TCRPG Archive

Quick Summary:

• Ziraphael and Tashi go to purchase anti-spirit supplies: Tashi buys salt and Z buys a vial of regular water
• The Party begins their journey to find Nat
• Nayeli opens her sight to the spirit plane on the way and sees a great number of spirits. Eventually, a strange, equine spirit with spearlike legs and a human face begins to follow her from a distance. This continues for hours.
• While the party takes a midday rest, the spirit continues to watch. Shenanigans ensue as Nayeli attempts to approach it, and the party is left traumatized by the experience
• Continuing more cautiously, the party runs into a broken carriage with two individuals. They say they're waiting for a third to return, as they were on their way to an outpost.
• The party helps repair the carriage partially, and aids them in finding the outpost
• At the outpost, a huge cluster of fire spirits begin to swarm the party. An enormous dragonlike fire spirit attacks as they rush to the safety of inside the outpost

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The warm afternoon sun casts an auburn radiance across the streets of Reitelden. The neat, half-timbered rooftops of the tall storefront buildings seem to perpetually reflect warm light into the streets below. The red tiles of the slanted roofs are vibrant enough on their own, but the transparent coat of Prestidigitive Paint gives them a quality of dreaminess unlike any other

…It's the perfect time to take a trip to the Garment District!

Once again, Seamus encourages the party to join him tonight at the Moonsetters. He insists that an air of elegance is expected at this… party? Ballroom? Club? He wasn't particularly specific. Nonetheless, the party takes him up on his suggestion.

Oats spots a tailor's storefront with a tiny mango tree growing just outside--a common symbol used among followers of Lathander. They approach, and use their privileges as a Chosen of Lathander appropriately for the first time! The tailor, an elven woman named Baeh-kaa De La Baurdah, happily offers Oats a set of golden prayer robes and warm socks for adventuring.

Stick searches for an outfit that doesn't sacrifice freedom of movement for appearance. She peruses rows of brightly colored dresses, quickly finding what she's looking for: a green dress with a slit in the leg and a garter, for quick access to concealed weapons.

Lacryma is happy with their travel clothes, thank you very much.

Neith finds interest in a set of flowy pink clothing quite similar to her own. The seamster, an older gentleman with a hollow eccentrism, offers it to her for 15 gold pieces. Right on queue, Seamus steps in to haggle with the man saving Neith 5 gold!

“You still owe me dinner, Seamus!"

With a few more hours left in the day, Stick decides to go scout out the city again, hoping especially to check the blue-lanterned alley in which she'll be meeting her drow conspirators once again. She slips away from in the crowd, almost perfect in her getaway, but is stopped by a single, gentle voice: Cora asks where she's heading. Stick is vague in her response, telling her she's simply exploring the city--not a lie, but not the full truth. Suspicious, Cora allows her to leave. Meanwhile, the rest of the party goes their own separate ways.

ꙮꙮꙮ

Lacryma makes a path straight for their usual place of respite: the library! They walk the streets uphill, past the hundreds of boats floating in the elevated docks., noticing the day's business. Bands of local fishermen send their white-sailed dhows rocking as they lift out their great hauls of Langermund Haddock and Leistun Bass. Creaking cargo vessels hold boxes upon boxes of goods imported and exported. Frigates of the Mynen Military's Navy loom over the rest, their banners of the country flag whipping haphazardly in the wind.

Continuing forth, he arrives at the library. Finely-cut marble pillars uphold the grand structure's convexing front side, with a set of heavy double doors held open for the public. Carved at the building's front arch is its designation--

REITELDEN PUBLIC LIBRARY AND SCROLL ARCHIVE

--as well as a phrase written in the jagged lettering of Old Mynen script, one repeated commonly enough to be understood by anyone. Its literal translation was thus: “The garden of the mind flourishes in the persistence of light." It was a phrase passed down by centuries of academics, an encouraging chant meant to remind inquisitive minds to stay diligent and consistent in their studies.

Lacryma peruses the endless shelves of books and scrolls. The shiny copper ends of hundreds and hundreds of scrolls are stacked in ordered diagonal rows like a grand honeycomb of information. A massive repository of the city's stories, history, and research lay before Lacryma. Where better to start than the mystery novels? They pick out a few fictional stories that pique their interest and relax for the first time in too long..

~~~

Neith decides to learn a bit more about the art and culture of Reitelden, an endeavor which Oats is happy to join her in. They visit a local art museum, a gallery dedicated to religious works made in the city. A few of them in particular catch their eyes:

Oats and Neith are interrupted in their perusal by an unwelcomed observer. Dressed to the nines in both outfit and personality, a tall human introduces themself as Von Dereiss, a vassal of Reitelden and “purveyor of all things beautiful." They take note of Oats and Neith's impressive way of dress, admiring their attunement to their own sense of beauty. The noble insists they accompany them to the Tournament of Harvest tomorrow, where they will be able to indulge in all the luxuries of the city's most wealthy while watching an epic battle in the colosseum.. They cautiously accept the offer, though off-put by the sudden invitation.

~~~

Suddenly, across the entirety of the city, affecting the business of every one of the party members, the ground below begins to hum a low rumble. The rumble slowly crescendos, until the very ground beneath them begins to jolt and shake. Lacryma watches scrolls fly off the shelves of the library; Oats barely catches the Lathanderian portrait before it can hit the ground; Stick sees the crowds of citizens trip and run about in panicked clusters as seemingly the entire world is shaken.

The pandemonium lasts only for about 30 seconds, before abruptly halting. Crowds of fallen people slowly find their way to their feet, a panicked buzz still lingering in the air. In almost no time, guards of the Mynen Military begin to permeate the area, attempting to calm the commotion. Neith heads straight for one of them, looking for answers.

The guards she approaches promises her that an explanation would be provided in due time. Commander Seik is already on the case, the guard's demeanor expressing that this was great news. They recognize the name--that was the half-dwarven man who'd been investigating the explosion at the docks! They ask the guard for Seik's location. He guesses that Seik would be in the countenance of Archduchess Aldayah, the political and religious figurehead of the city, seeking investigator's permission to search the city unbounded. Such a meeting would likely be in the Cathedral Hall. Neith makes a beeline straight for there, Oats following close behind.

It just so happens that the Cathedral Hall stands only a few buildings away from the library. Lacryma runs into the two, joining them in their journey to Cathedral Hall. Stick, too, finds her way to the area and joins them. Before they all can make it into the grand doors of the spired congregation, however, Commander Seik himself steps out, backed by a small posse of Mynen Military. The party approaches him, asking again for an explanation, and again being brushed off without one. They offer Seik aid in the search, but he seems reluctant to open up about any details on the phenomenon.

Stick, growing in suspicion, decides to attempt a secret look into Seik's mind. She casts Detect Thoughts, keeping her casting hidden from the Commander (with some emotional support from Alexandria!). Once inside his subconscience, she makes some interesting discoveries. A few of his thoughts float to the surface of her mind:

“Why are they so intent on helping?"

“We need to prevent another tremor, but we absolutely cannot stop production."

“This could risk the entirety of Reitelden's trade empire."

Digging even deeper into Seik's mind, she sees a vision: a shimmer of Seik's own memory, placed directly into her senses as if she herself had been there. She sees a long, cavernous room, with mossy rock composing almost the entirety of the walls and ceiling. The uniform-cut white stone of the floors lead to a straight walkway suspended over a pool of lightly bubbling ocean water. She watches as a line of people clad in grey worker's garbs haul burlap sacks over their shoulders. They stop in the middle of the walkway, kneeling to the water in front of them. With a small dagger, they each slash their bags open, pouring great masses of a fine white crystalline substance into the pool. After a few silent moments, the water begins to bubble and fizz, quickly ramping up into a deafening whirr of chemical reactions.

