Homer
Chapter
NUROD (1)
-Amongst the ruins-
Wyn awakens in a ruined fiendish temple to Enanna and Ovein arguing about whether to search for others along the coast, or travel into the rainforest. Meanwhile, Yskanda awakens, weak, starving, in the flooded ruins of a court, and finds the washed up body of Phucoopea, beyond help. So they eat her brain, assimilate her memories of fishing with her father, her father's death by an Illithid, and her pleasant interactions with Yskanda. Yskanda pushes the body out to sea and heads along the shore, however shortly after, Lucille passes that way and sees the corpse, she connects the wounds on Phucoopea's head, to a carving the gith had made; there is an Illithid danger around. Dahlia awakens to the south a ways, and sees a giant skull shaped hill in the distance poking through the canopy of the rainforest. She finds the gith nearby and slowly gains her trust, so that the two can head up the beach together. Ezira and Lady wash up in the middle of Homer, the flooded ruins of an ancient city. Ezi helps Lady get out of the sun, then heads deeper into the ruins following a smoke trail. It leads her to an amphitheatre. Back at the temple, Wyn is acting stubborn and shrugs off the harrowing events of the night before as if it were nothing. Ovien and Enanna agree to work on gliders to help there traversal, but after feeling exploited by Wyn, they leave her in the temple and head up the beach. Wyn makes camp alone, and will head up the beach by herself the next morning. At the amphitheatre, Ezira finds Nera, Anna, and Dolly. Nera comes back with Ezi to help bring Lady, but on the way, they catch sight of Yskanda. Nera disappears, Ezi panics, and runs away. Ezi gets to Lady and warns her, and panics for a minute to, but as they arrive back, Lucille catches up to them, and tells of Phu. Lady then realises the flayer is Yskanda and heads out to confirm. When she sees them, she scolds them for scaring away Ezi, but defends their actions to the group when Yskanda joins the camp. Ezira is very suspicious, bitey, then curious. Lucille has a hard time accepting things and cannot yet accept Phu's fate. Later in the day, Dahlia arrives with the gith, unafraid of (unfamiliar with) the Illithid. All are relieved. Anna discusses how the camp here was not made by the crew, and someone had left possessions in a box. She gives it to Lucille. The box contains a skullcap, a metal bar, and another Tir'su disk, an ornate one. Dahlia identifies the disk and only learns a little more. That the literal meaning of 'jez'rathki' is 'seeping through the cracks'. Lucille ponders this information while looking fondly over the gith. Lady and Dahlia ponder their spiral patterns, and look out at the unknown sea, the spirals continue to point westwards. The journey has just begun.
NUROD (2)
-Around the Bonfire-
Dahlia dreams that she is back on in Nimbretton, watching the dire-boar that haunts her, disappear into the sunset. She feels defeated, sinking into the ground, but Nera appears and pulls her up, she looks cold. Dahlia realises she is dreaming and takes Nera to the Ulykke steam vents. She learns that Nera's body exists in two parts, always partly in the material plane, partly in the world of dreams, however, she can shift into either plane fully for short periods. She is disturbed by an assonant singing in the wind, she thinks its keeping her from the equivalent of waking, and maybe responsible for the nightmares Dahlia, and the others are having. Dahlia is torn away however by Dolly, in the waking world, asking for help to draw a cover over the amphitheatre, as the rain and tide come in strong. Out of the rainstorm, Ovein and Ennana arrive to camp. Once the sun rises, Yskanda works on a mock up map of Rezmire from memory, and reveals they know they are in Homer, from the stars. The group then gathers and discusses next steps. Everyone agrees to head to Rezmire City to finish the Saragriff mission, and maybe use the ruined ship's enchanted helm to make a new ship. They decide to take the rainforest route, following the river. Then, when discussing the spiral markings, and sharing resolve to find where it leads, the party share their stories of when the markings appeared. Dolly Maine mentions a mission where she lost a great deal. All of the instigating events happened on the same night. Next, while search parties are sent out to gather food and keep an eye out for Wyn and Nera, Dahlia identifies some items. She discovers the signal lantern is the first light lantern, the folktales around it, and it's supposed ability to turn fate against the wielder, for the promise of a proportional reward. Next, the contents of the box at the campsite. First, the metal, is unworked githyanki silver, priceless, worthless. Next is the skullcap, a Dreamer's Crown, a psionic focus, a bone imbued with wisdoms of its former owner, before they dreamt too far. Shortly after this, Wyn arrives chipper and ready for adventure, still ambivalent to the loss of Ten and Phu, as Dahlia speculates, traumatised. After catching her up on the meeting, Nera, and Yskanda, the party see Wyn has picked up the marketable Flumph and wears it like a hood pet. The others inform her that it is a sentient creature trapped in the unfathomable horror of commercialisation, so Wyn resolves to make, undoing this, her first quest. As preparations for the expedition continue, Lucille tries to approach Yskanda, and though openly uncomfortable, makes a commitment to try and be a friend, and understand Yskanda. Yskanda considers Lucille their second friend. Lucille then goes back to tending the gith, who is holding onto the gith metal and Tir'su disks, and begins devising new ways that she might be able to communicate with her.
NUROD (3)
-Kay-
While the others fish, Lucille attempts to communicate with the gith. She lets the gith feel her face and tries making some different facial expressions, this seems humorous to the gith. Then, Lucille points the giths finger towards her and makes an L sign on her hand. She thewn points the giths finger to herself, inviting her to name herself. She is unsure how much of her meaning came across, but the gith signed back a K. Thus, more is known, she is Kay. When the group return with meager offerings, they begin to plan their route. They want to keep close to the river, so they have fresh water, but not so close to arouse the interest of all the creatures that depend upon it. However, there first step is to get to the mouth of the the river and leave the amphitheatre. When people became nervous, and began to feel doubt, Yskanda took the lead and began the trek. The others followed, and Wyn anointed him, 'Squid Leader'. At the river's mouth, they find an abandoned house, The Riverhouse. Inside Yskanda finds a bottle of red liquid, and his aversion to undeath is triggered. All mind flayers abhorred the undead. Internally, he processes memories of Alhoon, vampiric illithid arcanists, a most disgusting and detestable existence. But pushes it from his mind. Lucille and Kay head to the waterside, and lay on a dock, where they peer into the fast flowing water. Ezi fishes out a red bellied piranha with her finger, and takes it away to prepare. Wyn looks around, unsure of her place here, clings to her plush flumph. She then abruptly announcing to noone in particular, that he is named George. Ovein and Ennana head downstream slightly to begin tieing fibres and making shoes for Lucille and Kay. Dolly and Anna go spear fishing upstream. Dahlia keeps a watch, with an uncanny sense that something was about to happen. And, unfortunately, it did.
NUROD (4)
-Wrath of Rain-
A pack of Murloc raiders burst out of the water, spearing Kay through the leg. Yskanda grapples with a couple, and sucks out their brains, as Dahlia weaves between, trying to protect Lucille, who is herself, trying to protect Kay. Ezi rushes to the shoreline and uses her shillelagh to bash in a murloc's head. Wyn struggles with one and falls backwards missing attack after attack, though thanks to her stumbling, she only takes one nick herself. She wildly swings her sword around, after failing to conjure any potent magic and cuts the murloc's neck. As is drowns in its blood, the creatures fish like face causes flashing of Phucoopea to run through Wyn's head, and realising she killed someone, she throws up. Later, the others return to find everyone shaken up. Lucille has performed a surgery on Kay, but she's it no state to walk. Ovein makes lucille a pair of shoes, and a stretcher for Kay. As rain began to fall, Lucille sat on the porch thinking about Eldath, and how the slaughter that had just happened would leave their relationship. Anna comes outside and talks to Lucille, reassuring her that the rain continuing to pour must be promising. Anna herself fears the rain, not as the wrath of Eldath, but of the absence of Mithraim. The group spent a cramped night, sheltered in the riverhouse from the tropical storms. In the morning, they set out deeper into the rainforest, near the river, but not beside it. Everyone is continuing the trend of following Yskanda, whose confidence is hard to challenge. Eventually, they come across a circle of mushrooms, home to some minor elemental spirits: Chwinga, pure beings, usually shy, but always embodying the spirit of the land they occupy. Here they are densely populated and wild. They wear small masks and nothing else on their small genderless humanoid bodies. Wyn tries to take one with her, but Dahlia puts a stop to that, while Yskanda stopped Ezi from encouraging things. Lucille had been having a positive communication, but with Wyn's actions things turned sour. They did not leave on good terms, and Lucille feared the consequences on being on bad terms with the spirits of the rainforest they were having a hard enough time heading through. Later, the party came across a crag blocking their path ahead, and after insisting that Dahlia throw her across, Exi got a scare as a herd of tiny bipedal reptiles came charging through the ferns, and running out of site again. Once the others were pulled across with rope the party moved on a ways before making camp. The night was dry, as had the day been, but the rain that began the next morning, carried on into the night.
NUROD (5)
-Forest of Corpses-
In the stormy night, while being battered with rain, Lady proposes to Yskanda that she be the face of the party, Yskanda's public image, in return for keeping up her noble status. Yskanda agrees enthusiastically, and wanders how the party will react, Lady Morroe replies 'the wolf does not concern itself with the opinions of the sheep'. Yskanda leads the party into the lee of a hill, where Dahlia build a fire and crude shelter. Everyone dries off their clothes and hunkers down, though Ezi teases Wyn a bit, before running away and hiding in Lady Morroe's shadow. The next morning, after another night of foul dreams, Dahlia watches the sunrise from atop the hill, the sunrise is like that in her dreams, foregrounded by her quarry escaping. Everyone continues along their way until they come across an Ankylosaurus, Yskanda tests its attitude, and while it gets defensive, with a wide berth, all are able to pass. Ovein calls Anna a 'wide berth' teasingly, and Anna gives her a magical slap back. A little ways ahead, Lucille hears the sounds of an animal screaming coming from back the way they came. When she and Yskanda investigate, they find the armoured back of the Ankylosaurus has been cleanly bitten through. The party continue on, quietly, for fear of whatever predator was capable of doing such a thing. Later that day, the group stop at a crossroads as they encounter Ethaco Hen, Pemusha, and a few other toucan-like aaracockra, guarding the path ahead to their village, and the Cantou Tribe. The party are hesitant to be redirected from their course, so bargain with the flamboyant birds. They agree to fight some encroaching lizardmen, for safe passage beneath the treetop villages. However, when the fighting group, Ysakanda, Dahlia, Ezira, Dolly, and Ennana, arrive at the lizardmen camp. They find the population dead, pierced by spears, and peppered with arrows. Ennana suggests they take the corpses claws as proof, then leave. Yskanda agrees. Dahlia spots a small, masked, humanoid creature sitting atop of rock shelf nearby, but decides to leave it alone, instead, she harvests some lizardmen skin. As she discusses her plans to make a rain hat, everyone seems to react poorly, but not attempt to stop her. When the groups reunite, they return to the crossroads and are taken to a beautiful clearing, with a slow flowing pool, in ruins of an ancient village. As everyone settles in, the party decide to spend as much time here as they are allowed, so that they might escape the rain, and properly rest. Lucille, Ovein, and Ezi, plan to ambush Yskanda's rest by laying a flower crown upon their head, but Yskanda's dreams are not disturbed by it, instead they wander about the dark forest, a thought experiment Nera spoke about in their dreams.
