Formerly, in Sticks & Stones

**A collection of all introductory and recap segments of the Sticks & Stones campaign.**

Since it may help keep track of the timeline (and since Caleb conveniently already notes this information down every time he writes a "Formerly" segment), the in-campaign date at the start of each session is also included.

## Arc 1: Sparks of War

### Session 1: Direpoint

(Night of Gox.1Keig.5284)

Over the past several days, you have all found your way onboard the Galloping Kelpie, which now sails across the Titan’s Footprint towards Bovannh, the capital city of Prax. You may be running after something. You may be running away from something. You may be trying to find something. You may be trying to hide from something.

Your reason for being here may be the most important driving force in your life.

But fate cares little for such things.

In this particular moment, your circumstances, your motivation, your reason for being here matters little. In the grand scheme of things, the detail that matters, in this particular moment, is not the “why,” or the “how.” It is only the “when,” and the “where.” What matters in this particular moment is that you are onboard the Galloping Kelpie as it sails across the Titan’s Footprint towards Bovannh, the capital city of Prax.

Each of you feels this thought pass through your minds, interrupting your trains of thought, disrupting your worried fidgets and disturbing your calm meditations, as you retire to each of your personal quarters for the night, and this notion stays with you as you drift off to the sound of the slow waves outside…

…but in the middle of the night, each of you is awoken by resounding thunderclaps and bright flashes of lightning. You look out the windows to see torrents of rain buffeting the side of the ferry. You feel the massive waves rocking the entire boat to and fro, and you feel the floorboards croaking and creaking beneath your feet. And though faint, you can also smell the distinct scent of smoke.

One particular gargantuan wave pounds the boat and lurches the entire ship to the side. You know in your gut that it’s time to abandon ship. You have time to open up the locker in your room and grab the three things that matter to you most before the entire room turns sideways. You manage to sprint and crawl your way to the outside of the boat, but in the chaos, in the thunder in the lightning and the smoke and the ferry sinking beneath your feet, you can only cast one glimpse, through the massive rainclouds, of the night sky, before you black out.

When you awaken, it is day. And you find yourself on the sands of an isle. The tide gently laps in and out, a considerable contrast from the cacophony in your last moments onboard the Kelpie. Though you all regain consciousness around the same time, it takes all of you several minutes to truly, fully, wake back up. And you do so one-by-one.

### Session 2: The Mighty

(Morning of Gox.2Seph.5284)

**Formerly, in Sticks & Stones**

Each of you boarded the ferry known as the Galloping Kelpie headed for Bovannh, the capital city of Prax. You did so for many different reasons, but regardless of those reasons, you very quickly found yourself diverted from your intended course when the Galloping Kelpie sank beneath your feet in a freak lightning storm.

The eight of you washed up on the shore of an isle with no land in sight. You slowly gathered your bearings, but before many introductions could be made, you encountered Aerissa, a little human girl and fellow survivor from the Kelpie’s wreck. After saving her from a group of crabs, you chose to take her under your wing, with some of you looking after her while the rest of your party split up to explore the isle. Several points of interest were found, with one group circling the entire isle, finding a fair amount of herbs, and exploring the uppermost chambers of a cave system before retreating. The other group found something more troubling- namely, the dead body of what appears to be a Maklean official and, upon further inspection, a used magical circle drawn some distance away from the body.

You theorized motives and methods, analyzing the victim’s wounds and his attempt at a dying message. Unsure of whether the murderer remained on the isle with you or whether they escaped, you all decided to investigate the cave system further with the idea that the killer, or something else of interest, may be hiding within.

You discovered exactly what the cave had in store for you when you stumbled into a large chamber, occupied by two Giant Crabs who seem unhappy that their territory has been disturbed.

Welcome back to Sticks & Stones.

### Session 3: Midnight Sonnet

(Afternoon of Gox.2Seph.5284)

**Formerly, in Sticks & Stones**

After coming to terms with the fact that you had all been marooned on an island with no land in sight, you all chose to explore the depths of the caves in the center of the island in search of answers. Answers, perhaps, to whether there were any other survivors of the Galloping Kelpie, Aerissa’s parents being a chief concern. Answers, perhaps, to the identity of the man who lay murdered in the jungle, or to the identity of his killer. Answer, perhaps, to the question of “where do we go from here?”

Rather than answers, you found a fight. You encountered several territorial crabs and quickly dispatched of them.

Further exploring the caves’ lower chamber you discovered a pond that seemed constructed rather than naturally formed, although after some exploration you couldn’t piece together much more than that.

You also found an axe labelled Vikon the Mighty, which paralyzed Elseth when they attempted to pick it up and left them exhausted after they recovered.

Figuring out a way to transport the axe safely, you all continued to explore, namely wading into the swampy area on the southern side of the isle. There you found a makeshift hut that you discovered belonged to Vikon, an ill-fated traveler who also found himself shipwrecked here years ago.

You decided your next course of action was to find a way off the island, perhaps by rebuilding Vikon’s boat, but before you could enact this plan, you all encountered a massive ship that had lain anchor off the coast of the island.

The head of the ship demanded to know who you were and where you hailed from, then asked you to drop all of your weapons. You mostly complied with this order, only to find arrows pointed at each of your heads, at which point the head of the ship informed you that since the wreckage of the Kelpie, a war has broken out, and he suspects you all are to blame.

Welcome back to Sticks & Stones.

### Session 4: Wayward Bound

(Night of Gox.2Taro.5284)

You all finally managed to work your way off of the island you were shipwrecked on, by catching a ride in the brig of the Midnight Sonnet, the ship run by Admiral Dexas Sondros. He suspected you of murdering Maklean Ambassador Flarence Koss, and was intent on bringing you back to Makle to stand at trial. He and his crew spent some time questioning you in order to gain a better picture of what happened, at which point you learned that you all seem to have a missing gap in your consciousness – over 24 hours had passed between the wreck of the Galloping Kelpie and your awakening on the island.

You also became quick acquaintances with Montag, your fellow prisoner onboard the Sonnet. She proposed that you all stage an escape, recruiting Aerissa to help you gather up some food supplies and developing a plan for Elseth, Calla, and Johann to gather up your belongings and steal the ship’s rowboats while the rest of you escaped out the bottom of the Sonnet. Through a series of sneaking around, lying, and good old-fashioned punching, you managed to enact the vast majority of your plan without arousing suspicion, although the helmsman of the Sonnet caught on at the last second and began to raise the alarm. You then quickly enacted Plan B, setting fire to the sails and snaring up the ship’s rudder to prevent it from chasing after you.

As you all reconvened, you bade a silent farewell to Aerissa, who could do nothing but watch as you all rowed away. This exchange was interrupted when Sondros himself attempted to bring you back on foot, casting a spell that allowed him to walk on the water. However, before he could fully engage with you, he was called back by his helmsman, who warned him that something called the Sea Wraith was approaching. Sondros warned you that you hadn’t seen the last of him before retreating back to the Sonnet. You could barely catch a glimpse of the rotting husk of another ship in the distance before the fog and the smoke from the cannons obscured the battle from your view as you continued to row away.

And it is in the aftermath of that unsettling image that we return, only the gentle waves of the Titan’s Footprint extending out into the horizon on all sides, with more questions than answers, but one question prevailing over the rest; where do we go from here?

Welcome back to Sticks & Stones.

### Session 5: Solid Ground

(Morning of Gox.4Than.5284)

**Formerly, in Sticks & Stones**

You all successfully escaped the Midnight Sonnet, with the help of your fellow prisoner Montag and a mysterious, unnerving distraction called the Sea Wraith. After putting some distance between yourselves and the Sonnet, you had to come to a decision – where next? After a discussion of the pros and cons of each direction available to you, you decided to head for the northern peninsula of Prax, in the hopes of perhaps making your way further north to escape the war – and any suspicion of your possible involvement in starting it.

You thus begun making your way towards Prax and soon encountered a group of bandits keen on taking what little you had from you. You all felt…disinclined to acquiesce. In the ensuing fight, several of you revealed your combat capabilities for the first time, and despite some added troubles from a group of sharks and an errant life preserver, you all managed to subdue your attackers and steal their ship for your own.

With a bit more elbow room and a faster boat than before, you all had a chance to do something you haven’t had much opportunity to do for the past several days – take a breath. During the trip to Prax, secrets were willingly unveiled and stories were exchanged as you all learned a little bit more about each other.

This trip lasted the better part of two weeks, until early one morning, just as the sun began to rise, Montag spotted land in the distance – a small, unassuming ship a little ways off the coast, and signs of a small village on the horizon. After a tumultuous chain of events since washing ashore on the isle of Direpoint, you have all finally found your way back to the mainland.

Out here, in the Praxean country, the roads are unpaved and the signs don’t instruct you where to go. From here on out, the path forward is up to you.

Welcome back to Sticks & Stones.

### Session 6: A Night in Denall

(Night of Gox.4Than.5284)

**Formerly, in Sticks & Stones**

After your escape from the Midnight Sonnet and your waterborne travels filled with shanties, stories, and scuffles, you all finally made landfall on the shore of the northern peninsula of Prax. It didn’t take much exploring to find yourself on the radish farm of Tenlos, a local villager caring for his two daughters Blink and Wink. After some discussion, he offered you the chance to spend the night in his barn as you gathered your bearings, planning to make your way farther north. He also encouraged you to head into the nearby village, Denall, to stock up on supplies.

Arriving in the village, you all quickly became aware that while the language barrier of Praxtongue wouldn’t cause too much of a problem, as most everyone in the village can speak Common, the language discrepancy garnered a considerable amount of attention from the townsfolk. Nearly everyone you encountered clocked you as outsiders, although this didn’t stop you from stocking up on weapon supplies, magical components, and food for the coming days.

On your way back, you all decided to split up. Some of you elected to spend a few hours hunting, others chose to reside in the barn with Blink and Wink to do some investigating, and a few of you spoke further with Tenlos in an effort to gain more information and gather a better sense of his sincerity in providing you a safe haven. All three groups were successful to a degree, with food gathered and more information about the region attained. One locked door in the barn stood out to you, and as Tenlos’s family joined you in the barn to make some stew, the radish farmer revealed to you the secret hidden within – a cow named Spot, whom Blink was very excited to show to you all.

With this pleasant surprise, you all partook in a feast of radishes, hares, and milk, allowing you to look forward to your first night in a long time on dry land, on full stomachs, with no sign of war in sight. And it is here, in the barn, where we return, the sun falling and the darkness setting in as the fire below the pot of stew continues to burn brightly.

Welcome back to Sticks & Stones.

### Session 7: Strife in Denall

(Afternoon of Gox.4Seph.5284)

**Formerly, in Sticks & Stones**

You all spent a night in Denall, sharing a feast with local farmer Tenlos, his two daughters Blink and Wink, and the family’s hidden surprise, their cow Spot. For most of you, the night passed without incident. However, a few of you heard something from outside as a fairly heavy rain began to set in. After some investigating, you found the clear signs of a large creature making its way through the forest.

In the morning, it became clearer what the rustling in the night had been, as standing on the porch of the homestead was local shopkeeper Bonsley, who had been sent to investigate the disappearance of Tenlos, who appeared to have been kidnapped. You all did some investigating of your own, and determined that the creature was headed down a trail and, more likely than not, was making its way towards the mines nearby town.

You all headed to the village to gather more information, where Doskor the blacksmith told you more about the mines and mentioned that his cousin Vondor, one of the town’s miners, had mentioned something about a hidden chamber they had recently discovered. The dwarf also requested that you recover his cousin’s breastplate, should Vondor not be making a return trip.

You briefly spoke with Blink and Wink, where you received one other important piece of information: the creature you are facing has one eye. This was enough to help you realize that you are all going up against a Nothic, and though you don’t know all the details about this creature, you know it is formidable, and that it has a way of getting in your head.

With that, you all set off to the mines in the hopes of rescuing Tenlos, but not before parting ways with your ally Montag. Reluctant to play the hero, she elected to return to Bovannh rather than follow the rest of you on your quest. And that is where we pick up, as you all make your way towards the mines, and prepare for whatever lies within.

Welcome back to Sticks & Stones.

### Session 8: Fang and Claw

(Morning of Gox.2Taro.5284)

**Formerly, in Sticks & Stones**

You all set out from Denall in the hopes of finding Tenlos, the local farmer who had been kidnapped by a monster from the town’s nearby mines. The trail was easygoing at first, but after a period of walking, you all discovered that in the storm the night before, a small landslide had worn some of the trail away. You all took a detour down into the valley, needing to traverse a river along with some rougher terrain than the trail from before. However, you managed to find your way back to the trail and, watching the sun set, decided to camp out a little ways from the mines. For most of you, the night passed without incident. However, Zoomus caught a glimpse of something hiding in the grass, freezing up for a moment. Although her companion for the watch, Guy, took note of this reaction, Zoomus shrugged it off and simply requested that they keep an extra eye out for the rest of the night.

