Previously: Chapter 43: Severing the Ties that Bind
A New Dawn
As the party lays their weary heads to rest, dreams take them, and they fall into a deep slumber. Dreaming of themselves, and how they have changed over time, dreaming of the echoing shadows that haunt them but is kept at bay, of home and family, but the necessity of doing the right thing, and dreaming of chasing the past. As they awaken in the morning, they arise stronger than they did the night before.
Dandelion wakes to Argus and Ira looking over her, concerned. They tell her that she moved a lot in the night, as if she was having nightmares, but she assures them that it was a good dream. Pennywakes, feeling calm and rested, with no voice in her head, or a god looming in her sights. She is finally free. She can hear violin music coming from downstairs, so she runs down to join Morgan to play with him. Dandelion eventually joins in, after coming inside, but is not nearly as good as the bards.
When Kal wakes, she notices that surrounding her bedframe and the walls, are tiny scorch marks, like lightning have been emanating from her body. She can hear the music from below, but is hesitant to join them. She tries to meditate, to remember her dreams, but it’s difficult. After a while she decides that she wants to make a mural on her wall of a storm.
Fie, waking up after sleeping in his ring decides that he needs more pillows. A lot more. But first, he joins the group downstairs. They play a while, before smelling something burning, so they run up to Kal’s room and see the mural that she has been burning into her wall. Luckily there was no fire. She decides to not put on her armour, but instead wear civilian clothes, before joining the rest for breakfast. Arin helps Dandelion make it, before joining them.
After breakfast, they decide to head to the castle, to deliver the news about the Key, and decide to bring it along. Fie heads to the basement to retrieve it, and when he opens the hidden compartment in the wall, the Key, which was wrapped tightly, is lying there, having broken free from its bonds. He can hear a slight whispering from it, and it seems to be resonating with some kind of energy. He uses mage hand to carefully wrap it back up, before placing it in the bag of holding.
Reporting In
Penny makes a carriage for the group, and they take a couple of horses to the castle, as half the group is too exhausted to walk. The owls keep a watch on the way there, noticing that at least 10 people seem to be observing their movements. But there is no ambush, so they arrive at the castle, and enter Bertram’s office. When they enter, there is a bunch of books, notes, tomes and papers, many with various depictions of the key, but also a peculiar drawing of a fancy looking knife, which Penny takes notice of, and picks up. Bertram asks if it’s safe to talk with Penny in the room, and they assure him that they managed to sever the connection to Vuthul, so she is no longer a vessel for him. He appears to be delighted by this development, and shouts into the hallway to Thervan that he can leave the shackles. Thervan shortly appears with a fancy looking contraption in his hands, and is pleased to hear this. Bertram and Theran notice the drawing Penny have picked up, and ask her if she’s seen the knife before. She tells them she saw it in a dream once, when Vuthul first made her his warlock. She uses major image to recreate the scene to the best of her recollection, with Bertram taking notes about what they see, and updates the illustration of the blade. Thervan explains that the blade is, as far as they have been able to translate, known as “Vuthul's Slaughter”. It appears to be an artifact, supposedly one that the Forgotten One used to kill when he was still on this plane. Penny remembers that she dreamt that she, as Vuthul, choked Roshan to death. Thervan theorizes that this is just how her mind made sense of the situation, as it probably wasn’t as literal when it actually happened.
Thervan goes on to explain that there are several artifacts that are associated with the Forgotten One: The Key, the blade, a tome called Liber Obscurum, which he supposedly wrote. But there are probably many more out there. Over time several places associated with Vuthul have been discovered as well. They tell the party about the Abbey of the Black Prince which they went through some months ago. Inside resided a Vampire, supposedly created by Vuthul himself, as there was a shrine to him inside. Bertram theorizes that if the other party hadn’t stopped him, he most likely would become a much bigger threat.
Having learned what they can. Thervan offers to take the Key off their hand for a while, for study, and since Penny is no longer bonded to it. Fie is about to put his hands into the bag of holding, but stops himself at the last second, realizing that the Key might be unwrapped again. He instead empties it out, dumping everything inside on the floor. And sure enough, the Key falls to the floor, unimpeded by the cloth. Thervan quickly puts it in the fancy contraption he came in with, and it surrounds the key with intricate metals and a glass front, allowing it for easy transport. Seeing the items from their journey, they mention that they found a sending stone that belonged to Nezznar. Thervan asks if they heard a voice, and if it was a woman, which Kal confirms. They realize that this is most likely Malice. Fie picks up the Ring of Mind Shielding, which contained the soul of one of the cultists they killed. It seems the soul has passed on, so he dons it, to hide his true nature from prying eyes.
Time For Relaxation
Seeing as the party has some time for themselves now, Bertram tells them a secret phrase they can use to identify that the ones they send to the house are actually their agents. As they leave, Kal asks if they have any leftover furniture that they can get to decorate their home. Bertram figures they probably have some old stock lying in storage, so he will put together a package and have it delivered in the evening. The party thanks the duo, and departs, going to the city to get some supplies for some DIY and a bathtub. Kal, on the way to the city center sends a message to Trixie, telling her that Morgan is alive, and that she should come to Ravenforge at her earliest convenience.
