# 44. Session Forty Four — Cleansing Feydown **In-game start:** Summer 13 | **Played:** 5 May 2026 [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/13 - Session Notes/Session 43 - Otsi, Hand of Q'ruhm|← Session 43]] · [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/00 - Home & Navigation/Campaign Home|Campaign Hub]] · [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/13 - Session Notes/Session 45 - The Blades Master|Session 45 →]] > [!abstract]+ TL;DR > - The group formed a protective circle around [[Pipe]] as he began the ritual. > - **The Ritual Begins:** Meanwhile, [[Pipe]] remained in the centre of the battlefield maintaining concentration on the ritual while [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] and [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] defended him. > - **Protecting Pipe:** Guards, [[Elena]], and [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] then focused their attacks together against the creature. > - **Vosandra Arrives:** As the battle threatened to overwhelm the group entirely, [[Vosandra]] finally entered the battlefield from the west. > - **Aftermath:** [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] informed [[Talador Devell]] that the group had discovered another traitor Hand of [[Nyxthys]] in [[Feygrove Forest]]: > - **The Journey Continues:** During the journey, [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] reflected upon old conversations with Ashwyn concerning the world’s “song”: > - **Elena and Persephone:** [[Elena]] shut herself away in her room and sat alone in a scorching bath, scrubbing herself perhaps too hard, trying to wash away the horror of the day. > - **Talador Devell and Vhail’s Blade:** He also explained that [[Elena]] had travelled across the world under orders from [[Nyxthys]] to destroy the blade and free the souls trapped within it. > [!star]- Memorable Moments > - 😱 **Blade Hunger — Raphius:** Vhail’s Blade tears through Leecher after Leecher and the hunger becomes obvious; after two kills Raphius actually rushes towards the creature on Elena because he wants the next soul too. > - 🎯 **Denial — Mealla / Raphius:** Raphius reaches for that next kill — and Mealla puts the Leecher down first. > - ✨ **Clutch — Persephone / Elena:** Persephone uses her fae magic to terrify the parasite attached to Elena, forcing it off her long enough for Elena to break free. > - 😨 **Choice — Raphius:** With Elena unconscious and the party badly hurt, Raphius finally turns away from feeding the blade and uses Serapha’s power to heal everyone instead. > - 💔 **Raw — Elena:** Back in safety, Elena shuts herself away in a scorching bath and scrubs far too hard, trying to wash away the feeling of the Shadowfell creature that had been attached to her. > - 🤯 **Realisation — Party:** The way the weapon now answers Raphius leads to an uncomfortable observation: it is starting to feel less like **Vhail’s Blade** and more like **Raphius’ blade**. ## Session Notes The group formed a protective circle around [[Pipe]] as he began the ritual. As the same blue aura that once surrounded Vivian spread outward again, the creatures hidden within Feydown were revealed. [[Shadowfell]] Leechers emerged from villagers, guards, and infected alike as battle erupted throughout the settlement. At first there was panic. The guards recoiled in horror as the twisted creatures materialised around them. Then [[Talador Devell]] roared: “FOR SOLLAND!” And charged directly into the fray in a full battle rage. The guards rallied behind him immediately. ### The Ritual Begins The battlefield quickly split into several desperate fronts. A Leecher detached itself from Mary and erupted in a spray of spikes, dropping her instantly and tearing into everyone nearby. At the same time, the parasite attached to [[Elena]] drove a draining barb into her, bloodying her almost immediately. Despite her own injuries, [[Elena]] immediately positioned herself protectively over Mary, pouring her final healing potion down the woman’s throat and ordering her to flee the battle. As Mary scrambled away in terror, [[Elena]] and [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] turned together against the parasite and managed to bring it down. Meanwhile, [[Pipe]] remained in the centre of the battlefield maintaining concentration on the ritual while [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] and [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] defended him. Then a larger Leecher arrived from the east. This one looked different: - Purple-grey flesh - Thicker hide - More dangerous than the others [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] moved immediately to intercept it while [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] fired arrows from Pipe’s side. ### Protecting [[Pipe]] The battle rapidly escalated. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] used her fae magic to frighten the parasite attached to [[Elena]], forcing it away from her long enough for [[Elena]] to break free. Guards, [[Elena]], and [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] then focused their attacks together against the creature. Kayden, one of the guards, went down during the fighting. [[Elena]] stabilised him instantly with Spare the Dying before rejoining the battle, while Cedric — his far more competent companion — continued hacking at the Leecher despite his fear. At the ritual site itself, things became even worse. Another large Leecher appeared. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] absorbed brutal punishment holding the line while [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] herself became grappled by one of the creatures before using her swarm to force it away from her. Then [[Pipe]] found himself vulnerable. One of the Leechers closed in from the north while [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] and [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] were occupied elsewhere. [[Pipe]] had no one left protecting him. Seeing this from across the battlefield, [[Elena]] acted instantly. She cast Sanctuary upon [[Pipe]]. Darkness wrapped around the small wizard like a dome of midnight, shielding him from harm. Moments later, the Leecher beside [[Elena]] unleashed another devastating burst of spikes. [[Elena]] collapsed unconscious. ### [[Raphius and Vhail's Blade|Raphius and Vhail’s Blade]] Throughout the battle, [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] wielded [[Vhail's Blade|Vhail’s Blade]] openly. The cursed weapon tore through multiple Leechers, devouring their souls as they died. And with every kill, [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] felt the hunger inside the blade grow stronger. He became increasingly aggressive. Increasingly eager. Increasingly consumed by the thrill of combat. After slaying two of the creatures, [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] rushed toward the Leecher threatening [[Elena]], driven by the desire to claim yet another soul for the blade. But [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] killed it first. The shot snapped [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] partly back to himself. Realising how badly everyone had been hurt — and seeing [[Elena]] unconscious on the ground — [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] finally turned away from the frenzy and instead called upon Serapha’s power to heal the group. ### [[Vosandra]] Arrives As the battle threatened to overwhelm the group entirely, [[Vosandra]] finally entered the battlefield from the west. Calmly walking into the chaos, she unleashed devastating magic: - Chain Lightning - Fireball Entire sections of the battlefield erupted in smoke, electricity, and burning flesh. Yet even after that destruction, one final Leecher remained. Seeing defeat coming, the creature made one last desperate attempt to reach [[Pipe]] and disrupt the ritual. Half-conscious and lying prone on the ground where she had fallen, [[Elena]] raised a trembling hand toward the creature and called upon [[Nyxthys]]. Darkness swallowed the Leecher whole. And the creature died before it could reach [[Pipe]]. The ritual held. Feydown was cleansed. ### Aftermath As the fighting ended, [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] helped [[Elena]] back to her feet, draping Elena’s arm over her shoulder to support her weight. [[Elena]] insisted on checking the villagers personally despite her injuries, and [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] accompanied her as she limped through Feydown tending to the wounded. Meanwhile [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] sheathed [[Vhail's Blade|Vhail’s Blade]] with visible guilt as [[Vosandra]] approached him to discuss the creatures and whether they were truly gone. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] informed [[Talador Devell]] that the group had discovered another traitor Hand of [[Nyxthys]] in [[Feygrove Forest]]: Otsi Darkscale. He explained that she had been kidnapping villagers much like the disappearances in [[Tescalian]]. Talador found the revelation deeply disturbing, wondering aloud how many more traitorous Hands there might be. [[Elena]], however, was absent from this conversation, focused entirely on helping the villagers. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] attempted to study the Leechers’ corpses but learned very little beyond the fact that the creatures were now dead. [[Pipe]], meanwhile, became intensely fascinated with the remains, studying them closely. [[Elena]] briefly returned to Mary and informed her that everyone was now cured. Mary found it strange that an outsider who had only just arrived cared so much about her and her neighbours. [[Elena]] simply answered that she had only been doing her duty before leaving again. ### The Journey Continues The exhausted group finally returned to the carriages and collapsed into a long overdue rest as they resumed travelling. Only [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] remained awake, watching over the others. During the journey, [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] reflected upon old conversations with Ashwyn concerning the world’s “song”: “Life is abundant, rarely do we look beyond. Our own kind is all we see every day... Yet so few ever truly hear.” Ashwyn had once told her that while she was not druidkind, she possessed the heart of one who respected nature’s laws, and that perhaps one day she too could learn to hear the song of the world. ### [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] and [[Elena]] As evening came and the group stopped for the night, [[Vosandra]] summoned her mansion once more for everyone to rest within. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] found himself consumed by conflicting emotions regarding [[Vhail's Blade|Vhail’s Blade]]: - Hunger - Excitement - Desire - Guilt The blade thrilled him. And that frightened him. Seeing [[Elena]] entering the mansion, he attempted to speak with her and make amends for forcing her to moo beneath the pixie’s enchantment. [[Elena]] cut him off immediately. “Not now.” And gave him the cold shoulder before disappearing inside. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]], by contrast, seemed in unusually high spirits, unplaiting her hair, searching for sweets, and happily declaring her intention to finally enjoy a bath. Unable to find closure with [[Elena]], [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] instead approached [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]]. He admitted that he had been questioning whether he had made the right decision in the [[Feygrove Forest]]. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] refused to judge him directly. Instead she challenged Raphius’ comparison of the pixie to the wind damaging a bridge. She offered another metaphor instead: A dangerous dog. Something playful perhaps — but still dangerous. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] seemed to accept this perspective, at least partially. The conversation then shifted strangely back toward the pixie’s “game.” [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] insisted [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] think of genuine flaws she possessed, since he had refused to name any during the forest trials. She listed several she believed she carried herself: - Physical cowardice - Slowness to react socially - Harshness toward authority figures she considered incompetent - Difficulty forgiving others [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] immediately tried to dismiss all of them with compliments instead. ### [[Elena]] and [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] [[Elena]] shut herself away in her room and sat alone in a scorching bath, scrubbing herself perhaps too hard, trying to wash away the horror of the day. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] similarly soaked in a bath of her own, though her thoughts drifted elsewhere: - [[Myvendra]] - The riddles surrounding her existence - Why her parents wanted her dead - Whether she could ever stop letting her past define her She wrestled endlessly with the mystery of herself. Meanwhile [[Pipe]] sat with [[Vosandra]] studying Vantar’s Sanctarium in obsessive detail. ### [[Talador Devell]] and [[Vhail's Blade|Vhail’s Blade]] Later that night, there came a knock at Raphius’ door. [[Talador Devell]] stood outside asking permission to enter. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] allowed him in. Talador sat beside the blade and finally addressed the thing both of them had clearly been thinking about. “That blade… it has a story.” [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] told him everything: - Vhail - His exile - The curse - The souls trapped within - How the sword always returned no matter how many times he tried to destroy it He admitted openly that using the blade felt exhilarating. That it made him want to use it. He also explained that [[Elena]] had travelled across the world under orders from [[Nyxthys]] to destroy the blade and free the souls trapped within it. Talador listened quietly before sighing. Then he remarked: “It doesn’t really appear to be [[Vhail's Blade|Vhail’s Blade]] anymore. Rather… Raphius’ blade.” And again recounted everything he knew regarding Vhail’s body and fate. ### Morning The next morning Talador encouraged everyone to eat quickly and continue onward. They still had a long journey ahead before reaching their next destination. ## Session End State > [!success]- Where Things Stand > - [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] attempted to study the Leechers’ corpses but learned very little beyond the fact that the creatures were now dead. > - The exhausted group finally returned to the carriages and collapsed into a long overdue rest as they resumed travelling. > - Seeing [[Elena]] entering the mansion, he attempted to speak with her and make amends for forcing her to moo beneath the pixie’s enchantment. > - How the sword always returned no matter how many times he tried to destroy it > - The next morning Talador encouraged everyone to eat quickly and continue onward. [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/13 - Session Notes/Session 43 - Otsi, Hand of Q'ruhm|← Session 43]] · [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/00 - Home & Navigation/Campaign Home|Campaign Hub]] · [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/13 - Session Notes/Session 45 - The Blades Master|Session 45 →]]