Session 13 - The Elf Who Cried Lunarae

The patter of dripping water echoed throughout the cavern as the Party searched the remains of the Satyr’s guards. Looking up from rifling the pockets of a guardsman, Lythar’s sharp eyes picked up a tiny seam in the wall. Beckoning to the others, he stepped up, twisting a sharp, protruding stone that looked out of place. A soft click sounded, and a portion of the wall swung inward, revealing a hallway that didn’t look familiar to the adventurers.

Thistle, still in Dire Bear form, led the group down the hallway, smashing his way through a door to reveal a study that seemed to belong to whomever was running the caverns. While Thistle stood guard outside the splintered remains of the portal, Kyle and Lythar searched throughout the room, coming up with a collection of ledgers that appeared to incriminate Miles in slave trading and dealings in the Black Market.

The apparent Slave Ledger showed the following entries:

Destination	Cargo	Revenue	Vessel
Astens	10 Human/Half-Elves	1,000g	Storm’s Luck
West Crown	5 Gnomes	5,000gp	Grey Gull
Katapesh	11 Humans, 5 Half-Elves 1 Lunarae,	5,000g	Lost Treasure
Sothys	20 Humans, Half-Elves	2,000g
Katapesh	2 Human Children		Gale’s Shadow

Tyl and Lythar snarl in unison as the Elf notices the mention of a Lunarae on a Katapesh bound ship, and Kyle’s face tightens as he also sees mention of two Children from the day before. Thinking they may have found a more solid lead on their missing bretheren and charges, they quickly pack up the books and hurry down the hall behind Thistle’s furry self.

Rounding a corner reveals an odd looking room, which Kyle notices looks out of place. Closer examination reveals tiles that appear to be of irregular height, and the Party suspects a trap. Casting Fly, Kyle zips across the room above the floor. As he clears the empty door frame on the far side, he is doused with extremely cold water from another trap he did not notice. Spluttering and shivering from the extreme cold, he manages to make it into another room, forming a puddle on the floor as he ponders a few levers that he suspects may control the traps in the previous rooms.

Pushing on one lever causes the floor in the first room to drop away, revealing a twisted forest of spikes below the floor. Lythar calls out to him, and he pulls back on the lever, closing the floor.

Telling Tyl to stay, Lythar begins to edge towards the trapped room, aiming to avoid the tiles that look odd. A whine as he reaches the doorway, however, causes him to check up short. Looking back, he smiles at Tyl’s miserable look and calls her to him. Shrugging helplessly at an amused looking Dire Bear, Lythar sets out across the floor, carrying Tyl in his arms.

The Elf manages to reach the far side of the room without mishap, but as he stretches to leave through the far doorway, he slips, and feels the floor shudder. A simultaneous cry from Kyle reveals that he has triggered the trap, and only Kyle’s flagging strength on the level is preventing Elf and Wolf combo-kabobs. Hurrying into the wet room, Lythar relieves an exhausted Kyle on the trap lever.

Pondering the contraption, Lythar wedges an unfinished bowstaff under it for reinforcement, and grabs firm hold, just in time for Thistle to grow impatient. Led by Tazjh, who makes a leaping jump across the trapped floor, Thistle bellows in irritation and charges straight for the other side. A whip-sharp crack of breaking wood heralds the bowstaff snapping, and Lythar’s arms flex as he braces against the wall as hard as he can. Just as his strength gives out, allowing the floor to drop and reveal the spikes below, Thistle clears the trapped floor and lumbers into the room with the rest of the group.

Turning the corner, the Party enters a disused room, and find very little of immediate interest. Eying a door, Lythar and Thistle break it down, causing a very shocked Gnome in an apron to scream and flee through an open door in the other side of what appears to be a storeroom. With a gleeful roar, Thistle plunged into the unknown building after the fleeing Gnome. Lythar warily remains behind to guard the entrance to the cave system.

Running in behind Thistle and Tazjh, Kyle notices that they appear to be in the back of the Skull and Scupper. The side of the catacomb entrance facing the store room appears to be solid rock, and the secret of how Miles came and went to the tavern becomes apparent. The Party also feels that Miles probably escaped through this route.

Deciding to go relieve Gron, the party hurries through the streets, back down to the cave entrance on the beach. Gron has mysteriously disappeared, and a steady rain prevents any useful tracking. Thinking that perhaps he may have left to meet them later, the Party cleans out a room full of loot and heads for the Temple of Desna.

Arriving at the Temple, the group is shocked to see the grounds crawling with guards. They insist that the Party disarm, which annoys Lythar. Kyle promises to deliver a report, and Thistle and Lythar go to sell their loot.

