter, Jennifer, has been missing for over 30 hours. He asks the party to discreetly keep an eye out for her, warning them not to let her know he sent them due to her rebellious nature.
After the meeting, the party changes into modest clothing to blend into the lower decks and heads to the animal cargo bay to investigate Lot 504. Finding the guards distracted playing with the animals, Meili and David successfully pet the King's dogs. The session concludes with the players planning to investigate Lots 504 and 105 in their next game, scheduling it for February 7th.