In the morning, you all proceeded the rest of the way to the mines, discovering that you all had to crouch and crawl a little ways to get through the tunnels, which had been dug for folks a bit smaller than all of you. Coming to a fork in the tunnel and remembering that one way would likely lead to an encounter with cave dwelling creatures and the other would require traversing a chamber of Noxian gas, you elected to go with the former, where you were faced with a few swarms of bats and some giant spiders. You managed to dispatch of your attackers fairly effectively, although some of you were a bit roughed up in the process.

You also all traversed down a large shaft leading into a deeper, darker area of the mine, with Elseth and Calla maneuvering below on foot in order to operate the elevator at the bottom. You explored this cave a bit further before feeling like you had reached your destination- the mining tools used fairly recently around you and the draft of air coming from ahead informed you that you had reached the hidden chamber that Doskor the blacksmith had informed you of. And from within, you heard a weak, whimpering voice asking for help.

From the sounds of it, you may not be too late to save Tenlos. But time is running short.

Welcome back to Sticks & Stones.

### Session 9: Split Paths

**Formerly, in Sticks & Stones**

(Night of Gox.2Taro.5284)

You all confronted the horror within the Denall mines known as the Nothic. After a tense fight in the inner chamber of the mines, you defeated the monster and rescued Tenlos, the farmer who offered you housing for your first night in Denall. He was shaken, but seemed physically unharmed. You also managed to recover the breastplate of Vondor, finding his body among the other miners in the cavern.

The return back to the village was largely uneventful, although you discovered that the path out of town, destroyed in a rockslide, had recently been repaired by a traveling trader named Philio. He accompanied you back to town, where Tenlos found a heartfelt reunion with his two daughters Blink and Wink. The girls then spoke of the farm bearing some new guests.

You returned Vondor’s breastplate to his cousin Doskor, who in turn infused an ingot of Artorian steel into Kelkairi’s weapon. You then followed the path back to Tenlos’s farm, where you met his new guests – an eager half-orc named Trager and his three friends, Crasslie, Dumont, and Plumel. Trager explained how his group, a team of Willnor fishermen, had washed ashore in a storm and needed to make repairs to their boat.

Plumel, still recovering from a leg injury sustained in the storm, opted to stay in Denall while Crasslie and Dumont planned to venture out to the local Dukesland in the morning for supplies. Upon hearing that you all were planning on heading to Pasalav, Trager asked to accompany you, explaining that he had friends in Pasalav he was hoping to meet up with while his friends gathered supplies and made repairs.

Night settled in as Tenlos delivered another round of radish stew for you all before heading back into his homestead for the night. Before he left, you offered to set up watches to set his mind at ease, given recent events. Though you sense your luck tonight won’t be quite as terrible as the last time you spent the night in Tenlos’s barn, we return with the age-old question of: who’s taking watches?

Welcome back to Sticks & Stones.

### Session 10: They Came From Underground

(Afternoon of Gox.4Nyls.5284)

**Formerly, in Sticks & Stones**

You all spent one last night in the village of Denall, taking watches to guard Tenlos’s homestead. After an uneventful night, you all also paid a visit to the town’s chantry, where some of you watched on in curiosity while others spent some time in prayer and meditation. The god of exchange, Taronos, was a particular favorite among both your party and your barn-mates Trager and Dumont.

After this time, you all set out from Denall with Trager, Dumont, and Crasslie, with their fourth friend Plumel staying behind to rest up after an injury. You eventually came across a fork in the road, one side leading to the Hallow Dukesland where Crasslie and Dumont were headed to pick up supplies, and the other headed towards you and your new ally Trager’s destination, Pasalav. During this time, Crasslie privately reiterated a request/warning: if anything bad were to happen to Trager, your party would have to answer to his three friends. Promising to keep him safe, you all split ways and spent several days on the trail.

Along the way, Trager introduced you to a favorite pastime of his: skipping stones. After a close competition, Tia walked away from the nearby stream crowned champion for the day. You all also learned that, though he was fairly inexperienced, Trager had studied to become a cleric, a comforting thought for many of you. You all also spent a bit more time displaying your magical powers to each other before heading out on the road again.

You then came across an incident in the road – a dwarven woman with an overturned carriage full of supplies was infuriated at a tiefling carrying a rickshaw, whom she accused of purposefully swerving in her way to get her to tip over. The tiefling, meanwhile, insisted that they had simply run over a bump in the road, and the crash had been an accident. After giving a quick scan of the area, you helped pick up and repair the mess made from the crash. Just as it seemed like cooler heads began to prevail, Calla sensed that the ground seemed a bit more unstable than it should be. She leapt out of the way just as a massive insectoid ankheg burrowed its way out of the ground beneath her; hungry, and looking for its next meal.

Welcome back to Sticks & Stones.

### Session 11: Feathers In Your Stomach

(Afternoon of Lux.2Taro.5284)

**Formerly, in Sticks & Stones**

On your trek to Pasalav, you all encountered a bit of a situation, finding two people in an argument about who was responsible for a near-collision on the trail, leading to an overturned wagon. This situation quickly evolved into something more dire, as a pack of giant insectoid ankhegs burrowed out of the ground and attacked you. You all handled the situation effectively, though a few of you were injured in the process. In fact, seeing Guy fall unconscious at one point, Kelkairi took advantage of the opportunity and used him as a Blood Puppet. In the end, you managed to defeat the monsters at hand and carry on.

The rest of the way to Pasalav was relatively peaceful, for everyone except Guy, who experienced a series of nightmares for several days after the fight as a side effect of Kel’s actions. This led to a conversation of whether or not others in the party would be willing for Kel to use the same magic on them if it would give them an advantage in the fight – most of you consented – and the party moved on. Much of the remainder of the trip was spent bonding with each other – using his ability to Calm Emotions, Trager helped Calla understand and temporarily alleviate her anxiety, and Elseth and Calla also privately confided in each other that neither is being completely accurate regarding their identities. Calla admitted that Oleidine is not her real last name, and Elseth revealed that they are not a drow at all – in fact, they’re a changeling named Eon.

Eventually, you all crossed over into District Pasalav, and shortly came across the edge of the city, where you instantly recognized your next point of interest – or, depending on your point of view, your next obstacle: a guarded checkpoint stands between you and the city walls. Upon sighting it, some of you reacted indifferently, others hesitantly, and others fearfully, but how you proceed from here is up to you.

Welcome back to Sticks & Stones.

### Session 12: Backs Against The Wall

(Afternoon of Lux.2Taro.5284)

**Formerly, in Sticks & Stones**

You all finally arrived at the city of Pasalav – or, more accurately, right outside the city of Pasalav. Nervous at the thought of needing to pass by a security checkpoint at the bridge into the city, you debated whether or not there was any need to enter at all, or whether the party would best be suited to head straight on their way to the Tranquil Nexus. During this conversation, you let slip to Trager that a large-scale war had broken out – a fact you all have not brought up in front of others since arriving in Denall – and opted to distance yourself from Trager in an attempt to keep from giving away any more information. Nonetheless, you did all decide to enter the city, and one by one you passed through the checkpoint without much issue – some of you giving fake names, some of you giving real ones. You all made it through with the exception of Calla, who was subjected to a patdown and, upon finding her journal written in Infernal, was brought in for a background check.

Despite your best efforts to handle the situation on the bridge, Calla was led away from the rest of you. You split up from Trager and headed to the city’s guard barracks to try and vouch for Calla. Through a mixture of antagonism and persuasion, you attempted to have her released early, but unfortunately, bureaucracy prevailed. In the meantime, a dismayed Calla learned from a fellow inmate at the barracks, a halfling named Sorrel, that the several hours her background check was supposed to take would likely be more like several days, due to the increased traffic of background checks in recent days.

The rest of you debated how to handle the situation, with a mixture of plans being offered – storming the barracks directly and committing arson were both mentioned – and Tia additionally offered a solution, stating that she may be able to get in contact with her theater guild. However, you decided that finding lodgings was the first appropriate step, electing to visit the Wandering Oak, the same tavern where Trager headed to meet up with his old friends, whom he also said may be able to help Calla.

It’s there that Trager invited you into the backroom to meet his friends, although the bartender asked you all to give up your weapons first. This put several of you at unease, but you obliged, following Trager into the basement of the Wandering Oak. The uneasy atmosphere thickened as Trager’s friends eyed you with suspicion, and after gathering you all into the center of the room, Trager turned and declared you all under arrest for the suspected murder of Ambassador Flarence Koss on behalf of the Maklean Armada. And before anyone could make a move, he cast Calm Emotions on you all.

In the meantime, Calla heard a whisper from the window to her cell. Coming closer, she spoke with a woman who had been on the bridge when you all entered the city, who warned her that her friends were in danger, and tossed her a lockpick.

The rest of you are largely unarmed, potentially charmed, and surrounded. But if it’s any consolation, you are not outnumbered.

Welcome back to Sticks & Stones.

### Session 13: Operation Moonbeam

(Evening of Lux.2Taro.5284)

**Formerly, in Sticks & Stones**

You all found yourselves with your backs against the wall. The majority of you found yourselves disarmed and surrounded by Maklean spies led by your ally – or so you had thought – Trager. Calla, in the meantime, found herself in jail waiting for a background check. However, she soon found the aid of Thella, a woman who seemed intent on helping Calla get back to her friends. Receiving additional help from her cellmate Sorrel and quickly retrieving her belongings, Calla followed Thella to the Wandering Oak, where she found an unexpected sight: 4 dead Maklean spies and an unconscious traitor, as the rest of you had managed to subdue your attackers.

Moving quickly to avoid the guards, you all took Trager with you and planned to leave the city at once, but not before Thella caught up with you. She informed you that the guards of Pasalav may not be as out to get you as you expected, and she hinted at a job that would allow you all to get back at Makle. She led you to The Nightly, an inn where she assured you no one would ask questions.

You all piled into one of your two rooms, where you began to discuss the half-orc in the room: what should be done with Trager. Several of you shared your thoughts that killing him would ensure your secrets stay safe, while others expressed…distaste at the idea of executing someone currently tied to a chair. Complicating the matter was Trager’s return to consciousness, whereupon you all questioned him and learned a bit of information. Trager claimed that he hadn’t been sent specifically to find you, but that he had been informed from higher ranks to keep a passive eye out for you. He also told you that he was a member of the Sprout Division, and though he didn’t offer any further information about it, Aratak theorized that he and his friends from Denall may be part of some kind of invasion force.

You all also took the opportunity to explain to Trager your side of the story after the crash of the Galloping Kelpie, and though you didn’t seem to fully convince him of your innocence, he did seem to earnestly consider that some of the details didn’t quite add up. Deciding to continue the conversation in private, you all left Guy to guard Trager while the rest of you debated what to do with him. There continued to be arguments both for and against killing Trager or letting him go, but before the debate could come to a definitive close, you all heard a knock at the door. You then met two Pasalav guards, Doreah and Ethelian, the latter of whom seemed vastly uncomfortable after recognizing you all from the Guard Barracks earlier that day. Doreah, however, grew excited, realizing that Thella had put her in contact with you all in order to carry out a plan that she has been concocting for a long time. Doreah and Ethelian have pieced together that Maklean spies have infiltrated several of the taverns throughout the city, but due to a legal stipulation, the Pasalav guards are not allowed to investigate. Which induces the need for a third party – that would be all of you – to go on a pub crawl to save the city.

The majority of you processed this new opportunity, waiting to hear more. But one of you was not waiting for anything at all. One of you is currently unaware of this new adventure, because you are busy in the other room. Spending some quality one-on-one time…with a traitor.

Welcome back to Sticks & Stones.

### Session 14: Pub Crawl to Save the City

(Evening of Lux.2Suke.5284)

**Formerly, in Sticks & Stones**

After your eventful first afternoon in Pasalav, you all found yourself considering a job from two of the city’s guards, the enthusiastic dwarf Doreah and the ever-skeptical Wood Elf Ethelian. They explained that this job would take place over the course of two nights. The first would focus on you all traveling from tavern-to-tavern as a group, determining which pubs have Maklean spies within while maintaining the façade of a standard pub crawl. The second night would involve you all splitting up and getting yourselves noticed in order to draw all the spies out of hiding at once, at which point you would strike. You all accepted the job, planning to carry out Stage 1 the following evening after you had gotten a chance to rest up.

In the midst of this discussion, Guy – having spent some quality time with your new prisoner Trager – entered with some new information, confirming your theory that Trager and his friends in the Sprout division were part of some kind of advanced invasion force, although he insisted that he had no idea WHEN said force would be arriving. In private, you all decided to hand Trager over to Doreah and Ethelian, and in fact negotiated your way into an extra reward for handing in an additional spy; once the job is complete, each of you will be allowed to select something out of the storage room at the Guard Barracks.

The night passed without significant incident, with Elseth and Kelkairi sharing an honest conversation, and Guy and Johann discussing some old Iaphoth folklore.

Several of you spent some time on the town the following day, with some of you going clothes shopping, others looking for more specific items, and a certain one of you proselytizing the good word of Iaphoth to the Magetown borough. As evening approached, the folklore-centric conversation returned briefly, culminating in Aratak attempting to give the group a scare by invoking Bloody Mary, and everyone else attempting to explain to Kelkairi the basics of comedy.

