# 56. Session Fifty Six — The Wendell Ruins **In-game start:** Summer 23 | **Played:** 29 July 2026 [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/01 - Sessions/Session 55 - Beneath Bastion|← Session 55]] · [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/00 - Campaign Overview/Campaign Overview|Campaign Hub]] · [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/01 - Sessions/Session 57 - The Price of Silence|Session 57 →]] ![[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/99 - Attachments/Session Artwork/Session 56/Bastion-Sewer-Exit.jpeg|780]] > [!abstract]+ TL;DR > - **Tremors in the Stone:** Her fear made the attacks less graceful than usual, but no less effective. > - **Path to the Grave:** She attempted to follow the curse with Spada, but the creature recoiled and her blade sailed wide. > - **The Mutated Rat Flees:** It raced away from the party, attempting to escape back into the darkness beneath Bastion. > - **Elena Trusts the Current:** Rather than fight the current, she trusted it, floating as best she could and protecting her head from the surrounding stone. > - **Beyond the Walls:** Behind them, the enormous walls of Bastion towered against the dark sky. > - **Honesty Over Ambush:** The unknown resident might discover them during the night and assume the worst. > - **Another Way to Live:** The party could not promise him immediate safety—they were fugitives themselves—but they suggested there might be more tolerant places where he could build a life without constantly fearing discovery. > - **A Place to Rest:** He drove Vhail’s Blade into the earth and began his usual ritual—praying to [[Serapha]] and speaking the names of those he believed were trapped within the weapon. > [!star]- Memorable Moments > - ⚔️ **Clutch — Mealla:** A brutal strike is redirected with the Cloud Rune and turned back into the mutated rat instead of the ally it was meant to crush. > - ⚔️ **Combo — Raphius / Party:** The fight’s heaviest damage comes from the party lining up Path to the Grave with Raphius’ divine smite and pouring everything into the opening. > - 🎯 **Killshot — Mealla:** Mealla ends the giant rat with an arrow through the eye, sending the mutated body tumbling into the sinkhole. > - ❤️ **Family — Raphius / Party:** Before anyone jumps into the unknown below, Raphius stops the group and says what has been building for a long time: these people have become his family. > - 🤦 **Impulsive — Elena:** The emotional moment is immediately followed by Elena being Elena — she jumps first into the underground river rather than waiting for a safer plan. > - 😬 **Curious — Jambo:** The party meet Jambo, a colourless changeling living alone amongst covered mirrors with a sapphire brooch from his grandmother and a very complicated relationship with faces. ## Session Notes ### Surrounded Beneath Bastion The party stood within the immense red-sandstone cavern beneath [[Bastion]]. Behind them, the ancient [[Bastion Sewers|sewer outfall]] poured into a natural drainage system. Beside them, several underground streams converged into a violent sinkhole, the current powerful enough to drag anything caught within it beneath the stone. Ahead lay the faint promise of fresh air. Between the party and that escape stood the [[Giant Mutated Rat Beneath Bastion|Giant Mutated Rat]]. It was far larger than any natural rodent, its body streaked with the same luminous green substance found throughout [[Hidden Alchemical Laboratory Beneath Bastion|Wilbur’s hidden laboratory]]. Its eyes burned red, enormous teeth protruded from its mouth, and heavy claws scraped across the cavern floor. It was not alone. Other giant rats moved through the darkness. Entire swarms scurried between the rocks, emboldened by the larger creatures and closing in from several directions. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] was deeply uncomfortable. She had faced cultists, monsters, gods and creatures from the [[Shadowfell]]. She still hated rats. ### The Rats Attack Persephone reacted first. She formed one of her psychic daggers and hurled it into the darkness. The blade struck the enormous mutated creature and drew its attention towards the party. The mutated rat charged. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] stepped forward to meet it, placing himself between the creature and the others. The Light cast upon [[Vhail's Blade|Vhail’s Blade]] swept through the darkness as he raised his shield, throwing vast moving shadows across the cavern walls. Its first attempts to bite and claw through his defence failed. More rats emerged behind them. One giant rat came through the water towards [[Elena]], snapping at her ankles while swarms began gathering around the rear of the party. They were being surrounded. Raphius attempted to strike the mutated creature, but the darkness, narrow ground and movement of the surrounding rats made it difficult to find a clean opening. He cast **Shield of Faith** upon himself and planted his feet in the narrowest part of the route. If the rats wanted the others, they would have to get through him. ### Mealla Lights the Darkness [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] called