Session Twenty-Seven: Betrayal

General Summary

- 12 of Solas -

In the aftermath of the fight Alabaster went over to Taru. Taru and the winter path druids were freezing the 6 foot elemental core nearby. While the temperature had dropped significantly they didn't want to chance the elemental unfreezing and wreaking havoc. Alabaster asked Taru if they should be searching for Tevor. Taru shrugged him off and told him that there were more important things to take care of at the moment.
Yarrow, Maneba, and Cyrus all continued to weed the stone circle. The voices in Aldous's head came in waves.

"Ţ̸̹̪̦͉͇̻͍͎̮͗̀͆̄̅̇͊̚͝͠ḩ̴̢̛̟̫͙̪̳̖̘̤͚̃ę̶̧̝̜̗̜̫̱͇̩̗͎̤̭̺̀̅̀̑̅̿̚͝͝y̷̹̮̿̋͌̽͛̓̊͐̈̇̐͋͠͠ͅ ̵̡̘͇͉̞͔̣̃͌͌̑̏͘̚͠ą̸̢̛̭̬̰͓̝̙͈̩̥̰͍͈͊̉͑̆̋̿̇̇r̸̢̺̞̳̞̲͖͗͑́̇̆͑́̅̕͝ẹ̴̛̹͉̫͍͚̫̠̍͊̂̐̈́̓̈́̕̕ͅ ̵̡͈̮̝̯̣̓͗̄̀̏̃͠͝r̵͉̊͋̉̽̓ȗ̴͚͎̣̯̟̱̥̏̄̚͜ͅį̸̠̦̙̜͖̞͚̩̠̖͆͗͌̊̈́̊̚n̸̬͐͛͋į̶̢̙͚̠̬͈̮̙͉͖͚̻̭͔͆̀n̸̢̢̠͈̫̪̝̫͎͓͔̯̙̆́̐̀͒̈́ͅǵ̸̬͚͉̬̦̰̉̅͊̈́̔̿͘̚͜͝ ̴̡̢͎͉͓̫̥͚̉̀̀͐̂̔̀̌͂̇͆͜m̷̪̣̩͇͓͍̩̰͕̮̗͕̬̥̣̆͐̆͒̾̅͋͛̄̍̍͘y̴̬̹̐̄̆̓̏̉͋̈̑̕̕͘̕̕ ̸̡̮̺̯͎̪̱̱̲̿̅́̑̅̽̓̇̽͒͆́̌ẅ̸̡̢̢̦͓̣̪͙͍͉̠̝̗͇́̓͆̍͛̑̌̓͘͝ơ̵̬̩̓̔͂͒̄͂͌͐̍͐̐̍ṙ̷̛̦̟̪̠̝̹͔̤̫̘̘̜͎̅̏̎͠ķ̵͉̥̗̫͚̣͖͎̻̹̮̮͈̔̒͜.̷͚͉̯͈͍̣͛̏̍̈͒̐̉̂͑̓̈́̑̊͝ ̵̛̛͍͖͊̑̿̑̉̊̆̈́S̴̼̰̖̠̫̋t̸̻̆̊͆̅̀̋̍̃͗̉͝o̶͙̜͍̊̆̓̔̌̌̀́͌͘͝p̶̣̰̱̫͕̭̦̠͊̒̏̆̎ ̶̧͈̰̙̮̖̻̟̬̳͚̮͍͕̊́̀͑̉̌̒̃͊̀͊͋̊ţ̸̧͓͔̹̜̥̘̜͖̖̭͂͑̚͠͝ḣ̵̨̛̦̣̭̜̗͔͉͇͇̲̪̗̦͉́́̄́̕͘̕e̷̡͍̫̲̲̫̝̰͂͛̄͂́͛̆͆̄̽̓̌̽͝ḿ̸̟͒́̓. T̶̹̐͗͗h̶̦̪͖̰͑e̸̤̻̳̥͌̚ ̶̛͚͊̀G̶̱̖͛u̴͉͊̇̓ą̷̢̛̔̅̕r̷̝͈̼̔̂͗d̶͚̆͜î̸͎̣̣̻̋̒͛a̶̘̋̈́́̚ͅn̷̛̼̣̅̓͘'̵̱̦̮̭͂s̵̡̡̻͓̅̑ ̶̞̠̃̌͘ͅc̴̤͙̓̽͘ͅo̸̲̱̪̼͌r̴̝̠̆̿͜é̴͕͉̜͘͜.̷̢̩̜̍͐͛̃ ̵͇͊T̵̢̮̲͈̈́̒̒h̷̿̒̎͝ͅi̵̹͔͎̽͜͠s̶̨͠ ̸̡̫̔̀͌̔ḭ̵͙̥̅̆͂̈́ş̸̦̘̑̾͊̆ ̸̩͌͝v̶̘͉̺͛͂a̴̗̎͆l̸̛̙͈̞͇̓̀̀u̶̜̾̑̆͠å̵̖̠̩b̸̘̤͉̂l̷̨̠̃̌̉̄ȅ̵͖͂̆.̷̘͉̠̬̎͒̄̚ ̴̟̦̭̓̃̕P̸̈́͜͠u̷̧̱͓̔́̇̚t̴̠̠̦̹́͘̕ ̷͓̘̗͉͊͠i̶̡͍͍̽̓͠t̷̢͙͉́́ͅ ̸͕̈́̇í̵̜̱̯̦n̶̛̻̄͐̚ ̵̤̣͝ṱ̸̡͈̍̄̂h̴̖̐͠ͅe̶̺̲͚͎̓̈̐̓ ̷̛̖̬͉s̶͉̍͌̚͠t̶̹̻̪́͛̇ȃ̴̦͙f̷̢͎͎͓̀͋̓͘f̸͕̅.̵͔̣̰̐͘̚ ̵̜̣͗Ư̸̡̛̙͖̬͊̈́ṡ̵̹̊̃ë̸̩̲́ ̵̥́̈́̆̅į̷̻̟͋t̶͇̗̥̉͜.̶͙͚̻̽̈́ͅ"