Kyle learns from Tennarys that the cave system is called The Locker. Parts of it run under much of the lower end of town, and new tunnels are always being unearthed, used for nefarious purposes, and then are sealed by the authorities. He delivers the Ledgers to the Priest and then meets up with Thistle and Lythar at Coral’s Elven Restaurant.

While they are eating, Kyle pulls a dead Pixie out of his pocket, greatly angering the Druid. When Thistle storms outside, he runs into his Sister, who is in town delivering lumber. He painstakingly convinces her that he’s not in town trading lumber, and has no interest in doing so. After repeated attempts to get rid of her, he finally manages to disentangle himself from the conversation.

Kyle goes to attempt to speak with the Magistrate and is nearly arrested for Public Intoxication. Meanwhile, Gron is nowhere to be found, and Lythar grows more concerned that something has happened to him.

The following morning, the group hears a scream outside and runs outside of their Inn to see what the problem is. A wagon train is threatening to run over an elderly man. Kyle helps the man’s daugther pick him up while Thistle and Lythar calm the cart horse and stall their owners.

A very irate man who turns out to be Governor Baz Beyli stalks up and berates the elderly man and little girl for obstructing his wagon train. He is back from clearing the Dog’s Teeth area. Beyli carries a Khadeiran Scimitar. Shortly after Beyli approachs, Andoran Ambassador Jaran Marleth arrives from the back of the wagon train and demands that Beyli help the man and girl. Kyle suggests that Beyli might provide compensation for the poor peasants, and at Marleth’s urging, Beyli reluctantly complies.

The elderly man and girl go on their way, and the Party turns to seek out the Magistrate.

Session 12 - Hooves and Pipes

Dawn breaks over Cassomir as the party gets ready for another day. While Thistle remains at the Inn, Kyle, Lythar, Tyl and Gron head out to see about Tyl’s armor. On the way to the Anvil of War to see Odal Hammerstrike, Lythar and Kyle notice a Pixie sitting on a lamppost some distance down the street. Realizing it has been noticed, the small creature darts away quickly. Lythar knows that Pixies usually aren’t seen outside of the deep forest, and is further concerned that this one appeared to be trying to surreptitiously watch them. Realizing that pursuit would be futile, the group continues on to the armorer.

Reaching the Anvil of War, Tyl endures her fitting with a little bit of snarl and a growl, but otherwise refrains from removing limbs from Master Hammerstrike. After making sure the smith is on time, the party returns to the street, where once again, Lythar notices a Pixie watching them. While he’s unsure whether it is the same creature as before, he again witnesses odd behavior as the Pixie darts away the moment it’s noticed.

Picking up Thistle at the Inn, the group heads off in pursuit of Miles Sinister. The boy from the previous evening failed to show up, and Kyle is concerned something untoward has happened to him. With the knowledge that Miles often frequents a dive on the docks called the Skull and Scupper, the Party heads towards the waterfront.

On the way, Kyle feels a quick sting on his neck, and emits a whuff of surprise. When Lythar asks him what is wrong, he doesn’t seem to remember what he was upset about. The oddness reminds the Elf about the Pixies, and he fills Thistle in on what he has seen. When Kyle is asked about the fae creatures, however, he seems to have no memories whatsoever about having seen any Pixies that day. Lythar’s concern deepens, and he moves the Pixies fully over into the “threat” column.

Reaching the Skull and Scupper, the Party surveys the dilapidated wharfside bar, which is doing a brisk business despite the mid-morning hour. A human and Half-Orc are standing to either side of the door, and the group briefly debates continuing on to Miles’ rumored under-dock hideout. On a whim, Lythar strides over to the door, only to find his way blocked by the two toughs by the door. While he manages to intimidate the human, the Half-Orc isn’t at all phased by Lythar’s bluster, giving him a shove and telling him to be on his way.

Seeing Lythar’s hand dart to the hilt of his blade, Kyle smoothly steps in, befriending the Half-Orc and sweeping him inside for a drink. Lythar gives a flat look to the human, who visibly blanches, and steps into the bar after them, unmolested. Once at the bar, Kyle attempts to talk the Half-Orc, who turns out to be a bungling assassin, into killing Miles, but finally magically commands him to go find the nearest guard and confess his sins.

Leaving the Skull and Scupper, the party descends to the rocks and sand by the water and begins to search the beach for Miles’ hideout. Spying a half dozen armed men standing near some rocks in the distance, the group begins to close the gap when the men open fire with crossbows.
Aided by Tazjh and Tyl’s speed, a team of skunks summoned by Kyle, and Thistle calling fire down on the guards, the group quickly subdues the men. As they’re fighting, they notice a pair of Pixies duck into the cave entrance, and realize they must act quickly to minimize the amount of time those inside have to prepare. The group decides to task Gron with guarding the tunnel mouth, to ensure no one escapes via that route while they’re clearing the warren.