upon **Faerie Fire**, casting its glow across the creatures ahead. The magic did not resemble ordinary flame. It shimmered across the rats like the iridescence of bees’ wings catching sunlight. Several resisted the magic, but others became outlined within the darkness, their movements suddenly easier to follow. The swarms continued forward regardless. The presence of the larger rats seemed to make them bolder. They gathered into a shifting, squealing mass, climbing over one another as they closed around the party. ### Elena Clears the Rear Elena invoked the **Might of Nyxthys**. Her body grew as divine and runic power filled her, allowing her to tower over the rats gathering behind the party. She brought [[Spada]] down upon one of the giant rats with a **Green-Flame Blade**. The blow cleaved it almost entirely in two. For a moment, its body continued trying to move before collapsing. Green fire leapt from the blade and struck the nearby swarm. Several rats were thrown into the underground river still burning, while the survivors scattered and regrouped. The route behind the party was no longer completely blocked. Then the cavern trembled. ### Tremors in the Stone The movement began gently. A slight rocking beneath their feet. Then pieces of sandstone began falling from the roof. The rats did not seem deterred. They remained fixed upon the party, attacking with the confidence of creatures that had hunted together before. Persephone lashed out at the swarm behind her. Her fear made the attacks less graceful than usual, but no less effective. Psychic daggers appeared and vanished in rapid succession as she stabbed and threw them into the mass. The blades did not leave ordinary wounds. They struck the minds of the rats. One after another, the creatures seized, collapsed or toppled sideways as the pain overwhelmed them. Those still alive began to scatter. Despite her panic, Persephone was rapidly thinning the swarms. ### Mealla Is Bitten The Giant Mutated Rat lunged towards Mealla. Its enormous teeth sank into her. The bite carried something more than the pain of the wound. Whatever foul influence or corruption the creature attempted to pass into her tried to take hold. Mealla resisted it. She was the first member of the party bitten by the Giant Mutated Rat and the first to experience whatever effect its bite carried. She also maintained her concentration. The iridescent Faerie Fire continued shimmering across the affected rats despite the wound. ### Holding the Line More giant rats pressed forward while the swarms gathered around the party. Raphius continued using his shield and his position to keep the creatures from breaking through to the others. Mealla leaned around him and fired. One arrow struck a giant rat hard enough to send it into the sinkhole. The creature surfaced for only a moment before the converging currents dragged it beneath the stone. Another arrow tore through a swarm, skewering several rats and scattering the survivors. The party were slowly cutting through the creatures surrounding them. But the Giant Mutated Rat remained. ### Path to the Grave Elena turned her attention towards the enormous mutated beast. Black ichor gathered around its eyes as she invoked **Path to the Grave**, marking it for death and leaving it vulnerable to the next decisive strike. She attempted to follow the curse with Spada, but the creature recoiled and her blade sailed wide. The cavern shook again. More sandstone broke loose from above. Persephone continued hurling psychic daggers into the swarms, killing rats in such numbers that the survivors began fleeing into the darkness. The battle was becoming less crowded. But the main threat was still standing. ### The Bite Redirected One of the remaining giant rats lunged for Raphius. Elena’s **Cloud Rune** flared. The attack twisted away from him. For a moment, Raphius saw the jaws close but experienced no pain. Instead, the Giant Mutated Rat released a terrible cry as the redirected bite tore into its corrupted body. Raphius did not fully understand what Elena had done. He only knew that the creature had been hurt and that he was still standing. His confidence returned. > “I could do this all day.” Then he struck. ### Sunlight in the Cavern Raphius channelled divine power through Vhail’s Blade. The light upon the weapon intensified as it struck the creature Elena had marked. A burst of blinding white sunlight exploded through the entire cavern. For one brilliant instant, every hidden pocket of darkness was illuminated. The red sandstone. The churning sinkhole. The streams flowing into it. The glistening green residue across the rocks. And more rats waiting beyond the party’s light, preparing to join the battle. The waiting creatures recoiled and scattered from the unexpected radiance before they could reinforce the fight. The divine strike tore deeply into the mutated rat, with Elena’s curse magnifying the damage and leaving it badly wounded. The creature survived. Barely. ### Clearing the Remaining Rats Mealla fired upon another of the ordinary giant rats. Her arrow drove into it and the creature lost its footing, toppling