Previously: Chapter 70: Follow the Meandering River
First Contact
As Dandelion carefully approaches the stranger in front of her, the stranger smiles back at her, exclaiming her joy at having visitors, and begins calling to someone called Sprig. Shortly after, a small child comes running out of the bushes, carrying an apple, running over to the woman. The stranger introduces herself as Starblossom along with her son Sprig. The child asks if Dandelion is coming here to stay, which Dandelion says that she is just passing through. Starblossom asks if Dandelion came alone, or if she came with friends. Dandelion takes her to her companions, to whom Starblossom introduces herself and her son.
Kal and Relic both decline fruit given by Starblossom, but Penny accepts, and they are all led further into the grove, whilst Starblossom explains that they rarely get visitors considering the powerful wards that surround the area. On the way they pass several smaller buildings and people, most of whom are observing the new arrivals entering their sanctuary. Relic and Dandelion both take note of a kind of entrance that leads into a thicker part of the forest that seems to be guarded by a couple of firbolgs. Kal’s read on the population is that they seem to be genuinely happy, but curious about the non-firbolgs.
Starblossom takes the party to the largest building in the community, where a tall firbolg man is sitting on the porch, observing the party approaching. He rises, and cheerfully greets the new arrivals, introducing himself as Rootspeaker. He takes his time making a personal introduction with each of the party members, starting with Penny, complimenting her horns, moving on to Relic, having seemingly heard of his kind. He offers his condolences to Kal on her short stature, having not met many humans. Lastly he welcomes Dandelion as the newest member of the community. They are all taken aback at his wording, as it sounds like he thinks that she has come to stay forever. They try to tell him that they are all just passing through, being led to this place in search of something, but he just waves it away, saying that in time they will understand that whatever they need is right here.
Penny tries to use her subtle magic to read his surface thoughts, but the moment she opens her mind, she feels only pain. Dandelion noticed that something happened, as for a split second, Rootspeaker's eyes darted towards Penny. Concerned, she tries to gleam into the surface thoughts of Starblossom, but all she can think about is how amazing Rootspeaker is as a leader.
Kal and Dandelion take great offense at his assumptions, saying that they think he is overly enthusiastic about the new arrivals, and reiterate their intentions to move on as soon as they have what they came for. Rootspeaker again reiterates that the grove is a sanctuary from the world, protecting the people from the evil out there. He calls himself the priest of Faunus, and that his avatar on this plane is located within the grove, pointing towards the guarded entrance that they spotted earlier.
Dandelion asks if she can go and see Faunus, but Rootspeaker claims that Faunus’ vessel on this plane is quite fragile, and cannot handle more than one visit a day, and claims that he has already come to see him in the morning, but promises that he can take her there in the morning. She tries to say that they should all come, but again, too fragile, so only one visitor at a time, and Rootspeaker has to come along, and he is unwilling to budge on this point.
Ultimately, he says that in time they will all be able to see Faunus, as they have reached the end of their journey. Relic asks him to clarify, and Rootspeaker says that anything they need, anything they wish, they can find right here. There is no need to continue on their quest as this is the final stop, and he asks them to give him three days to convince them. If they still feel they don’t belong after that, he promises to lead them back to the outside world.
Rootspeaker says that it is customary for new arrivals to join in on the communal meal, and says that they will find them accommodations for their stay, but Relic says that they already have a way to rest comfortably, hinting at the magnificent mansion. Rootspeaker just laughs at this, saying that both planar travel and communication with the outside world is blocked by the wards. Other magic should work fine however.
Before he walks away to prepare their accommodations, they ask Rootspeaker if they have many visitors, but he says that they are few and far between, the last one having arrived almost a year ago. They ask him who it was, and so he describes a female elf with blonde hair and pale skin. They think he might be describing Delphine, as she said she had encountered the grove around that time, but this wasn’t the place for her so he sent her away. He then excuses himself, saying they are free to roam around the grove as long as they don’t try to go to Faunus.
