- The Fellowship members aboard the Sentinel’s Solstice disagree on how best to use Serrico. Runato and Theo both want to turn her in, and attempt to sway the girls. Emilia caves, but Lei makes a final attempt to get through to their now-unwilling prisoner. Lei asks her for evidence that’ll exonerate Alise without implicating herself. Serrico refuses, and Lei relents (1).
- Sylo, still on a solo espionage mission, plays (a little too) dumb in order to probe into Aphodii’s relationship with her tiger. She calls him out and goes for his glasses, but he’s already disguised his tell. Alone in his body, he considers her mission and asks if she’s capable of expelling a deva from a human body. She implies that it’s possible. On his way out, Sylo catches another glimpse of himself in a mirror, and feels that he’s still not alone (2).
- Lei enacts Plan B, dragging Runato to an impromptu meeting with Cheshire. Weaving through crowded streets, Lei and Cheshire negotiate a new deal. Cheshire has dirt on the magister overseeing Alise’s case, and is only willing to divulge if Lei takes on the Nunzia job. This time, she agrees (3).
- Emilia resolves to exhaust every avenue to free Alise. Her crew turns Serrico in, but is met with skepticism. The City Watch insists that the trial will proceed as planned, and leaves Emilia with official papers for debrief. She finds a calling card tucked inside and rushes to a predetermined rendezvous point, where she’s offered a deal by the Unicorns. They’ll release Alise immediately if Emilia and the Fellowship swear to leave Kesh by dawn. She does so, and returns to find Alise reunited with the crew on the Solstice. Serrico has confessed (4).
- Freed from Casa Cantel, Sylo seeks help from a new deva. Scrum, the rat deva of the Kesh sewers, gives him the dirt on Jivan and Aphodii. Jivan shouldn’t be in Kesh; they shouldn’t be alive at all. With Scrum’s blessing, Sylo takes the form of a common gull to report to Orr (5). He convinces Orr that Aphodii is trying to resurrect the Drowned Legion, and they promise to bombard the bay this year and thwart her plans (7).
- Back on the Solstice, Emilia and Lei gently interrogate a haunted Alise. She recounts a shadow falling over Serrico’s face in the cell next to hers. She grabbed Alise through the bars and told her that she would’ve killed Kifle anyway. She’s only walking free because ‘they’re being merciful.’ Emilia reiterates that the Solstice has to be out of the dock by dawn. Seagull!Sylo arrives in the nick of time, and a less-than-enthusiastic Lei leaves in search of Runato (8).
- Runato, following up on Antoun, made their way to a Haulers’ Guild post. Antoun Harras is long gone, but their package was indeed delivered. It was signed for by a ‘Runato Lo,’ with a unicorn doodle and a note reading, ‘Thanks for making sure it got here safely.’ Runato is incensed but leaves to meet Lei at Rotri Nunzia’s apartment, as planned (6). When Lei is nowhere to be found, Runato walks up and knocks on Rotri’s door. The councilman is confused, but nonplussed. Runato tells all, and leaks all the details of Lei and Cheshire’s blackmail scheme. Lei picks a bad time to pull up, and has a newfound incentive to get out of town ASAP (9).
- The fellowship is finally reunited aboard the Solstice. Emilia, Lei, and Sylo take turns convincing Runato to abandon their mission in Kesh (for the time being), and we sail away into the sea (10). As dawn encroaches, Lei senses an eversmoulder from Anatol on its way to Kesh (11).
- Slumber party on the Solstice. One-by-one, we awake. Emilia discards a missive from the office of Orr Dradesh and heads off to investigate Alise’s case. Lei procures a bow in Kesh, then joins Emilia (1).
- The two interview witnesses, who reveal that Alise was not positively ID’ed at the scene of the crime. A haunted woman implores Emilia to ‘be careful who (she) talks to’ and follow her back to a secure location. Lei tails them, and hears a shot ring out when the two turn into an alley. Emilia is pinned, and the woman demands to know who she is (2).
- Sylo finds the letter from Orr and resolves to meet them, alone. He provides sworn testimony of the Unakh-Drakken affair, is granted permission to enter the ruins, and inquires about Aphodii Cantel. Orr hesitates, and is further unsettled by the reveal of Sylo’s serpentine eyes. They advise caution; she seemingly came to power overnight and wields her influence in unpredictable ways. Sylo is tasked with investigating her plans and her hold over the other councilors (3).
- Runato ventures to an abandoned branch of the Elephant, with Theo at their heels. The monastery has been picked apart, with only one building left intact. It’s been meticulously cleared out- even the secret rooms and passages. But Runato knows that there is still knowledge to be found in the building itself; they begin to tear the monastery down, brick-by-brick (4).