And it is shortly after this that we leave off, twilight beginning to set in, as you all gather yourselves for Stage 1 of the job – your very own pub crawl to save the city.

Welcome back to Sticks & Stones.

### Session 15: Talent Night

(Night of Lux.2Suke.5284)

**Formerly, in Sticks & Stones**

You all began your quest for the Pasalav guards Doreah and Ethelian, partaking in your very own Pub Crawl to Save the City. This was Stage 1 of Doreah’s Operation Moonbeam, in which you all sought to determine which pubs of the city were housing Maklean spies. After a brief reconvening with Doreah, you all set out and made several stops, so let’s break it down.

-At the Stalwart, you all caught the tail end of a drinking contest, and tried your best to investigate a backroom area guarded by a bouncer. Guy started a small fight, and Calla and Kelkairi attempted to investigate the second floor, although you weren’t able to acquire any hard evidence one way or the other.

-At the Mull-It-Over, you met up with your ally Thella, who informed you that she had already scouted out the location and confirmed that it was spy-free. You spent a few minutes double-checking her work, but everything seemed to be in order. She asked about Trager, and pondered aloud if he might tell the city guard any...compromising information about you all. She mentioned that if things DO end up going awry, she may be able to help you escape the city quickly and quietly. You all then enjoyed a brief musical performance before continuing on your way.

-At the Drunken Phoenix, a few of you discovered an underground fight club that struck your fancy, while the rest of you discovered a torn-up note more-or-less confirming that there were spies present here.

-At Dogger’s Drinks and Drop-Ins, you all chatted with several patrons as you played darts and skipped stones. This stop was a bit relaxing, as you all noted that nothing really set off your suspicion radar at this location.

-At A Night on the Town, you all met up with Calla’s compatriot in jail, the simultaneously friendly and irritable Sorrel. He showed you around the tavern, teaching you a few dice games and letting you know that, as far as he could tell, there weren’t any suspicious characters about – aside from the cheater he felt he had been swindled by in Willnor’s Liar’s Dice just as you showed up.

-At the tavern called the Last Stop, which was notably your penultimate stop for the evening, you all bore witness to poetry night, with some poems a bit more eloquent than others. In the midst of this, the bartender eyed your group with concern, eventually leaving Elseth a note saying “they’re here, they’re listening.”

-At Meat Heist, you all found yourself face-to-face with probably the rowdiest event of the night – which is saying something considering you found a fight club earlier. A drag show hosted by the tavern’s owner Miss De Meener capped the night off well. Several of you discovered....something within yourselves, and Kelkairi was interested in talking to the queens a bit more. Miss De Meener invited her backstage where she and her friend Barb taught Kel a few lessons in how to make a few adjustments to feel more comfortable in her own skin. In the meantime, the rest of the party, on its last legs, found one more piece of evidence suggesting that there may be Maklean spies about in Meat Heist as well.

And with that, Stage 1 of Operation Moonbeam concluded, as you all retreated back to the Nightly to plan out Stage 2. Identifying four taverns that you thought may have spies, you all planned out how to split up – two to each bar. And with that, you all retired for the night, earning some well-earned rest...with the knowledge that the job is only half done. The hard part...is tomorrow.

Welcome back to Sticks & Stones.

### Session 16: Ultimatum

(Night of Lux.2Orns.5284)

**Formerly, in Sticks & Stones**

You all commenced with Stage 2 of Operation Moonbeam, splitting up to try and draw the Maklean spies in Pasalav out of hiding. Aratak and Guy headed to Stalwart’s drinking contest, Calla and Kelkairi headed to the Drunken Phoenix to participate in the fight clubs, Johann and Zoomus prepared some poetry for The Last Stop, and Elseth and Tia prepared a drag routine for Meat Heist.

At the Stalwart, Guy chose to partake in the drinking contest while Aratak stayed back to try and gather more information. He managed to intercept one of the people hiding in the Stalwart’s backroom, while Guy managed to get far in the drinking contest. The bad news, is that nearly everyone else in the contest was also having a good day. After a...perhaps slightly unclear signal from Aratak, Guy took an extra shot instead of tapping out...and shortly fell unconscious, leaving Aratak to round up the remaining spies on his own. He succeeded in catching the two spies in the backroom, but turned to see a third spy attempting to drag an unconscious Guy away. Realizing the jig was up, the spy dropped Guy and ran, leaving Aratak to cut his losses and keep watch over the two spies he had already caught.

At the Drunken Phoenix, Calla signed up for the Barebones tournament and Kelkairi enlisted in the Martial tournament. Each of them passed their first round without much issue, though they both ran into some trouble in their second round. Calla defeated her opponent, but was nearly accused of cheating after channeling her ki to gain the upper hand. She nevertheless managed to talk the other fighter down and win the tournament. Kelkairi, meanwhile, discovered that her opponent had not switched out his weapon for the nonlethal variety, and was intent on killing her. She fell to her opponent, though Calla managed to convince the audience of the attacker’s ill intentions, leading the crowd to deliver the spy to the guard Ethelian, who had been stationed outside. The two of them then also headed to the bar, chatting with the suspicious bartender briefly before knocking him out upon realizing their drinks had been tampered with. They proceeded to haul him off toward the Guard Barracks.

At The Last Stop, Johann and Zoomus kept their eye out for suspicious activity during the first few poets of the night, before Johann got on stage and caused a bit of a stir. His poetry focused very heavily on Praxean patriotism and anti-Maklean (and anti-Willnor) sentiment, drawing much of the crowd into a frenzy. At the end of his set, Johann also cast Suggestion on an individual Zoomus had identified as a suspect, leading him to profess his true loyalties. At this, Johann and Zoomus, with a little help from the guard Doreah, managed to round up this spy and his compatriot.

And lastly, at Meat Heist, Tia helped develop some special effects for Elseth’s drag routine, which went off very well. During the performance, Tia spotted a suspicious halfling backstage and kept an eye out for them. Elseth, meanwhile ran into a bit of a snag with fellow performer Crockshot, who revealed themself to be a spy as well. With some backup from Miss De Meener, however, the pair managed to subdue the spies.

And we pick up immediately after all four of these scenes have begun to wrap up. Although at least one spy is confirmed to have escaped and a few of you got scraped up, it is abundantly clear that for the most part, Operation Moonbeam was a success. The question now is, what’s next.

Welcome back to Sticks & Stones.

### Session 17: Decisions, Decisions

(Night of Lux.2Lyns.5284)

**Formerly, in Sticks & Stones**

You all wrapped up the final stages of Operation Moonbeam. Aratak questioned his two captives before handing them over to the city guard. In the process, he learned a bit about something called the Trident that the Maklean spies and been waiting for. Aratak theorized that this may refer to some kind of three-pronged attack upon Prax, although some party members such as Johann later cautioned that there were other possibilities as well. Meanwhile, Johann received a pair of Compass Stones from the bartender at The Last Stop, and Zoomus presented her poetry to a crowd impressed with both her heroics and her writing skills. Suffering an...unfortunate run-in with her first alcoholic drink, however, Zoomus quickly requested that the night draw to a close soon after. With all the captured spies turned in, the group retired for the night, planning for the day ahead.

The following morning, you all took a brief stop in Magetown, where Johann dropped off one of his Compass Stones with a courier service to deliver the item to his daughter Josephine. You then headed to the Guard Barracks to receive your payment. Doreah and Ethelian slightly docked your pay for letting one spy escape, but you all received a decent chunk of payment for your services. Then, after Ethelian left, Doreah told you all, rather abruptly, that there was no need to talk to Trager. She then led you to the Reference Room, where you all picked out a menagerie of items, including Sorrel the halfling’s impounded dagger.

Unfortunately, on your way out, you found your own horse-drawn carriage being impounded on reports that it had been stolen, forcing you all to walk on foot from here on out. Calla returned the dagger to Sorrel, earning her a friend for life, as several of the rest of you inspected your newly found items. Later in the evening, you all decided your next course of action: go see if Trager has anything worthwhile to say, then head out of town under cover of night. Calla and Elseth, disguised as Ethelian, entered through the back door of the guard barracks and found Trager rather quickly. Happy to see you, his tone quickly adopted a more serious manner, as he explained his ultimatum: when Ethelian arrives for tonight’s late-night questioning session, Trager will tell him the truth about all of you; or at least, the truth he’s been told from higher up the ladder. That is, unless you all break him out of jail first. Neither choice is very convenient for you, but hey; at least he’s giving you options.

Welcome back to Sticks & Stones.

### Session 18: Belly of the Beast

(Night of Lux.2Lyns.5284)

You all prepared for your exit from Pasalav, but you elected to take a quick detour; after finding out that Trager was hoping to talk with you, and finding out that Ethelian did NOT want you to talk to him, Calla and Elseth decided to go pay a visit to Trager, where he offered you a choice; leave him in jail, and he’ll tell Ethelian about the accusations leveled against you regarding the war. Break him out and help him escape the city, and the secret is safe.

Calla and Elseth elected to break him out, running into a bit of trouble on the way. Elseth worked hard to distract several guards and get them out of the way, while Calla and Trager narrowly avoided getting caught by Ethelian. They escaped from the guard barracks, but Ethelian discovered Trager was gone almost immediately.

The rest of the party, upset to see Trager but not having much time to do anything about it, made their way towards one of the city bridges. As you approached, you ran into a guard checkpoint, which killed enough time for Ethelian to catch up to you. You managed to block his way by shutting the bridge gate behind you, but the guards managed to block your way with a wall of fire. Running into a few snags, including Elseth falling off the bridge and Guy accidentally summoning a screaming mushroom, several of you eventually heard a voice in your head telling you to get off the bridge. You chose to heed the voice’s suggestion and leapt into the moat below, where you were greeted by none other than Thella, who offered you a way out of the city through the sewer system.

You all got slightly more time to come to terms with the fact that you were still stuck with Trager, but were rushed onward to a Teleportation circle that Thella had prepared for you. You all expressed some hesitance, and Thella let you know you could always take your chances with the guards.

You all elected to go with Thella, entering through the portal, but lamentably, you all blacked out and awoke onboard a ship, chained to desks within an antimagic field, where your host fully introduced herself as Thella Serath, the Sea Wraith, the very same entity that befell the Midnight Sonnet shortly after your escape. She explained that Trager had talked her down from killing all of you, but that you would all need to vote on one person in your party to die and be reanimated as part of her crew. After a brief discussion, you all quickly decided that you would have no part in playing Thella’s games, and decided you would force an eight-way tie amongst you. Thella re-entered and, taking note of your loyalty to each other, decided to keep it fair by leaving it to a roll of the die. And the die chose...Johann Joellenbeck, whom Thella allowed to have a few last words about Iaphoth and his daughter Josephine, before she dragged a scimitar across his throat, and ended his life.

She then unlocked Johann’s chains, and dragged his body off, singing a shanty you all learned long ago.

You are still all chained up, and there is frustratingly little you can do. But you do still have each other. And at the very least, you can talk.

Welcome back to Sticks & Stones.

### Session 19: Out of the Fire, Into the Frying Pan

(Evening of Lux.2Keig.5284)

**Formerly, in Sticks & Stones**

You all got a moment to yourself in the aftermath of Thella’s murder of Johann Joellenbeck. In fact, you got more than a moment, you all remained chained to your desks within an antimagic field for hours. You all spoke of your lack of options in terms of escape, as well as your fury at Thella, vowing to avenge your fallen comrade sooner rather than later.

You all then received meals from Scowler, one of the few crew members onboard Thella’s ship that did not appear to be undead. Some time later, a pair of keys dropped down from the grating above you, allowing Tia and Zoomus to free themselves from their chains. The duo attempted to do some exploring, but with both of them famished after declining their meals, they struggled to maintain a stealthy presence and were swiftly found out by another living crew member, an Aasimar woman on the lower deck, who escorted them back to the rest of you.

You all had some more time to discuss what else you could do, as well as ponder who dropped the keys in the first place. However, before many of your questions could be answered, you all noticed the distinct sound of cannonfire from outside, and it shortly became clear that cannonfire was being directed at the ship you were currently on. You all witnessed Thella and her crew members, both living and undead, evacuating to the bottom floor of the ship, before an armored soldier entered and freed you from your chains. He helped you downstairs to retrieve your belongings, where you also found a chained-up Trager. The soldier asked if he was with you, to which you replied, to put it plainly: no, he isn’t.

The soldier stayed below deck, unable to leave this last prisoner behind, as the rest of you headed back to the top, the ship sinking below your feet. It was not until climbing onboard the ship of your rescuers that you all recognized a...frustratingly familiar face. You all found yourself once more on board the Midnight Sonnet, with Admiral Sondros addressing you. Off to one side you noticed the soldier from before dragging a waterlogged Trager onboard. This soldier, removing his helmet, revealed himself to be Hayworth, another crew member of the Sonnet whom you got to know while you were imprisoned.

