# 41. Session Forty One — Appeasing a God **In-game start:** Summer 11 | **Played:** 15 April 2026 [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/01 - Sessions/Session 40 - Aetherite Well Earned|← Session 40]] · [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/00 - Campaign Overview/Campaign Overview|Campaign Hub]] · [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/01 - Sessions/Session 42 - Into Feygrove Forest|Session 42 →]] ![[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/99 - Attachments/Characters/Talador Devell2.jpeg|780]] > [!abstract]+ TL;DR > - **Warning Talador:** “We don’t expect you to help fight this [[Lucius Neeve|Lucius]] Neeve… but we hope by travelling with you to [[Bastion]] we may find the help we need. > - **Sleeping Outside:** “If she cannot contact us, then we don’t know what’s going to happen. > - **Preparing for Myvendra:** “We’re willing to help not because we’re forced to… but because we understand.” > - **The Dream of the Elilim Seal:** [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] immediately tried to determine whether this was truly the Seal or simply another dream fabrication. > - **Persephone’s Private Dream:** “…your people… they live still… they are hidden… but even so… they still dream…” > - **Awakening:** “I don’t know if causing a divine war is something I want to be part of… or start.” > - **The Next Morning:** [[Pipe|Pipé]] spent much of the carriage ride studying [[Vanthar's Sanctarium|Vanthar’s Sanctarium]], finally decrypting another section of the tome and discovering the ritual for summoning a Doppel. > - **The Forest Edge:** The session ended with the party standing at the threshold of [[Feygrove Forest]], surrounded by dancing villagers, unsettling laughter, and the growing feeling that something ancient and dangerous waited within the woods beyond. > [!star]- Memorable Moments > - 🙏 **Vulnerable — Raphius:** Raphius finally prays plainly to Serapha: gods are speaking, gods are threatening them, everything is confusing — he is not asking for rescue, only guidance. > - 🔥 **Dark Suggestion — Elena:** Faced with the possibility that Myvendra is weakened and dangerous, Elena voices the brutally direct alternative: **“Maybe if she’s that weak… we just kill her.”** > - 🤯 **Revelation — Myvendra:** Myvendra offers the thing the party most desperately needs to hear: their people are still alive, hidden somewhere — and even hidden, **they still dream**. > - 😬 **Tension — Party:** The group have to decide whether helping an ancient, threatening god is compassion, manipulation or simply the least bad option when she is also trying to save people she loves. > - ❤️ **Solidarity — Raphius / Party:** Whatever they think of Myvendra, Raphius frames the uncomfortable truth: she is in the same position as them — loved ones taken, captive, enslaved or worse. ## Session Notes ### Return to the Mansion The party returned to Talador Devell’s magnificent conjured mansion weary, bruised, and emotionally exhausted after surviving the [[The Order|Universal Order]] laboratory beneath the quarry lake. The enormity of what had happened still lingered over them. They had: - Entered an interdimensional laboratory - Fought a creature that existed partially outside reality - Escaped a collapsing dimensional singularity - Absorbed [[World of Tarin/06 - Items & Artifacts/Aetherite|Aetherite]] into their bodies - Awakened powers they barely understood And now, in only a few hours’ time, they were expected to negotiate with a goddess. Inside the mansion, Talador stood at the great dining table cleaning his sword when [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] approached him. Talador looked relieved to see him alive. “So you didn’t die?” [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] admitted it had been a close call. Talador laughed quietly before replying: “I’ve been to Frontiers Reach with you. I find that very unlikely.” [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] attempted to explain what had happened in the laboratory but eventually admitted: “I could tell you what happened, but you wouldn’t believe me.” Talador responded simply: “Really?” [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] answered: “This was another level. Quite literally.” Talador stood, sword in hand, visibly frustrated he had not been there. “I’m kind of pissed off I wasn’t there.” [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] reassured him it was probably for the best, but Talador admitted he missed fighting beside him. “Hopefully soon. Kind of eager to fight alongside you one more time.” “Only once?” [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] asked. Talador smirked. “Well… more than once.” ### Warning Talador As food appeared endlessly around the table carried by unseen servants, [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] decided Talador and [[Vosandra]] deserved the truth about what was coming. He explained that they were expecting another visit from [[Myvendra]] — an ancient pagan goddess tied to dreams, hope, wishes, and the unconscious mind. He revealed the truth about [[Lucius Neeve|Lucius]] Neeve: - That he had taken their loved ones captive - That he hunted the party themselves - That he manipulated gods - That he held Myvendra’s brother hostage [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] explained that Myvendra’s brother was no benign entity either. He was a forgotten god of: - Nightmares - Anxiety - Doubt - Fear [[Vosandra]] lounged sideways in her chair during the conversation, casually tossing an apple into the air with her elbow before catching it again. After listening for some time she finally remarked dryly: “This sounds less and less like a bargain… and more like a trap.” Talador admitted the situation sounded horrific, but still promised that the Lightkeepers might possess information or aid once they reached [[Bastion]]. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] made it clear they did not expect Talador to fight [[Lucius Neeve|Lucius]] for them. “We don’t expect you to help fight this [[Lucius Neeve|Lucius]] Neeve… but we hope by travelling with you to [[Bastion]] we may find the help we need. The information. The strength.” Talador quietly assured him: “If we can see to this land enough… then I will gladly aid you.” ### Sleeping Outside The party debated whether [[Myvendra]] would even be capable of reaching them within Vosandra’s magically conjured mansion. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] worried the mansion itself might block the dream entirely. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]], however, believed refusing the dream would simply appear as though they were running. “If she cannot contact us, then we don’t know what’s going to happen. She’ll just take that as us running.” Ultimately the group chose to sleep outside beneath the open sky. [[Vosandra]] agreed to check on them roughly an hour after midnight in case something went wrong. Before leaving, she casually remarked: “Talador’s become quite fond of you… so I’d better not let you die.” As she dismissed them from the mansion, she reopened the magical doorway a few moments later just to stare at them silently before closing it again — the closest thing [[Vosandra]] ever came to humour. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] smiled slightly afterward. “So… she does like us.” ### Campfire Conversations Outside, [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] gathered wood and deliberately pretended not to know how to properly light the fire so [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] could show him. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] immediately realised he absolutely knew how to build a campfire already — he had been a soldier for years — but she quietly appreciated the gesture anyway. The moment stirred memories of [[Briar's Creek|Briars Creek]] and someone long ago who had once teased her while forcing her to gather wood. Nearby, [[Pipe|Pipé]] worked within his compendium, meticulously sketching Brogax in disturbing detail: - Every eye - Every tentacle - Every grotesque limb Annotating the creature with obsessive scholarly precision. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] eventually wandered down toward the lakeside alone. There, holding his pendant, he prayed quietly to [[Serapha]]. Not for victory. Not for power. Only for guidance. “[[Serapha]]… this is all very confusing. Gods… gods actually speaking. I’ve always known you there, but I’ve never seen you. Here we have a god threatening us… threatening to put us in danger. I’m not asking for help… just guidance.” For once, [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] felt the terrifying reality that gods were not simply concepts or faith. They were real. And some of them were frightening. ### [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] and the Hive Back at the fire, [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] quietly took Mealla’s hand and told her: “You’re like a sister to me.” [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] responded softly: “You give me strength.” As [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] spoke about bees, hives, queens, and the behaviour of colonies, something shifted within her awakened abilities. For the first time, she truly felt connected to Lyla and the hive itself. Not metaphorically. Literally. She could feel: - Movement within the hive - The bees crawling through tunnels - Their collective awareness - Their queen’s location It was as though [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] herself had become part of the hive consciousness. In Persephone’s mind, [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] whispered: “Listen to the second heartbeat.” ### Preparing for [[Myvendra]] The group discussed strategy for the dream encounter. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] argued empathy was their strongest weapon. “She’s in the same position as us. Loved ones taken. Captive. Enslaved. Maybe worse.” [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] agreed. “We know how she feels.” [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] believed they needed to show [[Myvendra]] genuine understanding rather than fear. “We’re willing to help not because we’re forced to… but because we understand.” Still, nobody trusted the situation. [[Pipe|Pipé]] repeatedly questioned whether the goddess could simply be manipulating them. [[Elena]] openly suggested another option entirely: “Maybe if she’s that weak… we just kill her.” [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] immediately pointed out the obvious flaw: “I don’t think your sword is coming with you.” ### The Dream of the [[The Elilim Seal|Elilim Seal]] Sleep eventually claimed them. ![[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/99 - Attachments/Items & Artifacts/The Elilim Seal.jpg|780]] The dream came almost immediately. The party found themselves standing within an impossible structure [[Myvendra]] claimed was the [[The Elilim Seal|Elilim Seal]] itself. It resembled a colossal divine prison: - Endless black stone - Gigantic impossible architecture - A vast glowing pillar of orange-white light stretching infinitely upward - A doorway so immense its top vanished into darkness The scale was incomprehensible. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] immediately tried to determine whether this was truly the Seal or simply another dream fabrication. As far as he could tell: It was still a dream. But [[Myvendra]] appeared to be telling the truth. ### Myvendra’s Display of Power [[Pipe|Pipé]] pushed [[Myvendra]] too far. He openly questioned whether the orb before them was simply another trap designed by [[Lucius Neeve|Lucius]] to drain their [[Time-Touched]] powers. Myvendra’s expression shifted. Then she whispered: “If I must.” Immediately, all except [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] were violently forced to their knees. Bones strained. Muscles locked. Every part of their bodies was crushed downward by divine force. The group became completely paralysed and unable to speak. Only [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] resisted through sheer willpower. [[Myvendra]] looked almost apologetic afterward. “Apologies.” Before them floated a crystal orb pulsing with white and orange light. This was their test. ### The Orb One by one, the party approached the orb. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] connected first, feeling the familiar resonance of the second heartbeat. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] followed. Remembering Mealla’s teachings, he reached inward toward that second pulse inside himself and connected fully. The orb responded instantly. Ghostly afterimages of Raphius’ hands flickered over its surface like echoes across time itself. [[Myvendra]] watched him carefully. [[Pipe|Pipé]] struggled. His analytical mind again fought the process, but eventually he managed to establish some degree of connection. [[Elena]], however, could not. She strained visibly against the orb: - Sweat forming along the shaved side of her head - Jaw clenched - Muscles trembling But the connection would not fully take hold. Then suddenly— [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] vanished from the dream entirely. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] immediately demanded: “Where’s [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]]? Bring her back.” [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] reassured him: “She’s fine. We are asleep. She is asleep next to me in the tent.” [[Myvendra]] responded coldly: “She is safe for this test.” ### Persephone’s Private Dream Separated from the others, [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] encountered another manifestation of [[Myvendra]] entirely. This version spoke far more personally. She explained how dreams had become leverage for her survival. Secrets. Desires. Hidden truths. All could be weaponised. Then she leaned close to [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] and whispered: “…your people… they live still… they are hidden… but even so… they still dream…” The revelation deeply unsettled [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]]. [[Myvendra]] seemed almost fascinated by her. At one point she physically inspected [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]]: - Tilting her face - Moving her hair - Studying her features Before asking: “Who is in control? Who am I speaking to?” [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] felt something deeply wrong inside herself afterward. An intrusive sensation. Almost like another consciousness buried somewhere within her own mind. Then sudden pain erupted beneath her skin — like something trying to tear outward from inside her body — before vanishing. ### The Seal and the Gods Back in the main dream, [[Myvendra]] explained more about the [[The Elilim Seal|Elilim Seal]]. The Seal imprisoned numerous entities. Not just her brother. One particularly horrifying figure was described only as: “The one who consumes.” Something that had apparently devoured other gods. She also revealed: - Vekuda was the original capital of [[Solland]] - The city had been destroyed during The Breaking - It now lay sunken beneath a gigantic crack in the land - Important archives and knowledge remained buried there [[Myvendra]] warned them repeatedly: “[[Lucius Neeve|Lucius]] is no fool.” She agreed to continue hiding the party from [[Lucius Neeve|Lucius]] temporarily, but made it clear they needed to grow stronger quickly. ### Awakening The party awoke after barely an hour of sleep. They gathered around the dying campfire speaking quietly. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] touched his neck instinctively where [[Myvendra]] had cut him within the dream, relieved to find no wound remained. The group discussed everything they had learned. The revelation that disturbed [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] most was the possibility of releasing ancient gods back into the world. “I’m concerned. If we open this seal… what are we releasing?” He drew parallels immediately to The Breaking itself. “I don’t know if causing a divine war is something I want to be part of… or start.” [[Pipe|Pipé]] theorised the consuming entity might even be some amalgamation of devoured gods. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] quietly admitted the possibility terrified her. The party agreed the Vakuda Archives might hold answers. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] remained withdrawn and evasive about what [[Myvendra]] had shown her. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] noticed immediately she was hiding something. But he chose not to press her. “When you want to let us know what she spoke about… we’re all here.” ### The Next Morning The following morning the party resumed their journey. [[Pipe|Pipé]] spent much of the carriage ride studying [[Vanthar's Sanctarium|Vanthar’s Sanctarium]], finally decrypting another section of the tome and discovering the ritual for summoning a Doppel. The requirements were surprisingly simple: - A shield - A handful of earth Meanwhile, [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] briefed Talador in far greater detail about the [[The Order|Universal Order]] laboratories. He revealed: - The existence of multiple laboratories across [[Solland]] - The [[Shadowfell]] portal device - The monstrous interdimensional creature they fought - Possible links between [[Tescalian]], the laboratories, and the inventor [[Keth]] from [[Arcturox]] Talador became visibly troubled. “That’s much more connected than I thought.” ### Feydown Eventually the party arrived at a small hamlet called Feydown. ![[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/99 - Attachments/Locations & Shared Scenes/Feydown.jpg|780]] Something was immediately wrong. Every villager was dancing. Not celebrating. Dancing compulsively. Skipping. Spinning. Smiling endlessly. But their eyes looked exhausted. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] immediately recognised the similarity to the corrupted village influenced by the [[Blood of Ko]]. The blacksmith was no exception. He hammered metal while dancing erratically, flowers stuffed into his apron pockets. When [[Pipe|Pipé]] asked why everyone danced constantly, the blacksmith answered cheerfully: “For the festival.” “What festival?” [[Pipe|Pipé]] asked. “The festival of the day!” The man claimed to worship [[Serapha]] while continuing his unsettling rhythmic movements. When [[Pipe|Pipé]] jokingly attempted to imitate the dance, the blacksmith visibly grew irritated before dancing away from him. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] became deeply suspicious. “This is very reminiscent of the last village…” ### The Tavern Elsewhere, the party discovered an inn named: “The Absolutely Not Suspicious Tavern” The sign had clearly been painted over many times. Previous names remained partially visible beneath the paint: - Spring Rest - The Laughing Muddy - Don’t Drink Here [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] cast Protection from Evil and Good upon herself before entering, unwilling to risk possession or enchantment. ### The Forest Edge Meanwhile, [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] and [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] investigated strange silhouettes near the forest edge. The figures maintained a constant distance from them no matter how quickly they approached. Each time [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] advanced, the shapes retreated deeper toward the trees. Never closer. Always watching. Eventually the pair reached the edge of [[Feygrove Forest]] itself. Then came the laughter. Small. Childlike. Mischievous. Echoing through the trees. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] immediately realised the figures were attempting to lure them deeper into the woods. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] quietly stated: “I would like to leave.” The session ended with the party standing at the threshold of [[Feygrove Forest]], surrounded by dancing villagers, unsettling laughter, and the growing feeling that something ancient and dangerous waited within the woods beyond. ## Session End State > [!success]- Where Things Stand > - Sweat forming along the shaved side of her head > - “…your people… they live still… they are hidden… but even so… they still dream…” > - It now lay sunken beneath a gigantic crack in the land > - [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] touched his neck instinctively where [[Myvendra]] had cut him within the dream, relieved to find no wound remained. > - Previous names remained partially visible beneath the paint: [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/01 - Sessions/Session 40 - Aetherite Well Earned|← Session 40]] · [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/00 - Campaign Overview/Campaign Overview|Campaign Hub]] · [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/01 - Sessions/Session 42 - Into Feygrove Forest|Session 42 →]]