- As Emilia is interrogated with a gun trained on her position, Lei takes an indirect route to get the jump on their opponent. She recognizes her, realizing that she’s been tailing her since she met Cheshire. Emilia goes on the offensive, and succeeds in overpowering her. Lei turns on the charm (5).
- About an hour into their shenanigans, Runato and Theo are paid a visit by Meirlies. They insist that as the last of his order, Runato ought to have a legitimate claim to the monastery and its remains. Meirlies is dubious, but relents. They give a final warning to Runato, reminding them that Altawiya will be released in 12 hours if they fail to bring forth evidence. Runato shrugs this off and redirects his attention to one final brick. They find reference to an older, long-abandoned central monastery under the western city of Arred. This is the first he’s heard of it (6).
- Sylo starts a slow trudge up to the upper ring of Kesh. Shaken by Orr’s own fear, he summons an old friend to hold his hand through the haunted house. They delight in this. He’s welcomed into her lavish mansion and manages a conversation with Aphodii (with a little help). He throws Orr under the bus to save himself from her questioning and win a smidge of her trust. Aphodii reveals that she needs ore from the Scintilla to cast a spell… she lets her glasses slip and reveals animalistic eyes of her own (7).
- Lei and Emilia play good cop, bad cop, respectively. Lei offers her protection and convinces Serrico(?) to join them on the Sentinel’s Solstice for a casual conversation. Over a meal, Serrico confesses to killing Kifel but insists that she had no idea Alise would be framed. When she tried to dig into the conspiracy herself, she was attacked in her own home and injected by “what felt like hot glass.” Lei inspects the resulting shards under her skin, but doesn’t sense any magic (8).
Session 08
- Runato awakes on a rowboat alongside a familiar figure, fishing. Elias of the Hollowed(?) (Hallowed?) Tusk chastises their behavior thus far, saying, “(they’ll) never remember, (they) only wanted to fight.” He reels in his line, and innumerable bodies- some familiar, some not- float to the surface. Runato swears they won’t “let them die twice,” falls in reverse, and awakes in captivity next to Theo (1). Runato draws their sword, saws through the lock, and the two begin their great escape (2).
- Back on the Solstice, Sylo calls Munra. They appear in the form of a big gull and do their best to answer his many, many questions. Magic is draining, deva are fading, and something is waking on the floor of the harbor. He recalls ghost stories of the Drowned Legion and connects it to legends of an old, immortal army of automata (3).
- Emilia and Lei reconvene at the Leakyng Faucet. Aldridge pulls Emilia aside and informs her of their ransom situation as Lei listens on (4). They return to the Solstice and, now with Sylo, wrangle the terms and testimony from D’lenn (5). They scope out The Tatterdemalion Prince from the crow’s nest and definitely devise a plan before splitting up (7).
- Em and Lei head for the trade off. They’re met by 3 enemy pirates and immediately kick up a fuss when told to row the boat out to sea. But the two oblige. Emilia further antagonizes their extortionists by criticizing their captain, drawing their ire and a gun to her own head (8).
- Sylo, still on the Solstice, metaphorically and literally dips a toe in the water by kindly asking another favor of his patron. They very readily oblige, and he swims out to sea in the form of a giant meelipede (9).
- Still at sea, Runato and Theo slowly slink through the lower decks, taking out combatants one-by-one. When the alerts sound, Runato makes a move for the rowboat above deck and tasks Theo with sinking the ship. Runato snaps the rope suspending the boat to hasten their descent; Theo fights his way through enemy pirates and leaps in, just as an explosion rocks the Prince (6).
- The ship capsizes and Runato falls overboard. Sylo emerges from the depths to nudge them back to the surface, picks up Theo, and speeds back to the shore (10).
- Lei feints dropping her oar and distracts the pirates well enough for Emilia to wrangle back her gun. They struggle against their not-quite-captors until a big meelipede rams into the boat and knocks their opponents overboard. Reunited at last, the Fellowship slowly make their way home (11).
The Gang’s in Kesh. The Gang's taking a long rest; we hunker down in a boreal forest and nurse our wounds.- Sylo, still conflicted, seeks reassurance from his deity*. The campfire erupts in a pillar of fire; someone’s upset. He begs for a gesture of goodwill and receives a vision of a masked sect, “hunting and killing spirits, and those who harbor them” in Kesh. But they've walked into a trap, and are bound to truthfully answer Sylo’s next question: “Who are you?” The two share a vision of their past and present selves: Sylo once again saves a serpent from its icy fate and is left to die in its place. The spirit retreats (2).
- Sylo reels from this revelation and Runato sympathizes. Everyone gets a heart-to-heart with Lei. She implores Runato to dwell on their past life and see nuance, works to rebuild a very drunken Emilia’s shattered confidence, and is roped by a different drunkard into touching Nero’s shard. She sees stars burning brighter than the suns and moons, and is unconvinced. On watch, we witness birds migrating ~2 weeks earlier than expected (3). But nevermind that.