Stick's vision fades as the party parts from Seik. Stick decides to speak up about what she saw, and how Seik clearly knew more than he was letting on. They go back and forth on how to respond to this. Ultimately, they agree that it would be best to try to help out regardless of the military's secrecy, lest any civilians get hurt from future tremors. They decide once again to split up and search for answers.

~~~

Lacryma and Oats believe that the best place to start investigating would be the Civil Conjurers: a group of engineers trained in simple magecraft, who tend to the magical upholstery of Reitelden's infrastructure. They enter the magnificent City Hall where the Conjurers work--perhaps one of them in charge would know what had happened. They pass through the building's busy halls, witnessing the Conjurers in their state of workflow: Each one was dressed in fine academic attire, intently poring over stacks of blueprints, mathematical equations, and rudimentary arcane glyphs. Passing to the end of the hallway, they walk into what seems to be the central meeting room.

In this room they meet the Chief Conjurer, a half-elven woman who leads the Civil Conjurer team.. Lacryma convinces her that the two of them were hired by Commander Seik himself to aid in the investigation of the tremors. With a successful deception check, the Chief says they should “go downstairs and check it out." She guides them to a secret entrance within the walls of City Hall, leading them down a dark spiral staircase.

Meanwhile, Stick departs for other business once again. While the rest of the party is on board with uncovering the mystery of the tremors, she's a little occupied with her own issues: the sun sets soon, and she'll be expected at the Blue Lantern. She turns into the alleyway, surprised to find that, despite her early arrival, she's not the first. Zaria stands in the darkness, shrouded in an unnerving stillness that betrays almost no sign of life. They grab one another's attention, guarded, but understanding.

As the two wait for the arrival of their companion Dascha, Zaria speaks up. She reveals to Stick that Las isn't in Reitelden at all. The only thing Dascha intends to give Stick once she's helped is information from when they knew him. They don't know where he is now, only where he planned to go. She gives Stick an opportunity to back out: if she leaves now and doesn't return, Zaria ensures that they won't have any trouble from the drow again. Stick considers this, but still insists on helping.. It's an unfortunate development, but any information about Las is still more than what she's had for years. Zaria clearly disapproves; she allows this plan to go forth, but warns Stick of the nature of this task:

“This journey is a rite of passage to Dascha. You will not step in his way when he is faced with difficult choices, nor will you help him. Even if the result is his death."

Off-put, but sticking to her decision, Stick agrees not to intervene in Dascha's work. Zaria admits that she'd hoped the mission could have stayed hidden from all intruding eyes, but as long as only Stick remained involved, this “rite of passage" could likely continue without issue. Just then, two figures turn the corner: Cloaked in scraps of black mist, Dascha arrives alongside the looming figure of Neith.

Going back in time, we see Neith's course of action. She decides to go to one of the Mynen barracks, feeling a distinct distrust toward their intentions. She enters the central barracks, greeted by an ironclad orc with small spectacles. The orc informs her that, unless she intends to enlist, the barracks aren't open to the public. She tries once again to offer her service in the investigation of the tremors, but once again is shut down. She persists for a while, but realizes the knight won't budge. Just as she's about to leave, however, something appears in the back of her mind.

Being spiritually attuned to the Truth, there are times in which Neith is struck by slivers of knowledge beyond her own awareness. Presently, such a vision of enlightenment guides her eyes toward the back of the barracks to a human man. Without logical explanation, she sees something within the figure: he's hiding something. She knows preternaturally that this man isn't who he claims to be.

She gets the orcish knight to allow her 5 minutes in the barracks, and follows the false figure through the hallways into the training rooms. His subtle attempts to lose her sightline are in vain; she approaches him and begins grilling him for information.

The two begin a dance of words, circling one another with questions that jab and prod. Neith asks about his role in the military and what his work entails. He avoids direct answers, while also asking Neith about herself. Both of them quickly turn the topic to the tremor--as if both expect the other to have some explanation for it.

Neith notices, in the minutiae of his movements, a slight grasp towards his neck. She questions him on the unusual movement, to which he responds by exposing his neck: a large scar covers the surface of his collarbone and neck. Neith's attention remains sharp, however, and she quickly realizes that the man had subtly cast an illusion spell to create the scar. The jig is up, she decides. She confronts him directly, asking who he is and why he's lying. He tries one last time in vain to throw her off, before finally revealing himself.

“Stop talking! You're going to get us both in trouble. Meet me right outside."

With that, the two leave through separate exits. They convene in a nearby alleyway, where the man drops his illusory disguise to reveal none other than Dascha Iljani, still dressed in the blackened cloak of an Archimedian piwafwi. He threatens Neith, questioning her knowledge of himself and the situation at large. After a bit of aggressive back-and-forth, they both learn new development's about what Stick has been getting up to. Dascha realizes Neith truly doesn't know who he is, relieved that Stick didn't give anything away to her allies. Still exasperated, he decides it would make most sense to bring Neith along, rather than kill her or silence her another way. He saw the way she fought at the docks, and figures she could be helpful to him.

Neith agrees to come along, and the two make their way to the Blue Lantern.

Presently, Zaria stands dumbfounded before the cleric twice her size. She has little opportunity to chide Dascha for this obvious indiscretion, as he quickly redirects the attention to their mission.

The drow have deduced that the tremors likely had something to do with Beastmaster Kinit--he's a “disruptor of calm," as Dascha puts it. He claims that the best place to look would be the cliff faces of the city's edge. They depart as Dascha Pass Without Trace on the newly-formed party.

~~~

Taking the last steps down the spiral staircase, Oats and Lacryma enter a room strikingly similar to the one uncovered from Commander Seik's thoughts. The overwhelming scent of sea salt permeates the massive cavern chamber, its ceiling a tent of mossy stone. A band of Mynen Military kneel over the lone walkway, peering into the pool of bubbling water. They seem to (unsuccessfully) be carrying out a series of chemical tests on the water. When the Chief Conjurer announces the arrival of the magic assistants, all eyes are on them. Lacryma narrowly avoids suspicion by asking for clarifying info on the issue at hand.

Speaking with the Conjurers and military reveals several things.

• 1. FIrst, the tremor wasn't a simple natural disaster, it was caused by something beneath the city's foundation--something living. They refer to it as The Beast of Bedrock, a massive creature dwelling within the depths of the dark water below. The Beast of Bedrock is responsible for the essential functioning of the city's Dock Elevator, being the only way for ships to make it in and out of the city.
• 2. The tremors seem to be in reaction to the crystalline substance they pour into the Beast's living space. Though they don't reveal what the substance is, they insist that it is necessary to continue administering it; halting the Elevator would mean halting the livelihoods of an enormous portion of the city's population.
• 3. The water in the enclosure seems to be contaminated with some sort of black dust. Lacryma attempts to deduce its origin, but they haven't had much time to develop the skills to properly use their Alchemist's Tools. For now, they pocket a vial of the contaminated water for further inspection.

Oats decides to do some investigation of their own. Awakening their spiritual senses, they scan the area for beings of otherworldly origin. They're struck by three points of interest. First, they can overwhelmingly sense the presence of a great lifeform beneath them. Not celestial, not fiendish, not undead… something else. Second, a small cluster of fiendish life hid somewhere near the first presence. Third--and most shockingly to Oats--Lacryma himself seems to radiate the energy of an undead.