Something’s Rotten in Faunus’ Forest
The party is clearly concerned about the situation they find themselves in, as they notice that something is off about Rootspeaker and the people around in general. Penny tells them about the pain she felt trying to read his mind. She tries to look through the monocular, and sees that Rootspeaker appears to be a regular firbolg, nothing about him stands out. What she does find however is that the colors appear to be muted when looking through it, as if there is an illusion running across the entire area, making it appear more vibrant.
Dandelion uses her detect magic, trying to get a sense of what they are facing here. As she wanders around, focusing on the forbidden area, she can sense a powerful presence of transmutation, abjuration and illusion, while the people appear to be enchanted. The most powerful effects are coming from the area where Faunus resides, but as the entrance is guarded, they cannot investigate.
Relic looks around, seeing that there are a lot of children roaming around, and finds them all to have similar features, hinting that they might all be related, possibly an effect of being in such a small community. Penny approaches one of the kids. They don’t seem to be afraid or vary of her, more curious about her weird skin color and her large horns. One of the children, Blossom, tries to tug at her horns, checking if they are real. Penny asks what they do around here for fun. Blossom says that they play in the river, and prank “Father”. She asks who her father is, and she points to Rootspeaker. Penny asks if he is the father of every child, and they all nod, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.
The children say that they do whatever they like, but they aren’t allowed to go into the forbidden grove, otherwise Rootspeaker punishes them. And they don’t have to worry about getting lost, since they will just find themselves back at the grove if they venture too far into the woods. Penny asks if they aren’t curious about going beyond the woods, but they scoff at this, saying that all they need is right here! Slightly disturbed, Penny thanks them for the help, and sends them on the way, and they run away playing with a ball.
The party reconvenes, away from prying ears, to the situation they find themselves in. Argus and Ira both think this is a great place, and hope they can stay. Berry too thinks this place is great, finding that they are much more relaxed here than outside. The party sighs, seeing that whatever is affecting the people is already taking a hold of their pets. They realize they don’t have much time, and fear that if they stay here for the full three days that Rootspeaker asked for, they too might become victims of whatever is happening.
Curious about the limitations of the magic in the area, Dandelion prepares to cast a cantrip to check. Seeing this, Penny makes a distraction by playing a song with Harmony for the townsfolk. The performance is excellent, as always, and nobody notices Dandelion experimenting. The spell works fine with no issues or limitations. She then sits down to do a commune with nature, and finds nothing new, the most prevalent being is a large tree nearby.
Dandelion then decides to wander around the grove to see if she spots any familiar faces. A girl around Dandelion’s age meets her gaze as she walks about, before quickly looking in another direction and then walks away. Dandelion thinks that she looks very familiar, and tries to follow her. On the outskirts of the grove, she finds the girl sitting by a tree next to an Thistlebark. They spot her approaching, and Dandelion, who can read lips, sees that he tells her “I want no part of this”, before rising up to leave.
Dandelion walks up to her, but the girl looks into the forest, saying “I’m not supposed to talk to you”. Seeing her face more clearly, she recognizes the eyes as those belonging to a girl she knew as Acorn, but she and her people left Dandelion’s tribe almost 40 years ago. She sits down next to her, trying to get some answers, as she can tell that Acorn is not affected in the same way as the others in the tribe. The girl tells her that it’s not too late for them, so they should leave as soon as they can. Dandelion wants answers, about Rootspeaker and the grove. Acorn says that Rootspeaker is highly convincing, being able to make people follow his every word. She hasn’t gone to speak to Faunus, having only seen him once when she first arrived, but said it felt wrong, so she retreated.
Before she manages to say more, Rootspeaker is standing behind them, asking what they are talking about. Dandelion tries to play it off by saying that they are just catching up, having known each other a long time ago. Rootspeaker seems unconvinced, asking the girl, whom he calls Windwhisper, to run along. Surprisingly, he tells Dandelion that he has changed his mind, and they should go see Faunus now. The only terms that he has is that she has to leave all her items behind, and drink from a waterskin that he produces. He says that the liquid won’t harm her, but is unwilling to allow her friends to examine it first. She asks to at least leave her items with her group, which is fine. He accompanies her back to the others.