You met a new crew member as well, a woman in a black dress wearing a butterfly mask, who offered you some healing; she later told you all to call her Rose, and informed you that she had her own reasons for wanting Thella gone. After giving you a few minutes of space, Sondros approached you once more, where you learned two things: one, Aerissa, the girl from Direpoint Isle, was not taken by Thella, as the sailor Petros managed to keep her safe during the attack and get her to an orphanage back in Makle. Two, Sondros is still suspicious of you, but believes war is not an excuse to let monsters run rampant. Rather than returning you all to Makle, Sondros requested your help in tracking Thella down and putting an end to her villainy once and for all. In the meantime, you all would be allowed to keep your belongings and roam the ship freely. At the prospect of getting your revenge, you all readily accepted the deal.

You all had some time to get some much-needed rest before Hayworth met you all, and advised you that, as difficult as it may be, the free time you all have may be a good time to start forging friendships of some kind. He then invited you to the top deck, where the ship’s resident musician Teschi sang a few songs: one, at the request of Kelkairi, was a keening, mourning song meant to commemorate those you have lost. And the other was a jaunty tune meant to lift your spirits about an unfaithful sailor and his resolute bride-to-be. Though your troubles are far from over, you all managed to find just a moment’s peace in the music before retiring for the night.

Welcome back to Sticks & Stones.

### Session 20: Return to Direpoint

(Morning of Lux.3Keig.5284)

You all spent some time onboard the Midnight Sonnet, gathering yourselves as you planned to track down Thella Serath and avenge the death of Johann. Though many of you mostly kept to yourself, several of you formed a few connections with fellow members of the crew, and the party particularly grew closer with Rose, the resident healer of the ship. Tia spent time developing her musical talents, and the party was invited to a planning committee with Sondros and several of his trusted advisors.

At this committee, you all compiled the information you had about Thella Serath. Hayworth informed you of her ship, a magical vessel able to reform itself by salvaging from other shipwrecks. He also noted that Thella had to have teleported to dry land, and theorized three possible places she may have retreated to. Recognizing one of them as Direpoint Isle, where your journey together began, you all felt it might be cosmically fitting to check there first. You additionally learned from Trager that Thella's crew is mostly undead, but that she has three "souled" crew members who are still alive, although they have been broken in and serve Thella with undying loyalty.

We resume our journey the days pass by and as the Midnight Sonnet heads toward Direpoint Isle, where all of this began.

Welcome back to Sticks & Stones.

### Session 21: A Baptism of Sorts

**Formerly, in Sticks & Stones**

(Afternoon of Lux.3Keig.5284)

You all continued your journey onboard the Midnight Sonnet, having formed an alliance with Admiral Sondros to track down the Sea Wraith after her slaying of your friend Johann Joellenbeck. You all determined that your best course of action for finding her would be to return to Direpoint Isle. During the week-long trip there, Calla became plagued with nightmares, envisioning the sordid scene onboard the Orphan Devil once more, watching as Thella proceeded to kill each of her other friends in turn. Troubled by these visions, Calla has been unable to maintain either her rest or her composure, granting her two points of exhaustion and rendering her unable to speak to many of her friends.

The trip was slightly more uplifting during the daytime, with Tia continuing to practice her musical talents while also looking into a cleric’s kit in Kirise’s shop. Elseth continued to reach out to Trager, who seemed to be in improving, though still rather mopey, spirits, and Rose offered some words of comfort to Calla while also spending some quality time with the ship’s helmsman Magren. Calla, for her part, spent much of the trip journaling, but also worked alongside Hayworth and another crew member Vah’li to help make the ship a bit more accessible for Stagg, a sailor who lost his legs in one of the recent bouts against the Sea Wraith.

Most of you were invited to a second planning meeting on the day you were expected to arrive at Direpoint, although Aratak, Guy, and the ship’s first mate Calumnia were not present. The meeting was not entirely fruitful with new ideas, but did involve Hayworth warning you to temper your expectations – although he’s sure you all have managed to put together some puzzle pieces, he’s less than positive that all of those pieces are fitting perfectly together.

This meeting was cut short, however, when the ship was attacked by a group of hostile aquatic creatures, including a large lobster-like entity and a largely unseen tentacled creature lurking in the waters below. You all managed to fend off your attackers, but not before Rose was heavily wounded in the fight. And once the melee had died down, with Direpoint on the horizon, it became clear that even after receiving some healing, Rose was afflicted with something from the fight, her skin beginning to turn translucent and her body doubling over in pain. In hindsight, getting crushed by a lobster claw may have been the least of her worries.

Welcome back to Sticks & Stones.

### Session 22: A Guiding Hand

(Morning of Lux.4Than.5284)

**Formerly, in Sticks & Stones**

You all found yourself returning to Direpoint Isle, the strait where you first convened after the sinking of the Galloping Kelpie. In the aftermath of the attack on the Midnight Sonnet, you all discovered that your new ally Rose was afflicted with a condition that now requires her to stay in the water, or at least keep her skin moisturized, at all times.

Upon arriving at the Isle, you all went ashore with Calumnia, who acted as your escort, where you came across Zalifah, a Maklean soldier tasked with studying the teleportation circle left behind on the isle. You compared notes and learned that the circle was a one-way entrance, but that the intricate designs of the circle allowed for teleportation to nearly anywhere on the planet, in contrast to the comparatively short range that Thella seems to operate with. You also investigated the well-like pool in the caves of Direpoint Isle once more, trying to investigate the strange floor of the pit, but did not manage to learn much more information aside from its sturdiness, with Calumnia unable to pierce the ground layer with her sword.

On your way back to the ship, Rose received a package from a teleporting Aarakocra, who delivered the parcel in private before flying away.

Back aboard the Sonnet, you all returned to your theories of what exactly happened to Ambassador Flarence Koss, but were largely unable to nail any details down. You also confirmed something you overheard while on the island – that Admiral Sondros and his first mate Calumnia are, in fact, married. Towards the end of the night, Elseth found a fairly effective workaround for Calla’s anxiety towards most of the party, introducing a new persona and speaking to Calla in this new form. This allowed Calla to join the rest of you in getting a decent night’s rest before you all wake up the following morning, heading north to see if you can track down the Sea Wraith elsewhere on the high seas.

Welcome back to Sticks & Stones.

### Session 23: Lethal Lullabies

(Morning of Lux.3Taro.5284)

**Formerly, in Sticks & Stones**

You all found yourself departing from Direpoint Isle, choosing to head north to a chain of islands known for causing shipwrecks in the hopes of finding traces of the Sea Wraith you all have been hunting for the better part of a week. The trip involved some lamenting that Rose’s strange amphibious condition appears to be long-term and not a dream. It also involved some investigation into what attacked the Midnight Sonnet during your approach to Direpoint, and the nature of the creature that has inflicted this condition upon Rose. The trip also included some confrontation, as Kelkairi tried to get some answers out of Calla with regard to why the tiefling has been avoiding the majority of the group for a full week. The conversation did not go particularly well, as Calla has still been suffering nightmares and found herself unable to respond.

In the meantime, you all conducted a bit more planning in the event that you do manage to catch up to the Orphan Devil – although there’s still nothing set in stone, several ideas were proposed, including sending a strike team on board to prevent Thella from escaping, as well as using the Midnight Sonnet as bait to lure Thella in. Whether you’ll be using either plan, a combination of the two, or something completely different, is still up to you.

After some prodding from Elseth and under the watchful eye of Aratak, Calla finally found a solution to the nightmares that have been plaguing her, with ally-turned-traitor-turned, in the given circumstances, ally-once-more Trager offering to use his ability to Calm Emotions. This allowed Calla to start recovering from her debilitating exhaustion just as the Midnight Sonnet began approaching the Jagged Isles. You all found no immediate sign of the Sea Wraith, but just as you began to inspect the wreckage around the island a bit further, you heard a strange, beautiful singing voice. And, to the horror of Calla, Guy, and Tia, the majority of you suddenly felt compelled to approach that voice at all costs – even if that means jumping into the waters below to get there.

Welcome back to Sticks & Stones.

### Session 24: High Chance of Fog

(Evening of Lux.4Suke.5284)

**Formerly, in Sticks & Stones**

During the party’s efforts to track down the Sea Wraith, the Midnight Sonnet paid a visit to the Jagged Isles, where you all contended with the charming song of a flock of harpies. Through some well-placed magical silencing spells and some help from the Midnight Sonnet’s cannons, you all managed to dispose of them rather handily.

As much of the ship’s crew recovered from the fight, the majority of you decided to explore the Isles on foot for a brief time. You all managed to scrounge up some resources as well as confirm the suspicions of Moirot, who had determined that a ship had visited the Isles recently and was likely only a day’s travel away. You also came across the one apparent resident of the island: Sorrento, a halfling under the employ of the Spenlins, a rich banking family from Bovannh, the capital city of Prax. He explained how he had been shipwrecked while trying to reach some contacts from Willnor, and was willing to pay you for a ride back to Prax.

He was excited to accompany you up until he got a closer look at the ship you rode in on, at which point he expressed...hesitance at joining you aboard a ship run by a Maklean admiral. Through some persuasive methods and the introduction of a fake name that he may have had trouble remembering, you managed to get him to haul his way onboard, where he was promptly questioned and...sequestered in the brig across from your room.  It was at this point that Guy spoke with Sorrento privately and asked for some information about the Spenlins, and asked him to pass on the message that the family’s youngest son, whom Guy met in Iaphoth, was alive and well. Sorrento responded that he had no knowledge of the son Guy had mentioned, to Guy’s surprise.

As you all settled in for the night, Trager offered to help use his Calm Emotions enchantment to give Calla another good night’s sleep, bringing the entire party back into fighting shape. Knowing that a confrontation was likely incoming, several of you decided to spend the day relieving some stress by spending time with Teschi playing dice games, some of you winning a bit of money and some of you losing just as much.

But now, the Midnight Sonnet is encroaching on its target. Which means now, it’s time to start finalizing your plans.

Welcome back to Sticks & Stones.

### Session 25: Orphan Devil

(Morning of Lux.4Orns.5284)

**Formerly, in Sticks & Stones**

You all finalized your plans as the Midnight Sonnet began to catch up with another ship that had recently visited the Jagged Isles. During these discussions, it was mentioned that in a mixture of adhering to Maklean law and being able to possibly get some answers out of the Sea Wraith, most of you were amenable with the notion of taking Thella Serath in alive if the opportunity arose. Planning to use the Water Walk spell, which can affect up to ten creatures, you determined that, despite some personal feelings towards him, the half-orcish cleric Trager should accompany you as part of the strike team hoping to sneak aboard Thella’s ship. After some discussion as to the logistics of the plan, it was decided that the Midnight Sonnet would attempt to sneak around its target and aim to cut them off, hoping that The Sea Wraith wouldn’t want to pass up an opportunity to attack the Midnight Sonnet.

During this discussion, Guy also made a curious offer, asking if Admiral Sondros himself would like to accompany the strike team as the tenth and final member. After some thought, Sondros accepted. You all made your final preparations, and after the Midnight Sonnet reached its stopping point, you all departed. Approaching your target, you all confirmed your suspicions, your hopes, and your fears – you all were indeed approaching the Orphan Devil. Surveying the area, you determined three optimal points of entry, as well as a few other riskier options. You elected to climb through a porthole on the bottom deck of the ship, finding it filled with undead crew members, but managing to sneak past them into the hallway of the bottom deck through some stealthy maneuvers assisted by magic from Calla.

Your success was short-lived, however, when Elseth tripped over a loose floorboard while trying to explore another room. Hearing someone coming, they disguised themself as Scowler, one of Thella’s Souled crew members, only to find themself face-to-face with the bandanna-clad henchman himself. The real Scowler called out an alarm, but his initial outcry fell on deaf ears due to Calla’s quick use of a Silence spell. However, in the ensuing scuffle, Calla’s concentration on the spell was interrupted, allowing Scowler to call out just before Rose managed to knock him out.

And so we return with the sounds of footsteps from overhead, as the rest of the crew of the Orphan Devil responds to the mischief afoot below deck.

Welcome back to Sticks & Stones.

### Session 26: Derelict

(Morning of Lux.4Orns.5284)

**Formerly, in Sticks & Stones**

You all managed to track down the Orphan Devil with the intent to finally putting a stop to Thella Serath, the sinister pirate who murdered your friend, Johann. With Admiral Sondros and Trager in tow, you all set out as a strike team to infiltrate her ship using a Water Walk spell. Things went off to a decent start, with you all stealthily making your way through a chamber filled with undead crew members, but things quickly went awry when the living crew member Scowler spotted you. You managed to dispatch of him and, with Elseth disguised as him, temporarily alleviate the suspicions of Angel, who came down to check on you. However, as the group split up to investigate further, you all activated a trap that turned much of the ship’s floor into difficult terrain, while also alerting the crew that something was awry.

Luckily, you also managed to find Thella’s teleportation circle, being guarded by several ghouls, skeletons, and apparently Thella’s pet iguana. Through some teamwork between Aratak, Rose, and Guy, you all managed to break the circle, narrowly cutting off Thella’s escape before Angel and the Sea Wraith herself Dimension-Doored into the room. A fierce battle began, with party members like Guy and Tia dealing with a mysterious, shimmering Kenku in the hallway, Aratak blocking a door with a horde of zombies on the other side, and Rose temporarily falling victim to some form of preliminary necromancy from Thella, who controlled her unconscious body for a short time before losing concentration. Late in the battle, you also found yourself with an uncomfortable sight, as the undead body of Johann Joellenbeck himself began to fight against you as well. The battle was hard-fought, but it was Zoomus who landed the finishing blow on the Sea Wraith, tanking a hit in order to keep some distance and succeeding in angling a spell in such a way to bring Thella to her knees non-lethally. Kelkairi then dispatched of Angel, and Tia and Calla managed to scare the Kenku into retreating.

