Session 19-29: Discovery and Nabatea

Troubles that plague the village of Discovery, and diplomatic relations with the nearby community of Nabatea.

General Summary

When the party begins to gain notoriety within Verdanian society, they suddenly find themselves in need of funds in order to gain their very first base as an adventuring party, and fortunately for them, a Frontiermen expedition brought forward by physician Anthony Xavier, Inquisitor Elleveryn Rayne, and Blades instructor Gilan Cernunnos promises the riches they seek alongside a mission to the outskirts of Verdane. Led by Pathfinder Wanderlust, the expedition departs on the 8th of Temptus, and its mission is to resupply and reinforce the depleted frontier village of Discovery. Notable members of the expedition consist of the following:

Pathfinder Wander's right and left-hand men, Avren and Agnemine, respectively.
A team of scholars, researchers, and students, led by Elleveryn Rayne and Alberto Mersenne.
Shepherds and Merchants led by Brytbera and Banker Ingram, respectively, aided by Anthony Xavier.
Outcast guild members Windstep and Bellec.
Fellow guildmates to K'aamni, Justin Masson and Ingrid Jauffret.
Fellow Pirates Shiidar and Tarik.
Scout Galbania, who becomes the party's contact with the rest of the Frontiermen.

On the travel towards the village, the party faces numerous problems with the expedition, whether it be with the route, with denizens of the Korcari Wilds, and even with mysterious actions perpetrated on Verdanian territory. However, before the expedition could arrive at the village, they are accosted by a group of taliyans and Aquitani, who under the figurehead of a cervine taliyan simply called the White Heiress, referred to themselves as the Nabatean Alliance and demanded the expedition prove their good intentions in their stepping on their territory, capturing hostages to keep them honest. While the party is unable to wholly convince all the people of the Alliance present of their intentions, the White Heiress shocks both parties by announcing an equal exchange: half of the hostages are taken by the Alliance, while the expedition takes the White Heiress, whose names is now revealed to be Halila Bhodsa, as their own hostage for a week of time before each side would return their charges. On the third day of travel, the expedition arrives at the resilient, yet problem-plagued village of Discovery. Immediately, the party is put to work and labour in and around the camp, helping in various sectors whether it be patrol, construction, or research, and are successful in their endeavors. Notable issues arise catch the party's attention during the workweek, in particular rumors of kidnappings occurring at the nearby ancient ruins, called the Maubert Ruins. Accompanied by Elle and Bellec, the party explores the ruins and completes three trials imposed upon them by an ancient civilization, before descending into a sandy, pillared chamber that contained a floating necklace suspended atop a ritual stone. Entering, they were ambushed by an Earth Elemental and overlooked by a Shield Guardian dedicated to protecting the necklace. While the battle was tough, particularly on the rogues of the party, the Earth Elemental was slain, and the party managed to swipe the Shield Guardian's necklace, before handing it off to Elle for research purposes. The kidnapping rumors were successfully resolved. Days after the party returned from the Maubert Ruins, a week has passed since the initial meeting between the Frontiermen expedition and the Nabatean Alliance, and the hostages have yet to be returned. The people of Discovery grow irate as several of their loved ones are yet to be returned, and Halila Bhodsa is forced to bear the brunt of their wrath. The next day, the reason for this is revealed: dissenters to Halila's decision have self-exiled in order to take the Alliance's hostages towards the Korcari Wilds. The party pursues the hostage-takers, before they rescue them from green-eyed beasts at the entrance of a cave filled with glowing mushrooms and a river flowing through it. They then take it upon themselves to search the cave and end the threat the green-eyed beasts pose towards the village of Discovery alongside Halila herself. Exploring the cave, the party finds hints and details that point towards this being the former perimeter of an ancient taliyan village called Hunedora, supported by purple glowing mushrooms that relay stories told by a man called the Emissary of Peace. They eventually happen upon a coven of dryads worshipping a giant tree called The Mother, whose roots seem to dig into the stone all around them. While the dryads try to provoke the party into attacking them, an impassioned speech by Eris and support from Stephanie and Quico are able to provoke the dryads in turn, causing The Mother to rebuke them all and provide passage to the party. They then enter into the hidden, preserved sanctuary of Hunedora, where a voice at its entrance speaks to the party to give peace to the Emissary's beloved peryton. A ritual is performed, and a dome opens up to reveal a corrupted peryton and its summoned companions. The voice spurs the party on, and the party engages in a vicious combat with the crazed beast. Encountering giant wolves and eagles, and a strange mushroom creature capable of casting spells, the party is eventually able to slay the peryton, allowing it to return to its master, cleansed in spirit. An apparition of the Emissary of Peace, asking for one of the party to step forward, in the name of peace. When K'aamni steps forward, she receives the Brand of Reyhan Momin, becoming the ancient hero's champion. As a result of the party's proving themselves as brave and true of heart, Halila invites them to become part of an exchange of delegations between Discovery and the home of the Nabatean Alliance, a community within and around the foot of the mountain of Nabatea. Bringing along Scout Galbania and Justin Masson, the party takes the time to experience the sights, sounds, and culture of Nabatea, partaking in its foods and its literature in particular. However, even here the party cannot escape the hidden threats of enemies who wish to disrupt peace talks between both Discovery and Nabatea. Investigating the area, they are led to a water-filled cave within Nabatea, where they are forced to subdue rebel taliyans who had previously stolen the party's gear. They then find a thief fleeing the scene, and the party gives chase. The party arrives at the decrepit Fort Mercier after giving chase to the thief, where a large defense force of Aquitani and taliyans alike force the party on their last legs even in their victory. They get backup from Nabatea, and the party, now refreshed and healed of their wounds, storm the front entrance of Fort Mercier. They learn of its history, its previous occupants, as well as find out about the army of Aquitani and rebels at the top floor from defectors, upon which they hatch a plan to deal with them. The plan is quickly dashed when upon entering the third floor, the party is outnumbered three to one, and their leader, a large minotaur shaman, taunts the party of Verdane and Nabatea's weakness, before claiming that a new age of Aquitani dominance begins now. The party is unable to engage the masses of soldiers, until backup arrives in the form of Halila's lieutenants and Pathfinder Wander, as well as their friends who came on the expedition willingly. An all-out brawl ensues where the party engages with the Aquitani captains, and the brawl ends when the minotaur is slain, himself burning to ash upon his death. When meeting Halila at the fort, she declares to all who listen:

Today is a victory for peace!