Working their way through the tunnels, the Party engages and kills another half dozen Guards, in the process finding a room full of children. From the urchins, they discover that Matt, the missing boy; and his sister were sent away on a ship. When questioned, a sheepish Sam admits that he turned them in to Miles. The children admit that they don’t know where Miles is at the moment, but that they’d seen him this morning. Kyle and Thistle escort the kids back through cleared tunnels while Tazjh, Lythar and Tyl sweep in the other direction to make sure the children aren’t flanked.

Another quick skirmish finds the team in front of a room full of chests, nice armor, and weapons. Taking a quick glance to make sure it is clear, the group proceeds to a grotto, water filling a long room with another entrance on the other side. Proceeding down a side tunnel, the Party finds itself facing the way they had just come from the other side. Shrugging, Lythar asks Tyl to stay with Thistle and strips down to take a look in the water.

As soon as he’s a short distance from the edge, the water swirls quickly, revealing a water elemental, which attacks Lythar and Tazjh. Lythar manages to dodge a vortex, landing a couple of strong hits on the elemental, but Tazjh is caught up by the water. Thinking fast, Kyle summons a team of dolphins, which die bravely while battering the elemental, which soon catches Lythar in a vortex as well. Tazjh finally manages to lash out with her claws, finishing the spawn off, and the pool returns to quiet drips and splashes.

Treading water, Lythar catches a glimmer of light, and ducks underneath the water to find a submerged passage. Seeing more light as he reaches the other side, he very quietly raises his eyes and ears above the water in an attempt to scout out what may be hidden there. Elven eyes widen as he takes in an officer, two guards, and a goat-like satyr engaged in a conversation. They are speaking quietly, but Lythar manages to catch snippets about a slave ship, Katapesh, Adventurers, and a wolf and lizard.

The Elf slips back through the underwater passage and briefs his friends on the contents of the hidden cavern. While they’re talking, two Pixies come darting through the passage, ducking under the water. Taking a moment to don his armor, Lythar hands his packs over to Thistle, who protects them from the damp by turning into a vicious crocodile. Moving fast, the entire group ducks back under the water, following the Pixie into the hidden cavern.

Breaking the surface of the water on the far side, Kyle immediately hears the haunting sound of pipes. He feels muzzy headed for a moment, then is able to shake it off and casts a stinking cloud in the room, filling it with a noxious fog. Most of the humans in the room begin to cough and retch. Kyle magically suggests to one of the humans that he go help take care of the kids as penance, knowing that Gron guards the cave mouth and will kill him. The human drops his weapons and dives into the water.

Lythar and Thistle also surface and are able to shake the effects of the pipes, and frustrated, the Satyr disappears unseen on the far side of the cloud. Seeing Lythar kill the reachable human near the water’s edge, Kyle dispels his cloud and the entire party joins the fight, killing the remaining Pixie and humans. The Satyr is nowhere to be found.

Gathering anything that looks to be of value, the Party prepares to leave the caves.

Session 11 - Cassomir

After three more days of uneventful travel, the Party enters the Port of Cassomir. Impressed by its size, they drive deep into the city to heal and begin securing passage to Absolom. While moving through the streets on horseback, they are set upon by a group of urchins, a few of whom begin dipping hands into saddlebags and anything else in reach in an attempt to steal whatever they can get their hands on.

Lythar manages to grab one by the arm, and Valdish knocks another prone. Commanding Tyl to guard the prone urchin, Lythar releases the one he grabbed after Kyle charms him. The group makes both urchins turn over their ill-gotten gains, leaving the items they carry on them. Sam, the older of the two, needs a little convincing, with a threatening Tyl and Tazjh giving the promise of great harm if he moves before he is told to. Lythar finds an odd, ornate dagger on Sam, but leaves it on the boy as he has no interest in taking back what is not theirs.

Kyle is incensed by the idea of the children being held in thrall to Miles, and immediately wants to find a way to end Miles’ reign of terror over them. The group promises Sam that if anything happens to Matt, they’ll make sure that Miles hears that it was Sam and not Matt that told the Party about Miles and then frees Sam.

Deciding to split up to take care of their business faster, Thistle and Tazjh head towards the docks to secure passage to Absolom, Lythar, Gron, and Tyl proceed to City Hall to speak with the the Authorities regarding his health condition, and Kyle remains to speak further with Matt and then search for lodgings.