NUROD (6)
-The Batiri Raid-
Nera stumbles through the various nightmares of the group, and one involving a captive goblin, stuck looking in through a window at the jungle. Eventually, she collapses, exhausted in Ezi's dream, of the cold front threatening the Humming Grove, and its inhabitants (such as the gooey neighbourhood dog). Ezi takes care of Nera, providing her some food and water, even promising not to leave her, but she is pulled awake as a masked faction of goblins, the Batiri, the same who slew the lizardmen, have come to raid the Cauntou tribe. Yskanda lights the lantern and reveals a raid leader in the dark, a batiri battlestack, before quickly releasing a mind blast at the nearest infantry. As the battle breaks out, Dahlia runs into the frey, and becomes surrounded. Two batiri try and attack Wyn, but she keeps them at bay with magic missiles and cold bolts. Ezi awakens her spore shape ability and transforms into a lesser myonid, ready to help clobber the battlestack. Yskanda engages two, whipping them with his tentacles though is badly injured, until Lucille channels divinity into a balm of peace, that heals them. Yskanda is then able to devour one batiri and scare the other away who pleads ignorance in goblin as he crawls away. Ezi hears the goblin tongue and realises who these masked raiders are, so attempts to make the surrender by communicating with them, it seems ineffective, as the battlestack goes to kill Ezi, but Dahlia uses her reach to place her shield between the attack. Its then short work, with Wyn cleaning up the battlefield, until one persistent goblin, declaring himself 'grig the great', is captured. Wyn attempts to interrogate the captive, but once Yskanda peers under, and removes, the mask, a different voice comes from grig's lips screaming "no, no, 'll kill me!" at which point he explodes into many piles and blood and guts. Ezi, standing nearby, is covered, and horrified. Dahlia attempts to calm her down, but Ezi spirals until she is distracted by a more peaceful task, making another flower crown. Yskanda and Lucille talk about the possibility the batiti are under some kind of magical coercion, when Ethaco Hen comes floating down thanking them for the assistance, and possibly preventing a massacre. As a result, the party are welcomed into the treetop town, for an audience with Chieftain Muzai, and Lucille shows interest in wanting to meet the tribes spiritual leader, Priest Cotan. First, the party embolden themselves.
NUROD (7)
-The One Faith-
In the treetops, loot is handed out, including a triceratops crest shield, used by the battle stack, a red candle (a fragile arcane focus), a ring of perching, a turtle brooch, some popokoko poison, and one unbroken batiri mask. Lucille meets with priest cotan and asks about the spirits of the forest, the priest tells her that the village believe in the one faith, of the dawn three, and a shrine for each can be found a days travel in different directions away from the village, appeasing the spirits at each shrine would appease the chwinga. The priest however recognises that the group are not looking to stay in the rainforest, so instead suggest he grant them a blessing to pass, as-long as they do leave. She also frets about her distance from her gods, the priest assures her that while gods are not here, their influence is. Dahlia asks the priest about the spiral markings, the priest encourages her to explore her questions as if she were divining a pathology, perhaps with the help of Lucille. Cotan also shares how it was the ancient Behemythic giants that created the mythwrought rainforest, hence the size of the trees. Wyn is alone with Yskanda, and tells them how she does not feel adventurous, and the realities and finality of killing is setting in. Yskanda pushes her to overcome these feelings, pointing out all the killing in the stories Wyn loves. Wyn thinks this over while Yskanda and Lady got to meet with Chief Mozai. The chief wears composite armour of dormani, batiri, and other origins. He thanks Yskanda, and recommends skirting the wetlands as they continue, as to avoid the dense murloc population around Lake Redivir. He warns of grungs who will only allow the party to pass if they are respectful and conscientious of the delicate ecosystem of their habitat. Incase they should fail, Chief Muzai provides a token of his allyship, a macaw feather from his cap, wrapped in red twine, with a small bell. After Lucille takes some fashion advice from Ethaco, the party convene around Ezi, who is shaken about her dream of Nera. The party predict the crewmates Nera might appear to, and encourages them to dream of water and food. When the party realise they've all been having uncontrollable nightmares, this seems less likely. However, over the next week of rest, Nera does not appear to any of the crew, or the village people. The crew are concerned, but move out nonetheless, after Lucille is given a lilac scarf by Ethaco. Before the day i out, old aches return, but the toiling is easier when they are shown wonders of the forest, such as at a cliffs edge, long bodied peaceful, grazing, giant, sauropods. This obstacle is overcome by both Ezi and Wyn being flung with rope, and once the crew are at the top of the cliff, they can see the sea a few days away, the journey separated by the wetlands, and Rezmire City.
Rezmire City
Chapter
NUROD (8)
-Just Googa-
Having made camp a couple days later, the crew rested under a rock. Dolly Maine continued to stew beside her armour, as she had done so for the last week, Anna paces apprehensively, and Lady frets over her Lute's inability to stay in tune in this humidity and changing temperatures. The next day, everyone listened to Lucille, who had affirmed the advice of Chief Muzai, that they should respect the environment of the wetlands, as they entered it. Shortly in, they were set up by unseen foes, camouflaging grungs who asked riddles about their wetland habitat, to ensure the party were equipped with enough information as to not disturb the habitat. Lucille volunteered to answer one, then Dahlia, then Lady. Lucille guess the first correctly, as Snake. Dahlia fumbles the second, but thanks to the intervention of Wyn using mental magic, the grungs reveal her the answer. She is able to stealthily reveal it to Dahlia, it is 'peat'. Lady does not know the answer to the third, but Wyn steps up again and gives the answer 'lotus', just as her magic wears out. So the party quickly go on ahead before they are found out. Later, while crossing a bridge around the swamps, Ezi spots some mushrooms and attempts to pick one, instead she ended up picking a fight with a shambling mound. Multiples people were nearly consumed, and running away was the plan, but not before Wyn knocked loose from the amorphous biomass, some stuck debris, a marketable murloc. Just ahead of that, the party arrived at the edge of the great grave, and could see the edges of the clowder, and Tarran, heading into Toham Market, Toham. Ezi jumped into the central oasis, and began to play mrrgl prrgl with two murlocs. Lucille sat on the adjacent decking, beside Kay, and rested her shoulder on her, as the two bathed their feet. Lady and Dahlia went to the woodshop to order a more durable lute, but Dahlia became interested in the idea of picking up a rudimentary flute, so ordered one. Both were very impressed with the use of elastic tension as a source of energy for powered drills. Yskanda and Wyn head to Toham Market Inn, a publically owned Inn, and rented out the rooms, but there were only three, so people would have to double. Inside the inn, Wyn meets a vibrant purple grung called Googa, who declares themself to be an adventurer. Naturally, Wyn and Googa instantly bond, and even Yskanda declares Googa a friend with a handshake that would change the world forever.
NUROD (9)
-The Seaglass Citadel-
That night, Yskanda keeps watch, and tries to think of ways to track Nera, they try to enter the dreamworld while conscious but fail. Yskanda theorizes that psychoactive substances inducing semi-consciousness, might allow them to track the nightmares singing in the waking world. Anna looks out the front door apprehensively, Dolly sleeps restlessly, sat upright, Dahlia watches her. Lucille goes to Ovein to ask her to pin Ethaco's cloth into a hair-tie, and she sees Ezi rolled into a blanket burrito, apparently having been reluctant to sleep since the disappearance of Nera. The next morning, Yskanda holds a meeting and his inner circle and Ennana decide to go to the Seaglass Citadel, and make their next plans based on the size of the rewards they reap. Meanwhile, Dolly volunteers to look after Kay, she doesn't feel like going out. Anna is quick to announce she is heading out to 'the Figtree'. Lady Morroe sleeps in. Wyn and Googa have their own business, as Wyn is eager to investigate the marketable merchandise, so Googa blows out of the inn, giving Wyn a spare skateboard, and doing tricks on his as he goes. At the Seaglass Citadel, the guards are unsure why the party are there, and have to search back in the records for the fortnite late requisition order of a whole ship, the fleet the delivery was meant to be apart off had already set off. In the absence of Lady Morroe, Lucille was chosen as their representative to clear things up to Lady Mimron. The old lady of Rezmire is stern and commanding, but hears out Lucille with grace. She remotely consults with the head of the Saragriff Bureau, 'Duskdew', and informs him of the unfortunate news about Ten. After he is caught up and arrangements are agreed, Lucille overhears discussions implying Duskdew is waiting on news about someone. When the call is concluded, Lady Mimron states that Duskdew has no need of the helm anymore, and leaves it to Ten's friends. Lady Mimron also makes arrangements for the party to get the ship they desire requisitioned from the Seaguard's shipwrights, along with a thousand gold bursary. The party request extra room for Dahlia, an extra room of accomodation, and a space for a garden, then head back to the inn, to wait for a receipt. Wyn theorizes that the source of the marketising is a water source in Rezmire City, given the flumph was turned in Hornbay, and the murloc was found nearby in the wetlands. Wyn's discovery of a marketable lizardman in a charity shop bin by the coast seems to confirm this. Wyn and Googa then head to the oasis above the water pump station, where, while Wyn investigates the statue of a sandweaver, Googa investigates a grate in the water, where a giant eye looks back and turns googa marketable.
