Embers of the Wilds: Episode 03

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==Recap==
===Thursday, 26th March, Year 20*===
The party searches the house that the choker went within, finding no traces of it. Pearl wonders if the creature went through the chimney, and checks it, proving herself right by finding traces in the soot. Kyra asks the villagers if they saw anything exciting, they deny it. She proceeds to throw a dagger from the top of the chimney. The dagger lands into something soft and doesn't fall to the ground. Tristelle casts on the chimney, and the creature slides down. Kyra stabs it once and it dies.
The villagers are okay but concerned. Mayor Barnaby joins the conversation and suggests them to be a bit more proactive in this situation. Kyra notifies him that they have a lead with the magic traces Tristelle discovered. Pearl is concerned that they will be undefended if the party goes to explore, the mayor doesn't offer a suitable solution and decides it's okay to take that risk. Tristelle smells the creature and notices it has a distinct smell about it.
Tristelle casts and they check for hotspots. The town is completely coated with a thin layer of magic, including the hunted creatures that have recently been brought. Kyra suspects that the river has become magical by passing through town and brought magic to creatures outside the Trog Canyon. They decide that the ruined town Northridge to the east is the most likely source of magic.
The party depart from Trog Canyon, heading eastward down the canyon. Tristelle's suitors (Peter, Ginger, & Tommy) wave them out of the town and they set on the path towards Northridge. Northridge should be 1.5 days away (2.5 day walk if encumbered).
Outside the city, they notice scorch marks of Magmin creatures they've encountered earlier. They diverge off the path and follow the marks. The night comes and they camp, keeping watch throughout the night. During Paerl's watch, she hears weird noises of bubbling mud-pits.
===Friday, 27th March*===
They follow meandering Magmin marks into a crack in the mountain. Kyra wonders if the creatures have been summoned by a wizard or created by ambient magic. They walk into the crack and light the way with a candle. Something is bubbling in the distance. Deeper in, the chamber is lit by lava. Crawling out of the magma, there are 2 Magmin.
Start of combat: Party vs. Magmin
Pearl fires on one Magmin, killing it instantly. Kyra readies an attack. The creature comes to attack, Kyra almost kills it. The creature retaliates and sets Kyra's clothes on fire. Tristelle throws the dagger at it, the dagger sticks into it.
Pearl shoots an arrow, missing. Kyra kills it. Tristelle retrieves the dagger.
They continue exploring, 3 more Magmin emerge.
Tristelle casts , they pass saves, Tristelle inspires Kyra. Magmin burns Triselles face. Pearl casts , wounding 2 of Magmin. Kyra hits one, it burns Kyra heavily. Kyra heals with Second Wind and slays one Magmin, and drops another one with Action Surge.
Kyra continues to burn. Tristelle puts flowers on her wounds. Another Magmin burns Kyra to unconsciousness. Pearl puts the fire out on Kyra and runs away. Tristelle scrambles up the elevation and casts to confuse the creature. The creature heads towards Pearl and the creature to death. Tristelle stabilises Kyra. 
End of combat.
Tristelle and Pearl drag Kyra out of the chamber and decide to rest.
===Saturday, 28th March===
Returning into the chamber, Krya looks around for Magmin while Tristelle leads. They come across a fork, the middle path is an empty chamber with a hole in the ceiling. The left path is a dead end. On the right, there is a tiny crevice, empty. The top path reveals a deep lava pit.
They leave the chamber and decide to get a few villagers to bar the exit of the cavern. Kyra covers up existing markings with sand, in order to see if new Magmin have left in the meantime. They continue on the path to Northridge.
===Monday, 30th March*===
By sunset the party They arrive a mile outside the ruins of Northridge. The party eat the last of their rations.
As the party rest for the night, during Pearl's watch she hears wailing in the distance. Peral wakes Kyra but the sounds stop before Kyra can hear them.
===Tuesday, 31st March===
In the morning, the investigation of Northridge begin.
The town is abandoned save for a few cats and other animals. The tallest building - the tower is ransacked, a path to the 4th level is broken. Part of the river cuts through the town, with no bridges. They search the ruins of the keep for any magical items. The keep is full of collapsed walls and signs of fighting. Tristelle notices the place had been visited as a campsite, but nothing of interest.
Pearl attempts to hunt, catches nothing. Tristelle finds a body somewhere in town. Their clothes have a sigil on them, she cuts the patch off. The party climbs up the tower and rests for the night.
During Tristelle's watch, she hears terrible wailing, and they all fall unconscious. 
===Wednesday, 1st April*===
They all wake up in the morning, on the verge of death from the lack of food.
They thread back to the Trog Canyon, hungry and wounded. Pearl manages to catch a rabbit along the way.
===Friday, 2nd April*===
The party arrives back to town. Nothing happened in the meantime. Townsfolk welcome them with many questions. Mother Annabelle heals Tristelle's wounds. Tristelle writes a song about their trial by fire.
Pearl's mother visits her, Pearl confides to her in private. The mother mentions an estate in town. Kyra motivates the guard recruits and gives a debrief to the Major.
A spring downpour occurs, overflowing the dam. The whole town is stuck in place. Pearl asks Tristelle to visit the place she emerged from, west of the canyon, and check for magic with her newfound ability.
The place is completely ordinary, other than an unstable bubble of whirling magic. On the way back to the canyon, there is another bubble of stronger magic, Tristelle marks it. They inform Kyra of their discovery.
==Experience==
283 exp each.
==Recap==
===Sunday, 12th of April===
A visitor arrives from the east, elderly druid. Kyra intersects him and he offers a warm hug. Druid explains that he's found the town by following a very specific smell. He asks to check the town for the source, Kyra accompanies him. Seeing that neither Tristelle or Annabelle and her rod is the source of the smell, he informs them he must go on.
Kyra offers to go with him and briefly describes the mysteries they've uncovered. Druid, Trout, is able to detect magic by smell. Upon Tristelles inquiry about his name, he turns into a trout and swims around the river. Trout agrees to travel with them, but declines to participate in any bloodshed.
==Notes==
* Dates are extrapolated from a previous mention of an exact date.
Category:Embers of the Wilds Episodes