Session 51: Crafts and Complications Report

General Summary

Report

This session began like the last session ended, in combat against powerful bears that could channel electricity¹. During the combat, the creatures badly injured Omen ei' Taure and at one point downed Arten Veronica Lagurdo, giving her a very minor Lingering Injury. Near the end of the battle, Nitt used his dagger and a Steelwind Strike to kill one of the bears and steal its soul.
After the combat, the party discussed plans to make camp in the ship where the bears had been, letting them stay safe while the party trained and crafted magical items. To quickly summarise what the party did:

Arten Veronica Lagurdo: Crafted a Half-Plate +1 and a Ring of Spell Storing.

Baradin Godchosen: Crafted a Planar Rod.

Cathrine De Clair Antebellius: Crafted a Rifle, Charger for Lightning's Torment, Fire Modification on her Steel Defender, and a Mechanical Arm with several attachments.

Eldon Caufield: Crafted an Amulet of Health and some spell scrolls.

Nitt : Learned Bigby's Hand and Create Magen and crafted some spell scrolls

Omen ei' Taure: Crafted Bracers of Defense and Dragonhide Belt +2.

Maro Rei 'Sky': Learned Halfling and Celestial.

Total time spent: 20 weeks.
The party then continued their adventure in the Hollow and made their way towards the next layer. Some days after having completed their downtime the party found a small structure near an opening from a cave into the main hole. It was a small stone pedestal and atop it was a diamond shape with two webbed bat wings that were turned upside-down. When the characters approached, once again Omen's necklace pulsed, and the characters received a vision. In the vision, they saw another similar structure, and in front of it in a cup was a grey-red bat with webbed wings and ruby eyes.
Several days later, while the party was moving through some overgrown caverns, they heard a voice in their mind calling for help. Investigating further, they found the voice belonged to a magenta flower that was slowly dying and asked the characters to feed it. After discussing and interrogating the flower, Sky thought he should do it, but Arten stepped up and said that she will do it instead of him. So, Arten approached the flower and it moved its pistil close to her ear, and a magenta flower bloomed on Arten's ear and she gained some power over her mind in the form of a Boon of the Soulmind. The flower then thanked the characters and they moved on and reached the fourth layer and were promptly taken back to the Material Plane.
When they arrived, Shard of History and Literature, Kilrias Sandovaal, unexpectedly greeted them in the chamber that they had left empty. He welcomed the characters and told them that he had awaited their return and it had been some time since they last saw eachother and revealed that they had been missing for almost two months. Kilrias explained how the dragon Balaur, and its following the Sunless Horde had started moving from Velámón and razed several smaller settlements in north. In the meantime, Lord of the Earth Ujihiro Niwa from the Conclave of Elements had stationed much of the Jozuu Guard in Merlegos to set up a defensive perimiter and help evacuate anyone from smaller settlements to the east of the city. Kilrias also told the characters that Ujihiro had a request for the party, which was the reason that he had gone to meet them. Additionally, Arten was given a letter from the Halcyon Order asking wether or not they should lend their aid in potentially upcoming conflicts, and Kilrias revealed to the characters that he had aquired a selection of Planar rods that they could use in case they recquired.
With this information, the characters were teleported by Kilrias to Merlegos to meet Ujihiro. They were taken to the war room where Ujihiro was meeting with Gou Haruji, Overseer of the Mirume, Akal Salari, the ruler of Merlegos, and the personal guard of Akal, Gaius Nodri, who some of the characters had previously encountered and help during the Merlegos Rebellion in their early adventures.
Ujihiro now told the characters more of their situation. They had focused on evacuating citizens and gathering information, and were reluctant to engage in an offensive front due to the enemy being an ancient dragon. At the same time, they would be getting assistance from the Banyak Principality, but the Dakhm Empire had positioned their own forces near the borders, forcing the principality to reinforce their barracks and they have been unable to lend much aid on this side of the conflict. To explain their request to the characters, Ujihiro revealed that since the start of the conflicts, they had been attempting to request aid from Niduin, a larger city in the south of Taretza that had closed its doors following civil unrest in the city, and had sent embassadors to do so. However, with a lack of results the embassadors were to return, and on their way were ambushed by what is believed people from Niduin, and most of the caravan was killed, except for a sole survivor. So, the quest for the characters was to have this survivor guide them to Niduin, and then figure out the situation.
The party prepared to leave in the morning and Arten, Baradin, and Omen spent some time in the refuge camps to aid with what they could. In the morning, the party woke to a letter and bag of items left by Cathrine. The letter read:

Dear friends.

