# 8. Session Eight — Road to Polark **In-game start:** Spring 60 | **Played:** 21 May 2025 [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/01 - Sessions/Session 07 - Dilemmas - Part 3|← Session 07]] · [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/00 - Campaign Overview/Campaign Overview|Campaign Hub]] · [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/01 - Sessions/Session 09 - Where there's a Will, there's a way - Through the Mistrise Pass|Session 09 →]] > [!abstract]+ TL;DR > - [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] begins to investigate the marks the beast left on the ground and finds out that it has talons and a 40 ft wingspan, but did not seem to kill to eat, just to kill. > - Orb glass ball, smokey glowing with divination magic → [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] > - The group headed back to Enna’s house and described what had happened to the Jacob’s and the creature that had slaughtered them all. They told her of what the goblin had divulged with the monks being involved and behind everything. > - [[Pipe]] then begins his ritual and opens a portal to this other realm. [[Pipe]] begins to struggle and wince with pain, but holds on to the spell and continues. There is a crunch and a crack, as the portal changes shape and [[Pipe]] begins to shout “SOMETHING IS WRONG! I CAN’T BREAK IT!” > - [[Elena]] then shares what she has found with the group and says there are probably a few items that [[Pipe]] will need to identify when he comes back. At that point, [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] bursts in holding Pipe’s cloak and tells the girls that he was sucked into a portal after his ritual cast went wrong. > - [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] and [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] begin to feel unwell and [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] realises that it may be the water, and this may be why Pipe’s ritual went so wrong. > - The party then headed to the infirmary and spoke with Fran and refilled their water barrels and let her know the well was being taken care of. > - Mealla’s watch is spent thinking about her family, and whether or not her father would be disappointed or proud of her. > [!star]- Memorable Moments > - 🤢 **Gross — Pipe:** Pipe is so fascinated by the mutilated creature at the camp that he tries to analyse it through the nausea — then promptly vomits all over himself and runs for the treeline. > - 🫣 **Unhinged — Elena:** Elena heals a dying goblin so she can continue interrogating it, drives a hand into its wound and squeezes its liver for answers; once it finally names the monks, Raphius ends the interrogation with one sword stroke. > - 😱 **Oh Shit — Pipe / Raphius:** Pipe’s ritual goes catastrophically wrong. Raphius grabs for him as the portal drags him away and is left holding nothing but a fistful of the gnome’s cloak. > - 🔥 **Petty — Raphius:** Before leaving Briar’s Creek, Raphius carves Serapha’s symbol into a redwood and lights it up specifically to antagonise the Brotherhood. > - ❤️ **Emotional — Persephone / Elena:** Persephone admits she is scared and traumatised by everything she has seen; Elena reminds her that darkness exists whether she looks for it or not, and that being frightened does not mean she has to face it alone. ## Session Notes The session starts with the party standing in the middle of a now still camp, bathed by soft moonlight, surrounded by gore. [[Pipe]], struggling to speak through his stomach churning, announced that the creature was fascinating, before voiding the contents of his stomach all over himself and running off to the treeline covering his mouth. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] begins to investigate the marks the beast left on the ground and finds out that it has talons and a 40 ft wingspan, but did not seem to kill to eat, just to kill. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] slumps against a tree, seemingly defeated and distressed. [[Elena]] kicks over some bodies looking for anything useful / usable. Sees several goblins who are still breathing slowly but leaves them be for the meantime. Finds a goblin stash / chest inside of which is: Small brass bell, → [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] Red green yellow gem → [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] Brass mirror → [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] Orb glass ball, smokey glowing with divination magic → [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] 1x potion = greater healing → [[Elena]] Ring with glimmer unnatural = transmutation → [[Elena]] Spell scroll = speak with animals* only → [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] 65GP total → [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] which she stores in her backpack to discuss with the group later. [[Elena]] then goes back over to one of the goblins that still lived and knelt down beside it. She questioned it, but the goblin insulted her and then died, so she brought it back with cure wounds. As it drew breath again, [[Elena]] thrust her hand into the side of the goblin and squeezed his liver hard. The goblin screamed at her and pulled away trying to run, as [[Elena]] interrogated the goblin trying to get information out of it. The goblin collapsed several feet away as [[Elena]] walked after it, its liver in her hand. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] approached with his sword drawn, and [[Elena]] said to not bother as the creature was already dead to rights. She brought the goblin back again with another cure wounds and interrogated it, enough to make a deal with it, that if it told her what she wanted to know she would have [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] heal it. The goblin spat out that the monks hired them. Then [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] cleaved it in two with his sword. [[Elena]] asked [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] what he knew about goblins and whether it was normal that they would work for humans. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] said this was indeed unusual. [[Elena]] said they should head back to [[Briar's Creek|Briar’s Creek]] and discuss this further with [[Enna]], as these monks were obviously up to no good. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] gathered up the Jcaob’s bodies and put them in the cart and started a pyre to burn them. The now somewhat sombre party headed back to [[Briar's Creek|Briar’s Creek]]. On return to [[Briar's Creek|Briar’s Creek]], the group met up with [[Enna]] who had been waiting for them, despite it being 2am. They shook their heads and handed them the white hair clip that [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] had found. They asked [[Enna]] to accompany them back to her house as they had news to share with her. [[Enna]] said yes, but be quick as she was exhausted and further developments had been occurring in the village. People were getting sick, a sickness was spreading and the morgue was now being used as a triage field hospital. The group headed back to Enna’s house and described what had happened to the Jacob’s and the creature that had slaughtered them all. They told her of what the goblin had divulged with the monks being involved and behind everything. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] handed [[Pipe]] the vial of green liquid that she had scooped up and [[Elena]] asked whether it was the same as the one they found in the sewer. [[Pipe]] said yes. The group wondered what creature it could be if it had been affected by the chemical and grown in size. The group ate some food, and [[Elena]] washed up at the well. RaphiusRaphius went off to a nearby redwood tree and carved a symbol of the Dawnfather in it and cast light on it to antagonise the monks and proclaim he devoutness to the gods. The group take a long rest [[Pipe]] wakes up early and nudges [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] awake excitedly and asks him to accompany him as he summons more random creatures that he knows very little about. He says all he needs is a pail of water, so [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] accompanies him. [[Pipe]] then begins his ritual and opens a portal to this other realm. [[Pipe]] begins to struggle and wince with pain, but holds on to the spell and continues. There is a crunch and a crack, as the portal changes shape and [[Pipe]] begins to shout “SOMETHING IS WRONG! I CAN’T BREAK IT!” [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] tries to grab [[Pipe]] and pull him away from the portal as he is dragged towards it, but instead he is left with a handful of Pipe’s cloak as the gnomish wizard is pulled into the portal and it closes behind him. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] is left standing there with a pail of water and Vantar’s Sanctuarium. The girls wake up as the boys leave and [[Elena]] pours the group some water and asks how they’re doing. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] says she is ok, but [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] says she is scared and traumatised by everything she has seen. [[Elena]] comforts her and says she is young and that there is much darkness in the world, and it will be there if you look at it or not. The trick is to try and push back the darkness to let some of the light in. [[Elena]] then shares what she has found with the group and says there are probably a few items that [[Pipe]] will need to identify when he comes back. At that point, [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] bursts in holding Pipe’s cloak and tells the girls that he was sucked into a portal after his ritual cast went wrong. [[Elena]] berates him, saying the last ritual almost burnt his nipples off and we had agreed that [[Pipe]] would not do this again until he had sought further input and advice from more learned academics at Oxentraut. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] is admonished and says we will just have to hope [[Pipe]] finds his way back to us and that we should leave a note with [[Enna]]. [[Elena]] casts detect magic and divides out the loot. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] and [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] begin to feel unwell and [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] realises that it may be the water, and this may be why Pipe’s ritual went so wrong. The group agrees to tell [[Enna]] as this may be why the village is getting sick. The well may be poisoned. As the group leaves Enna’s house they spot several figures on horseback approach. One is a younger elven gentleman who appears to exude an aura of authority and expectation of being followed. An older gentleman who seems perhaps wiser, but knows his place is also in attendance. [[Enna]] is speaking with them and leads them into the council house. [[Elena]] sends [[Myst]] at Persephone’s suggestion and [[Myst]] lands on the roof and tries to listen in but just hears some simple details where [[Enna]] is delivering a report to the guards. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] shares that she thinks she recognises the young Elf. She thinks that his father is on the council of Sol Cove with her own father. She remembers seeing him through her window when she was a young girl. She shares that Eladrin usually change their appearance based on their mood, but she was born on the first day of spring and was called the child of eternal spring and is unable to change her appearance even though she experiences a full range of emotions. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] told a member of the town militia about the well being bad and they all exclaimed in dismay and formed a line of people that ended up dangling a small halfling into the well who pulled out the corpse of a goblin that had been decaying in the water. The group agreed to swing by the infirmary and speak with Henna before leaving the village. They spotted [[Enna]] and the two arrivals leaving the council house and called over to her. The group informed the trio about the situation with the well and struck up a conversation with the two guards. He asked everyone where they were from and asked [[Elena]] about what god she was a cleric of and what rites she had done. The party then headed to the infirmary and spoke with Fran and refilled their water barrels and let her know the well was being taken care of. They then decided to leave town and head west, but spoke with [[Enna]] first to let her know. She told them that [[Polark]] was heavily converting to the old gods out of fear of the troubles. Further west, [[Voran's Well|Voran’s Well]] has gone full scientology and will likely be quite hostile to any talks against the old gods. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] gives [[Enna]] the 65gp they took from the goblins and said to use it to rebuild and buy supplies. [[Enna]] darts off quickly and comes back, followed shortly afterwards by [[Drannock]], who hands the group some tents. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] and him greet each other with some top quality banter and [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]]. Elenea and [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] take a swig of his Stoneholt moonshine and [[Elena]] splutters on it, coughing and choking. The group say goodbye and head out, but not before [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] leaves a note for [[Pipe]] at Enna’s house to let him know they have headed west. By the time the group leaves, it is around 3pm. They head out, trekking along a warm and rustic path. A trade route of sorts, but not easy going by any means. Mist hangs heavy in the air. The smell of pine trees lingers in the air. The group head towards [[Polark]]. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] doesn’t find anything amongst the trees to hunt. Like walking through the clouds, the condensation clings to them. [[Myst]] is unable to see much ahead of them throughout the thick blanket of white moisture. The group press on and continue their trek until about 10pm when [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] finds a perfect little camp spot. They set up the weirdstone and [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] sets up tents whilst [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] starts a campfire. On Raphius’ watch he writes a letter and seals it with wax and his signet. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] Contemplates on things by the fire and feels that he has let them down somewhat and steels himself into alertness, determined to keep his discipline. Elena’s watch is passed by the fire reading [[The Final Journey]] and concentrating on the ring on her finger. She feels it radiating warmth into her and realises this is a [[Ring of Warmth]]. Mealla’s watch is spent thinking about her family, and whether or not her father would be disappointed or proud of her. She feels that it is her fault that they did not save Jacob's family in time, as she did not track well enough and utilise the skills that he taught her. She takes her pendant off her neck and wraps it around her wrist and pulls her glove over it so it is not so visible, but still with her. She remembers the words her Grandmother Rhionys said to her and the promise that she extracted from her. A guilt creeps in on her. Despite knowing that she should not be dwelling on things, she can’t help but blame herself slightly. The pendant pressing into her wrist reminds her of the duty she swore to protect the family, the livelihood, the swarm. As Mealla’s watch nears its end, she hears footsteps about 150 ft away. Under the moonlight, she spots the frame of a boy, late teens perhaps, walking slowly with heavy footsteps towards her. Their eyes meet over the campfire, as he raises a hand in greeting. ## Session End State > [!success]- Where Things Stand > - The group say goodbye and head out, but not before [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] leaves a note for [[Pipe]] at Enna’s house to let him know they have headed west. > - By the time the group leaves, it is around 3pm. > - [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] doesn’t find anything amongst the trees to hunt. > - The group press on and continue their trek until about 10pm when [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] finds a perfect little camp spot. > - As Mealla’s watch nears its end, she hears footsteps about 150 ft away. [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/01 - Sessions/Session 07 - Dilemmas - Part 3|← Session 07]] · [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/00 - Campaign Overview/Campaign Overview|Campaign Hub]] · [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/01 - Sessions/Session 09 - Where there's a Will, there's a way - Through the Mistrise Pass|Session 09 →]]