# 30. Session Thirty — Harringdon **In-game start:** Summer 6 | **Played:** 10 December 2025 [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/13 - Session Notes/Session 29 - The Scream|← Session 29]] · [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/00 - Home & Navigation/Campaign Home|Campaign Hub]] · [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/13 - Session Notes/Session 31 - Fine Dining with Talador Devell|Session 31 →]] ![[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/99 - Attachments/Characters/Marko Tolbert.jpeg|780]] > [!abstract]+ TL;DR > - [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]]: plunges into the water and spreads herself wide, to maximise surface tension, and is able to keep herself and her bees above water. > - [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]]: shouts psychically to the three she is connected with and asks where everyone is and how they’re doing. [[Elena]] responds, asking if she’s ok as the girl cannot swim, and [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] replies that she’s trying to grab onto [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] who is near her. > - [[Elena]]: having torpedoed herself forwards, opens her eyes as inky black shadows cover her sclera, swirling out into the water. > - [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]]: notices what they are scrubbing off, and spots a small symbol of a black circle with a vertical line and a small white star in the centre. Around it, a message hidden in thieves cant, which she reads as: “A new age for [[Solland]] comes. Those follow the reborn souls will be rewarded in this life and the next.” > - [[Pipe]]: explains to the group that this symbol is one of an old pagan god of death. > - He explains that local customs are the dawning bell at 11am, to stop and observe one minute’s silence. He explains that they all take oaths here when they are younger and so you won’t find many people that disrespect The Soul Spire or the crown, unless they want a banging headache, and [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] chips in with “or a cough”, which draws a strange look from the man. > - They hug her and comfort her, before [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] tries to start a pillow fight, but [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] is too tired and [[Elena]] is just confused by what is happening. > - They head to the shrine and meet a young sister of [[Serapha]], called [[Valra]], whom [[Elena]] speaks with and asks if it is ok to pray to any of the New Gods here. > [!star]- Memorable Moments > - 🌀 **Chaos — Party:** The boat finally gives up and the party are dumped into the freezing rapids amongst splintered wood and debris. > - 😂 **Funny — Mealla:** A local on shore calls **“Ye alright?”** as the bedraggled party drifts past. Mealla’s answer is immediate: **“NO!”** > - ⚔️ **Badass — Elena:** Elena calls on Nyxthys in the rapids, black shadow spilling from her eyes as a giant spectral version of herself looms over her and she torpedoes through the water towards Mealla and Pipe. > - ❤️ **Raw — Elena / Mealla / Persephone:** Elena finally admits she knows she can be a grumpy bitch but that everything has been relentlessly awful; the girls hug her and let the frustration come out. > - 😂 **Wholesome — Persephone / Elena / Mealla:** Persephone attempts to turn the emotional recovery into a pillow fight. Mealla is too tired and Elena is simply baffled by what is happening. > - 😂 **Dry — Raphius:** A Harringdon local explains that breaking one of Solland’s oaths can give you a brutal headache; Raphius quietly adds **“or a cough,”** earning a very strange look. ## Session Notes The sounds of splintering wood and bodies splashing into the water is drowned out by the overwhelming sound of rushing water, as the group plunge into the icy cold rapids. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]]: tries to grab onto a plank of wood to cling onto to help keep her afloat but misses and her head goes under. She holds her breath and opens her eyes, seeing the looming shadow of a rock growing larger as she is dragged towards it. She manages to put her feet out and push herself off it, pushing herself back towards the other members of the party as they also splash around in the water. She reaches out her mind to connect to 3 of the group, desperate to keep communication with them. [[Pipe]]: clutches tightly to his books as he also struggles to stay afloat, keeping his head above water. However, in doing so he fails to notice a rock that smacks his head as he floats by. [[Elena]]: clinging onto the rudder, the boat splinters apart beneath her and she is plunged into the water. Her head sinks beneath the surface and a branch speeds into her, but she is able to deflect it off her armour. Her head now cresting the surface once more, she desperately darts her eyes around to check for the group and sees them ahead of her, but is unable to tell how they are faring. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]]: uses his muscle and strength effortlessly to tread water and keep himself afloat, even in his armour. However, through the splashing water and spray, he is unable to see where the others are. In looking for them, he fails to spot a rock and crashes into it, winding himself. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]]: plunges into the water and spreads herself wide, to maximise surface tension, and is able to keep herself and her bees above water. She uses the quarterstaff to push herself away from the dangers hurtling towards her. But the concentration required to do so means that she is unable to keep track of where the others are. She communicates “DANGER!” to her bees, and they take flight, grabbing onto the hive and elevating it above the frigid waters. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]]: shouts psychically to the three she is connected with and asks where everyone is and how they’re doing. [[Elena]] responds, asking if she’s ok as the girl cannot swim, and [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] replies that she’s trying to grab onto [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] who is near her. Despite hanging onto [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]], the girl is unable to keep her head above water, and takes a mouthful of salty water. A rogue crab floats by, and scrapes across her face, injuring her slightly. She clings to the paladin and casts around desperately, looking for the others. [[Pipe]]: now slightly dazed from smashing his head against the rock, looks behind him, trying to focus his vision and look for his companions. In looking back, he fails to see what is ahead and takes another blow from some debris. He shoots magical webbing ahead of him, trying to create a net of webbing to catch the group in. However, in trying to anchor it to one of the rocks, the other corner fails to adhere and the spell fails, causing him to again crash into some debris, taking some more damage. [[Elena]]: uses her strength to remain above water, but fails to notice a piece of debris hurting towards her which again clangs against her armour. Putting her head below the surface and looking for the bottom, she sees an undulating sea bed hazed by silt and turbulent flow, with some floor bed rocks some 20–50 ft below her. The current is strong however, and keeps pulling at her. She takes a deep breath, closes her eyes, putting her faith in [[Nyxthys]], and closes her arms and legs, making herself more streamlined to gain distance on her party in the hope of closing in on them. ![[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/99 - Attachments/Session Artwork/Session 30/Sea Bokars Hope Rapids2.jpg|780]] [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]]: is keeping afloat, but is hindered by the girl clinging to his armour. He casts light on his armour, becoming a shining beacon of light as a way for his party members to locate him. He is clobbered by another rock as he crashes into it. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]]: is struggling to keep afloat, but finds that she is slowly losing the fight and is beginning to sink into the water. However, as she looks up, she is at least reassured that her bees are safe, as they fly above her holding her staff. She ducks out of the way of some flotsam heading her way. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]]: calls out to the group telling them that the light is [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] and to head towards it, as she continues to cling on to the paladin and is able to dodge any of the hazards heading her way. [[Pipe]]: is tiring quickly, not used to such physical endeavours. He is getting knocked about by bits of wood and rocks, taking more and more damage as he is battered by the rapids. [[Elena]]: having torpedoed herself forwards, opens her eyes as inky black shadows cover her sclera, swirling out into the water. She screams out to [[Nyxthys]] and taps into the divine magicks that she had been experimenting with on the boat. She pulses with dark purple energy, and a shadowy projection of herself looms over her, twice her size. She continues to zip forwards in the water, towards [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] and [[Pipe]] trying to reach them to grab them. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]]: struggles to stay afloat with [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] on her back. A large section of boat rushes by them, as the group fail to grab onto it... The rapids come to an end and the river seemingly returns to a more calm state, though there is still a steady current, gently pulling them towards its end point. The group tread water and reconvene, as they are able to make their way towards a large front section of the boat that has remained intact, and cling onto this, floating downstream. ![[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/99 - Attachments/Session Artwork/Session 30/Sea Bokars Hope Rapids Calm.jpeg|780]] [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]]: looks around for somewhere to head towards, to get out of the water. However, no such area presents itself. The group submit to the current and just float along, holding onto the floating wreckage of the boat. The rain eases up, and the sky begins to clear as a small fishing village comes into view. The village they know to be called [[Harringdon]] stares at them in curiosity as the group drift in, now needing to kick their legs and swim slightly to maintain progress. The warmth of the sun begins to warm their faces, if not yet their bodies. ![[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/99 - Attachments/Locations & Shared Scenes/Harringdon.jpeg|780]] This village seems smaller than [[Peaks Point]], though there is a very visible, large mansion on top of a hill. A local calls out “Ye alright?” to them, as [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] calls back “NO!” A local man pulls them out of the water and takes the piss out of them for being drenched and covered in debris and water. The group ask about somewhere to dry off and are directed to an inn nearby. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] notices an unusual level of guard activity around the place. As they climb the steps towards The Briny Lantern, the guards eye them suspiciously as they seem to be scrubbing graffiti off the walls. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]]: notices what they are scrubbing off, and spots a small symbol of a black circle with a vertical line and a small white star in the centre. Around it, a message hidden in thieves cant, which she reads as: “A new age for [[Solland]] comes. Those follow the reborn souls will be rewarded in this life and the next.” [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]]: speaks to the group and says they should keep a low profile and that they need to speak to people to get some information, but that it shouldn’t be him as he could be recognised. [[Elena]] echoes this and says that she does not wish to have a repeat of the scene at the docks in [[Peaks Point]] and that she too had perhaps better keep her head down. [[Pipe]]: explains to the group that this symbol is one of an old pagan god of death. [[Elena]]: wonders if there could be more [[The Brotherhood]] chapter houses of pagan cults, or if this is unrelated. They enter The Briny Lantern and are met by a cheery bartender who asks where they’ve come from. They explain that they wrecked their vessel in the fjord and are here by accident. They order some drinks and speak to the man about local goings on. He mentions [[House Devell]] and the group enquire about him. He explains that he is a good man, but not to ask about his son/father who died recently. He was taken off somewhere. The mansion on the hill, [[Harringdon]] Halls, is his summer mansion. [[Elena]] asks him about what is ailing [[Solland]] lately. The man mentions that [[The Onus Wilds]] has become a dangerous place and people have been leaving. He also delicately phrases that some of the decisions by the crown have been questionable. He explains that local customs are the dawning bell at 11am, to stop and observe one minute’s silence. He explains that they all take oaths here when they are younger and so you won’t find many people that disrespect The Soul Spire or the crown, unless they want a banging headache, and [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] chips in with “or a cough”, which draws a strange look from the man. As [[Pipe]] begins enquiring about more academic pursuits, the rest of the group retire with their drinks to their rooms to rest and dry off. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]]: catches up with [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] and thanks him for helping her survive the rapids. The girls head upstairs and discuss having a hot bath, but settle for a basin of hot water and a wash cloth from the innkeeper, which [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] arranges. They doff their armour and clothes and try to maintain their equipment and dry off. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] was sitting writing a letter, as [[Pipe]] bursts into the room and interrupts him, pleased to find the paladin writing. He asks him to hang a rope around the room for him to hang his books and papers on to dry, before stripping off without warning, and asking [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] to draw him like one of his French girls, making sure to capture the details of the maps that have been burnt into him. [[Pipe]] then sits down and begins studying [[Vanthar's Sanctarium|Vanthar’s Sanctarium]] again, trying to uncover more rituals. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]]: spends time in the room with her bees, trying to check on them and their queen, making sure they’ve got all the materials they need to rebuild their hive and reproduce. [[Elena]]: speaks with the girls and says that she knows that sometimes she can be a grumpy bitch, as they pointed out previously, but that everything has been really shit lately. Even before the last few days, she’d been killed, acquired a scar, they’d fought bats, they’d fallen off bridges and been hunted by a cult and a secret order. Yet despite that, the last few days have been even more shit. Ever since [[Elena]] disgraced herself in front of [[Nyxthys]], things have been worse. Attacked by an elemental, harpies, capsized, almost drowned, and [[Elena]] explains that she does not feel that she has been of much assistance at all lately. Both [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] and [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] try to comfort and reassure her, saying it’s just coincidence and that she has been helpful. But [[Elena]] explains that as shit as things were before, they are now in a foreign country, behind enemy lines, closing in on their captured and tortured loved ones, hunted by [[Lucius Neeve|Lucias Neave]], in a land from where [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] has been exiled, in a land where Elena’s kind are apparently reviled and torturing the populace. All whilst, [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] continues to lose himself to a cursed blade, Mealla’s homeland continues to wither to The Curse of [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/05 - Nations & Regions/Dharan|Dharan]], and [[Pipe]] continues to be burned and scarred by a map to who knows where. [[Elena]] is not dooming and glooming, but does say to the other two girls that she just does not see that there is any room for error, or frivolity. She says that she plans to focus on the tasks that have been set to her by [[Nyxthys]] and that she may be even more serious and task focused than usual. They hug her and comfort her, before [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] tries to start a pillow fight, but [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] is too tired and [[Elena]] is just confused by what is happening. A knock on the door interrupts them and a letter addressed to [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] is handed to [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]]. The group go to the boy’s room and [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] opens the letter, which is from Lord Devell, welcoming [[Raphius Sunward]] back to his homeland and inviting him and his companions to dinner this evening. The group are extremely troubled by this, being alarmed that they have yet to be in [[Solland]] for more than a few hours, having planned to remain incognito, and they have already been recognised. They agreed that they at least need to meet with the lord, to see if he is simply a well informed ally or perhaps an agent of [[Lucius Neeve|Lucias Neave]]. The group sleep for a couple of hours, enough to warm their bones and dry their armour and clothing, before getting up to the afternoon sun and stepping out into the village, where the group discuss what to do about their predicament. [[Pipe]]: asks the group what to do about The Dreamer and the deal, as he suspects that her brother is the pagan god of nightmares. [[Elena]] says the answer won’t change the fact that they need to accept the deal and perhaps they shouldn’t let on that they know anything. They discuss the invitation and the comment to wear dinner attire. [[Elena]] says she is not going to step into this mansion unarmoured. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] says they will likely take their weapons off them. [[Pipe]] says they still have 5 hours before the meal, so have time to prepare. [[Elena]] says that should be enough time to sharpen [[Spada]] and buy some daggers to hide on her person. They head out into the village and first head towards the local blacksmith where they meet a man making fishhooks and other metal fishing equipment. It seems to be a jumble of all sorts of wares, as [[Pipe]] is able to pick up some parchment from there from the chap’s wife. [[Elena]] purchases a fishing knife and sharpens [[Spada]] a little. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]]: speaks to one of the local vendors and tries to purchase some of their flowers / dried flowers, but as she does she feels a foreboding tingle that reminds her of the rot that she felt in [[Mire Watch Grove]]. They head to the shrine and meet a young sister of [[Serapha]], called [[Valra]], whom [[Elena]] speaks with and asks if it is ok to pray to any of the New Gods here. She replies yes of course and [[Elena]] convinces the girl to sell her 10g worth of burning incense that she has to borrow from [[Pipe]]. She then sets up the ritual and spends an hour praying to and apologising to [[Nyxthys]] whilst reaching out to the comforting and familiar sense of [[Myst]] who appears as usual, with a squawk and a puff of black feathers. [[Pipe]]: struggles to contain himself outside, wanting to immediately attempt more of these rituals. But he is convinced by the group to hold off as summoning strange creatures in the middle of a foreign land is perhaps not sensible. ## Session End State > [!success]- Where Things Stand > - She says that she plans to focus on the tasks that have been set to her by [[Nyxthys]] and that she may be even more serious and task focused than usual. > - The group are extremely troubled by this, being alarmed that they have yet to be in [[Solland]] for more than a few hours, having planned to remain incognito, and they have already been recognised. > - They agreed that they at least need to meet with the lord, to see if he is simply a well informed ally or perhaps an agent of [[Lucius Neeve|Lucias Neave]]. > - [[Elena]] says she is not going to step into this mansion unarmoured. > - [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]]: speaks to one of the local vendors and tries to purchase some of their flowers / dried flowers, but as she does she feels a foreboding tingle that reminds her of the rot that she felt in [[Mire Watch Grove]]. 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