Nokelume 23rd, 989 IaC
- At the Fitting Room, the party witnessed anvil hammering itself as the staff of the shop tried to stop it
- One of the workers lamented that it was a curse that had popped up a few years back, keeping the anvil from being used
- Despite prodding from the party, the man refused to go into more detail, stating that he wasn't supposed to spread rumors
- Exiting the shop, Kel received a Sending spell from Tamidilly Rideonvattle, who asked her to pick up a package on behalf of Erdo Elfast using the medallion he gave her before
- Cora also received a message from Tami, learning that her old "flame" Connor Bramblemoon had arrived in Reedenford and was snooping around Cloverhall as he waited for her to return
- Steve soon left the group, seeking out the College of Buckhold's library
- Steve remarked that to his understanding, the college had not previously been a magical one
- Heading out, Cora, Ilryn, Mera, and Lambchop headed to the Temple of Unavaranu
- While At the Temple of Unavaranu, the group engaged in various things
- Cora spoke with one of the priests about accessing their library, but was made to give up some knowledge of her own to enter, which she did in the form of her book on whittling
- Guided by a member of the temple, Cora attempted some research upon witches, finding an incomplete text left by a former Seeker of the Silver Eye
- The priest could not tell her who left the book, but informed her a more complete copy have been gifted to the College of Buckhold many years ago
- As non-adherents of Unavaranu were not allowed in the temple library, Ilryn Dewsong made herself invisible and snuck inside
- Attempting to find some texts on time magic, Ilryn found the library ill-equipped in matters of magic, and in addition was thrown off by the library's strange methods of organization without a guide of her own
- She managed to discover a text on gods, learning that some of the time gods had followings that considered time magic to be sacrilegious, and there were some orders that existed for the purpose of hunting those down that messed with time
- Mera spent some time attempting to find sculpting inspiration in the temple, but was unsuccessful in the "bad lighting"
- Lambchop headed to the opposite, "cool" side of the temple, speaking to a priest there and getting inducted into the religion of the Silver Eye, though he grasped little of what was going on
- Cora spoke with one of the priests about accessing their library, but was made to give up some knowledge of her own to enter, which she did in the form of her book on whittling
- Kel split from the party to try and assist Erdo, attempting to find the shadiest place possible, eventually swinging back to the Barbed Bird
- Arriving at the Barbed Bird, Kel questioned the bartender but came up with little
- Coming up to two of the pit fighters that Cora had engaged with before, she introduced herself to Strikeforth and the towering half giant Haife
- Eventually whipping out her medallion after dropping Erdo's name did little, Strikeforth rushed to have her put it away while telling her to return at night during the chaos of the fights
- With Kel still looking into Erdo's package, the group eventually left for the College of Buckhold's library
- After making it past a senile old man in the reception desk of the college, the group arrived at the library
- The librarian on staff was dismissive and unhelpful, hinting that the only way for them to get in was to bribe him
- "Lambchop goes to college"
- After some failed attempts to convince the man to yield, Cora paid him a large sum to enter
- Looking around, Cora found little suited to her interests, but noticed a gated off area in the back area that was being investigated by Steve
- Steve tasked Cora with making a distraction so that he could open the gate
- Exiting the library and regrouping with the others, the party smashed together a bizarre plan to distract eyes from Steve
- Lambchop approached the old man at the reception and began terrorizing him with cheese, eventually forcing him to scream after revealing Erigor's rotting head
- At the same time, Mera attempted to confuse the librarian by dancing with some clones generated by her Mirror Image, but the man seemed less than enthused with her footwork
- As the librarian heard the screams of the receptionist, he informed the group to leave and that he would be contacting the Grey Wings, even though the group had convinced him they were friends with the Right Hand
- After a deafening knocking sound blasted out from the library, the librarian fled, and Mera, Cora and Ilryn entered the library
- Lambchop snuck out with a smoke bomb as he heard the librarian coming, leaving the mounds of cheese and a head