The party is declared heroes for helping facilitate the peace between Discovery and Nabatea, and they are granted an early return to Verdane as a reward, due to their services no longer being needed. In Verdane, as part of a roughly three-month break, the party, individually, achieves the following:

Eris achieves a new heaven, becoming a 3-Tengoku Strategist, overlooked by Bladesmaster Michel de Chevin.
Faessi perceives a vision of a burning taliyan village granted by Ananke, as an example of the disaster that would occur if he and his father were to reunite.
Harrison travels to the Plane of Gateways, where a mysterious figure forces him to give up his life's work: the Time Pocket.
K'aamni accomplishes mid-year final examinations at the academy with her mother watching, and receives the Vessel of Mana from her brother, Kaeya.
Quico discovers another power of his paintbrush, animating a pen, and meets his cousin Gala Condorcet on a trip to the museum alongside the party, who gives him passes to rooms at a hotel.
Stephanie accepts a contract and assassinates a now crazed cultist to Apathe, before being implanted a vision from a pendant with a blackened core, attributed to Apathe.
Tandi finds hints of an underwater civilization with minted gold coins and their designs, before receiving a blank letter addressed to a name she thought she escaped, Typhel Cade.

Ylladi, later on, arrives at the party's tentative base, to deliver twofold news.

The party's expedition to Discovery and Nabatea would yield the funding necessary to begin full construction efforts towards their manor base.
An invitation has been sent to the party, which details an event where Verdane's changemakers gather together to discuss advancements and plans to make Verdane better year by year. This event is called The 185th Carolinian Ball.

Session Summaries

Session 19-20: Providence, Discovery & On My Way

A 3-day journey on the road.

The party has officially gained the endorsement of one M.V., a Council hopeful, and as part of their partnership with them, their ambassador, Ylladi, has offered them a plot of land for them to serve as their future home base. However, there is a problem: from the overall 10,000 gold or 100 platinum cost to refurbish the land and renovate the manor that once stood there, the party would still need to pay the remaining 30% of the cost that isn't covered by their team. So the party, upon hearing several offers, took up the opportunity presented by a trio of sponsors to a Frontiermen expedition outside of Verdane: Elleveryn Rayne, Eris' childhood friend and Inquisitor Circle Mage, Anthony Xavier, Harrison's best friend and doctor, and Gilan Cernunnos, Eris' mentor and 5-Tengoku Weaponmaster for the Honed Blades. Arriving at a village outside Verdane, the party finds a large group of people gathered around a platoon of Frontiermen. More surprising however is the circle of friends that the party has made has joined the expedition for their own reason. These include:

Fellow Eighties members Ingrid Jauffret and Justin Masson, who came on the expedition to gather rare ingredients for their Projects.
Outcast guild members Bellec and Windstep, who joined for their own reasons.
Pirates and Tandi's buddies Shiidar and Tarik, having joined to accompany their good friend.
Norren and now Lt. Kyrie, who have arrived to see some of their people off on the expedition.

Ingrid and Justin, K'aamni's colleagues in the Lab of Experimental Weaponry and Armor.

After introductions and greetings from friends, the party is called upon by a roguish tiefling named Agnemine, who introduces herself as the left-hand of the leader of this Frontiermen expedition, called the Pathfinder. She tells them that the Pathfinder has a speech prepared for all the members of the expedition, and soon enough, a tiefling dressed in scout's garb and wielding a tall oaken staff stands atop a wooden platform, flanked by his right-hand man by the name of Avren, a member of the Chalons d'Guerriere clan. He introduces himself as Pathfinder Wanderlust, and states the objective of this expedition: to aid the frontier village of Discovery in their time of need.

Pathfinder Wander, the leader of the Frontiermen expedition to Discovery.

Details:

Discovery is currently undergoing a bit of a crisis in terms of manpower and resources, so the expedition is to supply both through its caravans and volunteers.
The travel to Discovery would take 3 days of brisk travel.
There are three types of teams that would be assigned to the members of the expedition:
- Spearhead: Scouts and communicators belong here to lead the expedition and notify the other teams of complications and threats.
- Supply and Repair: Self-explanatory. Smooth travel, repairs, and supply distribution are their responsibilities.
- Flankguard: Ensuring the safety of the expedition whether through the clashing of steel or meeting with force or the appearance thereof.

After the speech, the party is approached by a dragonborn ranger and her eagle companion, who introduces herself as Scout Galbania, and her eagle as Flavia. She's to be the party's correspondent to the Pathfinder, so that she may monitor their prowess as well as serve to guide them throughout the 3-day travel. She also brings the party's assignment: they are to serve as one of the Flankguard teams of the caravan, meant to deal with or head off any threats by any means they deem necessary.

Dynamic duo of Scout Galbania and Flavia.

Soon, the travel begins. The first day's events:

The party gets a general overview of the outskirts of Verdane in the morning.
By noontime, the expedition stops by a natural spring called the Reconfort Stopover. Frontiermen participate in a ritual of gathering fresh water for the trip at this spring.
Midway through the first day's travel, the Spearhead scouts inform the caravan for an all hands on deck job: the bridge ahead has collapsed, and while the caravan can travel past it, the Frontiermen decide to repair it for the sake of all travelers moving through here in the future. The party takes an alternate route to the other side to begin repairs there.
To end the day, the expedition camps out at a forest clearing. Around the campfire, Scout Galbania serenades the party with a campfire song she performs as her first day tradition.