Going around the city, they all decide that a nice relaxing bath and massage sounds like the best medicine right now, so they go out to find one. There are several options, some brothels, some regular bathhouses, but they just want to relax, so they go to a normal one. Fie changes themselves into a female high elf, called Falucial. Dandelion is not totally on board, but comes along, as Kal pays for her stay. They all get taken into a wardrobe where they undress, and is taken to their cubicles containing a bathtub filled with lovely hot water and soap. At first, Dandelion is uncomfortable, but settles quickly when she can feel how skilled the masseuse is at her job. The rest just allows the process to happen, taking in whatever pleasure they can get. When they are done, they put their clothes back on, and find them cleaned and refreshed, much to their delight. Before they head home, they commission a carriage with some secret compartments and a bigger layout, as well as whatever supplies they need for the aviary and tub. In the evening, they have a home cooked meal made by Morgan and Arin, and the shipment from Bertram arrives, with decent furniture, some artworks and loads of pillows of various sizes and colors. Fie grabs a bunch and throws them in his room, making it much more comfortable. Dandelion looks at the artworks and is having a hard time understanding the point. Morgan explains to her, after she asks, what a museum is, as Demetrius’ explanation left much to be desired.
Just before bed, Fie sneaks out to the horses, and takes Wildfire to the side. He touches the horse’s forehead, and asks Ranesh to give him the limited wish he asked for. Wildfire is spooked, trying to get away, but is quickly transformed into a hellbeast, a Nightmare, with flaming mane and tail, crackling skin like lava flows beneath it, and rears its legs, towering over Fie. He returns Wildfire to the other horses, who looks shocked. Kal, having watched the whole transformation, looks at Thunder, and asks her god to intervene to do something similar. Unfortunately, he does not hear her prayers.
10 Weeks Later
As the party settles into their new home, they spend some time learning some new skills and proficiencies, as Penny has to retrain as a bard again, having lost some of her power due to the severance. Dandelion spends some time with a person teaching her to read people, and socially interact with them. Fie spends some time with a ranger trying to be more perceptive. Kal spends her days studying at the Crown Athenaeum, learning about religion and trying to find out more about the Betrayal, with Penny also learning from Morgan how to be more deceptive.
During this time, the Day of the Dead is celebrated all over the plane. Fie and Kal celebrates privately, with Morgan and Penny going to the temple to go to the ceremony which is being held there. The owls, now no longer charmed by the spell, have come to love their new family, and decides to stick around.
Kal learns that Faunus is a newer good, but the researchers have seen them do miracles, so it is definitely a real god. She also learns that Rexendell is where most of the conflict with the drows took place. Asimaria and Krawdoth to the south was mostly affected by the lack of sun for several years. The biggest battle happened in the fields south of Twilight Peaks, and the massive loss of life caused the area to be forever cursed. Apparently the drow were after an artifact that was contained in a temple in the area. She also learns that the drow army was led by a brother and sister, whose name is lost to time. But all signs points to this being Malice and Nezznar, considering the clues (the note in Nezznars belongings, the voice Kal heard from the sending stone).
Northward Bound (Again)
As the weeks pass, toward the end of Penny and Kal’s studies, Dandelion wants to return to her forest to see if she can find her tribe. Morgan uses his ring to teleport them both to Maplemere, before returning back to Ravenforge(not without trouble, as his teleport fails several times and he ends up in a cave surrounded by Rust Monsters.) He returns a day later, and goes to the bathhouse for some R&R.
While Dandelion, Argus and Ira is away, a man appears by the front door. He tells the party he is sent from the castle to bring them there, and gives the correct response to the challenge they were given earlier. Kal drags him inside so he isn’t out in the cold, to the man’s objections. The rest of the party eventually comes down, and heads outside, Fie dreading the cold already. The man whispers something to the driver of the carriage, but they don’t pick up what he said. They head to the castle, with the man awkwardly facing them in the carriage the whole way there.
When they are led to Thervan’s office, and the delightful warming sphere hanging from his roof, he tells the party that they sent a group of peopleup north to the Thax'ning Tribes, as some orcish warbands have been attacking the southern continents villages and hamlets, and attempted to take control of The Northern Fort, which separates the north from the south. They tried to find the tribal leader Murzol the Usurper to broker a peace-deal, but over time they lost contact with the group. They don’t get a response to their sending spells, but they do get through, so they know they are most likely alive. Thervan asks the party if the would be able to head north, retrieve their people, and hopefully bring peace. In return, they will be paid 30,000gp. Thervan offers to supply cold resistance gear free of charge, and that they will sail by boat on the Unsinkable II. The party tells him that Dandelion is visiting her tribe, so they will have to wait for her return, and they also have to finish with their studies, which is nearing its end. Thervan understands, and hopes that it will not be too late. Before they leave again, Thervan asks Penny what happened when she touched the key, and she tells him that the connection was made instantaneously. He tells them that it is disconcerting to hear, as they attempted to make contact with Vuthul by trying to attune to the Key, but when they did, nobody was there. He theorizes that Vuthul is probably attuned to someone else now, but tells the party not to be worried. They can tell that he is VERY worried by looking at him.
