# 23. Session Twenty Three — Peaks Point **In-game start:** Spring 73 | **Played:** 8 October 2025 [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/13 - Session Notes/Session 22 - Mercy in the Dark|← Session 22]] · [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/00 - Home & Navigation/Campaign Home|Campaign Hub]] · [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/13 - Session Notes/Session 24 - The Bloodhound|Session 24 →]] ![[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/99 - Attachments/Characters/Doran Pell.jpg|780]] > [!abstract]+ TL;DR > - The group stoke the campfire and head to bed, with [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] taking the first watch. > - [[Elena]] spends her watch staring out at the sea air and enjoying the sea breeze. > - A new day dawns and casts light over the camp, as [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] wakes to the sight of Persephone’s training routine. She notices him wake and lets out a yelp at how dishevelled she appears, as he offers to train with her at some point if she so desires. > - As [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] buries her nose in some of the flowers, breathing in deeply of the scents and sharing this feeling with her bees, [[Pipe]] asks the priest if he knows where he might post a letter. > - As the group step outside, the horse calmly awaits as [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] approaches him, lays his hand upon its body and whispers “Solace.” [[Elena]] questions him on where the horse has come from. > - The group bid their apologies to the animal seller, but not before a sulking [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] blurts out that [[Pipe]] has lizards, causing the gnome to erupt in a loud mental message chastising her for giving away their secrets and not keeping a low profile. > - [[Pipe]] asks about any mail that may have arrived and gives his full and formal name, to which the clerk produces a letter addressed to him that arrived some days ago. > - He seems fairly exasperated that his identity has been revealed. He says he is here to hide and very much wants to stay as [[Eli Soothpin|Mayor Jack Godfrey]] — even though he also bemoans how needy the villagers are and how much he has to do. > [!star]- Memorable Moments > - 🐴 **Wholesome — Raphius / Solace:** Raphius lays a hand on the waiting horse and quietly names him **Solace**. Elena’s first response is to question why his divine breakthrough produced a horse for himself rather than a solution to the cursed blade. > - 😂 **Funny — Persephone / Elena:** Persephone immediately decides she also wants an animal. Elena, through gritted teeth, begs the others to intervene before she backhands her. > - 🤢 **Funny — Elena / Myst:** Elena spends her watch picking worm gore out of her armour and complaining that everything keeps killing Myst; when she lectures the newly-resummoned raven about being safer, he pecks her and flies off. > - 🏃 **Chaos — Persephone:** The moment Peaks Point appears, Persephone charges ahead without hesitation while the rest of the party yell **“Wait!”** after her. > - ❤️ **Repair — Elena / Myst:** Later, Elena actually apologises to Myst and bribes him back onto her arm with rations before settling into another night of study. ## Session Notes The group pick up from their fight with the giant worm in the crevice, as they look up at the starry night sky, with [[Peaks Point]] visible a short ways away — a fair sized settlement, its buildings clinging to the coastline, spreading out along it, several jetties stretching out into the sea. ![[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/99 - Attachments/Locations & Shared Scenes/The Misty Peaks Peaks Point Night.jpeg|780]] ![[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/99 - Attachments/Locations & Shared Scenes/The Misty Peaks Peaks Point.jpeg|780]] They begin to go about the familiar ritual of setting up camp, as [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] comforts [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]], asking what it was about the cave or the worm that terrified her so. She admits the darkness just felt overwhelming. To help reassure her, [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] shares his fear: the open sea. He describes that some years ago, whilst out at sea, he found himself petrified by it. In a tender moment, he takes a ring off his finger, explaining that it once belonged to his mother, who was always a source of guidance for him. He asks [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] to look after it for him for now. She initially protests, but eventually gives in and puts it on, as they both make a pact to protect one another. They stand next to one another, looking up at the starry sky, noticing in particular, the North Star. In stark contrast to the tender scene between the others, [[Elena]] is busy picking worm gore out of her armour, swearing profusely as she flicks bits of flesh and gore out into the night air. She lays out the ritual circle to resummon her familiar, swearing and cursing under her breath as to how many times she has had to do this recently, and how everything seems to just want to kill [[Myst]]. As the raven is resummoned, [[Elena]] takes out some of her frustration on it and says that maybe he should try and be a little safer in