And it is here that we return – without any backup needed from the crew of the Midnight Sonnet, you all have managed to defeat the Sea Wraith, and on top of that, it seems you’ve obtained the chance to take her in alive.

Welcome back to Sticks & Stones.

## Arc 2: Lost and Found

### Session 27: Circles

(Morning of Lux.4Lyns.5284)

You all recovered from your heated battle with Thella Serath, and stood back to watch as Admiral Sondros began to arrest her – only to watch as your new compatriot, Rose, struck Thella down with one blow, killing the Sea Wraith once and for all. It was at this point that Rose revealed her identity to you all as Josephine Joellenbeck, the daughter of your fallen comrade Johann. The majority of you supported her decision to end Thella’s life after the battle was over, a decision that the Admiral did not take well. Josephine was placed under arrest, while the rest of you briefly explored the ship and found a few other items of interest as the Orphan Devil began to fall apart around you.

After the Midnight Sonnet arrived to pick you all up, Josephine was placed behind bars alongside Sorrento, Scowler, and Lyleth, who turned out not to be a pet iguana but rather the fourth crew member of Thella’s ship, dabbling in multiple different angles of the magical arts, but finding it difficult to communicate clearly with others. The rest of you spent some time deciding what to do, beginning to sense that the handling of Thella’s fate may have shifted the tides in terms of the crew’s general opinion of you. As you surmised from your own knowledge and those around you, killing an opponent after the battle is over, no matter how evil the prisoner, is a major taboo in Makle.

Josephine was temporarily let out of her cell at twilight, when the crew gathered to allow a memorial service for Johann, whose body had been recovered from the Orphan Devil. After Josephine’s mournful words, the party was briefly approached by Teschi, who assured them that the path to the lifeboat would be clear that night if the party was planning an escape. Additionally, Sorrento promised that a representative from his employers, the Spenlin Family of the Silvertongue Bank, would be coming to pick him up should the group make a break for it. After consulting with a Divination Orb procured from Thella’s ship and seeing that Sondros appeared hostile against you in the near future, the group elected to break Josephine out and escape, although you had a few tagalongs in the form of Sorrento, Scowler, and Lyleth.

After a brief run-in with Petros, the party managed to escape unharmed. However, during the first night on the crowded rowboat, you all found your dreams perturbed by a creeping voice chastising you for meddling in the affairs of their disciple. Rather than punishing you directly, this entity chose to show you a vision of Admiral Sondros and his allies deciding their next course of action in the wake of your escape. Fulfilling the vision of your Divination Orb, you watched Sondros declare that the Midnight Sonnet would not be pursuing you directly, as the war was a more pressing concern. However, until further notice, all Maklean officers you encounter have the order to arrest you on sight.

We return as you all awaken at the same time, sun just beginning to crest on the horizon. Just from sharing eye contact with each other, you can deduce that you all shared in this vision, making clear that your troubles, while at a distance, are far from over.

Welcome back to Sticks & Stones.

### Session 28: A Change in Ranks

(Afternoon of Lux.4Keig.5284)

**Formerly, in Sticks & Stones**

You all took some time to process your second escape from the Midnight Sonnet, recovering from a dream you all shared that spoke of meddling in the affairs of some unknown entity, showing you a vision of Admiral Sondros reiterating the warrant for your arrests. Noticing a particularly strong reaction to this vision from Zoomus, several party members, Kelkairi chiefly among them, questioned whether or not Zoomus knew more about this mysterious voice. Zoomus responded saying she didn’t know anything more, and was simply shaken by the dream.

The party then decided on their next course of action, electing to trust in Sorrento that a sailboat was incoming that could speed you along to Bovannh, rather than staying in your rowboat for a longer trip elsewhere. During the wait and the gradual trip westward, you all developed some...creative, but overall effective ways to collect enough food and water to sustain you for the trip. You encountered only one major mishap when Guy’s magic malfunctioned, making him temporarily scared of Aratak for a short period.

Though the wait for Sorrento’s pickup was longer than expected, you did eventually find yourselves onboard a cutter fairly similar to the one you took from the bandits after your first escape from the Sonnet, although with a slightly friendlier crew this time around. You all stretched your legs and gave yourself some space, and Sorrento promised that once you reached Bovannh, he would ensure you all would receive traveler’s licenses allowing for safer travel around Prax. As some rain set in, most of you retreated below deck, while Rose and Kelkairi stayed behind to soak in the change in weather.

Your rest was short-lived, however, when several of you heard some cracking sounds and, examining the ship more closely, saw some leaks sprouting in the ship. Leaks sprouting from harpoons. As those of you below deck heard the sound of several more harpoons puncturing the hull of the ship, those of you above found yourself face-to-face with a group of merrow, as well as a few new aquatic warriors who seemed equally keen on sinking your ship to the ocean floor.

Welcome back to Sticks & Stones.

### Session 29: A Pesky Splinter

(Afternoon of Lux.5Than.5284)

**Formerly, in Sticks & Stones**

You all valiantly defended your ship from an onslaught of Merrow, who seemed to be teaming up with a new group of underwater creatures, the sahuagin, who also brought with them a school of sharks. Though the battle was hard-fought and somewhat complicated by the Merrow’s tendency to try and throw you all overboard, you came out on top, with Josephine and Aratak both sustaining major injuries but living to tell the tale.

You all elected to take an early night’s rest to recover from the fight, but Aratak, struggling to get much sleep due to his wounds, awoke to an unusual sight: a small fire had broken out on the deck of the ship, with a bucket of water next to it that appeared to be intentionally left behind to put the fire out. Upon further investigation, you discovered that the fire seemed to be lit in order to destroy a teleportation circle that had been drawn on the deck. Upon doing a headcount, you all confirmed that you did not have any new crew members onboard your sailboat – in fact, you were a few people short, with Scowler, Lyleth, and your compatriot Zoomus all appearing to have left through the circle. You searched the ship, finding no further notes or explanations, and no signs of a struggle.

With the party experiencing a unique blend of worry for Zoomus’s safety and concern regarding whatever Zoomus was up to if she **did** go willingly, you all elected to use your Divination Orb to determine where Zoomus would be in seven days. With the hopes of being able to recognize her surroundings, Guy was chosen to use the orb, and he received a vision of Zoomus traveling with Scowler and Lyleth. They appeared to be on an island, whose most distinctive feature was a massive flagpole at the top of the small mountain forming the island’s terrain, bearing a banner you did not recognize. Zoomus did not appear to be in any duress, appearing to confirm your suspicions: whatever Zoomus is up to, she is committed to it of her own accord.

Welcome back to Sticks & Stones.

### Session 30: No One Ever Said It Was Glamorous

(Afternoon of Lux.5Taro.5284)

**Formerly, in Sticks & Stones**

You all debated what to do after the departure of your party member Zoomus, along with Scowler and Lyleth. You discovered from Captain Durstrid that the location Guy saw in the Divination Orb was likely Coward’s End, an island run by cutthroat pirates and other criminals. Durstrid also strongly refused to take you there, leading you all to formulate a plan – in order to be at Coward’s End in about seven days, where you all hoped to find Zoomus, you would travel the remaining two days to the capital city of Bovannh, then enlist a different, faster ship to get you back to Coward’s End.

You all proceeded with this plan, encountering a dock worker named Naphtali who Sorrento claimed was an ex, then following Sorrento to Bovannh’s Banking Quarter and into the administration building of the Silvertongue Bank. The Bank was a hive of activity for your party: you all received traveler’s licenses that would help you get around Prax more easily, Tia met up with an old friend from her theater troupe and requested a day off, you all encountered a young scrawny dwarven alchemist named Torien Blackhammer who insisted on joining paths with you, and you all received a job offer from the acting head of the bank, the Yuan-Ti Pureblood Ulata Spenlin. Pleased with your rescue and escort of Sorrento, Ulata offered you a job that required some discretion: delivering supplies through the sewers to Fort Macross, one of the two massive defense towers guarding the city. In return, she promised some payment in the form of gold, gems, some information for Aratak, and a boat with a captain willing to take you to Coward’s End. She informed you that her pet pseudodragon, Ringtail, would be accompanying you to ensure the job was done, and she also let you know that the physical handling of the supplies might require an extra set of hands.

On your way out of the bank, you all found one more fateful encounter, as Kulata Spenlin, the daughter of your new employer, took Guy aside. As Guy later explained to you all, Kulata is his sister: Guy is in fact Etis, the youngest son of the Spenlin family. Despite thinking that he had managed to hide his fate when he initially accidentally turned into a human, Guy discovered that the rest of his family had somehow found out about his predicament. Though the majority of the family disowned him, Kulata explained that she believed he may be able to work his way back into the family – and also promised that she may be able to turn him back to his original form.

Kulata also left Guy with a warning that, with their father in poor health, their mother was making moves he might not have approved of, and that Ulata’s goals might not have the interest of the city at heart. Taking in all of this information, the party headed back to the docks to gather a bit more information, and to hire Naphtali to help carry the supplies for a cut of the money. A few other party members did a bit of shopping, and the group agreed to reconvene back at the Silvertongue Bank, where you all plan to begin your trek into the sewers.

Welcome back to Sticks & Stones.

### Session 31: Dark, Darker, Yet Darker

(Night of Lux.5Taro.5284)

**Formerly, in Sticks & Stones**

Accepting a job from the matriarch of the Silvertongue Bank Ulata Spenlin, you all began your journey into the sewer system of Bovannh. As you all gathered you briefly met with Zulti, one of Etis’s brothers, who seemed wary that Etis had spoken to his more welcoming sister Kulata that morning. You also met up with the dock worker Naphtali, who helped you carry your cargo; three crates that were to be dispersed throughout the sewer system.

During your journey you discovered a hidden entrance in a storage room that appeared to lead down some sort of tunnel, which you elected to avoid for now. You also came across several obstacles – the map Ulata provided told you to expect discrepancies, and discrepancies you found. With one of your possible avenues of travel blocked by a cave-in and another blocked by a brick wall and a flow of water governed by some sort of valve system, you all found a smaller service-way and made your way towards one of the dropoff locations for your crates.

Through Calla’s use of a clever sound-based illusion, you all managed to distract some goblins blocking your way and knock out two others who had stayed behind, making your way to the first drop point where Ringtail disguised the crate behind the illusion of a brick wall. You all continued on your way and found a secret passage, apparently designed by the same entity that formed the tunnel you found in the storage room. Here you found a note written in a cipher making mention of a beacon that the entity had hidden further down in the sewers, with a few other locations marked on the map.

Pondering whether you would investigate this beacon further, you all came across the other side of the brick wall and fiddled with the valve system in order to stop the water flow and allow you to pass underneath. However, since this led back the way you came, you turned around and went further down into the lower levels of the sewers, where several you became burdened with the fumes and suffered a point of exhaustion. Finding that the pathway of the most expedient route had collapsed into a massive pit, you all headed down a different direction, where Elseth set off a tripwire, setting off a string of alarm chimes echoing throughout the tunnel. Whatever set the trap you found, it’s safe to assume it knows you’re here.

Welcome back to Sticks & Stones.

### Session 32: Traitor's Ruin

(Unfortunately, I lost this recap when my laptop crashed. In summary, the party continued to explore the sewers and, finding a mysterious side tunnel, discovered a tomb that contained several ghostly creatures, whom you defeated.)

### Session 33: Do the Splits

(Unfortunately, I lost this recap when my laptop crashed. In summary, you all decided to split the party with the goal of one half getting a look into one of the crates without Ringtail noticing. Inside a crate, you found several closely packed barrels of gunpowder, as well as a strange contraption that comprised two small slabs of metal latched together. As both halves of the party approached their respective drop points, both of them were ambushed by goblin forces.)

### Session 34: Dawn Exchanges

(Unfortunately, I lost this recap when my laptop crashed. In summary, you all completed your mission and delivered all three of the crates. You further found the beacon referred to in the notes you found earlier in the sewers.)

### Session 35: Flight of the Titmouse

(Night of Lux.5Suke.5284)

**Formerly, in Sticks & Stones**

You all finally made your way out of the sewers of Bovannh, having completed your objective and having sated your curiosity by exploring the last of the hidden rooms connected with a series of encrypted notes that you all had found. Emerging to the surface exhausted, and returning to the Silver-Tongue Bank, you all reconvened with Tia, who had spent the night catching up with an old friend and appearing to initiate a new lease on life to some degree. You then proceeded to Ulata Spenlin’s office, where you all received the rest of your payment in its various forms: gold, a currently unread note for Aratak, and a moment of healing for Josephine, as whatever malady had befallen her from the attack on the Midnight Sonnet was cured by Myxotigall, the cleric whom Tia had been visiting with.

