Session 10 Report

General Summary

The party had left off in Ayer's room, where his secretary discovered them standing over Ayer's disfigured corpse. She screamed in horror at their actions, before running away, the doors magically slamming shut behind her. Sensing time was limited, the party began scavenging the place. Brooks went through the pockets in Ayer's old clothes, acquiring his pocket watch and some papers, then picked up his Cane Gun. Then, the others approached his desk. There, they discovered a small creature under his desk, locked in a cage. It was furry and oblong in shape, with six legs, four wings, and seemingly no face. Amanti took the cage out, and Brooks picked the lock, freeing the creature. Amanti, as they were looking at Ayer's desk, and grabbing what seemed valuable, noticed a picture frame that he had left there--The image displaying Ayer standing next to Zephyra, the bladesinging Elven woman the party had killed at the Shuixiu Fair. Below the picture, their true names were written: Zephyra and Argent Liang.   Brooks continued searching for valuable items, picking the lock to Ayer's safe and stealing the abundant gold that was inside, Nadyn shouldering past him to grab some for himself. As they finished gathering what they could, they formulated a plan: Fanna and Thien would carry the pearl, and then Fanna would Dimension Door themselves to the river below. Nadyn and Amanti would wildshape into lizards, hop onto Brooks, and he would fly them out the window and away from the factory. The furry blob they had rescued, having wings, provided moral support, and followed after Brooks.   Fanna and Thien went first, ending up in the polluted waters near the factory, suffering poison damage as a result. They rapidly swam to shore to further avoid being in the poison. Brooks, with the two druids landed nearby, along with the furry blob, but just far enough that they weren't too close to the rancid smell Fanna and Thien had now acquired. They regrouped, took their boat, and started rowing back to where they had come from.  

The party had left off in Ayer's room, where his secretary discovered them standing over Ayer's disfigured corpse. She screamed in horror at their actions, before running away, the doors magically slamming shut behind her. Sensing time was limited, the party began scavenging the place. They acquired Ayer's Cane Gun, several valuable looking containers, and the unknown items inside, and gold from a safe. They also discovered a picture frame depicting him standing next to the Elven woman the party fought at the science fair, Zephyra, and their true names--Zephyra and Argent Liang. Under his desk was also a small creature, furry and oblong in shaspe, with six legs, four wings, and seemingly no face. The party freed it, and it joined them as they fleed Ayer's room, Fanna and Thien taking the pearl and teleporting out, while Amanti and Nadyn wildshaped into lizards and hitched a ride on Brooks as he flew out.

  Curious, and a little suspicious, about the strange creature, Fanna attempted to cast Detect Thoughts on it, finding that once they tried probing deeper into its mind, a wave of confusion came over them. They proclaimed their aversion to it, while Brooks chided them.   Eventually, they encountered the Kobold village they had previously helped. Fanna asked them if knew what the furry creature was, even using Mage Hand to dangle the creature in front of them. The Kobolds scurried back, remarking how it was probably some small gremlin, and that they didn't know much else. They then offered to let the party rest, and the party journeyed back to the village. There, the numerous villagers seemed to be staring especially at the pearl the party took from Ayer. When Kasha met the party, she inquired to their battered and beaten up state--Nadyn was still covered in blood from having beaten Ayer's head in. The party evaded her questions, and the conversation was interrupted by Kasha noticing the pearl. Stunned, she told them about a legend they had in her and the neighboring Kobold village--their ancestor and progenitor god died long ago protecting the River of Life, leaving behind this pearl, which was believed to impart wisdom and guidance to those it deemed worthy. Presented with this new development, the party, after much discussion, revealed to Kasha that they had taken the pearl from a rich CEO upriver, and offered to let her keep it. Kasha, flattered and surprised by this offer, said that she'd think about it. During this conversation, Fanna and Nadyn ended up arguing. Things turned physical when Fanna tried casting Fear on Nadyn, which ultimately failed. The angry Nadyn grabbed Fanna by the collar and demanded to know what Fanna had tried casting. Amanti tried to pull them apart, but was not strong enough to pry his ex-military son off of Fanna. Nadyn only let go after Fanna apologized for slighting Nadyn, and Nadyn threw Fanna on the ground and walked off. Fanna then proceeded to vomit in front of the party, Kasha, and the entire Kobold village. A confused, concerned, and mildly uncomfortable Kasha had a few Kobolds sweep the vomit away.   Ultimately, the neighboring Kobold villages decide to have a small feast in celebration of the pearl's presence. During this feast, Amanti pulled Nadyn aside to ask him why he acted so violently at Ayer's death. It was then that Nadyn proclaimed he felt it was fitting that he subject people like Ayer to the pain he had endured during the Yumalyan Civil War. Seeing as his mother, Amanti's wife, was never found after her disappearance, Nadyn assumed the worst had happened to her, and defiantly remarked how compared to Amanti, he was doing something to honor her memory. Now having stated his piece, Nadyn left.   Fanna, after being attended to by the village healer and faking their appreciation for their fishy soup they were offered, started goofing around with Brooks. This attracted the strange furry creature's attention, and they playfully ran after Fanna, chirping happily. Fanna freaked out and used Mage Hand to once again hold the creature up in mid-air, leaving it dangling in front of the entire party. They asked the Kobolds if they knew what the creature was, to which they replied that tales had stated creatures like them were bringers of chaos, and to not mess with it. Brooks defended the creature, giving it some pets. The creature chirped happily and nuzzled Brooks.  

