Session 123

Synopsis
==Summary==
Day 2 of resting, Teer displays a carved dog he has made. He casts True Polymorph, turning it into a real puppy. Akaros tells Teer that he is using a smidgen of his soul to create life, which causes Teer to panic. He explains further that he'll probably be fineKiono recognizes to be a vast oversimplification, and also that the soul will restore itself over time. He gives it to Kiki, who is delighted; Belle barely resists the urge to awaken it.
Kiono is frustrated that Concludion showed up when she had explicitly told him that she wanted him to be safe. He is upset that her desires for him to be safe effectively require him to stay out of her affairs, that her attempts to keep him safe will likely result in her death, which also isn't acceptable. He agrees that the rest of her plans with the party are rather over his head, so he is forced to simply "behave." She apologizes again and goes to bed. Some time after, she also confronts Kitano about the matter, but he will do as he likes regardless of what he tells her. He pats her on the head about it. 
The book VZ gave Kiono is a puzzle book taking a full day to solve. She gains access to Fascinating Enigma. 
Belle attempts to contact Aedon. While searching for him, she finds Izora instead, who indicates that Aedon has locked themself in the project room for the last couple of days. Belle attempts to visit regardless; though they do not respond to her calling, she attempts to enter regardless via mouse form. Inside is a large spell array and an egg-shaped stone on a stand in the middle, but she does not see Aedon. She does see that there are two layers of the spell circle, one layer being very carefully crafted, and the one on top being more hasty, though still complex. There is also markings on the egg-like stone as well. Constellations have also been added, which she knows to be located in the Far Realm, where Aedon/The Dark are from. 
The party convenes to plan their next steps. Kiono reveals that the energies within the phylactery have been fighting for dominance, so their trip to the Inner cannot be put off for very long, though they should be able to deal with Dyana, Anguish, and Orphesia. They discuss their options regarding the demons. They review their options for dealing with Anguish, including entering Dyana's via the Dream spell or the Feywild. Kiki bursts in and announces that the puppy, Esteem, peed on her; the two are sent outside. The party considers the potential for finding and rescuing Haziz in an effort to prove that the Haziz currently in the palace is a demon. Teer asks Sylmore for input, and he recommends not going to the Feywild. Retrieving the real Haziz would make revealing the ruse trivially simple. 
Kiono checks the book Elizrae gave her and finds that it appears to be exactly what she thinks it is. She learns Scry and casts the spell on Haziz. She Scries on him, finding him and Astol in what appears to be the giant grand royal bath. Teer attempts to cast Dream via the Nightmare Catcher, but it fails. They ultimately decide to visit Oceanside the next morning in an attempt to do some recon, since they don't have like, any plans. 
While Belle is alone, Aedon appears, appearing harried. They had been out preparing for a Festival of some sort. They explain that they are going to activate the spell circle that evening, allowing Aedon to be drawn closer to the realm, becoming a denizen of the material plane rather than an intermediary. They do not grasp things well enough to fulfill their purpose, so they are going to rid themself of things that are holding them back. They want Belle to attend when the appointed constellations are in the sky, the timing of the ritual. The project has been more strenuous than they had expected, unable to lean on Izora towards the end as they had hoped, but is confident the final changes they made would be sufficient. 
Less frazzled, but similarly, Izora invites Kiono, though her intention is for backup in case anything goes wrong. Kiono agrees, and the two go to examine the circle so Kiono can actually know what is going on. The original circle had been to reinforce Aedon's form within the world. Now it seems to have had a sort of translation layer placed on top of it that looks like scribbles. Izora says she recognizes the symbols as divine in nature. She has no reason to trust him, though she is mildly concerned not knowing what is going on. Kiono doubles down on her agreement to attempt to rescue Izora if necessary, as she is a component in the spell. 
Kiono and Belle both arrive to find the project room lit by torches emitting a deep blue flame. Izora and Aedon sit in the circle on opposite sides of the stone egg; Belle and Kiono situate themselves where they can do their respective duties, and the ritual begins. The smoke from the torches, pooling in the ceiling, gives way to the night sky, and soon the entire space twists away. Lightning strikes the constellations, a storm erupting around them, Izora and Aedon two eyes of calmness within it. The song of the universe hums around them. An arc of plasma bursts from Aedon and Izora's chests, connecting to the egg. Aedon's form loses definition until they are formless mana. Pale colors of space flash through the arc to the egg, and Aedon is left with these colors as the arc is broken. With a final powerful blast of lightning, the circle fades away. Izora slumps, weakened, and Kiono rushes to her. Belle recognizes Aedon, his energy combined with Nox. Rather than strengthening their connection to the world, has instead become the terrible entity of her future vision. They so disliked the emotions they felt when Belle died that they got rid of them. As they no longer feel upset about her death, they believe that they had done the right thing. Because of Nox's existence, they had learned that there was a stronger connection between the material plane and the realm from which the Dark came. They became a bridge through which they can bring others with them. Belle questions whether Aedon had gotten rid of their positive emotions as well as their negative ones; they say that one cannot feel negative emotions without positive emotions preceding them. Belle, frazzled, leaves, as does Aedon. 
Izora, meanwhile, is surprised by how exhausted she feels, but she is otherwise fine. They notice that the egg-shaped stone is now a proper egg. Izora angrily shouts out the window at Aedon, demanding to know whether they had just mixed their emotions with her mana in the egg. The egg then hatches, revealing a glow-in-the-dark green humanoid baby girl. 
== NPCs==
===Introduced===
*Baby?!
===Returning===
*Concludion
*Kitano
*Izora Burnett
* Kiki
*Sylmnore Burnett
*Asotl (via Scrying)
*Prince Haziz (via Scrying)
*Aedon
===Mentioned===
*Anguish
*Lady Dyana Brightblade
*Orphesia
*Mingal
*Jin Ri
==Items==
*Fascinating Enigma (by Kiono via puzzle book)