The next day, the caravan arrives in front of the massive, sprawling Korcari Wilds, which span a large part of the western center of Providence. The party is warned that the forest will contain beasts and other threats, and soon enough, a pack of beasts and a roving band of gnoll hunters are spotted. When the party and Scout Galbania move to intercept, they notice that the beasts, accompanied by harpies, their eyes grow green and they begin to move as one unit. Regardless, the party deals with the threats and returns to aid with skirmishes near the caravan. Pathfinder Wander contacts the party after their display of strength as a team, and upon noticing a pack of wolves with green eyes fleeing the scene, tasks them with finding out where these beasts came from. A scouting mission closer to the center of the Korcari Wilds reveals a large patch of ground that seems to have been raised up from the ground in an unnatural formation, with a cave filled with bioluminescent cyan mushrooms within. In front, it seemed that a dryad was seemingly controlling the green-eyed beasts, as the wolves that had escaped had returned to their normal eye color after a song reached their ears. The party returned to report their discovery not long after.

The culprit of the green-eyed beasts, a dryad.

The second day's travel events:

Exiting out of the Korcari Wilds, the party discovered the northern regions of Providence: from the northwestern Sreng Desert, to the dividing northern Arid Peaks, all the way to the northeastern Frostbitten Wastes.
At a resupply station, a mystery is discovered, as wards and talismans intended to protect the resupply area from raids have been dispelled and rendered useless, yet little to no supplies have been taken.
During the evening camp, the party takes to various activities to make sure that camp morale stays high in spite of the dangerous attack on the caravan during the morning.

On the third day's morning, a dangerous situation has occurred: where the caravan had camped out for the night, there appears to be a small army of taliyans and Aquitani who have surrounded the encampment and had secretly taken hostages in the night. A centaur elder by the name of Elder Bas calls upon the encampment to heed and listen to the voice of their people. Then, emerging from behind the warriors and guardsmen came a taliyan with deer-like features and a white mask, who introduced herself as the White Heiress. The demands of her people came through her: the Frontiermen expedition treads upon land claimed by the Nabatean Alliance, consisting of the Aquitani tribes of the Nabatean Plains and the overseeing Hunedorans and Pelagian taliyans. They demand proof that the Verdanians had not come to invade upon their holy ground, and to make sure they were honest, they presented a group of hostages that included, notably, a group of their friends and Faessi. The Pathfinder and the party convenes to discuss what they will present to the Nabatean Alliance.

The White Heiress, voice of her people.

The expedition and Lumière Éternelle soon return with two offerings: an offering of silk, linens, and textiles, and an offering of words to prove their trustworthiness and their coming in peace. The White Heiress questioned the party and the leaders' words, before returning to her people to discuss their unified response. Eventually, she came forward with a proposed plan of action: they would allow Verdane to return five hostages back to their fold, and allow them to keep ten to keep them honest, as an incentive for them to not invade their land, if they value the lives of their hostages. In an unprecedented turn for her people however, the White Heiress offered herself up as collateral for this deal, allowing herself to become a hostage for the Verdanians, a decision which would prove controversial with her people. Seeing no other choice, Pathfinder Wander agrees with this deal, and returns Anthony Xavier, Justin Masson, and Faessi back to the expedition, as well as takes the White Heiress in. Both parties separate on their own ways on a tentative peace deal. On the final leg of the journey, the party speaks to the White Heiress, being one of the few people to openly speak with her and not shun her. There, they learn her name is Halila Bhodsa, and they learn that she believes in the party's word more than she let in on, but she couldn't outwardly state that, lest she risk disharmony amongst her people. Thus, she came to the conclusion that she must offer herself in order to avoid conflict between both the Alliance and the Verdanians. By late afternoon, the expedition arrives atop a hill overlooking the village they are to stay within for the next month: the frontier village of Discovery.

Session 21, 22, & 23, pt. 1: New Friends and New Places, Ruins of a Lost Age, & Ancient Sanctity, pt.1

A new home for the month of Temptus.

In the late afternoon of the 10th of Temptus, the Frontiermen and the volunteers arrive at the village of Discovery. While cargo is being passed around the villagers and guards and newly-arrived people are being checked on and greeted, the Pathfinder speaks to Lumière Éternelle, asking for one to represent them. This is where Eris, in the absence of others taking initiative, chooses to represent the party. Pathfinder Wander then tasks the party with familiarizing themselves with the village which they will be staying in for the next month. In addition, he also tells them to protect Halila from the villagers of Discovery, who are displeased upon discovering that a taliyan walks amidst them, even at her insistence that she does not need to be coddled. Over the first few days:

The party gets to know various shopkeepers of Discovery:
- Palas, the satyr innkeeper who gives the party and Halila their cottages for their stay, as well as owning the Fortune's Favor tavern adjacent to all the cottages that house the new arrivals.
- Kilika, a half-elf who runs the local apothecary, who greets Anthony Xavier as an old friend and colleague. Sells various salves and poisons as a local specialty.
- Harku, a busybody kobold who runs the blacksmith located right next to the gendarmerie station. Sells a wide variety of traps and parts for them.
- The central marketplace sells various local crafts and materials sourced straight from craftsmen and the environment around them.
Each member of Lumière Éternelle gets to work aiding the village in their various needs, whether it be through manpower, patrols, repairs, or studying local research and phenomena.
K'aamni has a dream^{see below}.
They learn of three central rumors that plague the village:
- The natural spring to the southwest of Discovery is rumored to hold a secret passageway that allows the beasts of the Korcari Wilds to assault their walls and retreat safely. Gilan and an irate Tarik are interested in pursuing this lead.
- Kidnapping rumors surround the ancient Maubert Ruins to the northeast of Discovery, where those who wander too close end up disappearing with no explanation. Elle is planning a survey into the ruins, and the rumor is being verified by Bellec.
- In the mines to the northwest, a recently-discovered path to an open-air quarry has left some of the miners exceedingly fatigued for no apparent reason. Ingrid and Justin are planning to get some materials from the mine for their Projects.

Lumière Éternelle decides as a party that they would aid in surveying the ruins to verify the kidnapping rumors.

The halls of an ancient civilization.