When she hands over her items, Rootspeaker is looming nearby, no allowing them to communicate in private. Penny sends her familiar, Riff, in the shape of a spider, over to Dandelion, telling him to hide so that Rootspeaker doesn’t see it, so that if anything weird happens he can tell them. Rootspeaker doesn’t appear to notice, but Dandelion does of course, allowing him to hide under her collar.
She is taken to the entrance, and Rootspeaker presents the waterskin once again, and this time Dandelion takes it without protest, drinking a large swig. Rootspeaker stops her after a few seconds, telling her that it is enough, and that he doesn’t want her to lose her powers permanently. Shocked, Dandelion finds herself unable to feel her powers or spells, being completely powerless. The guards, Oakheart and Thorn both move to the side, allowing Dandelion and Rootspeaker to enter. Kal says to Rootspeaker before they disappear that if he does anything to her, she will destroy him. Rootspeaker tells her that he will not harm her, and they both disappear.
Faunus
The way to Faunus is long and claustrophobic, with there seemingly being a natural growth of vines and twigs surrounded by fog that form the labyrinthine-like pathway to the center. Although the path is without detours and dead ends, being a direct way to their destination, Dandelion still fears that she might get lost. Rootspeaker walks behind her confidently, as they venture further into the depths of the fog. After some time, Dandelion is unsure how long, they arrive in the center. In front of her, she sees the visage of Faunus. A large, ancient tree with a face carved into it.
Rootspeaker tells her not to speak to the tree, only to him, and to not touch it. Faunus will speak through him, and so allow Dandelion to ask her questions. She looks at the tree in awe, and thinking she sees a slight resemblance, asks if the avatar of Faunus is known as Brónach. Rootspeaker says that “Faunus” does not recognize that name. She asks what he is protecting the grove from, “Faunus” replies that it is protecting it from the outside world, mirroring what Rootspeaker already said.
She then asks if it knows of The Forgotten One, and is told that yes, but that danger is contained. Dandelion points out that it is a fragile containment, that she is trying to stop. “Faunus” says that there are bigger dangers than the forgotten one, mainly the influence of people from outside. Dandelion tries to press on, but Rootspeaker compels her to be quiet, saying that she has already asked enough, and that she might hurt “Faunus” by continuing. He tells her that she will forget the last question she asked, and remember that she felt that it truly must be Faunus, and that she is happy to have met him. Dandelion seemingly agrees, shutting her mouth. As they turn to leave, she hears a deep, croaking voice from behind.
“...Help… me…”
Rootspeaker looks disturbed, and tells her that she will forget that Faunus ever said anything to her directly. She appears to do so. Luckily, Riff is still with them, seeing and hearing all of it.
When they finally emerge from the hidden grove, her friends are waiting for them outside. They ask her what she experienced inside, and she tells them that it must have truly been Faunus, as she really felt the connection. Kal is unconvinced, noticing that something is off, summons Stormseeker and holds it out towards Rootspeaker, saying that he did something to Dandelion, and that he will explain himself now, or she will attack. Rootspeaker tells her that she needs to calm down and lower her weapon. Surprisingly, she feels compelled to do so, and does as she is told. Annoyed, Rootspeaker says that considering the tensions that have risen, the group should retire for the evening, pointing to a nearby house, telling one of the guards to lead them there. He says that he will have a meal prepared and sent to them later, but that they should stay inside and away for the rest of the night.
When they reach the house, the guard knocks on the door, and the old man Dandelion saw earlier speaking to Windwhisper opens the door, looking at the party, saying that he understands, allowing them to enter, while he goes to lie down on a nearby field of grass by the water. Penny checks around, making sure nobody is lurking around listening in on them, while Relic casts a private sanctum spell, allowing them some privacy.