into the water. The sinkhole claimed it. Persephone finished the last of the surrounding swarms. Several rats collapsed beneath the psychic assault while the survivors abandoned the fight and disappeared amongst the rocks. The mass of smaller rodents was gone. Only one enemy remained. The Giant Mutated Rat. ### The Mutated Rat Flees Badly wounded and suddenly alone, the mutated creature turned and fled. It raced away from the party, attempting to escape back into the darkness beneath Bastion. Raphius pursued. The light of Vhail’s Blade travelled with him, leaving Mealla, Persephone and Elena briefly standing in darkness behind him. He scrambled across the uneven rock after the creature. The rat turned towards its pursuer. Mealla saw her opportunity. She raised her bow. Waited. And loosed. ### The Final Arrow Mealla’s arrow found its mark as the Giant Mutated Rat turned to face Raphius. The shaft struck through its head. For a moment, the enormous creature remained upright, apparently unaware that it was already dying. Then it staggered. Its claws scratched uselessly against the sandstone. The rat toppled backwards into the sinkhole. It briefly surfaced amongst the foam, still trying to move. Then the force of the converging waters dragged it beneath the stone. The Giant Mutated Rat was the final rat to die. The shrill squeaking throughout the cavern fell silent. Only the heavy torrent remained. The party were alive. Mealla was wounded but had resisted the unknown effect of the creature’s bite. And somewhere ahead, fresh air was still moving through the tunnels. ### Fresh Air Ahead The cavern continued to tremble. Fragments of sandstone fell from above. Whatever was causing the movement was growing stronger, and the party had no intention of waiting to discover whether the chamber would collapse. They moved towards the passage carrying the fresher air. The tunnel narrowed around them until the sounds and stench of the sewer gradually faded. After several minutes, the passage ended. A large vertical hole opened in the floor. Far below, an underground river continued through the red sandstone. The air was coming from down there. ### The Forty-Foot Drop The shaft descended roughly forty feet before reaching the water. The river at the bottom moved violently, striking the stone and disappearing into a narrow underground channel. The water was still dirty, but natural streams had diluted the sewage flowing out from Bastion. They could feel air moving through the passage. It might lead outside. It might also drag them beneath the rock and drown them. Persephone admitted that she could not swim. The party began discussing their options. They considered ropes. They considered lowering someone down to investigate. They searched the surrounding stone for another route. They debated who should go first and how they might protect Persephone from the current. Nothing about the plan felt safe. Standing with his companions above the dark shaft, Raphius considered the possibility that they might not all survive what came next. Before **anyone** entered the shaft, he looked towards the others. > “If this is the last time that we speak to each other, I just want you to know that it has been an honour, and I see you all as family.” The others immediately dismissed the dramatic farewell. They were going to be fine. They simply needed to decide upon a plan. No plan had yet been agreed. Elena listened for only so long. ### Elena Jumps Despite the fear of heights she had previously shown, Elena did not wait for the others to finish discussing ropes, currents and swimming. She did not ask to be lowered. She did not warn anyone. She stepped towards the edge, crossed her arms over her chest and simply stepped off. For a moment, the rest of the party stared in stunned silence. Elena fell forty feet into darkness towards water that led gods knew where. Partway down, she struck her arm against the sandstone wall, knocking herself into an uncontrolled spin. Then the torrent swallowed her. She vanished. Elena’s rash decision had abruptly ended the debate. Someone had gone first. ### Mealla Scouts the Passage Through the party’s mental connection, they could still sense Elena. She was alive. She was moving rapidly towards the north-east. That suggested the water was carrying her away from the city rather than back beneath it. It did not prove she was safe. But it was enough to continue. Mealla tied a rope around herself and allowed Raphius to lower her down the shaft. The sandstone was wet and slick, while spray from the river struck her face as she descended. Near the bottom, she examined the channel before fully committing herself to the current. The underground river travelled for a little over one hundred feet. There appeared to be faint light beyond it. The ceiling was jagged, creating occasional air pockets where someone might be able to steal a breath. The water also appeared to calm farther ahead. Mealla shouted the information back to the others. They would need to protect their heads. There were places to breathe. And there was light at the far end. She cut herself free and allowed the current to