- Searching quickly through the back room, Cora found the completed text she was looking for, Ilryn found a book on time magic, and Mera took a gigantic experimentation logbook located in the back of the hall
- Cora's book was bound in locked irons to prevent it from being read
- Ilryn's time book was wrapped in chains, and featured an odd sigil pressed into its obverse
- The large book was an experimentation log, used by a large person
- Steve took as many books as his hands could carry
- As guards began to mobilize outside, Ilryn disguised herself as Steve and left for the bag of holding, but continued walking after seeing the number of guards and no Lambchop in sight
- Mera casted Haste on herself and Cora as they rushed to find an exit, eventually smashing through a beautiful stained glass window and dashing away
- Steve climbed the tower and was later spotted making his way across the rooftops with a set of spider legs
- Cora managed to use her tiny size to sneak off into the alleyways, but Mera was soon stopped by a pursuing guard
- Mera managed to bluff her way out of the situation, and ran off into the city, away from the scene of the crime
- The group eventually made it back to the Barbed Bird and attempted to lay low for a while
- Anticipating her meeting later with Evelforth Pyhrrus, Kel tasked Lambchop with seeking out Strikeforth and getting Erdo's package, handing him the medallion
- Cora attempted to open her book, finding the locks a bit of a challenge
- Cora managed to convince Steve to use Knock on one of the locks, but had to pay him "research money" to get him to release the other one
- One of the bartenders, disturbed by the loud noises, chastised Cora for spellcasting
- Meanwhile, Lambchop chose to spend his time speaking to Strikeforth and Haife, but got hung up on the topic of affirming names after finding the half giant to be a kindred spirit
- Cora, studying her book on witches, learned of the author, Enshansa
- The text was a diary of Enshansa's conquests of witches, who she was obsessed with killing
- Enshansa was a former Seeker of the Silver Eye, but her obsessions led her into insanity as her intentions grew more cruel and twisted
- Cora learned of some magical techniques that Enshansa had created to torture witch souls, as well as effective ways of stopping their magic
- Additionally, she learned of a witch of interest known as Soulstitcher, who had the ability to supplant her soul into others using an advanced form of Life Alchemy
- Kel, along with Ilryn and Mera, headed to the East Cliffs to meet with Evelforth, finding her terribly unremarkable beige house sandwiched between grander estates
- The group enjoyed a nice evening, partaking in Evelforth's nice spread, which included salted bird and "greens"
- Evelforth grilled Kel on her history, learning of her home in the Heart of Est known as the kingdom of Lowind, her pilgrimage to the Cave of Eternity, and her work in the city of Thikago in the Eldermoon Federation
- Evelforth talked about the Rimehume, the order that Kel belonged to that (supposedly) protected the sanctity of death
- Kel spoke of her journey southward following the death of her mother, though she could not articulate exactly why she chose to leave her home
- Evelforth chastised Kel for not reaching out to Patalir recently, noticing the burdens she carried from Merilann Nostern and Moresa Hopkit, telling her to try and commune with the goddess soon
- Evelforth also attempted to address Kel's lack of direction by informing her that as a Frozen Priest, she was chosen by Patalir, and that the goddess would watch over her regardless
- The party, finishing dinner, retired to the "den" for a rousing game of "grab the ball", eventually moving to a side room to sip cold tea before going back to the Barbed Bird at a very reasonable hour
- The others arrived as Lambchop and Haife were continuing their conversation about each other's names, a topic that had been going on for hours
- As the fights started and the room became rowdy, the party was led downstairs by Strikeforth as he conducted a secret knock on the wall and led them into the Unknown, the hideout for the Unknown and other criminals of the city
- Noting a man wearing three coats sitting on a throne in the center of the large cavern they had entered, the party was led over to a hole in the side of a large galleon that had somehow been stranded underground
- Strikeforth introduced the group to Garash the Dealmaker, a hobgoblin enchanter who ran a shop that sold a number of dubious goods
- The party perused Garash's goods, but after noticing the lack of funds the group had, he led them over to the central throne of the cavern in order to introduce them to Thassen Threecoats
- Garash told the party that inventory was moving quickly due to the influx of travelers looking to enter the recently opened Tower of Startha
