Location: The Surface
in their time apart...
Mylz:
- keeps herself busy, never allowing herself to rest
- gets her magical tattoos finished
- does extensive research on demons, the Demon Lords, and the Abyss
- spends time training in the Fighter class, building her physical strength and learning new techniques
- keeps in touch with Topsy, Turvy, and Jimjar through letters; Jimjar's replies are occasionally nonsensical and sometimes include strange gifts
- occasionally visits home (which is Elwyra & Doug's house)
- finally receives everyone's personal items that she paid someone to retrieve from Velkynvelve; she sends them out to those she has at least relative addresses for
- are invited to live with Elwyra & Doug, who are more than happy to have "kids" in the house again - especially Mylz's
- Jorlan & Shoor become fluent in Common, and all three of them pick up on some Infernal
- Skjorn turns to unhealthy coping mechanisms for his trauma related to the Underdark, but is at least physically starting to recover
- Shoor tests the boundaries of what he can get away with, pushing the limits of Doug & Elwyra's patience, until one day Doug tells him he's disappointed in him; Shoor doesn't understand why, but he actually feels bad, and begins to mellow out after this
- spend time with Ruriok, reconnecting and rebuilding their relationships
- set up a proper shrine to their shared goddess, Aerdrie Faenya, in Dibrael's (and Zaz's) home
- build a barn and raise animals, which are taken care of by Ruriok when they're gone
- travel a lot, especially to visit Elwyra @ Doug's house for family time & to trade custody of Themmie
- when in cities, Zaz researches the Underdark and Demon Lords out of paranoia; he learns Undercommon along the way
- Zaz may or may not have murdered a few bad guys... mostly triggered by his lingering madness
- speaking of which, Dibrael's madness pushes him to not stay in one place for too long; he also falls for every tourist trap along the way
- begin to make a name for themselves as minor heroes
several months later, each of them (excluding Shoor) is tracked down by a messenger with a letter bearing an official seal
- the letters are all from King Bruenor Battlehammer II of Gauntlgrym, who urges them to visit him to discuss their experiences in the Underdark
- Mylz, having expected something like this, goes immediately
- while reluctant, Dibrael and Zaz also comply
Skjorn, still heavily traumatized and unwilling to go on any more adventures, refuses the call
- the summons continue to come, more persistent each time, but he continues to ignore them
- at some point, Jorlan gives in and persuades Skjorn to go with him
- as they're about to leave, Shoor appears with his things already packed, inviting himself along; they don't protest
Location: Gauntlgrym
upon arriving in Gauntlgrym, everyone is greeted with excellent hospitality
- while waiting for the rest of the party to answer the summons, each group enjoys a luxurious stay in the Vault of Kings
- the final arrival, even after Skjorn & his drow, is Sarith
- Party had no reason to believe they'd ever see him again, but he has his own private reasons for coming, and he seems to believe that this summons will involve more than just a simple retelling of events
Party spends some time catching up with each other
- Zaz just barely remembers Jorlan's name; as a tease, Jorlan gets Zaz's name purposefully wrong
- when Zaz is confused as to who Jorlan is referring to, Shoor says, "You don't even know your own name? Idiot."
- Zaz asks who invited him; "People like you?"
- Shoor steals Zaz's food and Zaz throws a muffin at him in return; instead of reacting with anger, Shoor just laughs it off. Character development!
- Party learns that Sarith has been here in Gauntlgrym the entire time; when Eldeth returned home, she invited him to come with her