NUROD (10)
-The Market Innovator-
Anna heads to the Figtree in search of her sister, but finds that she and the Band of the Lion left with the fleet two weeks ago. Meanwhile, across town, the Seaglas Citadel group return, bumping into a frantic Wyn, who informs them of what happened. After splitting up and looking for guards, the party realise that the local authority is sparse, with almost all being conscripted in the Karkinos campaign. Lucille, Dahlia, and Ovein head into the nearby temple to see if anyone can help Googa. Inside they meet Captain T'hrok, a pink Grovelian aaracockra, leader of the local sect of Aswain Pirates. Lucille regards the man as a heretic, but learns from him that the effect is unlikely a curse, and more likely alteration magic at best. It is agreed that in any case, defeating the cause of the effect is the best chance to reverse it. After Ezi ensures her murloc friends, Gllbrrmrll & Vrglublu are out of the danger zone, she attempts to source some explosives, but finds her finances lacking. The party reunite on Yskanda, who has been guarding the scene of the attack. As plans are being drawn up, Wyn calls Ovein useless, given her lack of offensive magic, but she hits back and storms off. Lucille attempts to comfort her, but she seems resolved. The offensive group head underground into a water station, immediately Yskanda find themselves experiences Psionic interference; whatever was down there has created some kind of ward against psionic creatures. The other proceed into a central chamber that has been signposted as "M.I. Wonderland". Further inside, they find a crude fair ride, with a voiceover describing the origin of this place. The creator reveals themselves as the Market Innovator (M.I), a Shareholder, affected by the nightmare inducing magic that haunts the party. They dreamed of a world without tyranny, where everyone was cared for, and was horrified by it, so came to embody the opposite, Capitalism. Wyn determinedly leads the way ahead, through a workshop, past a collection of many marketable plushy people, and then onto a room containing shareholder culists. These cultists had no inherent value, so M.I revealed themselves, a beholder, or what once was, transformed by their dreams. They attacked with tax rays, rebate rays, monopoly rays, and all the horrors of capitalism. Ezi turned into a Coral Clathrus Ruber, and squirted water Jets, as Dahlia took the full exploitive blows of the abomination, held up by Lucille. Wyn is briefly made marketable, in a horrifying twist, that would leave her haunted by feelings of powerlessness, even after the Shareholder was defeated. Googa is restored, as is the Flumph george, who thanks Wyn before leaving.
NUROD (11)
-Mortal Means-
In the evening, after collecting some marketable loot, and some gratuity from the rescued citizens; Lady Morroe reads the delivered writ for their commissioned ship, 20K. It will take years to raise that unless they find themselves some plunder or some unsavoury business. Later that night, Yskanda begins renovating the water station into a new lair. The next morning, Ovein's appearance has changed to autumn colours, but she seems reluctant to discuss the matter. Wyn wakes up and still seems shaken, but hides the worst of it. She sets off the coast to have some time alone and reflect. There, she runs into Lady Gwenevere Gwendolyn Frume, Borgo Effson, and the rest of her crew. Goga watches the encounter from nearby. The ladies confront each other, and begin to cast magic missiles at each other, and Wyn wins out, but goes to her foe and helps her up. Gwendolyn pleads that there are complications back home among the houses, and that the Glass Clock must be returned, or it will delegitimize the house of Cecil, and the Gaunts, with all their current and planned movements, cannot tolerate that. Wyn agrees to return home, but for her own reason, to take responsibility, and make Leililalah a better place. She has feared her father for so long, but to be a real adventurer, to really be brave, to really make a difference, she must face him, and overcome. Gwendolyn is moved and recognises Wyn's growth, telling her that Gwyn's husband, Wyn's lost lover, Hormund Frume, would be proud. Lucille meets with a firbolg medic called Hetty Rashyn, and her apprentice, Scrongo. Despite the atmosphere at first being tense, (Hetty being sceptical of the divine, finding mortal means more reliable), the two quickly bond, and Hetty promises to look into githyanki. Meanwhile, Yskanda, Dahlia, and Lady head to the Broker's to liquidate some assets, but find a scarred halfling woman, Meghan Korale, some kind of kingpin. Dahlia tries to intimidate her guard, a black Leonin, Mordred Yorn, but is impaled on his golden claws, he sends Dahlia away, and she is forced to retreat. Yskanda is enraged with Mordred, but takes a liking to The Broker, feeling her business may be essential for raising funds. Once everyone is healed, and reunited, Wyn announces her plans to leave and distributes her property. Everyone is upset, but proud of her growth, and tell her as much. Wyn gives Googa her money, so he may pursue his own adventures, and Googa promises to Yskanda to use it to honour the friendship he offered so easily. And so everyone says goodbye to Wyn on the beaches, makes amends in Ovein's case, and otherwise says farewell, as the boat heads towards the horizon. Googa decided the adventure he sought was with Wyn, and was also aboard the Tusk.
NUROD (12)
-The Killer-
A blue haired, panicked, human looking woman, named Maesly Hale, begs Lucille to come help her friend. Lucille takes Dahlia with her, and Kay seems reluctant to leave her side. She takes the group to a small house, while Dahlia waits outside, Lucille attends a tabaxi patient, but is ambushed by Maesly, who knocks her out with a sleep dart. When things go quiet, Dahlia comes in to investigate, she finds, Lucille, Kay, and Maesly, all unconscious. Lucille has been stabbed in the gut, and Maesly has been stabbed all over the torso, dozens of times. Lucille wakes up the next morning in Hetty's house, surrounded by the crew, and a tabaxi Sandweaver named Narthan Siltz, who explains the original victim was Bidreu Opax, a Sandweaver scout. Hetty explains that Bidreu and the women were poisoned by snake venom; Hetty recounts a harrowing story of a young girl succumbing to a tiny snakebite. Everyone wants to figure out why this has happened, and Narthan seems eager to help because he, and perhaps others, believes Lucille, in a fever, killed Maesly in that brutal manner. Lucille feels a need to investigate as to ensure her hands are clean, so she heads to the Sandweaver's guild to perform an autopsy on Maesly. While Ezi makes sand angels, and Lady watches Kay, under the watch of Lefawt Sandshoe, and the youngling Zito Dobon, Lucille, Yskanda, Dahlia, and Narthan exhumed the bodies from great sand filled urns. The autopsy reveals Maesly Hale was a Yuan-Ti Pureblood. Upstairs, Narthan explains the Yuan-Ti, snake-like monstrosities, had taken up a domination campaign in ancient times, after the fall of the Behemoths. They sought to destroy or enslave other rezmirites, including the tabaxi. Both were stealthy, and the tabaxi built the hidden city of Osaran, as a counterpart to the many hidden fortresses of the Yuan-Ti. The Yuan-Ti purebloods look almost completely human and operate as spies among other civilisations, while the sandweavers, descendants of the original Osaran Tribes, operate openly in the city to keep the snakes away. Bidreu was likely a target because in a scouting, he had gotten too close. Yskanda thinks of the dark forest principals, he discussed with Nera, and considers that Lucille, and afterwards the rest of the party may have been targets because they came close during their time in the Mythwrought Rainforest. Yskanda wants to make a stand and wait for Yuan-Ti, but the others dont want to endanger civilians. So resolve to search the sand for shelter in Osaran. As the party makes preparations to leave, Lucille returns to Hetty and says goodbye. Hetty, however, hands over a medical journal containing some specific githyanki terms, and a Tir'su tablet, to decrypt Kay's carvings. While Lucille doesnt understand it's meaning, by convertying the Tir'su script, she identifies one of Kay's carvings as saying 'Kaincha'. She thinks it might be her name.
oSARAN
Chapter
NUROD (14)
-The Spiral Path-
Leaving the shelter and heading into the sandstorm, the party are quickly put on alert. They come across a small shelter with a recently deceased tabaxi within, half buried in the sand. The victim had signs of crushing, slashing, piercing damage, as well as some kind of toxic agent. While keeping guard, Dolly reports hearing the sounds of creaking, like the moaning of strained metal. The party hurry away by torchlight. That night, the sandstorm continues and in the shelter, Dahlia trains with the Gatka Chakar with instruction by Narthan. Narthan also discusses the risks of proceeding with half of the water being expended, speaking in riddles about the sands. Everyone seems concerned that he does not know where Osaran is, which Narthan concerns, but he assures them that he does know the path. Later, Lucille confides in Dahlia that she is conflicted at how she is becoming desensitised to dead bodies, Dahlia relates to that experience, but both recognise the advantages of such a change. Once everyone else is asleep, Ezi talk to Ovein, asking her about her change. Ovein explains that, as is the case with some of her fellow eladrin, she changes with the seasons, appearance, and emotions, but she is out of sync, and has been since the markings appeared on her. She feels lonely being distant from the feywild, and her friends, and doesn't even have comfort in knowing they are synchronised together. Ezi attempts to make Ovein feel better by putting pink things on her face, but Ovein playfully pinches her cheek, showing that that is all it takes to make Ezira go pink. The next day, while travelling between dunes, the party feel a rumbling, which Ezi identifies as marching from below, so everyone splits up and darts for cover behind the great dunes. From the underdark emerge a raiding host of many gnolls, who begin to make a camp. Without any recourse, everyone is forced to wait, but the gnolls were sure to discover them before long. Lucille instructs Kay to be still, but the gith has carved a new disk, with the word 'jezrathki' on it. Lucille, wants to see what Kay is suggesting an allows her to proceed. Kay uses the Jez'rathki disk she acquired from the camp in Homer, and from the other side a torrent of seawater pours in from the otherside, drowning the gnolls, and flooding the basin. Dahlia sees sea, and some miles away, land and ruins, on the other side. Additionally, she notes the spiral markings face towards the portal. Yskanda, Anna, and Lucille, want to proceed through the portal, and send Narthan away, so says that should they wish to find him, they should follow the path, and draws a spiral in the sand. However, once everyone is ready to go, Ezi reminds them of all their assets tied to Rezmire, how they cannot abandon Nera, and how they cannot swim that far. So the party deside to continue on to Osaran, now without a guide.
