To Marivaldi Estate

Breakfast

Isaac brings out Rivernoir and talks about the Mithril Moon. How there are others who wield Rivernoir, and use the same kind of artifacts that Isaac is looking for and using.

Our house guard brings us a fruit basket. It was left outside the gate this morning.

Arhjan's Note *Thank you for yesterday. There were things I did not disclose for fear of who or what might be listening in, but I promise to tell you once it feels safe. In the meantime I will try to do my best to prepare for what is to come. Cerelia helped me put those crystals together, with those we should be able to talk, I had her write down instructions on the other side of the note. I won’t always be able to answer but if you give me a heads up the odds are higher. Thank you and good luck.

• A.* [Inside the fruit basket there are fake wax apples, in which there are three crystals hidden. On the back of the note is instructions for how to arrange the crystals and draw chalk markings between them to connect them in a figure. The spell takes a minute to set up and cast, and only works to contact Arhjan.]

Yalana got a letter from Maddox who has enchanted some communication devices for us. She is in the Silver City.

Yalana's mother is in a place called Earthshaker, two days from a fishing village called Plexstin, in the Marivaldi Estate.

Earthshaker Temple

We teleport away to Earthshaker Temple, Isaac, Elissa and Sai riding in the table. Celine is the name of the Temple Leader, who has let her acolytes know about our arrival.

Earthshaker Temple In the centre of a stone circular room there is a round sandpit in the middle. There is a platinum pole behind us, and a raised podium with a painting of a stormy shore. In the room around us is rows of benches, equally for praying and for spectating.

We touch down with a rumble of lightning in a sandpit. On the other side of the pit there is a gnome in Kordish vestments worn under a knitted green sweater. He has brown big sideburns. Yalana remembers him as Warlin Timbers.

Yalana summarises why we are here, and Warlin invites her to 'have a go' in the sandpit, unless we are in too much of a hurry. We say no, and outside the morning (unlike Tosca'lia) is dark and cloudy. Cory is a tall, broad shouldered earth genasi, with Kordish vestments and a thick burlap cloak over. She looks much more broad shouldered than she is due to large black rocks growing out of her shoulders, and she has shoulder length brown hair held back by a rock formation growing out of her head. Yalana hugs her, seeming to be childhood friends.

Yalana and Cory decide to have a brawl, unarmed and without armour.Khohros bets on Yalana winning, which she does, and he wins 32GP.

Cory stops us as we are heading out and tells us about some people in the area wearing armour which could spell troubles for Yalana. She has also seen shapes of beings in the forest and in the clouds? Before we leave, we put Sai in Indefin's Stables for him to sleep off his exhaustion, not having slept for the past 2 nights.

From Earthshaker to Plexstin

Elissa tries to follow the road, with Yalana correcting her path quite often.

Inside the stable, Sai attempts to scry on the group from inside, finding it doesnt work since he has to be on the same plane.

We discuss:

• Should we go to Maddox, or Maddox to us?
  • We decide to ask her if she can pick up some diamonds for Resurrection purposes, and meet us in Plexstin in a couple of days with those and the communication artefacts she mentioned in her letter. We will reimburse her for her troubles.
  • Maddox sends a Message back, confirming that she will meet us in Plexstin with two 500GP diamonds and the artefacts mentioned.

After lunch Khohros notices in the woods off to the side of the road, some noises from something digging in the underbrush. A couple hundred feet into the woods there is a humongous boar, about the size of a warhorse. It has arrows sticking out of it's hide, and old scars from various battles, including lightning ones. Khohros approaches it, trying to stay as non hostile as possible, and with the help of some food, soothing words, and removing & healing one of the arrows, he manages to befriend it. Once it is entirely calm, he puts it in the stable, planning on preparing Speak with Animals in order to explain to the Boar what just happened once he lets it out. Boar mount achieved, possibly?