Penny asks Riff what actually happened within, and he relays what he saw, the questions Dandelion asked, and the weird way Rootspeaker erased her memory and made her submissive. Dandelion remembers none of this, so Kal asks Penny to make some diamond dust, so that she can try a greater restoration. Dandelion doesn’t oppose, and as soon as the spell takes effect, the memories come flooding back. Enraged, Kal says they have to do something, as Rootspeaker clearly is quite dangerous. Dandelion suggests sneaking back into the forbidden part of the grove to see “Faunus” themselves, and they agree to use invisibility on Dandelion and let her wild shape into a small animal, while the others hitch a ride in the bag of holding. They have to wait until her powers return though, as she still is under the effect of whatever was in that waterskin.
Over the next few hours, some women bring over a plate full of steamed and raw vegetables and fruit, but the party knows better than to eat it. Berry looks at the others, quite concerned, while Argus and Ira both think they should still hear Rootspeaker out, as there must have been some misunderstanding. They suggest that Berry maybe should hide nearby, out of sight, while Argus and Ira fly to the tallest tree they find, so that Rootspeaker doesn’t accidentally influence them to reveal what they know. They agree to do so.
They wonder if Rootspeaker is the cause of the problems or another victim of it, as Kal casts divination, asking how to approach the situation. The response she gets is cryptic, that in order to administer the antidote, they must first remove what is poisoning the people. It is unclear, but they will find out more as soon as they reach “Faunus”. Eventually, Dandelion's powers return to her, and they prepare to sneak out. Penny casts programmed illusion to make it appear that they are resting should anyone check up on them. Relic uses the Arachnostaff to cast invisibility on Dandelion, and they all hop into the bag of holding, as Dandelion ventures into the night as an unseen little mouse.
Waking a “God”
Sneaking past the guards is no issue, as they have no way of spotting the invisible intruder. Well within the forbidden grove, Dandelion reverts to her regular form, and allows the others to exit the bag of holding before they suffocate. Confident that they are alone, they continue inwards stealthily, taking their time not to make too much noise. After walking for about half an hour, they reach the slumbering “god”.
Relic casts telepathic bond, allowing them to communicate with the tree, as it clearly has issues speaking normally. They ask him who he is, and he tells them that he is “Faunus”, but it feels rehearsed more than earnest. Relic sends images of Brónach and his companions to the tree, hoping to awaken the memories of what they assume is Brónach himself. It appears to work, as he says that Rootspeaker has convinced him that he is Faunus. He can see nothing beyond the branches of the forbidden grove, and Rootspeaker comes to regularly take his tears, which appear to suppress the magic of whoever drinks it somehow. Sadly, Rootspeaker has already taken his tears today, so he cannot provide more. Dandelion asks about the Heartwood Staff, and the tree confirms that it is within his core. If they want to get to it, they will have to release him from his torment, either by fire or some other way. In either case, “Faunus” just wants to be freed from his wooden prison.
Kal whispers a short prayer to Udall, asking for help to release Brónach from his imprisonment. To everyone’s astonishment, the skies above form dark, thick clouds, and a bolt of lightning suddenly shoots down into the tree. They hear a meek “thank you…”, as the tree catches fire. The party thinks at first that he dies, but the fire appears to work differently, only burning away the tree itself, not the surrounding branches. As the fire subsides, a lone figure is sitting in the place the tree once stood, holding a staff with a green glowing orb on the end.
The figure starts to shift, rising up, asking the others “when am I?”. The party recognizes the face of Brónach, who astonishingly is still alive. He looks around at the party, recognizing the artifacts of his former companions, and understands that he must have been resting for quite a long time. He doesn’t exactly remember the conversation they just had with him, as he describes it as a sort of long dream, but he can vaguely remember their faces.
Brónach tells them that he is the one who placed the wards and protections, as a sanctuary against the agents of Vuthul, but this Rootspeaker must have modified and corrupted them to suit his own needs. Relic telepathically sends him visions of what they have seen of the sanctuary during the day, and Brónach does not like what he sees, saying that someone has to stop him, as he has clearly led the sanctuary to dark places.