Ulata seemed content with letting you keep your additional spoils from the venture, though she did offer additional payment to get a look at the so-called Beacon you had uncovered. With you all unsure of what lay inside this locked box, you declined the offer, to Ulata’s disappointment. You then received your final reward for the quest: the name of the dock where you would be meeting the boat captain taking you to Coward’s End to ascertain the whereabouts and doings of Zoomus. After parting ways with Naphtali, some among you performed some shopping and planning before heading to the docks at noon. There, you met none other than Duglas Deskar, an eccentric, confident, barefoot self-proclaimed historian-adventurer who was eager to get you on your way. You boarded his vessel, the Tufted Titmouse, and began to make your way eastward. On this first day of the voyage you also learned that Duglas was a bit of an author, having compiled several volumes of an Encyclopedikus Deskari that helped fill in a few of the blanks about Coward’s End, among several other locations.

After taking some time to get settled, you all started to get ready for bed, before Duglas called you all to the top deck. Surmising that you all had a difficult history on the sea, he showed you a gentler side of the open ocean, providing you all with a wonderful view of a pod of whales breaching the water off the side of the ship. At that, you all headed back to bed, feeling the most peaceful at sea you have felt in a long time.

Welcome back to Sticks & Stones.

### Session 36: Coward's End

(Evening of Lux.5Keig.5284)

**Formerly, in Sticks & Stones**

You all began your journey to Coward’s End onboard the Tufted Titmouse, captained by Duglas Deskar. On your way you all perused through several volumes of the Enyclopedikus Deskari, and you also identified several magic items and dispersed them accordingly to whoever needed or wanted them most. The most puzzling of all, however, was the beacon you uncovered in a secret room hidden in the sewers. The object did not appear to be cursed or have any immediate detrimental effects – all it played was a prerecorded message from a figure calling himself Ozvuldt, who seemed particularly obsessed with the idea of revealing hidden knowledge and truth.

Absorbing all this, you had some nice bonding time, with Tia and Calla discussing their reticence to trust new people, and Kelkairi and Josephine bonding over fathers and the oddly similar nature of them becoming monsters that need to be defeated. Guy attempted fishing and found little success, while Kelkairi through the luck of the gods caught a tuna using an empty spray bottle.

About halfway through your journey you encountered an obstacle, a Maklean galleon that hailed your ship in hopes of gathering information...coincidentally, information about all of you. Unsure of how much information to tell Duglas, you all eventually settled on, FOR THE RECORD, about half of you hiding under the floorboards, one of you disguised and below deck, and three of you plus Duglas on the top deck. Throughout a tense conversation with the admiral of the galleon, you all narrowly avoided being found out, surviving by the skin of your teeth before he decided to leave you all alone.

You debated whether or not to come clean to Duglas, and decided to tell him the partial truth that you are wanted for killing Thella Serath. Though he seemed excited at the prospect of sailing with people who had taken out the Sea Wraith, he also seemed to realize that you weren’t telling him the whole truth, and he appeared a bit hurt by that revelation.

Nonetheless you all continued on your way, eventually arriving at Coward’s End, discovering from the island’s massive flagpole that the faction with the most power currently, was one of the most enigmatic and unsettling gangs of the bunch: the Blind Witness.

Welcome back to Sticks & Stones.

### Session 37: A Helping Crimson Hand

(Evening of Lux.5Keig.5284)

**Formerly, in Sticks & Stones**

You all arrived at Coward’s End in search of your former party member Zoomus. After a discussion of which Faction to join, you all settled on trying to get in touch with either the 36 or the Ice Shatterers, although you chose to stay visibly Unbranded for the time being. Duglas bid you on your way, directing you towards the Blackmarkets, a neutral zone where you may be able to gather some information. Along the way, you all caught more suspicious eyes than you would have liked, although no one tried to give you any trouble. You took note of some of the minor factions of the island, noticed some kind of werewolf-esque interaction take place, and took note of something concerning: you did not see any members of the 36 OR the Ice Shatterers around.

As you all arrived in the Blackmarkets you took in the myriad of sights around you, with one of the most notable features of this makeshift village square being members of the mysterious Blind Witness lining the entire market, observing the area as if on guard. Although there weren’t any taverns in the area, you all decided priority number one was getting a drink. You found a small market stall run by a man who, after some conversation, identified himself as a member of the Enders, a faction you haven’t heard much about yet. By being willing to support his small business, you managed to get some information out of him. You learned that about a month back the Ice Shatterers up and left the island, leaving a power vacuum that the Blind Witness took advantage of, ousting the 36 and taking over control of the Acme, the massive flagpole at the top of the island. You also asked about Zoomus and, although the vendor couldn’t 100% confirm that he had seen her specifically, he did confirm some Wraithtouched activity and, cross-referencing information you had, seemed to confirm that Scowler may be a Wraithtouched follower doing business on the island.

You also tried to begin the process of possibly making some friends, with Aratak suggesting some of the minor factions forming an alliance, but you couldn’t make much progress in that line of thought before you WERE finally confronted by some prying eyes, with a group of Ebon Blades considering you easy pickings. A chaotic battle ensued, chaos that did not subside when Guy’s wild magic caused every participant to turn invisible, turning the entire fight into a game of chicken as many people held their action to see who would appear first. As the fight progressed, things turned slightly dire, before a mysterious figure belonging to the Crimsonhanded leapt from a rooftop with a rope, offering an escape route for all of you. After some tense exchanges in the combat, you all did manage to climb up to the rooftop, with your mysterious helper following up behind, suggesting that you all follow him before more Ebon Blades show up, now that they seem to have you in their sights.

Welcome back to Sticks & Stones.

### Session 38: A Strained Reunion

(Evening of Mox.1Than.5284)

**Formerly, in Sticks & Stones**

You all found yourselves with a new companion for the time being, as a member of the Crimsonhanded named Venson offered to help you out in exchange for a favor. Venson took you back to the Getaway, the main base of operations of the Crimsonhanded, where you were offered a meal and lodging. Venson explained that he’s been planning a job, but that the Crimsonhanded doesn’t have the manpower to support it. With that, he offered you all a deal; he would help you track down Zoomus, and in exchange, you would help him break into the House of Alabaster, the main stronghold of the Blind Witness. Through this exchange of information, Venson also let you know there was a strong chance Zoomus and Co. were also headed in the same direction.

You gathered a bit more information about the island in addition to overhearing enough conversation to piece some things together – the reason Venson needs his own group of extra helpers is because the rest of the Crimsonhanded seem to be planning an attack on the Acme of Coward’s End at the same time. With that, you headed on your way the following morning, with Venson leading the charge through the island’s communal graveyard, avoiding some of the perils lying within.

You made good time across the island, eventually catching up to the vision of Zoomus you saw in your Divination Orb, walking alongside Scowler and Lyleth. Your old companion had a bit of a makeover wearing some new adornments, and her reception to seeing you all was...a bit chilly. You had a brief conversation trying to figure out what she was up to and why she left, but before you could get too many concrete details, the scene shifted dramatically, as Venson hit Zoomus with a rope dart, sprang forward, and held a dagger to her throat, informing you all that Zoomus had killed his brother. So that may complicate things.

Welcome back to Sticks & Stones.

### Session 39: The House of Alabaster

(Evening of Mox.1Than.5284)

**Formerly, in Sticks & Stones**

You all found yourselves in a bit of a spot, as you were reunited with your prodigal companion Zoomus, only to find that your new ally Venson was ready to kill her. After some effortful but ultimately fruitless attempts at de-escalating the situation, the scenario devolved, as Zoomus and her own allies Scowler and Lyleth attempted to retreat. Scowler and Lyleth escaped, but you all managed to subdue Zoomus by bringing her to the brink of death and talking Venson down.

Bringing Zoomus back to consciousness, you all were able to talk things out a bit more, where you learned quite a bit of information; Zoomus did indeed kill Venson’s brother, as he claimed, while under orders from the Sea Wraith. Despite some initial vagueness, you were fortunately able to confirm that the Sea Wraith does not necessarily refer to Thella, and simply is the title given to whoever is leading the Wraithtouched. You also learned more about Zoomus herself, who explained her overall goals; she is in service to the Deathless One, a patron that saved her from death and granted her magical powers. Her mission is to unlock secrets of untold power in the hopes of gaining immortal life, and her decision to leave your group was based on her instinct that doing so would help her to achieve that goal. She also mentioned that serving the Wraithtouched was its own means to an end, and that she planned to depart from them once she found what she wanted.

This led to your next dilemma: what to do next. Venson urged the group onwards, providing a bit more information about the task at hand – he is hoping to steal a cipher that he believes must stay out of the hands of the Blind Witness. Meanwhile, some among your own group discussed trying to find the Coward’s Boon, the mythical treasure supposedly hidden somewhere on the island. You resolved that proceeding to the House of Alabaster was still the next course of action in the hopes of finding valuables and answers. After a considerable debate, you chose to let Zoomus accompany you unbound, and after a tense short rest, you proceeded forward to the Blind Witness’ base of operations. Handily taking care of some guards posted out front, you all entered the House of Alabaster, taking note of the well-lit interior and the massive statue overlooking the front entrance. As most of the party began to proceed forward, Guy noticed the statue seemed off, identifying it as an illusion and, just in the nick of time, realizing that traveling through the statue was the intended pathway – the walkways around the statue were in fact trapped. Having narrowly avoided the first deception of the House of Alabaster, you all have already learned a valuable lesson: tread carefully.

Welcome back to Sticks & Stones.

### Session 40: Indisposed

(Evening of Mox.1Than.5284)

**Formerly, in Sticks & Stones**

You all began your heist of the House of Alabaster, the headquarters of the Blind Witness, in search of the Marigold Cipher. Proceeding forward carefully after the very first trap of the dungeon was narrowly spotted by Guy, you all did some step-by-step exploring. On the first floor, you examined a room that appeared to be filled with multiple Spheres of Annihilation, with those of you well-versed in Arcana finding that concerning. You also found the staircase leading to the second floor, passing through a greenhouse area where you fought a particularly hardy member of the Witness who had hidden himself amongst the leaves.

On the second floor, you noted several more closed doorways, as well as a patrol circulating the hallways of the floor every few minutes. Hoping to maintain your stealthy approach, you all ducked around a corner to avoid the guards and found another stairwell leading upwards. However, as you reached the top of it, Kelkairi discovered through experience that the top step of the stairs was illusory, and she fell to the ground. Managing to stay quiet through the use of a Silence spell, you all still found a secondary effect of the trap, as all the lights throughout the building dimmed into darkness. At that, you chose to stay on the second floor for now, exploring a room that contained a diorama of the island of Coward’s End, as well as a room containing several chests, all of which were filled with a strange assortment of items, including maps to the building, candy, and a white flower. Taking a closer look at the floor maps, you chose to then send some of your stealthier party members up ahead to investigate a room that looked particularly special. As your friends reached it, however, you found the room was anything but, discovering a washroom inside and nothing more. And to make matters worse, it seems your entry did not go unnoticed, as you opened the door to leave and found yourself face-to-face with three of the Witness members on patrol, grinning at their newly-found prey.

Welcome back to Sticks & Stones.

### Session 41: The Vault

(Evening of Mox.1Than.5284)

**Formerly, in Sticks & Stones**

You all resumed your venture into the House of Alabaster, and having split your party, you both had to handle two different groups of enemies, as Elseth, Calla, and Josephine were trapped by a group of cultists who had sensed their presence, while the rest of you dealt with the remainder of the patrol circling the second floor. You dispatched these enemies fairly handily, however, and continued your exploration of the second floor. You entered into a library, which appeared to have a varied selection of books, some of which also carried a full translation into Thé’jal, which is the word I’m now using for fantasy Braille. Zoomus also noted that someone seemed to be hidden and lying in wait behind a particular bookcase, and you decided to leave before falling into a trap. You then argued over whether or not to enter a large room that seemed to be filled with people, arguing that it might be a bunch of Witness members guarding something valuable. You eventually opted to open to door, finding that there were in fact dorms on the other side.

Defeating the horde of enemies within, you continued on your way, investigating a small closet and finding several bottles as well as, in a far corner, another Beacon of Ozvuldt. You proceeded to use the floor maps you had found to discover two hidden doors. Behind these doors you found two rooms, each of which was suspiciously empty but seemed to have something blocking your way. Spending enough time in either room revealed traps in both of them, one room filling with water and one room filling with fire. However, after enough trial and error, you managed to move forward, with Josephine quickly soloing another puzzle room by maneuvering through some underwater tentacles to form an ice bridge leading into the next room.

You swiftly identified this room as the vault room, sighting several chests and a safe behind a set of iron bars. You ALSO discovered that the dangers were not over, with Calla falling into a spike trap, and, most recently Elseth discovering that one of those two chests wasn’t a chest at all, as the lid opened up and tried to bite down.

Welcome back to Sticks & Stones.