After this we keep walking, and by nighttime we find a sheltered spot just hidden from the road to settle down at. By this time, Sai would have had time to have taken about 1 and a half long rests. We let him out, but he decides he prefers sleeping in there, and we have everyone else divide up the watches for the night. Khohros casts Hearth of Moonlight and Shadow.

Watches

• Yalana - 17
  • No events
• Isaac - 18
  • At the handoff Isaac talks to Yalana about Sai's theory that the Mithril Moon is influencing Isaac. Isaac doesn't believe it is true, but should it be, they want Yalana to keep an eye on them.
• Elissa - 25
  • At the handoff from Isaac to Elissa, they have a quick hug. As Elissa finishes her shift, she has to wake Fang up.
• Fang
• Khohros - 25
  • At the end of his shift, Khohros lets the still sleeping Sai out of the stable and wakes him up to do his watch.
• Sai - 9
  • Before everyone wakes up, Sai takes the Cloak of Protection and stands menacingly over Isaac's sleeping body, before lovingly draping it over them. He then attempts to scry on members of the Heaping Eyes. Due to the scrying, Sai does not pay attention to our surroundings.
    • The bald member Sai and Isaac encountered.
    • The woman who came out of the forest while we were fighting the gladiators. "The Left Hand of the Man Downstairs, though not even top 2 in terms of rank."
      • She is talking to someone. "Send people to the mountains. [unintelligible] -had intel. The old lady has the fork, we need it. We need to win the race to Matron's Embrace. Xeo's Replacement and K’vialmian are both wanting to destroy it, while I believe Qualnorúk is wanting to find it, so we want to get on that, and fast. Xeo already had one of them."
  • The man who met the woman in the woods. This attempt fails due to him being on a different plane.
  • Sai's uncle. He saves.

The next morning

Sai starts to make breakfast for everyone, who eventually wakes up. Isaac seems happy about the cloak, asking Sai if he gave it to them. He acknowledges that he did, and Isaac thanks him.

We have some perfectly acceptable coffee, and get ready for the day. Khohros brings out the Giant Boar he found yesterday, and brings it out of Indefin's Stable to speak with him. He introduces himself as Skyroar (due to his 'booming squee') and Khohros manages to appeal to his vanity into wanting to come with the party for now. He walks with us, rather than going back in the stable right away. He really loves berries.

[Please ask the others about the following section, because I did NOT pay attention! 😅]

Sai summarises the important information he received during his scrying. We want to get the artefact that has some kinds of time/fate powers.

Sai wants to use a power he received by bargaining with a Hag, and last time he lost an arm and paid using memories of the W.A.R.D.S. Now he wants to 'up the ante'. Yalana and Elissa is unimpressed. Elissa runs off, and Isaac runs after wanting to make sure she is ok. Sai has previously used some kind of stone with infinite Greater Restoration???

Yalana casts Message to the Hag.

Heaping Eyes are coming for your tuning fork. Don't let them get it, and he will up the ante from last time.

There is a delay, before a creaking voice comes back;

Hello, this means very little to me, but it is good to have a name.

So, it seems like the Hag does not remember Sai.

Elissa and Isaac

After a couple of minutes of walking/running away in anger, Elissa stops and throws a dagger at a treetrunk in frustration. Isaac catches up and leans against a nearby tree to speak to her. They ask if she is okay, and she says she is fine in a chipper voice, wondering why she wouldnt be. Elissa pulls the dagger out, cleans it off and puts it away.

Elissa asks if Isaac remembers when Sai made that sacrifice and lost his arm. At the time she and him had gotten pretty close, and then he dies. Once he isnt dead anymore, he seems like he is acting weird. She worried she had done something wrong, but then he went back to normal. Now she finds out a year later that the reason he was acting weird was because he had deleted the memories of their friendship. Isaac agrees that that is kind of a dick move, but thinks that what Sai did was a mistake. Elissa accuses them of defending Sai, but Isaac thinks that mistakes come in different severities, and that Elissa needs to decide for herself what she wants to do.