At the surface of the Maubert Ruins, the party finds themselves at a very angular, sturdily built but wholly destroyed remnant of what was assumed to be once a large monastery. Here, they met up with Elle and Bellec, who would serve as their companions for the upcoming trials ahead. Their goal was to search through the recently-discovered underground chambers and halls down a long spiraling staircase, but there were still information to be found on the surface itself. Gathering clues on the surface:

A piece of obsidian was found not far from the ruins, which was not a material mined at the mines to the northwest of Discovery. This suggested that it came from underground.
A translated inscription on a ruined second floor suggested that there would be Trials to be faced, and a Guardian of the Depths somewhere down below.

After surveying the surface ruins, the party descends into the underground halls, where they find three large statues at an intersection of four halls, including the one they came from. Three colored lines of red, blue, and green split off to the northern, western, and eastern hall, respectively, and the faded colors on the statues matched the colored lines. An altar was placed in front of the three large statues facing the circular central platform and an inscription outlined the Trial that corresponded to the colored line: red for the Trial of the Body, blue for the Trial of the Spirit, and green for the Trial of the Mind. Missing stone tablets needed to be inserted into these altars, and the party sets off for each Trial:

Trial of the Spirit: The party finds an opened square chamber that contains a scared parent and child, who has seemingly solved the Trial. When Bellec rescues them from the chamber, the ancient machinery begins again at the worst time, and the party is forced to break open the mechanism to rescue Bellec. The tablet is then retrieved from the child.
Trial of the Body: The path forward is blocked by multiple large silken spiderwebs, which elicits fear from the arachnophobic Elle. Arriving at a cavernous area, the party is forced to contend with a large number of spiders and newly-formed rock creatures, from which the party extracts chips and bits of obsidian similar to the sample found on the surface. The tablet is found in front of a caved-in area.
- K'aamni picks up a spider egg and names it Egh.
Trial of the Mind: An arcane darkness surrounding a maze, an "offering of one's essence", and a puzzle regarding a short excerpt serve as obstacles to obtaining the final tablet. These puzzles served to provide more hints as to what kind of people existed in ancient times, as well as what kind of Guardian lay below.

After a short rest, the party inserts the stone tablets into the altars, and finds that the central circular platform descends into a sandy ritual chamber, with a white line serving as the indicating path forward. In this chamber, they saw a floating amulet¹ floating above an altar, and as they approached, the chamber shook, and two great creatures were summoned: a giant, stalwart Shield Guardian, and a burrowing, hardy Earth Elemental and its lesser minions. The party is forced to contend with these two creatures, but the Shield Guardian did not attempt to approach the party at all, instead opting to protect the amulet from intruders, knocking Bellec and Stephanie unconscious during the fight. The party, after slaying the Earth Elemental and its lesser siblings, is able to secure the amulet with some misdirection play and the efforts of both Harrison and K'aamni in securing the amulet, and gives it up to Elle for further study. Before they leave, they help themselves to the now-unattended offertory box, securing themselves gems and a peculiar wand².

Guardians of the Depths.

Session 23, pt.2 & 24: Ancient Sanctity, pt. 2 & King of Peace

A glowing cave, leading to a forgotten sanctuary.

A day after returning home from the survey into the ruins, trouble stirs as the villagers of Discovery bombard Halila with foul words. That day was supposed to be the day when the hostages taken by the Alliance were to be returned, yet no news and no word had returned that day. That night, the party discovers tracks that seemingly point to her having left the village. They follow the tracks, only to find her transformed into her laguz form, partaking in the freshwater spring close to Discovery before reverting back to beorc, inviting the party to rest with her alongside Pathfinder Wander. There, she relays her fears and worries, and the party, particularly Eris and K'aamni, notes that Halila needs to be strong and that change for her people began from her. She felt greatly reassured by the talk, and returned to her cottage without incident. The next day, worrying news arrived at the gates of Discovery: a portion of the Alliance's ranks defected, taking a number of the hostages to the Korcari Wilds. The party chases after the trail of destruction, successfully rescuing Shiidar, Windstep, and Alberto Mersenne in the process. The end of the trail leads them to the same cave entrance that housed the dryad from before, and, accompanied by Halila Bhodsa, decide to pursue the green-eyed beasts further in. Travelling throughout the cave:

The party discovered several purple glowing mushrooms that, went interacted with, spoke a story told in a voice associated with the Emissary of Peace, as explained by Halila. The voice spoke of his story and his various companions over the years.
- Faessi discovers a secret red mushroom with a different voice speaking through it.
A coven of dryads is discovered near the top of the cave formation, worshipping a great tree they call The Mother. They all collectively refuse to allow the party to proceed further and discover the secrets of this place. A thorough speech denouncing them by the party enrages them to the point of attack, which earns them rebuke from The Mother and forces them to give passage further inwards.

Proceeding past the cave, the party finds themselves in the preserved sanctuary of Hunedora, where a final mushroom has the Emissary ask visitors to release his faithful companion: a Peryton that continues to stay by his side. With a large amount of spirits massing around a dome in the center of the sanctuary, the party retrieves several items that Halila needs to conduct a ritual to proceed forward. At the dome itself, the party is confronted by a giant, corrupted peryton and its beastly companions, as well as a mysterious mushroom creature theorized to be the source of the green-eyed endemic surrounding the beasts of the Korcari Wilds. A voice speaks to the party: release his companion from its suffering. The battle begins, and the party is ravaged by the mobile and fearless strikes of all the creatures, but they eventually become victorious, with K'aamni cleansing the peryton with the final blow.

The Emissary's corrupted peryton.

Afterwards, the Emissary himself, in the form of an ancient hero, appears on the throne within the dome, asking for a champion. He asks that those who seek peace in all that they are and will be uncompromising in their ideals to step forward. The party looks amongst themselves, before K'aamni steps forward. With a simple declaration, the brand of Momin's Peace³ is branded on K'aamni's hand, and two⁴ relics⁵ are left behind to aid the newfound champion and her companions. Before exiting, Faessi collects the mushroom creature's staff⁶ on the way out.

Session 25 & 26: Nabatea & Peace Talks, Chaos Stalks

Nabatea, home of the Alliance.