NUROD (15)
-Don't Cry Over Spilt Blood-
After two days, following a spiralling path around the desert, the party are set upon my scorpion monstrosities, Girtablilu. Dolly joins the fight, but is rusty, and uncomfortable being in combat again; fortunately, Dahlia declaws the beast and kills it as it fled. The second attacker gave Yskanda some trouble, fortunately, he was kept up thanks to Lucille. Ezi drew some attention, slamming the creature after taking the form of a greater myconid, with Lady's assistance. Yskanda finished this creature off with a mind blast. Afterwards, Ezi was upset about the violence and mess, so cleaned up with Ovein. Lucille prayed to tune into a faint voice she heard while channeling her healing through prayer. A masculine voice said "come find me girl" and "There are clearer waters waiting for you" from a cavernous place. Dahlia harvested some meat, and Dolly collected their blood. Fortunately, the next day, the party came across an Oasis, and Lucille convinced the Osaran Chwingas their to allow the party to drink from the water for the day; in return the party provided music. Ezira used speak with animals to communicate with a giant lizard, Paul, who got a buzz from eating bugs. The next day, yet again without water, the party were getting desperate. Three aaracockra vultures, Cawlys, Krii, and Offle, came down from the sky, selling very expensive water. The party negotiated, got a fairer, but still extortionate deal, and were shown that at least one of the waterskins contained water. Once 220 gold was paid, for two days water each, the birds disappeared. Only after that did the party realise they had been duped and the waterskins were not full of water. Despair set in, Dahlia, Dolly, and Lady, drank from the bloodskins to sate their thirst. Lady was deeply disturbed by this. After another day of hopeless travelling, what would be their last, if they could get no help, they eventually passed through a sandstorm, and emerged outside the 60ft smooth, but uneven, crumbling, sandstone cliffs, that made up the walls of Osaran. At the gates of the Northbank, the party find Narthan, surprised to see them, but welcoming.
NUROD (16)
-Outsider's Verge-
Yskanda seeks entry to the city, but the ruined gate is guarded by an ancient tabaxi guardian named Kreocalo. Narthan warns the crew that the city belongs to shadows, invoking the founder 'The Corosaran'. Beyond the gates, Yskanda sees only empty streets and tall shadows. The city is abandoned, and has been for centuries, the Osari live in settlements, tents, and caves around the walls, and outsiders are welcome only in the district known as 'Outsider's Verge'. Narthan, a resident, insists the party stay with him, so they do. There, they meet Narthan's husband, Tao Cleo, a grey tabaxi jeweller, with a nervous disposition. The party spend the week resting, in which time, they do some shopping. At the stall of a short, black, hairless, muscley tabaxi, selling flowers, Dahlia finds the flower she was named for, and three for which her siblings were named for, she presses them into her book. Meanwhile, Ezi sells some the tobacco supply, and picks up some Khat for her and Ovein to enjoy. She also sees a white egret orchid which she is told represents the phrase, 'my thoughts will follow you into your dreams'. Thinking of Nera, she instinctively spends a large amount on it. At the stall of a white tabaxi weaponsmith called Impesca; there, Dahlia buys a Khopesh. Yskanda looks into a cave, the entrance of which is covered in talismans and wards, seeing only shadow inside, they leave it behind. At the end of the week, Lucille takes advantage of a quiet moment to try and pray, and recapture the episode she had before. She finds herself in a deep underground cave, surrounded by water. She hears the voice say 'near'. Later, she confides this over dinner, and Tao drops his plate and invokes The Corosaran in shock, muttering something about the deep call. The party tries to get answers, but Narthan intevenes, suggesting that these questions are traitorous and sinful. With some prying, the party are told there is a place, under the city, named Deep Well, one must enter the city to enter the Deep Well, which is forbidden by the guardians, and will of the Corosaran. He also suggests fate has pulled them to the Deep Well, as sometimes happens, that it is an omen of stagnation or change, depending on whether the called answer or not. Narthan and Tao leave before they hear anything they wont like. Lucille pleads with the others that, even though it is none of their business, they help her figure out the meaning of her visions. Everyone vows to stand by her side, causing Lucille to tear up, after Anna says "it's what sisters do", Lucille bawls. Everyone plans to keep the upcoming escapade as a small group, and keep Narthan and Tao in the dark. Hopefully soon, amongst all the mysteries, they may find their first answer. Lady begins to write a new song.
NUROD (17)
-City of Shadows-
Ezi has more unfruitful dreams of Nera. Lucille translates more carvings from Kay, including new words she attributes to Lucille, Herself, and Yskanda. Dolly asks Dahlia about why she's been so down, to which she shares finding the flowers, that were hers and her siblings namesakes, all together, reminding her of her loss. Dolly reciprocates the complicated feelings of grief that surround family. Dahlia says she follows the spirals to find the cause of the avalanche that killed her family, to which Dolly tells her that, after everything, she's still a hunter. Dahlia asks why Dolly follows the path; Dolly reveals she doesn't really want to, but prefers it to the war waiting at home. She says she would rather walk the unknown path here than know for certain that she would be struck down in a field. Dahlia encourages her, telling her that together they will find a better purpose. Over dinner, Ezira slips something into Narthan's food, leading to Tao recommending the crew find other accommodations for the night. Yskanda & Lady split the party in two; they, Ezira, Dahlia, and Lucille were the away team, and the rest were the home team. The away team snuck into the shadow infested city, to follow the deep call. Whispers lead Lucille to the basement of a ruined temple that houses many curiosities, shadow puzzles, ghostly cats, and brown mould that gravely injured Yskanda. There are many portraits with faces scratched out, statues pointing in different directions, and a door locked by shadow puppetry which Ezi unlocks. It leads deeper down into a columned hallway everyone is suspicious of, but they find only a brazier in the centre of the room, roughly below the central statue from upstairs. On the other side of the room is a painting of the Corosaran, concealing behind it a safe with no visible means of opening it. A side passage leads to a sealed case containing a staff that changes between sunlight and torchlight. The case is sealed by three small tokens that resemble the size and shape of the three ghostly black sand cats that greeted the party above, before scarpering. Down more stairs, Ezi saw one of these cats down a corridor behind bars. Using speak with animals, Ezi communicated with it, only to get herself and Lucille sent down and up a magic shoot that brought the two to the start of the dungeon. It tried a few more tricks before Ezi mastered the creatures games and snatched its token and petting it, before it ran away.
NUROD (18)
-Deep Well-
The party travel down to a lower floor, downa tight passage where a black sand cat cowers at the end, Yskanda picks up a psionic foci, cerebral sprigs, and is ambushed by a wraith when he touches a painting of a scratched out figure. Simultaneously, their entryway is blocked by a tabaxi mummy that appears from a hidden passage. In the following fight, everyone struggles to make damage stick to the mummy, made harder by the tight quarters. Eventually, Lucille uses her 'Turn Undead' ability to make the mummy disappear down a hidden passage. Dahlia's hand is, however, infected with mummy rot. At the bottom of the sandy passages, they find a door which requires their shadows to pass under it to unlock it, revealing an even deeper under-biome. There, a forlorn gynosphinx offers little resistance to the party's progress. Below they find a ruined mausoleum guarded by a large shadowcat, Yskanda is impatient and wishes to slay the beast, but Lady insists that animals should be given every opportunity to live until it is clear that they should know better. Ezira and Lucille commune with the beast and it agrees to let them past what it is guarding, the tomb of the Corosaran. However, when the two open the tomb, they see that the grave is sunken through and leads to another passage, a huge flooded subterranean cave. The two slowly climb down the hundred foot of rock ledges, until Lucille is tied to the end of a rope, and submerges herself in the Deep Well. The voice returns here, and says to Lucille: "I have a message, offered without transaction or wanting. I wish to tell you of what has been, what is, and what can be. I wish to tell you there are other open paths for you, that would not be so reckless as to taint a spring. I wish to tell you that what you seek, and what they seek, can be, and is at the end of song. I wish to tell you that you will sail six seas, but swim in less, and want for fewer still. That is what has been, what is, and what can be. Now go, draw blood, if you have hope for peace." The decide to muse on this once they return to the surface. On the way up, Ezi fiddles with some fountains, paintings of ancient Osaran before and after its fall, and 'The Nameless'. She also solves the statue puzzle, and finds Sand Maiden's robes. She also finds a passage behind a curtain where the first black sand cat disappeared. Ezi approaches the cat calmly, collects its tag, and pets it. She sees the passage holds the remains of the three black sand cats in urns, the beloved pets of the Corosaran. Using the three tokens, she unlocks the sealed staff, granting her the 'Dogged Staff', which provides different bonuses at night and day.
NUROD (19)
-For Your Sin-
When everyone is reunited, and returned to Nartan and Tao's home, they wait until their hosts are occupied by customers, then begin to discuss the message. The agreed upon translation of the message can be placed into five sections. Firstly, the message is provided by the voice without any ulterior motives. Secondly, the comment about a tainted spring is the only thing not understood, but as the message was to her, perhaps there is further meaning to the 'other paths'. Thirdly, the hissing in their heads is caused by Yuan-Ti, and what they want will be found when that foe is slain. Fourthly, the party are early in their journey, and, should they choose to follow it through, they will sail across six seas, but reluctantly for some. Lastly, that shortly, blood will have to spill. With all this in mind, the party plans to rest for a week, look for a cure for Dahlia's mummy rot, then hunt down the nightmare singer. Lady and Yskanda emphasise the importance of discretion regarding Dahlia's injury, due to the implications that come with that kind of curse. During the week, Ezi learns how to bread, batter, and deep fry meat, from Tao. Also, lucille inquires with the merchant 'Impesca' about a neighbouring cave that is full of darkness and warded by paper talismans. He tells her, just between the two of them, that someone was tainted by the shadow when wandering where they weren't supposed to, so the cave is marked with talismans to keep people out, and the resident in. He also gives her information about the Mirage Enclave, and suggests that whatever mysterious malady Lucille is avoiding describing will probably be best attended to by them. Lucille then goes to investigate a magic circle that is guarded by a pair of arcanists nearby, she meets a stern and graceful tabaxi arcanist called Beju, who agrees to look at whatever injury Lucille needs attending, when she asks after the Mirage Enclave. When Beju is brought to the front of Narthan's house, he looks alarmed, and disappointed, saying to Lucille that she should have gone to him. Lucille has brought an Osaran fundamentalist into Narthan's home, against all warning, to show her an injury that is evidence of heresy. Beju says as much when she tightly clasps Dahlia's arm, saying the city has claimed it, 'for your sin'. Ezi misinterprets a sign from Lady and attacks, the fight is short, and ends with Beju beheaded by Dahlia, but not before she blasts off Dahlia's middle and index fingers. Narthan comes in and is horrified, proclaiming that he will be hung for this, he and Tao flee their home and seem furious with the party. Yskanda makes a break to flee and expedite their plans. Lady comforts Ezi, then takes her to help Dahlia who is unresponsive for a while. With the help of Dolly, Dahlia, and the rest, get away.