Oats silently panics. How was this possible? They trusted Lacryma and couldn't believe they would hide something like this… but their Divine Sense had never been wrong. They decide to hold off on an immediate confrontation, and bring it up with Lacryma as soon as the two of them had more privacy.

~~~

The drow party, led by Dascha, scale down the mossy cliffs south of the city. Neith and Stick were given a set of Archimedian Deftclaws, two-pronged climbing hooks that could be fastened to the hands and feet. They swiftly traverse the jagged chunks of rock, searching through the hanging vines for any unusual features. As they search, though, they are interrupted by a SNAP, followed by a tree branch whizzing just past Neith's face. Above them is none other than Cora, who had somehow followed Stick all the way here unnoticed. She hangs from a vine she'd seemingly willed to grow, giving her a gentle ride downwards.

Dascha jumps into action, equally annoyed and concerned for the child. He lifts her onto his back, saying it's too late to send her back now--She's joining the party on their mission. Stick tries to hide the embarrassment of being found by another ally of hers. Zaria is unimpressed.

After a while of searching, they find it: just below them, hidden under a thick layer of foliage, an opening into a cavern. They hop down one by one, entering the damp, overgrown cave before them. Stick and Dascha notice a subtle pair of footprints, and signs that someone had been resting here. Where did this place lead?

They trace the footsteps down a dark, winding path. At the cavern's end, a small pool of water beckons them to keep pushing forward. They'll have to swim through to find what's next--but the length of the underwater tunnel was impossible to know. They would have to take a risk.

Dascha encourages Cora to use her druidic abilities to cocoon herself in plants (and block her exit). He then tells Zaria to “command her to stay put." As the drow woman leans close to Cora's ears, she utters a command, her voice resonating with enchanting power:

"Don't Move."

And with that, the dark elves dive in. Stick and Neith hesitate, but follow along as well. The water is comfortably warm, and would be pitch black without the motes of Dancing Lights floating behind Dascha. They swim along the cavern's ceiling, performing a sort of upside-down crawl towards the possible surface ahead of them. The water increases in heat the further they go.

Neith begins to feel a slight sense of panic as they journey forth. No ending is in sight, and the weakness of her lungs were becoming apparent to her. Crawling around in that disorienting darkness, intense pressure pushing her in every direction, she is forced to face the inevitable reality: she might not make it out. She focuses on staying calm, but every one of her strokes forward felt weaker than the last.

Stick, swimming directly in front of Neith, notices her struggling. Just up ahead, she sees Dascha and Zaria round a corner toward a faint light. They've made it to the surface! And she could too… But it didn't seem so likely for Neith.

Stick is faced with the overwhelming visage of choice: she could swim up, guaranteeing her own survival and leaving Neith to her own devices, almost surely dooming her to death. Or, she could swim back and help Neith, and they both would make it out alive… Or they both would drown.

With every second leading closer to death, Stick instinctively makes her choice: she turns toward the light and leaves the cleric alone in the depths.

Neith pushes against the rising panic, but it pushes back tenfold. Every inch of space in her lungs screamed for air, forcing her mouth open as salty water poured in. She lashes and convulses, desperately fighting to focus her energy toward the light ahead. Her eyes flutter, and the light grows dimmer. Her muscles weaken until they've fully given out. She watches helplessly as she descends further and further from the light. She closes her eyes…

…And the next thing she sees is a face staring back at her. Pale green eyes pierce through strings of soaking white hair and a scarred, charcoal-hued face. He pushes her up onto a stone walkway, allowing her to expel the water from her lungs. She was alive!

The rest of the party gathers around, confirming Neith is okay. Dascha and Zaria quickly turn their attention to the drow who'd saved her life. It's Beastmaster Kinit, the subject of their search. They'd found him! Kinit chides the party for their method of entry.

“If I hadn't been here, you would've been a snack for the Beast!"

He gestures below him. Now that the commotion has died, they get a better look at their surroundings. Stick is struck by how similar it looks to Seik's memory, but knows they're in a different location. Rather than a long walkway across the entire room, this cavernous space has a walkway that only reaches halfway across, creating a small rectangular platform right in the center. They're also struck by the heat of this place. Steam rises from the water like a massive hot spring.

Dascha confronts Kinit with a barrage of questions: What did he think he was doing, leaving without warning? What did the sundwellers do to convince him to leave? Why didnt he send a carrier?

Kinit explains little, simply saying he was called here, not forced here. Before he has a chance to say anything else, however, they're interrupted. At the base of the room, a pair of double doors begin to open. The party scatters, finding whatever place they can to stay out of sight. We see the massive stone slabs creak open, revealing… Oats and Lacryma!

While the drow party had been on their adventure, the two of them had kept up their shtick as magical investigators. After some fruitless searching, the band of Mynen Military were alerted of a riot going on outside. Their duty called, leaving Oats and Lacryma alone, save for a pair of careless guards. They decide to attempt going into the feeding room (and the guards suggest they piss in it).

It doesn't take long for them to notice their fellow adventurers, since hiding in water is difficult. They catch one another up on what they've done, and what potentially lies ahead. Kinit explains a little further: the Beast of Burden had somehow alerted Kinit of its distress, and Kinit felt an obligation to help. He knew he would be denied if he asked permission to go on the trip, so he left alone. Dascha and Kinit get into a quarrel. Dascha is outraged at Kinit's lack of respect and refusal to take orders from him. They don't have time to argue, though. Beneath them, the water bubbles with greater and greater intensity. The heat in the room is getting palpable, and a great rumbling shakes them nearly off their feet.

They peer into the water, terrified to find eyes peering back. Hundreds of white-glowing eyes, creating a massive ring around the small platform. An enormous, circular mouth can be noticed by the countless, rapier-thin teeth rattling in place. The Beast of Bedrock was upon them.

From within the monster's gaping maw, they notice something else. Slimy hands with 3 tentacled fingers grab onto the rows and rows of teeth and pull up. Small, monstrous creatures surface from within. Their humanoid torsos are thin and rubbery, their heads engorged, and two enormous yellow eyes bulge from their temples. Four mosquito-like proboscides splay outward from their jaws, and four tentacles replace the lower half of their body. The party is surrounded. They'll have to fight their way out.

We start the session right where we left off: Stick dumbfounded, witnessing her--allegedly dead--mentor, Las, standing before her. Her confusion turns to rage as she lashes out at him: Why didn't he try to find her earlier? Why hasn't he made any contact in 10 years? Las doesn't give any answers, instead pulling Stick into a hug. He tells her he has to run, and asks that they meet “beneath the light of the blue lantern." With that, he disappears just as fast as he appeared.

Stick returns to the commotion at the docks. Lacryma has decided to extract the paralytic poison from the tentacles of the corpses of the crablike Chuul. Noticing Stick's change in demeanor, the party asks her if she's alright. She decides not to reveal the identity of the cloaked figure, and says that she's simply disappointed that she didn't capture her target. Before leaving the scene, the party is approached by a half-dwarven man in Mynen armor, who introduces himself as Commander Seik. He inquires about what they saw in the fight, and warns them to be careful traveling into Reitelden proper. This may not be the last attack.

With that, the adventurers return to the Siren's Call and get some much-needed rest. Before bed, Lacryma asks Neith to see the coin she'd picked up from Anatheme's belongings. She's guarded at first, hesitant to hand it over, and asks Lacryma to explain why they need it. They go back and forth for a while, neither one trusting the other, until they begin to discuss their connection to Kyneytyk. Lacryma talks about their family and their beliefs, revealing they were a part of the Truth faction of worshippers. With that, Neith's worries are quelled. She hands over the coin to Lacryma, who feels a slight tugging at the neck upon observing it. Whatever this symbol is, it will bring them closer to their target...