Aldous went over to the Tola and began to rattle questions at him. What was he doing? What ritual was this? How did he learn of this? What else did he know? Yarrow ignored the corvum and searched through the stones. The circle was made of variously sized and smooth stones with carvings in them. In the center was a large gem. The vines and flowers seemed to be growing from under the stones but the gaps in the stones gave off an immense heat. How were these plants not catching fire?
Alabaster came to the group and they discussed their plans for the night. They could do many things but Yarrow wanted to stay by the heart of the grove in order to fix it. Alabaster suggested casting Leomund's Tiny Hut nearby the circle to protect them overnight. Cyrus wanted Alabaster to contact Bonda for reinforcements.

"Send backup, working on fixing the Grove , elemental is down temporarily, need backup in case flame touched come. Fly them here. Tevor ran."
"I don't know if I can, some druids left, rebellion, not as many as could though. I will send who I can. I've tried being more candid with them. It is hard."

The next decision would be to try and figure out what to do with the elemental core. The bag of holding that was cold could possibly help them but it was currently filled with corpses and emptying it could attract the ash snakes. They decided they would stay on watch and Aldous, who didn't sleep much, would stay up to freeze it.
Aldous was beside himself, the voices seemed to ring in his head more and more violently.
Ẏ̶͇̼͕̈́̃͂ǫ̴̝͙̭̘͔͕̦̬̑̈́̌͊̐̾͌̓͂͝u̷̧̖̟͖͉͍̦̺̭̩̼̬̓̀̍̀̀͆̃̎̾̇̕͜ ̷̧̝̥̮̖̦̯̗̃̒͋̍̎̄̽̉̓̀̿͠͠n̴̦̂̿̎͆̉̀̋͒̏̔̕͘͝͠ḙ̴̐͂̊̑́̔̆̽͗̇́̔e̶̢̹̣̝͈̹̎̏̔̕d̸̨̝̫͔̎̋̔̆̒̽͐ ̴̞̩͎͇̇̍̏͝į̸͈͈̺̿̆̔̃͂͒̉̀̃̅̈́͘͝͝t̷̹̬̆͋͊́̊͘.̴̬͕̆͊̍͜ ̴̻̤̠̹̀̿̒̊͊͌̎̀͌T̸͕͉̍à̴̟̺̝̫͛̑͋͊̽̆̇̄̚͘̚͝͠ķ̴̘̹̱̹͙͇̻̓̓̈́̀̀̓̐̆̽̽̔̚͝ͅe̵͖̭̥͎̰͌͂́͒̌̾̎̚ ̶̛̦̻̜̱̣͂̋̌̈̏́̓̐̓͊̄̕͜͠t̸̛̺̣̘̳̼̟͓̯̤̦̺̃̀̑͆͛̈́̿̃̐̈́̑͑͘͠ͅḧ̵̛͕́̀͛̊̑͊́̽͐̌̀͋̏͂ę̸̛̞̮̦̖̦̞̅̏̈́̂̈́̈̅̔͒̇̊̅̚ ̴̦̜̘͎̠̘̞̩͔̟͙̣̅̓̆́͐̀̌ͅc̶͎̦̣̯͉̬͉̦̄̓̾o̶̧̞̬͙̯͎̺̹̖̻̱̻̪̓̀̾̓̏͛͑̚̕̚̕r̸̨̧̮̩͚̼͎̥̎͛͐̆̓͐̀͗̅̀̒͊̋͘ę̷̛̪̗͉̙͇́̄̓͝!̷͕̱̱̺̰͍͚̠̦̠͎͗̇͒̍̅͂́̋̀̄͛̕͝
K̶̛̛̬̠͉̩͍̭̳̽̽͒͂͌̈́̌͌̔̂͛̄̏̿̓̀̃̄̈́͊ī̵̡̡̨̮̞͇̮̪̜̮͇̭̳̣̼͚͔̤̟͓̰̲̤̼͙̮̈́̀͐̂̆̎̊̈́̂̊̑́̍̏̚͜͜͝͝ḻ̵̨̢̣̝̜̩̞̟̭͔̺̳̹̖̑ͅͅl̸̨̡̨̡̛̬̹̣̲̹̝̳̥̻͇͖͔̠̮̺̺͕̯͋͌͛̍͛̑͂̈̀̃̃̔̂̇̀͒́̽̐̂̚̚͜͝͝͝ ̵̡̼͎̻͕͚̟̤̳̦̯̝͈͎̪̩̅̈́̓̏̆̍̈̾̒̉̉́̇͊̚͠ṱ̷̨̱̼̠̫̜̙̫̏̈́̒́̃͆̅̂̔͆̇͆͊̄̑̾̽͂̉̈́́́͛͋̀̕͝ẖ̶̡̱̗͚̫̖̞̖̺̿̎̽̈̓́́̊̅̆̌̄̓ë̷̢̧̢̡͖̹̪̮͎̣͈͙͇̟͙̺̱̠̲̜̣͉̫̭́̎͑̓̓̽͛͋́͊̒̐̈́̈́͂̈́̏̎̕͜͝͠ͅͅş̵̲̯͉͙͔̠̣̞̟͍͖̲̫̜̹͇̹̗̱̫͚̖̜̆̿̈́̽̍̓̿̑̏̿̒̈́̅͜͜ͅe̵̛̩̬̔͊͛̑̌̉̏͐̓̈͆̄̂͒̓̌͒̒͠ ̸̨̧̧̤̼̭̰̰̥̼̲̦̯͍̙̭̟̀̅̀͐̅͊͑̈̏͊̌̀̀̊͂̄̾̇̓̊̅̕͜f̸̫̪̀̌̃͗ǫ̶̨̡͕͓̗̝̯͎̞̮̦̘͉͈̦̩̰̝̤̗̜̖͇͌̽̓̃o̸̜̖̻̱̹͐̃̈́̍̌̒͂̂͋͐͊̉͗̃̋̃̆̎̍͗̀̆͘͠͠͠͝ļ̵̛̳͖̹͖͖̻̟̬̗̻̭̹̑̎̄́̂̄̀̌̍̄̕͘͜ͅś̸̡͔͓͕̥͍̤͓̪̬͎̥̰̳̤̫̣͋͒̄͒̃̿!̵̨̢̣͕̖͇̲͕̖͖̤̦̤̜̗̖͖̣̜̠̎͛͜


