# 36. Session Thirty Six — To Ol' Hill **In-game start:** Summer 9 | **Played:** 18 February 2026 [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/01 - Sessions/Session 35 - Together We Grow|← Session 35]] · [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/00 - Campaign Overview/Campaign Overview|Campaign Hub]] · [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/01 - Sessions/Session 37 - The Leechers, The Witch and the War Mage|Session 37 →]] ![[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/99 - Attachments/Session Artwork/Session 36/Harringdon Carriages.jpeg|780]] > [!abstract]+ TL;DR > - **Elena Wakes Changed:** She studies the bloody bandage on her fist (from punching the mirror and cutting her knuckles), runs her fingers across her now wrinkled face, touches the scar from [[Merric Veil]], then her shaven hair. > - **Zuri’s Device Comes Out:** [[Elena]] places the device on the table and admits she’s suspicious: she wonders if it could be linked to the “veil” blinding the gods — some sort of emanation, aura, or field — but without Pipé’s arcane knowledge, she’s guessing. > - **Healing Goes Wrong:** That scares everyone, because it suggests the corruption isn’t just “out there.” It’s touching them. > - **Vosandra, Up Front:** [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] asks to sit up front with [[Vosandra]] and presses her about her powers and heritage. > - **Stop Two: The Fighting Ring:** [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] approaches the boy and asks if he is training for The Trials, he excitedly responds “Yes”. > - **Sparring: Elena vs Raphius, Then Persephone:** [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] successfully dodges Elena’s initial attacks and strikes her with the flat of his blade. > - **Raphius’ Dream:** He finds himself in a vivid dream: golden fields of [[Solland]] at sunset, warm breeze through long grass. > - **Mealla Listens — and the Rot Answers:** [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] steps off to one side and does what Ashwin taught her: listen. > [!star]- Memorable Moments > - 😂 **Chaos — Persephone:** Persephone attacks Zuri’s supposedly indestructible device with cutlery, dents the table in the process and then quietly slides a plate over the damage as if nobody noticed. > - 🥊 **Competitive — Elena / Persephone / Raphius:** A friendly spar escalates when a cocky Persephone challenges Elena, gets tripped, lands a psychic hit and draws blood; Raphius has to cast Command to stop them and catches Persephone as she falls. > - 😨 **Ominous — Raphius / Elena:** Raphius tries to heal the sparring injuries and feels the magic bleed away again, confirming that whatever is spreading through Talador may now be affecting them too. > - 💔 **Raw — Elena:** Alone with her reflection, Elena studies the shaven hair, Merric’s scar and the bloody knuckles left from punching the mirror — all the ways the last few weeks have visibly rewritten her. > - 🤯 **Mystery — Raphius:** Raphius dreams of golden Solland, wakes with Vhail’s Blade in his hands and spends half an hour sitting with it, trying to understand whether the thing itself just reached into his sleep. ## Session Notes The morning after chasing hostages, surviving [[Tescalian]], and the fight to the death against Zuri Kulumu, the party wake in Vosandra’s conjured mansion. The beds were soft, the food plentiful, and none of it changes the truth: the world outside is rotting. They also wake with a clock in their throats: three days remain until their next conversation with [[Myvendra]]. ### [[Elena]] Wakes Changed [[Elena]] wakes last. ![[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/99 - Attachments/Characters/Elena.jpeg|780]] She studies the bloody bandage on her fist (from punching the mirror and cutting her knuckles), runs her fingers across her now wrinkled face, touches the scar from [[Merric Veil]], then her shaven hair. She summons [[Myst]] and shares a quiet moment with him, simply enjoying his presence and the fact he looks at her the same. Downstairs, the group stare as [[Elena]] descends. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] is first to approach, saying she likes the look and asking if [[Elena]] is okay. [[Elena]] explains that if she’s stuck looking twenty years older, she’s going to do it her way — control her appearance, her choices, her destiny. If a chance to reverse the aging appears, she’d take it immediately, but if it doesn’t, she’s made peace with it. She refuses to look like her mother. She refuses to become her. ### [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] Apologises [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] admits he feels guilty for not properly asking [[Elena]] how she was the night before. He was too caught in his own spiral — the losses, the blade, the weight of it all. He tells her that she’s always been wise beyond her years, and for the first time, she looks the age of that wisdom. As [[Elena|Elene]] speaks of their accomplishment, [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] highlights that [[Lucius Neeve|Lucius]] is a larger threat than Zuri. We need help, and perhaps Pipes map is the key to finding a valuable ally. Then he ruins the tone by blurting out and asking if [[Pipe|Pipé]] has shown everyone his new pet yet. ### Pipé’s New Summon: Silver Glass [[Pipe|Pipé]] reveals his newly summoned creature from [[Vanthar's Sanctarium|Vanthar’s Sanctarium]]: Silver Glass — a strange being capable of duplicating itself, used for protection and hunting. [[Pipe|Pipé]] says it’s in everyone’s best interest not to keep secrets, and that he shouldn’t drag [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] out and keep secrets from the group. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] replies he didn’t realise it was a secret, but he’s glad [[Pipe|Pipé]] came to him. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] explains that after what happened in [[Briar's Creek|Briars Creek]], he wanted to make sure [[Pipe|Pipé]] was safe. [[Pipe|Pipé]] thanks him and hopes there are no more “accidents.” He implies it’ll be good to have something “watching their backs” — tying into the new summon. ### Zuri’s Device Comes Out [[Pipe]] removes himself from the group to focus on something, whilst the attention of the rest of the group turns to the strange circular golden device recovered from Zuri — etched with runes, mechanical, humming faintly with residual magic. At the same time, [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] keeps seeing something that freaks her out: a floating brain in a cloak, drifting around [[Pipe|Pipé]] throughout the morning. She tries to pretend she didn’t see it, stuffs her face with food, and acts normal anyway. It does not help. [[Elena]] places the device on the table and admits she’s suspicious: she wonders if it could be linked to the “veil” blinding the gods — some sort of emanation, aura, or field — but without Pipé’s arcane knowledge, she’s guessing. ### Testing the Device: It Won’t Open They attempt multiple approaches: - [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] tries prying it with a knife. The knife blunts, the device doesn’t mark. - [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] batters it against the table and scratches at it with cutlery, making enough noise that even the unseen servants and [[Vosandra]] react. She hits the table so hard it leaves a dent. She then serubticiously covers the mark with a plate. - After the commotion, [[Pipe]] returns and examines it for roughly ten minutes, noting the runes suggest plane-shifting / conjuration magic. - [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] helps assess its construction and identifies the metal as an alloy of adamantine and orichalcum — absurdly strong. - [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] tries probing the small holes with a needle. The needle bends against a transparent barrier. They locate five tiny holes in the device: - Three contain dull grey stones - Two contain glowing red crystals behind a transparent barrier The conclusion is immediate: [[World of Tarin/06 - Items & Artifacts/Aetherite|Aetherite]]. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] attempts to will the device open. The hum increases slightly, suggesting it responds to intent. When he casts Light on it, the hum becomes easier to hear. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] also recognises its silhouette and construction: it resembles the golden contraption they saw worn on [[Lucius Neeve|Lucius]] Neave’s back in Eli’s vision — raising the possibility this device is connected to [[Lucius Neeve|Lucius]], and possibly to [[Keth]]. [[Keth]] seems to be the link here [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] deducts. To [[Lucius Neeve|Lucius]] and the Order, [[The Brotherhood]] and Merric, and now this Cult of O’hrum. ### Healing Goes Wrong [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] tests healing magic, assuming the device may be involved… and something is wrong. When he attempts to heal, the energy dissipates strangely, with only half reaching its target. The rest seems to bleed away in a direction that isn’t visible. That scares everyone, because it suggests the corruption isn’t just “out there.” It’s touching them. ### The Decision: Don’t Activate It Yet They debate using the device. If it is a portal tool, activating it could open straight into: - Lucius’ laboratories - an Order stronghold - or something worse, given how many pocket-dimension / planar effects they’ve already tangled with They agree to wait until after investigating the abandoned laboratory near their destination before experimenting further. ### Talador’s Cough Their planning is interrupted when Talador arrives coughing and spluttering. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] attempts Lesser Restoration. It has no effect. [[Elena]] examines him and notes: - inspiratory crackles - phlegm in the lungs - no fever - heart sounds strong Talador dismisses it as viral and mentions other guards have it. ### The Road East They board the carriage and begin the long journey east toward [[Bastion]], with stops planned at Chadlon, Rodding, and Ol’ Hill. ![[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/99 - Attachments/Session Artwork/Session 36/Chadlon.jpg|780]] ![[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/99 - Attachments/Session Artwork/Session 36/Rodding.jpeg|780]] ![[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/99 - Attachments/Locations & Shared Scenes/Ol Hill.jpeg|780]] Talador confirms the laboratory they’re seeking is near Ol’ Hill, about a day or two away. ### [[Vosandra]], Up Front [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] asks to sit up front with [[Vosandra]] and presses her about her powers and heritage. After being poked and annoyed enough by Persephone, [[Vosandra]] gives a rare moment of openness, then slams the door immediately: “My mother was a witch and my dad’s a god. Onwards!” ### Ravens in the Sky [[Elena]] uses [[Myst]] to scout as they travel. She repeatedly spots ravens appearing at distance, watching. He warns the party they’re still being observed. [[Vosandra]] scans the skies and responds by launching fireballs upward to scare off the spy birds, confirming Raphius’ suspicions. During one of these scouting moments, [[Elena]] also observes: - the expansive forest to the south - and a large stone structure to the northeast ### Stop One: Small Hamlet After roughly three hours of travel, they stop at a very small hamlet with basic blockwork cottages and thatched roofs. Talador checks on the settlement and returns after about twenty minutes, reporting nothing unusual — and noting that some people from [[Tescalian]] had arrived here before the tragedy. ### Stop Two: The Fighting Ring They stop again at a cluster of cottages gathered around a grassy mound with a circular wooden fighting ring. Two boys spar with wooden swords. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] approaches the boy and asks if he is training for The Trials, he excitedly responds “Yes”. ![[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/99 - Attachments/Session Artwork/Session 36/boy.jpeg|780]] He curiously asks if he’s a soldier and if he’s brave, admitting he keeps getting hit. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] gives him blunt advice: The shield is more important than the sword. Don’t get hit. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] ponders if he wishes his childhood on another child - is this the life for a child? Talador returns relieved this settlement is safe and not like [[Tescalian]]. ### Crownsguard Confrontation Shortly after, the carriage encounters two Crown’s Guards on the road. Talador jumps out and confronts them, demanding to know where they’ve been and why settlements like [[Tescalian]] were left unprotected. His voice rises as he gestures toward what happened. Before leaving, he leans out of the carriage and spits the line like judgement: “You’re making a fucking mockery of the crown. Do your job better.” ### Evening: Back to the Mansion That evening, [[Vosandra]] opens the doorway again and the party re-enter the Magnificent Mansion. ![[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/99 - Attachments/Locations & Shared Scenes/Magnificent Mansion.jpg|780]] ![[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/99 - Attachments/Session Artwork/Session 36/Magnificent Mansion Day.jpeg|780]] ### Sparring: [[Elena]] vs [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]], Then [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] [[Elena]] and [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] spar to test whether recent events have affected them physically. The unseen servants reconfigure the space into a sparring arena with a stone floor and weapon racks. - [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] successfully dodges Elena’s initial attacks and strikes her with the flat of his blade. - [[Elena]] dodges and then later strikes [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] on the back with the flat of [[Spada]]. - [[Elena]] throws [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] off and climbs onto him - [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] grapples [[Elena]], and trows he off. - [[Elena]] then declaring she still has her reflexes. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]], feeling cocky, asks to spare [[Elena]]. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]], hoping to teach her a lesson on over confidence casts Bless on [[Elena]]. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] throws daggers; [[Elena]] dodges. [[Elena]] trips [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] with a trip attack; [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] retaliates with a psychic dagger strike, and things get too intense, [[Elena]] drawing blood from [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]]. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] casts Command to stop the spar when it becomes dangerous, catching [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] as she falls. Talador approaches mid-way through, eating an apple and watching. Afterward, [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] attempts to heal the injuries — and again feels the magic dissipate strangely, flowing away instead of fully landing. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] expresses concern: whatever is affecting Talador might be affecting himself and [[Elena]] too… and the earlier “half-healing” wasn’t a fluke. ### [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] and the Hive [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] retreats to her room and communes with her hive, compulsively checking on it — counting bees, checking larvae/pupae, ensuring reproduction continues. She finds comfort in the small certainty of it, reflecting on Ashwin’s words about listening to the world and feeling the hive’s care for her. ### Raphius’ Dream That night, [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] reads and later falls asleep. ![[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/99 - Attachments/Session Artwork/Session 36/raph dream 01.jpeg|780]] He finds himself in a vivid dream: golden fields of [[Solland]] at sunset, warm breeze through long grass. His land. His people. The smell of home. He says aloud: “I’m coming home.” A voice behind him whispers the exact same words at the exact same time. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] spins, drawing his blade — but sees no one. Then the feeling shifts, from behind him, to the object in his hands. [[Vhail's Blade|Vhail’s Blade]]. It whispers: “I’m coming home. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] wakes with a start, grabs [[Vhail's Blade|Vhail’s Blade]], and sits with it for thirty minutes, trying to hear anything more. “What are you?” The blade feels empty. Silent. Eventually, [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] drifts back to sleep. ### The Next Morning: Device Obsession and the [[Myvendra]] Deadline In the morning, [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] eats breakfast, pretending she didn’t see the floating brain. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] comes downstairs and immediately asks for the device again, spending his morning obsessively examining it — twisting it, moving it, humming it, trying different words. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] investigates the five holes and wagers that with two red crystals remaining, the device likely has two charges left — implying each activation consumes one. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] concludes the device is not the answer to Myvendra’s test: they need [[World of Tarin/06 - Items & Artifacts/Aetherite|Aetherite]] elsewhere — the lab. The party debates Myvendra’s impending test. The clock has tightened: they now speak in terms of two days remaining. [[Elena]] suggests [[Myvendra]] will only be interested in true power, not temporary abilities they don’t understand. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] also reveals she has been experiencing premonitions — seeing events before they happen. They again debate activating the device, but agree to wait until after investigating the laboratory before experimenting. ### Arrival at Ol’ Hill The journey to Ol’ Hill takes around eight hours, with the forest creeping ever closer. Ol’ Hill sits almost on the brink of the Fae-touched woods. It’s a tight cluster of cottages and simple buildings around a central well. Beyond the last homes is a small dense wood of tall trees. The wind carries damp leaves, woodsmoke, and bitter herbs. The settlement looks unkempt. People mill about listlessly. The sound of frequent coughing permeates the air. The place feels sick. As the carriage stops, Talador is heard coughing and slips slightly on the last step as he descends. He looks weaker. He heads off with a few guards, saying he’ll only be a few minutes. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] and [[Elena]] exchange worried looks and speak quickly about how the illness appears worse here — and how it seems to worsen the closer they get to the laboratory. [[Elena]] wonders whether to spend time examining villagers or whether the source is the lab itself — and if they should head there immediately. ### [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] Listens — and the Rot Answers [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] steps off to one side and does what Ashwin taught her: listen. At first it’s faint — rhythmic static like a heartbeat, echoes like a cave. Then it amplifies into voices — dozens, hundreds, thousands — and the static becomes a hot needle inside her skull. A deep voice pushes through it all: “HEAR ME.” The pain becomes unbearable and [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] withdraws her senses back into herself, taking psychic damage. She hurries back to the group, primarily addressing [[Elena]], and says she heard it — she thinks it could be the rot again. [[Elena]] immediately stands to alert. She thinks back to [[World of Tarin/02 - Places/01 - Nations & Regions/Dharan|Dharan]] and says it doesn’t look the same… but [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] is sure it’s something of that nature, even if she can’t point to a direction. The group discuss how troubling this is: they don’t know how any of these phenomena are linked, but events are converging, escalation is accelerating, and time is running out. ### “Strike Her Down.” [[Vosandra]] hops down and gestures for [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] to join her. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] heads off to Talador and [[Vosandra]] while the others agree to follow [[Elena]] to try and find the local apothecary. They enter a humble abode where Talador speaks with a frail elderly gentleman: Sallis. ![[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/99 - Attachments/Characters/Sallis Thumb.jpeg|780]] They ask about the illness — when it started, how it spread. Sallis replies immediately: she did it. He is certain. Vivian. The town healer. He claims she cursed them all. He says they’re afraid of her — otherwise they would have struck her down already. He begs Talador to strike her down and end their suffering. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] thinks back to false witch accusations and burnings at the stake — and freezes. He asks where Vivian can be found. Sallis directs them to a hut on the edge of the woods and warns she has magic and will keep them away. Meanwhile, the others walking through town asking about the apothecary are met with hysteria and more accusations: Vivian used to be their healer, but several weeks ago she “changed,” locked herself away, and has been poisoning the town. The only help the villagers want is someone to kill her. A man comes out and shoos the villagers away, warning the party that Vivian is a witch who will strike them down if they approach. ### Vivian’s Cottage The group reconvene and agree: they will speak to this healer before passing judgement. They follow the smell of bitter herbs toward the edge of the village and the woods. As they draw closer to Vivian’s home, the air begins to writhe and swirl with visible magical effects — shifting lights, beings, shapes — a magical field surrounding the cottage like a living warning. A voice reaches them through the wind: “Go away!” And that’s where the session ends — the party standing at the threshold of a warded home, a sick village behind them, a laboratory somewhere near, and the rot in the land starting to speak out loud. ## Session End State > [!success]- Where Things Stand > - [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] investigates the five holes and wagers that with two red crystals remaining, the device likely has two charges left — implying each activation consumes one. > - The wind carries damp leaves, woodsmoke, and bitter herbs. > - The group discuss how troubling this is: they don’t know how any of these phenomena are linked, but events are converging, escalation is accelerating, and time is running out. > - [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] heads off to Talador and [[Vosandra]] while the others agree to follow [[Elena]] to try and find the local apothecary. > - And that’s where the session ends — the party standing at the threshold of a warded home, a sick village behind them, a laboratory somewhere near, and the rot in the land starting to speak out loud. ## Session Gallery > [!note]- Additional Artwork > ![[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/99 - Attachments/Characters/Thomas Waite.jpeg|780]] > ![[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/99 - Attachments/Locations & Shared Scenes/Riftgate.jpeg|780]] [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/01 - Sessions/Session 35 - Together We Grow|← Session 35]] · [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/00 - Campaign Overview/Campaign Overview|Campaign Hub]] · [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/01 - Sessions/Session 37 - The Leechers, The Witch and the War Mage|Session 37 →]]