Over the course of the party, Fanna and Brooks played with the creature.

  Eventually, the party ended. Kasha came to the party, telling them of how she would ritually clean herself and spend the night by the pearl, watching it--It was what their village believed a leader figure should do in order to see if they were worthy of the pearl. The party let her do her duty, and retired to bed themselves. Amanti, however, noticed two brown eyes peering at him from the edge of the clearing. When coming over to investigate, Mei stepped out. She questioned Amanti about Nadyn's violent and unstable behavior, saying that he was a threat. Amanti was defensive, but Mei was having none of it. She yelled at him, stating how Nadyn could do something like what he did to Donovan and Ayer again, and asking if Amanti really thought he and the party were safe around him. She ended off telling Amanti he needed to take care of Nadyn somehow, and that they would face dire consequences if things continued the way they were.   The rattled Amanti went back to their sleeping bag and fell asleep, but even in sleep he could not find peace--He found himself dreaming about an incident in Nadyn's childhood long ago. He had found a severely injured rabbit in the woods, its back legs torn off, and its front legs completely mangled. Nadyn was crying, begging Amanti's wife to fix it. Amanti tried healing the rabbit to the best of his abilities, bandaging up its legs. Amanti's wife explained to Nadyn how they would try their best, but sometimes things were too damaged to be completely repaired, just like how a broken bowl may not be able to be fully put back together.   The family let the rabbit stay overnight, Nadyn checking on it every spare moment he could, but its condition worsened in the morning, a raging infection having settled in its body. It was at this point that Amanti and his wife decided to tell Nadyn the harsh truth--The rabbit probably wouldn't make it. As Nadyn broke down, Amanti's wife implored Amanti to put it out of its misery. After a moment of hesitation, Amanti brought the rabbit into the yard, slit its throat, and buried it.  

The rattled Amanti went back to their sleeping bag and fell asleep, but even in sleep he could not find peace--He found himself dreaming about an incident in Nadyn's childhood long ago. He had found a severely injured rabbit in the woods, its back legs torn off, and its front legs completely mangled. Nadyn was crying, begging Amanti's wife to fix it. Amanti tried healing the rabbit to the best of his abilities, bandaging up its legs. However, overnight, the rabbit's condition worsened, and Amanti was forced to put the rabbit out of its misery as Amanti's wife comforted an inconsolable Nadyn.

  The next day, the party awoke to a bright and beautiful day. Kasha approached them, saying that she decided she would travel to the capital herself to speak to the archaeologist, Joanna, in charge of the project that included finding the pearl. After the party was served breakfast, Fanna decided to try and act nicer toward the strange creature, remarking that it reminded them of their chimeric "siblings" back when they were still under Lauran's ownership. The creature happily accepted Fanna's pets.   The party then set off again. Everything was peaceful for several hours, the river appearing particularly beautiful on this fine day. Then, strangely, they found the atmosphere began to change. The air grew dense, a fog closed in, and everything appeared desaturated and unlike its usual selves. Though Amanti was aware of tales of strange phenomena happening on this river, he knew not what to do about it, so the party could do nothing but stay on their guard. Things grew stranger still as the river began to glow a bright blue, remiscent of bioluminescent algae blooms in certain areas of the world.   Shortly after, a creature appeared to be standing in the middle of the river, surrounded by the fog. It was a red-crowned crane, but instead of the normal white coloring, its feathers were a striking, navy blue. The crane stood there watching the party, before shaking itself. It began shedding its feathers, which floated off into the air and left behind newly grown, midnight black feathers underneath. Gradually, the blue was replaced with black. Then, its metamorphosis complete, it flew away into the mist, leaving behind its feathers.   As the boat neared, Fanna attempted to grab the feathers, but found they disintegrated in their touch. One by one, the beautiful blue feathers shed by the mysterious crane disintegrated, until only one remained, lying at the bottom of the boat. Brooks picked it up and found that it glowed slightly in his hands, imbued with noticeable spiritual power. Intrigued, he put it away for safekeeping.  