Aldous investigated the stone circle and the gem. This must be an anchor point that he read about. But those weren't real? They were fabrications. Remembering through Gifu's notes this must be the anchor point of flame. The plants misaligning the rocks must be causing some kind of disruption to this ritual, whatever it actually was. The voices in his head grew louder.
T̶̡̨͍̝͈̣̙͕̩̝̥̈́͑͠ḩ̷̧̡̣̖̗̝̭̠̞̮̹͓̱̱̜̖͚̣͙̰̦͕́̔̐̂͆͌̋͘͠i̴̡̡̥̙͇͚̦̰̐̆s̷̢̛̮̘̯̪̩̳̪͖͓̥̣̻͖̫̫͈̰͙̼͓̱͔̄̈̋̋́̔̉͊̄̎̔̈́̅̋̾̂̅͌͆̊̈́͑͋́̌͜͜͝͠ͅͅ ̸̡̧̧̛͇̰̹̥̝̩̘͍͈̠̞̩̻̰̩̜̪̎̓͐̎̌̑́̾̅̀͂̍͊̀͛͛̌͝p̵̨̣̩̠̬̹̯̳͎̜̝̥̊̈́͛̒̉̑͐̍͂͜͠ļ̵̛̝̣̣̳̹̫͇̬̙̦͔̞͙̩͍͈͚̬̞̫͍̞͕̀̇̄̊̉̒̑̒́̓̍͗̉̆̋͛̇̋͘͘͜͝ă̵̡̢̳͈̣̤͈̘͓̊͛̒̎͋́̋͑͗̚͝͠c̵̡̨͈̯̦̰̱̉͗̃̅̄̔͒͐́̔̂̾̿̚͘͘̕͝ę̵̡̳̤͙̮͖̘̫̥̯͎͔̯̳͚͇͍̦̊̅̒ ̵̢̧̜͇̰̣͈͉̣̼̟͙͖̟̮̝̦͍̪̠͚͉̄̓͗͗͂̇͒̈̓̿̋̄̍͂͝ĩ̸̢̧̠̭̻͇̻̹̳͚̲͎͉̤̼̳̫͕͖̼̹̥̬̅̿͂̿̉͂̃̏̐̍̃̐̀̊͆̈́́̚͠͠s̵͚͈̪͖̳̼͓͈̅́͗̅̀̓͒̈́͆͗̈́̔͒̀̄̃̕͘ ̴͇̋̎̒̐͐̎͛̂̿͝t̶̨̨̡̞̩͉̞̳̤̟̰̮̩͔̜̺̩̩̯͓̰̮̥̬͇̆̽̈́̃̍́̒͂͘h̶̛͚̩̣̖̗͓̙̍̇̀̑̉͌̊̿̈́̓̈̓̀̒e̵̢͓̳̳͎͙̝̣͓̅̅̀͊̽̂̂̆̍̉́̓̈́͌͘͘ ̴̨̫̺̯͈̙͕͔̟͍͚͈̙̄́̅͛̄̀͊͛̓ͅa̵̙̲̗̙̼̫̰͕͎͍̟͈̯͉̦̱̩̤͂͊́͑̾̕͠ǹ̷̢̢̢̧̡͎͈͙͔̘̯͉͔̝͉͙̥͑̿̽͝c̵̡̧̨̨̯̦͔̰͎͉̣̠͈̰̩̯̱̲̖̬̲̥̯̰̬̱̀̎͋͆̓̅͆̃̔̈́͌͒́̇̈́̂͛̽͂̈́̾̌͆̕͝͝͠h̸̡̹̘̹͚̠̳̰̩̞̗̻̊̑̃̏̋̈̀͝͝ͅͅơ̸̧̡̠̩͙̥̩̭̣̻̲̪̜̫̥͛̍̋̀̀͠r̵̡͉͖̬͙̹̫̻̪̩̬͉̥̩̣̣̘̘̰͍̲̾̋̿̓̄͂̈̃̄͋̉̀̊̊͆̊́͐ͅ ̴̢̧̗̟̝̱̭̮͚͈̺͓̙͋̈͒͒͑͋̒͝͝t̴̡̛̹͇̟͙̩͔̱̭̠͇̑̇͐̊͠ͅǫ̴̭̬͉͕͍͕͖̗̪̗͇̙̼̣̞̤̥͕̺̻̪̔̿͛̅̈́̑̾̃̽̓̒̎̀̈́̄͗̇̒̆̐̊̆̎̐͘͝͝ͅͅ ̵̡̯̲̣̰̰̻̳͎̤͕̱̞͍̗̳̙̱̳̹̪͌̀͘t̸̛̻͈̤͈̥̻͍̦̖̟̥͎͎̃̈̄́͗̾̉̽͗̍͗͘͝͠h̵̡̛̞̲̩̖̝̯̞͓͍͔̜̫̦̫͇̤̮ͅͅe̴̡̢̛̦̬͌͊͛̓̿̅̌̽ ̴̨̢̙̟̭̩͕̹̝̟͉̫̠̹͎̠͈͚̟̗̹̩̫̟̔͑̆̇͋̎͑͋̉͆̔̒́̐̔́̋̌͘͠͠p̶̡̧̢͍̪̬͔͉̘̫̈̀͛͊̏̅̿͌̊̍̾̐̑̊̀̿͑̾͌͛͒̆̌̚̕̚͝l̸̪̙͇̮̿̀͒̔̅̆̔̀̾͋̉͆́̎̓̅̚͝a̶̢̛̫̠͎̩͔̥̻̭̼͎̫̙̬̗͓͎͉̖̪̭̰̜̞͚̜̪̟̍̽̔̊̚ň̸̢͈̥̫̟̻̣̯̲͇̠͕͇̞̝̞̭̬̰͈̟͉̓̀̂͒̑̓͒͌̋̒̋͋͐̇̔̓͘͘̕͜͝͝ȩ̴̧̧̨̩̤̼̹̬͚̹̹̼̖̯̞̜̲̖͕͗̔̄̈́̈́͂̌́́̀͜ͅ ̸̨͔̰̭̣̩̟̠̰͓̭̹̻̟̲̹͖̥̙͍̘͍͍̠̮̎̇̋̋̑͂͆͗͒̈́̐̎̓̉̕͠͝͝ͅͅỏ̵̢̨͙̞̫͇͙̱̦͇̌͂̑̌̿̑̐̓̉̎̌̈́̂̆͋̍̅͛͌̈́̂̉̆͂͌͗͝f̸̢̗̳̝̯̗̟̤̬͕̺̘͕̯̞͚̬͔̫͒͑̂̂̈̉͋̏̓̀́ ̷̧̛̘͙̟̺͓̜̖͚̞͎̬̯̓̂̃͂͌̉̄͛̇̆̂͑̓̓́̇͒͘͝͝͝f̶̡̱̻̬̫̰͔̽͊i̸̠͚͇͇̘͎̥̋͐̑r̴̨͍̞̦͈̪͈̜̩̤̿̊̌̈́̊̓͆̈͛̃͛͗̾͑͋̐̍̓̓̚̕͝͠͠e̶͖̥͍͌̿̉̊̀̉͑͊͗̾͋͋̋̌̏̂͌͛̇̅̈́̍̈́͊̈̚͠͝.̵̡̨̝͕͉̭͎͙̩̪̩̝̠͇̫͇͇̰̖̦̎̽͗͂͐͂̌͋͊͋͗̀̒̚̕͘̕͝͠͝ ̴̳̙̤̳̈́̓͠ͅĮ̸̛̞̩͓̻̜͙̺̪̙̩͙͈͉̣̞͕̦̳̥̯͕͑̔̎̾̈͐̀͑͊͂̚͜f̸͚͖̺̓́̾̊̇̂͑͊̓̇̇̊̕ ̴̨̩̫̗͎̲̰̜̭̰̦͉͍͔̻͙̠̘̗̳̖̂̈́̉͂̄̈́̆̃́̇̌̓͋̆̎͘͜͝͝͝͠i̶̧͔͕̜̊̆̍͋͛͌̑̔͋̒͐͒͐̉̓̈͐̿̔̇̈́̚͜͝͝t̸̼̱̱̻̣͂̓͋̍́̍͋̓̉̽̆̎̾̉̉̚ ̴̡̹̀͊̋̐̔̌̈́̓̔́̐̏͒̈́̿͐̓̚͝͝͠i̴̢̮͖̮̯̻͖̤̖̪̰̝̭͈̫̲̊̊̂̏́̉̒͂̑̍̍́͒͑̐̓͆̈́̚͠͝s̴̡̡̯̙͇̤̦̲̣̥͙̘̞̒͗̀̈́́̌͊̇̄͂̀̅̈́̎͋̌͋͌̌͛͌͗͘͠͝͝ ̴͙̥̞̽͗͐͋̀̎͊͂̏͑̅͝͝͝͝r̷͖̩̠̞̔̀̄͆̓̑̍͒ͅȩ̴̛̛̳̦̰̫̯̞̞́̃̽̂̒̔̾͐́̈̉͆̽̊͛͒̄̿́͌͆̂̌̚̚̕p̴̢̓̐͐͗̌̏̇͊͒͛̈́̏͑̓̉̊̀͘ả̸̜͇̰͖͙͚͈̣̣̯̻̰̗̝͚̟̫͙̼̑̄͌̔̉̄̑͒̑̋̐̽̍͆̈́͊͋͂̚̚͠į̴̰̺͈̻̝̟̣̣̘͛̏̄̐̀̌͋̃̓̐͌͒̀̆͘͠ͅr̴̡̧̢̺̜̼̯̱̙͙̣̠̯̤̘̻͇̹̪̥̗̘͖̹̈́̃͆͋̀̇͋̌͆̿͑͌̌͝ë̵̼̺̘̱͙̤̪̥̜́̄̈̔̆̐̓͑̅̚d̵̡̢̛̛̰̰͎̫̖͖̬͙̥̪̪͉͍̥̱͎̝̭̮̟̲̰̦̳̻̊̂̀̽͗̂̈́̄͋̅͑͗̑̆̔̓̋̃͐̒̎̆̚͝͠ͅ ̵̢̛̛̣͈̝͊̈́̋̀̈́́̒͑̿̊͑̎̾̃̾͑̐̿̀̄̚͘͜͝͝͝t̸̺̯͐̒̀̃̈́̾͛̇̃̀̈́̓͑̎͗͊̑͠h̶̛͛̏̀̆̿̓̆̔̒͗̅̆̿͐͊̕̕͝͝ͅȩ̷̢̼̙̝̙͉͓̺̖̺̫̥͓̞͖̖̈́̅̒̐̾́̅̈͂̂̅̓͋̚͠n̵̨̻̺͈̹̦̫̫̟̖̬̪̝̟̪̞͓̪̪̤̺̪̭̊̏ ̸̢̢̫͉̜̪̘̤̟͓̲̳̖͉͇̻̫̝̯͖̖͚́̐́̇͑͒͂̌̓̌̋̃͊̈͑̅͐̇̈́̚ţ̸̼̜͇̝͕͚̞͈͕̯͖̬̟̙͓͋͊̈́̍͐͛̑͐̓̀̈́̈̓̍̄̈̄̈́̎̓͒̈̀̽͛̋̉́ͅͅh̶̛̪̱̩̦̙̞͇̣̟̖͍̤̊͊͑̃̈́̽̓̚͜ę̸̧͈͎̤̬̯̮͚̼͎̥̱̮͉̙̣̫͙̱̪̳͇̓͗̾̾̒́̄̔́͆̐͑̌͋̃̊͐̐͗̀̓̕̚͜ ̴̢̨̛̰͕̘̼̮̪͈̺̜͙͖̟̜͚̔̂́͑̊̉̾̑́̋̃̈́̑̊̀͗̾̾͆͌̔̔̕̕͠͝͝ş̴̖̗͙̹̗̠̳̖̹͇͌̓̀̅̅̓͑̀̚͝͝e̶̡̢̡̧̛̛̤̜̜̗̖̟̰̺͉̥̯̟͓̥̳͕̫̞̺̪̘̫͌͋͒͐́̍̽̒̀̌̌̀͑̈́̾̏̓̈́̋̍̑̕͝͝͝ä̸̡̡͚͙̹͓́l̷̡̧̨̮̠̻͍̮̫̭̜̹̳̳̺̳̼̙̤̖̯̇̎͂̍̅̊́͛͐͂̂̌̾̈́͜͝͠ ̴̩̤̻̱̱̌̓̇͗͂̈́̈́̏̾́̆͘ṱ̶̡̛̙̘͓̱͊̑͐̓̀̑̎͆́͗̇̓̿̋̌̃̇̔̓̍͘̕͝͠͝ơ̸̛͔̹͙͙̈́́̂̃͊̓̉͋̀͌̉̏̈́͆͒͋̈́̔̎̓̎͊̚͜ͅ ̶̛̜̀͋͊̋͋̀̏͌̏̀̉͋͆̀͌͗͂̓͠t̸̢̛̙̙̯̬̲̫͈͈̩̠͓̱̤̬͈̜̙͎̞͔͙̲̱̣̍̾͑̐͒̏̉h̴͔̭͍̫̋͌͋̀ȩ̸̟̱̰͔̤̭̳̙͙̟̥̺̦̜́͋̓̀̎́͑̅̏̑̏̇̚͝͠ ̷̧̡̯͎̳̟̥̮͓̱̰̬͖̹̪̺̫̭̪̜͗̈́́̀̓̈̇́̔́̅̒̈́̈̚ͅf̴̨̡̣̺͍̺̮͇͓̗̼͇͛͊̌͐̍̀̽̽͛̽̀̅̎̈̂̂͆͘̚͜ͅͅi̵̢͍̘͚͖̬̗̣̰̯̺͚̟̭̙͉͖̪͆͊͐͑̽̆̀̅̆̓̃̇͐̿͆̀̀̕̚ͅŕ̸̝͉̙͎̱͔̔͐͑̀̽͛͘͝͝e̸̛̳̫͖̩̟̥̊͌̈̈́̒̎̈́̃͛̾́̾́̌̀̒̈́̋̀̿̋͛͐̕͝͠ ̸͈̺̜̩̣̥̾̎̈̍̎͗̌̾̇̇̐͌̽͂̍̐̋̚̕p̴̻̝̺̥͚̹̭͒͆͗l̵̢̨̜͈͙̼͖̱͉͇̝̣̫̜͕̺̣̫͔͍̮̬͙͐́͊͊́̆́͑̈̚͜͜ͅa̶̡̠͖͚͚̖̘͉͎͉̪̼̥̠̱͎͉̬̜̋̿̇̌̇̾̓͆̈͘ͅn̷̨̧̨̛̳̭̫͚̜͎̲͈͎͕̗̖̘͔͉͈̫̼̗͍͚̩̯͔̈͛̃̂͗͊̑̀͗̓̽̆̏̈̆͘͜ë̷̫́̐̿̎̈̔̒̿̃̅̐͗͠ ̸͈̥̞̖̮̻̟̭̜̖͎͚̤̺͒̈͒́̓̽ͅͅw̴̢̡̖̭̞̯̯̟̜͉͖̹̥̜̮͙̗̥͍̯͐̀̑̈́͌̍͗̚̚͘͜͠ị̵̧̡̹̖͍͕̱̫̯͍̭̰͖͕͉̰̣̠͇̏̎́͒͆̐̍̇̔͌͛͗̉̐͌̒̐͋͌͘͘̕͠͝ͅl̶͚͎̦̝̗̬̣̙͈̪̙̮̹̬̲͐̀͜ļ̸̧͇̗͎̪̝̻͙͚̤̩̫̳̱̣̮͍̜̠̞̙̺͓̯̂̆̍̐̈̑͗̽͜ͅͅ ̴̧̡̙̲̙̺̙̫̮̭̹̺̞̥͉̱̬̭͑́̿̐̽̊̒̕͘ͅs̵̞͍̝͔̤͗͋̃͒͑̽̾͑̊̂́̊͛͂̀̈́͋̑̏̎̐̚͠͠͝ṱ̷͎̮̱̹͓̼͕̤̤͉̣̮̪̖͍̩̠̲͙̙̋͘͜ͅr̶̰͕̰̪̯͇͚͍̟͇̖̟͙̼̘̻̗̹͍͙̞̞̥͍̲͇̤̉̓̉̈́̋̇́͑͌́͒̂̽̅̽̑̅͘͝͠è̷̛̠͚̬̖͋̔̿̈́̅̿͆͛̒͗̈́͆͛̆̊̊̓̃͆̚͝ņ̵̛̻̩̙̼̦̃̅̈́̎͌̒͛͛̅̐̾͝͠ͅg̸̨̨̛̛̯̫̠̳͕͉͙͍̣͈̥̽͑̋͌͐̎̔͛̇͛́̆t̶̨̛̪̬̟͇̭̣͍̒̍͗̊̊̏͆̐́̆̅̓͂̓̑̿͒͗̃̈̏̄̕͘͝ḧ̴̡̠̝͖͙̘̮̭̦̞͓̩̝̗̲̜̫̣̫̘̜͖̘͓́̊́̈́̒͋ͅę̷̢̟̜̝̹͕̻̪̺̼͈̪̺̬̻̜̫͛̈́̈́́̒̋́̎͊̀͐́̆̕͜ṋ̴̳͆̓̾̽̇̚ ̴̨̡̨̨̧̹̠̗̖̺̟̺̲̰͙̳̝̗̣͎͇̱̈̃͊̅̓̊̈́͂̔̆̃̏̓̎̄͌̀̐̂́͘͝͝͝ͅa̷͎͖̣͆̌̅̿̓̿̽̎͛͗̉͐̆̒̂̏̏̎̒̀̈́̚͠ṅ̴̫͓̜̖͚̘͉̬̩̗͐͊̿̀͆͒̿̀̈́́̓͗̊̀͊̾̈́̐̀̒̕͘͠͝͝ͅd̷̡̟̝̼̝̭͈̙̣̗͉̠͇͐͑́͐̉͐̐͛́̑͂͑͘̕͝ ̸̥̰̝̯̦̜̭̣̤͈̠͔͈̰͕̆̈́̀̽̔̀̌̚͝i̶̡̨̛̜̪̬̟̱̩͔̰̘̲̘͙͙̹͕̗̎̀́̆̓̈́̓̒̈́͆̽͛̈́̇̈͑̌̈́̿̿̑̈́̕ṭ̵̟̯̘̳̤͌̃̑́̌ ̷̨̩̝͉̫͖͇̲͍̻͗̆͊̃̔͛̍̑͆̓͐́̾͆͂͑̈́͆͑̿̓̉̆͠͝͝͝ẇ̵̡͈̖̺̺͖̱̭̳̪̪͕̠͖̜͙̏̉̋͌̄̽̈̂͆͛̽̒̓̉̔̒̄̈́͑̇̊̇̕͘ḯ̸͇̣̹̥̮̩̲͆͗̂́̌̂͑̓́͋̈́͒̎̒͑̉̔̈́̌̑͌̚͠͠͝ͅl̸̡̛̞̝͇̈́̏́̐̒̐͑͛̍̾͐̄̓͋̐̓͊̉̏̉͘̕͝͠l̵̰̯̖͈̳̎̕ ̶̡̭̩̯̗̲̟͙̫͕͕̝̫͕͚̪̘̯̪̖̺̟̲͉̗̓̂̌̄̓́͘͜ͅb̴̢̥̞̫͓̣̯̯͕̮͈̖̺̰̻̮̟̔̂͌̋͊̀̾̚͠ͅĕ̵̢̨̯̲̲̼̳̱̙̩̹̞̘̖̮͉̗̙̤̼͖̦̿̓̂̚ͅ ̸̢̡͉̲͍͍̰̭̤͈̠̭͉̫̬̤͚͖̯̾͊̀̄̏̅͛̓̍̑̐̒̔͘͘͜͠ȟ̶̨̡̫̪͙͈͓̻̦̖̘͎̞̣̭̩̟̹͉̯͈̭͖̳̻̊̋̓̈́́̔͌́̿̅͒̇̑̇̕͝a̷̧̡̡̯̬̱͉͕̯͍̬͎͈̬͕̗̙͎̫̿͒̆̽͗͌̓͛͗́́̌͑́̏̈́́̎̀̄̿͊̽͗̀̆̚͝ͅr̵̨͕̺͇̮̩̯̘̟̗͈͎̥͔̖̻͈̺͖̲͍̅̓̃̈́̂͌͘̕͜ͅḑ̶̢̢̧̹̬̞̝̮̠͕̣̥̮͈̼̙̀̌̏̀̆̀̈͒̂̄́͗̋̏̏̚͜͜͝͠ȩ̸̣̫̮̯͚͉͚͕͖̜̩̜̩̙̜̺̼̣̩͆̂̓̈̇̀́̍̀̎̍̋͒̒͛̈́͆̑̕͜͝ͅͅr̸̨̛͍̰͇̰͔̆̑̒͒̈͌͑̈́̈͋̌̌͐͐͋̄̽̉̑͂͝͝ ̸̨͇͇͇̹̤̰̱̩̪̯̘̲̫̹̦̖̝͆͝f̵̝̓̓̓͊̎̐̈́̆̂̋̃̋̔́̅̕̚̚͘͝o̸̧̢̻̻̳͈̮̖̻̥̘̼̬̯͚̤̹̖̬͍͛̏͆̀̉̈́̆̏̿͂̒͂̊͐́̒̓́̃̾͆͘͘͜͜ͅr̶̛̞̻̈͌̈͊̿͌̂͊̉ ̷̡̗͙̙̦͇̺͇̮̞̪̳̻̳̊̇̈́́̂̍̆̂͂͌́̊́̈́̒̕m̷̧̨̢̜̲͍̥̬̠̗̦̞̪̲̻̼͓͑̀̑͌̋̿̔͋̍̃͜͜y̶̛̜̐̊̓̎́̈́̐̿̊̈́̾͒̽͆̈́̃̂̿̃͊͑̐͘̕͠͝ ̵̮̣̘͔̟͓̻͉̳̻̟̭͒̍̀̋̄̍̓̏̅̚͜͝i̴̧̱̤̲̝̯̳̮̠̤̣̮̩̞̖̗̲̮͕͎͊̾ͅṅ̶̡̧͙̳̰͇̺̗̘̙̣͉̙͚̣͔͔͎͎̲̬̬̭͌̈́̃̌̌̏͒̅͋̐͊͜ͅͅͅͅf̸̛͖̗͉̥̣͉͈̦̗̝̻̗̠̠̼̩̪͓̰̬͔͍͓͙̹̍͂̒͛͐̇̈̈́̑̓́̈́̇̅̑̌̂̉̈́̿͜͝͠l̸̟̜̩̺͕̤̞̪̉̒̒̈́̅͛͛ư̵̡̛̛̺̝͈̝̘̥͖̜̳͎̖͔͚̯̺̠̩̟̖̦̞̫͍̲̊̒̆̃͌̎́̌͗͆̐̐̃̕͜e̸̥̙̖̤̟͖̋͒̆̋̽͒̚͜ṋ̷͓̣̙̝̙̮͈̐̈́̇͑͛͂̒́̏̔̑́̍̔͘͜͝͝ͅc̸̢͔͕͎̭̤̼̱͖̬̔̌̀͂͘͝͝ȇ̶͎͚̋̉̃̃̈́͒̒́̾̔̄͗͘͝͝ ̴̧̨̧̛̙͕̞͎̘͙̥̳͚̲̱̰̦̩̝̖͕͖̮͉͆̑̆̇̀͐̒̎͒͑̾̈̊̈́̍̈́͘͝͠ͅt̶̨̢̧̺̗͖͕͍̺͚̘͖̤̪̯̙̠̗̼̩͒͋̿̈́o̵̡̧̻̺̦͇̥͇͙̭̪̪͔͉̮̼͇͓̺̤͙͉̤͚͒̑͊̆̓͂́̔̋̆͑̎̇͘͠͝ͅ ̴̢̡͉͉͕͔͖̜̻̫̱̫̝͍͚͇̯̳̼̤͖̦̣̈́̈͆͒̉̉̒͆̓̌̊͌̎̋́̓̒͒͜͝͝ͅg̵͙̜͈̳͍̻̝̗̬͙̠̠̺̘̫̞̳̯͉͉̮̐̄̽̏̔͂̇̿͐̋̿̃͛͘͜r̸̡͉̹̲͌̋͛͌̈́̎͠ȍ̶̭̤̘͇̭̠̯̲̲̻̘̳͖̲͓̝̰̾̍̑͛́̀́͆̇́̅̏̾̋̐͋̏͘ẅ̸̨̨͙̭̞̭͈̭̠̤̻̮̹̮͇͚̘̫͉̜́̈͋͆̓̆̀͆̒́͊͛̇̚̚̕͠.̷̨̡̨͓̹͇̮̤̬͈̭̘͍͙̭͂̈́̔͑͆̆̈́̍̇̇̆̔͊̀̿̋̇͘̚


