session 26 therapy

Katsuko Clan has declined; now consists only of Kayumi herself, her sister Akibimi, and her Master.
 
We talk to Kayumi about the last time she saw Akibimi, which wasabout 2 months before she met us. She says she left without warning.
We stay overnight in the Gatehouse, it is damp and poorly-maintained. Niamh goes on a walk to explore with Kayumi. They go towards a site used for prayer around the rear of the crescent. There is a waterfall, crashing down on a large rock. Niamh turns into a laRgE fRoG and prays. She prays to Avacyn for guidance, and to protect her family, and she offers her broken Antler in payment. Niamh feels the presence of the White-Haired Man, she senses curiosity and gratitude before the image of a magic circle is seared into her memory. It comes with a faint sense of purpose and a strange sensation of a hand rummaging and searching through her memories before it eventually chooses the memory of the cellar of Blackprearl Keep, which we completely ignored last time. When Niamh returns to herself her antler has melted and reformed into a short staff with a spearhead. The head resembles the symbol of Avacyn, with a large, separated spearhead at the end.
 
Meanwhile, Peaches annoys Arthur into investigating. Arthur is kinda reluctant, but Gek goes full steam ahead so Arthur has to tag along for damage control. He picks some of the larger outbuildings, as going into the main estate would require sneaking past Kayumi and Niamh. Kayumi has been really resistant to the idea of us going very far in, so we decide not to do this. The first building we check seems to be a dormitory, though it has been stripped bare. We do notice an empty sword scabbard with writing that Arthur recognizes as Giant, though he cannot read it. There is a hook on the wall above it, there is a crescent shaped mark approximately 7 inches beneath it, as if from something swinging on a pendulum. Peaches eventually alerts us and we sneak back successfully.
 
We leave the morning after, and after a few hours we see a figure emerge from the trees. We are ambushed by 3 Hobgoblins and a Hobgoblin Ogre. The Chieftain tears a bloody hand through a scroll bearing the sigil of the Ralken League, which Louis later informs us is a Hobgoblin declaration of war. We make pretty short work of them,including the Ogre. Niamh is concerned by Arthur's somewhat unreasonable (as far as she's concerned) desire to thoroughly kill the Chieftain, their conversation on this topic is, however, interrupted by a letter from Titus Scipio. "Hurry back, we found Scouts," it reads. We hurry back.
 
En route, Arthur connects the two incidents; the declaration and the scouting. The fact that Arthur dealt the killing blow to Kugnarz, the Hobgoblin. The Hobgoblins in the pit on the isles. A vague picture falls into place, Arthur liberated the keep from hobgoblins, hobgoblins declare war on Arthur. It must be connected. We meet with Titus as we arrive and talk about what's happened. We guess that a Hobgoblin attack will come in three weeks.
 
Vordakov tells us the bad news that the Izzit League was super busy invading Chult and help us much. Also, because they secure the keep without the offical dynasty backing and resources, it's politically impossible to ask for their help in defending it. So while Vordakov will help us, we'll have to do the bulk of the work ourselves.
 
Also, while talking to Sylak, he mentions that "people," are complaining about the state of the forest after the Unicorn Died; Niamh has, apparently, not been doing her job and maintaining it. After asking Sylak, the "people," are the inhabitants of the forest, bears and elk and bees and trees.
 
From Rootsreach, we receive units of Infantry, Archers, and Cavalry, escorted by Lady Lavender. Several days later, Lavender hurries us into her caravan for an emergency reading. She notices a powerful, ghostly undead over Kayumi's shoulder, she senses Mailce from it.
 
They go into the library and read The Way of the Oni. Kayumi really, really,really, really, really, really doesn't like the part about how Oni challenge and kill their master when they think that they have learned all that they have to teach.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Investigate Blackpearl Keeep cellar, White-Haired Man says.