### Session 42: Alabaster and Crimson

(Evening of Mox.1Than.5284)

**Formerly, in Sticks & Stones**

You all found yourselves in the vault room of the House of Alabaster, fending off a treasure chest that had come to life. After solving this situation, you spent some time investigating the room, trying to find a way past the iron bars into the safe on the other side. You eventually found your way through and managed to additionally crack your way through the safe by listening for the tumblers. Inside you found a trove of money, magic items you did not spend too much time examining, and upon very close inspection, a hidden compartment with your quarry, the Marigold Cipher.

Venson asked to see the cipher and, upon a brief discussion, you all allowed him to hold onto it. You started making your way back through the path you came from, but Aratak felt an urge to check out the third floor of the building, if ever so briefly. Emerging into the attic-like area and sensing some kind of presence behind his shoulder, he eventually returned to the group without further exploration.

You then attempted to leave the House of Alabaster, running into a small problem – the Alabaster King had been made aware of your presence, and requested several items returned to him. You all elected to keep the cipher, although Aratak used the flower you had found in a backroom to distract the King’s attention for a moment as the fight broke out. You also discovered that the door was barred, making a quick escape difficult. You also discovered that several members of the Blind Witness appear trained to wield the Spheres of Annihilation you all found earlier in the evening, making the fight immensely more complicated.

A chaotic, stressful battle ensued, with about half the party attempting to break through the barrier and the other half fending off the King and his subjects. Zoomus summoned a loyal skeleton who lasted far longer than expected, the Alabaster King demonstrated an ability that seemed to warp time or space, and sensing things going wrong, Elseth pickpocketed Venson to present to the Alabaster King his prize – only to discover that the package was in fact a decoy, with Venson still very much holding the cipher, no closer to helping end this fight.

Welcome back to Sticks & Stones.

### Session 43: Grave Touched

(Evening of Mox.1Than.5284)

**Formerly, in Sticks & Stones**

Having successfully broken into the safe of the House of Alabaster and recovered the Marigold Cipher, you found yourself facing off against the Alabaster King himself, as well as several other members of the Blind Witness. After a tense first half of the battle, you all found yourselves split, with half the party trying to force open the doors to outside and half of you fending off your attackers. This came to a head when the latter half of the party faced dire straits, leading Elseth to pickpocket Venson and present the cipher to the Alabaster King. Except, it wasn’t the cipher he pickpocketed, as Venson had hidden a decoy in his jacket pockets.

Rather than turning, the tides of battle reached a bit of a standstill, with Guy successfully solving one problem by teleporting to the other side of the doors and removing the barrier, but others in the party facing much more difficult scenarios. Though there were several ups and downs, it was ultimately Aratak and Zoomus who dropped, and more-or-less stayed, unconscious for the latter stages of the fight. Meanwhile, Venson rushed forward to help drag Aratak to safety. However, hearing a desperate cry from Elseth, he then chose to lure the Alabaster King away with the promise of the cipher, diving back into the House of Alabaster in order to ensure the King gave chase. This left the rest of you with several Witness Chanters and Spheres of Annihilation to deal with, both of which continued to cause trouble but, eventually, you managed to subdue.

With that, you all finally caught a breath of fresh air, dragging several of your unconscious party members outside. Within the House of Alabaster you were able to confirm that Aratak’s wounds had not been fatal and that he would pull through. It was not until getting outside that you realized Zoomus, clawed, drained of magic, and directly lowered into a Sphere of Annihilation, had unfortunately fared much worse. Zoomus was not at death’s door. She had already passed through it.

As you took a moment to mourn the loss of the person you had come all this way for, the soul of Zoomus took a journey of her own. Passing through the veil, leaving behind her shattered body adorned by a frozen tear and beginning to enter into whatever comes next...something stopped her. Something, something whispering through the spine of the body she had thought she was leaving behind, something that has been speaking to her for a long, long time, spoke once more. And it told her that her journey was not over yet. And so, just outside the House of Alabaster, in a wave of relief followed by a tide of uncertainty for what this could mean, Zoomus sprang back to life in your arms, set to walk the Material Plane once more.

Welcome back to Sticks & Stones.

### Session 44: Little Talks

(Morning of Mox.1Seph.5284)

**Formerly, in Sticks & Stones**

You all finally escaped from the House of Alabaster, and convening outside the building, you took stock and realized that your compatriot, Zoomus, had passed away in the fight...but she didn’t stay dead for long. Coming back into a state of semi-consciousness, Zoomus needed some time to recover – time that was interrupted by yet another thorn in your side, with Scowler emerging from the treeline. Not directly trying to pick a fight, Scowler insisted on staying close to you all until Zoomus fully regained her senses. On your way towards the docks, you did take a break to rest up, where Zoomus recovered, though both her body and mind were shaken from the experience, as she felt so, so cold.

After a brief conversation, Zoomus decided to stay with your party, leading Scowler to give Zoomus a note and depart with Lyleth, who had also been scouting overhead. During this process Aratak also discovered that the heist may have been even more successful than initially assumed, finding the Cipher – the REAL Cipher – in his knapsack. Realizing that Venson must have slipped it into his bag, you all came to the conclusion that he may not have made it out – and after some discussion, decided that without Venson, returning to the Crimsonhanded might not be the best look. From there, you decided to head straight for Duglas, having to head through the city-district of the island to get back.

Through a string of navigation and intimidation, you all managed to snake your way through the city and make it all the way to Duglas’s ship unharmed, and sailing into a light rainstorm, you emerged from the bay of Coward’s End and left the island behind you.

Taking a moment to warm up in the hold of the ship, you all began to process the events of the last 24 hours. In the process, Zoomus spat out her tea in disgust, giving Tia a hunch. Using her ability to channel the divinity of her deity, she ran a test: and seeing Zoomus flinch, she was able to confirm her theory, which she shared with the rest of the group. Zoomus is not dead. But she is not alive either. One of your party members is now an undead creature.

Welcome back to Sticks & Stones.

### Session 45: Tailor Maid

(Morning of Mox.1Lyns.5284)

**Formerly, in Sticks & Stones**

You all began your journey away from Coward’s End back towards Prax’s capital city of Bovannh, finally finding yourselves with some downtime and plenty of conversations to spend it on. Zoomus needed a bit of alone time after discovering she was officially undead, but after having a bit of space, she began meeting the conga line of party members hoping to have a word with her, some offering comfort, some offering apology, and some remaining wary.

Other conversations abounded, with Kelkairi asking about the fact that the Alabaster King had identified multiple changelings within the party. After some brief discussion of who these mysterious shapeshifters might be, and no one volunteering themselves, a few party members expressed the feeling that it doesn’t really matter – although some others were frustrated to know that there were still secrets being kept.

The journey also afforded some time to sort through the items you all had acquired from your stint on Coward’s End, finding a bevy of useful equipment that you divvied up throughout the party. You then turned your attention towards what was coming next: the Dural Ball. Overhearing your conversation, Duglas mentioned that he was also headed to the event, and insisted on taking measurements so that everyone would be able to gather outfits for the occasion in due time.

As Guy explained to the group, the Dural Ball is a contest of prestige, where guests wine and dine, dance, and compete to earn a spot at the host’s table at the end of the night. As the final full day of your journey came to a close, you began to brainstorm your game plan for how to get some of you – Guy most of all – a seat at the most exclusive table in Bovannh.

Welcome back to Sticks & Stones.

### Session 46: Tune the Players

(Afternoon of Mox.1Lyns.5284)

**Formerly, in Sticks & Stones**

You drew towards the end of your journey back to Bovannh, holding some discussion on how to approach the upcoming Dural Ball. Guy made it clear that the primary order of business is finding time to speak with his parents in a formal setting and figure out more of what’s going on behind the family curtains. To do so, he will need to gain enough prestige throughout the evening to earn a spot at the Host’s Table. Guy recalled that the night would certainly feature a waltz as well as, likely, a foxtrot. In the hopes of helping the group be more accustomed for what was to come, those of the party well-versed in these dances held some lessons on the deck of the Tufted Titmouse. With the night ending on a few one-on-one discussions, the next day rose to greet you as you once more found yourselves entering the city of Bovannh.

Your first order of business was to visit the Tailor Maid, a shop that Duglas told you would be able to arrange for some outfits in time for the ball. The gnome inside, Marteau, seemed a bit frustrated to have so many rush orders placed at once, but took your measurements and requests regardless, asking you to pick up your outfits the morning of the ball. You then split ways, with Guy, Calla, and Tia heading back to the Silver-Tongue Bank to speak with Guy’s sister Kulata to discuss the plan and organize tickets. With all this in mind, you have a plan: Zoomus will be acting as Duglas’s plus-one, Guy, Elseth, and Kelkairi will enter as a married couple and bodyguard, and the rest of you will be making your first public appearance under your official title: the Broken Bones.

Welcome back to Sticks & Stones.

### Session 47: The Dural Ball

(Evening of Mox.1Keig.5284)

**Formerly, in Sticks & Stones**

You all took care of some outstanding business in the city of Bovannh as you prepared for the Dural Ball, the social event of the season in which Guy hoped to have a seat at the table with his parents and have a chat. Aratak headed to the Tawny Dragoon to gain more information about his sister, learning from an old friend Montag that Pieck had been trying to gather up a fighting force in Bovannh before heading east.

Some among you also went shopping, looking for various accoutrements and some jewelry to sell your look at the ball. Once all your preparations had been made, you retrieved your outfits from the tailor Marteau, then headed to the ball itself. Here, you spotted faces both familiar and new, and after getting your first impressions of those at the ball, you spread out to establish everyone else’s first impression of you. Some of you kept an ear out trying to get a feel for who these fellow ball attendees were. A few party members headed to the gaming area and played some dice games with your old friend Sorrento, meeting a few new members of the ball as well. Torien tried to make amends with a member of the Spenlin family, and Aratak made some kind of connection with a taciturn lady in red. As the first movement of the ball drew to a close, Zoomus began feeling overwhelmed and, along with Duglas, excused herself for a moment outside, where she would have taken a few deep breaths- if she could breathe at all. Taking a moment to readjust, she and Duglas headed back inside as the orchestra finished its rendition of the Spenlin Suite and progressed to Movement 2.

Welcome back to Sticks & Stones.

### Session 48: Entr'acte

(Evening of Mox.1Keig.5284)

**Formerly, in Sticks & Stones**

You all moved on to Movement Two of the Dural Ball, reconvening briefly before splitting ways once more in hopes of getting to know more of the personalities around this social event. Guy and Alia headed to the bar to start up a conversation with Guy’s sisters Karota and Hulata, He introduced himself as a kind of venture capitalist interested in securing some real estate in the far-off land of Coward’s End, among other schemes. They seemed amusedly uninterested in the backstory Guy had created for himself, but when he mentioned the unpopularity of his older brother Zhosti, the two seemed a bit more interested in what he had to say. Karota and Hulata seemed a bit wary, but also intrigued, regarding how this mysterious party guest knew about the inner workings of the Spenlin family.

Meanwhile, several other party members took their shot at dancing. Torien danced with a tiefling server and with Bellory Boxwell, overhearing that there are rumors of a battle coming to Bovannh in the next few weeks, before trying to chat up General Stonelock, head of the Bovannh military force. Stonelock seemed aware of the rumors but also tried to downplay them...and tried his best to get the 12-year-old in front of him not to enlist in the military. Kelkairi danced with Calla for a bit before switching partners and chatting with Hadrienne Krell, a young noble who seemed more interested in gossip and information than courtly appearances, giving her some information about fellow attendees in exchange for learning a bit more about the Broken Bones.

Aratak gathered up some more information from an old friend Naphtali before joining the dance floor, spending a bit of time with rising politician Prospero Savoy, who seems eager to please if it means securing some votes. Tia and Zoomus also shared a dance before Zoomus found herself in step with Varisse Illiko, one of the richest and highest-class members of the ball. Though the noble was impressed with her dancing, the pressure of social interaction led to a bit of an awkward dismount as the second movement began drawing to a close. But not before Calla walked up to Aratak and excused herself for the evening, establishing that although she was okay and did not need help, she could not personally attend the ball any longer. As the party began preparing for the third movement, Kulata pulled Guy aside and delivered an update on the evening: the Broken Bones are not doing disastrously. But if they want a seat at the table Guy has been hoping for, they may have to step up their game.

Welcome back to Sticks & Stones.

### Session 49: A Seat at the Table

(Evening of Mox.1Keig.5284)

**Formerly, in Sticks & Stones**

You all continued your way through the Dural Ball, with the party hearing that the evening’s lute player had bailed. Seeing a good opportunity to gain some prestige, Tia stepped up and delivered an excellent concerto, remaining with the band for the remainder of this portion of the evening. The rest of you took note of a late arrival in one Veracity Montaigne, a tiefling who is both a religious servant of Nylance and employee for the Spenlin family. She introduced herself to several of you, seeming interested in learning more about this party not many people at the ball knew about.