NUROD (20)
-The Nightmare Singer-
After a couple nights travelling in the general direction of Homer, Lucille overhears Anna praying, and she looks up at the sky, alite with a nebulous aurora, and sees it as an omen that a way forward has been found. The next morning Lady Morroe presents a plan to the party. If they should scour the edges of the desert, where they known is likely the source of the singing, then they may find a sign of Yuan-Ti, then the Home Team can create a ruckus that allows the away team and Kay to break into their base. Inside the party will find and capture the Nightmare Singer, so that they can be compelled to help heal Dahlia, so she doesn't need to lose an arm. Then, the party can get Kay to send them to Homer, where they will meet the Home Team. Lady even offers to exhaust herself to buff her allies. Everyone is impressed, and agrees. Then on the 27th, they find the signs they need. Anna relays messages so that the two teams can coordinate their attacks once they find the beautiful, ancient fortress of this Yuan-Ti Brood. Ennana and Dolly Maine lead the charge, followed by Anna, and Ovein, who isn't a trained fighter. The party observe them fighting the Batiri, suggesting the Yuan-Ti may also be behind their compulsion. Meanwhile, the party climb a cliff onto a balcony that will let them bypass the front gate. When at the edge, Lucille alerts a Yuan-Ti guard above, and just as he leans over the rails and spots her, Kay pulls the Yuan-Ti down, to its death, shocking everyone. Another guard is constricted by Yskanda. The party then head deep into the fortress, where the Batiri are non hostile, without orders. They find the entrance to the underways the Yuan-Ti use to connect to different broods, likely the wyrmwrithing paths used by the Gnolls too. After dispatching a few packs of guards, the party come to a gilded door, adorned in snakes. An engraving says the door will only open for Sshuztlu, who is, presumably, the Nightmare Singer. However, in emergencies, it will open for whoever sheds skin. The party resolve this lock by flaying one of their Yuan-Ti victims. It opens on a large chamber that ends in an alter, and the nightmare singer, two thin central walksways are the only paths forward, above the lake of blood. The edges of the rooms are decorated with Koranan hides, these hides are the organs of creatures, stripped of all flesh and bone, draped over, and placed in sockets, on statues, they are alive, not dead, not undead. The fight begins. Dahlia brutalises Sshuztlu, as Yskanda barrages it with many psychic attacks, though they feel the mental energies being pulled away to the alter. Ezi takes the form of a greater myconid and slams down upon the foe, but is pushed into the blood pool by a thunderwave. Lucille struggles to keep pace with the party as blood elementals begin to appear and block the way. Eventually, Sshuztlu is knocked down and bound, his spell undone. The party steal his Dream Reliquary, and Jez'rathki away to the beaches of Homer.
25th
NUROD (21)
-The Torrent-
As Ezi, Lucille, and Kay, make camp at the amphitheatre, Dahlia and Yskanda take Sshuztlu aside for questioning. He reveals he was trying to create something called a Nightmare Engine, which has the power to make the immaterial manifest, but they didn't come close. He also reveals he had trapped Nera in a dream she was in, and she will return nearby the dreamer shortly. When asked if it will heal Dahlia, it says it will if it is let go, it says, without the dream reliquary, at least another year of work will be required to catch back up, so the party have been victorious. Dahlia is forced to weigh up her own arm versus the wellbeing of all of Rezmire, she has already helped in their plight, but to let Sshuztlu go now, would mean turning a blind eye to his schemes. Dahlia slits the snakes throat. She had no power to stop the devastation of her tribe, but now with the power to save people, she is prepared to pay the price. She hopes her brother, Chrys, would be proud, and that in some way she has made amends for the mistake that cost his life. Lucille prays and asks for guidance for the horrific thing she is about to do. Lucille amputates Dahlias left forearm. Narthan comes to camp the next morning to tell the party that he ran into the home team at the edge of the desert, being pursued by Yuan-Ti, but aided in their escape. In a few hours, they should catch up, but he has come for Sshuztlu's body, in hopes that it might be a good enough bargain for Tao's return to Osaran, the only place that feels like home for him. Dahlia tells him not to do something like that, not knowing if he will be safe. Narthan insists upon his choice, though before he leaves, he removes Sshuztlu's golden armour, leaving it for the party. Later that day, the home team return safely. Dolly is concerned for Dahlia and keeps her company. Lucille breaks down to Anna, while sharing in divine silence. Lady valuates the gold armour, as being such a weight of gold, that their saving will now only take a month or two. Everyone begins the trek back to Rezmire City, stopping off at the Cantou Tribe on the way, where Priest Cotan congratulates them on reaching Deep Well, and getting one of the three blessings of Rezmire. Chief Muzai is pleased that the Yuan-Ti have for now ben thwarted, and teaches the Cantou Call, which, if a Cantou tribesman is nearby, will call them to aid. Then, returned to Rezmire City, begins two months of work, Lucille with Hetty, Dahlia at the shipyard with some of the crew, Ezi struggling to keep a job in kitchens (due to her underdark oriented culinary skills), and Yskanda building his layer, the Undermire, where he has many ongoing experiments, including releasing Cranium rats in the city. The night before departure, Nera appears, telling everyone how she popped out of Wyn's head, and spent the last two months getting back to Rezmire. She doesn't remember much of her time in the dreams, as most people don't, but she remembers some things, nightmares best left unsaid. Nonetheless, she has a happy reunion with Ezi and Ovein. The next day, the party board their new ship, The Torrent, with a tentacled skull ram-figurehead, and spiral-marked sails. The party chose a path of understanding, following the markings straight rather than following it through the jez'rathki disc, and sail into the thousand shores.
Thousand shores
chapter
NUROD (22)
-Forcord-
The party consult Yskanda's rough map estimating the general geography of Nurod, and determine that, while their markings guide them northwest, they should head generally west, as to avoid the warpath of the ongoing Karkinos campaign. The party's first stop is the nearby island of Forcord, the southwest wetlands, where, away party, minus Lady, and plus the eager to join, Nera, visit the shore where they find the Glub'Barog Tribe. They are welcomed by Gilbert Gobbert, a bullywug soldier with a friendly and excited temperament who leads them to his village. Lucille and Nera meet a druid, Lebo Lekroak, who allows them to feed his okapi herd. Ezi catches up to them, having been delayed in an awe-stricken state by the sight of their mycelial houses, reminiscent of own her home. When she realizes that Lebo is a spores druid, the two share their interest, and Ezi learns the sporeshape for a Salamance Phycomid. A phycomid is a type of mushroom that lives symbiotically, until after death, when it animates the host's carcass; this type in particular has adapted to specifically inhabit Giant Salamanders, which the village farms and uses as mounts. Ezi watches Luplot Kropock and Uma Shulb struggle to wrangle some of these beasts. Dahlia ingratiates herself to the local blacksmith, Jerim Shulb by helping shape some plates for Giant Salamander armour, where she learns the village is named for their god. Yskanda investigates the inner village, finding more signs of their faith and culture, in the form of Tebo Lekroak, the keeper of a pit, where their god is said to reside in isolation, as the village has lost the ability to communicate with it. Yskanda goes to the villages' shrine and meats the local shaman, Trop Astrag, who explains, their divine communion was compromised when some islanders recently stole their holy idol. Eventually, upon consulting with the village chief, Koji Lekroak, the party strike a deal, where they shall retrieve this holy artefact, in return for a Behemythic artefact, a greatbow fit for a giant, which can fire javelins as if they were arrows. With the knowledge the party have of their enemy, they live on a mobile structure that Dahlia may be too cumbersome to navigate, so this tool will be most useful in the upcoming hunt. So the party set out, led by Trop, and his personal guard, the warrior, Telmar Bosset, deeper into the wetlands. Though a good relationship had been built between the crew and the tribe, the party are still weary due to the tribes fierce insistence in the divinity of their patron god.
NUROD (23)
-Bold Endeavours-
The party charge into a clearing, where a giant snail, three stories tall, with a shell clad in platforms and walkways, where the green kobold thieves keep their treasure. While the rest of the party make chase on their salamanders, attempting to board, Dahlia keeps her distance and begins to launch powerful javelins that cause structures to collapse, and, upon catching a kobold, send them flying into the farsky. As the party board and make their way up the structures, they are beset by various traps and contraptions: falling branches, poison plants, electrified paths, slippery stairs, and a few of the kobolds would simply jump off of the giant snail 'Yuv', when they were caught, gliding away on canvas wings. When one was left, its attempts to avoid directly fighting were so pitiful, that the party simply allowed it to flee. When the structures were fully abandoned, the party recovered the frog-shaped idol, soothed the snail, and prepared for the return journey. Ezi stopped them to address concerns she had been having about the party's killings, and wondered if the kobold deaths could have been avoided entirely if they had made quicker efforts to immobilise and intimidate the thieves. Yskanda felt the parties actions were justified, but for the sake of Ezi, said she would have the chance to resolve things peacefully moving forwards, in the role of an ambassador. With that decided, they returned to the Glub'Barog tribe, where the Shaman, Trop, performed a celebratory ceremony and prepared for the release of their god from it's pit of confinement. It reared its monstrous head, revealing the form of a Froghemoth, that quickly devoured the Shaman, to the tribe's applause. The party were confused and horrified by the calmness of the people as the monstrocity stormed off, so quickly made their exit and returned to the ship, where they charted their next course to the Garden of the Abyss. In the voyage, Lady Morroe learned of Ezi's new position, and stormed in to discuss the matter with Yskanda, as she believed that diplomacy was her jurisdiction. Yskanda realised his oversight but thought the matters of the ship and shore to be seperate, and wandered what else he was to do in Lady's absence. They compromised, reaffirming Lady's position, but committing to creating appropriate apparel for Lady, so she might join the Away team on future island excursions. Also during the travel, Nera spoke with Lucille, telling her that she had seen Lucille's home and what happened there, she explained this was an inadvertent intrusion, and she had done the same to Enanna, but if she wished to speak about it, she could. When the party arrived at the eldritch and immaterial shores of the Garden of the Abyss, they saw a shipwreck and decided to investigate.
