Session 9 - Meet the Parents

Leaving Kaerishiel’s home, the entire party decides to accept Kyle’s offer of a place to stay during their visit to Iadara. Thistle, deciding that the Elves would be far more accepting of animals staying in an open garden versus a Gnome, changes himself into a squirrel. Lythar cautions Gron, telling him that squirrel is not on the menu for dinner. Thistle gives an indignant squeak.

Approaching Kyle’s parent’s home, the party is greeted by some rather brash Elves who are loitering around the front door. Kyle pushes through the crowd, gives a rather quiet knock, and walks straight into the house. The rest of the party, deciding that would be impolite, remain outside.

Kyle meets his mother, who is shocked to see him. While Kyle thinks it has been a long time since he’s seen her, to his mother and her fellow Elves, six months is but an eyeblink. After gaining her permission for his friends to use the home and gardens, the party is invited inside.

The party sits and makes polite conversation with Lady Elorins Starbreeze. Lythar is careful to keep the true nature of their mission secret, but makes enough allusions of Kyle’s involvement in a task that is being undertaken to save the realm and perhaps the world to provide the Lady with a very positive view of her child. Kyle makes an inaccurate insinuation that Lythar is Shin Rakorath, however, Lythar refuses to even admit that they exist. Thistle enjoys squeaking, shaking his bushy tail, and eyes a bowl of nuts on the table. When Kyle’s mother finds out about the rude Elves out front, she disappears for some time.

Before long, the group is joined by Lord Eli-Qua Starbreeze, who seems impressed that Kyle is keeping company with a military-Elf from Crying Leaf, and is apparently on a very important quest. Lythar again makes an effort to demonstrate to the Starbreezes that Kyle is a contributing member of a party on a very important task, but again fails to provide any real detail - referring questions that are too specific to Lord Kaerishiel or Queen Edasseril. Lady Starbreeze, returning from outside, shares a significant look with her husband when the ruffians are mentioned.

The next morning, Lythar takes Tyl out to the Garden to work on her skills, and the party settles in to their various hobbies. Thistle sets up an alchemy set in the kitchen, and Kyle begins to work on creating magical scrolls to assist the party. Kyle talks Thistle into cooking dinner for the Starbreezes and the party that evening.

After Tyl and Lythar finish their exercises, they wander off to the market area in Iadara to do a little bit of resupplying before they are called away. While out, Lythar is approached by two large Elves with the Shin Rakorath symbol on their cloaks, and is escorted before Kaerishiel and Queen Edasseril.

The Queen informs Lythar that they may have a way to take some time off of their journey. The Elves know of a gate that opens up on the Verduran Forest, near the ruins of Nazili in Taldor, from which they can travel a short distance to a port city, such as Cassomir, that will provide them with a ship to Absolom. Lythar agrees that that would be a good course, and is informed that they can leave the following day. In the meantime, Master Foss enters, and attempts to enchant the Book of the Sun in such a way as to make it harder to track.

Before leaving, Queen Edasseril grants Lythar an ancient curve blade of the Elves. Called Sysali, it was designed to be especially destructive to Demons, and has a pair of magical gems that can call forth light and shield the wielder from damage. The Verdant Queen also pulls a red crystal flower from her crown, and informs Lythar that at great need, he can shatter it to bring forth a fiery elemental to assist him.

Thanking her profusely, Lythar takes his leave, returning to the Starbreeze home.

Meanwhile, Thistle is cooking up a storm in the kitchen, preparing a Tilapia Souffle, and the Party sits down with the Starbreezes to a fine (by non-Elven standards) dinner. It is politely received by their Elven hosts, though the Party recognizes the amazing cooking that Thistle has provided.

Kyle goes back to creating scrolls as night falls, and when his mother joins him for a while, spills most aspects of their mission to her, holding back only their possession of the Book of the Sun. Asking some pointed questions about his true Father, Lady Starbreeze admits that she joined Kyle’s father on a hunt for an artifact in Osyria. While exploring some ruins, the pair came across a book that was exactly the opposite of the one carried by the party - its cover the deep blue of a moonless sky, traced in lightning bolts. When Kyle’s father opened it, lightning spewed forth and he was injured in such a way that he never truly recovered. When opened, the area around the book also grew extremely dark.

Hearing of this book, Kyle admits to his Mother that they have a similar book to the one she told of, and presses her for details. His mother is not sure, but thinks that the Book of Storms was left in Osyria - she did not recall bringing it back with them. She does recall that the back of that book had an image that sounds suspiciously similar to the dog-headed creature that has plagued the party off and on since Uringen. Kyle’s mother recalls that the ruins lay several days outwards from the route from Sothis to Ito.

Deciding that her son and his allies may need some help, Lady Starbreeze grants Kyle her Harp to aid him in his newly found love of bardic performance, and a Handy Haversack to Thistle to help him carry his various herbs, potions, and alchemical accoutrement.

In the morning, Master Foss arrives, and the Party bids good-bye to their hosts. A quick stop by Greengold to recover their gear and horses, and then Master Foss guides them to a gate that lies near Iadara. Lythar and Tyl lead the way through the gate, followed by the rest of the Party. They find the other side bereft of threats, and begin their journey towards the river and a port.

After making camp, watches are set, and most of the party goes to sleep. Woken for his watch, Lythar climbs a tree and wraps his newly revitalized ghillie-cloak around him. Tyl quietly secrets herself amongst the roots and fallen leaves underneath the tree. Watching carefully, Lythar hears, then smells, a group of Gnolls as they attempt to creep up on the campsite. Taking careful aim, Lythar feathers the biggest Gnoll he sees, and then calls a warning to the camp, rousing his companions. Elven eyes are sharp, and Lythar is shaken when he notices the dog-headed creature that had bested the party in Uringen as he stalks the forest floor behind the Gnolls. Tyl looks to Lythar a moment for guidance, then springs forth to take on a nearby Gnoll.

Thistle awakes and lays down a tangling field of vines to disrupt the enemy formation, as Gron limbers up, ready to tear them limb from limb. Kyle befriends a Gnoll and sends him after his brethren.

Lythar, meanwhile, decides to stay in his tree, hoping to let the line of Gnolls pass by, allowing him to challenge the dog-headed demon with Sisily. Unfortunately, the tangle field forces DogHead in the opposite direction, causing Lythar to begin a scramble to close the distance. Rubbing the amber jewel on the pommel of his blade, Lythar attempts to blast DogHead with searing light, however, he is unfamiliar with its use, the bolt passes harmlessly by.

Tyl begins trying to chew on a Gnoll, tying the creature down as it does its best to dodge her snapping jaws and avoid being tripped, swinging with occasional success at the ducking and darting wolf. Gron finishes a couple of Gnolls off, however, Kyle’s charmed Gnoll is accidentally attacked and goes for Thistle. Another Gnoll decides that horsemeat sounds tasty, and heads for the picket line of horses, only to be intercepted by Tazjh, who proceeds to make mincemeat of any Gnoll that foolishly gets too close.

Lythar finally manages to close with DogHead when he stops to try and melt Thistle’s face. Having none of it, Thistle manages to land a spell or two, but Doghead is finally distracted by Sisily biting into his back. While Gron and Kyle begin to finish off the remaining Gnolls, Lythar and Thistle work together to defeat DogHead. With a final swing of Sisily, DogHead’s laughter rings throughout the battleground as he dissolves into a flurry of black motes, which settle to the ground and disappear.

Tazjh and Tyl finish off the last Gnoll, and the clearing is once again quiet. The Party begins the process of stripping their late enemies of useful gear and equipment. They are certain that they’ll see DogHead again.