Spurred and inspired by Lumière Éternelle's willingness to sacrifice themselves for the sake of Discovery, Halila formally extends an invitation to Discovery to form a delegation of ambassadors and other people to negotiate with her people and discover their society and culture, and ditto her people towards the people of Discovery. It is here the party decided to bring along Scout Galbania and Justin as part of their delegation. Supported by her close companions Bowen and Seoru, the party get a tour of the mountain of Nabatea, experience its history, culture, and cuisine through both the word written and spoken as well as seeing the sights on offer. Notable events:

A portion of the party visits the library and records and engrosses themselves on local literature. Faessi and K'aamni discover more information about the potential whereabouts of their missing biological fathers.
Steph and Tandi overhear conversation regarding "creatures of the deep", which has Tandi worried, especially after her previous encounter with the fishmen that seemed to be described.
It is discovered that Isomeryn Valleroy, a gnome artist that Eris has been pursuing, has gotten temporary shelter at Nabatea. A brief conversation reveals some additional insight into Eris' affliction with a demon.

Their pleasantries are cut short when a plot to poison a member of the Verdanian delegation is uncovered, and old wounds and accusations are thrown by the diplomats of both villages, including the incident of dispelled wards and talismans being tossed towards the Nabateans. The conflict is only worsened when the party discovers that all of their stored belongings had been stolen, with the culprit unknown. These incidents led to the party and Halila to discover that there must be a conspiracy to try to separate the two communities from uniting. She then tasks the party to discretely handle the situation. Thus began the investigation into the conspiracy, and with some detective work in spite of the taliyans' shared sense of family proving an obstacle, the party are able to find a lead to a chamber within the mountain known as the Pools of Reflection. The expedition into the mountain begins:

An overlook over the entirety of Nabatea, and then some, is discovered by Tandi.
A set of tools in front of a chipped cave wall peered into the artifact room of Nabatea's library and records, suggesting a failed attempt at breaking into said room.
A windy tunnel created a strong gale almost pushed the party back, but they were able to hang out and push forward.
A hall filled with pools contained a makeshift camp, where a 4-foot pole was discovered that, upon reciting the words engraved into it, magically shifted into a 4-foot fishing pole⁷. They used this to catch a Wingfish, before releasing it back into the waters.

After all the aforementioned events, the party eventually arrives at the Pools of Reflection, where they find a group of traitorous taliyans discussing what needed to be done for some unknown benefactor, as well as the location of the party's stolen goods. The party gets spotted, and they get their first taste of fighting taliyans in their own home territory. While most of the taliyans end up subdued, one that had evaded their notice, assumed to be the chef that participated in the poison plot, fled, and the party is forced to leave Justin behind to chase after the thief.

Taliyans fought in the Pools of Reflection.

Session 27 & 28: A House Divided & By Itself Cannot Stand

The race to Fort Mercier.

Chasing the thief, who had taken a cart with horses containing their stolen belongings, the party chases on horseback, being forced to contend with both created obstacles by the thief and environmental difficulties as well. They are able to force the cart to stop after an extended chase, and the party retrieves their gear as the thief flies towards the nearby fort. Then, devising a plan to storm the abandoned fort, the party splits into three teams to storm the fort. However, they find that not only is the fort manned by Aquitani soldiers and archers, the resistance they face pushes them to their very limit, to the point that they are forced to retreat to recuperate after routing the defenders. Midway up the path, they meet up with Justin again, accompanied by Seoru and Bowen, who promise to provide aid to Lumière Éternelle in this final battle. With that, the party scales the fort, later revealed to be named Fort Mercier. Fort events:

A logbook was discovered which detailed the chronology of Fort Mercier's various commanders, whether by discovery, accident, or forceful conquest.
Within the fort's old armory, K'aamni searched underneath the weapon and armor racks and found a magical buckler intended for throwing⁸.
A duo of hiding defectors that had fled the lost battle earlier attempted to negotiate their way out of captivity, but were captured by the party. While they didn't outright betray their countrymen, they did warn the party that the fort's remaining forces were waiting on the third floor.
A merchant party, who had been left within the fort until further instruction by the current Aquitani owners, resupplied the party upon being let out and left for the northern regions.

By the third floor, the party, alongside Scout Galbania and Justin Masson had prepared to face off against the remaining enemies at the fort. Upon opening the third floor doors, however, they were quickly outnumbered three to one with multiple bows, crossbows, and other weapons pointing at their direction, including fellow Verdanians who had betrayed their own people for gold. The leader of this whole conspiracy, a hulking minotaur shaman of fire, derided the Verdanians and Nabateans for being weak, declaring that the new age of Aquitani conquest and dominance began today. The party bit back, stating that they were only guaranteeing their doom while doing so, but the minotaur all but laughed at their words, welcoming them to try. It seemed as if the party would be used as bargaining chips due to their shared helplessness...

The leader of the fighters against the peace between Nabatea and Discovery.

...but suddenly, a large party of reinforcements burst through from the roof entrance and the doors the party came from. Pathfinder Wander and Bowen announced their intentions to back up Lumière Éternelle, evening the odds once more. An all-out brawl broke out, and four captains of the enemy side engaged with the party. The minotaur shaman's fire, the leonin's deft strikes, the centaur's distractive and defensive potential, and the tabaxi's magic arrows all proved to be a formidable threat, even against the mighty party, but with a combination of the rebels being wiped out and the captains being slain one by one, the party triumphed that day, standing over the corpses of those who'd tried to ruin peace between two peoples. When Halila later arrived at the fort, a yell of victory was released out to the world:

Today is a victory for peace!

When Lumière Éternelle returned to Discovery, they would celebrate their victory, which just so happened to coincide with Eris' birthday. Drinks were shared, celebrations were made, and an atmosphere of joy surrounded the whole village of Discovery. Thanks to the efforts of Lumière Éternelle, peace was achieved between two communities where once they were bitter enemies.