-----

Thistle

Proceeding to the docks, Thistle soon finds himself in a frustrating verbal duel with the dockmaster, who has trouble getting anything straight regarding Thistle’s companions. Convinced that he is now attempting to book passage for Thistle, a dragon, a werewolf, a full sized wild wolf, and two elves, not to mention a passel of horses, Thistle finds himself frustrated by the Dockmaster’s denseness and insistence on making their passage more difficult than need be.

After a 100gp bribe, and much yelling and gesticulating, Thistle finally secures a writ of passage for the Party, including their retinue of oddities, aboard Wave Dancer, Captained by Donnaree Chance. The Dockmaster cautions Thistle that the ship may not be bound directly for Absolom, and that he’ll have to work out their routing with the Captain. Thoroughly disgusted with the difficulty of the man, Thistle heads towards the fountain to meet with the rest of the party.

-----

Kyle

Kyle continues his discussions with Matt, finding out as much as possible about his plight.

Matt reveals that the group works for a man named Miles Sinister, who beats the children if they do not bring enough ill-gotten loot back to The Skull and Scuppers, a tavern he frequents in the Port District. Matt reveals Miles’ hideout location underneath a dock, and gives Kyle a description of Miles’ Blue Captain’s Coat, the cutlass, and bracer of daggers that he carries.

Matt then tells Kyle that he needs to retrieve his sister, and leaves after finding out where to meet Kyle.

Deciding to take care of the most important immediate task, Kyle begins to gather information on good places in the town to get a drink and lodgings. He finds out about an Elven eating establishment named Corals, and also gathers information about various other Inns and Taverns in the city.

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Lythar

After a goodly distance, Lythar, Tyl and Gron arrive at the City’s Administration building. Leaving Gron and Tyl outside with Mos Shol, his horse, the Elf strides up to an official sitting at a desk, Lythar quietly announces that he is present on urgent business from Kyonin. The official attempts to stonewall him by demanding he make an appointment, however, Lythar finally says he is on the business of the Verdant Queen and presents the red crystal flower from her crown. Harumphing in displeasure, the official bids Lythar to wait and after summoning a lesser bureaucrat to fill his post, hurries into the recesses of the building.

A short while later, Lythar is escorted to a room occupied by a fairly powerful looking half-elf, who bears the symbol of the Pathfinders. Lythar is accused of lying, and possible robbing his “cargo” from other adventurers. Lythar repeatedly refuses to show the Book of Justice and the Book of Light to the half-elf, and in fact refuses even to reveal that they are books and that he has them with him. After a fierce debate, including displaying the seals of the two letters that he carries and the crystal flower, the Official allows that Lythar may visit the Temple of Desna, there to speak with the Head Priest. Should the Priest feel that Lythar’s business is legitimate and his story is true, he may heal Lythar’s affliction.

Quickly proceeding to the Temple of Desna, Lythar again has a brief debate with the Head Priest, who is very troubled by the decreasing amount of light each day. The Priest reveals that he has dreamed of the same dog-headed creature that Lythar killed a week earlier, as well as groups of Gnolls gathered in a ruined city of pale stone surrounded by desert sands. He agrees to heal Lythar, so long as the Elf promises to proceed to Katapesh after Absolom to investigate what is going on down there. Lythar refuses to promise on behalf of the Party, but promises that at the least, he himself will attempt to discover what is going on in Katapesh. Mollified, the Priest heals Lythar’s affliction, restoring him to full health.

On their way back to the Fountain, where the Party is to meet, Lythar steps into a likely looking arms and armor shop called The Anvil of War, and contracts the proprietor to provide Tyl with a custom set of leather armor. Setting a date to pick it up, Lythar, Gron and Tyl meet Kyle, Thistle and Tazjh at the large fountain in the middle of town.

-----

Reunited, the Party retires to the Inn. Lythar works in the stableyard with Tyl while the rest of the Party eat and attend to their business for the night. Kyle is distressed to realize that Matt never came back, but decides to spend the night “praising” Cayden in the Inn’s Common Room.

Session 10 - Forest of Horrors

Continuing their trip towards Cassomir, the party finds itself skirting the edge of the Verduran forest. As the day began to draw to a close, the Group noticed an area of trees entombed in heavy spider webs. Deciding that they wanted no part of spiders, they put a few miles of grassland between themselves and the forest.

The afternoon waning, Lythar and Tylalaes went out to work on fighting skills, as well as attempt to track some dinner. An hour or so after they left, Tazjh set out on her own hunting trip. A short distance from camp, she spied some deer tracks, and leapt off in pursuit.

