Session 72

Sors and Akaros begin their solo adventure at the Platinum Disc. Ephemera and Teer finally have their date Miren begins working on her plans for her family. Events conspire such that the party has a somewhat difficult decision to make about their future as a group. 
== Summary ==
Sors and Akaros arrived at the Platinum Disc, having been teleported there by Kiono. Akaros took on his humanoid form, his voice deeper and more confident-sounding than usual. They found Bahamut, and Akaros knelt before him. He held out Dragvandil to Bahamut, requesting permission from him to visit the Tomb of Palladia. Bahamut, after a moment's confusion, approached Akaros and pressed the sword back toward him. He granted them permission, stating that he did not need the sword, but that he would like it if they were to take a trusted knight with them, choosing Prisma as his chosen knight. They agreed, and made their way toward the airship docks, Akaros looking on the reconstruction of the city with a sense of nostalgia. 
Qymrenth intercepted them, asking Akaros why he wanted to go to the tomb. Akaros explained Sors' situation, how Hedemora had her real body and they intended to retrieve it from him. Nobody was currently capable of mounting an attack on Hedemora's lair, but he did not intend to allow Sors' body to remain trapped their for longer than necessary. Qymrenth accepted the answer and offered them a ride. Sors called Teer, letting him know that they would be leaving the material plane for a while. The three boarded her back, and Qymrenth opened a portal through which she carried them. 
That night at the Worthing estate, Adrienne and Miren spent the evening talking. Adrienne explained that she had been a vagrant in her youth, starting in Auguste before moving to Sunholme and then finally Wolis. She had been sold by her mother to the thieves' guild to pay for debts, using her skills primarily to gather intel. Eventually Praetor Ekram Swain had taken notice of her, and later so did Tovaris. Tovaris had found her interesting and fun, while she had found Tovaris to be a source of security. In the end, they were paired up, and they began working together to run the family, her running the underbelly while he ran the public-facing side of things. She had assumed they were partners. During this explanation, she also alluded to the fact that she had ultimately sought revenge on her mother. Adrienne concluded by explaining that her whole life she had been a tool for other people, and that she had been doing the same to Renn. She declared a desire to do better. 
Renn explained her goals to her mother, primarily that, once they had reached a more stable point, she wished to reform how the Worthing estate operated, helping other people more than themselves. Adrienne expressed an interest in perhaps doing that. She further explains that she had kept Renn secluded in the estate to protect her from the awful world outside, seeing the walls as a protection, while Renn saw is as a prison. They continue their talk long into the night. 
Elsewhere in the estate, Ephemera reformed and was updated by Teer about what happened during the fight with Tovaris. She expressed concern about how she had been effectively useless. Teer offered the suggestion of hiring someone when Kiono wasn't available, but Ephemera said she felt weird about it, though she would consider it. They decided to go through some of Tovaris' things. Teer found two more of the Tarot cards, while Ephemera spotted FOUR and a zombie in the back garden. They quickly made their way to FOUR, who introduced the zombie as EIGHT and explained that the ground had not wanted it anymore. Teer and Ephemera decided to take EIGHT to the woods outside Wolis and dump them there; they then discussed what to do with FOUR, deciding to talk to Rigg about it the next day. 
The next morning, that party gathered together to update each other on what had happened. Adrienne observed that the body that FOUR had found had likely belonged to her mother. Two figures teleported onto the front lawn, attracting the party's attention. It was Vidh Zadh, bringing Tovaris home. He explained that he had successfully extracted Tovaris' powers. Belxari appeared then, annoyed that he had not returned Tovaris to her first. Tovaris was brought inside just as Jeffrey, Tubbers in his arms, came running up the street. He had found Tubbers at his doorstep, acting entirely out of character, and had returned to the estate immediately. Tovaris was taken to the dungeons, and Jeffrey was promptly reinstated with a raise. 
Miren set up a meeting with Revan to discuss the exact nature of the planned future for the Gathering Light in Wolis. She offers Revan a place to stay at the estate. They discussed Tovaris' fate, with Revan expressing doubt that he can be rehabilitated successfully. Renn recommended that Talthis become the new leader of the Purifiers, suggested to the position by Revan disguised as Zed Willaby, but Talthis did not like the idea of continuing to lie to his organization. Teer and Ephemera took FOUR to the Lab. They were introduced to a gnome named Ran'gur, in charge of the Biology Department. After some discussion, it was decided that FOUR would be allowed to work with them in exchange for providing information and samples for the Lab. 
Ephemera and Teer discussed their plans for their date while Xelbari loomed ominously a block and a half away. They visited the public gardens, then went to a play, before heading back to the Worthing estate to check on everyone. While there, they contacted Pronza at the Platinum Disc about Tovaris' rehabilitation. She agreed to help, and Teer and Ephemera headed out for the second half of their date. Once they were gone, Renn set about burning her books of smut, as well of going through Tovaris' belongings. Though she found no items of interest, but she did discover that the Shadowfell had leeched into the estate. With some work, Renn could tap into it and be quite powerful within the estate. 
Ephemera and Teer went to the local water park after it closed for the day and laid on the bottom of the wave pool. While there, a dog swap through the water above them. After some time there, Teer told Ephemera that he had feelings for her. Ephemera was flattered, but indicated that she was unavailable for a relationship with him. After more discussion, they decided to return to the Worthing estate. Before they were able to leave the park, the sky turned pitch black, but the horizons all around them were sunset. A portion of the darkness over them bowed inwards, and a drop of night sky fell to the ground before them. The droplet took the form of a humanoid with pitch black skin that absorbed light and eyes that shone like stars. They greeted Ephemera as "mom," before introducing themself as Aedon, an avatar of sorts for the Dark. They had come to learn about the world from Ephemera. In something of a panic, the three returned to the Burnett estate, where Ephemera asked for help with Aedon. 
Qymrenth took Sors, Akaros, and Prisma to an island in the Astral Sea. The island had the façade of a temple carved into one of the cliff faces, leading further into the island. Qymrenth dropped them off, and the group headed into the island. Along the way, Akaros explained that Palladia had been his first paladin, but they had eventually reached a point of disagreement. Palladia later died on the island. Akaros needed to retrieve something from the bottom of the island. They began their descent down a long, spiraling flight of stairs into the heart of the island. 
Teer and Ephemera arrived at the Burnett estate. Teer called Renn to let her know that they would not be over that night. Ephemera spoke with Sylmore, trying to figure out what to do with Aedon. Ephemera and Teer ended up spending the night giving Aedon a sort of primer course on the world. 
The next morning, Teer went to the Worthing estate to check on Renn. They went on a walk, updating each other on how their evenings had gone. Teer said that it had hurt, but he was ultimately glad he had told Ephemera about his feelings for her. Renn told Teer that she had decided to remain in Wolis. She had work to do with the Purifiers, the changelings, and her family. She asked to borrow the Nightmare Catcher to help Revan with the nightmares he was having. 
At some point, Xelbari popped up behind Teer in a mild attempt to scare him. It had taken him all day to achieve his goal. He absolutely would not have done it during the date, because that would have been rude. 
== NPCs ==
=== Introduced ===
* Ran'gur
* Aedon
=== Returning ===
* Adrienne 
* Adrienne's mother (EIGHT)
* Vidh Zadh
* Belxari
* Jeffrey
* Rigg
* Revan
* Talthis
* Xelbari
* Sylmore Burnett
=== Mentioned ===
* Zed Willaby
* Esteban
* Izora Burnett
== Items ==
* Jester
* Throne
* Nightmare Catcher (given by Teer to Renn)