Downtime Session (29): Visions of the Future

When Lumière Éternelle returned to Verdane earlier than expected, they put their two months of downtime to good use, following up on leads to their personal goals or taking part in tests of skill and knowledge. Their actions are as follows:

K'aamni
- K'aamni, with the encouragement of her peers and Uncle Tim, takes to her mid-year examinations with confidence, easily passing her mental exam. On the practical exam, however, she is forced to perform in front of her mother, Akamih Déon, a proctor of the exam. While her pseudo-magics barely elicit a reaction, she registers on her mother's perception with her brand's magic.
- After the practical exam, K'aamni runs into her elder sister, Kalevi, who tells her that Kaeya was looking for her. Meeting with him behind the cafeteria encounter, Kaeya takes her aside and gives her the family artifact, the Vessel of Mana⁹, before telling her not to say that he gave it to her.
- To take care of her spider Egh, she enlists the help of an intimidating, yet passionate exotic beast caretaker known as Shepherd.
Quico
- During the checking of test papers in Quico's home, he discovers that part of his magic paintbrush has evolved, giving him the capability of animating objects of his choosing.
- At the Musee d'art Contemporain, he paints an entire canvas with Lumière Éternelle as its subject, and in a brief moment of rest, bumps into Gala Condorcet. Gala then lays her worries about the Condorcet-Mersenne conflict onto him, who does his best to reassure her. Then, she gives him a letter before they part ways, which Quico decides to open later. Quico later gives the party a tour of the museum and its exhibits.
- During spare time, Quico practices with calligrapher's supplies and gains a level of perception and familiarity with handwriting and writing styles.
Eris
- Eris, in recognition of her efforts for Discovery and Nabatea, has been allowed to take the special Jistugi to achieve a great milestone of her Honed Blades' career: the rank of 3-Tengoku. Before her exam, she gets evaluated by fellow Strategist Gwendolyn Gail, and gets to witness the type of exam that Gilan takes for his promotion into 6-Tengoku Weaponmaster.
- For her own exam, she is administered the following quizzes, overseen by renowned Bladesmaster Michel de Chevin:
  - Physical: Ten rounds of increasingly tougher and more capable illusory soldiers.
  - Mental: A thorough exam on strategy and tactics, including ambiguous situations which test character. Eris chooses to minimize casualties in proposed scenarios wherever she can.
  - Spiritual: She is transported throughout events in her history, where she had the chance to retire to a comfortable life. She chooses to push ahead in each circumstance, ultimately facing down her demon before her vision ends. Michel, at its end, gives her the scroll of recognition, advancing her into 3-Tengoku Strategist.
- Sometime after the exam, she invites the party to a training session and develops a set of strategies to make them work more cohesively as a team.
Stephanie
- Being overwhelmed by all the magic she's been exposed to lately, Stephanie makes a plan to locate an artifact of Apathe to even the odds. To that end, she takes on a contract against a rumored ex-Listener turned crazed Apathe cultist, hoping to get a lead into said artifact.
- With Tandi backing her up, Stephanie arrives at his hideout in a cave outside Verdane. Approaching his altar to Apathe, Stephanie looks up at the ceiling before being attacked by the cultist, avoiding his blows due to her own experience. After a minute of crazed rambling, some recognition flashing by his eyes as he looked at Stephanie caused him to try to end his own life, but Stephanie beat him to and laid him to rest. She then takes the necklace with a blackened core¹⁰ from the altar, before a strange vision knocks her unconscious momentarily. The vision's meaning is unknown, but it is a lead forward.
- Stephanie spends time with Harrison in his laboratory to develop recipes for poisons to make on the fly.
Harrison
- In his biggest experiment yet after acquiring his new dimensional powers, Harrison enlists his colleagues and assistant in creating a device that would amplify the scope of such powers. When the machine completes its purpose, Harrison is transported into a strange plane of existence, where islets containing large stone gateways lead to different planes of existence.
- After checking two such gateways, Harrison notices a distant gateway whose structure resembles that of his own realm, where he sees a strange masked figure emerge out of it. Suddenly, an alarm emerges from his Time Pocket, and he's forced to return to the scene of his colleagues unconscious and Rephina taken hostage. He's forced to give up the Time Pocket to the stranger, who flees the scene with Harrison's magnum opus.
- The next week, he inadvertently attends a reunion of people from his old fraternity, where he explains his goals and ambition in life.
- Harrison, with Stephanie, develops a few new bombs similar to his staple incendiary grenades.

The Plane of Gateways.

Faessi
- Seeking clues for the whereabouts of his father, Faessi enlists the help of K'aamni and Harrison in searching for clues for his father, making a visit to Vis Occan to try and see if they have information for him. When Elder Lailah is asked, however, she receives a message from Ananke that this meeting would result in disaster, should Faessi still pursue his father. She invites him to a ritual in the center of town.
- At the ritual altar, Faessi is given a vision of a burning taliyan village, where knights in black armor burn and pillage the village. Following an aura he sensed in the vision, Faessi finds a mother resisting the knights while carrying her baby, before a large bruiser with a cross and chevron tattoo breaks down her home, seemingly killing her and taking the baby.
- Returning to the real world, Faessi is informed by gate guards Caidh and Horvath of the presence of his two brothers, who wished to bring him back home to celebrate his birthday with his adoptive father.
- Spending time with the people of Vis Occan, Faessi garners a level of knowledge on taliyan history and culture, as well as grasping their language more solidly.
Tandi
- On a voyage to collect undersea treasures, Tandi encounters strangely-designed and minted gold coins in one of the treasure chests, depicting visages of an underwater society that could exist somewhere out there. This lines up with her encounters with a group of fishmen months prior.
- On her birthday on the same voyage, she receives a letter addressing her by a name she thought she escaped: Typhel Cade. The letter is blank, but the fact that it was sent to her was more concerning than its contents.
- Training with Harrison at his home, Tandi gains a level of expertise with sidearms.

To conclude the months of downtime, Ylladi contacts the party to meet together for a short time to discuss two topics.

First, The Council has provided the funds in exchange for Lumière Éternelle's help in securing Discovery, which has gone greatly appreciated by architects Eloise and Pindrop, beginning full construction on their home base.
Second, an invitation has been sent to Lumière Éternelle due to their increasing notoriety and reputation.