As the sun set more druids came. Three members of the summer path. Their eagles disappeared and they asked what was going on. Alabaster set up next to the circle and cast his spell encompassing everyone except Aldous and Cyrus who would stay out. Aldous stayed a bit to the North and tended to the orb.
On first watch were Yarrow and Maneba. Maneba made rounds keeping an eye where they could while Yarrow set up his alchemy supplies and began to craft. He started crafting another speak with animals potion as that seemed to be very useful to him earlier.
On second watch Cyrus and the summer path Druids made rounds. Cyrus kept a steady eye on Aldous. Aldous was muttering to himself on the northside of the camp while freezing the core over and over. Cyrus took out his forgotten song and began to study it more. It was incredibly complex and no matter how much he pressed he made no progress over the night. Nothing much of note happened and as the hours passed Cyrus went back to sleep atop the tiny hut.
Third watch was Aldous and the winter path. Aldous started the ritual of freedom with the Borealis. He couldn't contain the fire core with the ice elemental still inside. Aldous bided his time and waited for the druids to make their rounds to the other side of camp. Then he used his bellows to turn the core into smoke, used the bellows to pull the smoke in, and contained it within a large bottle. Then he cast Fly on himself, used the Borealis to create a dome of ice over the tiny hut, and did the final saying of the ritual.
A massive elemental of ice and snow formed in front of him. The druids of the winter path, already startled by the ice wall, looked on confused at the elemental before them. Using the elemental as cover Aldous flew into the woods behind as fast as he could.
The rest of the party woke up and heard screams outside. Unsure of what to do Cyrus waited for the druids to act. Alabaster dropped the tiny hut and tried to dispel the ice wall to no avail. Cyrus fell but was caught by Yarrow and Maneba and set back on his feet. The druids sprung into action and tried their best to dispel the ice wall. The first of the summer path tried and failed but the second pushed through and the wall of ice crumbled.
Before them was a towering ice elemental and one of the winter path was badly hurt. Aldous was no where to be seen. Cyrus, infuriated, picked a direction and dashed into the forest. Yarrow loaded his sling and tried to ensnare the elemental but his shot was wide. Maneba hopped back into Alabaster's bag of holding and the rest of the druids moved forward.
Taru commanded them all to use Polymorph to get through its defenses. Taru tried and failed. Both of his subordinates tried and failed as well. The Elemental turned towards Taru and started to move to him seemingly readying a large ball of cold in its hands.
Cyrus used Locate Creature but the spell failed to locate Aldous. Cyrus yelled back to the party that he couldn't locate Aldous. Alabaster strummed his violin and cast Locate Object searching for the Borealis but it failed to locate that as well. Frustrated Alabaster turned to one of the summer path and inspired her. Both of the summer court tried to polymorph the elemental. The first failed but the inspired one got the magic to stick and turned the ice elemental into a badger.
Yarrow shifted into the White Stag and Alabaster hopped onto his back. The Tola, cast light and looked around the grove. In the northwest of the grove he saw broken branches and began to run in that direction. The winter path druids cast slow and entangle on the badger and Taru looked to Cyrus who was running by and asked where they were going. Cyrus said that they would be back and to keep the creature at bay until then.