They follow the path back to the outside, catching Brónach up on what he has missed in his 2000+ year long slumber. He is clearly disturbed that Vuthul is making a reappearance, saying that they have to stop him at all cost. He also thinks that they should have another ally, and walks over to a nearby tree, placing the staff against it, causing it to awaken, and follow them towards the exit. Brónach tells them to go first, and he will emerge, catching Rootspeaker by surprise.
When they exit, Rootspeaker, Thorn, Oakheart and eight other villagers are standing ready, weapons in hand. Rootspeaker says that he is quite disappointed that they went against his instructions and ventured into the forbidden grove, demanding to know what they did, as they all noticed the lightning strike. Dandelion tries to tell everyone that Rootspeaker is lying to them, and that he must be stopped, but Rootspeaker just tells the gathered people to ignore them, using his powers yet again.
Dandelion says “You might not believe us, but will you believe him?”. Dandelion takes a step to the side, and Brónach appears, staff in hand. Rootspeaker looks enraged, telling his followers to kill the “false god” and his “heretics”.
Cleansed by Fire
The gathered mob springs into action, attacking the awakened tree Brónach summoned, while terrified townsfolk watch from a distance. Rootspeaker fires a flaming bolt at Relic, blinding him, and then tells Penny that she can have a home here, as long as she helps him defeat these intruders. Penny falls under his spell, and attacks her companions. The others try to make her snap out of it by attacking her, but her mind is not strong enough to overcome the influence of Rootspeaker. Brónach summons a spirit totem, much like the ones Dandelion uses, allowing them to better fight the influence, hopefully allowing Penny to be released from her mental bondage. But alas, it is not enough.
The awakened tree knocks out a few villagers, making sure not to kill them, as does Brónach. Kal, seeing that Penny can’t snap out of the influence herself, uses a greater restoration spell to help her, allowing her to come to. Relic, having regained his vision, attacks Rootspeaker with a chromatic orb, hoping that psychic damage will be enough, but he seems to be quite resistant to it. The two guards use their firbolg magic to turn invisible to get a better strike at the “intruders”, while also casting spells to hinder their movement, but the party is too powerful.
Dandelion summons a draconic spirit which gives her resistance to fire, as Rootspeaker appears to be casting fire magic, and sends it to attack him. It gets in a few strikes, but Rootspeaker wild shapes into an air elemental, trying to catch Dandelion with a whirlwind strike. Luckily, she manages to hold her ground. He then flies high above, trying to stay away from the danger, as Brónach has gotten in a good few hits on him.
Kal uses Stormseeker to strike at Rootspeaker, hitting him hard enough so that he is knocked out of his wild shape, plummeting to the ground. He lies on his back, with Dandelion and the draconic spirit looming over him. Nearby, Brónach and the awakened tree keep knocking out as many as they can, and eventually the final villagers try to run away, seeing that they have no chance of defeating the group.
Rootspeaker turns himself invisible and tries to crawl away, but Penny spots him, firing a bolt from Harmony, striking him in the chest. Dandelion cannot see him, but tries to use vampiric touch to finish him off, but he manages to wiggle away. She then turns herself invisible as well, allowing others to help.
Rootspeaker sees that his entire entourage has fallen, and rises up, yelling at the party in frustration.
“You couldn’t leave well enough alone. Fine then, you will burn with us!”
Having been counterspelled by Relic once before, Rootspeaker uses another hidden step to turn himself invisible, before making the entire area erupt in flames, catching everyone he can see, both friend and foe in it. The flames circle around, before returning back towards Rootspeaker, who embraces it. Several of the gathered mob turns to ashes, as does the awakened tree, but the party remains standing, albeit singed.
As the fires die down, they spot the remains of Rootspeaker, lying on the ground, heavily charred, barely clinging on to life. Dandelion calmly walks over to him, leaning down to him. He uses his final words to tell Dandelion that this is all their fault, and they should have listened to him. Dandelion says that he did this to himself. He raises his hand towards Dandelion, who doesn’t pull away, asking her to “protect them”.