Opening the invitation, the party finds themselves cordially invited to The 185th Carolinian Ball, an event where changemakers of Verdane come together and discuss their plans for progress in the city going forward. Their lounging is already accounted for, as the letter Quico received from Gala contains passes to where they would be staying for the event. With the invitation squared off and the party officially invited as one of its honored guests, the party looks forward to a date with Verdane's elite...

Rewards Granted

1. Guardian's Amulet. This necklace was found being guarded by a massive Shield Guardian below the basement of the Maubert Ruins, before it was turned over to Elleveryn Rayne for study.
2. Wand of Sparkles. This sparkly wand was found in an offertory box in front of the Guardian's Necklace. When the wand is casted towards any random object, sparkles of a singular, random color appear all around it for about 10 minutes.
3. Momin's Peace. This brand appeared on the back of K'aamni's hand after accepting the appointment of the Emissary of Peace as his champion. This brand granted a bevy of effects, including a boost in capability, a spell, and an imbued power that can last for 1 minute.
4. Reyhan's Holy Focus. This former focusing stone turned holy focus appeared on the Emissary's empty throne alongside the Pendant of the Moon and Sun. This allowed K'aamni to find an illusory steed of her own through its power.
5. Pendant of the Moon and Sun. This pendant made of a ring of pearls with a moon/sun centerpiece appeared on the Emissary's empty throne alongside Reyhan's Holy Focus. It grants the wearer the unique ability of limited focus on two different spells that require concentration.
6. Myconid's Staff. A twisted wooden staff with mushrooms growing out of it was wielded by a myconid matriarch against the party, before being looted. This staff confers a small selection of spells with a charge-based energy pool, as well as allowing a limited version of the former wielder's pacifying spores.
7. Fishing Pole. An innocuous 4 ft. wooden pole was found at an abandoned camp within the mountain of Nabatea, where upon the utterance of a command phrase ("bounty of the sea"), it transforms into a fishing pole complete with line and bait.
8. Boomerang Buckler. A magic buckler with a mirror-shined dome at its center and three blades jutting out its sides in a triangular pattern was found within a pile of old weapons within Fort Mercier. This buckler, when tossed, automatically returns to its wielder after impact, and when it successfully hits a target, can deal charge-based force damage depending on the wielder.
9. Vessel of Mana. The supposed "artifact" was given by Kaeya Déon to little sister K'aamni during a lull in her mid-year exams. It is unknown whether or not this is the true artifact itself or a replica.

10. Necklace of Apathe. A necklace with a blackened gemstone core was contained within a glass case on the center of an altar by a crazed cultist to Apathe. It's power is unknown, though upon first pickup, it granted Stephanie a vision of some time period either in the past or future.

Missions/Quests Completed

Main Missions

Arrived at Discovery safely.
Solved the kidnapping rumors at Maubert Ruins.
Rescued hostages from rebel taliyans.
Stormed Fort Mercier and dealt with rebel organizers: Aquitani from the northeastern reaches of Providence.

Side Missions

Completed scouting mission on green-eyed wolves that escaped.
Raised morale of the camp after attacks on caravan.
Successfully aided Discovery in labour on first week.
Collected the Shield Guardian's pendant in chamber below Maubert Ruins.
Helped give the Corrupted Peryton peace.

K'aamni's Dream

K'aamni's dream transcript can be found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/12lDLrFu0Tpwxzo8ssnxhudl0mqyZp2JASZxsc4WuBcg/edit?usp=sharing

Character(s) interacted with

Session 19

Elleveryn Rayne: Eris' childhood human friend, now an instructor and Circle Mage. Part of the trio that convinced the party to join the expedition, and aided them in the adventure into Maubert Ruins.

Anthony Xavier: Elven doctor and physician and best friend of Harrison. Part of the trio that convinced the party to join the expedition. Helped Harrison with his dimensional device, before inviting him to a drinking session with his former fraternity.

Gilan Cernunnos: Eris' mentor and 5-Tengoku Weaponmaster of the Honed Blades. Part of the trio that convinced the party to join the expedition. Promoted to 6-Tengoku on the same day as Eris' promotion, and helped Eris get her opportunity with his report about the events at Discovery. Joined the final assault on Fort Mercier.

Bellec: Half-elven rogue and former partner of Stephanie's father. Served as a scout for the expedition, before aiding in the adventure into Maubert Ruins alongside Elle. Joined the final assault on Fort Mercier.

Ingrid Jauffret: Human artificer and member of the 80s, same laboratory as K'aamni. Working on a prototype to rival K'aamni's A.D.O.B.O., known as Armor Reimagined, Made On Request (A.R.M.O.R.). Otherwise supportive of K'aamni. Dragged Justin Masson along on the trip to gain minerals necessary in the construction of her armor.

Justin Masson: Human artificer and great friend to K'aamni (as well as having a crush on her). Dragged along by Ingrid Jauffret on the Frontiermen expedition, but got to use some minerals for a Project of his. Later joined the party as part of the delegation to Nabatea.

Shiidar and Tarik: A half-orc and goblin Pirate duo and best buddies with Tandi. Took to the expedition to back their friend up on her journey throughout the land of Providence. Shiidar was taken hostage by the Nabatean Alliance, a fact which Tarik did not take well. Would later be reunited and join the final assault on Fort Mercier.
Alberto Mersenne: Quico's cousin within the prestigious, academic Mersenne family. A botanist and biologist by heart, Alberto joined the expedition in the hopes of studying the flora and fauna of central Providence. Was kidnapped by the Alliance but treated well.
Pathfinder Wanderlust: The tiefling Pathfinder of the Frontiermen expedition the party took part in. Assigned the party towards various tasks, while representing Discovery as a whole in diplomatic situations with Nabatea. Lead a group of allies to aid Lumière Éternelle in their final battle against the Aquitani conspirators.

Scout Galbania: Dragonborn ranger and scout for the Frontiermen. Served as the messenger between Pathfinder Wander and Lumière Éternelle, before going on to serve as their companion for the 3-day travel towards Discovery as well as their assault on Fort Mercier. Despite a raspy voice, dabbles in song and plays various instrument. Bonded with an eagle named Flavia, who is always seen at her side.