---

Yarrow and Cyrus ran in search of Aldous. Yarrow continued to follow the signs of broken branches until they stopped. The group passed and searched the area. Nothing. Alabaster cast locate object this time focusing on Aldous's book. Nothing. He was gone. Somehow he had vanished.
Cyrus was furious. He loudly prepared himself and used Leomund's Tiny Hut.

"One day I’ll find you. Be ready to die. No one will miss you when you do. Say goodbye to Emma while you still can."
"..."

No response. Cyrus in a huff ran back to camp. Yarrow tapped out a message to Alabaster for him to also send to Aldous.

"Hey, Yarrow says he is calling in his favor, he needs you to hand him Gifu's papers that you took. He'll give them back after."
"I don't believe you. Yarrow can tell me himself."

Yarrow ran back to camp. Once there the party regrouped. They had been had. Cyrus looked around his belongings and noticed that the box of gems he had stolen from Gifu's room was also gone. The druids tentatively came over and asked them what to do with the elemental. Cyrus stormed off in a rage leaving Alabaster and Yarrow to decide.
With the number of druids here it would not be hard to continue to polymorph the creature. Yarrow suggested flying it away with a summoned eagle. The group thought for a minute before Alabaster suggested just flying it straight up until both Polymorph and Conjure animal time out. The group humored the idea and after Taru suggested maybe flying it out aways first they did just that.
Everyone was tired. Cyrus used his last remaining spell slot to send to Mrs. Fermata.

"Hey Yarrow's mom, if Aldous comes by knock him out and silence him. Contact us and we'll come and pick him up. He's dangerous."
"Oh Alright dear. We'll be sure to do that. You kids stay safe and if you need anything don't hesitate to ask."

The party then went to sleep except for the winter path and Alabaster who had already had their full rest. Alabaster waited patiently for the hour to pass. Maybe this would make him feel better.

- 13 of Solas -

In the early hours of the morning a twinkling star could be seen in the night sky. The star got brighter and brighter and began to plummet. As the object got lower into the atmosphere a loud roaring could be heard across Humblewood. People rose from their sleep and went outside to see the bright blue light crashing down into the Scorched Grove.
As the sound grew to its peak the object crashed into the earth and sent waves of energy across the land. Trees fell in the Scorched Grove and ash plumed into the sky. The ash went high up into the air filling the sky with darkness. A brief coldness washed over the land and the shaking stopped. Something had crashed into the Scorched Grove.

Report Date

04 Aug 2020