Session 56

The party does some much-needed visiting in Alibrook before visiting the former temple of Ephemera in the caves below the town.
== Summary ==
The party visited Sprocket and Bits to do some shopping and to catch up. They found her working on the warforged she had previously been working on. She had made significant progress, though so far it could only mimic people. She had, however, created a new substance which she called foam. Renn apologized to Sprocket and informed her that she was Fern, which freaked Sprocket out as Renn was a minor. Teer, Sors, and Akaros discussed the possibility of creating a warforged body for Akaros to inhabit. They then made several purchases, including four stun bombs and a handgun. 
Mingal spent some time resummoning Burben. He had to reintroduce himself, having changed his name since the last time Burben had been around. The beetle struggled with the name change, but was doing his best. 
The party then traveled to Keera Andromeda's bookstore. Based on her previous examination of Teer, she had been able to create a robotic lizard based on the skyforged designs. Teer set up a another date with her, hoping to find out if his budding roots were anything to be concerned about. Kiono attempted to do research on aasimar, as her spirit guide had not provided any dreams. Keera Andromeda pointed out that as long as she still had her aura and that it had not changed, then her guide was most likely just taking a break or otherwise hadn't felt the need to provide her dreams. Renn also searched through the books for research, hoping to gain information on how to grasp the technical side of magic. 
Renn and Mingal then went to the marshal's office to use the phone. There they learned that Ludomir had become the marshal. Renn called Here and There with Ghesquiere to speak with Julien Ghesquiere for an update on their warning of a second Julien. He reported that there was nothing amiss, though there was a shipment held up in Sunholme's ports. He also let them know that Cecily Cardew was still in Oceanside. She had made some friends among the Adventurer's League there, including an older dragonborn woman and a young girl who were looking for Kiono. 
Renn then called Izora Burnett. Izora had aligned two leylines, including the leyline in Bromwich, though with the appearance of Barovia, that was unlikely to still be aligned. Renn also shared her concerns that Kiono was being affected by her contact with the Devoured rituals. Izora suggested that a powerful spell called Disjunction could potentially be used to purge an area of all magic if something went wrong, potentially helping Kiono. She then suggests that instead of attempting to force help upon Kiono, to simply be a person Kiono would go to for help. 
Mingal then called the Dragonlands to see if Dort or Dorianus were still somewhere nearby. The innkeeper they reached recognized the name Dorianus, and said that they had passed through a week or so earlier. Mingal then pulled a devastating prank on the innkeeper by calling him handsome. 
He then returned to the Inn to hang out with Veggrek. He asked him about his time in Timeless Space, as well as asked about the other people Mingal knew had been consumed by the Glowworm, Graum and Gibley. Veggrek was aware that both of them had actually been picked up by Amber Ravenwood's crew, and so were likely as safe as one could be in Timeless Space. 
In private, Kiono activated her aura, finding it to be in tact and confirming that her guide was likely just resting or otherwise taking a break. Teer spent the evening writing letters to both Oceanside#Prince Haziz and Vidh Zadh. Sors asked Teer to help her make a semi-functional dragon figure for Akaros to inhabit. Kiono asked Teer if he would spar with her after his date that evening. Not wanting to be left out, Sors also requested to join. The two discussed how best to do that, as he did not feel right about hitting a child. The two, joined by Ephemera, then debated who was cooler, Akaros of Ephemera. Sors declared that Akaros was coolest and that Xelbari was also above Ephemera. She prayed to him, requesting a gift and also to inform him of her coolness ranking; he did not respond. 
Renn enchanted a deck of playing cards to be animated, and used them to play hide and seek with Mingal and Veggrek. Burben won. Renn then attempted to begin studying from her new books, but they were too advanced for her. Instead she decided to hang out with Seresh and Goon on the Raquesval. 
Teer told Mingal about his potentially romantic feelings toward Ephemera. Mingal recommended that he tell her, and the two began to brainstorm a potential gift to help him. Sors sat with Kiono in her room on the condition that remain quiet. As a result, Kiono remembered the note Sors had given her earlier and attempted to decipher it. It appeared to be thanking her for hanging out on the beach with her and told her that she thought Kiono was really cool. Kiono stored the note in a safe place. 
Teer put on a nice cloak for the date he had with Keera Andromeda. Upon arrival, he discovered that she was dressed incredibly fancily. She took him to her lab, where he told her that the color of his vine's buds were not one they had been before and that he was concerned about that. She clipped one and, upon close examination, determined that while the original blossoms might have been carnivorous or poisonous, the current state they existed in would not result in that. Teer then explained the destruction of Akaros' body and the concerns that brought up. She thought that perhaps their souls would be able to assimilate, but it would likely be a long and potentially traumatic experience. 
She then proceeded to knock him out. He awoke some time later in a chair, feeling strangely clean. Keera Andromeda explained that she had learned that while Akaros still possessed the Essence of Destruction which made him the Ascendant Dragon of Destruction, it was slowly bleeding off him, which would ultimately lead to his demise. They discussed the possibility of acquiring a new body for him—a warforged, golem, or "real" body—but she recommended infusing him with an essence similar to that of a phoenix. This would allow him to effectively reincarnate with some control over his form. Teer agreed to this plan and promised to bring phoenix parts as soon as possible. His date concluded, Teer, Kiono, and Sors set about sparring. 
That night, Teer and Akaros had a discussion about Akaros' future. He said that he was alright with no longer being the Destruction Dragon, and that being a phoenix in some capacity would be fine with him. The pair then hung out with Ephemera in the room that had been rented for Renn, as she had decided to spend the night on the Raquesval with Seresh and Goon. 
The next morning, after their obligatory breakfast, the party retraced their steps from months earlier, descending into the earth to visit the temple of time. They arrived without event, and prepared to go inside. They did not notice the glowing eye in the dead dragon, indicative of Nox's control over it.
== NPCs ==
=== Returning ===
*Bits
* Sprocket
* Keera Andromeda
* Ludomir
* Nox
=== Mentioned ===
*Marshal Marshal
*Meyrin
*Lysaro
* Xelbari
* Seresh
* Goon
== Items ==
* Stun Bombs (4, two for Renn, two for Mingal)
* Pistol (Akaros)
* Highly Technical Magic Books (Miren)