In the morning, the party meets a friend of bartender Seamus: Darla, a crotchety old human lady with long stringy hair, a big wooden cane, and an impressive amount of energy. She's a fisherwoman, and Seamus cashes in a favor to get himself and his new friends across the river on her boat. She gets everyone on board (even Andre the horse, who is tied up by his hooves), and sails toward the city lights.

Upon reaching the landmass, an obvious issue stands out to the party: Reitelden sits on a cliff! Hundreds of feet of rocky cliffs stand between the boat and the city. Their concerns are quelled, however, when they sail around the bend of the cliff. A massive opening sits at the far end of the peninsula, leading into an enormous cave. They sail through the cave's river, noticing bits of quartz and marble sticking out of the cave's walls in abundance. At the end of the cave is a naturally circular chamber with no ceiling, allowing the sun to shine in and set the crystals aglow. The path out of the chamber is suddenly blocked by a stone door, and the dark water beneath them begins to bubble. As the bubbles grow in size and number, the water begins to lift! It fills all the way up to the top, exposing the little sloop to an incredible view of countless buildings, ships, and people: Welcome to Reitelden!

The ship sails through one of the many winding canals of the city center, docking just a few blocks from the entrance. The party says their goodbyes to Darla and hits the streets, enthusiastically guided by Seamus.

Wasting no time to get to work, Oats makes a beeline for the stony tower of The Watch with Neith, hoping to gather information on any goblin encampments that may be nearby (Seamus heads to a bar, saying to meet back up with him when they're ready). They enter, seeing a variety of fellow adventurer-types inside, as well as an enormous floor-to-ceiling bulletin board, covered in pictures, documents, and strings of various colors. A blonde-haired elf with big spectacles is hunched over the desk, frantically writing and placing more articles onto the board. Oats introduces themself and asks what the elf may know.

The elf informs them of exactly what they were looking for: the town of Miratalen, just north of Reitelden, has recently been dealing with a growing goblin encampment just outside their city gates. With a legion of 50 or so people, they say, it shouldn't be too difficult to take them down. Oats, of course, is happy to report that their current group size is all of 5 people and a horse. That's all they'll need! The elf begs to differ, however--the encampment is ranked a 7 on the Velleng danger scale! They strongly encourage Oats and the others to find a smaller, more manageable group to take down. Oats remains undeterred. The worker asks that they at least place a recruitment sheet on the bulletin board, so that their numbers may be a little less hopeless. Neith writes up a sheet for them, and the two head out.

Meeting back up with Seamus, Oats and Neith decide to get some food and drink. Seamus tells them of the many activities the city has to offer, gently pushing Oats to try out things they haven't tried before in their fiercely-devoted life. He takes special care to mention the Moonsetters, an apparent hub for nightlife in the city. He offers--or rather, insists--to bring them tonight.

Meanwhile, Stick and Lacryma go to visit the marketplace. Stick still lingers on Las' words, and hopes to find whatever this “blue light" he mentioned may have been. Lacryma catches on that something is up, but doesn't push too hard when Stick refuses to elaborate. Instead, Lacryma decides to buy a set of Alchemists' Tools in hopes of properly distilling the Chuul poison. After making their purchase, Stick and Lacryma explore the rest of the marketplace. After a while, it's clear that whatever the Blue Light was, it wasn't here. She weighs her next move: she could explore the industrial region nearby, the residential buildings down the hill, the entertainment center uphill, or the homes of the richest in the city at the top. She decides to start with the industrial region. This, too, leaves her empty-handed.

With the search unsuccessful, Stick and Lacryma return to the party. They all travel up to the entertainment center, where Seamus takes them to a tucked away little basement theater. On the way, though, Stick spots it: in the alleyway of a stone temple, the sun casts light through a stained glass mural, enveloping a portion of the street in blue light, directly onto a single glass lantern. Stick takes a mental note of the location, deciding to return after the show.

The theater is a moody, intimate venue. The party sits down to watch the show, witnessing an abstract performance of masks and music. A few of the party members recognize these masks as descending from ancient rituals--their use having evolved over time into purely theatrical works. After the show, Seamus introduces them to the musician, a human bard with an afro of curly brown hair named Ada. They briefly discuss the show, learning that Ada studied the performance arts at Arbor Keene Academy. She also suggests they go to the Tournament of Bounty tomorrow night--it's apparently one of the biggest, most spectacular events of the year in Reitelden. With that, they leave the theater.

On the way out, Stick slips away, deciding to see this glasslit lantern once again. It doesn't take long for her to find something--or rather, for something to find her. In a flash, her vision disappears and her muscles freeze in magical paralysis, as she suddenly feels a knife to her neck.

“Leave the city now. Tell no one what you saw. Do this and I won't have to hurt you."

In the darkness, Stick has no idea who's behind the threat, but she knows one thing for certain: she isn't letting it get in the way of finding answers. As soon as the paralysis drops, she swings wildly in the dark. With some luck and some skill, she swipes at an unknown second figure, knocking a glass object out of their hands and breaking their concentration on the Darkness spell.

With that, her aggressors are revealed: two blue-eyed drow stand before her. The first, a man with a shock of curly white hair and a cloak-bodysuit outfit identical to Las'. The second, a woman with long straight hair falling behind her shoulders, dressed in beautiful black robes embroidered with a weblike pattern. The object she had dropped seems to be a crystal ball. Stick thinks fast, diving for the arcane focus and snatching it up before either of the drow could get the chance. Any potential combat stops in its tracks--the drow freeze in place as she holds the ball in place, ready to smash it on the ground.

Stick asks them what they're doing. They're reluctant to answer, of course, demanding she return the object, but comply nonetheless. The male gives a little bit of information: They're from House Iljani of the underdark city of Archimenzen. They don't intend to hurt anyone else so long as they “get him back." On that note, he tells Stick they'll let her go safely, just as long as she returns their crystal ball (which the woman refers to as a “sacred object"). She walks forward, almost handing them the ball, before attempting a kick in the man's stomach. It's no use, though: he swings her leg around and knocks her to the ground, returning the ball to his partner. Now having Stick pinned to the ground, he gives her one more chance to agree to leave.

Stick isn't convinced. She instead inquires about Las. How do they know him, and why is he working with them? He ponders his response, and ultimately comes to a new conclusion: they could help one another. If Stick agrees to help them in saving someone important to them, they'll give her everything they know about Las. The important person in question is “Beastmaster Kinit," a fellow member of House Iljani with some sort of special abilities which they refer to as “Weavestricken." Stick reluctantly agrees, and their standoff ends.

The man introduces himself as Dascha, and the woman as Zaria. He tells Stick to meet them here once again before the sun sets, so they can divulge more information about their plans and their motives.

During this time, the party has found a new place to stay the night. Stick meets up with them, once again shaken to her core, and once again refusing to divulge this information with the party. With that, they prepare for the festivities that await them--and Stick prepares for the dangers that await her…

A cold wind blows over a sea of tall grass, illuminated by the moonlight. Tucked between the silently looming hills, the mouth of a cave whistles with the gust. Its walls are angular and neat, carved into a tight downwards spiral staircase downwards. Unnatural in form. Crafted meticulously by hand. The darkness of the underground gives way to the dim light of torches, burning endlessly without fuel.