A Needle in a Haystack
As Dandelion stands in the field after Morgan returned to Ravenforge, she looks at the forest, and takes out her owls. She tells them that this is where she is from, and they are awed by how big it looks. She agrees, and they all enter the forest. Dandelion uses commune with nature to try to find firbolgs or goblins, as she knows Droop made it to the tribe. Nothing in the area. It’s a big forest, and she will have to be extremely lucky to find the right location. After a couple of days searching, she sends a message to Kal, asking if she can try to get Udall to show her the way. She tries to cause a divine intervention from Ravenforge. As Dandelion sits in the forest, she can feel the wind picking up, and looks up. Udall is standing over the forest, and points to the northeast. Dandelion gets a direction and distance imprinted into her head, and takes flight with her owls. After about a days travel, she lands in the area, and can sense the presence of firbolgs and a goblin. She keeps walking, and eventually hears a voice. A familiar voice. Hawk. He is standing by a tree, doing his business. She quickly apologizes and turns around, but before she knows it, she is tackled to the ground by Hawk giving her a big hug, asking where the hell she came from. He takes her to the rest of the tribe. They are all sitting together around some campfires, talking and conversing, but they all stop when they see Dandelion. Sage, looking stern, walks over to her, and looks down at her for what feels like an eternity, before embracing her in a long overdue hug. He apologizes for what they did, and that Wren told them what happened (they didn’t notice he was gone for the first days, but then got worried). Granny also told them what Dandelion has been up to. Aster and Bear come to greet their daughter, and eventually the whole tribe surrounds her, wanting to greet their long lost sister again.
Dandelion tells them about the dream she had where she was visited by Faunus, but she wanted to visit them even though she can’t stay. The tribe makes it clear that even though she is on a path and she has to walk it, the tribe will always welcome her back.
She spends a few days with the tribe, telling them about her adventures, showing off her companions by using disguise self, and wowing the children with wildshapes and souvenirs. Droop walks up to her, and express his gratitude for her saving him. He asks if they killed the black spider, to which she responds that they did, but his body disappeared, so they don’t know if he is truly gone. Droop doesn’t seem worried, since he never met the man, so he’s probably safe. Corn is particularly glad to see Dandelion again. But all good things must come to an end, so she is led by Wren and Hawk to the outskirts of the tribe, where she says her goodbyes, before using the Hearthstone to return to the house. With a blink, she’s back in Ravenforge.
Eve of Departure
Just as she returns, Kal and Fie head out to get some drinks. Kal seems upset or annoyed, ever since Thervan told them about the mission to the north, and Fie wants to know why. After a while, and some drinks, she tells him that it’s just bad memories. She doesn’t want to go up north, but she will, as there is nobody else who can help. Fie has made a new persona, a mid-20s human named Luan. He tries to cheer up Kal, and she gets distracted for a while. In return, she starts asking about his background, and if he ever truly was a caravan guard. He tells her that he knew a guy named Theren, who was a guard, but he passed away on the job. He then took his identity as his own. She asks what he did before that, but him, being the secretive guy he is, doesn’t divulge much, only that he has been involved in some shady stuff. He does however confirm that he is from the same country Kal is. He has picked up that she was in the army, and suspects that something happened there that caused her to have bad memories from north, and she makes it clear she has hard feelings towards her former superiors.
When they return to the house, Penny and Dandelion is sitting talking about maths. Penny has tried to explain to Dandelion what the mission is, but she is leaving out some details, so Kal gets her up to speed.
Morgan and Trixie gets ready to depart. As Penny is on a quest, and Morgan misses the tour life, suggest that Trixie can tour with him until Penny is done with her task, which Trixie is very happy to do, as she no longer has to pretend to be someone else. They give their tearful goodbyes to each other, with Morgan is making it clear that they will see eachother again. He gives Penny one of two sending stones, so she always have a way of contacting him if she wants to talk. Morgan turns to Kal, and says that he hopes that she will come around to mother, as she is concerned about Kal. She is not impressed, saying if she really cared, she would have made herself known to her. He explains that she probably has, without her realizing, giving her a wink. Before they leave, Penny begs Morgan to tell them something about the path ahead. He doesn’t know everything, as Mova is not omnipotent, she can read hints at the future, but not see it clearly. He does however reveal that he fears not all of them will make it until the end. But that’s just life.
With a flash, Morgan and Trixie departs to Elvenbridge, to head on a new tour, leaving the party behind, who are ready to head north to save the lost souls, and hopefully bring peace.
Epilogue
Kal, realizing they haven’t heard from Gundren in a while, shoots him a message, asking if he’s all right, and if he heard about Phandalin. The response comes quick. He tells them “Yes, we made it out just as that vile woman appeared. Will send payment when forge is reclaimed.”. Kal relays this to the group, and they figure it’s probably Malice being Malice. She sends him a new message, asking if the woman was a drow. He responds that it was a bald human woman with red robes. Surrounded by ghouls. A necromancer.
Seems like the party has some unfinished business to attend.