NUROD (24)
-The Silent Heart-
The party board the half sunken, half collapsed shipwreck, passing the hull placard, naming the ship 'The Silent Heart'. In the forecastle, Dahlia finds some pipeweed, and a jar of preserved cucumbers. Ezi was frightened and confused by the concept of pickelling, so pocketed the suspicious cucumbers for further investigation. In the aftercastle, Lucille finds a tortured, flayed, and dismembered corpse, maybe a year old. Lady and Nera stay back from the gruesome sight as Lucille investigates further, finding signs that people were taken off of the ship in chains. She also finds a small chapel room, and while it was missing an idol, Lucille found vestments and a holy symbol of Eldath. Pieces of metal twisted so that each is the shape of one of the streams in Eldath's waterfall symbol, layed on a necklace, looking like lockpicks, or chimes. Yskanda interprets the navigation log to gain more information about the ship's doomed voyage, they came from somewhere to the west, passing through the nearby islands, to the northwest, and must have suddenly sailed south for some reason. When everyone reconvenes in the centre of the ship, they ponder what happened here, over patches of rot, and scuffs; that is when Nera proposes they use another of her talents, drawing forth the psychic impressions left behind in places. She lights a bundle of incense and the smoke creates a veil that drapes over the shape of where someone one stood, trying to get away from another, who dragged them away in chains. To finish their exploration, Dahlia, Ezira, and Yskanda, descended into the sunken deck. Within, they were ambushed by a pack of deepwater mulocs. In the fight, Ezi took the form of a Coral Clathrus Ruber and shot waterjets, as Yskanda unleashed psychic blasts. Dahlia spent most of the fight surrounded and using her strength to overcome the water resistance, and cleave through the murlocs. Both Ezi and Yskanda were bit so much that things became dire, but Lucille waited at the top of the steps so she could provide healing when they came to her. When just one murloc remained, the creature, Grrg'da, surrendered. Then from behind a locked door appeared the hulking form of a shark-like man, clad in carapace armour, wielding a crab claw. He introduced himself amicably as 'Tchez Tetramenz', a local of a southern reef colony. He thanked the party for dispatching the murlocs, who had forced him to hide in a cupboard for a week, hoping they would leave. While his appearance was at first intimidating, being a height between Yskanda and Dahlia, his kindly nature quickly became apparent, as he explained his abilities and his magical 'word doctor', a colloquial term for healing word. He too wished to explore the island, so joined with the party, though not before a rest back on the Torrent. As they left, the put together all the pieces of what had happened here and decided that there must be slavers active around Betit'il and Betryl.
NUROD (25)
-May Peace Outlast Us-
On the Torrent, Ezi is persistent in her attempts to befriend Grrg'da, since she found friendship with murlocs in Rezmire City, but gets nowhere. Tchez suggests that they simply let the thing go once they're done on the island. Ovein reminds Ezi of the hour, and she remembered she needs to cook, so goes and prepares a pork ravioli. Lucille helps Ennana stretch her muscles, as she struggles due to her age, and Lucille decides to try and get to know her better. She learns that Ennana came to Uild because she had breast cancer, which her village did not have the means to cure, so she went to the otherside of the known world for a double mastectomy, and then stayed as a deckhand to pay off what she owed. Lucille recognises wisdom in Ennana's experiences which she herself doesn't see. Lady and Dahlia are practising music, where Dahlia seems distracted by concerns about the dirty work of a warrior. Lady opens up a little, saying the reason she surrounds her cabin with dolls is to remind her what she makes herself, when she has duty, she is puppet to it, like a doll she can put on clothes and accessories for whatever she needs, and when all is done, she can put that persona back on a shelf. Dahlia notices a twitch in Lady Morroe, as if she was concerned that she had revealed too much, but Dahlia took to heart the separation of the dutiful self and the true self. She then attuned to some barnacle encrusted armour she found in the shipwreck. The party ventured into the island, only to find that hours of travel were removed from their memory, as if the impossible geometries of the island could not be carved into their minds. They found themselves in front of a stone vault, where an advanced automaton, far beyond those of Uild, delivered a message: "I am Ha-314, they call me happy. I’ve remained idol, preserving just enough power to deliver this message. The masters were corrupted with the land. They now wander the indefinite waste, beyond reason, succumbed to madness like shadow, but we know better, that is the one thing they fear too much to use. With this reasoning, and with chaos befalling us, then the intel we received indicates that Project Sundown is their hail mary. Warn Etanfall, Warn Tenebris, Beware Anoiceter." Dahlia identified a nearby inscription in archaic giant reading: "This Vault preserves the mythic songs of woe". And a second line, which could be read different ways: "May Peace Outlast Us", "Peace May Outlast Us", and "We May Outlast Peace". Insight the dark vault, the party heard horrific noises, which emerged in force from the darkness as an Ettin Ceremorph, a giant mind flayer kin, but thankfully, Yskanda revealed themselves to it, so it would not fight. Like Yskanda, this creature was cut off from its hive mind, the same hive mind, Izwyll. Though this remains concealed through Deep Speech. The Ettin leads the party to a giant automaton named Doctor Saw who offered prosthetics and many proceedures of enhancements. While they couldnt decide or afford something for Dahlia that Day, the Forsaken of Izwyll gave Yskanda hands which were a psionic focus, and all that remained after a failed mithraic marriage.
NUROD (26)
-The Herald-
Emerging from the cave, the party see a creature rise from the clifftops, a corrupted giant, this one imbued with Oncheggari power. With an oversized arm, it created a barrage of crushed stone and set forth bolts of crystal and coldfire. Dahlia charged in with Ezi, who transformed into a Salamance with Nera on her back. Burning mists and freezing flames battered them, but they stood together. Nera shunted Ezi into the dream plane temporarily, causing a barrage to miss her, Lucille danced through the party imparting divine energy as she went, Lady inspired them, Tchez used his word doctor, Yskanda used his psionic focus power to make the creature more vulnerable, and the Forsaken of Izwyll grappled with it. Eventually, it was felled, and the party said goodbye to the Forsaken of Izwyll and Tchez, who continued his investigation into the vaults. When the party returned to the coast, more memories absent, they found the crew at the shore, along with an ominous masked figure who identified himself as a herald of the phantom fleet that destroyed The Bitchy Devil. He claimed he came to see them, out of curiosity, that somehow he was not entirely under the same influence or madness as the rest of the fleet, and was indulging a personal interest. He commented that they had managed to evade the fleet by not using their powers and staying put for a while, which Yskanda interpreted to mean that awakening the spiral markings on the open seas was ill advised. Yskanda also took insult from the Herald's insistence that they were following a path set out by a greater power. The figure went to leave, but not before one final mad muttering, 'enjoy the hunt'. Back on the ship, the party chart a course away from the slavers, southwest, to Enaone. During the journey, Ezi makes some nigiri, and Ennana gives her a recipe for ackee & saltfish. Also during the passage, Ovein deliver a present to Dahlia from Nera, a trench coat, a thanks for Dahli's help finding the hot springs in her dream. Afterwards, Ovein stays to hang out, and the pair construct a giant sized joint. Meanwhile, Nera and Lucille break open a giant sized stash of spliff. Another day in the journey, Yskanda and Nera discuss how to learn more about the Garden of the Abyss, and Nera comments that Wyn's mother, Vina Brekkiler Cecil, is Uildan scholar specialising in the translated works of the first lord commander. Nera proposes purchases messenger birds to get a letter to Wyn asking for information, Nera also claims that she's a proficient falconer given her Tarinan upbringing. When Anna hears about the hand Yskanda acquired in the Vault of Woe, she reveals that she and her sister are the product of a mitharic marriage, which is a marriage of souls, where the old flesh is left behind, and the soul of two individuals are mixed, blurred, split and given new form. she reveals that she only has spiral markings on a part of her body, and is theorising that her sister has the other half, as she has the opposite magic hand to the one Anna can summon. She suggests its important to warn her sister of the threats of using her powers on open water, since Anna followed her here to the west.
NUROD (27)
-When the Sun Stops Shining ...-
As the party prepare for the arrival, Yskanda prepares their disguise, and feel unusual markings on the back of their head, a message, made of up of tiny scar lines, in Quallith, the written language of illithids, poked into their skin during the return journey from the vault of woe, when their memory failed. While Yskanda kept the contents of the message to themself, others noticed Yskanda's surprised expression, that being the result of finding the message was from their past self. On the sandy shore of Enaone, the party and Ennana (being proficient in the aquan language) take in the sight of the nearby city of Evir said to be a miraculous bastion, however, it's gates were closed to outsiders due to far reaching effects of the war between Rezmire and Karkinos. Other outsiders rested at the beach, the crew of an unseen ship named the River Horse. Most of the crew were Giff, like their captain, Milton Montgomery Milhouse, however they had picked up a beast man, a pangolin with a mandolin, Liam Peparot. Also in the crew was the veteran, Lesley Chamberlain, the rookie, Paul 'Ski' Dovatski, the tinkerer and healer Timothy Peterson, and the fierce armoured warrior, Malcolm Peterson. The crews shared maps, learning the giff had been staying in Scovari Archipelago, but they were troubled waters between some opsec designation, and some seabeast migrations. Though boisterous and loud by nature, they spoke of a southern island, Jamaidre that beyond even their tastes, featuring all kinds of cultures and potentially a lot of fun. The party decided to pay it a visit later, before returning to their charted course for Hon'il, then Scovari. The captain's traded some unused gear, and wagered on a fight between Dahlia and Malcolm Peterson. Malcolm came out strong with a blast from a large black powder gun, and followed by precise swings through the smoke, but Dahlia's durability prevailed, and the foe surrendered, and the party one a Stingrapier, a quickdraw crossbow, a vial of liquid expertise, and fullsail ring. Content with their business, the party bid farewell to the giff, and wished them luck in learning about the island of Rezmire, and the lands of the east. When they return to the ship, Lucille finds Kay in the care of Lady, who is freaking out, as her ward is transmuting the ingot of silver she acquired from Homer into a Jez'rathki disc. Later Yskanda would call a meeting with the three to discuss the dangers of Kay's magic, how they have the potential to heal her through Doctor Saw, if she consents, and can prove that she is not a threat, so Lucille is urgered to focus all her time on furthering her communication. Also during the voyage, Yskanda seeks training from Dahlia, to gain some prowess with a sword. Ezi asks Ovein about her home, she tells of the expressive world of the fey, and how different the sensations are, Ezi worries she is boring for Ovein, but she assures her that's not the case, and tells her they will visit the feywild together, maybe through the great wood of Grovel. Lucille goes to Anna, searching for help interpreting the will of her god in relation to the necklace she found on The Silent Heart. She doesn't know if it was left by Eldath to guide her west, or warn her against it, by placing it on a corpse. She decides on optimism, that it means there is somewhere out there for her, Anna is not convinced and says it seems more likely a sign that there is no gentle place out there. The two leave it in uncertainty, but comment that they might find out before they know, 'when the sun stops shining, and the rain stops falling', it will be too late.
