S06 - Roots Revealed
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S06 - Roots Revealed

Session Logs
July 20, 2025

Date(s): 19–20 Mistfall 983

Location(s): On Talereth: Highwater on Alyndra Isle, Aboard the Starlight, Virella's Song and Brackenfall on Durashan

Overview

The party returned to Highwater in the aftermath of the Hollowshade mission, bearing two corrupted druids and deeper questions. While Mandate agents offered guarded concern and the Concord gifted a device of dubious intent, the crew set their sights inland, toward a grove whispered of in old druidic circles. Guided by owl and forest alike, they reached Virella’s Song, where memories stirred beneath ancient trees.

There, Donny’s past was remembered, Rynerm’s forgotten truths were recovered, and the threads of the Dreamer began to unwind. The mnemonic stabilizer, once accepted, was cast into the sea. And in Brackenfall, a ruined keep surfaced from the archives, hinting at long-buried origins and the next step forward.

Key Events

  • A Message from Professor Quen
    • As the Starlight approaches Highwater before dawn, Prim receives a Sending from Professor Aelira Quen:
      “Prim. Vault Division on edge even before your questions. Now Archbinder Vaarn's involved. They revoked my clearances. Tread carefully. Old shadows don't like bright light.”
    • Several messages are exchanged via this method throughout the day. Key takeaways include:
      • Quen won't provide in-person aid, but she is willing to provide information.
      • She's alarmed that Prim seems intent on visiting “Site 4” on Myrren, which she indicates is monitored and unsafe.
      • Open discussion of the Dreamer seems to frighten her, though it's unclear whether she fears it, Vaarn's Vault Division, or the potential risk to her reputation.
  • Reporting Hollowshade Success
  • Mandate Paladins Arrive
    • Faith Warden Varnus of the Radiant Mandate arrives with two paladins, claiming concern for Brother Rynerm after the cultist attack.
    • Varnus insists Rynerm report to the cathedral near Brackenfall for protection and spiritual care.
    • Under a Zone of Truth, Rynerm agrees to report in two days after completing an urgent aid mission.
  • A Gift for Prim
    • Dorian Fentavo, a Concord scholar, visits with a message and a Mnemonic Stabilizer for Prim. He refers to Evan Orlin and recent “internal friction,” noting the device may help near unstable magical areas.
    • Prim is wary. Detect Magic and Identify reveal no flaws, and Rynerm offers to attune to it. Unbeknown to the party, it also functions as a Scrying anchor.
      When or if it was used to observe them is unknown.
  • Visiting Virella’s Song
    • That evening, the Starlight lifts off and follows the forested inland route. A massive owl with shimmering feathers guides them through the night sky toward Virella’s Song.
    • The forest parts to reveal a landing site. A treant (Brindle) greets them, urging respect. The group experiences the Unspooling Step, a memory rite that removes knowledge of the approach path. Future returns require a new invitation or the forest's favor.
    • Lead druid Fenna Mossweave thanks the party for their work and the return of the druids. She remembers Donny from his rescue by the “Sky-thread” (Captain Marris) after the burning of the Ash-Mist Grove.
    • She is also intrigued by Finn, having never met a sentient autognome before.
    • Assured by Donny’s promise of future aid should the Verdant Sky have need, she agrees to conduct a memory ritual for Rynerm. Before they depart, she entrusts Donny with a living plant that will aid future contact if nurtured aboard the Starlight.
  • Memory Restoration
    • Rynerm asks Fenna about the Mnemonic Stabilizer. Her staff lashes out, vines wrapping tightly around the device. “It doesn’t like it,” she notes. The device is stored in the ship’s lead box to prevent arcane detection.
    • The ritual reveals a lost memory from Myrren: an encounter with the Dreamer that may have triggered the Mandate priest’s loss of faith.
    • Rynerm also remembers taking a spiral-etched rune-stone. They find the item in his gear. Tsuki uses her Veilwatch Field Cloak to trigger a memory echo, revealing an ancient conversation between two elven scholars.
  • A Gift Rejected
    • That night, the Starlight anchors offshore. Prim re-inspects the Stabilizer and messages Professor Quen, who expresses doubt. That’s enough for Prim to discard it. “They can spy on the fishes, if that’s what this does.”
  • Brackenfall Arrival
    • The crew arrives in Brackenfall the next morning. Rynerm prepares for his promised visit to the cathedral.
    • They search a local archive, finding records of Caer Myndraelin, an elven keep that fell in an earthquake 600 years ago. It stood near Caramendra on the Myrden River. Some descendants may still live there.

Clues & Discoveries

  • The  Mnemonic Stabilizer gifted to Prim was legitimate in function but also served as a hidden Scrying anchor.
  • Rynerm’s recovered memory confirms a prior encounter with the Dreamer on Myrren, which may have caused the Mandate priest’s sudden loss of faith.
  • The rune-stone recovered from Rynerm’s gear is physically real and was taken during the lost Myrren mission.
  • An echoed conversation from the rune-stone revealed names ("Thalen," "Serel," and "Ariandi") and a location: Caer Myndraelin, now believed to lie in ruins near the village of Caramendra.
  • Historical records in Brackenfall indicate the existence of Serelion Thalen, “Arcanist of Mydralen.” Born around -200 CR, not much is known about him - though other archives might contain more substantial early records.
  • The Unspooling Step ritual of Virella’s Song obscures the path to the grove from memory, preventing uninvited return.
  • Donny was rescued as a child by Captain Marris during the burning of the Ash-Mist Grove on Virella, a pivotal event Fenna still remembers.

Final Notes

  • Rynerm is now confirmed to have prior knowledge of the Dreamer. The party may soon confront conflicting narratives from the Concord, the Mandate, and the Dreamer itself.
  • The stabilized alliance with the Verdant Sky offers access to powerful magic and possible sanctuary, though that trust may yet be tested. Thus far, the crew hasn't shared any information with the druids about Myrren or the Dreamer. Whether that omission proves wise... or costly... remains to be seen.
  • The return to Brackenfall and the looming Mandate meeting puts pressure on Rynerm’s dual loyalty and may spark consequences depending on what is revealed (or concealed).
  • With a location for Caer Myndraelin now known, the party has a concrete lead into the memory-fragmented past, and potentially into the Dreamer’s origin.