Meanwhile, Guy received an offer from his sister Hulata, asking him to dig up some dirt on one of his siblings. Guy, however, had other plans, and in rather rapid succession told his oldest brother Zhosti that he had been rescued by Etis in a cave, loudly accused Bellory Boxwell of bothering his wife Alia, and revealed to Hulata and Karota that he was, in fact, their brother Etis. In the meantime, some members of the party did some more listening, while others made new friends, including Dr. Inez Dalacross, Regent Alchemist of Bovannh. A few of you put in some effort to patch things up between the feuding Whinsie couple, to a mixed success, and as the grand dancing came to a close, it was time for table assignments. The results were a mixed bag, with several members of your party at all three tables, but most notably, despite some apparent deliberation, Guy succeeded in getting an invite to the Host’s Table. You all have just a few minutes before you are expected to take your seats, and you have a few moments to discuss your next steps. But you’d best figure it out quickly, as the main course is about to begin.

Welcome back to Sticks & Stones.

### **Session 50: Your War**

(Evening of Mox.1Keig.5284)

**Formerly, in Sticks & Stones**

You all took your seats at the dinner of the Dural Ball. Those of you at the Guest’s Table became closer friends with Inez Dalacross, who offered Torien an internship assuming both he and his caretakers were interested. Those of you at the Honored Table got to know Hadrienne Krell a bit better in addition to picking the brains of General Stonelock, who was confident that the evacuation drills he had been running would keep the citizens safe in the event of an attack.

And meanwhile, at the Host’s Table, Guy was in the hot seat as his brother and mother dug in to exactly how he knew Etis and how he made his way here. Jokes and jabs were exchanged all around, but eventually, when Tia and Josephine both claimed they didn’t know who got them their tickets, and when Guy refused to say, Ulata Spenlin asked her guard to escort him out of the ball. It was at this point that Guy revealed his true identity as Etis Spenlin, to the shock of the crowd and to the shock of Ulata herself. However, the Spenlin matriarch composed herself and delivered a bombshell in return; the person who spied on Etis and told the family what had happened to him was none other than his sister Kulata, who brought him to this ball in the first place. And to make matters worse, according to Ulata, it was Etis’s father Totsa that tried to have his name erased from the family tree, not Ulata. With all that in mind, Guy left the party of his own volition, heading out to the docks for some time alone.

As the dinner concluded, all of the party – Guy at the docks, Calla at the inn, and the rest of you at the ball – took note of evacuation bells and a message in the sky, written by incoming attackers from Makle. You all began to see the evac in action as you decided what to do next. Duglas and Veracity agreed to take Torien out an evacuation tunnel while the rest of you – despite some vacillation from Josephine – headed to the inn to find Calla. Reconvening there, you waited for Guy, who brainstormed what else might go awry tonight, and it was upon joining the rest of the party that you found out what else WILL go awry. In rapid succession, you watched as a mysterious, inexplicable new iteration of the Orphan Devil crashed into Oakman Tower at full speed, collapsing it entirely, while a series of explosions – explosions from underground, at three very specific locations in the sewers – decimated Fort McCross. Throughout the ball, General Stonelock bragged about how the city would be kept safe from all attack by those two defensive towers. Now, in a matter of minutes, the city’s strongest defenses are no more. Bovannh is in jeopardy, and the war is on your doorstep. So what will the Broken Bones do now? I’m eager to find out.

Welcome back to Sticks & Stones.

## Arc 3

### Session 51: The Things We Carried

(Evening of Mox.1Keig.5284)

**Formerly, in Sticks & Stones**

The party known as the Broken Bones gathered their wits in the midst of an eventful evening. After a mixed success of a Dural Ball that ended with Guy getting to speak to his parents but shortly being kicked out of the venue, it became clear that not all was well in Bovannh. In rather rapid succession, the two fortresses forming the city’s greatest defenses were rendered useless, and while the party regrouped, it seems that General Stonelock, the man in charge of heading up defensive strategy, was overcome with panic. Reconvening at the Spenlin Estate, you tracked down Stonelock and, after some time, deduced that his near-vegetative state was being caused by a spell, but unable to snap him out of it, you elected to bring him back towards the strategy table and hope for the best.

In the meantime, Guy had his suspicions that not all of his family had evacuated, suspicions that were immediately proven true when he found his parents in their bedroom, waiting for the city’s conquest to be complete. After sharing some final words with his mother, Guy thunder-stepped away, sending his parents to the ground, before leaving his estate behind. The rest of you, not knowing how helpful you could be in a battle of this scale, chose a reasonable, valid, and safe option. You ran.

In the evacuation tunnels you ran across the Silvertongue Bank’s receptionist Alledreia, and stealthily made your way to the exit, where you reconvened with Torien, Veracity, Duglas, and the rest of the Spenlin siblings. Alledreia passed out cards offering all Silvertongue Bank employees the opportunity to return to their jobs, no questions asked. Most seemed willing to accept, and although it was no one’s Plan A, or Plan B, or probably Plan C, it was eventually decided that Sorrento, who planned to take Madame Spenlin up on her offer, would look after Torien for the time being, as it had become clear that the party’s travels were simply too dangerous for him at this point in time.

In the meantime, Calla finally explained why she had left the ball – her best friend from her home, Timeglass Isle, had come to bring her back, believing the outside world to be too dangerous for her. And it was here that Calla explained the hardest choice of her life: her decision to go home, knowing that if her old friends and family have their way, she will likely never get to see her new friends, her new family, ever again. Despite the frustration, the anger, and the sadness, the Broken Bones respected her agency in making this decision for herself, and amidst the tearful goodbyes, Guy ensured that she would be left with something to remember them by in the form of his Recorder Stone. And it is with that, that Calla Oleidine left the Broken Bones.

There will be a time, later in the session, when we revisit the party’s farewell with Torien, but for the moment, we pick up where we left off, as the party – minus Torien, and minus Calla – finally gets a moment to breathe, and rest, and talk.

Welcome back to Sticks & Stones.

### Session 52: My Weekend With Kahlia

Morning of **Mox.2Than.5284**

**Formerly, in Sticks & Stones**

You all had a hell of a night following the Battle of Bovannh. After bidding your farewells to Calla and Torien, you spent the night away from the refugees. You were soon joined by Veracity Montaigne, who told you that her god had given her guidance to join you in your adventures and help however she can. You all brainstormed what to do next, with several options being suggested, including heading to Iaphoth to deal with some of the magic-related encounters you’ve had over the past several months, going treasure-hunting by following a map you recovered in Pasalav, taking refuge in the Tranquil Nexus where you hope the war will not follow you, or heading to Makle, where the forces hunting you would least expect you to go.

Throughout the night there were also several more personal moments, including Elseth trying and failing to read a letter from Calla, Josephine and Zoomus throwing a few shovelfuls of dirt on the hatchet, Aratak receiving a message from blood in the river, and Josephine offering Elseth some herbs to help with sleep and an ear to listen if they need it.

The morning became more eventful when you all noticed a caravan stopped on the road. You elected to send Veracity and Elseth to check it out, a move that will not make the first few minutes of this session awkward at all, and Veracity found the caravan to be heavily guarded, dealing with a broken wheel stuck in the mud. She offered her services to fix the wheel, and upon being told to clear out, she quickly discovered why these carriages carry so many guards, as emerging out of the coach, was the Regent of Prax, Kahlia Knightmore.

Welcome back to Sticks & Stones.

### Session 53: New Day, New District

(Night of **Mox.2Than.5284)**

**Formerly, in Sticks & Stones**

Waking up the morning after the battle of Bovannh, you discovered a caravan of carriages stuck in the road up ahead. Sending Veracity and Elseth to investigate, you soon discovered that this was none other than the Regent of Prax Kahlia Knightmore. After some brief discussion, you all decided to head over and see if you could help, in the hopes that the Regent owing you a favor might do some good.

Using some of her relatively new powers, Tia was able to conjure up a tool to help free the main carriage from the mud, putting the caravan back in business, but before the retinue could be on its way, the Regent wanted a word with you. She and her advisors explained that if the dukes of Prax enact a vote of no confidence at the end of the month, her position will likely be taken over by Dural Ball attendant Prospero Savoy, a course of action that she believes would spell doom for Prax. While her attention is needed elsewhere to start building up a counterattack to retake the capital, she hoped to enlist your help to visit several dukes and duchesses who are on the fence, address any concerns they might have, and secure their support of Knightmore.

As a form of starter’s fee, she gave you fifty platinum, as well as access to a federal damage report after the night’s events, where you learned several things: the Midnight Waltz, as the taking of the capital has been coined, was headed by Admiral Sondros himself, and it was only one part of a three-pronged attack aimed at different sections of the country. Additionally, General Stonelock and Dr. Dalacross were confirmed captured in the attack. The report also listed several notices from the private sector, including the fact that the scion of the Krell family had gone missing, and the fact that the patriarch of the Spenlin Estate had passed away in the night’s events, with no further details shared. With all of this in mind, you all decided to, at least tentatively, take the Regent up on her offer. With her advisor Belfast giving you a list of options to choose from, and several of her guards giving you their horses, the Regent’s caravan departed.

Although your long-term destination is still not fully set in stone, you all elected to head north, stopping for the night at a tavern on the outskirts of District Daran, a neighboring district of Bovannh, and one of the districts on your list. Gathering information from those in the tavern, you learned that the Dukesland of District Daran is likely not where the troubles lie; instead, a large village called Tashione on the western edge of the district, running into attacks on their farmlands, is likely the reason the Duke has been dissatisfied with the Regent’s protection. You all settled down for the night, with one of you – Zoomus – feeling perturbed in the middle of the night, as you felt your cold, dead hand, through no will of your own, twitch.

Welcome back to Sticks & Stones.

### Session 54: Trouble in Tashione

(Morning of Mox.2Taro.5284)

**Formerly, in Sticks & Stones**

You all discussed your course of action with regard to garnering favor from the Duke of District Daran. After a morning of deciding whether to lend money to the incoming refugees and, if so, how much, Guy got a head-start on potentially campaigning for Regent by soliciting the vote of a local bartender, who notably, has no impact on Regency Elections. You then departed for the Daran Dukesland, and along the way you were ambushed and attacked by a ruthless gang of cutthroat vagabonds known as the Feral Hornets, the oldest of whom appeared to be about ten years old.

You eventually made it to the Dukesland, where several of you went shopping for supplies, Guy got a wardrobe update, and you all set up an appointment with the Duke, or at least, a representative thereof. Elseth, whose body proved resistant to the herbal remedy Josephine provided, experienced an eventful dream about Calla. In the morning, you all met with Secretary Finlan, a representative of the Duke who told you that the situation in Tashione has purportedly been handled – however, having some suspicions of his own that something is afoot, he gave you the go-ahead to investigate and ensure that the problem is really taken care of. He gave you several details, explaining that Tashione is a rather independent township run by the Ellister family, producing herbs and plants often used in medicine. After some farms were affected by some kind of malady, a citizen was arrested for poisoning the crops, but as Finlan pointed out, a few details in the story don’t quite seem to add up. With that, you all developed a plan in which some of you will go to see the Ellisters, while the rest will investigate the farms affected by this phenomenon. As needed, you have a little more time to strategize, as we pick up at the start of the daylong journey towards Tashione.

Welcome back to Sticks & Stones.

### Session 55: Having A Great Summer

(Afternoon of Mox.2Suke.5284)

**Formerly, in Sticks & Stones**

You all set out from the Daran Dukesland to investigate the independent township of Tashione, hoping to find out more about the crop troubles the area had been facing that, purportedly, had already been fixed. Along the way, Kelkairi let her mind wander back to her preparations for the Dural Ball, where Elseth helped her find a new and fulfilling way of expressing herself.

As the party settled for the night, Zoomus used her newfound powers to summon a celestial companion taking the form of a bat, whom she named Luxa. Additionally, Aratak confided in Veracity his recent encounter at the river, hoping to gain more information about receiving messages from a higher power. In the morning, you closed the remaining distance to Tashione and split up, intending to meet back at the tavern.

Half of you sought out the Ellister manor, hoping to speak to the leader of the town. You were let in by Fall Ellister, who led you in to speak to his mother Lady Azelle. She thanked you all for your willingness to come help, but she assured you that the problem has been handled – the crops had been poisoned by an unstable local named Robbins. However, several of you felt that Lady Azelle was assuredly hiding something from you, and had mixed feelings about your presence in town.

The rest of you headed to investigate the farms affected by this phenomenon. At the entrance to the road leading into the farms, you passed by Cardamell Brown, a grumpy gentleman who, after some convincing, gave you permission to pass. You then spoke to Dodgson, one of the farmers whose crops were poisoned, who confirmed that Robbins was responsible; in fact, Dodgson caught Robbins in the act. However, you all also got the feeling that something was being hidden from you as you began to investigate the crops themselves. Finding a sample of the poison, you learned that, while effective at killing the plants it was sprinkled on, the substance was more intended towards poisoning animals. You regrouped back to the tavern, where some of you played dice games while Kelkairi helped Elseth read a letter they received from Calla. The remaining party members chose to continue their investigation, heading to the county jail where the local sheriff, Distro, allowed them to speak to Robbins. Robbins seemed a bit unhinged, readily admitting to poisoning the crops but offering little explanation as to his motive. Sensing she was close to finding something, Veracity used a charm on Robbins while Guy was talking to the sheriff, and managed to get Robbins to explain his actions further. He leaned in close and told you that the poison was meant to handle a different threat lurking in the woods: hags.

Welcome back to Sticks & Stones.