Click, click, click, click. The sound of boots against stone echoes down the cavern. A tall figure cautiously descends the steps, listening intently for activity below. After weeks of searching, Lacryma is closer than ever--they may have finally found their target.

As they take the final steps down, the cramped opening gives way to a single circular room. Long stone tables curve along the walls, covered haphazardly in books, beakers, tools, and trinkets. Shattered glass covers every surface, with a swirling concoction of bubbling liquids splattered across the floor. What once could have been an impressive alchemical laboratory is nothing more but ruins. On the far wall, an enormous splatter of blood, only newly dried--but not a body in sight.

Lacryma investigates the scene, leafing through books and carefully sidestepping the strange mix of fluids. To their right, an explosive silhouette of ash lines a table and chair, lightly glistening with remnants of conjurative magic. And beneath the table, Lacryma notices something they almost missed entirely: an ash-covered coin, and on it a symbol. The symbol of a hand, bleeding from the palm.

ꙮꙮꙮ

The party wakes from a restless sleep, ready to begin the next steps of their journey. As they prepare to depart, Katar returns to camp with good news! He tells them about the fortune teller's offer to scry on the crystalline mage Anatheme for a price of 100 gold pieces. Besides Stick, the party is more than happy to pitch in for it. They return to the fortune teller's tent, Neith taking the lead. She offers the fortune teller the gold and Anatheme's tome, sitting across from her and her crystal ball. The fortune teller begins a magic ritual, putting her hands out for Neith to hold, and instantly a vision is projected into her mind:

Anatheme limps through a dense forest, searching for something desperately. Quickly, exhaustion sets in, and he falls to the ground. Slowly, he takes his bag from his back, pulling out various alchemical supplies. Lacryma, watching the vision through the crystal ball, notices Anatheme's distinct lack of confidence compared to when he was spellcasting--it's clear he isn't experienced in alchemy, and is using a level of guesswork in whatever he is doing. Frantically, he mixes ingredients together, pouring them out onto the dirt before them. He begins to scrawl a message in the dirt in Undercommon. After finishing his message, it dissipates into the dirt, before a new script begins to scrawl itself into the same space. He grunts under his breath, turning back to a nearby tree… And begins to climb. He makes it to the top of the tree, searching for something. The limits of the vision make it impossible for the party to see what it is in the distance. After a few seconds, he notices whatever he is looking for, and slowly crawls back down, beginning to trek in the direction he sought.

The vision fades, and the fortune teller returns the tome to Neith. Alexandria is surprised--she knows those woods. Those were the trees of the O'enoa Forest, home to her and Cora's druidic grove. The party agrees that they'll follow his trail. Whatever he's planning, he needs to be stopped. Oats is the only one with reservations, though. As much as they love adventuring with these people, they have a responsibility as the Chosen of Lathander, and need to prioritize that. Their tune changes, however, when Alexandria mentions that the city of Reitelden is on the way to O'enoa: that's exactly where they were heading!

And with that, the plan is set: forest-bound they go. As they prepare for their journey, they see Lane packing up and getting ready to leave as well. He says his sarcastic goodbyes, but before he leaves, Lacryma stops him to thank him for his help. He's surprised, but does his best to hide it. He takes the opportunity to brag about his abilities, with a distinctly less rude tone towards them. Lacryma teases him for being controlled by the witch, and he… almost apologizes. With that, he's on the road, and so is the party.

The first day of travel is a beautiful, sunny day. They traverse the grassy plains with ease, with Stick occasionally hopping off Andre the horse to find an interesting bug or fungus. About halfway through the day, though, she spots a dwarf hiding within the bushes. Curious, she asks Oats to stop the cart momentarily to investigate. The dwarf suddenly appears behind her, shushing her and beckoning her up a hill. They sneak forward, making it to the peak of the hill, where a small pond rests within a circle of flowers. At the edge of the pond, 4 enormous, red-and-blue feathered creatures dip their terrifyingly sharp beaks down to drink. The dwarf is enamored, telling Stick he's going to get closer.

Oats' interest is peaked, and they follow Stick up the hill, and not quietly. Stick silences them, hoping not to startle the beasts. As she distracts Oats by telling them to count the spores on a mushroom, the dwarf makes it right up to the birds. With a shout and a pounce, he mounts one of them! Chaos ensues, as each of the axebeaks break into a flurry of wings and talons. They runs straight in the direction of the carriage, and the rest of the party just barely dives out of the way before they trample it. Off into the horizon they go, the dwarf carried into the unknown.

After an hour or two of work, Lacryma and Stick are able to mend the carriage to a functional degree (though the canvas is destroyed beyond repair). They continue their journey in stride, electing not to ask too many questions about what just happened.

Day two of travel goes by without issue. As they neared sunset, however, a hill in the distance began to shake and move. It wasn't just a hill: it was an enormous, rocky beast, with 4 columns of boulders functioning as legs. Its huge strides passed right over the carriage, and with only a few close calls Oats was able to direct Andre away from harm. Lacryma notices a column of wooden planks sticking from one of its legs. Perhaps someone had tamed the great beast.

Finally, the party makes it to their next location: Reitelden port. A old and shoddy, but lively little port, the bright lights of Reitelden proper could be seen from just across the vast river. They look for a bar to settle down, and perhaps hear something of interest from the locals. They find a weathered white bar called “The Siren's Call," populated by grizzled sailors and the lovely sound of a violin.

Neith and Stick go to order drinks from the bartender, a charming water genasi fellow who goes by Seamus. He informs them that Reitelden is the most exciting place in the country, where there's always somewhere to find good drinks, good friends, and good fun. He offers to give the party a tour tomorrow, as he'll have the day off. They are more than happy to accept his offer. They also pay for a few rooms to stay the night at the Siren's Call.

Meanwhile, Lacryma and Oats go down to the docks to see about securing passage to Reitelden. While Lacryma has their head turned, Oats approaches a red-headed human woman barking orders at a large array of sailors. She seems to be the captain of three enormous cargo ships. Oats asks about getting a cheap ride, and the captain agrees--so long as they're willing to work through the night. Oats sees no problem with this! They return to the bar, informing the party of the good news. They promptly return to the docks to sort this out, deciding they will find someone else to take them in the morning.

They return to the bar, having dinner together and resting up for tomorrow. They aren't able to rest for long, however, as just outside they hear an explosion. Chaos spreads, and they decide to check out the commotion. Down at the docks, a plume of smoke rises from one of the cargo ships. From a blasted-open hull in the ship's side, four strange, carcinous creatures with pink tentacles sprouting from their mouths emerge and begin to wreak havoc. Behind them, an oozing black sludge pours out onto the dock, growing larger and larger by the second. The party hops into action, starting an onslaught against the monsters. Fortunately, they're not alone: the Mynen military has shown up from one of their nearby naval vessels, and are just as quick to help in the fight. They fight hard and fight fast, trying their best to avoid the sharp claws and paralytic tentacles of the creatures. They soon discover the black pudding's weakness: fire. Together, the party and the military barrage the dark mass with fire spells and molotov cocktails, reducing it to nothing but a pile of harmless goop.

While the fight rages on, Stick notices something: from the ship, a cloaked figure hops onto a nearby roof and begins to run away. She rushes forward, giving chase to the perpetrator of the attack. They hop from roof to roof, with the figure slinging spell after spell towards Stick. She pushes through it, whittling down her opponent's stamina with a barrage of arrows. She gets closer, closer, ready to finish the wrongdoer off, when suddenly they cry out for her to “WAIT!" They slowly remove their hood, and Stick's blood runs cold. Staring back at her is Las, her estranged mentor and best friend.

“Stick. We need to talk."