- He revealed a number of magical items, including stasis boxes, Dustmaker, the Mask of Fear, Whirl, Wicklash, and Zevian's Nail
- Kel recalled a bit about the god of curses, Zevian
- Kel noticed that Garash handled all his items with thick gloves lined in lead
- Garash mentioned that he was a dabbling enchanter, and might be able to make items for the group if they had any ideas
- Garash promised that if they handled a bit of business for Thassen, he'd give them some large discounts on his items
- Thassen Threecoats introduced himself to the party, and hinted that he had already heard all about them, both good and bad, from his sources
- Threecoats namedropped Raldon Tarrod and implied that Eliza Millheart opened up the Tower of Startha with the Unknown
- Threecoats tasked the party with removing a curse that was inside the sunken ship on a magic door that he had that had suddenly started eating people
- The party was led into the claustrophobic ship to the door
- Kel investigated the runes around the frame of the door, which indicated the door could be connected across space itself as a method of travel, though a bit at the end was jumbled and seemed to move, bristling when she touched it
- Kel then decided to try and open the door, at which point it animated and a large, toothy maw clamped down upon her arm
- Cora helped free Kel, who was spending her time inspecting the door's teeth, breaking off a tooth in the process
- The group witnessed a dark aura transfer from the door onto Kel's arm, but she barely managed to fight off the curse's influence, much to her dismay
- Kel CONVENIENTLY REMEMBERED that she DEFINITELY PREPARED Remove Curse, casting it upon the disrupted script in the corner, and ending the curse on the door
- Opening the door, the group found that it led to a marble room, and did not bite them
- Bringing Threecoats back to the door, he inspected it, and told one of the party members to touch the handle first
- Ilryn volunteered, but Kel, perhaps hoping to get cursed again, shoved her out of the way and tried the handle first, though nothing happened
- Threecoats moved the handle back and forth in a practiced way, opening it up to a dark hallway, and breathing a sigh of relief
- Escorting the party back to the cavern, Threecoats thanked them for their work, and told that to consider him a cautious ally - for now.
- Garash, impressed with the quick work of the party, offered his wares at highly reduced prices
- Ilryn purchased the Mask of Fear, meeting the demon Kanvrak and later bought Wicklash
- Lambchop traded some emeralds and coin for Dustmaker
- Cora purchased Zevian's Nail
- Kel bought Whirl
- Mera bought a witch's hat known as the Unknown, though she was incredibly dubious of its nature
- Cora spent a LOT of money on a book that would give her proficiency with Thieves Tools once she finishes it
- As a gift for their patronage, Garash gave the party the Unknown
- The party big Garash farewell, heading back to the Barbed Bird during the gross hours of the morning
- Ilryn gave Steve a gold to identify the ring she filched from the thief, learning it was a Ring of Jumping
Nokelume 23rd, 989 IaC
- Ilryn spent her morning reading her book on time, learning a bit about the practices of Unknown and Retromancy
- She read of a wizard known as Merrick the Mad, an infamous chronomancer who mastered the art and used it to escape persecution
- She learned that time magic is highly taboo, and a number of religious institutions across the world, especially those in service to the time gods, hunt those that utilize chronomancy
- The practice of retromancy was crafted to combat the fallout of chronomancy, focused on stitching time and space back together and warding against further fiddling in the continuum
- Kel went to Unknown with Cora and Mera, meeting Evelforth there
- Entering a private room in the back, Kel communed with Patalir, feeling the goddess' cold embrace
- Kel finally relieved herself of Merilann's fear of wolves and Moresa's fear of thieves
- Cora and Kel purchased some dust from Evelforth
- Mera told Evelforth about her interactions with the god Ragil and Evelforth offered her a warning, giving her a small Eye of Frost to ward her against evil
- As the group finished up their business at the temple, they heard a loud crashing sound, and Evelforth warned them about the enchanted stone outside
- Entering a private room in the back, Kel communed with Patalir, feeling the goddess' cold embrace
- Lambchop headed to the Market Aisle in order to visit the Unknown
- Harassing the staff at the tavern, he ordered an entire pheasant along with a full course
- Lambchop had a seat "wherever he liked", pulling a chair up to a couple out on a date
- Despite the couple's best attempts to shoo away Lambchop, he namedropped Patras Gritham and the Grey Wings, scaring them into abiding his presence