One by one, the beautiful blue feathers shed by the mysterious crane disintegrated, until only one remained, lying at the bottom of the boat. Brooks picked it up and found that it glowed slightly in his hands, imbued with noticeable spiritual power. Intrigued, he put it away for safekeeping.

  More hours passed, and eventually the party encountered another familiar figure: It was the spirit medium and entertainer Michael, along with his assistant Anahe. The party rowed towards him and docked, stepping out to talk with him. Michael asked him how things were, and what they were up to. The party, now having to lie about what they'd done to make sure the pearl's location would not be found out, awkwardly explained to him that they were merely traveling to see some people. They then asked why Michael was back at the river once again. He happily remarked that he was assisting a researcher, being their spiritual consultant as they studied near the river, given the river's great cultural and spiritual importance.   At this moment, another familiar figure stepped out from the woods. It was researcher Michael was talking about, Donovan. Instantly, he locked eyes with the party, and things rapidly grew awkward amongst him, Amanti, and Nadyn. Nadyn loudly proclaimed how he was going back to the boat, and Amanti agreed, the two rushing off.   Donovan beckoned Michael over to talk to him privately, so Michael excused himself for one moment. The two talked for a minute, and then Michael returned to the party. Donovan hung back, busying himself with his notebook. Michael asked Amanti and Nadyn why they had run back to the boat, and the two awkwardly stated how they were checking that the boat was properly secured. Michael walked over to assist them, and eagerly tied a knot that guaranteed the boat would have no chance of drifting away. Amanti and Nadyn had no choice but to walk back to the others.   The furry creature that the party had taken in then popped its head out from the boat. Instantly, Michael, Anahe, and Donovan drew away from it, Donovan going so far as to take out his pistol. Michael explained to the confused party the significance of the creature: It was in fact a Hundun, representatives of the primordial chaos that existed before the universe, and the belief that they were symbols of chaos wherever they appeared. They were also aspects of creation, their dances being known to conjure things into existence.   As if on cue, the furry creature began to dance. Everyone watched with bated breath as it shuffled around in place, happily chirping in place. Fanna tried stopping it, but their efforts were futile. Then, it suddenly fell on its side, stayed there for a few seconds, before getting to its feet and trotting around as if nothing had happened. In its place was an empty bag of holding, which was snatched up by Fanna.   Michael asked where the party had gotten the Hundun, putting the party on the spot once again. Fanna stepped in, despite Brooks' extreme doubt in their abilities. When Michael pointed out that the party previously had told him they were going upriver to confront Ayer Barrett, Fanna lied and said they had gone there, but were turned away from the factor, and found the Hundun nearby. Michael seemed satisfied, but still the party was left uneasy at Michael having gotten so close to the truth.   Brooks then asked Michael about the feather he had picked up from the crane. Michael examined the feather, before telling the party something shocking: One of the tales associated with cranes is that once they had grown to 1000 years old, they would turn blue, and after another 1000 years, they would turn black. It had seemed the party had witnessed this once-in-several-lifetimes rare moment for themselves. He further said how the feather, when used by the right person, could help augment their spiritual abilities.   Fanna, hearing this, tried to cast Thunderwave, using the feather as the focus. For a split second, they felt a familiar tugging at their very essence, the same one they felt when they first witnessed the crane, but everything continued as normal.   Michael took the chance to explain to the party the intricacies of casting magic: Due to the universe being woven into place by The Weaver, to use one's magic at their highest potential was to tap into the Weave flowing throughout the universe. The process was similar to weaving itself: Starting off with a thread, the spell itself, attaching it to a needle, a focus or--if one was incredibly powerful and skilled--their very will, and sending it through the Weave. After receiving Fanna's permission, he examined Fanna's tap shoes, remarking how they had been specially augmented to allow magic to be cast through them.   Michael then called Donovan over to look at the shoes himself. Donovan seemed extremely hesitant, and the air grew awkward as he approached. After further convincing by Michael, Donovan examined the shoes. The two whispered to each other briefly, and Donovan confirmed that he'd likely be able to upgrade Fanna's shoes for better spellcasting. Donovan then went back away from the others and resumed burying his face in his notebook.   Michael further explained the significance of the world being woven into place, asking the party questions relating to how familiar with the myth they were. Brooks answered, getting his questions correct, earning Michael's praise. Because of how the spirit energy that ran throughout the world worked, monsters appeared in high amounts at areas of imbalance in the environment. It was for this reason, Michael explained, he was so insistent on knowing where the Hundun was found: Where it was located, monsters would likely also be.   The conversation grew to its natural end there, and Michael was ready to say goodbye to the party, Donovan having requested that they leave soon. Michael just had one thing left to do: Talk to Amanti privately.   Michael had known for a while now of Nadyn's ex-terrorist past, and seemingly now knew of Donovan's concerns with him, so Michael offered Amanti an ultimatum: He and Nadyn would apologize to Donovan for their actions, and they would assist him with his research to ease his workload. Nadyn would visit Michael every week, where he would be mentored by him. If the party did as they were told, Michael assured the party that Donovan would not turn Nadyn in to the authorities, as long as they did not make him feel threatened by their existence once more. As a symbol of peace, Donovan would also upgrade Fanna's tap shoes, and any other spellcaster's focus should they wish.   Now that the deal was set, Michael waved goodbye to the party, taking Anahe with him and imploring them to come see him at the capital, where he most definitely would be working during the Kite-Flying Festival. He disappeared into the forest, following after Donovan, and all was silent once again.   Then Michael appeared a moment later, realizing he had forgotten to give Fanna's shoes back. He hurled them, football throw style, at Fanna, who managed to catch them, and the session ended there.  