Aftermath
As Rootspeaker breathes his last breath, Dandelion carefully places his hands on his chest, and places a small rock on them, doing her regular ritual of honoring the dead, no matter what they might have done. She looks at him, solemnly, and is suddenly pushed away by a tearful Starblossom who cradles Rootspeakers dead body as she shouts at Dandelion and the party that they killed him. They appear to still be under his spell, but Brónach leads Dandelion away, saying the effect should fade in time.
Kal asks if Brónach will remain in the grove, something he says he will do, as this is his home after all. He promises to keep them safe, and that they will come around, given time. He then suggests that they should find some place to talk, and allow the villagers to grieve, no matter how misplaced their allegiances lie. Also, as the party has shown them to be a force not to be reckoned with, he figures that they don’t have to worry about anyone retaliating. Relic suggests returning to the house where they waited, as the private sanctum should still be up.
When they return to the house, the illusion of the party resting is still active, with the illusionary Relic putting a finger up to his mouth, suggesting they should be quiet. Penny dispels the illusion, as it is no longer necessary. Bronach sits down, weary, but alive, and tells them that being in the tree form felt like a dream, but not one that allowed him peace or rest. He then turns to Dandelion, saying that she has more use for his staff than he does, at least for now. Dandelion accepts the staff, taking it in her hand. Before letting go, he asks that when her task is done and she has no more need of it, that she return it to him. She promises to do so.
They spend the next hour talking with Brónach, asking him everything he knows about Nezznar, Malice and the fight ahead. He confirms their suspicions that Malice and Nezznar are siblings, and that the reason they have managed to live this long is dark magic. Malice in particular was known to use clones so that if she somehow was defeated, she would just return to life in a new body. To finally defeat her, they must find where her clones lie, and destroy them, and then destroy her for good. He does not know where this might be however.
He also tells them to be mindful of Vuthul when Penny tells him that she accidentally bonded with him for a while, as he tried to recruit his group during the betrayal, but Lirael, the strongest and wisest of them, managed to see through the lies and held them back. They managed to defeat him, but at great cost, sending a mental image of the burial of Maravin, where Udall himself made the grave, while the others observed solemnly.
Penny asks if he knows of the blade they have been told about, sending him a mental image of the blade she has seen in her dreams, but he knows nothing about it, but hopes that they pursue the lead, as killing Vuthul will be the only way to end the cycle. They ask why they didn’t do it last time, and he tells them the gods forbade it, as they don’t approve of killing one of their own, no matter what. It does seem however that the gods have come around to this since they have been put on this task.
Dandelion asks if he knows how they can unlock the true potential of the artifacts, and he suggests that they should make a proper step against Vuthul, to show their devotion to the quest. Finding the blade might be a suitable way to do this. Kal says that she has been told to defeat her Thaddeus Ildrex to do the same, but he tells her that is only one of several ways to awaken the artifacts. They are sentient, and can tell the intentions of those who carry them, so as long as they are true to their quest, they will awaken.
The most important thing to remember about the artifacts is that Vuthul is the god of destruction and decay, and by extension the anti-god of magic. He is resistant to its effects, but the artifacts are what gave them the edge to defeat him during the betrayal, as they ignore this resistance. He also compliments the party on their drowish pronunciation. He clarifies, when seeing their puzzled looks, that “vuthul” means “the forgotten one” in the ancient drow dialect. Things make so much more sense now. To ascend to godhood, Vuthul gave up his name, so to finally defeat him, they might have to give his name back to him. Now they just have to find someone who knows it. Brónach suggests going to where his ascension took place, but is unsure exactly where this is.
Penny knows it’s a long shot, but asks if he has heard about the Edenflower anyway. He says that he has never seen it himself, but knows that it resides in the Feywild. Considering the artifact she carries, she might have an easier time to acquire it than most. She asks him to clarify, so he tells her that Lirael is the daughter of the Summer Queen. Penny’s jaw drops at this, but realizes that this gives her new hope that she can save her friend, Gleamshroud.