- Lambchop ate his full course with his hands, as the couple watched in horror on their two month anniversary
- The couple soon left for an "appointment", leaving Lambchop to finish his meal, their own food unfinished
- Downing his bottle of house wine, Lambchop asked for a jug of it, offending the owner of the tavern
- Lambchop settled for 5 bottles of the Ettinback Wine, heading out after a successful meal
- Inspecting the stone outside the temple, Kel realized the stone was animated by a powerful enchantment
- The stone attacked them, smacking into Mera's face
- Kel ran away
- Mera attacked the stone with her Chaos Bolt as Cora smacked into it with her Thunderous Smite
- Mera managed to smash the rock into pieces with a final Magic Missile, to cheers from the audience watching from the windowsills of the surrounding houses
- Evelforth clapped once in recognition
- The group finally met up at the Barbed Bird
- Sitting down for a drink, Mera encountered a strange entity in her beer that Ilryn later identified as Avra
- Kel headed to the Stand to find a bank to convert her gold, and the rest of the group tagged along
- "I don't like that there was...a rock" - Cora, esteemed paladin of the goddess of knowledge
- Along the way, the group spotted a large, monolithic and slightly phallic statue grinding across the stone in the town square, screaming "GIVE ME A HUG"
- Meeting some Grey Wing named Cliff, Mera managed to convince him that they were professionals sent to deal with the statue's curse
- Kel blessed Mera, who attempted to blast the statue with a Chaos Bolt, but the acid that she conjured had little effect on its stone
- Cora used Zevian's Nail to pull the curse out of the statue, rendering it inert
- However, due to her attuning to the Nail, Cora was cursed by it, becoming enamored with curses
- The group was celebrated in the town square for removing the threat, and the group was approached by a woman whose son was cursed, with Cora promising to help her
- A wealthy man offered gold to the party if they removed a curse interrupting his mining operation
- At the bank, Kel refused to give in to the man, choosing not to convert her electrum at a loss
- The group headed to the East Cliffs to the jeweler's called the Unknown
- The strange gnomish owner of the shop refused to just allow Kel to buy any diamond, insisting she find one that feels "right" to her, settling on one that "felt the color grey"
- Kel bought the diamond worth 350 gold
- The party then moved to the Huddle, finding the mother, Unknown, in the Stand
- The group was led by Heather into the snaking streets of the Huddle, taking them to a small house where her possessed son was tied to a broken bed
- A demonic voice reached into the minds of the party before they even entered the house
- Coming up to the boy, Unknown, the group conversed with the demon contained within him, as he attempted to tempt them with gold, teeth, and information, begging them to feed him meat
- The group grilled the demon, tempting him with the rotten boar meat, learning that he did not end up in the child's body by his own power
- The group learned the demon was a 'sub' and was unable to escape from the body of the child by his own accord
- The party divined the demon's name was Brulach by taunting him and calling him weak
- Attempting experimental religious surgery, Kel attempted to use Remove Curse to siphon the soul of the demon into Mera's mouse, Jinjle
- Failing, the curse was removed and the demon manifested physically, attacking the group in his giant, ape-like form
- Cora and Kel knew the demon to be a balgura
- Brulach lashed out at the party, slamming Lambchop into the side of the wall as the group engaged him
- Despite a strong start for the demon, the party quickly turned the tables on him, smashing him back with great force
- Brulach attempted to escape with Invisibility, but was hit by Mera's Chaos Bolt and dropped with a stab from Ilryn
- Brulach asked Ilryn if she would remember his name as he passed
- Heather and Ivan had a nice reunion, and she gifted the party some potatoes after they refused her silver necklace
- After Kel harvested some teeth off Brulach's corpse, Lambchop took the eyes and shoved potatoes in the sockets as Cora cut it open and harvested four hearts from its body
- Many of the citizens came up to the party asking them various favors, but the group quickly left
- Disguising themselves with the Unknown, the group made their way through the city
- Ilryn's strange companion Avra mentioned that demon hearts held a lot of power
- Avra confirmed to Cora that they were not a witch, and hinted that she was in no place to accuse others
- A man rushed up to Lambchop with a package for his "friends in the capital"
- The outside of the package was woven with thread in a strange pattern