More hours passed, and eventually the party encountered another familiar figure: It was the spirit medium and entertainer Michael, along with his assistant Anahe. The party rowed towards him and docked, stepping out to talk with him. Michael asked him how things were, and what they were up to. The party, now having to lie about what they'd done to make sure the pearl's location would not be found out, awkwardly explained to him that they were merely traveling to see some people. They then asked why Michael was back at the river once again. He happily remarked that he was assisting a researcher, being their spiritual consultant as they studied near the river, given the river's great cultural and spiritual importance.   To the party's alarm, the researcher was none other than Donovan. Amanti and Nadyn awkwardly fled the scene, as Donovan called Michael over to talk to him. When Michael returned, he went over to Amanti and Nadyn and eagerly helped them make sure the boat was secure, thus eliminating their excuse to not be in Donovan's presence. Luckily, Donovan seemed keen on hanging back and keeping to himself.   The furry creature then popped out of the boat, scaring the NPCs. Michael explained the creature's significance. It was in fact a Hundun, representatives of the primordial chaos that existed before the universe, and the belief that they were symbols of chaos wherever they appeared. They were also aspects of creation, their dances being known to conjure things into existence. Just as he spoke, the Hundun did one of these dances, creating a Bag of Holding as a result. Michael asked the party where they acquired the Hundun, and Fanna frantically lied that they found it wandering around upriver.   Brooks asked Michael about the feather they acquired from the crane, and Michael got to work explaining its significance. The feather was, in fact, a sign of the crane's profound age and power. He went into detail about how the magic of the world worked, the Weave, the proper technique for casting magic, how where areas of imbalance occurred, monsters would appear, and the difference between Spirits and Humans.   At the end of his conversation, he called Amanti over for a private talk. There, he arranged a deal: Michael had known for a while now of Nadyn's ex-terrorist past, and seemingly now knew of Donovan's concerns with him, so Michael offered Amanti an ultimatum: He and Nadyn would apologize to Donovan for their actions, and they would assist him with his research to ease his workload. Nadyn would visit Michael every week, where he would be mentored by him. If the party did as they were told, Michael assured the party that Donovan would not turn Nadyn in to the authorities, as long as they did not make him feel threatened by their existence once more. As a symbol of peace, Donovan would also upgrade Fanna's tap shoes, and any other spellcaster's focus should they wish.   Now that the deal was set, Michael waved goodbye to the party, taking Anahe with him and imploring them to come see him at the capital, where he most definitely would be working during the Kite-Flying Festival. He disappeared into the forest, following after Donovan, and all was silent once again.   Then Michael appeared a moment later, realizing he had forgotten to give Fanna's shoes back. He hurled them, football throw style, at Fanna, who managed to catch them, and the session ended there.

Rewards Granted

• 500g (from Ayer's safe)
• Soup the Hundun (released from a cage under Ayer's desk)
• 6 fancy containers, contents unknown (swiped off Ayer's Desk)
• Papers (from Ayer's pockets)
• Fancy pocketwatch (from Ayer's pockets)
• Framed picture of Ayer--real name Argent--and Zephyra (swiped off Ayer's Desk)
• Ayer's Cane Gun (picked up off the ground by Brooks)
• Crane Spirit Feather (left behind by the ancient crane spirit)
• Bag of Holding (spawned into creation by Soup)

Character(s) interacted with

• Kasha
• Michael
• Anahe
• Donovan