"He sacrificed our friendship for power... which then killed him."

- Elissa, about Sai.

Isaac says that they are here because they care about Elissa, and they were helped by some of those decisions the W.A.R.D.S made back then.

All back together

Sai borrowed the Tuning Fork from the Hag, paying with a favor. The Hag has not cashed the favor in yet. Sai has the Plane Wanderer's Key, which lets us travel to the Feywild anytime. Sai assumes that the Heaping Eyes are going to the Feywild, because they are going to the Mountains, and the only tuning fork Sai knows of is the one to the Feywild.

We could go to the Feywild to get the Matron's Embrace. Yalana feels more comfortable taking on the Heaping Eyes than the beings the Heaping Eyes -woman mentioned: Xeo's Replacement, K’vialmian and Qualnorúk.

Reaching the fishing village of Plexstin

As we approach the village, Khohros brings Skyroar back into the stables.

Plexstin is very small in height, the houses made of different architectural structures patched together. It seems that the village was originally made for the smaller races, later adjusted to make them more hospitable for larger beings. It is not large, but very cozy. There are sturdy gnomes and halflings riding mastiffs, wearing leather armour and armed with wooden clubs and occasional spears. The guards is made up of volunteers, having no official military. Their equipment is terrible, worse than many bandits.

House Marivaldi

The sun is setting quickly behind dark heavy clouds. Outside the village is the mansion that is House Marivaldi. The mansion is surrounded by thick hedges, flowering bushes, and on the grounds is a gazebo. As we approach there is loud barking, two large mastiffs guarding the entrance. They have a faint magical glow under their fur. Yalana remembers them as Jubilee and Barkley. They are 2/4 guard dogs Yalana's mother owns.

The front door opens, and Louisa Marivaldi, a woman in the late teens, brown hair tied up by a bandana, poofy blouse and vest, sleeves tied up at the elbows. Last time Yalana was here she was not there, because she (despite the disapproval of the rest of the family) took up a job working on a ship.

Yalana introduces Luisa to the group as her stepsister. Mom is coming back soon, working late, and Rhyssa should be in the kitchen. Luisa is frustrated at how no one ever explains to her what is going on, and Yalana promises to do so once she's had an opportunity to speak to their mother.

Inside the mansion is fancy, way fancier than you would ever expect in a shithole town like this. Beyond the first rooms there is a kitchen with a hearth.

Inside is Rhyssa Hathwood Marivaldi, Yalana's mother. She is sligthly shorter than her daughter, wearing a navy coat, hair up in a bun, sleeves rolled up. She is currently taking a tray of freshly baked bread out of the brick oven. When she sees Yalana she yelps "Baby*!!"* and embraces her. Yalana introduces everyone, and shows her mother the letter she received. Rhyssas shoulders drop as she reads. Yalana apologises about whatever this letter concerns being brought to this house, since she didn't want to drag her family into this. Rhyssa says she has asked the villages to keep an eye out for strangers, and nothing has been seen yet.

Yalana's Family Rhyssa Hathwood Marivaldi - Mother Luisa Marivaldi - Stepsister Selise Marivaldi - Stepmother

Yalana asks if it is okay that she brought a group of people without warning, and Rhyssa says that since they have not hosted any political refugees for a while, there are plenty of guest rooms. Isaac asks if we can make sure we have people staying in guest rooms with a view of the front gate, which we can since there are two guest rooms overlooking it. Rhyssa brings out food for the mastiffs, who gorge themselves on the food.

Yalana also warns her mother that we are expecting another person to show up soon, a pale tiefling coming on a ship from the Silver City. (Maddox)

Once we have left our belongings in guest rooms, we gather in a sitting room with Rhyssa and the dogs resting by her feet.

*Dear Y,

I hope this finds you in good health. I myself have taken some time to see what the surface has to offer, and I’m glad to report that it is much more than I expected. I could go on and on about insects and animals, or weather phenomena that I never expected but I’d much rather do that in person.