Our session begins with a bang: with a crystal-infused Shadar Kai mage to the left, a cackling witch to the right, and an enormous boggle behind, it's time to roll for initiative! Instantly, the battle breaks loose, with Stick and Neith escaping from their cells now that its abjurative crystal has been destroyed. Alexandria isn't so lucky, however, and still needs to find a way out. With little other options, she picks up a shattered shard of the crystal, and tosses it straight towards the witch's cauldron at the center of the room. The results are explosive, as a plume of enormous black tentacles sprouts from the pot, grabbing anything it could reach--which, fortunately, happened to be the party's enemies. Guiding Bolts are thrown, swords are swung, and Hexes are cast. Despite the upper hand, however, the Shadar Kai mage strikes back. Opening one of the cells, he pulls a white haired, half-orc child out from captivity. Raising her above his head, he stabs his crystal claws straight into her stomach. Alexandria shouts in a great rage, “GIVE ME BACK MY SISTER!" He casts her aside, his arm now aglow with arcane power, which he sends forth in a necrotic blast towards Neith. It's clear that his arm is the source of his power, and that power needs to be taken down fast.

The party puts all their energy into ensuring the mage is taken down. Meanwhile, the witch casts Crown of Madness on Lane, beguiling him as he turns his sword on Lacryma. The fight continues back and forth, with Katar eventually falling to a particularly painful bludgeon from Big Boggle. Fortunately, Neith is nearby to cure his wounds. The mage isn't so lucky. In a flash, Stick ambushes him, stabbing him in the back and taking him down, making sure not to kill him (they'll need him for interrogation, after all). From here, things are looking up for our heroes. Alexandria remains trapped in her cage… So why not do what worked before? She throws another crystal shard into the cauldron, this time creating a strange, almost alien creature that follows her command: attack the witch! They lovingly dub this strange creature “Bogos Binted."

The party surrounds the witch, attacking from all sides. Oats finishes her off, creating a zigzag of slash marks across her torso. Bogos Binted fades away with the completion of his task, his life short but oh, so valuable. Big Boggle remains the final threat, taking down Stick in his almighty rage. In one final push, the beast is defeated by Lane, now free from the witch's grasp. A silence fills the dungeon as their foes have been felled. Victory!

Wasting no time, the party gets to work on freeing the captured children. Neith rushes towards Alexandria's sister, stabilizing her wounds. Oats turns toward the children and reassures them that they will be safe. Neith then joins Lacryma in searching the bodies of the witch and the mage, finding a few magic items:

• A Cloak of Blasting, imbued with the power to cast Scorching Ray
• A Medallion of Thoughts, granting the wearer the ability to peer into others' minds with Detect Thoughts
• A Staff of the Python, whose abilities haven't been divined just yet…

In addition, Neith finds a small metal coin tucked in one of the mage's pockets. Engraved into it is the symbol of a hand with a wound in its palm, with a single drop of blood falling from it. She attempts unsuccessfully to hide the coin, and Lacryma grills her on why she wants to hide things from them. Their argument is just starting to heat up when Oats intervenes, asking that they focus on getting the children out of there. Alexandria agrees, she wants to get out as fast as she can so she can check up on her sister. They begin searching for a way to break the crystal's spell on the cell doors. Lacryma has the idea of using the mage's magic arm to do so. After a little bit of fiddling, they figure out a way to exert minor control over the arm, deactivating the doors--and draining the mage of energy in the process. Making one last sweep of the room, Katar notices something of interest on a desk on the far wall: a black leather notebook, emblazoned with the same symbol of a hand. He takes it, having a feeling that it would be dangerous in the wrong hands. And with that, they gather the children up and exit the cave.

The journey back is a welcome change in intensity. Katar and Neith carry the mage's unconscious body on a makeshift stretcher, while Stick sits inside the cart entertaining the children. They are tired, hungry, and scared, but her storytelling brings a smile to their faces that they hadn't felt in some time. Alexandria's little sister, now introduced as Cora, walks to a nearby bush and grows Goodberries for her fellow escapees.

Upon their return to Talsden, they head straight to Ophelia's orphanage. She is elated to see her children all back in one piece, offering a pie as thanks for their heroism. Before they say goodbye, Oats asks if she knows of any goblin encampments nearby. She doesn't, but suggests that Oats head towards the city of Reiteldenn, as their town guard keeps a running watch for dangerous groups such as those. The evening falls into night, and the party decides to head back to The Outpost to take a rest. They hide the mage within the cart, hoping not to attract any attention.

Before heading to bed, Katar decides to look through the black leather notebook. Inside the cover page, he finds the mage's name: Anatheme Zakaz. The rest of the book seems to be written in some foreign script, one which Katar doesn't recognize. A few diagrams are drawn within, which help him make a few observations; notably, that the crystals they have encountered do not grow like regular minerals, but rather seem to be planted and grown, almost as if they were a living thing. The actual process of doing so remains a mystery to him. He puts the book away, deciding to head to bed and get a further look later.

On the first watch, Lacryma and Stick discuss what happened. After a while, Stick notices a figure walking (or rather, jogging) towards the campfire. A plucky halfling woman, with an enormous backpack and a fancy blue vest takes a stop right nearby, exhausted from a long journey. She sets up camp and opens a scroll, intently hunched over it. Lacryma takes note of the back of her vest, which has stitched into it the symbol of a sparrow on a branch. They have seen that symbol in previous adventures--usually attached to someone sticking their nose where it doesn't belong. Whenever an otherworldly creature appears, these people seem to follow.

Lacryma and Stick debate what to do about this traveler. Neither of them trust her, worried she may be up to something. Stick decides to get a closer look at what she's reading, sneaking up behind her. She doesn't make it very far, though, before the traveler has noticed her. She tries her best to cover up her intentions, but the traveler sees right through it. She introduces herself as Deirdre, a member of “The Willow Wings, protectors of the Material Plane!" She asks Stick about her business, who admits that they were finishing a job posting here in Talsden. “Funny," Deirdre says, “I'm here for a job posting too." Stick decides not to push further, heading back to Lacryma. Lacryma decides to see for themself what Deirdre may be here for, heading back to the posting board. Stick tells them to “eat while you're out." Caught off-guard, Lacryma tries to play dumb. Stick is unconvinced, and admits that she saw them feeding the night before. She knows they're a vampire, and she isn't bothered. Surprised, but relieved, Lacryma goes off to feed and investigate.

Searching through the other job postings, nothing else seems to be of particular note--certainly not enough to warrant a protector of the Material Plane to arrive. Lacryma is convinced she must be lying, and reports back about it. They keep on their guard for the remainder of their watch, noticing Deirdre exit camp after about an hour.

During the second watch, Oats and Neith discuss their relationship with their faith. Neith talks a little bit about her old hometown, a small fishing village of Kyneytyk worshippers. Oats proudly reiterates that they are the chosen of Lathander, and that their relationship with their god is as good as can be. Neith asks about their quest: what are they doing out here? Oats is reluctant, but does decide to tell her a few of the details. Their parents, not long ago, had committed a treacherous act, stealing some sort of magic item from the church of Lathander. They have been locked away for an unknown period of time for their crimes. Now, as the chosen, Oats has the opportunity to restore their honor and free them, so long as they can find a similar magic item (though they choose not to give any more detail on what the item is). Once they do that, they can move on to their secondary goal: opening their own tailors' shop, just like their father. Neith mentions that she herself was once considered “chosen" too, but neglects to explain further. Oats continues to ramble on about their god and their family.