NUROD (28)
-Jamaidre-
The whole spend a hazy week recovering and partying on Jaimaidre with the locals, staying at a brothel called 'The Rose Eye'. Dahlia, in a hot tub is disturbed by a tattooed person called Setep Motok, he speaks of some daring escapades that evade Dahlia's memory, before he departs, stopping only briefly to confirm some plan with Lady Morroe. Yskanda awakens slightly concerned about the haziness, but finds another Quallith etching on themself saying that they had fun and its all good. Yskanda believes the message but begins to develop a deep distrust and rivalry of the past Yskanda, or 'Pyskanda'. Lucille has made a lot of progress with kay, uncovering associates, such as the ship's surgery with home. She says that her home is huge and dangerous place, full of magic. She also asks of Lucille's home, which she is told is small and safe, before Kay asks 'is the water safe now', which touches a nerve with Lucille. Lucille asks how Kay knows that, and Kay reveals that she saw it before they met, through magic. Lucille asks Kay if she wants her eyes back. Kay replies that she needs her tongue for magic, verbal components, and if they fix her tongue, she won't need eyes. Ezi partied a little too close to the sun, and spent much of the day being cradled by Ovein. The party went to look around the market, and see the garments, the stories of which brought them there. They went out into the small walled city of Gortroth, they browsed a bullwug's potion stand (Gious Glougek), an elf acquisitions expert's commision centre (Terry Bolatan), and a drow's dye stand (Milna Milk). The party agreed to invest in one of Dayo B's 'Esoterics', an ichor of acumen that can provide Yskanda bespoke boons. They finally came to grand fashion store, 'Nilsur Emporium'. The tall and ageless attendant led the party to the armour, where Ezi took interest in padded armour that could inflate like a pufferfish and set out poison needles like one too. When she took it from the attendant, their hands touched, and Ezi's spiral markings suddenly surged, and the stranger flinched. Yskanda immediately inquired with her, but suggested it would be best for both of them if they dropped it and forgot they ever met. Yskanda agreed, as to not cause a scene, but a trickle of intrigue would take route, and the encounter would not be forgotten. Then, the party spent the rest of the day resting, as the captain and Lady went about their business, when they returned, Yskanda revealed they had had spiral marking tattooed along the top of their torso, their shoulders, collar, pecs, to show them once and for all that they are deserving of the crew's trust and kinship. The token went down well, and many in the group shook Yskanda's hand and celebrated the act as the moment the crew became family.
NUROD (29)
-Hon'il-
While leaving Jamaidre, some local pirates looked a little too wantingly at the unfolding ship, so, under Lady's suggestion, Yskanda lowered their hood. Apparently illith legends reached even here, as the pirates scattered, but from up on high, the clothing attendant watched down as they went. Once they were clear of the island, Yskanda, Lady, Lucille, and Kay had another meeting about progress. There was a lot of butting heads about the danger Kay could bring, particularly Yskanda, who she made secret of her disgust towards. She claimed that she could see what Lucille couldn't, that Illithids live a long time, and can be patient, but still evil. Ultimately, a compromise was agreed, wherein the crew would limit Kay's access to her power until she could was trusted, perhaps by enchanting whatever tongue they purchase from Doctor Saw. From the island Nera purchased messenger birds, which Yskanda uses to send their letter to Wyn, Lucille writes to family, and Ezi sends a drawing of herself, giving a thumbs up, to Lebo Lekroak on Forcord. The party then arrive at Hon'il, a wild place, where the party quickly find elementals, mud mephits and sour looking mudman who rained down slop for young wild boars to play in. The party enjoyed the sight and rested their original aim or hunting the boar. Along the shore, Ezi found a rock with brown mold on it, she decided this time, since it had recently spore burst, to collect a sample. She thought for a moment of how to approach the problem, but concluded that she needn't fear any mold. Ezi shortly after joined the others at the shore, covered in muck, injured, but triumphantly holding the jar as she went to wash herself off. Meanwhile, Dahlia unearthed some more Dethek runes, that read: 'here marks the end of maat. I searched for survivors. I'm tired'. Dahlia explain that Maat and Maug are the giant's cultural values of good and evil, holy and unholy, honourable and dishonourable. Nera drew out the psychic impressions of the land revealing the form of the writer briefly before it coalesced into a psychic vapour that Yskanda began to assimilate, feeling desolation, disaster, and emptiness at the edge of sorrow. Looking out at the sea, they felt as if Nurod, the very seas, were once a part of a battlefield. When the coalescence was placed into the nightmare reliquary, what emerged was a poison, likely one reflecting that taken by the dead giant. One that kills at the strike of midnight, pocketed by Ezira. After avoiding some mimic coconuts, the party headed north a couple days, finding another shipwreck in some seastacks, while there was little loot to be found, hanging from the mast was an Eldathi amulet caked in gore. Shortly after, the party spotted Harpies getting into position for an ambush above, so quickly returned to the Torrent. Lucille interpreted the pendant as a threat by others, or further promise of a Nurodi Eldathi colony. Anna made it known that quite to the contrary, she thought Lucille was ignoring confirmation of the very sign of warning seen on The Silent Heart, that while there is little place for Eldath in Dorun, there is no place in Nurod. One night, the party quickly get to arms as lights in the dark begin to surround them, they fear it is the phantom fleet, but the fleet is instead made of large ships, it's the Rezmire Fleet, The Band of the Lion, and a ferocious looking pixie captain.
Scovari Archipelago
chapter
NUROD (30)
-The Red Maker-
The leader of the boarding party is a man named Gen. Naaem Mwenda. He explained that Scovari Archipelago was an operational sector, and everyone entering or leaving does so in the interests of the Rezmire Fleet. Yskanda consents to have the ship searched for contraband or Karkinos spies, while the crew is placed in holding aboard 'The Red Maker', Yskanda and Lady meet with the Captain, Harrad Wesacl. Naeem appears to leave the ship, heading for 'Fort Shade'. Yskanda does well under Captain Wescal's interrogation, even under the watchful eye of Spacegraham Skyverson, but Lady struggles to keep her story straight. Yskanda realises she is lying about who she as, as does Wescal, and he has her taken away for further investigation. In the cells, Dahlia, Nera, and Ennana plot how they would each get out of their cells if this wasnt all straightened out. In her cell, Ezi can make out another creature in a neaby cell, something between a crab and a man, a Karokan of Karkinos. She introduces herself to the Karokan, who in turn names herself 'Kruwoth Vigken', and introduces her non-verbal friend 'Serran Hoji', who simply replies 'buh'. Ezi wonders why they are in cells, and learns that the ships are holding all Karokans incase they're spies, as Karokan spies are hard to detect, being not just able to cut away and regenerate limbs, but memories too. In her cell, Lucille is worried about Kay in a cell by herself, to which Ovein struggles to calm her down, but then guards drag a beaten Lady Morroe into a nearby cell. Yskanda is told that Lady is being charged with fraud and will have to be tried. Yskanda makes a deal to help the Band of the Lion in return for relinquishing Lady Morroe into their custody. The Karkinos campaign is on hold as the Rezmire Fleet is being held up in Scovari by a great migration of seabeasts. If the party get three such beasts to move on, then they will be given Lady, and passage out of Scovari. So the crew reunite and head on their way, will Ezi pestering Spacegraham enough that she agrees to let the Karokans go with them. Two days later, The Torrent and The Red Maker arrive at an island covered in sahuagin and chains. The party climb the beaches and fight the Sahuagin while one of their shamans summons great sharks from the ocean to bite at one and all, made worse and more giant by the lighting of the lantern by Dahlia. After the battle, the party wonder if they were the sea beastsm but after dismantling the Sahuagin's chains, the island lurches upwards, and the party realise they stand upon the back of a dragon turtle, who sends out disruptive waves before heading off. Having these creatures tuck in your path is unlikely to make for a safe voyage.
NUROD (31)
-The Turtle's Dilema-
The party collect loot illuminated by the lantern, slippers with variable effects, a grimeblade, a hero's goblet, holy water, a healing potion, and a seaspike. When arriving back on the ship, Yskanda wanders around Lady's quarters and finds her prized doll on display, she catches a glimpse of the name tag, Morroe. Shortly after, The Red Maker raise the banner of the calling hand to parle and Yskanda goes aboard. In Wecsal's chamber, they are congratulated and given Lady's belongings, including her diary, which has pages bookmarked. The entries indicate Lady has some regret about her deception, but feels justified. That she is no lady, and was a gutter rat in Volrek, at the whims of her crime lord mother, whose death led to her fleeing the underdark through mad wastes, until she arrived at the Earthrift Dregs. Yskanda's feelings about Lady turn darker and darker, ambivalent to the emotion written in the pages, only recognising the betrayal in her actions. When discussing with the away team, everyone is shocked that Lady Morroe had a stash of 1500 gold, and that it appears her name may have been Etheda Day. Everyone argues, Yskanda wants to demote, abandon, or maroon Lady. Dahlia wishes to take her possessions and postion and admonish her. Lucille wishes to find the truth and hear the other side. Ezira thinks the others are overreacting and that Lady has been a useful and trustworthy ally regardless of who she was before and who she claims to be now. No one agrees but Yskanda concedes to a compromise, that she must be subjected to a zone of truth and answer all questions put to her about her past, else she be left in the custody of the fleet, or worse. The next day, arriving at the next target, the crew awaken to see schools of Kelpies living symbiotically with the dragon turtle. This one appears to have a broken jaw with Iruni ruins on its back and noises coming from within it. Within its pre-stomach, a marid, a sea hag, and a young bronze dragon argue for which of them is going to claim the cave like space as their lair. The party quickly grow tired of the arguing and decide instead to help the dragon turtle by resetting his jaw and kickstarting its digestive system so that it may digest the bickering would-be-sea-lords in its stomach. They are successful and they talk with the very friendly dragon turtle, Edrokar, who reports that he got into that mess by seeing a rock and thinking he could eat it. He tells the crew they did a bang on job in many ways as the hours pass by, and one by one the crew lose interest and return to the ship, where only Dahlia is left to try and get away from very conversational creature. They promise to reunite someday.
