# 50. Session Fifty — Priorities **In-game start:** Summer 20 | **Played:** 17 June 2026 [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/13 - Session Notes/Session 49 - The Rose, the Rot, and the Scholar's Path|← Session 49]] · [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/00 - Home & Navigation/Campaign Home|Campaign Hub]] · [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/13 - Session Notes/Session 51 - The Lightkeepers|Session 51 →]] ![[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/99 - Attachments/Characters/Ryla Vein 3.jpg|780]] > [!abstract]+ TL;DR > - **Ryla’s Weariness:** [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] admitted she felt as though she was always fumbling in the dark, always a few steps behind the knowledge she needed. > - **“I’m a Bloody Farmer”:** Over the last forty days, he had seen [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] fight monsters, protect children, endure horrors, and stand where others might have broken. > - **The Antenatal Refuge of Bastion:** [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] eventually tracked the woman into Olde Towne, the older part of the capital built long before [[Bastion]] had grown around it. > - **Mealla’s Examination:** It was only her, her sister “Penny,” and her unwell mother. > - **Persephone Searches:** Women spoke of men who had left, men who had promised to return, men who had run off toward work, the [[Sol Spire]], trade routes or [[Frontier's Reach|Frontier’s Reach]]. > - **A Thin Lead:** A record, a symbol, a hidden room, a cultist slipping up, a clue about [[Ko'van|Ko’van]], the [[The Brotherhood|Brotherhood]], or the thousands of children tied to the God’s Eye prophecy. > - **A Letter for Mealla:** It said that [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/07 - Characters/07b - Antagonists and Unknown Alignment/Boristov Sokah|Boristov Sokah]] might be planning to steal the [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/09 - Items, Artifacts & Documents/Rose of Igoda]]. > - **The Decoy:** But almost immediately, it became clear that the carriage was only part of the misdirection. > [!star]- Memorable Moments > - 😂 **Disguise — Mealla:** The infiltration plan requires Mealla to play **“Mimi,”** a child, while the others build an entire respectable-family cover around her to get into the refuge. > - 🧠 **Clever — Party:** Bedly and Walter are deliberately used as a decoy while the group splits its attention between the refuge, the Rose and the threat growing beneath the city. > - 😬 **Tension — Party:** The party walk into an antenatal refuge under false identities knowing that one wrong question could expose them in a place full of civilians who have nothing to do with their war. > - 😂 **Dry — Talador:** Talador makes it very clear how delighted he is that the chosen plan involves an antenatal refuge rather than investigating the enormous death-plant under the city. > - 🎭 **Choice — Party:** With Boristov, Postar, the Crown, the Rose and the rot all competing for attention, the group finally has to decide what actually matters **now**, rather than trying to solve everything at once. ## Session Notes ### The Weight of the Rot The party remained within the restricted section of the [[Menagerie Gardens]], standing before the rot-filled cave beneath the [[Crownshold|Crownhold]]. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] had ended her communion with the thing inside. The conversation had not gone as hoped. The rot had spoken with thought, calculation and intent. It had not felt like a mindless plant or a simple corruption spreading blindly through soil and stone. It had tried to frame itself as natural, as a force of growth, hunger and reclamation. But beneath that language was something deliberate. Something manipulative. Something that knew how to entice. [[Ryla Vein]] stood with [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] near the cave mouth. The question now was whether [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] planned to go deeper. If the rot could be spoken to, and if [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] was the only person capable of truly understanding it, then perhaps there was more to learn inside the cavern. But the risk was enormous. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] looked over the party. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] looked dreadful: hungover, exhausted, and carrying the visible consequences of the previous night’s drinking. [[Elena]] was steady, but alert. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] was already distracted, eyes sharp for anything that might connect to the [[The Brotherhood|Brotherhood]]. [[The Lightkeepers]] meeting still waited that evening, and [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] in particular needed to reach it. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] asked Ryla whether anyone had been tracking the speed of the rot’s spread. Was it inches a day? Feet? More? Ryla admitted that it varied. Some days it might grow several metres. Other days, it might not seem to move at all. But that did not reassure her. The visible growth was only what they could see. She suspected more of it was spreading beneath the city, hidden in the dark. The rot had already been tied to the fall of great places. [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/05 - Nations & Regions/Dharan|Dharan]] and Ravak had fallen. Stonehouse, Hope and Innistar were showing early signs of the same creeping doom. If nothing was done, [[Bastion]] would fall too. ### Ryla’s Weariness Ryla knelt beside [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]]. Even kneeling, she still towered over her. Her large hand settled around Mealla’s shoulder in something almost like an embrace. For once, the strange, amused, silly-goose druid seemed deeply tired. She confessed that she found all of this exhausting. For years, the ritual at Mirewatch Grove had been maintained. For years, they had slowed Margaret’s growth, contained what they could, delayed what seemed inevitable. And what had that achieved? Only delay. Councils met. People deliberated. Experts argued. But there was very little action. For all the madness that came from Boristov Sokah’s mouth, Ryla admitted that at least he wanted to do something. That, in itself, made him dangerous — but perhaps not entirely wrong. She had meetings planned that afternoon: - the Alchemists’ Guild - [[Cairnlace Hall]] - possibly Solland’s Interior Defence Minister She doubted any one of them would have the answer. But she intended to press them anyway. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] admitted she felt as though she was always fumbling in the dark, always a few steps behind the knowledge she needed. Every foot of rot could not be her responsibility. Could it? Ryla smiled sadly. Maybe it was. But she reminded [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] that she was not alone. ### “I’m a Bloody Farmer” [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] struggled beneath the weight of the decision. Was the rot a natural thing taking its course, however terrible that course might be? Or was it something malicious, calculating and murderous? If it was truly alive, did it deserve respect? If it had will, thought and intent, did that make it more deserving of mercy — or more dangerous? She confessed, with frustration and helplessness, that she did not know how to judge what mattered most. She was a bloody farmer. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] answered with quiet sincerity. Over the last forty days, he had seen [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] fight monsters, protect children, endure horrors, and stand where others might have broken. She was far more than “just” a farmer. He told her this was a world-defining decision, and he would not wish that weight on anyone’s shoulders. Whatever choice she made, they would stand beside her. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] said that whatever came next, it could not be today. Not before the Lightkeepers meeting. Not with [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] in the state he was in. Not with so little preparation. [[Elena]] challenged that gently but firmly. The party had not planned to remain in [[Bastion]] much longer. If the Lightkeepers meeting went badly, they might have to flee the city, just as they had fled [[Gambon]]. This could be their only chance to enter the cavern. ![[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/99 - Attachments/Characters/Bastion The Lightkeepers.jpeg|780]] [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] agreed that the cave was an opportunity. The rot was a threat not merely to [[Solland]], but to the world. He would find it hard to leave [[Bastion]] knowing they had not done everything they could. But still, it was Mealla’s choice. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] asked what business people had before the evening meeting. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] wanted to see more of the city and perhaps visit the trade district. [[Elena]] had no pressing errands, unless they wanted to hunt down the yellow-eyed freak. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] wanted to look for better equipment. Her bow and armour still felt like the tools of a farmer forced into impossible danger, not someone expected to face the rot, the [[The Brotherhood|Brotherhood]], the Traitor Hands and whatever else waited beneath the world. The plan began to shift toward supplies. Then [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] saw the woman in red. ### The Woman in the Red Cloak A pregnant woman passed through the [[Menagerie Gardens]] wearing a red cloak. ![[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/99 - Attachments/Session Artwork/Session 50/Bastion Pregnant Woman.jpeg|780]] To most people, she would have been nothing remarkable. To [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]], she was impossible to ignore. A pregnant woman. A red cloak. The Brotherhood’s obsession with conception, birth dates, prophecy and the God’s Eye. The old records in the Temple of [[Ko]]. Merric’s notes. The children born at the right time. The children sacrificed at the wrong time. The nineteen-year cycle. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] announced that she was going to follow the woman. The others immediately tried to slow her down. [[Elena]] pointed out that in [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/05 - Nations & Regions/Elaris]], women wearing red cloaks were often prostitutes, so it might mean nothing. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] acknowledged that, but the woman was pregnant. And given what they knew about the cult, that was enough. She did not wait long. She slipped away after her. ### The Divine Veil The party did not want [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] following a possible [[The Brotherhood|Brotherhood]] lead alone. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] kept contact with her through their bond as best she could, while [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]], [[Elena]] and [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] followed at a distance. It was awkward. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] was subtle. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]], hungover and armoured, was not. [[Elena]], in full plate with her sword, was not. The woman moved through the city as though she had no reason to hide. One hand rested on her stomach as she passed from the [[Menagerie Gardens]] into the layered streets of [[Bastion]]. Then [[Elena]] looked down at her [[Ring of Warmth]]. She felt cold. Not ordinary cold. The same cold absence she had felt near [[Zuri Kulum]] and Otsi Darkscale. The warmth of [[Nyxthys]] had faded. Her connection to the goddess had become distant and tenuous. [[Elena]] warned [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] and [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] that something was wrong. The same divine interference they had felt around the other Traitor Hands seemed to be active again. Perhaps the yellow-eyed Hand was nearby. Perhaps [[Xor]]. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] cast Divine Sense, searching for celestial, fiendish or undead presences nearby. [[Myst]] registered, of course, but nothing else obvious appeared. That did not mean they were safe. It only meant whatever was happening was hidden. ### Hot and Cold The pursuit wound through the Arcane Quarter, where the streets narrowed and shops stacked close together, then onward into the rowdy noise of the Sun Market. At one point, the woman looked over her shoulder and spotted [[Elena]]. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] attempted a desperate casual cover, pretending to admire oranges. It did not help much. The woman quickened her pace. Then Elena’s warmth returned. Nyxthys’ presence came back. The party briefly considered using the sensation like a game of hot and cold — moving through the streets to map where the divine veil began and ended, then using that to locate the centre. But as [[Elena]] tested it, the effect flickered. The warmth vanished. Returned. Vanished again. The veil was not fixed in place. It was moving. That suggested the effect was centred on a person or object, perhaps the same sort of device the Traitor Hands had carried before. [[Elena]] admitted it would be very difficult to chase through an entire city. She wanted to kill the yellow-eyed lunatic if she got the chance, but Persephone’s safety mattered more. Whatever the Hand was doing, [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] was currently about to walk into what might be a [[The Brotherhood|Brotherhood]]-linked location alone. The party chose to follow her. ### [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] and [[Elena]] Speak of the Gods As they moved closer to [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]], [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] spoke quietly to [[Elena]]. Something she had said days earlier still lingered in his mind: that perhaps [[Nyxthys]] loved [[Elena]] more than [[Serapha]] loved him. He admitted there might be truth in it. He knew [[Serapha]] existed. He knew she was there. But [[Elena]] seemed to have something more immediate. She could feel [[Nyxthys]]. Sense her. Speak with her. Know when that connection vanished and returned. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] envied that. He had always wanted that sort of connection to the divine. How did someone even begin a relationship with a god like that? [[Elena]] answered in the only way [[Elena]] could. She said it was lovely to know she was living rent-free in his head. Then she softened slightly. Perhaps there was truth in what he said, but perhaps [[Nyxthys]] simply had fewer followers to choose from. [[Elena]] did not really know what she was doing. She had been thrust into all of this, much like [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] had, and was making much of it up as she went along. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] said she seemed adept at it. [[Elena]] did not entirely agree. ### The Antenatal Refuge of [[Bastion]] [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] eventually tracked the woman into Olde Towne, the older part of the capital built long before [[Bastion]] had grown around it. The woman entered an unassuming building without looking back. It was not impressive. Just a door among many. But two things caught Persephone’s attention. The sign above the door read: Antenatal Refuge of [[Bastion]] Beneath it, almost faded away, was another inscription: On behalf of the Keepers of [[Bastion]] And around the doorway were etchings. Not identical to the markings on Persephone’s arm, but unmistakably similar in style. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. She investigated the exterior, finding old burnt incense and ash near the door. Nothing else seemed immediately sinister. There was no obvious way around the back, no hidden entrance she could see, and no dramatic cult symbol painted on the wall. Just the sign. The etchings. The word Keepers. Through her connection with [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]], she explained what she had found. She wanted to go in. She also knew that doing so might land her inside another cult. ### A Bad Plan Forms When the others arrived, a frantic and slightly absurd debate began. [[Elena]] suggested entering as a cleric, claiming Father McCree had sent her to check on the health of the women. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] was not convinced. A cleric of [[Nyxthys]] in full plate armour, black chain mail, with a greatsword and a raven, was unlikely to blend naturally into an antenatal refuge in [[Bastion]]. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] pulled out the red cloaks the party still carried. Perhaps someone could pretend to be pregnant. Perhaps someone could accompany them as support. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] wanted answers. She wanted to know what the Keepers of [[Bastion]] were, why the markings resembled hers, whether this had anything to do with [[Ko'van|Ko’van]], and whether the cult was using pregnant women or newborn children to track the prophecy. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] asked whether she really thought she would find all that inside an antenatal house. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] admitted she did not know. That was the problem. She did not know what anything meant anymore. She only knew she was running out of time. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] agreed to go in with her. The plan settled quickly: - [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] would pretend to be pregnant. - [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] would pose as her sister. - The red cloak would help them blend in. - The others would wait outside. The robe was human-sized and far too large for [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]], so she tore and shortened it as best she could. The result was ragged, frayed and badly matched, with the lining and outer fabric hanging at different lengths. It was not convincing. But it was something. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] hated the plan. He told them to be safe and keep him informed. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] established a quiet mental link with the others so they could remain updated if anything went wrong. Then [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] and [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] entered. ### Inside the Refuge The door opened with a soft squeak. Inside was a warm, quiet hall with a clinical but welcoming feel. Simple furniture. Fresh linens. Incense. Beds. Supplies. At least seven women were inside. Some wore white robes and appeared to be healers or midwives. Others seemed to be patients, though not all were visibly heavily pregnant. The red cloak worn by the woman [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] had followed lay tossed onto one of the beds. Nothing felt immediately wrong. No altar. No chanting. No blood. No cages. No hidden cultists. A signboard laid out simple rules: - no hostility - no violence - respect the staff - respect belief - respect religion It felt like a place of shelter and care. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] and [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] stepped further in. A woman in white robes approached them with kindness rather than suspicion. This was [[Kaela]], one of the midwives. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] committed to the lie. It had been a wild night. She was worried. She needed to know. [[Kaela]] smiled, reassured her that there was no judgement here, and invited her to a bed. Privacy sheets were drawn. A clipboard was fetched. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] realised, rather too late, that the cover story had become a medical examination. ### Mealla’s Examination Behind the curtain, [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] tried to delay the inevitable. She said it had been about two months. She had tried remedies. Things had seemed one way, then another. The man of the house was gone. It was only her, her sister “Penny,” and her unwell mother. Stress could cause changes, she suggested. There were reasons a woman might be late. [[Kaela]] listened with compassion. She did not judge. She did not laugh. She simply continued the examination with care and increasing professional confusion. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] did her best to make the process take longer, talking, asking questions, and playing the frightened woman in distress. But time was running out. Outside, [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] grew increasingly anxious. He was not sat directly by the door, but further down the alley, pacing, sitting, standing, nursing his hangover and trying not to burst in. [[Elena]] leaned nearby with far more composure, lounging like someone fully prepared to wait unless violence became necessary. ### [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] Searches While [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] kept [[Kaela]] occupied, [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] played the anxious sister. She paced. Listened. Watched. The conversations around her were painfully ordinary. Women spoke of men who had left, men who had promised to return, men who had run off toward work, the [[Sol Spire]], trade routes or [[Frontier's Reach|Frontier’s Reach]]. One woman spoke of a slow cough that had worsened into illness and death. Others comforted her. This was not a den of cultists. It was a room full of frightened, lonely, vulnerable women trying to help one another through circumstances that had left them isolated. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] kept searching anyway. She found orderly supplies: - towels - linens - soap - incense - medicine vials - records - practical equipment She checked side rooms. Two appeared to be private birthing rooms, dark and tidy, ready for when needed. Another was a washroom with bowls and chamber pots. Everything looked clean, simple and legitimate. When she tried to move farther down a back corridor, one of the women in white gently intercepted her, reassuring her that her sister was in good hands and that she was welcome to sit or take tea. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] asked about the Keepers. The woman explained that the Keepers were a charity. They provided supplies, equipment and support. They decided what the refuge could take on and what it could afford. They helped care for pregnant women. They offered someone to talk to. They provided food, support and medical attention. And sometimes, when a child was not wanted or could not be kept, the charity could arrange for the child to be placed in a loving home and raised by a family. It sounded kind. It also sounded dangerous. ### False Alarm Eventually, [[Kaela]] reached the only conclusion available. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] was not pregnant. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] played the part of overwhelmed relief, hiding her face in her hands and composing herself. She thanked [[Kaela]] for her care and asked how she might support the refuge in future. [[Kaela]] said donations were always welcome. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] collected [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]]. [[Kaela]] gently walked them both to the door, wished them well, and told them that if they ever needed help, the refuge would be there. The door closed softly behind them. Outside, [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] and [[Elena]] found [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] and [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] standing in the street. Confused. Deflated. A little embarrassed. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]], still hungover and very aware that they had not gone into the world-ending cave beneath the [[Crownshold|Crownhold]], could not help himself. He remarked that he was extremely glad they had chosen to visit an antenatal refuge instead of investigating the massive death-plant under the city. He should have stayed in bed. [[Elena]] was more focused on the medical side. When [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] explained that [[Kaela]] had examined her and determined she was not pregnant, [[Elena]] was appalled. One could not simply poke a woman in the belly and determine pregnancy. The midwife, in Elena’s view, was a charlatan. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] told her she was welcome to go back in and demand better midwifery standards if she wished. ### A Thin Lead The excursion had not produced the answers [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] wanted. She was frustrated. She had wanted something. Anything. A record, a symbol, a hidden room, a cultist slipping up, a clue about [[Ko'van|Ko’van]], the [[The Brotherhood|Brotherhood]], or the thousands of children tied to the God’s Eye prophecy. Instead, everything inside had seemed normal. Kind, even. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] apologised for dragging everyone on what felt like a wild goose chase. But the party had not found nothing. They had a name: The Keepers of [[Bastion]]. They had a money trail. They had a charity funding an antenatal refuge. They had a place that recorded women, pregnancies, births and potentially children who could not be kept. They had etchings similar to Persephone’s markings. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] reasoned that the refuge itself might be innocent. The midwives might simply be doing good work, gratefully accepting money and supplies from a charity that claimed to help them. But if the [[The Brotherhood|Brotherhood]], the Keepers of [[Ko]], or some related group was behind that charity, the refuge could be a perfect source of information. Names. Dates. Births. Children born at particular times. Children born unwanted, unsupported, or easy to move. In the Temple of [[Ko]], [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] had seen records around conception dates and the God’s Eye. Merric had judged which children were suitable and which were not. The prophecy turned birth itself into a target. A charity like this could be a net. Not because everyone inside was evil. But because vulnerable people produce records, and records can be exploited. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] admitted she was desperate. She was on a clock. The God’s Eye would come again. Merric might find her before then. [[Ko'van|Ko’van]] was somewhere in the world. Thousands of children had already died for the prophecy, and more could yet be endangered. She was grasping at straws because one of them might finally lead somewhere. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] understood. He told her no one blamed her. They all had things they were desperate to understand. But he also reminded her that he knew better than anyone what desperation could do. Rushing into danger for answers could endanger her and others. Just as [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] had stopped him from forcing his way into the restricted section of the Archive, she needed to remember that same lesson herself. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] added that they now had more than they had yesterday. A name. A money trail. A possible charity to investigate. Perhaps Talador could find out whether charities in [[Solland]] were registered, who funded the Keepers of [[Bastion]], and where their records might be kept. The party agreed one thing very firmly: They would leave out the part where [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] pretended to be pregnant. ### The Sun Market With the afternoon slipping away, the party returned toward the Sun Market. The bustle of [[Bastion]] swallowed the tension of the refuge. Traders shouted. Crowds moved. People bought, sold, laughed and argued. For a while, the city felt almost ordinary again. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] looked for something sweet to cheer [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]]. He found pastries unlike anything simple or rustic: square tower-like cakes, hollow inside and filled with cream and syrup. He bought them with the quiet sentiment that people made mistakes, but that did not mean they could not try to make things better. The group also stopped to buy healing potions. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] bought three standard potions and handed them out among the party so everyone had something in reserve. With [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] still wanting better equipment, the group asked after weapons and were directed toward the Arcane Quarter if they wanted magical options. ### The Magic Shop The shop in the Arcane Quarter was cramped, cluttered and expensive. Shelves were packed with curiosities, scrolls, potions, elemental gems and strange enchanted objects. From the back came the smell of metal and the sound of tinkering rather than the heavy ring of a normal forge. The proprietor had a receding hairline, unnaturally black hair, a large nose, sunken eyes, and the air of a man who believed himself significantly more impressive than everyone else did. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] asked about magical bows. The shopkeeper brought out an enchanted bow and explained that any ammunition fired from it would become magical. The price was seven hundred gold. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] tested it against her own. The enchantment worked, but the craftsmanship was poor. The bow itself felt worse than the rustic one she already carried. The magic might have improved the shot, but the weapon did not feel like hers. She declined. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] found a robe decorated with eyes. When she touched it, her perception expanded violently. For a moment, she could see in every direction at once — disorienting, fascinating and deeply useful. It was a Robe of Eyes. It cost thirty thousand gold. It stayed on the mannequin. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] noticed an ivory horn curled in on itself. The label read: Horn of Blasting The shopkeeper explained that it produced a thunderous blast. It cost four hundred and fifty gold. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] considered it, but decided the horn could remain on the shelf. The party left without any major purchases. ### A Letter for [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] By the time they returned to [[House Devell]], the day was almost gone. Talador was already preparing for the evening. [[Walter]] and Bedly moved under his instructions, both clearly aware that the coming meeting mattered. Bedly passed by with his usual raised eyebrow of quiet contempt. Talador handed [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] a note. It was brief. Urgent. Supposedly from Ryla. It said that [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/07 - Characters/07b - Antagonists and Unknown Alignment/Boristov Sokah|Boristov Sokah]] might be planning to steal the [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/09 - Items, Artifacts & Documents/Rose of Igoda]]. Time was crucial. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] was to meet her at [[Slavers' Row|Slavers’ Row]], in the slums, at nine o’clock. And she was to come alone. The party immediately disliked it. [[The Lightkeepers]] meeting was at seven. Curfew complicated everything. [[Slavers' Row|Slavers’ Row]] was not somewhere one arrived in a gilded Devell carriage without drawing attention. And the phrase “come alone” was a blazing red flag. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] did not know Ryla’s handwriting well enough to confirm whether it was genuine. The writing looked natural, but the tone felt wrong. There was no strange warmth. No silly goose. No Ryla-like phrasing. It might be real. It might be a trap. Either way, they could not ignore it. ### Two Meetings, One Night The evening now split in two directions. Talador explained that only three could attend the Lightkeepers meeting: - himself - [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] - one other [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] had hoped to bring everyone. Each member of the party had information that mattered. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] knew the rot. [[Elena]] knew the Traitor Hands and [[Nyxthys]]. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] knew the [[The Brotherhood|Brotherhood]], [[Ko'van|Ko’van]], the visions and the prophecy. But the meeting was secret, limited and dangerous. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] was firm: No one went anywhere alone. After discussion, the group decided: - [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] and [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] would accompany Talador to the Lightkeepers. - [[Elena]] would go with [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] to investigate the note and the possible threat to the Rose. [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] quickly brought Talador up to speed on what he had missed while he and [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] had been very drunk the previous night: the rot beneath the [[Crownshold|Crownhold]], the Rose that seemed to hold it back, Boristov’s desire to claim it, and the possibility that he also wanted [[Mealla Glynn|Mealla]] herself because of her ability to speak with the rot. Talador absorbed this with the weary expression of a man realising that, somehow, yesterday’s hangover had hidden several catastrophes. He agreed the note did not sit right. ### Raphius’ Doubt Before they left, [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] spoke honestly to Talador. He trusted him. Implicitly. But tonight he intended to tell the Lightkeepers a great deal of dangerous information. Information about: - the Order - the [[The Brotherhood|Brotherhood]] - the Traitor Hands - Q’ruhm - the rot - the [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/09 - Items, Artifacts & Documents/Rose of Igoda]] - [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/09 - Items, Artifacts & Documents/Aetherite|Aetherite]] - Postar - missing loved ones - the corruption moving through [[Solland]] Any of it could endanger the party. Any of it could endanger others. And [[Solland]] had already proven itself full of infiltration, secrets, compromised people and hidden loyalties. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] asked whether Talador was truly certain the Lightkeepers were who they said they were. Was there any chance they were walking into a trap? Talador did not dismiss the concern. He told [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] that doubt was sensible. Keeping his wits about him was sensible. Talador always did. But he believed in these people. He trusted them. He had already exposed himself by working with them. If the Lightkeepers meant him harm, there was a good chance he would already be dead. Still, if it was a trap, then it was a trap for them both. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] accepted that. He would go. ### The Decoy Talador led [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] and [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] outside. [[Vosandra]] joined them silently. A carriage waited. But almost immediately, it became clear that the carriage was only part of the misdirection. A decoy carriage was sent away while the real path took them through quieter streets and hidden routes. [[Vosandra]] moved with professional silence and precision, guiding them through the backstreets of the [[Gilded Plaza]] and away from obvious watchers. They reached a derelict building in an alley. [[Vosandra]] unlocked the door. Inside waited something deeply unsettling. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] saw [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]]. Talador saw Talador. The body doubles — magical disguises placed upon Bedly and [[Walter]] — moved past them to continue the false route. One of them remarked that it was the weirdest thing he had ever done. The real Talador thanked them. [[Vosandra]] ushered [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]], [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] and Talador inside, then shut the door behind them. ### The Hidden Rune The interior of the building was rotten, dusty and abandoned. Cobwebs hung in the corners. The wood creaked beneath their feet. No one seemed to live there, and if they did, they hid it well. Talador led them deeper into the building, up a set of creaking stairs and along a dark upper hallway. Several doors branched from it, but Talador knew exactly where he was going. He brought them to a small hidden room or cupboard. Inside, a rune had been drawn on the floor. Talador crouched and placed his hand upon it, muttering words beneath his breath. The rune began to glow green. He looked at [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] and [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]]. He hoped they were ready. They stepped into the circle. The magic took them. ### [[The Spires]] The world dissolved. Then reformed. [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]], [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] and Talador appeared inside a shimmering purple dome, its walls made of shifting glass, energy and light. The surface moved like translucent crystal, protective and strange, enclosing them within a space far removed from the city streets below. Before them stood a round table. Around it sat cloaked figures, hooded and silhouetted by the violet glow. For a moment, the room held its breath. Then a tremendous screech sounded outside. A vast winged shadow swept across the dome. Something enormous passed beyond the translucent barrier. A dragon. Or something like one. [[Persephone Amoransia Damnari|Persephone]] stepped slightly behind [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]]. Talador reassured them. They were safe. This was the Spires. [[The Lightkeepers]] had gathered. The hooded figures turned their attention toward the newcomers. They wanted to hear what [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] knew. And that is where the session ended. ## Session End State > [!success]- Where Things Stand > - With the afternoon slipping away, the party returned toward the Sun Market. > - [[Raphius Sunward|Raphius]] considered it, but decided the horn could remain on the shelf. > - By the time they returned to [[House Devell]], the day was almost gone. > - The evening now split in two directions. > - If the Lightkeepers meant him harm, there was a good chance he would already be dead. [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/13 - Session Notes/Session 49 - The Rose, the Rot, and the Scholar's Path|← Session 49]] · [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/00 - Home & Navigation/Campaign Home|Campaign Hub]] · [[Lineage of the Veiled Kin/13 - Session Notes/Session 51 - The Lightkeepers|Session 51 →]]