- The group trudges along, finally at the edge of Kesh. Emilia peels ahead to avoid scrutiny, but is flagged for the indeterminate number of cats on her person. She refuses to pay a “Felid Tax” and resists extortion from the Town Watch. She convinces them of her sincerity (and tenacity), and is allowed into Kesh (1).
- Lei begins to perform a grand distraction, but is immediately upstaged by Runato, presenting Pierra to the Watch. They demand that the Watch take custody of her, and recount the Fellowship’s dealings with the Triumvirate, the Unakh-Drakken, and of course, Kifle Bain. A guard, Meirlies, pricks up at the mention of Bain, and coerces Runato into custody (4).
- As Runato is interrogated, Lei and Sylo slip into Kesh and consult Lei’s underground network, just in case. Emilia tracks down her crew and learns that Alise is being held for the murder of Kifle Bain (5).
- The Fellowship reconvenes at The Leakyng Faucet. Alise had had a public, drunken confrontation with Kifle on the night of his murder, and is presumed to have followed him home and shot him dead. Runato schemes to implicate Pierra in Alise’s place; Sylo is the only one present who seems to object. The Gang must now sort through the consequences of the past 2 weeks: free Alise, pin Pierra, follow-up with Orr and Antoun (?), as well as respond to a suspicious summons from one “Aphodii Cantel” addressed to Lei and Sylo (6).
- Runato awakes alone in a “living nightmare,” with the house looming behind. They cross the alien terrain, enter the decaying home, and meet a now panther-like Xyndite resting a paw on their sword. The two are not alone [1].
- Lei and Sylo awake at dawn, and draw the attention of the inhabitants(?) of a slightly different manor than the one they recall. Lei deduces from her map that they’ve landed in the wrong time and place. Sylo summons his deity and is told that he’s not “[their] Sylo” and must leave immediately [2]. Hellebore the archmage cuts their conversation short, dispelling his patron and interrogating them both [5].
- Back at camp, Rubah does a BIG STRETCH and Emilia wakes. The Fellowship is missing, Rubah grows anxious, and her crew has had enough. They are unwilling to wait, loath to haul the cargo without Sylo, and insist that Emilia leave with them. She resists [3].
- Runato slots the sword back, but something feels…off. A horned, masked figure emerges, incensing them to immediate violence. The so-called Unicorn, Elbanna, trades blows and quips with Runato. Runato suffers a piercing strike from a familiar metal cane, and loses their resolution to reconcile with the Fellowship. They, in turn, launch an arrow into Elbanna’s eye and summons his most dreaded memory. The mask tears away, revealing an expression of pure terror and a shard of glass lodged in his skull. In the tussle, Runato falls off the balcony, and is left clinging to Elbanna [4].
- Emilia struggles to sort out her myriad problems and command her crew. Alise strikes a deal with Antoun behind her captain’s back; the crew will tow the cargo to Kesh for quick buck and leave the Fellowship behind. Emilia lets them go. She entrusts Ethan with a letter for the crew, apologizing and promising to meet them in Kesh [6].
- Unimpressed by Sylo’s threat of force and unconvinced by Lei’s stories, the mages shuffle them into the manor. The two rowdy houseguests continue to cause a stir and are introduced to a familiar(?) figure in a horned masquerade mask [7].
- Elbanna pushes Runato over the edge. “Kur will take you as it has taken me.” Xyndite goes to break their fall, but the two break through the floor and crash before Lei and Sylo [8]. Runato resumes their rampage and seeks to maim this new Elbanna once again. Lei and Sylo decline to aid their compatriot, but Sylo appeals to Hellebore’s piety and convinces them to put an end to this once and for all. A strong wave of magic forces all parties to disengage [9].
- Spurred by the sound of shattered glass, Emilia ventures into the mystical mansion at last. She consults Dahlia’s maps, but quickly finds that this space does not adhere to the laws of physics. Emilia embraces her birthright and takes a leap of faith; she asks to be led “where [she] needs to go.” The shattered mirror before herself reassembles and shows a reflection of the Fellowship in a standoff [10].
- The story picks up in the aftermath of the attack. There are at least a half a dozen dead, but the only casualty on our side is Lucia. The crew mourns her death, and Emilia resolves to return to Kesh expeditiously for a proper send off [1].
- Meanwhile, Sylo discovers (and frightens) a captive member of the Haulers’ Guild, Antoun. They enlist our help in finding and delivering their cargo, which includes the 2 suspect crates from Dahlia’s tent [2]- a special delivery to be handed off to a representative of a “Pregnant Unicorn” in Kesh [4].
- Runato grills Antoun on their ties to the Unicorn, to the chagrin of everyone else. Emilia peels herself from her crew to prod the Fellowship and tie up loose ends (which includes a mercy kill of Dahlia and a somber performance by Lei) [3].