Meanwhile, Lythar and Tyl had a rather poor hunt, finding only a few grouse. Lythar brought one down with his bow, while Tyl managed to grab one herself. A few hours after dark, the two returned to camp, handing off their kill to Thistle to cook up. Kyle takes up practicing his harp, and manages to perform a few songs quite skillfully.

As the party turns in for the evening, setting watches, they notice with concern that Tazjh still hasn’t returned. Figuring she may just be running late in returning, the group spends an uneventful night.

As the sun rises the following morning, the group is very concerned that Tazjh is still not back. Breaking camp, Thistle adopts wolf form to aid in the search. Tylalaes decides he’s a rather handsome wolf, and much sniffing (and attempted sniffing) ensues. After sorting out the pair of wolves, Lythar picks up Tazjh’s tracks, which appear to be headed towards the treeline, and the party sets off in pursuit.

Reaching the edge of the trees, the horses are picketed outside the forest, and Lythar instructs Tyl to defend them. While Tyl doesn’t want to be left behind, she finally relents and takes up a watchful position near the animals. The group takes a moment to fortify themselves for a potential fight. Lythar works to make sure any poison will not affect him right away, Thistle casts magic to fortify himself, and Kyle grants Lythar additional strength.

Lythar slowly leads the way into the web-encrusted trees, carefully looking all around for anything out of the ordinary. Thistle moves on ahead, much faster on four legs than the slower humanoids. An odd shape near the top of a tree catches the elf’s eye, and he notices a mechanical trap that is set to entrap passers by. Calling forward to Thistle to hold position, Lythar, Kyle, and Gron carefully trace Thistle’s path across the forest floor, making their way carefully past large patches of sticky strands that crisscross the spaces between the trunks.

While waiting for the rest of the party, Thistle spies a Tazjh-shaped bundle of webs dangling from a very large web that has been constructed between a number of large trees. A quick discussion ensues, and Kyle is volunteered to fly up and free the velociraptor.

Carefully flying up to the top of the web, which is more than 30 feet in the air, Kyle begins to try and cut Tazjh free, only to be set upon by a very large spider. She sinks her fangs into him, sickening him with poison. Movement erupts all over the nearby forest as the commotion draws the attention of a half-dozen more large spiders, joined quickly by four Ettercaps. Two of the new spiders head straight for Kyle, the rest spread out amongst Gron, Lythar, and Thistle.

Lythar takes a moment to shoot a descending spider with his bow, following that up by shooting a thistle arrow into an approaching Ettercap. The nasty creatures close in, and soon Gron, Lythar, and Thistle all have a small collection of enemies surrounding them.

Reeling from the poison, Kyle uses his holy flask, calling on Cayden to cleanse the poison from his system. Instantly, all of the posion affecting him is turned into a very strong liquor, and feeling happier (and far more drunk), Kyle begins fight the creatures surrounding him. Lythar is also bitten by a spider and poisoned, however, his magic prevents it from affecting him.

Gron begins to take apart the ettercaps and spiders that are trying to harm him, and Lythar dispatches one spider with a single swing, carrying his blade through into an Ettercap, severely wounding it. Thistle strikes an Ettercap with lightning, starting a fire in the webbing surrounding them, which begins burning up the webs towards Tazjh and Kyle. Struck repeatedly, Kyle flies clear of the top of the web, taking a moment to catch his breath. The spiders that were attacking Kyle rush down the web towards Thistle.

Finding himself free of enemies for a moment, Lythar notices that a number of the creatures have decided that Thistle’s wolf form looks more tasty, and hustles over to assist. With Gron’s help, Thistle and Lythar kill the remaining spiders, and severely wound the remaining Ettercap, who flees towards the edge of the trees. Refusing to let it escape, Kyle flies over and finishes it off.

The fire has caught well in the webbing, and is rushing towards the incapacitated velociraptor. Lythar yells at Kyle to get up there and free her. Hurrying, Kyle manages to cut Tazjh’s cocooned form free, and brings her back down to the horses, where she’ll be safely guarded by Tyl. The group creates a firebreak and manages to prevent the fire from spreading too much farther past the webs.

Looking around carefully, the party discovers numerous dessicated corpses in the trees. Most are of animals, and a few are Gnolls, but a human form catches Kyle’s eye. Flying up and freeing it from the webs, they are horrified to discover the dead body of the Noblewoman they rescued from the Gnolls a week earlier. Removing her satchel and a pannier containing a fine tea set, Lythar notices an odd leather bound book. Curious about its nature, he foolishly reaches in and carefully nudges it to get a look at the cover. At his touch, energy flows through Lythar, severely weakening and wounding him. A quick glance as he is struck shows a set of scales on the front of the book, and proves to Lythar that they have found another one of the books of power that are being sought by numerous parties. Sealing the book back into its satchel, the party quickly resumes their trip towards Cassomir, there to hopefully find passage to Absolom.