carry her away. Raphius pulled the rope back up. Then he turned towards Persephone. ### Raphius and Persephone Take the Plunge Raphius tied himself to Persephone, leaving enough distance between them to move while ensuring they could not become completely separated. He cast **Guidance** upon her. He then placed **Light** upon the rope so they would have something visible beneath the water. Persephone was terrified. Raphius wrapped his arms around her, placed his shield across his back and tried to put as much of himself as possible between her and the surrounding stone. He told her to hold tightly to him. To hold her breath. He would do everything he could to keep her safe. Then, with Persephone held against him, Raphius stepped into the abyss. ### The Fall Raphius and Persephone fell together. His heel caught against a protruding section of sandstone, twisting them sideways. Raphius managed to turn enough that Persephone struck his shield rather than the wall, but both were battered against the shaft before plunging into the river. The current seized them immediately. Above them, the shaft disappeared. Ahead lay only darkness, stone and rushing water. ### Elena Trusts the Current Elena allowed the water to carry her. The darkness reminded her of the embrace of [[Nyxthys]]. Rather than fight the current, she trusted it, floating as best she could and protecting her head from the surrounding stone. For nearly thirty seconds she travelled through complete darkness, her lungs tightening as the need to breathe became painful. Then dull moonlight appeared ahead. The current released her into a calm pool beyond the underground passage. Elena dragged herself onto the bank. She had made it outside. ### Mealla Finds the Air Pockets Mealla followed the river more cautiously. She used the shallow spaces in the tunnel roof to steal brief breaths as the current carried her forward. At one point, there was barely enough room for her nose and mouth between the surface and the stone. She pressed herself against the ceiling, breathed, and surrendered herself to the current again. She continued towards the distant light. ### Tangled in the Dark Raphius and Persephone’s journey was far worse. Raphius attempted to guide them towards the air pockets, but the current repeatedly dragged them away before they could breathe properly. At one pocket, they managed only to press their mouths against the narrow gap between water and stone before being pulled beneath again. Raphius tried to push Persephone upwards towards another place where she could breathe. But Persephone was panicking. She did not want to be pushed away from him, even towards safety. She clung to him. The current spun them. The glowing rope twisted around Persephone’s foot. Then around Raphius’ arm. Then around Persephone’s neck. They were dragged and tumbled through the darkness while Raphius struggled to free them. Both were running out of air. ### Mealla Reaches Them Mealla saw the glowing rope behind her. She saw Raphius and Persephone tangled within it, being dragged through the underwater passage. More mobile without the rope restricting her, Mealla reached them and took Persephone’s hand. Persephone drew a dagger and cut at the rope while Mealla helped keep her orientated. Then the rope came free. The three of them were carried towards the approaching light. The current slowed. They surfaced. ### “What Took You So Long?” The underground river emptied into a small, calm pond surrounded by open land. Elena was already sitting on the bank. She appeared considerably more composed than anyone else. Raphius emerged on his hands and knees, coughing water from his lungs. Persephone dragged herself onto the bank and collapsed, gasping for breath. Mealla followed. Elena looked at them. > “What took you so long? I’ve been here several minutes.” Raphius gave her a death stare. Elena considered the journey rather refreshing. More importantly, she no longer smelled quite as strongly of the whiskey barrel. ### Beyond the Walls The party took several minutes to recover. The night was warm, overcast and muggy. Behind them, the enormous walls of Bastion towered against the dark sky. They had emerged to the north-north-east of the city, roughly half a mile beyond the walls. They were finally outside. ![[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/99 - Attachments/Session Artwork/Session 56/Solland-Exterior-Night.jpg|780]] Mealla immediately checked her portable hive. The bees were wet, subdued and displeased, but alive. She carefully tended to them with her smoker. A road curved through the farmland nearby, marked by occasional lanterns. The party could hear distant voices. Clanking armour. Hooves. Wagon wheels. The road remained active despite the hour. Whether those travellers were merchants, Crown Guard patrols or something else was impossible to tell. The party had no intention of being seen. ### Across the Farmland They began moving parallel to the road while keeping their distance. The landscape outside Bastion was open farmland, largely undivided by walls or substantial fences. Small hedgerows and changes in crops were often the only