Agnemine: Tiefling left-hand woman to Pathfinder Wander. Noticed missing talismans and wards that would allow the party to recognize that a conspiracy was underfoot.
Avren: Elven right-hand man to Pathfinder Wander. Noticed missing talismans and wards that would allow the party to recognize that a conspiracy was underfoot.
Brytbera: Dwarven shepherd that leads the farmers in the expedition to Discovery. Baked a pie for Lumière Éternelle in exchange for K'aamni's tech expertise to help with farm plots, watering of crops, and crop yield.
Banker Ingram: Human banker, businessman, and member of La Riviera that joined the expedition to build Discovery's first bank.

Session 20

The White Heiress/Halila Bhodsa: Taliyan diplomat and voice of the Nabatean Alliance. Met the Frontiermen expedition with hostility at first, but slowly grew warm to their work, especially with the party proving time and again their valiance and trustworthiness. Would accompany them into the sanctuary of Hunedora, as well as open up Nabatea to diplomatic relations.

Elder Bas: Centaur elder of the Nabatean Alliance. Part of the aggressors who kidnapped some of the expedition's members, before later on informing Halila and the people of Discovery of traitors to Nabatea.
Bowen: Aerian taliyan right hand to Halila. Was first seen guarding the hostages taken by the Nabatean Alliance, before later guarding the party and aiding in their investigation of rebels working under cover to undermine peace talks. Joined the final assault on Fort Mercier.

Seoru: Minotaur cleric and worshipper of the Emissary of Peace. Left-hand to Halila. Made sure the hostages suffered no discomfort, and later told the Discovery delegation of the history of Nabatea's founding and the tradition of the White Heiress. Joined the final assault on Fort Mercier.

Session 21

Palas: Satyr innkeeper and owner of the Fortune's Favor tavern. Arranged for cottages for the whole party, as well as a singular one for Halila Bhodsa.
Kilika: Half-elven proprietor of the local apothecary of Discovery. Former colleague to Anthony Xavier. Has a mouse that runs around her shoulder named Basil.
Flynn Hillstride: Halfling mage and head of the mage's tower of Discovery.
Alva: Unknown figure whose POV K'aamni assumed in her dream, despite remaining cognizant of her own identity.
Wandering Nomad: A tabaxi only vaguely seen in K'aamni's dream. Described as a black-furred tabaxi with a white-furred chinstrap beard. He was once the lover of K'aamni's mother, before circumstances forced him to move out and towards the northern reaches of Providence.

Session 24

Unknown Mage: A reddish mushroom had a different voice speaking through it, compared to the rest of the purplish mushrooms which spoke with the voice of the Emissary of Peace. When Faessi discovered it within a hidden chamber, an unknown mage laid a hand on his forehead as he saw a glimpse of this mage, causing him to forget he ever saw her.
Peryton: The former faithful steed of Reyhan Momin, it had grown corrupted over time. Lumière Éternelle had lain it to rest, and it returned in its purified form to the Emissary's side for one final time.

Emissary of Peace: A mythical figure from Hunedoran history. Formerly known as Reyhan Momin, one of the Four Heroes of Hunedora during the Feral Plague Incident. His memories were stored within purple mushrooms scattered throughout the entrance to his sanctuary. After giving his beloved, faithful peryton rest, he would grant K'aamni his brand, declaring her his champion of peace.

Session 26

Isomeryn Valleroy: A famous gnome painter who paints vistas and historical events from Providence's history. Eris met him by coincidence at Nabatea, gaining part of an answer as to the story of the tortured aasimar painting she saw at his gallery.

Session 28

Defectors: A duo of Aquitani who defected away from bloodthirsty Aquitani captains. Informed the party of the presence of their leaders, but refused to give up their companions.
Merchant Party: A quintet of merchants and their guards trapped within Fort Mercier. Resupplied the party before heading on their way.

Session 29

Akamih Déon: Matriarch of the Déon family. Served as one of the proctors for K'aamni's mid-year examinations. Was at first ignorant of her pseudo-magics, but took notice when she made use of her brand.

Kalevi Déon: Elder sister of K'aamni and eldest overall of three. Met K'aamni on her way to help Akamih and gave her awkward greetings and encouragement on her exams.

Kaeya Déon: Elder brother of K'aamni. Was helping the cafeteria of the academy distribute food to students. Took K'aamni aside and gave her what appeared to be the family's Vessel of Mana.

Shepherd: Tiefling ranger and exotic pet caretaker who came highly recommended by Scout Galbania. K'aamni first met the intimidating man before it's shown that he's surprisingly gentle and passionate about animals and beasts.

Gala Condorcet: A human songstress and theater performer for the La Vie En Rose guild. Member of the illustrious and glamorous Condorcet family, Gala is Quico's close cousin within the family. Met up with him at the family museum, before handing off passes to upscale residences within the Carlonian District.

Gwendolyn Gail: An elven protégé under Gilan Cernunnos, bearing the rank of 3-Tengoku Strategist. Aided Eris in sharpening her mind for her Jitsugi before it started.

Michel de Chevin: A Honed Bladesmaster who had once met Eris in her own village. Oversaw her Jitsugi, before granting her the rank of 3-Tengoku Strategist at its end.

Apathe Cultist: A crazed cultist Stephanie found on the outskirts Verdane. A rambling madman who, after recognizing Stephanie somehow, tried to end his own life, calling her the "next vessel of Apathe".
Unknown Dimension Hopper: A strange being that Harrison encountered in his short time at the Plane of Gateways. Infiltrated Harrison's realm and stole his Time Pocket in exchange for the lives of his colleagues.

Harrison's Fraternity: A group Harrison had disassociated from, before being welcomed back thanks to Anthony Xavier.
Jules and Montblanc Sylvestre: Sons of Pierre Sylvestre and siblings to the adopted Faessi. With Jules being the more callous one and Montblanc being more friendly, both came to Vis Occan to try to get Faessi to celebrate his birthday together with their father.