Reunited

The group leaps into combat against the devils, with Maudit arriving on-scene just in time to help. The battle seems to be going poorly, with the devils trying to fly away with Theophania Runebringer. But, just in the nick of time, Zephaliar arrives, grabbing her and flying away with her.

The group collects themselves, and head to a tavern to have some drinks and some conversation. They ask Maudit what he's doing there, and he says that he thought it would be safe to come to see his mother.

Deirdre tells Maudit that they wanted to be sure that he made his decision to leave of his own volition. He tells them that Zephaliar has been helping him to learn to control his powers. As they are all talking, they hear a young female elven bard sing a song.

As she finishes her song, Maudit becomes enchanted by her, and Aureo demands for her to tell him who she really is and why she's wearing Iris Winter's face. He introduces the rest of them to his apparently-not-dead fiancee. He then purchases a room and storms up to it. Iris follows him, asking for a chance to explain.

He lets her in, and she tells him that hid certain things about herself from him, even when they were together. When the bandits attacked, it was easier for her to run away from him than to face him. She removes a ring, revealing that she is actually a drow. She tells him that her feelings for him were always real, though. She also says that there's a bounty on his head, and she thought she could help protect him from it.

Aureo takes Leona into the hallway, to make sure she's ok. He tells her he doesn't know what to do. She encourages him to hear Iris out, much to his shock. He tells her that he loves her, but she is unable to return the words.

Meanwhile, back in the room, Maudit is still enchanted by Iris. Kesra pantses him, and he just completely ignores it. Eventually, though, it wears off. Iris apologizes to him. Kesra tells her that this may have not been the best way to help Aureo. Aureo returns, and she admits that it may be her sister that's after him.

Maudit tells them he's not sure how long he can stay, that his father dictates when and where they go a lot of times. He tells Deirdre that he leads the cult now, in order to be safe from the Divine Covenant. Deirdre tells him about the attack from the dragon on the airship.

In the hall, Kesra finds Leona. She tells Leona that he's going to need help working through this, even if he won't admit it. But Leona tells her that she's not sure that Aureo isn't supposed to be with Iris after all. Kesra says that he has definitely moved on - speaking from her own experience, he would not have started something with her otherwise.

Deirdre asks Maudit if he can trust Zephaliar, and he says that he thinks he can. He believes that the chromatic dragons really are being treated unfairly. She tells him that she wears his ring on her right hand, to symbolize that he is lost to her, until he comes back.

Aureo and Iris head back downstairs for a drink. He tells her that he forgives her for having run away from him. Just then, an apparently drunk man stumbles toward them, plunging a glowing dagger into Aureo's chest, sinking all the way in, and disappearing in.

Kesra springs into action, immediately slashing and cutting down the man, whose illusion fades into the form of a drow, much like Iris. Iris calls out not to kill her, and Kesra instead knocks her out with a punch to the face. Aureo, meanwhile, looks completely uninjured, but is unable to breathe.

Leona grabs the drow's throat and demands to know what she did, but she twists a ring on her hand and turns invisible, laughing and refusing to answer. Guards arrive at the door, and Kesra grabs Aureo and hides him in the closet in their room, and the drow under the bed. Leona has Kesra stab her quickly and pretends to be the one who was attacked.

In the closet, Iris holds Aureo and he tells her that he's dying. He asks her to give his ring to his sister. Leona convinces the guards to leave, and the party returns to try to figure out how to help Aureo. Deirdre remembers hearing about a drow dagger that contains part of Lolth and slowly drains the life from a creature. They continue to try to intimidate and torture the drow to get her to give them information.

Leona reaches out for a vision, praying to Sarenrae for a vision. She sees herself, taking her own dagger, and cutting into his chest, breaking through bone and finding the hilt of the cursed dagger. As her vision fades, she immediately begins to do as the vision showed, with Deirdre's help. She is successful in digging into the chest and pulling out the dagger.

Iris shows them the contract for killing Aureo, apparently originating from a place in the underdark. Maudit feels a tug in the back of his mind, and tells the others that he is going to have to leave very soon. He tells them that he will keep the dragon cult off their backs, and will try to let them know when he learns more. Deirdre pulls Maudit into an isolated corner for their own sorrowful goodbye.