It is with a heavy heart that I leave this message. By now you have undoubtedly noticed my disappearance, and have found this letter. I am sorry for leaving without saying my goodbyes, and it grieves me to do so, but I know if I would have said anything you would have done everything in your power to stop me. I hope that this letter is at least sufficient enough as a farewell. We have arrived at an impasse, a fork on the road of faith. I know what it is we must do and that we don't have much time to do it, but I have already abandoned my family to the wolves once, and cannot do so again. I know that I leave for selfish reasons, and you may judge me for my actions. This is fair, and I will face the consequences with grace once I make my return.

I have left to try to help what remains of my family and to find out what happened to the rest. This is a task that I alone must do. You might try to catch up to me, to help me or to drag me away, but please, for the sake of the world, don't. Your task is of the utmost importance, while mine is a personal desire. When I am done, I will find you all again. I don't know how, but I know I will succeed.

To ease the pains of separation, I have left these gifts for you.
For Omen, I leave the bag of holding. You are strong and wise and can bear the burden and importance of carrying it.
For Sky, I leave the necklace of the dawn. Let it's light guide you through dark times and may it drive your sword true.
For Eldon, I leave this spell refuelling ring. May it allow you to make your enchanted melodies sound evermore.
For Nitt, I leave this mirror to the past. May it feed your curiosity and hunger for knowledge, and give you a window into what once was.
For Baradin, I leave this diamond. May its bright shining beauty and your righteousness guard against the ever-lingering darkness of death.
For Arten, I leave you the cloak of Dragonflight. May it lead to your continued victories in battles, and let it allow you to soar around your enemies unhindered by the confines of the ground.

I once more regret that I did not inform you prior and that my departure was cloaked in secrecy. But know that I made up my mind many weeks ago, and none of your convincing could have changed that. I hope to see you all once again, but if the worst were to happen, know this. You made the darkness that was my life bright again. You filled it with happiness and companionship, and for that, I will be ever grateful.

Your friend and companion
Cathrine de Clair Antebellius

In response, the other character pondered if they should follower her and stop her, but decided to respect her decision and that she was right, what they needed to was of far greater importance. Saddened, they met with Ujihiro and teeleported to Oritsu. There, they were taken to speak with the survivor of the embassador caravan, Takemura Yoshiro, a purple-skinned tiefling wearing deep blue samurai armor. Yoshiro explained how their caravan was ambushed by seven cloaked people, who threw a gas bomb into their carriage. Yoshiro had killed one of them and managed to grab a dagger engraved with a Purple square with white edges before rushing to his lord's side. The chase had brought them to the cliffside, and trying to protect his lord, he had taken an arrow and fallen down the cliffside and was later saved by a fisherman. Yoshiro also clarified that the engraving on the dagger was a symbol of one of the noble houses in Niduin.
After speaking with Yoshiro, Ujihiro told Sky that his mother that the party had saved from the Union of Love had regained conciousness. Sky went to speak with her and they had a heartfelt conversation where she told him to not blame himself for what happened, since he could not have known. To finish the session, Omen was informed that some of his friends from the Feywild had ventured into the Elemental Plane of Earth, against Ujihiro's recommendations to potential look for one of the Artifacts of Silvanus, The Oakfather. Making their final preparations to head south towards Niduin, the session ended.

Image Gallery

1.

Crimson Splitjaw by Made in Abyss

Campaign

The Excursionists

Protagonists

Nitt

Neutral Vedalkan ()
Wizard 17
Rouge 2

92 / 92 HP

STR
8

DEX
16

CON
10

INT
20

WIS
14

CHA
14

Maro Rei 'Sky'

Chaotic Good Air Genasi (Aspirant)
Fighter 8
Monk 4

92 / 92 HP

STR
12

DEX
18

CON
16

INT
13

WIS
12

CHA
10

Cathrine De Clair Antebellius

Lawful Neutral Human (Noble)
Artificer 14

67 / 101 HP

STR
10

DEX
18

CON
14

INT
20

WIS
14

CHA
16

Omen ei' Taure

Chaotic Good Tabaxi (Temple Guard)
Monk 16
Cleric 2

172 / 172 HP

STR
23

DEX
20

CON
18

INT
8

WIS
20

CHA
8

Arten Veronica Lagurdo

Lawful Neutral Fallen Aasimar (Mercenary Veteran)
Paladin 14

113 / 113 HP

STR
8

DEX
18

CON
16

INT
10

WIS
14

CHA
20

Eldon Caufield

Neutral good Halfling (Fisherman)
Bard 15

77 / 77 HP

STR
9

DEX
16

CON
10

INT
10

WIS
16

CHA
20

Baradin Godchosen

Neutral Good Hill Dwarf (Far traveler)
Cleric 14

150 / 150 HP

STR
8

DEX
14

CON
20

INT
10

WIS
20

CHA
8

Report Date

18 Sep 2022

Secondary Location

Merlegos