NUROD (32)
-A New Colony-
In travelling to the final sea beast, the crew see the migration path of the scores of dragon turtles, swimming west. These beasts are seemingly strong enough to resist the ever increasing pull of the currents. The party arrive and see a mother and two smaller dragon turtles being steered around by sephalopian creatures called Takos. Their leader introduced themselves as 'Subarashi Otoko' and warned the party away before unleashing a barrage of sling attacks from their crews many arms. The party fought their way up slaying a few of the creatures until the Takos yielded and swore to release the beasts, before revivifying their fallen crew. When the party returned to the ship however, they saw smoke in the distance, and sailed around a nearby island to find The Red Maker and another rezmiric ship, 'The Midnight Drake', burned and boarded by Karokans from their vessel 'The Ravenous Hermit'. The away team prepared to board the Red Maker to assist and find Lady Morroe, while the home team moved their canons, and began broadsiding karokan ship, with the help of their own karokan guests. On board The Red Maker, it was clear the ship had taken to much damage to repair and water was quickly flowing in. A Karokan Archon, Dekryll, with a blue shell and sword like pincer, was fighting Spacegraham and Captain Wescal, while other brutish Karokans slaughtered the crew. Yskanda and Dahlia went after this high priority target, though it took alot to even break through the hard carapaced ranks that stood between them and their quarry. Meanwhile Lucille headed down to look for Lady, shortly followed by Ezira and Nera. Lucille saw bodies burning and one defenceless crewmate barely hold off a vicious karokan with just a pot lid, yet continued on to find Lady. Ezira and Nera stayed behind to help the stewarding staff and protect the defenceless crew, though their attacks were even more insufficient than what was going on above; Ezi was also nearly out of resources from the earlier fight. Lucille ran past more hopeless scenes of slaughter, knowing she could help, but being all too aware that Lady, on the lower decks, was in the greatest danger, as the water rose. And these fears were confirmed when Lucille reached the deck above Lady and found a low level of water rising. On the forecastle, Dahlia used her battle mastery to intercept and counter strikes, but the Archon was managing to hold his own in a duel on all sides while flanked, and each of his opponents knew they were going to be bested. Ezi was batted away, heavily injured, as was Nera, who was then stabbed through the eye and into the head by the karokan's pincor. It picked Nera up by the neck, and Ezi begged for her life. And on the bottom deck, Lucille found Lady submerged with both her legs blown off by cannon fire.
NUROD (33)
-The Battle of Reefer Reef-
Ezira enters a primal state and awakens a deep seated power. The central mast of the ship explodes as it replaced by Ezi's own growth as a giant mushroom, the great blue mast. Bringing her and Nera to safety. Lucille unlocks Lady's cell with her silent chimes, and begins carrying her back up the decks of the ship as the water level chases their tails. The great blue mast smashes the Archon into the lower decks, after Dahlia has shattered its defences, and Dahlia descends to help carry Lucille and Lady out, as Ezira returns to herself, unconscious with Nera. Many of the Red Maker's crew do not get out, but those who do are picked up by the Midnight Drake, as The Red Maker and Ravenous Hermit both go under. The party, the injured, Spacegraham, and Wescal, all are picked up by the Torrent, as the karokan soldiers simply stand on the sunken deck looking up, as it sinks to the bottom of the ocean. The ships begin to head to the northern island of Andir, where the Rezmiric Fleet has been hiding in wait before an upcoming invasion of Karkinos. Lucille manages a full surgery with the aid of Ovein, and performs surgery that stops Lady Morroe from bleeding out, though she might have already lost too much blood. She also cleans Nera's eye wound, and seeing some potential brain damage, sterilises around the wound and sows Nera's eye closed so that no infection has a direct path to her brain. Ezira awakens from exhaustion terrified at her inability to protect Nera, while everyone else congratulates and thanks her for what she did do, grateful for Ezira, even if she didn't understand how she had done what she had. A few days later, Nera awakens and is relieved that her injury appears so minor, as she had feared she would be missing a large part of her head. This calms some of Lucille's nerves, who is getting more and more exhausted. A few more days, and the ships arrive at Fort Shade, where Yskanda, Dahlia, Ezira, and Anna, come to shore to receive personal thanks from Naaem Mwenda, who brazenly sits in the Homagnus' throne. They are then taken to the true Homagnus' chambers, where they are invited to dine with his inner circle. The Homagnus, Jeanbec Lance, is joined by Colonel Spacegraham Skyverson, Lt. General Nagrick Gangrick, Lt. Lucy Duskdew, and Major Josephine Adriff. Ezira makes small talk with her fellow goblinoid, Nagrick, and takes note that she carries a scimitar that matches the one held by Lucy Duskdew, who is a cthonic tiefling, who Dahlia converses with. Yskanda discusses leadership with Jeanbec, who treats Yskanda as an equal, and is not afraid when Yskanda lower's their hood. When Anna joins the party, she freezes, and runs into the arms of Josephine, who is her lost sister.
NUROD (34)
-The Stormbrand-
Yskanda looks out of the ramparts and asks Wescal about the surrounding islands, when Wescal says they're mostly abandoned ruin and heather fields, Yskanda associates this with what he saw through the Jez'rathki in Osaran, and forms a plan. Dahlia discusses legacy with Jeanbec, and is given the opportunity to swing the sword of a bigger man. Josephine refuses to listen to Anna's pleas and warning, and chooses to stay with the Band of the Lion. Yskanda spots the phantom fleet in the distance, and gathers the crew, bidding farewell to all the guests of the Torrent, and preparing an intentional Jez'raki into the unknown portal. It takes them off of the coast of an island ten days north. Yskanda intends to stay there, then head to Rezmire City, so they have a longer rest. The next morning, Lady awakens, and the party interrogate her, she harshly abjures an attempt to use her name from her journal, or refer to any content of her past. Dahlia's position has softened, empathising, by referring to some kind of incongruence in her identity. Yskanda calls her very lucky for being so useful, and that no-one got hurt, and lucky it led to rewards. They restore her position with the stipulation that they must teach Ezi etiquette. Lady returns to her chambers in Dahlia's arms, waited on by Lucille. During the break, everyone gathers to attempt to play some ball games. Then, the party head to the nearby island to investigate. They find heather and ancient giant ruins, as-well as a forge setup. Suddenly a monstrously tall giant covered in fur charges from a collapsed tower, only halted by Dahlia's words. The giant uses an archaic dialect Dahlia struggles to understand, but is eventually befriended and welcomed, with an exchange of gifts, a rune stone given to Dahlia, and a wood carving given to the giant, who goes by the name Hygren. Dahlia asks to be taught rune carving, to which Hygren refuses, saying he fears what can be done with weapons. He does say if Dahlia can find 'maat' (good/holy/honour) in the distant northern lands, then he will impart his knowledge. Dahlia bids farewell, and the party return to the ship to finish their rest, then return to Rezmire City. A few weeks later, as the crew are relaxing in the Toham Market Inn, Yskanda enters with a response from Wyn. In the letter, Wyn describes how she has put aside some of her duties to devote her time to investigating the published and unpublished writings of her mother, on the translation of the book of inevitable truths, the tome found in the garden of the abyss by Abies Nobilis. She writes that it contains predictions and prophecy which has mostly come to pass, with the exception of one which is something to the effect of: 'Those with the Stormbrand will hold the world'. Wyn also reports historical encounters with other marked creatures, she will investigate.
NUROD (35)
-The Isle of the Bell-
Anna opens up to the crew about her being a mithraic child, and shares that her body is only 30% marked, as is her sisters, as one of their mothers in the fusion process didn't have a fully intact soul. Later that night, there are sightings of lantern lit rowboats landing at the docks; sooner than expected, the lantern fleet have arrived. So the party head south to through the clowder to the Redivir river where they can launch the ship and depart for Tolgrad and onwards north. The party drift on increasingly fierce waters for weeks without sign of any land, concern breeds itself amongst the crew, particularly as a result of a warning Wyn wrote into her letter: that the crew should think carefully about how far they are willing to go for answers, because once you're in the eye of the storm, there is danger all around. The party eventually encounter 'The Shard', a smooth and baron red crystal island. Lucille found some obscene peace in the landscape, though she missed places with more nature. The party leave the island behind them, and return to the empty seas. Dolly shares a story with Dahlia, about a captain who sailed on foolishly towards their ends, even as they began to lose crew, until they no longer had enough hands to control the ship, and perished. Dahlia tries to comfort Dolly, telling her that Yskanda is a good captain, but Dolly says that she was actually making a statement about Dahlia. Dolly is concerned that Dahlia's need to find answers, to find her quarry, to understand her suffering, are going to lead her down a dark path, and wanders what she would do if everyone else gave up the search. Dahlia realises she had never considered this, and is ashamed of the instinct with her to keep hunting. The two allow time for one another to reflect. After another baron stint of travel, they come across a small island, which, as they sail around, their markings reorient themselves, to point to. The whole crew come ashore, there is little there, an old abandoned tent with some Tarinan symbolism, and a set of stairs heading down underground. In the chamber at the bottom is a casting of a bell with a fragment of a black iron bell installed upon it. Ringing the bell caused the chamber to fill with mist, and when the party came back to the surface, all the sea was dark and misty, and the stars were not visible in the dark sky. They were somewhere else.