boundaries. They crossed field after field. Swedes. Turnips. Cabbages. Low-growing crops that offered little concealment. The journey took roughly forty-five minutes. They were exhausted, soaked and still listening for movement from the road. Behind them, Bastion gradually became little more than a dark silhouette. The explosions from the [[Menagerie Gardens]] could still be heard, though only faintly now. The city they had escaped remained in danger. Ahead, they saw a small area of woodland and the crumbling silhouette of ancient ruins within it. ### Sir Dain and the Wendell Ruins Raphius recognised the place. He had passed it as a child while travelling with his father, [[Sir Dain Sunward]]. Dain had used journeys like that to teach Raphius about [[Solland]]. He had pointed towards the farmland surrounding Bastion and spoken of the relationship between the Crown and its people. The farmers supported the Crown, and the Crown protected the farmers. Each part of the nation relied upon the others, just as soldiers relied upon those standing beside them. Unity. Duty. Trust in one’s fellow soldier. Then, as they passed the woodland, Dain had briefly mentioned the ruins within. The **[[Wendell Ruins]]**. He had offered no explanation of their history. But Raphius remembered the way his father had spoken the name. With unmistakable disdain. ![[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/99 - Attachments/Session Artwork/Session 56/Solland-Wendell-Ruins.jpg|780]] The ruins were heavily reclaimed by nature. A collapsed watchtower stood amongst ruined stone structures. Broken arches and walls were smothered by ivy and grass, and what had once been a courtyard lay beneath years of growth. Somewhere within the ruins, a small fire burned. ### Mealla’s Tiny Eyes The party needed somewhere to rest. They also needed to know who had lit the fire. Mealla released several bees and used **Beast Sense** to perceive the ruins through their eyes and ears. She settled cross-legged beside a tree, breathing slowly and evenly as her awareness travelled with the hive. The bees entered the ruins. Near the entrance lay a fallen humanoid statue made from very dark stone. Its plinth was ordinary grey stone, though worn markings had been carved into it. Beyond the statue were collapsed archways, ruined buildings and an old courtyard. The campfire had been deliberately concealed with stones and carefully positioned pieces of wood. It was small enough to avoid drawing attention from the road. Beside it lay a single bedroll. There were signs that one person had been living there: - scavenged scraps of food - a makeshift wooden plate - dried meat and old rations - broken and reused belongings - several mirrors Mealla sent the bees through the remaining structures and around the collapsed tower. She found no obvious second occupant. But she heard movement. A footstep. Something was watching the ruins. ### Honesty Over Ambush The party debated avoiding the fire and camping elsewhere. Whoever lived within the ruins had hidden themselves for a reason. They might not welcome visitors. But sleeping nearby without announcing themselves carried its own danger. The unknown resident might discover them during the night and assume the worst. Raphius favoured honesty. They would approach openly. They would explain that they meant no harm. The party entered the ruins. ### The Fallen Statue As they passed the entrance, Raphius stopped to examine the fallen statue. Its form was humanoid but badly weathered. The inscription upon the grey plinth had been worn almost beyond recognition. Raphius could see that words had once been carved there. He could not read them. They continued across the courtyard. Then something cracked beneath his boot. Glass. ### Tongues Beneath Glass A small light was brought closer to the ground. Raphius examined what he had stepped upon. It appeared to be the remains of a glass cylinder or vessel embedded amongst the stones. Inside was an old severed tongue. The organ had been preserved or sealed there long ago, though its exact condition was difficult to determine. Looking around, the party saw more glass catching the light between the stones. Other vessels had been placed throughout the courtyard. Whatever the Wendell Ruins had once been, someone had embedded preserved tongues beneath its ground. Before they could investigate further, they heard movement above them. Something shifted amongst the ruined upper levels. A shadow appeared. Then vanished. Pale eyes watched them from the darkness. Raphius called out. They meant no harm. They only wanted somewhere to rest. They had food they were willing to share. ### The Voice in the Ruins A whisper answered. The speaker did not know who they were. They should keep quiet. They should not be there. Raphius introduced himself by his true name. He introduced the others as his friends and explained that they were escaping Solland’s Crown Guard. He suspected that whoever was hiding within the ruins did not wish to be seen either. They shared that much, at least. Elena offered a much simpler explanation of why she was wanted. > “Someone tried to kidnap me and I hit