I Left My Heart in Vermilla

General Summary

As the party made their way out of the swamps, they ran across a group of lizardfolk heading towards the hydra's lair. Grom was able to speak to them and found out that they worshipped the hydra as "Mother Ten-Heads," and attempted to talk their way out of the situation before Anton fired his fire-lance at them. In the ensuing fight, Grom was knocked unconscious and nearly died before Anton landed a killing blow on the last remaining lizardfolk, freeing Elria up to heal him. The rest of the trek out of the swamp occurred without incident.
Sailing again through the night, the party neared Vermilla the following morning. As they approached the docks, they noticed Carmilla on the deck of the Tranquil Angel conversing with Sir Barnabas, the seneschal of Semechis Keep. The party boarded the Angel and joined the conversation. Carmilla revealed that she had been discussing the Heart of Déon with Sir Barnabas, and through the two of their expertises they were able to determine more information. They figured that the Heart is a method of contacting other planes of existence, and that a suitably powerful individual might even be able to use it to travel between planes. Sir Barnabas hypothesised that the Obsidian Empress may be attempting to find the Heart so that she could draw an army from another plane and complete her conquest of the known world. He also recognized from their description the shadowy figures that had attacked the party in Meicor as the Valthiri, ancient warriors and servants of the Obsidian Empress. Sir Barnabas offered the Order's services in keeping the Heart safe, sparing the party the hassle of having to travel all the way to the Fields of Illusion to hide it. The party accepted his help, and Sir Barnabas called up several knights to transport the Heart safely back to the keep. Grom tagged along, hoping to find more information on the fey and perhaps a way to undo the curse laid upon him.
As they left the Angel, Elria thanked the party for their help and said that she would be leaving for the Rumiyyad Autarchy when they got back into town. Sensing an opportunity to regain his standing among the Rumiyyads, Anton asked if Elria would be willing to bring the party with her when she healed the autarch's daughter. Elria agreed, saying that the autarch was a reasonable man and might be willing to reward the party for the role they played in helping save his daughter's life. The party agreed that now that the Heart of Déon was safe, they would sail to the Autarchy together. Carmilla, who planned to head back to Hildonia to research the Heart and plan the next move, offered to sail alongside the Mangy Dog for the first leg of the voyage. Anton accepted her company before heading to the auction alongside Ra'zon and Elria. At the auction the boat sold for a hefty sum, and Anton bought a small lot for himself.
At Semechis Keep, Grom talked to the Order's librarian Rayth Mirthtree to learn more about the curse. He was told that a curse that powerful could only be undone by the one who laid it, and learned about the nature of hags and the Feywild. After gleaning all the information he could, Grom left the keep. He met up with the rest of the party in town, and after recovering their orders from Jorrgen's Armory, the group headed to the docks and set sail westward.

Chapter Fifteen

"I Left My Heart in Vermilla"

---

Previous Chapter: Zeroes Meet Hero

Next Chapter: Storm at Sea

---

Ingame Date: 12-13^th of Rainseed, 1855
Real-Life Date: July 19, 2020
Protagonists:

• Grom
• Ra'zon the Broken
• Anton von Rheintach
• Elria Svistra

Featured NPCs:

• Carmilla Valenti
• Sir Barnabas
• Rayth Mirthtree
• Jorrgen Lindepor

Locations:

• Telimos Isle
• Vermilla