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.

Cursed - Part 4

She'd lost the trail. A steady stream of softly-spoken curses issued from Sharalae's mouth as she crouched on the river bank in the dark. Full night was upon her and a shroud of blackness lay heavily on the surrounding woods, otherwise she would never have dared to approach the river before her.

Gazing across, she stared at the woods of the Siavaedi homeland of Kyonin. She dared not trespass there. She was taking a great risk being on this side of the bank as it was, but she wanted to be sure her quarry had crossed, and they had.

Sighing, she melted back into the woods on the near side of the river and made her way along its bank downstream, pondering the situation. The strange group that she followed was beyond her reach, but did they still have the item? So far to her knowledge they had escaped two botched attempts by her former people to deprive them of it. She smirked, not displeased. For lesser beings, they were proving to be quite capable and resourceful. She fervently hoped both Sinafae and Raelona were both pulling their beautifully long and luxurious hair out in frustration.

But what to do? How to pick up the trail again? If they had the item and left it in Kyonin, there was little she could do, but that also meant there was little Raelona or her elder sister could do. She started to smile, then stopped. Or did it? Sharalae shook her head. Sinafae Sha'nul's power and influence did not stretch so far she would dare invade the Siavaedi's home ground.

She would have to try to pick up the trail again. Slipping a slender ebon hand into a leather pouch at her waist, Sharalae withdrew one of the many coins within with delicate fingers, staring at the scarab stamp on one side and the pyramid stamp on the other. Wherever you came from, she thought, is where I need to go.

To be continued...

Session 8 - The Verdant Queen

A riverbank, somewhere between Seven Arches and Kyonin.

---

After two and a half days of travel, Thistle, Lythar, Kyle and their animal companions reached the river bordering Kyonin. The river was fairly wide, with a stiff current that looked to be treacherous for those in the party that weren’t able to swim.

After a brief discussion of their crossing strategy, Lythar stripped down to breeches and his longsword, and tied a line around himself. As he began swimming across, Tylalaes, not wanting to be left behind, jumps in after him. The unfortunate wolf found a small whirlpool, however, and Lythar was horrified to see her disappear beneath the water. A quick dive and he was able to pull her back to the surface, and the two completed their swim to the other side.

With the line now made fast to a tree on both sides of the river, Kyle makes his way across, sputtering and protesting the entire way. As he lays on the ground panting and coughing up a little bit of river water, Tyl rewards him by shaking the water out of her hair all over the supine half elf.

The horses, minus Daisy, seem to confer with each other for a moment and with strong, poweful strokes, make their way across as a group, Valdish in the lead. Lythar rewards the herd with apples, causing Daisy, still balking on the far bank, to unsuccessfully beg Thistle for a treat.

Attempts to coax Daisy across fail, and after an unsuccessful attempt to pull her to the water, Tazjh solves the problem by sinking her teeth into Daisy’s hide, causing the startled pony to jump headlong into the water. Unfortunately, Daisy is not used to swimming, and begins to flounder and drown. With a long suffering look, Valdish leaps back into the water, grabs Daisy’s tack with his teeth, and hauls the bedraggled pony to the bank.

Tazjh tries to avoid getting wet by leaping across the river. She falls a little short, but manages to land very near the bank on the far side with a splash, hopping up onto the dry bank. This leaves just Thistle and Gron to cross.

Lythar calls for Thistle to go ahead and make the swim, and then Gron can untie the rope and bring it across himself. Thistle nods and jumps in, only to catch a whirlpool himself, much as Tyl did. As he disappears under, Lythar dives back into the river after him, but in his haste misses grabbing Thistle by a hair.

Seeing this, Gron wades out and grabs Thistle, hauling him above the surface and crossing the river with the Gnome in hand. Lythar decides to finish swimming back to the Seven Arches bank, unties the rope from the tree, reties it to himself, and then is helped back across as Gron pulls him in.

As the party makes a fire and removes waterlogged equipment, Lythar pulls a small mug of Dwarven Stout from a cask given him by Venture Captain Smine before leaving Tymon and gives it to Kyle. As he watches the Half-Elf gratefully drink the offering, Lythar gets a distinct sense that they’re being watched. He dons his leaf encrusted cloak to illustrate who he is, and wanders towards a particular set of bushes that he knows conceals some of their watchers. As he closes, he can feel that the watchers are pulling back, not wanting to be seen or acknowledged, and he stops, giving them a jaunty salute before turning back towards camp.