Brónach turns towards Kal, saying that Udall only takes clerics when they need it, not when he needs them. Maravin was lost, but Udall managed to steer her to the correct path, allowing her to become a hero once more, and it is clear that Udall is trying to do the same with Kal, since Brónach recognizes an aasimar when he sees one. She tells him that she has no desire to return to the light, but he asks her if she does not miss her guidance. She tells him that she enjoys the silence, or at least, she has gotten used to it. Brónach hopes she will change her mind in time.
Finally, they ask if he knows any way of helping Penny overcome the annoying curses that have been placed on her, referring to her bad luck and forced rest when sleeping. Brónach suggests heading to a god-touched place, as it will allow them to have better luck when asking the gods for help. Kal asks if Maravin’s tomb might be the best place, but Brónach suggests something a bit closer, gesturing for them to follow.
They walk out of the wards, finding it quite easy now that Brónach has returned them to their true purpose, allowing anyone to enter, as long as they have no ill intentions towards the sanctuary. Communications should also now be possible, he tells them. After wandering through the woods for a while, they come across a stone circle, and he tells them that this is the place where the Heartwood staff was made when Wanderwood donated one of his branches for it. It should work as well as any other places of power.
Brónach turns towards Dandelion, who looks at him, and an understanding passes between the two of them. She takes a step forward, sitting down in the stone circle, placing the staff on her lap, while communing with nature. The staff accepts her as its new wielder, and she can feel her powers grow. She speaks, loud enough for the others to hear without having to shout, that she no longer feels like a seed roaming with the winds, and that she has a new purpose now. One to protect the world, against the coming evil. She relinquishes her old name Dandelion, and instead takes on a new name: Thistlethorn.
Departing
After Thistle has done her ritual, she returns to the others, taking note of a fitting tree she can use to quickly return back here when they want to try another divine intervention, before they all head back towards the sanctuary. When they reach it, Thistle shouts for her owls, who come flying down, greeting Brónach, while also expressing their reservations at killing Rootspeaker. Brónach assures them that they will soon realize that the party did the right thing.
Before returning, Thistle and Penny both walk over to Berry, who was a good owlbear and stayed out of danger. They ask him what he wants to do now, offering him a place with them. Berry asks if she will make him like the owls, hinting at the awakening spell, and she says she can do that if he wished, but it will be his choice. He says he will have to think about that, but that he would appreciate going with them, as he has nobody else. Thistle laughs at this, telling Penny what he told her. Penny sends a sending spell to Arin, telling her not to be worried, but they are coming home with an owlbear. She notices that the sending spell doesn’t reach its target.
Panicked, she asks Brónach if the wards still block communications, something he says that they don’t not anymore. She tries to send a sending to Arin’s girlfriend, Jen, asking if she has seen Arin. She gets a reply that yes, she did last night, asking if she knows what time it is. Penny sees the first rays of sunshine rising over the treetops, signaling that dawn has arrived. She tells the others that she cannot get a hold of Arin, and that they have to return home immediately. They say their goodbyes to Brónach, who says that he will be here when they need him, before Relic teleports them back home, arriving in the teleportation circle in the basement.
They try to listen for any sounds in the house above, but hear nothing, apart from Rod lying sleeping on an edge above them. Penny, Dandelion and Kal all hurry upstairs to where Arin usually sleeps, and opens the door, finding her lying in the bed. She wakes, saying she’s surprised to see them back so soon. Penny doesn’t trust it, holding a sword to whomever is lying in the bed, while Kal walks away, trying to cast another sending to Arin. Again, no response, and the message doesn’t get through.
They ask the person in the bed who they are, but they just try to reiterate that they are Arin. They say to prove it, so she tells them that they rescued them from petrification in the medusae chamber a while back, and took her in. She promises that she is telling the truth. Penny, realizing that dawn has arrived, takes out her pink monocular that has truesight on it, and looks at “Arin”. A pale, hairless, doppelganger stares back at her.