Interrupting their conversation, however, Neith notices movement coming from within the cart. She creeps closer, and panic sets in. Anatheme has broken out of his restraints, and is making a run for it. She runs toward him in an attempt to stop him, but as they make eye contact, they both freeze. He doesn't just see Neith… He sees something else. Something deeper inside her. With a single pounce, he plunges his hand into her abdomen. His mouth just inches from her ear, he whispers with rage:

“We will be freed from our prison."

And pulls his arm from her, which now glows brighter than they had ever seen before. He tears a hole in the air beside him, creating a portal. And within seconds, he disappears, leaving Neith on her knees in shock. Oats calls for everyone to wake up, but they weren't fast enough. He was gone.

Neith is frozen, shaking as she stares down at her wound. She casts a cantrip in her hands, as if testing the magic she possesses. The rest of the party comes to her aid to ensure she's alright. They try their best to comfort her, saying that she did what she could and that it isn't her fault. Oats, too, feels guilt for what happened--if they hadn't been talking so much, would they have been able to stop him? Alexandria reassures them that they had already finished the important part of the mission. The children were safe and back where they belonged. Everyone recuperates, and considers attempting to chase down Anatheme in the morning. For now, they continue to rest.

In the final watch, Katar decides to get up and find more answers about the notebook. He heads towards the fortune teller he had met the day prior. She welcomes him in, saying she was expecting him. While she cannot translate the script for him, she can do something even better: for a price of 100 gold pieces, she could use the notebook to locate Anatheme. He thanks her and returns to camp, planning to propose the idea to his associates in the morning.

With their first quest completed, and more questions than answers, the party rests for whatever was next in store for them…

PASH has leveled up to level 4!

After a long journey, the Party arrives at their destination: The mouth of a dark cave overlooking a small clearing in the forest. Three Boggles stand guard at the entrance, bored and ready for some action. Attempting to appear as friendly as possible, Oats, Stick, and Lacryma approach the Boggles, asking what's inside the cave. Oats is subject to a Boggle biting their hand, but endures the pain in hopes that the creatures will remain unhostile. Oats speaks to them in Sylvan, discovering that while they do not speak the fey language, they understand it. Regardless, the Boggles make it clear that the party is not welcome here, and allow them to leave.

The party discusses their next steps: Stick thinks it's a good idea to try sneaking in, while Lacryma and Oats agree that distracting them is the best option. Oats enthusiastically volunteers to be the distraction, walking right back up to the little guards. They begin singing a traditional tune from their church, “O Holy Lathander" (with a 17 rolled on their Intelligence check, they're able to faithfully translate it to Sylvan, too!) The Boggles are enamored, electing to sing along in a terrible, but effective, cacophony. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Stick and Lacryma sneak into the cave.

Past the cave's entrance, they find a door. The door holds 5 gemstones on it of different colors, as well as a single button in the shape of a downwards-facing arrow. Next to the door, they see a small hole in the wall, filled completely with black-purple goop: clearly a product of the Boggles. After some investigation, they see 5 engravings of animals on the wall. They figure out quickly that the animals correspond to the colors of the gemstones: red for crab, green for frog, white for polar bear, black for raven, and blue for dolphin. They spend quite a bit of time trying to decipher what order in which to press down the gemstones.

Meanwhile, Oats' song is quickly losing the interest of the Boggles, so they switch tactics: They begin to draw pictures of their god Lathander with their painter's tools, hoping to teach them about their god. The Boggles could care less about Lathander, but exuberantly ask Oats to draw each of them instead. Thus, the distraction continues.

Stick and Lacryma discover an unfortunate punishment for pressing the gemstones in the wrong combination: a spectral animal matching the last gemstone pressed will appear and attack them. They attempt multiple patterns, none of which are successful as their health is whittled down.

By the time the drawings are complete, Stick and Lacryma still haven't figured out the secret to the door. Oats decides now to attempt to play hide-and-seek with the Boggles! Despite Oats' roll of 7 on a Persuasion check, they are happy to play… but one of them sprints straight into the cave, and another runs straight into Katar, who was keeping watch of the cart. Oats makes a break for the cave, hoping to catch the Boggle before it's too late. The other three Boggles have all now seen Katar and teleport towards him using their black goop. Katar dodges their attacks and swiftly chases after Oats.

Just as Stick and Lacryma feel close to finishing their goal, chaos strikes! Initiative is rolled as the party, now together again, fights off the Boggles. Oats does sick parkour down into the fight, while Katar does an even more sick backflip, slicing a Boggle in midair. One of the Boggles makes a quick break for the goopy hole, disappearing from sight. The remaining creatures are quickly dispatched: Stick rushes forth and bisects an unsuspecting Boggle from behind, while Lacryma Eldritch Blasts the other into dust. The room goes quiet once again.

After quite a bit of struggling, the party finally figures out the puzzle: The gemstones must be pressed based on top-to-bottom of where the engravings are on the wall. They press forth into a three-way fork in the cave's hallway. To their right, they hear the sound of more Boggles babbling; to their left, they hear the sound of arcane humming and crackling; ahead, very faintly, Stick hears the sound of bubbling liquid. Oats suggests that they split up, but the party is quick to shoot down that idea. They move forward, attempting to break open the door. However, before they get the chance, they are all subject to a terrible crunching noise, followed by a deep, striking pain: behind them, a Shadar Kai woman has just cast Shatter on them. She runs back toward the left hallway, the party in close pursuit. As they enter the room, they see a glowing pedestal. Surrounding it are 3 glowing crystals, creating a triangular light around another Shadar Kai spellcaster, who is in the middle of some sort of chant. The first Shadar Kai attacks the party, and commands a Boggle to “Go get the others!"

Just before an inevitable fight breaks out, the Shadar Kai spellcaster stops in the middle of their chant. They wretch in agony, falling over unconscious. The triangular light starts to shift and distort, and upon the pedestal, a portal is ripped through the space. On the other side of the portal stands a tall, regal human woman: Neith Ked has joined the battle. Immediately, Neith comes to the rescue, casting Aid on the party. With one swift blow (And an impressive critical hit!) Stick almost single handedly kills the Shadar Kai woman. The party has a brief introduction with Neith, before preparing to fight off the Boggles.

Their tune changes, however, when they see the sheer number of foes. Thirty, maybe forty boggles tumble over each other, vicious and hungry for blood. Immediately, the party (wisely) runs to the exit, almost successfully getting away, if not for a Boggle grabbing onto Katar. Oats pulls him back up to safety, and they continue upward. The accursed gemstone door begins to open up once again, and behind the door they see familiar faces: Lane, Alexandria, and the dwarven twins have just solved the puzzle. The party wastes no time explaining, and yells for them to run too! Everyone sprints out together, but with a round of poor Acrobatics checks, all but Lacryma are grabbed by the swarm.

Oats, Lane, and Katar are able to successfully break free from the grasp of the Boggles. The others, however, are not so lucky. Slowly, spiraling circles of goop appear beneath them, and they disappear out of sight. The four remaining adventurers stand dumbfounded as the swarm of Boggles return to their cave.

Neith and Stick awaken to find themselves in a dark prison cell. Above them sits a glowing purple crystal--the same as each of the other cells they can see in the large, cavernous chamber they stand in. In the other cells, the missing children lay, malnourished and covered in splotches of purple skin. In the center of the room, a hunchbacked woman stares into a bubbling cauldron, and a tall Shadar Kai man reads a book on a desk. The two prisoners hear next to them a booming voice: Alexandria is trapped too. They brainstorm, attempting to find a way out of the apparently magically-locked prison doors, when the man approaches their cell. He sighs, stating “Not fresh enough, but they will do." He does not elaborate further, simply telling them to be careful of the cell's protective magic.