Meanwhile, Kyle finishes his mug of stout and realizes that an odd lump in Mos Shol’s saddlebags is actually an entire cask of the stuff! Hungry for more, the Cleric foolishly walks over to Lythar’s horse to get another mug. As he reaches for the saddlebags, though, Tyl, who has been watching his movements and is not amused, snarls and interposes herself between Kyle and Mos Shol. Kyle decides that Dwarven Stout or no, it’s not worth losing fingers or a hand over, and retreats to the campfire, trying unsuccessfully to soothe the bristling wolf.

Lythar returns to camp to see Tyl’s hackles raised as she glares at Kyle, who is sitting by the fire with a nonchalant look on his face, and smiles inwardly. Out loud, he praises Tyl and goes to see if his clothes have dried.

Once everyone has re-dressed and armored themselves, the party, Elven border watchers in tow, travel onwards to Greengold.

The Kyonin Border Town of Greengold

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Entering Greengold as night is falling, the Party heads to the first Inn they can find, called the Crystal Ivy. Gron is taken by the InnKeep to be one of the animals, and after admitting to Lythar that he does not speak Sylvan, Lythar gives him a hard look and rolls his eyes. As Kyle tries unsuccessfully to bargain a room rate, Lythar slaps gold enough for himself and Gron onto the counter and stalks upstairs to drop off his excess gear. After stabling the herd, most members sit down for a meal in the Common Room.

Lythar, however, knowing that there is great trouble afoot in the world, and that it involves the Elves’ secret mortal enemy, the Drow, or the Un-Named Ones, doesn’t wait to eat. Setting out immediately with Tyl in tow, he seeks out the Captain of the Watch, whom he figures will be able to get a message to those in authority, Lythar announces himself with his Given and Family names, as well as his rank in the Mierani Forest Militia, and generally proceeds to play the role of haughty, full blooded Elf that most Humans despise.

Lythar tells Watch Captain Mercanis that he is present on a matter of State Security and brings word of a threat to the Realm. He will not provide any additional details. Mercanis decides that it will be less trouble to bother the Mayor than to try and put off Lythar, and goes to fetch him.

Mayor Selwyn Venaidorl, another Human, agrees to dispatch a rider immediately to Iadara to bring Lythar’s request for an audience with Lord Kaerishiel, as well as a writ of passage for his party, though Lythar does not offer him much more in the way of details that he did to Mercanis. Lythar tells the Mayor where he can be found, and Selwyn indicates that he should have an answer the following afternoon. Leaving the Guard Headquarters, Lythar notices a pair of hawks, one with jesses, that seem to be shadowing him. Discerning that they are not acting as wild hawks would, he keeps an eye on them as he proceeds to the inn, losing sight of one on the way. Upon arriving back at the Crystal Ivy, a hawk sits perched on the lintel above the door, regarding him solemnly.

On a whim, Lythar tries speaking to the hawk, but it either doesn’t understand him, or pretends not to. Thinking that it may belong to someone who wants to speak with him, Lythar checks the street, and finding it empty of persons of interest, enters the Inn. Looking around the Common Room, Lythar spies someone in the back corner with their face concealed. After waving off Thistle, he approaches the person, only to find an Elven Female that does not appear to be seeking him out. He returns to Thistle’s table, sitting down and bringing him up to date on his discussion with the Mayor.

Soon, Lythar finds out that the food and drink to be had are of very poor quality, and indeed Kyle has retired to his room, distraught at the lack of amenities that would please Cayden. Ordering a raw, plucked chicken for Tyl, and some bland turnip stew and fruit for himself, Lythar chokes down an unenjoyable meal.

When Tyl’s chicken arrives, Tazjh, who was unimpressed with some pork that Thistle had given her for dinner, asks Thistle for a chicken of her own. When Thistle orders another chicken, the waitress seems to lose her temper. Lythar gives a few gold to the disgusted waitress, which serves to significantly improve her attitude.

The next morning, Lythar and Tyl head out to the stable yard to work on attack skills and play, watched by Gron, while Thistle and Kyle go out to explore the town. Kyle attempts to turn his charms on a female Half-Elf, only to be quickly shot down when he mentions his history in Iadara. Finding a likely looking bar in the Half-Elven section of town, Thistle and Kyle wile away the morning buying rounds of drinks for the house and chatting with the Owner/Bartender.

