07. Festival of Lights (Part 7)

==Intro==
Everyone except Kaitlin took a 'What D&D class and race are you?' Quiz and they make fun of them mercilessly for it. Noel is a lawful good human paladin at 4th level, Sophia is a neutral good gnome paladin at 3rd level and Kat is a true neutral human multi-classing druid/sorcerer, with two levels each.
The party levels up to Fourth level.
==Checking In==
===Aleya===
The Guardians make their way to the temple staff quarters to check on Aleya . Due to Aleya having tenure, she has her own separate room to the rest of the attendants, but when they knock on the door, there is no answer.
Corbin turns into an ant and crawls under the door into the room. He finds an otherwise lovely, well cared for room completely sacked. The bed had been torn open and it looks as though whoever did this was looking for something.
Although there are no human threats in the room, Corbin sees a series of runes carved into the floor. Turning carefully back into a human, so as to not step on the runes, he unlocks the door and warns Fran and Laika about them.
Fran immediately flings the door open and she and Laika get electrocuted by a boobytrap. Both Fran and Corbin attempt to recognise the runes. While Corbin believed that and they say hamburger, Fran sees that they are another electrocution booby trap, but they have already been activated.
The Guardians find a stack of burnt books that look as though they had been thrown into a fire, but were retrieved. Although they are mostly illegible, its looks as though there were many notes in the margins and they can make out 'Force Iol '; the Force of death.
===The Goddess===
Deciding to check in on the Goddess and ask her about the note she sent, the party heads to her room. Hiding behind a corner, they see two guards standing in front of the Goddess’ room. They are dressed in regular armour but something about them indicates that they may not be human.
Using Divine Sense, Laika finds that the guards are true neutral - to an extent that should not be possible for a humanoid. Corbin get freaked out and yells about something being wrong. The guards look at them, but do not move from their post. Attempting to act natural and enter the room, the Guardians are stopped. When Corbin pushes the guards, they feel a little bit squishy.
==The Guardians Continue to Be a Menace to the Temple Staff==
===We Hate This Bathroom===
After Laika drags Corbin away from the guards, the Guardians decide to go downstairs to the prayer room of the Goddess. It is small room, cut out of the same white stone as the rest of the building. There is a window that cannot be seen through, but lets in light to the room and four mats to kneel on while praying.
Fran uses Enlarge/Reduce to reduce the ceiling to the size of a dinner plate. Through the roof falls a bath, a toilet, some towels and a whole bunch of bubbles. Unperturbed, the Guardians climb up into the Goddess’ destroyed bathroom.
To their left is the Goddess’ main bedroom and to their right is a small door, but the Goddess is nowhere to be seen. They continue to search her rooms, finding a small library, a dining room and a prayer area, but there is still no sign of the Goddess. Opening the small door, they find that it is a servant's passage.
Just as they are about to enter, they hear a scream from a Crow attendant behind them. Fran quickly casts Minor Illusion on the bathroom door to make it look un-destroyed, but hearing running water, the attendant walks through the door and falls directly through the floor. The Guardians immediately run away through the servants passage.
===A Broken Tower===
The passage leads them through a servants utility room and back into the main area of the temple. Finding no evidence of the Goddess they return to her rooms. The Crow attendant is still down the hole, and Fran freezes her to the ground and they begin questioning her. The attendant, a halfling woman named Redroof, tells them that she doesn't know where the Goddess is but Cordelia and Cecelia had told her that the Goddess was not to be disturbed before the festival.
Further investigation into the Goddess’ prayer room reveals that the altar is desecrated. Moving the altar aside, the Guardians find a small image of a broken tower; the mark of Torva. The Guardians convince Redroof to not tell anyone that they were there, make a short detour to fart on Cordelia's pillow, and then head to the forest to talk with the greater beasts.
==A Family Meeting==
Upon entering the Great forest the Guardian’s make a beeline for the Deer clan’s camp. Fran is reluctant to return, and when they arrive she immediately throws herself to the bottom of the lake.
The Guardians explain what they have found and the Goddess’ disappearance to Cosu and Vesrin - the greater beasts of the Deer clan - and after a brief argument between Vesrin and Fran over the best course of action, the greaters beasts of the other clans are summoned.
Four Crows (Oola, Minsma, Severio and Cornelius) and two wolves (Zarun and Naya) in total arrive. The other greater beasts are outraged when they learn that the possible threat - Cecelia and Cordelia- hail from the Deer clan. However, the Deer claim to not know of an attendant by the name of Cordelia. Corbin explains that Vioni might be involved and they come to the conclusion that Cordelia is the Vessel of Vioni .
Zarun gives Laika a vision of the edge of the island and tells her that this is where the Vessel threw itself off the edge. He then gives her an amulet which if broken, will call the beasts to her aid. The Guardians resolve to investigate the edge of the island to find a way that the vessel could have survived.
==A Waterfall off the Edge of the World==
Guided by Laika’s vision, the Guardians make their way through the city to the northern side of the island. They follow the single river on Estra, which leads them to a waterfall that drops over the edge of the island.
Corbin turns into a bird and flies down to investigate. He does not find any hand holds or plants growing on the island’s outer wall, but he does spot a cave behind the waterfall. The Guardians begin to make their way down.
==A Message to Chantel==
Noel: Chantel, I love you so deeply. And I just wish... that you were my roommate again.
Kaitlin: I also wish that you were my roommate again. 
Sophie: Chantel, I wish you were my roommate for the first time. 
Kat: Me too. I'm with Sophie. First time roommate. I wish for that. But anyway. Chantel, the code word is...
Noel: First time roommate, long time caller. 
Kat: The code word is: First time roommate, long time caller. The sleep agent is active. Go!
==Featured Characters==
===PCs===
*Fran
*Laika
*Corbin
===NPCs===
*Redroof Oakstreamer
*Cosu
*Vesrin
*Oola
*Minsma
*Severio
*Cornelius
*Zarun
*Naya
==Featured Locations==
*The City Temple
**The Goddess' Room
*The Great Forest
**The Deer Clan
Category:Episodes
Category:Estra
Category:Arc 1: Festival of Lights