combat, to which [[Myst]] pecks at her and flaps off to perch in a tree. The group stoke the campfire and head to bed, with [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] taking the first watch. He finds himself writing a letter and saying a prayer to [[Serapha]] and his father about how challenging the journey has been so far. He asks [[Serapha]] for her blessing to help him continue on when things are grey and not black and white. In casting this prayer to the goddess, he feels a connection and looks towards the mountains where he spots a white steed that whinnies into the night and waits patiently for him. [[Elena]] spends her watch staring out at the sea air and enjoying the sea breeze. She holds her hand out for [[Myst]] who is initially reluctant to come to her, only finally coming once [[Elena]] apologises and offers him some of her rations. She speaks to the bird and hopes that tomorrow and the settlement ahead of them will offer them better days than they had endured recently. She then turns to studying [[The Final Journey]] and the runes and secrets that lie inside. She feels fairly certain that she has a good working knowledge of the two runes that [[Pipe]] helped her with… and something else: a power, an energy waiting to be channelled that [[Nyxthys]] offers her. She wakes [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] as her watch comes to an end and [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] asks how she is doing. [[Elena]] admits she had been in a bad mood as the last day or two had been pretty shit. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] agrees that she too was rattled by the last few days, and hopes that things will improve from here on out. She tries to commune with her bees again, but the day has got the better of her, and her focus is not there and she finds little success this evening. She spots a trade ship with white sails heading into the harbour, before waking [[Pipe]] for his watch. [[Pipe]] attends to his growing menagerie of reptiles and cares for them, dripping some water over the latest arrival and stroking the others, before going back to his Compendium Magnificum and drawing and detailing what he has learned of these two new species. He ends his watch as Persephone’s trance ends and her watch begins. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] spends the early hours of the morning watching the ship moor and begin unloading its wares, various workers milling about on the docks and in the harbour. She lies on her back, staring up at the constellations, beginning to trace out shapes in her mind, inventing new constellations based on what shapes her imagination can create. But in the back of her mind, she can’t help but think that all she has been doing has been running. She even ran away from the last fight in the cave — running away from the only people that have ever shown her any kindness, the only people she trusts. So to occupy herself, she begins training: throwing daggers at trees and practicing combat manoeuvres, eventually collapsing to the ground, twiddling the new ring on her finger, wondering what her place is in all of this, feeling weak and pathetic. Raphius’ words echo through her mind as she forces herself back up to her feet, determined to face her fears head on and find the inner strength she so needs. A new day dawns and casts light over the camp, as [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] wakes to the sight of Persephone’s training routine. She notices him wake and lets out a yelp at how dishevelled she appears, as he offers to train with her at some point if she so desires. As the morning sun warms the camp and wakes the group, [[Pipe]] takes the opportunity to study [[Vanthar's Sanctarium|Vanthar’s Sanctarium]]. By the time he looks up, the rest of the group have already packed up the camp. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] skips off towards town as the rest of the group discuss their plans. [[Elena]] cautions and reminds the group that they need to find Eli, but reminds them that he is using an alias so to not use that name. If he proves very trustworthy they could ask him what he knows about curses, but he may not be someone they wish to ask about this. ![[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/99 - Attachments/Characters/Eli Soothpin.jpeg|780]] [[Elena]] also mentions it may be worth purchasing some materials to maintain their weapons and armour, at which point [[Pipe]] proffers her exactly what she is looking for — to her surprise — until he reveals it to be an illusion and chuckles to himself, whilst [[Elena]] stares at him unimpressed. [[Elena]] asks the group if they could please do something to rein in the pink haired girl trotting off to town, as they should really keep a low profile, given that [[The Order]] knows where they are and what they look like. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] reminds them that perhaps people will be distracted by the upcoming festival. [[Elena]] sighs at the thought of festivities and celebrations and hopes they don’t get caught up in things — though she admits that a warm bed and a hot meal would be welcome. After a treacherous crossing across a rocky coastline resulting in several scrapes and slips, they find themselves in front of [[Peaks Point]]. Without hesitating, [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] charges off, much to the annoyance of [[Elena]] and the cries of “Wait!” by the rest of the group. The sights and sounds of [[Peaks Point]] waft across their senses, as they see people putting up bunting and hoisting a yellow and green flag. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] offers to heal everyone of their bruises and abrasions as they walk, which they readily accept. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] seems ecstatic at being back amongst civilisation and almost bounces along. One of the landmarks that stands out is a small, modest shrine to [[Serapha]] and [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] asks if the group would mind if he stopped to offer a brief prayer. [[Elena]] agrees readily and asks him if it would be acceptable if she used the holy site to offer a prayer to [[Nyxthys]]. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] approaches the priest there and greets him warmly, nodding towards [[Elena]] and asks if it would be ok if she prayed to [[Nyxthys]]. He thinks for a second and then says of course — after all, they are sisters in the same pantheon of gods. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] asks the priest what all the decorations and celebrations are about. He seems confused (as does the group, having already discussed Springcrest several times). He looks at her curiously and asks where she is from and questions if she has some fae to her. As [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] buries her nose in some of the flowers, breathing in deeply of the scents and sharing this feeling with her bees, [[Pipe]] asks the priest if he knows where he might post a letter. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] and [[Elena]] approach the shrine and bow their heads in silent prayer — and after a few moments their quiet is disturbed by a mild commotion outside as people can be heard exclaiming that a large white horse has approached the shrine. As the group step outside, the horse calmly awaits as [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] approaches him, lays his hand upon its body and whispers “Solace.” [[Elena]] questions him on where the horse has come from. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] explains that he prayed the other night and felt this connection. [[Elena]] comments on how it is unusual that he would pray for a horse, just for himself, rather than a way to rid the curse from the blade, or at the very least a horse for all of them. [[Elena]] says how grateful she is to this horse for helping the group keep a low profile, as [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] trots around atop it. [[Elena]] makes enquiries to the priest about the mayor of the town, who they learn is called [[Eli Soothpin|Mayor Jack Godfrey]]. She learns Springcrest is due to kick off two days from now and there will be many games. There have been some travellers, but mostly locals. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] asks if they can please stay and celebrate Springcrest and [[Elena]] replies (coldly) that as long as she’s fine with their loved ones being tortured for an extra two days or so so that she can have a jolly, then it should be fine — which rather dampens Persephone’s spirits. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] says she’s never celebrated Springcrest before, and [[Elena]] replies neither has she, but if it was her father, she would stop at nothing to free him as soon as possible. As they make their way down the main thoroughfare, [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] asks a nearby woodworker about the bridge, who informs him it is out. The man advises that he let the mayor know so he can coordinate repairs. The town hall lies ahead of them and the group agree to head there first before splitting up to various establishments they need to frequent. From her perch atop Solace, [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] spots a woman pushing a cart around selling animals and hay and other animal feed and instantly heads off towards it. [[Elena]] triggers a conversation with the others about Persephone’s behaviour and finds [[Pipe]] agreeing with her. She says she does not always want to be the one pissing on everyone’s parade, but that most of the time it feels like she’s the only one trying to stay alive and stick to the plan of rescuing their loved ones. They discuss how young [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] is and [[Elena]] reminds them that she is not that much older than her, though she does accept she is more worldly. The conversation centres around keeping a low profile, staying alive, rescuing their loved ones, the fact that they are being hunted by [[The Order]], and that maybe they shouldn’t be taking days off to enjoy themselves at a festival when time is not on their side, as [[Fink]] reminded them of. The four of them come to an understanding and agree to try to find a better balance, before also agreeing that they need to head off after the eladrin to stop her from getting into more trouble. As [[Pipe]] joins [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] at the cart of small animals, they see some rare and unusual creatures. [[Pipe]] communicates with them about their welfare and ascertains that they are content and well looked after. On first noticing this cart, his eyes glaze over, as he reminisces about the first time he saw an animal trader back in his hometown — which is what sparked his interest in animals and his profession in the first place. In less than a few minutes [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] decides that she wants one of these animals, and between gritted teeth [[Elena]] implores [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] and [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] to intervene before she backhands the girl. Fortunately [[Pipe]] intervenes, as does [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]], telling [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] that it would not be a good idea to buy an animal that they cannot provide a stable home for. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] points out just how many times [[Myst]] has been killed in the last few days alone. The group bid their apologies to the animal seller, but not before a sulking [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] blurts out that [[Pipe]] has lizards, causing the gnome to erupt in a loud mental message chastising her for giving away their secrets and not keeping a low profile. They head over to the town hall, a vein pulsing in Elena’s temple. On arriving, the clerk informs them that the mayor is in great demand and is out and about. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] says that they must speak to him urgently as the bridge is out. She gives them a physical description of him, to which [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] bizarrely asks her if she fancies him. Shocked, [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] says of course not and that she is happily married. [[Pipe]] asks about any mail that may have arrived and gives his full and formal name, to which the clerk produces a letter addressed to him that arrived some days ago. The group agree to split up, as the mayor is currently indisposed and they have a good description of him: - [[Pipe]] and [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] go to the library. - [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] and [[Elena]] head towards the blacksmith. - [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] splits off to the inn to try and secure rooms for the party. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] enters The Golden Gull and secures two rooms that the group will need to share, with breakfast included. This comes at a hefty price, with this being peak season. She pays for one night only for now. Before leaving, she hears a voice bemoaning multiple requests and hears mention of the bridge being out. As she looks in the direction, she sees who she presumes to be the mayor based on the description she was given. She quickly downs the elderflower wine the bartender gave her and heads out after him. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] introduces herself, says they were the ones who reported the bridge being out, and the mayor asks how it collapsed. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] describes the bat attack, which takes him aback. She steers the conversation around to more important matters and subtly says she was sent to speak with him by a mutual friend. After ushering away other workers and townsfolk, she tells him of [[Fink]], says she knows his name is Eli, and that they need him to help find some people. He seems fairly exasperated that his identity has been revealed. He says he is here to hide and very much wants to stay as [[Eli Soothpin|Mayor Jack Godfrey]] — even though he also bemoans how needy the villagers are and how much he has to do. The session ends with [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] and [[Elena]] heading towards the blacksmith. ## Session End State > [!success]- Where Things Stand > - [[Pipe]] asks about any mail that may have arrived and gives his full and formal name, to which the clerk produces a letter addressed to him that arrived some days ago. > - The group agree to split up, as the mayor is currently indisposed and they have a good description of him: > - Before leaving, she hears a voice bemoaning multiple requests and hears mention of the bridge being out. > - He says he is here to hide and very much wants to stay as [[Eli Soothpin|Mayor Jack Godfrey]] — even though he also bemoans how needy the villagers are and how much he has to do. > - The session ends with [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] and [[Elena]] heading towards the blacksmith. ## Session Gallery > [!note]- Additional Artwork > ![[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/99 - Attachments/Characters/Blue Emperess.jpg|780]] > ![[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/99 - Attachments/Characters/sand marten.jpg|780]] > ![[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/99 - Attachments/Characters/Zaleb Husta.jpeg|780]] > ![[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/99 - Attachments/Characters/Sollace.jpg|780]] [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/13 - Session Notes/Session 22 - Mercy in the Dark|← Session 22]] · [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/00 - Home & Navigation/Campaign Home|Campaign Hub]] · [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/13 - Session Notes/Session 24 - The Bloodhound|Session 24 →]]