During their discussion, the Owner mentions the Verdant Nook, an Inn across the street that has far better accommodations and food than the Crystal Ivy. Thistle also finds out about a promising sounding Herb shop that he vows to visit.

Thistle and Kyle take long enough to return, that by the time they get back, Lythar, Gron, and Tyl are no where to be found. They have gone off to a very nice restaurant up the street called the Bronze Candelabra, and all three are enjoying a fine meal of Venison Tartare with a lovely Bordeaux.

Kyle begins to make a nuisance of himself as he looks for Lythar with Thistle and Tazjh, and must be quieted before the guards decide to cite him for public disturbance. With Tazjh’s nose leading the way, the three soon find Lythar, Tyl and Gron, interrupting their meal. Thistle notices a pair of Hawks over the doorway of the Inn as he approachs, but fails to mention it to Lythar.

At almost the same time, Mayor Venaidorl walks into the Bronze Candelabra, and informs the party that their Audience has been granted, and they are to proceed to Iadara via a method of transportation that has been arranged for them. Lythar bargains a slight delay to allow Thistle to visit the herb shop, and for Lythar to secure boarding for their horses. The Mayor agrees to meet them shortly at the Crystal Ivy.

While Thistle talks shop with the herbalist, including striking a bargain in exchange for some of the Katapeshian Tea he carries, Lythar pre-pays for four days of boarding for the horses, and consolidates their extra belongings to one room for storage.

The Mayor introduces the party to Master Zariel Foss, an older looking Elf, and the party retires to their sole remaining room, where the Mayor gives his leave and departs. Master Foss then teleports the group directly to Iadara.

Iadara - Capital of Kyonin

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The adventurers find themselves standing in the middle of Iadara, buildings of silver and crystal intertwining seamlessly with ancient trees, both covered by intricate carvings within carvings. Gardens perfectly crafted to look like well tended forest glades, interlaced with natural springs and streams lie between the perfectly fitted stone paths and earth walkways. Birdsong intertwined with tinkling Elven laughter fills the air.

Thistle and Lythar stand stunned a moment; perfect natural beauty enchanting the Druid and Ranger. Kyle seems to cringe a little, and desperately reaches for Cayden, only to find that he doesn’t seem to be there.

Master Foss steps forward to the base of a nearby building/tree, raps lightly upon a door carved to look like naturally flowing vines, complete with leaves that seem almost to rustle in the breeze, then opens the door and beckons the group inside. Taking a last moment to straighten his garments, Lythar steps swiftly forward into the building. Ears and tail drooping slightly (yet less so when they have entered buildings in the past), Tyl follows at his heels. The rest of the party follows Lythar’s lead, and Master Foss enters behind them, closing the door.

Lord Kaerishiel stands in the corner of his greatroom, and Lythar snaps off a salute, followed by a bow. Other party members follow suit based on their own customs. While they are describing the situation to Kaerishiel, Queen Telandia Edasseril enters, followed by Master Foss. For this august personage, Kyle hits the ground and refuses to look at her. Lythar makes a deep obeisance, and Thistle gives a jaunty bow of his own.

After they are acknowledged, Lythar stands at attention, while Thistle resumes an attentive posture (and his seat) and Kyle remains prostrate. The party clarifies a few points of fact for the Queen, and a discussion about what to do with the books ensues. The Queen asks if Lythar would leave the book in Kyonin, under the protection of the Elves. Kyle thinks this is a great idea, and launches into a crusade to convince Lythar to break his word. Pondering the situation for a moment, Lythar indicates that he gave his word he would deliver the book to Absalom, however, if the Queen orders it remain in Kyonin, he will sully his honor and do so. Queen Edasseril refuses to do so.

From Master Foss, the party learns that they have 360 days left before the world is completely entombed in darkness, and the minions of Lamashtu run rampant and free. Master Foss also indicates that the connection to various deities has become more tenuous as the days progress. The Queen requests that the party request that any books that are in the possession of the Pathfinders in Absolom be sent to Kyonin for study and safe keeping. Lythar agrees to relay the request.

After the Queen has left, Kaerishiel ensures that everyone has a place to stay. Thistle indicates that he’d like to camp out in one of the gardens, and Kyle tells him that he would stay with his parents. Kyle extends an invitation to Lythar to join him, which Lythar accepts. Lythar then has a private conversation with Kaerishiel, informing him of the events that have transpired since Lythar left the Mierani Forest, and asking that the Elves of Kyonin remain on the lookout for Vognar. Kaerishiel offers transport to the Mierani Forest for Lythar, Tyl and Gron, and upon Lythar’s refusal, indicates that the offer remains open.

The Party retires for the evening.