- Sylo sets boundaries with Rubah, which requires a blessing from Munra, an ocean spirit protecting Kesh, to transform into a dragodile. Sylo in turn must tow the cargo and report back to Munra in Kesh [5].
- Journey: Lei outperforms a flock of drobins attempting to lure the caravan; Emilia sacrifices precious time to repair a fellow traveler’s felled wagon; Runato investigates a scream coming from within an abandoned mansion and happens upon a massacre. The caravan stops [6].
- Runato sees fit to leave, but Lei insists they dig deeper. The two wind through the mansion, halting before a 2nd floor window. Lei is enthralled by a dazzling coastal sunset; Runato believes it to be another trick of their memory [7]. Outside, Emilia is preoccupied by a litter of talking kittens who are begging to be whisked away from the mansion [8].
- Runato senses that the haunted mansion is not a deception. When they take a peek behind the window curtains, they see a black and craggy landscape and a night sky that is deeply alien. Knowing that their window to escape is closing, Runato and Lei dash for the front door and escape as time warps around them. But Runato catches a glimpse of a figure in a mask with a single horn [9].
- Long Rest: Emilia determines that the cats aren’t quite victims and has a tense exchange with Alise; Lei draws up a map; Sylo repairs the Fellowship’s relationship with Antoun; Runato sends Xyndite the Kitten back into the mansion armed with their sword [10].
- Emilia confronts Runato about their behavior. Sylo cosigns, Lei displays secondhand embarrassment, but Runato doubles down. The Gang go their separate ways for the night and in the morning, Runato is nowhere to be found [11].
- The Gang™ find themselves split between 3 locations: Emilia is alone in the camp; Lei, Runato, and The Crew are entangled with The Craven to the east; Sylo is stranded in the forest to the west. A gunshot rings out in the east.
- Emilia, armed with new knowledge and souvenirs from the mage’s tent, makes a beeline towards the shot. Lei’s absence is noted, as well as that of another missing prisoner. A scout is dispatched while Emilia is intercepted by the lieutenant, Vir'iq, who “aids” her in her search for Lei [1].
- Lei is revealed to have fired a round into the air, in order to alert the rest of the party. Runato commands The Craven to cooperate, who reveals that he was imprisoned indefinitely after proposing a business deal. He offered to turn informant on the Roadwardens and supply info on incoming caravans and shipments, in exchange for a cut of the spoils and a promise that they leave Kesh. The Unakh-Drakken refused. The advance scout from camp, Kel'mon, walks into this exchange [2]. Lei, Runato, Alise, Alicia, and the Craven are made, while the rest of Emilia’s crew lay hidden. Lei seemingly convinces Kel that she and the rest of the ‘hunting party’ were simply fleeing the wyrm rampage, but The Craven blows their cover and begs for Kel’s protection [5].
- On the other side of the forest, Sylo resumes a human form and eyes the last wyrm on his tail, still tangled up in the canopy. He tries to win her trust and a ride back to camp, removing his glasses to establish rapport. He’s immediately snatched up by the scruff of his collar and flown back to the nest (where he belongs) [3]. Sylo is plopped unceremoniously to the ground before Tai'chaar, who gives him no regard as he showers Rubah in love and affection [6].
- Emilia, concerned that Kel’s beaten her to the punch, takes the hilt of her cutlass to the back of Vir’iq’s head to hasten the group’s escape [4]. She appeals to Vir’iq with cold, hard logic and a promise of mercy, but is rebuffed. Vir’iq calls her bluff and whistles to signal… something [7]. The two engage in an ugly brawl and tumble down a small hillside and into a creek. Emilia emerges victorious, having gouged out her opponent’s eye and rendered her unconscious [9].
- Back in the forest, Runato experiences a memory blip, and releases the Craven in their confusion. Lei prioritizes reuniting the party, and breaks off with a select few to find Emilia [8]. They happen upon the aftermath of her scrap, which Lei seems to pay no mind to. The three, reunited, debrief and Runato scopes out the camp for any signs of Sylo.
- Sylo remains stranded in camp, under the watchful eye of the protective Rubah. He witnesses the triumvirate mage, Dahlia, dispatching soldiers in the direction of the party in the forest, guiding them with a faint strand of light. He taps into Rubah’s parental instincts and uses Runato-approved hand signs to suggest that Dahlia is a danger to him. Rubah mauls her, prompting the soldiers to seemingly awake from a daze and mobilize against the wyrm [10].
- A sizable number of soldiers spring from hiding in the forest, acting upon Vir’iq and Dahlia’s directives and ambushing Emilia’s crew. Lucia is the first casualty. Emilia orders a full attack in return, and quickly sees the camp turned into a ‘killing field.’ Her crew prevails, but at a cost. Tai'chaar is nowhere to be found in the wreckage and the party is left to cope with the consequences of their actions [11].