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Episode 15: Blood, Wine, and Moonlight

Last time, you began in the aftermath of the Battle for Mouse. Barabask’s projection fading into the Winter sky, having declared you ‘god killers’. Torian fled, sobbing, towards the castle. Having reasserted their trust in you all, the brothers followed him to offer some comfort.
Left alone in the battlefield, Dolly began to search Morgan’s body, her hands absent-mindedly touching his shadow, whereupon her visage changed to his and she sensed the last remnants of Morgan’s turmoil in the hours before battle; how he wished to free himself of his compusion to fight. As Dolly sloughed off Morgan’s features, the rest of you set to searching the bodies of the dead. Finding many carved stone whistles in the shape of skulls, as well as the numerous cloaks, masks, and gloves of the Gloam.
I (tCntM) climbed to the top of the now ruined brewery and found Morgan’s bedroll and personal effects. Among them was a letter, which Endellion/Ellowyn read and appeared to be from Morgan’s mother.
Endellion/Ellowyn headed deeper into the town of Mouse, where she found the body of Mina (master of arms for Castle Grenwyrd) who had laid down her life buying time for the brothers to save the villagers as the Gloam attacked. Having paid her respect, you all headed back into the castle where you were greeted as heroes.
You returned to Endellion/Ellowyn’s room and discussed Rivenna and the Deck of Many Friends. Raidion telling the others that the Deck was too powerful an item for him to wield alone. The rest of you agreeing to use it only in moments of dire need.
You dressed for dinner (I (tCntM) doing so with particular panache) before you dined with the Grenwyrd family. Endellion/Ellowyn telling her family the story of how you came to be decried as ‘god killers’ and your involvement with The Web. You decided to journey to The Sanctum where Grawnoth had told you Parvus would be. Perhaps the Kobold Antiqua would have information on Themself (Kobold deity), the only Virtuous still unaccounted for.
Dinner over, you made to leave. Torian taking Raidion’s arm to ask about the Virtuous and the scene at the top of Mt Atria. Raidion spoke with him (and despite his previous penchant for telling believers that ‘their gods are dead’) he found the right words, perhaps for the first time. Torian emboldened by the strength he found in battle, told Raidion that he had something that could help Dolly; that she should see him before you leave.
You split up and wandered the castle. Kelnys procuring a charcuterie platter for four as Dolly and Endellion/Ellowyn headed to the observatory at the top of the castle. There Dolly took Endellion/Ellowyn into her confidence revealing that she was also a native of Mouse, but she never felt the love for home that Endellion/Ellowyn had.
Dolly took advantage of her new ability and assumed Morgan’s visage once more, using his voice to contact The Spinner through a former associate’s sending stone.
“The supplies were delivered by the tiefling and the elf, but the Grenwyrds held fast, Mouse stands.”
The reply from The Spinner arrived,
“You know what this means, Morgan. She will pay the price.”
Back in Endellion/Ellowyn chambers, Kelnys shared out a stinky cheese and pickle platter before you all settled down to sleep. The next morning you woke, LEVELED UP, and (eager to learn what you could from the Grenwyrds before you departed). Kylen schooled Kelnys in the use of martial weapons and gifted him a chain shirt so that he could be more aggressive in battle. Dolly went to see Torian and was given a book that could be studied to improve her constitution. Dolly questioned her friend’s brother on the nature of good and evil, but the tiefling was wracked with doubt over matters of far greater significance. Her scent. Torian was instantly out of his depth but confimed that she smelled lovely.
Finally, I (tCntM) was giften Kellin’s magical Grenwyrd crossbow, though the weapon was in need of attention from an armorer or blacksmith for it to function properly. The only condition demanded was that I was sworn to fight alongside his sister and keep her safe. He happily agreed.
The party discussed Endellion/Ellowyn and her new name, with the Grenwyrd daughter asking to be called Ellowyn from now on. Lesota gifted Ellowyn a large bag of gold originally intended for her dowry and mother and daughter shared a moment of understanding. Ellowyin then tracked down Agatha (her tutor) and asked for books that could help her teach I to read. Agatha found some suitable texts including a book of Ellowyn’s own adventure stories written by her long ago.
As you prepared to leave, you spotted Eden and his wife Isolde having a whispered argument. As your path to the Sanctum led you past Yannick (the open town where Isolde was raised) she wanted you to tell her mother Aeris (the Reeve (mayor) of Yannick) to relocate the populous to Mouse, thereby increasing the chance of both populations surviving another attack. You agreed to do so and then hit the road. Taking the path north towards Baruun, then crossing the Serafin river and heading into the woods known as Mab.
That evening you returned to the tavern where you met Paddy and rested there that night, reaching the Serafin river the next morning. The river had changed, opaque and bright blue, much to the confusion of a dwarven fisher. Your investigations revealed nothing of use. The river behaved exactly as expected, the only change seeming to be the color. Despite your confusion there seemed little else to do and you continued over the bridge and into Mab.
As you journeyed deeper into the woods, you began to smell herbs and perfume on the wind. On a verge beside the road you found wagon of hazelnut wood covered in layers of gossamer fabric. Sat at the rear of the wagon was a figure in robes the colors of Autumn leaves, their face hidden behind a golden mask with a long, hooked tube over the mouth. You recognized this figure as a member of The Gracious (an order of mystics who trade in scurrilous rumors, forgotten truths, and lost stories).
Dolly wished to hear a truth and was taken into the wagon with the mystic, who she recognized as the senior member of the order (The Docent of Grace). Placing the end of the mask into Dolly’s ear, the Docent breathed and whispered revealing that someone Dolly sought could be found in the Fort Forest in the southeast of the continent.
Raidion was encouraged by the others to hear a truth of his own and under duress agreed to follow the Docent into the wagon. As she searched for a truth for Raidion, he was pulled into a vision. A figure with golden skin stood before and unscarred Raidion holding the bag that contains the Deck of Many Friends, then they spoke,
“It will come for you Astarlis. Why? Why must you act on every impulse if you care about anything but yourself?”
Raidion demanded that the vision stop and the Docent led him back out into the light to join his companions. As a token of good will, after the money the party had spent, she gifted them all a single line from a story. Then when she began to whisper to Kelnys, she shuddered and spoke something you first heard from the orbs in the peak of Mt Atria,
“The Murk is thick, the Briar will hold.”
Kelnys, you feel the beak of this mask almost trembling. She takes a step back and the rest of you see she reaches out a hand as if to steady herself. Her masked face still turned towards you (Kelnys) and she says in a voice that you can barely hear,
“I do not know this story.”

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