# 52. Session Fifty Two — The Rose Taken **In-game start:** Summer 22 | **Played:** 1 July 2026 [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/01 - Sessions/Session 51 - The Lightkeepers|← Session 51]] · [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/00 - Campaign Overview/Campaign Overview|Campaign Hub]] · [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/01 - Sessions/Session 53 - Jail Time - Xor, Traitor of Nyxthys|Session 53 →]] ![[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/99 - Attachments/Characters/Bran Bently.jpeg|780]] > [!abstract]+ TL;DR > - **Flight Through Bastion:** Two [[Crownshold|Crownhold]] guards lay behind them in the ruined old marketplace, alive but unconscious, while whistles and shouts began to rise through the curfew-darkened streets. > - **“She Has a Job for You”:** The weight of plate, weapons, blood, sweat and exhaustion pressed down as the two women ran. > - **Pieces, Not Answers:** If creatures from the Onus Wilds were appearing deep inside [[Solland]], and if attacks at [[Frontier's Reach|Frontier’s Reach]] were decreasing, perhaps the enemy had not withdrawn at all. > - **Talador’s Grim Assessment:** When he heard “[[Crownshold|Crownhold]] guards,” his expression shifted from urgency to weary dread. > - **Vosandra’s Questions:** If the blade was a phylactery, why did it need so many souls? > - **Through Bastion in Disguise:** [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]], [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] and disguised [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] moved together, trying to avoid drawing attention. > - **Smoke Over the Gardens:** Smoke rose beyond them, thick and dark, drifting up from the restricted area where the [[World of Tarin/06 - Items & Artifacts/Rose of Igoda]] had once pushed back the rot. > - **The Rose Is Gone:** Without the [[World of Tarin/06 - Items & Artifacts/Rose of Igoda]] holding the rot back, the infestation had surged forward. > [!star]- Memorable Moments > - 😱 **Oh Shit — Elena / Mealla:** The trap in the old marketplace ends with Elena captured and Mealla escaping by the narrowest margin, leaving the party suddenly split with Crownshold whistles rising behind them. > - 💔 **Disaster — Rose / Mealla:** The Rose is taken and the rot responds almost immediately, surging as the one thing visibly holding it back disappears. > - 🌀 **Chaos — Menagerie:** The Menagerie becomes a panic of moving factions, desperate decisions and people choosing who to follow; Ryla ultimately goes after Boristov. > - ❤️ **Proud — Raphius / Persephone:** After Persephone challenges a room full of people far more powerful than her, Raphius tells her plainly that he is proud she had the courage to do it. > - 🤯 **Theory — Vosandra / Raphius:** Vosandra’s thoughts on the cursed blade raise another ugly possibility: some curses do not simply die with their bearer — they can be inherited, transferred or waiting for a new owner. ## Session Notes ### Flight Through [[Bastion]] The session resumed in the immediate aftermath of the ambush at [[Slavers' Row|Slavers’ Row]]. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] and [[Elena]] had survived the trap, but only barely. Two [[Crownshold|Crownhold]] guards lay behind them in the ruined old marketplace, alive but unconscious, while whistles and shouts began to rise through the curfew-darkened streets. More guards were coming. The quiet northern slums of [[Bastion]] suddenly became alive with pursuit. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] did not stop. She ran. With the city walls looming as a fixed point in the darkness, she used them to orient herself, choosing routes through alleys, side streets and narrow lanes. She knew roughly where the slums sat in relation to the gates, the government quarter and the wealthier districts, and she pushed herself toward anything that looked like escape. [[Elena]] followed, armour clanking, sword in hand, still carrying the strain of the fight. Behind them came the sounds of pursuit. Boots. Whistles. Orders. The alarm was spreading. ### Guards in the Alleys As the two women fled, guards began appearing from side streets and corners. One reached for [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]], trying to grab hold of her clothes as she passed. Another lunged toward [[Elena]]. Both women tore free and kept moving. The streets were no longer silent now. Windows opened. People stirred. Somewhere nearby, a dog began barking, then broke loose and came tearing after them. The animal snapped at Mealla’s hand as she tried to calm or distract it, biting hard enough to draw blood and slow her momentum. [[Elena]] turned back without hesitation. Whether with a kick, a strike, or sheer armoured force, she sent the dog tumbling away across the street. It was not enough to kill it, but enough to make it think twice. The dog fled. The guards did not. ### Into the Government Quarter [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] and [[Elena]] burst through into a more official part of [[Bastion]], a district of administrative buildings, government offices and late-working officials still moving crates, papers and supplies even under curfew. The pair were running too fast to navigate cleanly. They crashed into a man carrying parchment, quills and documents, scattering his work and sending themselves sprawling. The impact hit [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] hard. She went down badly. For a moment, she blacked out. [[Elena]] dragged her back up with magic, healing her enough to keep her moving. There was no time to rest, no time to apologise, no time to think. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] came back to herself already being pulled forward. Behind them, the pursuit had grown. Ahead, more guards began forming lines. ### “She Has a Job for You” The chase became a test of endurance. ![[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/99 - Attachments/Locations & Shared Scenes/Bastion Chase.jpeg|780]] Elena’s armour, strength and stubbornness carried her far, but even she began to slow. The weight of plate, weapons, blood, sweat and exhaustion pressed down as the two women ran. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] saw her starting to lag. She pushed her on. [[Nyxthys]] had a job for her. [[Elena]] could not stop here. Not now. Not like this. The words cut through enough to keep [[Elena]] moving, even as the sounds of guards multiplied behind them. By then, it no longer sounded like five guards. Or ten. It sounded like a wave. ### The Fog Cloud Ahead, another obstacle emerged. A large escorted group was moving through the street near what appeared to be The Crucible. Guards and civilians clustered together, blocking the route as they moved through escorted. They had seconds to decide. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] reached for the small bee smoker she carried — the kind of practical tool she used to calm her hive — and turned it into a spell. Smoke poured outward. Not from some grand arcane gesture, but from the humble tool of a beekeeper. A dense fog spilled across the street, swallowing the group ahead in confusion. Voices rose. People shouted. Visibility collapsed. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] slipped into the fog, using her smaller size and the confusion to weave through. For a moment, she became nothing more than a silhouette. Then she was gone. [[Elena]] followed, less subtle and far more battered, forcing her way through the smoke and bodies. It worked. Barely. ### The Outer Fence The chase continued through another stretch of city until they reached the edge of the area, where high fencing, rails and spiked barriers blocked the way out. There was no clean gate. No easy route. Only climb or be caught. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] threw herself up and over, landing hard on the other side as guards reached through from behind. [[Elena]] followed, forcing herself over with sheer determination. For the first time, the barrier bought them a little distance. The guards behind were delayed. But the chase was not over. ### [[Elena]] Taken [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] and [[Elena]] tried to lose themselves in the streets beyond. At first, [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] did everything right. She moved low, fast and quiet. She kept to shadows, cut across lanes and avoided the obvious routes. The sounds of pursuit began to fade behind her. Then she realised something was wrong. [[Elena]] was not with her. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] stopped just long enough to understand the truth. [[Elena]] had been caught. The guards had her. And [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] had not. She was still hidden. Still free. And completely unable to help without throwing herself into the same trap. She reached out through their connection. [[Elena]] was moving. Confused. Angry. But alive. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] told her that they knew where she was. People would come for her. Elena’s reply was softer at first, telling [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] it was not her fault. Then more familiar. Sharper. Stop. She knew where [[Elena]] was. That was enough for now. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] fled for [[House Devell]] alone. ### Return from the Spires At [[House Devell]], [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] and [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] had returned with Talador from the Lightkeepers meeting. The mood was not triumphant. The meeting had given them powerful allies, yes, but not the clear answers [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] had hoped for. There had been recognition, belief, concern, and even military willingness from [[Thiago Radaxian]] — but still no clean target. No definite place to strike. No obvious enemy they could point an army toward. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] apologised to Talador for speaking so bluntly in the meeting. She had been frustrated by the lack of action, but she knew she had little experience in politics, councils, or the careful games of powerful people. Talador did not scold her. He understood the feeling. But he explained the burden from his side. As a lord, and as someone involved with the Lightkeepers, he could not simply show his hand. He could not move carelessly. His mistakes would not only cost him his own life, but potentially the lives of many others. That, he said, was the true weight of action. It was not dying himself that frightened him. It was making the wrong move and dooming everyone else. ### Pieces, Not Answers [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] was quiet after the meeting. The whole way back, his mind circled the same truth. [[The Lightkeepers]] had power. But even they were surrounded by fog. He warned that they could notmarch an army into [[Bastion]] without knowing what the enemy truly was. Innocent people would die. Soldiers would die. And if the wrong target was chosen, the real enemy would remain untouched. Thiago had been right. They needed a target. Talador agreed, though he also admitted [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] had a point. Perhaps they had waited too long for certainty. Perhaps they needed to gamble. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] began thinking aloud. If creatures from the Onus Wilds were appearing deep inside [[Solland]], and if attacks at [[Frontier's Reach|Frontier’s Reach]] were decreasing, perhaps the enemy had not withdrawn at all. Perhaps they had changed route. Perhaps the war was not ending at the border. Perhaps it was being moved through the [[Shadowfell]]. If the Riftgates allowed travel from place to place through that dark echo of the world, then [[Frontier's Reach|Frontier’s Reach]] might not be the front line anymore. The front line could be anywhere. [[Bastion]]. [[Tescalian]]. Any village where a device could open. Any city where the enemy could step through. Talador saw the sense in it, but also the problem. Even if true, how did they fight it? How did they guard against an enemy that could enter the [[Shadowfell]] and emerge somewhere else entirely? [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] suggested looking at Lord Postar’s mines. Postar was too well protected to confront directly. He had the King’s ear, noble authority, and deep influence within the military. If they assaulted him and were wrong, the penalty would be death. But perhaps they could investigate his operations. His mines. His business. His supply lines. If Postar was connected to [[World of Tarin/06 - Items & Artifacts/Aetherite|Aetherite]], the Order, or the shifting loyalties within [[Solland]], then his holdings might reveal something actionable. Talador agreed to look into it. As Talador retreated, [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] and [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] shared a moment of contemplation. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] said he was proud that [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] showed such courage to challenge a whole room of powerful people. ### [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] Bursts In The conversation broke when [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] burst through the door. She slammed it shut behind her and stood there with both hands pressed against it, pale, sweating, shaking and bloodied. A massive bruise was blooming across one side of her face where a hammer had struck her. Blood ran from the wound on her hand where the dog had bitten her. She looked like someone who had run through half the city with death behind her. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] pushed aside whatever was in his way and rushed to her. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] went straight to her as well, crouching, hands reaching to assess and comfort. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] forced the words out. [[Elena]] had been arrested. And it was her fault. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] immediately used Lay on Hands, pouring healing into her before asking for details. Bedly appeared almost at once, reading the room with the exhausted competence of a man far too used to noble chaos. Orders were barked. Cloths, water and a strong sugary tea were brought. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] was guided into a chair. Only then did she explain. They had gone to the Golden Swan. Ryla had not been there. They had gone to the meeting point anyway, unwilling to ignore the possibility that Ryla truly needed help. At [[Slavers' Row|Slavers’ Row]], two [[Crownshold|Crownhold]] guards had been waiting. They had tried to abduct [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]]. [[Elena]] had defended her. They had both fought. The guards were alive, but badly beaten. And somewhere in the chase that followed, [[Elena]] had been taken. Then [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] dropped the purse of gold onto the table. Two hundred and fifty gold. The guards had been paid. ### Talador’s Grim Assessment Talador listened carefully. When he heard “[[Crownshold|Crownhold]] guards,” his expression shifted from urgency to weary dread. This was not a simple street attack. Not legally. Not politically. Not in [[Bastion]]. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] asked whether all Crown Guard could simply be bought. Talador answered bitterly that some would do it for less. He had tested guards himself upon entering the city. One thing he believed in was that the Crown Guard were meant to be loyal above all else — but clearly, that loyalty had limits. He asked for the facts. Two Crown Guard had attempted to abduct [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]]. [[Elena]] defended her. Both guards were alive. [[Elena]] was now arrested. Talador warned that from the law’s perspective, the situation was dangerous. They had no clear proof the guards had been bribed. They did not know the guards’ names. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] could not identify them clearly. The gold was suspicious, but not a complete defence. If [[Elena]] was charged simply with resisting arrest or assaulting guards, she could face jail time. If the assault was judged serious, the punishment could be worse. Not necessarily immediate execution, but severe enough to be terrifying. He would go in the morning. He would make enquiries. He would attempt diplomacy. But he also warned the party that this changed everything. Lord Postar had already seen them. People connected to the city had seen them. By morning, there might well be posters. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] could be wanted. The group needed to consider leaving [[Bastion]]. Talador could not risk the Lightkeepers being exposed or endangered by a rescue attempt gone wrong. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] was still needed. But the party might have to move. ### Speaking to [[Elena]] [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] reached out again to [[Elena]] through their connection. [[Elena]] was still being moved. [[Myst]] was with her, but she had lost [[Spada]] and no longer had her weapons. She was alive. Angry. Probably frightened beneath it. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] apologised again and again. [[Elena]] told her it was not her fault. Then, more firmly, told her to stop. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] asked her to let them know if anything happened, and especially if she felt the divine veil again — the cold absence of Nyxthys’ presence that had signalled the False Hands before. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] added the fear clearly. [[Elena]] was now cuffed, disarmed, isolated and vulnerable. If the yellow-eyed Hand wanted her, she was suddenly an easy target. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] passed the warning along. [[Elena]] understood. The party could do nothing more that night without making things worse. ### A Night of No Answers The hour grew late. Closer to eleven. The adrenaline faded, leaving only exhaustion and fear. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] carried the frustration of the Lightkeepers meeting, the new horror of Zormir’s theory about the blade, and now Elena’s arrest. The day had given him more questions than answers, and every answer seemed to open a new wound. He went upstairs. In his room, he took off the wrapping around [[Vhail's Blade|Vhail’s Blade]] and laid the sword out. Then he sat and stared at it. The blade felt quiet. Content. Almost pleased. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] could feel the faint pull of it again, that subtle inner twinge that reminded him it was never merely an object. It seemed happy. And as he thought back on Zormir’s theory — the blade as phylactery, Q’ruhm as phylactery, each preserving the other — the burden felt closer than ever. The blade was not simply following him. It was part of something. And that something was looking back. ### Persephone’s Fear [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] stayed nearby for a while, quiet and shaken in her own way. Elena’s arrest had affected her more deeply than she had expected. She admitted that something felt less than whole in her chest. She had always wanted peace. Still wanted peace. But now, with [[Elena]] taken, she realised how quickly that desire could twist. She did not know what she would do if one of them was taken. She did not know what she would be willing to risk. [[Elena]] had chosen to come with them. Chosen to stand beside them. And now she was in a cell. The thought sat heavily between them. ### Vosandra’s Questions Later, [[Vosandra]] came to Raphius’ room. She entered without ceremony, as only [[Vosandra]] could, leaning against the furniture and preparing a long pipe while she spoke. She had heard enough of Zormir’s theory to be thinking. The blade. The phylactery. The souls. The way it returned. The first question, she he asked, was simple: Why [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]]? If Q’ruhm wanted the blade tied to someone, why him? Why did it belong to [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] now? Vosandra’s answer was blunt. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] had defeated Vhail. That was why. He had killed the previous master. So the blade passed to him. Simple, perhaps. But simplicity did not mean comfort. Then she raised the deeper question. If the blade was a phylactery, why did it need so many souls? A phylactery should need one soul. One anchor. One point of return. But [[Vhail's Blade|Vhail’s Blade]] did not merely house one soul. It took more. Again and again. [[Vosandra]] spoke of her father. Before her father became what he was, he was a spirit bard, he had been able to hear spirits. To channel them. To draw upon the dead. At first perhaps only one voice, then more, until eventually he could harness other souls. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] understood the implication. The souls in the blade were not only imprisoned. They might be used. Abused. Harvested for power. The same way Q’ruhm once drew upon spirits. The same way the pacts might now forfeit souls to him. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] thought of Zuri. When Zuri died, the blade had been pleased. Happy. It had consumed something. Or received something. [[Vosandra]] did not want to believe her father simply consumed souls. Perhaps he utilised them. Perhaps the distinction mattered to her. But the truth remained ugly. If the blade held many souls, and if Q’ruhm himself was also a kind of phylactery, then perhaps Q’ruhm too held many souls. The blade was not the only vessel. The entity might be one as well. [[Vosandra]] left him with more questions than comfort. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] thanked her dryly for that. Then, exhausted beyond thought, he drifted to sleep staring at the blade. As he slipped under, he felt it again. The sense of the blade looking at him. ### Watching Through the Hive [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] did not sleep easily. Before exhaustion fully claimed her, she used her connection to try and look through one of her hive members near [[Elena]]. The vision was strange. Difficult. Almost as though it bounced off or struck something not quite human. She caught fragments rather than clarity. Subdued sound. Muted sensation. Nothing useful enough to guide a rescue. Eventually, she had to stop. The night passed badly. ### Explosions at Dawn Morning did not arrive gently. Explosions woke them. The sound cracked across [[Bastion]], loud enough to shake sleep from the house. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] jolted awake and rushed to the nearest window. In the distance, smoke rose from the area of the [[Menagerie Gardens]]. The same part of the city where the rot had grown beneath the [[Crownshold|Crownhold]]. The same place where the [[World of Tarin/06 - Items & Artifacts/Rose of Igoda]] had bloomed. She woke [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] immediately. Then went to Raphius’ door to find him already armed and about to exit. Soon Talador was moving too, already heading downstairs as servants and guards stirred throughout the house. Outside, people were gathering in the street, looking toward the smoke and asking questions no one wanted to answer. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] reached out toward the rot. Pain answered. Pain and frustration. Each explosion seemed to coincide with another stab of suffering through the connection. Whatever was happening in the [[Menagerie Gardens]], the rot felt it. And it did not like it. ### The Official Explanation Talador went into the street and forced his way through the gathering crowd, finding Crown Guard to question. When he returned, his expression made it clear he did not believe what he had been told. The official explanation was a military training exercise. Some sort of miniature training manoeuvre or controlled use of machinery within the grounds. No one believed it. Not Talador. Not [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]]. Not [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]]. Not [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]]. No one would choose the [[Menagerie Gardens]], beside the [[Crownshold|Crownhold]], as the site of random explosive military training at dawn. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] immediately thought of the meetings Ryla had planned the previous day with [[Cairnlace Hall]], the Alchemists’ Guild, and those tied to Solland’s defence. Perhaps they had decided to act. Perhaps they were attacking the rot directly. Fireballs. Alchemical blasts. Controlled explosions. Trying to burn the infection out. But if that was true, the Rose was in danger. ### Wanted Before they could move, Persephoned noticed something in the street. A wanted poster. For [[Elena]]? And for [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]]. The drawing was close enough to be dangerous, though not flattering. It exaggerated dwarven features in a broad and unpleasant way: stout frame, rosy cheeks, heavy nose, thick brows, familiar hair. The image was crude. But recognisable enough. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] was now wanted for capture. She could not move openly through [[Bastion]] as herself. So the group improvised. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] produced the disguise kit he had been given back in [[Harringdon]]. Ideas came thick and fast. A beard. No. A false badge. No. Glitter. No. A clown. Absolutely not. Eventually, [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] made the choice herself. She cut off her long braid, giving herself a severe short pixie-like crop. She added glasses and a dark cloak, removed the little hive from the top of her staff, stored what she could, and left the more recognisable stave behind. The disguise was imperfect. But it might be enough at a glance. Talador, seeing them preparing to leave, asked where he would find them. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] said their first step was the Golden Swan. They needed Ryla. After that, likely the [[Menagerie Gardens]]. Talador went away briefly and returned with a stone or token for communication - a sending stone, telling them to keep it on them. He would do what he could diplomatically for [[Elena]], but if they attempted anything reckless, they could not be tied to him. If gold was needed, [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] told him, use it. Bribe a guard. Pay whoever needed paying. Just find [[Elena]] and get word out. Talador promised to do what he could. ### Through [[Bastion]] in Disguise The party made their way into the streets. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]], [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] and disguised [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] moved together, trying to avoid drawing attention. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] walked close to [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]], and eventually the shape of the deception settled into something almost absurdly useful: to the eyes of passing guards, she looked less like the wanted dwarf on the poster and more like a short child or dependent walking beside a much larger man. The city’s assumptions did some of the work for them. One pair of guards did stop them. The guard looked [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] over, then [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]], and asked where they were going. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] answered honestly enough. The Golden Swan. To find a friend. He challenged the stop with controlled confidence, asking whether something was wrong and why they were being questioned. The guard hesitated. Perhaps because of the chaos. Perhaps because [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] looked too imposing to casually harass. Perhaps because Raphius’ manner made him sound like someone who expected to be obeyed. Eventually, the guard backed down. Explosions, he said vaguely, were happening. Nothing to worry about. They were allowed to move on. ### Ryla Missing At the Golden Swan, [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] went straight to the staff. He asked after Ryla: a tall furbolg woman staying there, impossible to miss. The answer came quickly. Ryla had returned late the previous night. And left early that morning. The group exchanged a look. That was enough. They left for the [[Menagerie Gardens]]. ### Smoke Over the Gardens The closer they came to the [[Crownshold|Crownhold]] and the [[Menagerie Gardens]], the louder the explosions became. Crowds were gathering. Crown Guard cordons blocked access to the tourist paths and the ornate garden walls. Smoke rose beyond them, thick and dark, drifting up from the restricted area where the [[World of Tarin/06 - Items & Artifacts/Rose of Igoda]] had once pushed back the rot. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] caught the scent of magic in the air.. The kind of lingering arcane burn left behind by destructive spellwork. He guessed aloud that mages or alchemists were trying to burn the rot back. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] immediately worried about the Rose. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] needed to know what was happening. But the way was blocked. ### [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] Recognised [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] moved toward the cordon, trying to scan the guards for anyone he knew or anyone who looked young enough to be easier to speak with. Instead, one of the guards looked at him a moment too long. Recognition flickered. Not certainty. Not yet. But enough. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] turned away quickly, pretending interest in something else, and murmured to [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] that he had been spotted. This was on her now. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] stepped forward and became exactly what the moment required: an irritated, entitled visitor whose entire day had been ruined. She pressed the guard with questions. Why were the gardens closed? When would they reopen? She had travelled to see them. Was there damage? Would everything be safe? The guard tried to answer politely, repeating the official line about a training exercise, and in doing so lost track of [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] as he slipped back into the crowd. It worked. But it did not get them inside. ### Asking for [[Bram Bentley]] The party considered options. Magic. Invisibility. Misty Step. Sneaking. All of them were risky under so many eyes. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] suggested the simplest approach. Ask for [[Bram Bentley]]. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] went to another guard and asked to speak with Mr Bentley, the head gardener. She explained, truthfully enough, that she had been part of a research group helping him with the roses and had been told to return. The first guard hesitated and passed the request up the line. A captain arrived. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] repeated the story. Again, it was close enough to the truth to work. After a moment, the captain led her through. Not [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]]. Not [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]]. Just [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]]. She passed beyond the cordon and entered the [[Menagerie Gardens]]. ### The Menagerie in Smoke Inside, the gardens were a mess. Smoke hung in the air so thickly that [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] coughed as she walked through it. The elegant paths, hedges and ornamental beauty of the tourist attraction were swallowed by haze and chaos. Blue-robed figures stood within the smoke. Mages. Alchemists. Practitioners of some kind. Every so often, another huge burst of fire erupted from the restricted area, blasting upward with enough force to send heat and noise across the gardens. Other officials and workers clustered nearby. Some shouted instructions. Some prepared new mixtures. Some watched helplessly. The smell of smoke, magic and scorched growth hung over everything. In the corner, [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] spotted [[Bram Bentley]]. The Royal Gardener looked devastated. She went to him. ### The Rose Is Gone Bram had not expected her. He asked where her friends were. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] said they were not here, but she had come on their behalf. Then she asked what had happened. Bram’s answer was simple. Terrible. The flower was gone. Destroyed. Or taken. In the early hours of the morning, they had discovered it missing. Without the [[World of Tarin/06 - Items & Artifacts/Rose of Igoda]] holding the rot back, the infestation had surged forward. It had almost taken one of the guards on duty. ![[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/99 - Attachments/Gods & Symbols/The Rose of Igoda Gone.jpeg|780]] They had responded the only way they could. Fire. Explosions. Alchemical mixtures. Whatever the mages and alchemists could bring to bear. It was holding the rot at bay for now. But only just. Ryla had been there early. Upon learning what had happened, she had gone to see Boristov. Boristov, meanwhile, had sent word the previous night that he would be leaving in the morning. Whether that was coincidence, guilt, or misdirection, no one knew. But it looked terrible. The Rose was gone. The rot was growing. And [[Bastion]] had lost the only thing anyone had seen make the blight retreat. ### Fire Against the Rot Bram looked shaken in a way [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] had not seen before. He was not a soldier. Not a commander. He was a gardener — a man who loved living things, soil, growth, order and cultivation. Now he was overseeing fire and destruction in the heart of the Royal Menagerie. He said they could not hold the thing back with fire forever. But if burning everything was what it took, then perhaps they would have to burn everything. He hated it. But he would not allow the rot to leave the [[Menagerie Gardens]]. Not if there was any way to stop it. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] put a hand on his shoulder and admitted she wished she had the right words. She wished she knew what to do. She wished [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] were here to speak to the rot or offer some better answer. But [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] was wanted. [[Elena]] was imprisoned. Ryla was gone to confront Boristov. The [[World of Tarin/06 - Items & Artifacts/Rose of Igoda]] had vanished. And beneath the [[Crownshold|Crownhold]], the rot was pressing forward. Bram stepped closer, desperate and grim. There had to be something. Some solution. Some way to stop this. But none of them yet knew what it was. And that is where the session ended. # RECAP: - We picked up with [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] and [[Elena]] fleeing [[Slavers' Row|Slavers’ Row]] after the trap with the two corrupt [[Crownshold|Crownhold]] guards. - The alarm went up quickly: whistles, shouting, more guards, and even a dog chasing them through the streets. - [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] was badly hurt, but kept moving. She used Fog Cloud from her bee smoker to help them escape through a crowded street. - They made it over a fence and away from the immediate pursuit, but in the chaos [[Elena]] was caught by the guards. - [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] escaped alone and returned to [[House Devell]] injured, panicked, and blaming herself. - Through their connection, [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] confirmed [[Elena]] was alive, but arrested, disarmed, and being moved. - Talador warned that this was politically dangerous: even though the guards were corrupt, [[Elena]] had still attacked [[Crownshold|Crownhold]] guards. - The party realised [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] may now be wanted, and Talador said they may need to leave [[Bastion]] soon. - [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] and [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] also returned from the Lightkeepers meeting, frustrated that they had gained powerful allies but still no clear target. - [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] suggested the enemy may be using the [[Shadowfell]] as a route into [[Solland]], explaining why Onus Wild creatures are appearing far from the frontier. - That night, [[Vosandra]] spoke with [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] about [[Vhail's Blade|Vhail’s Blade]]. She suggested the blade passed to him because he defeated Vhail, and that the souls inside may not just be trapped — they may be used as power. - In the morning, explosions came from the [[Menagerie Gardens]]. - A wanted poster for [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] had appeared, so she disguised herself by cutting her hair, wearing glasses, and hiding recognisable items. - The party went to the Golden Swan looking for Ryla, but she had already left early that morning. - They headed to the [[Menagerie Gardens]], where [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] was nearly recognised, but [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] distracted the guards and managed to get inside by asking for [[Bram Bentley]]. - Inside, the gardens were full of smoke, fire, mages and alchemists trying to hold back the rot. - Bram revealed the worst news: the [[World of Tarin/06 - Items & Artifacts/Rose of Igoda]] was gone — stolen or destroyed. - Without the Rose, the rot had surged forward and almost taken a guard. - Ryla had gone to confront Boristov, who had conveniently sent word that he was leaving that morning. - We ended with [[Elena]] imprisoned, [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] wanted, the Rose missing, Boristov under suspicion, and the rot pushing forward beneath the [[Crownshold|Crownhold]]. ![[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/99 - Attachments/Session Artwork/Session 52/Bastion Smoke.jpeg|780]] ![[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/99 - Attachments/Locations & Shared Scenes/Bastion House Devell Interior.jpg|780]] ![[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/99 - Attachments/Session Artwork/Session 52/Bastion Mealla Hair.jpg|780]] ## Session End State > [!success]- Where Things Stand > - Ryla had returned late the previous night. > - [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] needed to know what was happening. > - [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] went to another guard and asked to speak with Mr Bentley, the head gardener. > - In the early hours of the morning, they had discovered it missing. > - Now he was overseeing fire and destruction in the heart of the Royal Menagerie. [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/01 - Sessions/Session 51 - The Lightkeepers|← Session 51]] · [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/00 - Campaign Overview/Campaign Overview|Campaign Hub]] · [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/01 - Sessions/Session 53 - Jail Time - Xor, Traitor of Nyxthys|Session 53 →]]