them. And apparently I wasn’t supposed to hit them. And now they need to arrest me.” The voice moved between different parts of the ruins with startling speed. Scraping and shuffling travelled from one level to another, then stopped close to the campfire. Raphius asked the stranger’s name. Slowly, the figure stepped into the light. ### Jambo The stranger introduced himself as [[Jambo]]. ![[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/99 - Attachments/Session Artwork/Session 56/-Jambo.jpg|780]] His skin was deathly pale. Dishevelled white hair hung around an equally colourless face, while his pale eyes gave him an eerie, ghost-like appearance. Ragged clothing hung from his thin frame. His long fingers moved constantly with nervous energy. A blue sapphire brooch was fastened near his chest. He was skittish. Frightened. His gaze shifted rapidly between Raphius, Persephone, Mealla and Elena, searching each of them for danger. Raphius quietly used Divine Sense. Jambo was not celestial. Not fiendish. Not undead. Jambo gestured anxiously towards the fire and invited them to sit. Before joining them, he carefully turned every mirror face-down. ### Food and Trust Raphius produced rations for the group. Jambo stared at the food before taking several portions and tearing them open. He ate ravenously. When he tasted the food, he laughed with the startled delight of someone who had gone far too long without anything decent. He had been surviving mostly upon scavenged scraps and whatever he could gather around the ruins. Jambo had been living there because it was quiet and because the nearby checkpoint was unsafe for him. He had been there for a long time. Long enough for his teeth to decay. Long enough for ordinary habits of conversation and care to begin disappearing. He wanted a different life. But he was terrified of being recognised. ### “This Isn’t Me” Jambo picked up one of the mirrors. He stared into it. Then his face changed. The pale features disappeared and were replaced by the face of a gentleman none of them recognised. For several moments, Jambo studied the reflection. Then the borrowed face began to fail. His features contorted back towards the pale form sitting before them. He could not hold it. Jambo explained that he practised constantly. Again and again. Trying to maintain the faces. Trying to become convincing. > “This isn’t me.” The party realised what he was. A **changeling**. ### A Changeling in Exile Changelings were rare enough that much of what the party knew came from stories. Many spent their lives behind borrowed appearances. Stories about them were often filled with suspicion. Impostors. Thieves. Spies. Seeing Jambo made those stories seem incomplete. He had once used his abilities to make money through secrets and changing faces. For a time, people had liked him—or liked whoever he had pretended to be. Eventually, he had been exiled from Bastion and could no longer pass the nearby checkpoint. Years of isolation, poor diet and hardship had weakened his ability to maintain a changed face. Now he lived amongst the ruins, practising in broken mirrors and watching each transformation collapse. The blue sapphire brooch he carried had belonged to his grandmother. It appeared to be one of the few possessions from his former life that still mattered deeply to him. ### Another Way to Live Raphius told Jambo that possessing the ability to become someone else did not mean he had to use it only to deceive people or rise above them. He could use the gift differently. He could learn a trade. Help in a shop. Perform honest work. Live an ordinary life. Not every life had to be about becoming important or earning admiration. Sometimes simply being present was enough. Simply living was enough. The party could not promise him immediate safety—they were fugitives themselves—but they suggested there might be more tolerant places where he could build a life without constantly fearing discovery. If they could help him reach somewhere safer, they would try. In return, it would be best if Jambo did not mention that he had seen them. That suited him perfectly. ### Mealla’s Field Guide Mealla offered something more practical. Jambo had been surviving through poor foraging and scraps. She began teaching him which nearby plants were safe. Which berries could be eaten. Which colours meant danger. Which mushrooms grew safely upon particular kinds of wood, and which should be avoided. Raphius gave her paper and something to write with. While searching through his belongings, a sealed envelope briefly became visible amongst his possessions. He passed over it and handed Mealla the blank sheets instead. Mealla began creating a simple field guide for Jambo. He watched closely, crouched beside her and looking over her shoulder with intense curiosity. She explained the plants as she worked and spoke to him about her bees. The conversation gave him something the mirrors had not. Hope. Jambo began gathering more firewood, building the fire for his guests and preparing the ruins for the night. ### “You Don’t See a Monster” Later, while the others settled down, Jambo remained beside Mealla. He had not