Stick and Neith come up with the plan: Neith will throw Stick upwards, and from there Stick will climb the rest of the way to the crystal. With a 17 from Neith and a natural 20 from Stick, they are shockingly successful! Stick just barely makes it to the crystal, hanging upside down from it. She kicks at the ceiling, little by little dislodging the crystal. She notices that the ridges in the ceiling's surface suggest that the crystal was only recently placed there. Alexandria is able to distract the Shadar Kai until Stick completes this plan, and the crystal shatters into hundreds of pieces. Neith is taken aback by the arcane energy that releases upon the shattering. The Shadar Kai runs over, immediately telling the hunchbacked woman (who he refers to as “Madame") to bring someone in to clean up the mess, and to make the rest hurry up in their preparation: “We don't want anyone to interrupt us, after all."

Meanwhile, the non-imprisoned adventurers begin to plan. The party tries to convince Lane to help them save the others, but he isn't listening. He's here to do the job and get paid, and if he happens to be able to help, he will, but nobody is getting in his way. The rest decide to follow Lane back into the cave, quickly solving the puzzle once again. They make a beeline straight for the middle hall, opening the door to reveal their allies in their cells. And thus, the two perspectives join. The Shadar Kai is shocked to see them make it in so quickly, while Madame simply cackles, reciting a chant. Behind the party, a great rumbling is heard as an enormous Boggle lumbers behind them. Trapped and surrounded, the party prepares for their hardest battle yet…

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Summary:

• The party attempts to communicate with the strange spawn of the Blackroot. Save calls out the name of the soul trapped within the figure: "Corvus Fawne." This only seems to strengthen the Blackroot spawn's aggression. They decide to destroy it before its countless florian tentacles destroy their ship.
• Corporeum proves to be a continuous issue for the spellcasters. Save's Crown of Stars backfires and implodes, instantly knocking him out--with nearly 200 points of damage!
• They defeat the spawn, and have a long talk with their crew about emergency situations like this. They ask the party to hire a mage to the crew--they've got nobody to handle stuff like this. They agree, and leave the greenhouse. Save makes sure to keep the small vial containing Fawne's soul inside their newly encrypted Cerulean Bag of Holding. In a keen moment of observation, Save notices a hairline crack along the side of the vial. He deduces that the life held within was once magically adept, and the crack allowed just enough arcane energy to be released from the jar to grant the soul a tiny sliver of agency and free movement. The despot agrees, adding his theory about how the spawn came to be:

"Blackroot feeds off the energy of life. It absorbs the soul of a creature at its time of death. This soul was not dying. It harnessed the power of the root, while the root fed from its energy. Some sort of symbiosis... A self-devouring serpent."

• The party returns to their responsibilities in Efenasys.
• They meet Yana, and uncover a secret of Aector and Aelar's past: The Cantus family is a "Descendancy," part of a special group of families chosen to protect and archive certain sphere of knowledge. Yana visits each of these families, providing them with the tools to properly preserve the knowledge they've been assigned to. Ibrahim is part of the Zhivet descendancy, while Aector and Aelar are part of the Cantus descendancy.
• Using the notes hidden in the margins of the books Aelar had taken from the wreckage of their family home, Yana summons The Descendant Regimens of the Monstrous Keepers, a magic guidebook created specifically for the Cantus family. Their sphere of knowledge was, as the name implied, Montrous Anatomy, Behavior, and Origin. They were monster hunters.
• Yana was infuriated at the fight sight of Ibrahim, calling him a number of names and practically attacking him. They find out the reason for this is because his family, the Zhivets, had used the resources given to them for their own gain. Once trusted with the sphere of knowledge Necromantic and Undead Studies, they learned to defy their own deaths--a practice Yana considers nothing short of abominable.
• Yana agrees to help with the issue of Corporeum. She says she'll have it done in no time, but she won't start right away. She works on her own schedule, it seems. She remains fairly guarded about her partnership with Corryn at LightCor, but seems confident that she can get whatever she might need from the company.
• Yana leaves as Kai enters, sparking her rage once again. Kai is part of a Descendancy as well, the Vezkova family. She asks him why he isn't with his family. He brushes the question off. He tells Save that it's safe to let everything out in the open now, since Yana had already spoken the family secrets to them.
• Kai does mention his caution towards Dr. Jesuane, however. He asks that Aelar attempt to erase her memory once the Corporeum has been removed.

Quick Summary:

• Met Johan Corryn, a gnome businessman and inventor of the Siev, a massive machine which can separate inorganic material by its molecular composition.
• His company, LightCor Industries, has recently been funded by the Republic of North Yus Mines (the NYM government)
• Though the Siev doesn't work on organic life, Corryn believes it theoretically could be used to remove metal from bodies
• The party says they'll be in contact with him
• They try out the Business Scrawl, a business card capable of transmitting text rather than voice
• The party reconnects with Kai, who has met Dr. Jesuane, an aasimar with specialization in medical treatment of magical injuries. She once had been a medic at Fiinlaus School of Magic (the same establishment known to be frequented by Archmage Dynantol), as well as a field medic during the war. Kai also expresses interest in recruiting Dr. Quentin East to the Arrival, even if only for entertainment.
• At Kai's suggestion, Aelar talks with Styx about his memory loss issue, as she's dealt with such magic before
• Styx says she can help, but with the Corporeum still in both of their bodies, it would be risky to attempt now. She needs to dive into Aelar's consciousness to retrieve Aelar's memories--a process that could scatter both of their minds to infinity if gone wrong.
• For now, they decide to get to know one another better, as this will make the process of navigating Aelar's memories easier. They go out to the woods and talk about Aelar's life, connecting over their mutual dislike for being known.
• Styx guides Aelar through a sort of trance. Aelar's sense of time disconnects from his awareness as he makes spiritual contact with the natural life around him--something Styx refers to as the Web.
• Returning to the Spire, Ibrahim hits it off with Jesuane, believing they'll be able to remove to Corporeum within the next few days. Upon mentioning Corryn, Ibrahim says he knows his partner Yana--a "friend of a friend." He says to reach out to them and let them know Ibrahim is asking for her.
• Upon doing so, the worker at the call center is strangely frantic upon hearing the name. He says he'll meet them with Yana in an hour.
• Aector and Save discuss their feelings on Yus Mines, and have a moment of honesty with one another about Aector's condition. Soon, they're interrupting by a call from a panicking Paul, demanding they come help them on the Opsis.
• They call Theo, who tells them that black vines have suddenly begun to grow from the ship's greenhouse. Nothing they've been trying to stop it has worked.
• The party teleports to the Opsis. The Despot is amused to announce that the vines are Blackroot, a plant that feeds and grows off the energy of souls. He opens a path into the greenhouse
• Within the overgrown greenhouse, growing from a massive spiral of vines, a dark figure with piercing yellow eyes stares back at them. A small glass vial glows within its chest.

Quick Summary:

• Met The Oaken Elder, a kenku from Despot's homeland of Blackroot who cultivates rootlike creatures that allow its wielder to shapechange (among other potential abilities)
• Attempted to open up the Ancient Grove, an enormous plant that has been said to only sprout when a "chosen one" allows it to do so
• Both Cantuses could hear a heart beating within it
• Aelar attempted to cast Modify Memory on the owner of the Ancient Grove, but Corporeum caused it to backfire, causing Aelar to lose memory of the previous two months
• Watched the event held by Raudrel Regimentals, in which 3 new inventions were shown
• The Velars, now shown to be able to amplify magical abilites
• Detection devices which can alert the user if its target has been cured with Fiendish blood
• Business card that can broadcast a message to the entire country
• Silas uses the detection device to detect Aector, who quickly makes an escape before a confrontation can ensue

Quick Summary:

Quick Summary:

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