This brings us to why I’m writing to you. You see, while I have discovered many pleasantries I found a thread, and I started tugging. Now I’m sitting on news I wish to share with you but I don’t think they do good in writing, besides I need an excuse to see you. At the time of writing I'm heading to house Marivaldi.

Love, A friend*

[Was not paying attention to plot!! Ask for help!]

Khohros is listening to the discussions happening around him, then noticing a soft snuffling at his pockets. One of the mastiffs is smelling the meat remains of the rations Khohros fed to Skyroar, and Khohros sneaks the mastiff (Regimund), bits of it.

Elissa asks if it is alright if she goes for a walk, and when she does this Khohros asks her if she would mind him accompanying her. She says no, and they leave. At the gate, they meet a woman with red hair swept up, poofy shoulders, and multiple ornamental daggers at her belt. This is Selise, Rhyssa's wife and Yalana's stepmother. Once we have introduced ourselves and explained that we are guests, not burglars, and she tells us to keep an eye out for a creature in the sky as we keep walking.

Awoooooooga!

- Ellie, about Yalana's Step-MILF

Elissa is having a Not Great day, and seeing Yalana interact with her mother makes Elissa very desperately miss her own.

Inside, Rhyssa moves to the sofa to sit together with her wife Selise, and Yalana showing Selise the letter as well. After that, Rhyssa stops the discussion, declaring that to be enough gloom for one day. She asks the party about their adventures, Isaac describing us as 'people making more bad decisions than most'. The people give quick summaries of their origins, Isaac talking of Kaltvint. Sai talks about being from Haranu, an island which puts on a front of being incredibly poor and underdeveloped. Kind of like the way Wakanda does in Black Panther. He then grew up in Flythandra, having been adopted by the Xiloscient House. Rhyssa says she recognises that.

The rest of the evening is spent attempting to talk about anything other than the ominent clouds hanging over them all thanks to the letter. At one point Isaac asks if they could look at the library, getting directions to the third floor.

As the conversation starts wrapping up, Yalana goes to see Luisa in that same library, then finding Sai to use the crystal ball.

Yalana scrying on her family

1. Her father
   • A drow man in full armour, commander's regalia. He is standing on a hill, yelling out commands to subordinates. He is playing the violin, and clearly currently involved in a surface raid. At the very end, things seem to die down, and he clips the violin. A sword sheathes itself at his back. Someone bring me a meal, because something is going to happen. He enters a tent and sits down at the dining table, people putting out fires around him. Right before the connection ends, he makes eyecontact with Yalana.
2. (Was planning to scry on her two female cousins, but we wrapped the session before that.)

Khohros and Elissa's walk

Khohros asks Elissa if she is okay, and tells her that

"If you wants to get back together with him, she should just talk to him."

- Khohros, to Elissa

Elissa freezes at the comment, and remarks that with everything going on, thats not her main concern right now.

They talked about their years away for a little bit, and on the topic of Elissa's research into the fey she talks about the being Shroomshire worshipped called the First Light of Dawn. Khohros recognises that, having heard of them through the Fey he knew in the circle. The First Light of Dawn is related to the Seelie Court, but currently not on great terms with them.

Some people in the village, as they grew up would switch over to worship another of 5 different fey. If they did, they would leave, since Shroomshire was so dedicated to the First Light of Dawn.

Khohros asks if she would like to go to the Feywild and using Khohros' network of former Fey allies in the circle to track down the First Light of Dawn. This, in turn, would likely mean that The First Light knows the other fey worshipped by the people who left Shroomshire. Elissa, upon hearing this, has the sudden realisation that since her mother wasnt originally from the village, it is very possible that her paternal grandparents are still alive out there somewhere. She freaks the fuck out, rambling about the fact that she never thought about the fact that she might still have living family somewhere. Khohros walks along, letting her have this revelation.