spoken properly to another person in months. His words were quiet and fragmented, but the meaning was clear. People judged him. People saw something unnatural. Something dangerous. A monster. But Mealla had spoken to him. Fed him. Taught him. And looked upon him without the same fear. At least to her, he hoped, he did not seem like a monster. Mealla continued speaking with him about plants and her bees until he finally began to settle. ### A Place to Rest The party were finally allowed to stop. They had escaped the jail. Escaped the lockdown. Escaped Bastion. Fought through the mutated rats. Thrown themselves into an underground river. And emerged beyond the walls. The night remained warm and close beneath the overcast sky. Persephone found a place beside the ruined stone and entered her trance, the firelight slowly blurring before her eyes. Raphius laid out his bedroll close to the flames. He drove Vhail’s Blade into the earth and began his usual ritual—praying to [[Serapha]] and speaking the names of those he believed were trapped within the weapon. He was too exhausted to properly consider everything that had happened. That would come later. Mealla finished Jambo’s guide and remained awake longer, continuing to answer his questions. Jambo remained strange. Skittish. Changed by isolation. But food, patience and kindness had reached him. For the first time since fleeing [[Ironmarch Jail]], the party had somewhere they might sleep. Behind them, Bastion continued burning [[The Blight|the rot]] beneath the [[Crownshold|Crownhold]]. [[Talador Devell]] remained under house arrest. [[World of Tarin/01 - People/02 - Non-Player Characters/Boristov Sokah|Boristov Sokah]] and the [[World of Tarin/06 - Items & Artifacts/Rose of Igoda]] were still gone. But for one night, amongst the ruins [[Sir Dain Sunward|Sir Dain]] had once named with disgust, Raphius and his companions found shelter beside a changeling who had almost forgotten how to live amongst other people. ### New Confirmed Facts - [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] was the first party member bitten by the [[Giant Mutated Rat Beneath Bastion]] and resisted the unknown effect carried by its bite. - Mealla delivered the killing shot; the Giant Mutated Rat was the final rat to die. - The party escaped [[Bastion]] through an underground river and emerged north-north-east of the city. - Before anyone entered the drainage shaft, [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] told the whole party that he saw them as family. - [[Elena]] rashly jumped into the forty-foot drainage shaft before the party had agreed a plan. - [[Sir Dain Sunward]] once referred to the [[Wendell Ruins]] with unexplained disdain. - The Wendell Ruins contain a fallen dark-stone statue and glass vessels containing preserved tongues. - [[Jambo]] is a changeling living in the Wendell Ruins after being exiled from Bastion. - Jambo’s ability to maintain changed faces has deteriorated after prolonged isolation, poor diet and hardship. - Jambo carries a blue sapphire brooch that belonged to his grandmother. - Jambo had not spoken to anyone in months before meeting the party. ### ADD - New Entries - [[Jambo]] - [[Wendell Ruins]] ### UPDATE - Existing Entries - [[Giant Mutated Rat Beneath Bastion]] - [[Bastion Sewers]] - [[Escape Bastion]] - [[Raphius Sunward]] - [[Mealla Glynn]] - [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari]] - [[Elena]] - [[Crownshold and Bastion]] ### RESOLVE - Answered or Changed Questions - **Can the party escape Bastion past the Giant Mutated Rat?** — Yes. The creature was killed and the party escaped through the underground river. - **Does the Giant Mutated Rat’s bite carry an additional effect?** — It appears so, but the nature of the effect remains unknown. Mealla resisted it. ### New Open Questions - What were the [[Wendell Ruins]] originally used for? - Why did [[Sir Dain Sunward]] speak of the ruins with such disdain? - Why are preserved tongues sealed in glass beneath the courtyard? - What did the fallen dark-stone statue depict, and what did its inscription say? - Why was [[Jambo]] exiled from Bastion? - What is the significance of Jambo’s grandmother’s blue sapphire brooch? - Can Jambo recover his ability to maintain a changed face? ## Session End State > [!success]- Where Things Stand > - In return, it would be best if Jambo did not mention that he had seen them. > - Later, while the others settled down, Jambo remained beside Mealla. > - The night remained warm and close beneath the overcast sky. > - [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] was the first party member bitten by the [[Giant Mutated Rat Beneath Bastion]] and resisted the unknown effect carried by its bite. > - The creature was killed and the party escaped through the underground river. [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/01 - Sessions/Session 55 - Beneath Bastion|← Session 55]] · [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/00 - Campaign Overview/Campaign Overview|Campaign Hub]] · [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/01 - Sessions/Session 57 - The Price of Silence|Session 57 →]]