Trepidatious Reunions

## A Storm is Coming

* The party arrives at the cleric's cottage and meet Neko and Dave. Neko is an elf who used to be Clover's colleague, while Dave is an elf who was transformed into a chameleon by a hag and has come to Neko looking for a cure to his condition. Neko also has a half-elf assistant/trainee named Clifford.

* The party asks Neko if he is able to heal Eli and Kysona's lingering injuries. Neko is able to heal Kysona's groin injury, and make Eli's skin tumors less severe and buy her more time before it progresses to Systemic Damage.
* Neko makes dinner, and keeps the good wine for themself. Verinen hunts for food instead of partaking. Clover attempts to grab the wine, knocks it over, Neko fails to grab it, Shadow grabs it instead. She gives a bit to Clover and the rest to Jaque, who has been death staring it.
	+ V wants meat, Neko makes shitty meat. V and shadow eat that (V more than Shadow cause it wasn't great) and work out.
* Zhu-Li asks about what type of Cleric Neko is. Since Neko originates from the Northern Elvish villages, they are a Twilight Cleric. They draw their power from the stars, which are important to Elvish culture. Neko asks if Zhu Li can change shapes, like become a spider. Zhu-Li says no, but she can become a cloud
	+ Kysona says fuck that and uses Major image to turn Zhu-Li into a spider. Franz, who is terrified of spiders, breaks Neko's walls trying to blast the "spider" with his gun. Kysona "fixes" the cottage
* Neko mentions that he uses a telescope to commune with the stars. Liluth and Verinen are interested in using the telescope. Liluth has not seen the stars in a long time due to her time imprisoned in Dr, Perry's lab.
	+ At night, Neko, Verinen and Liluth enjoy the night sky. Liluth finds the Aelis constellation and is both happy and sad to see her friend in the sky. Neko explains elf lore to Verinen.
	+ Neko sees in the stars that his fate lies with the party, and decides to join the dragon group on their travels. Dave also joins them because he enjoys adventure. Neko tells Clifford that they are leaving and Clifford will be taking over shop. Clifford is shocked and doesn’t think he is ready. Neko privately agrees.

* Dragon Group tells Neko all they know about dragons. Neko talks about the vision they saw in the stars regarding joining this party and meeting with the dragons. Meanwhile, Dave and Clover hatch a plan to distract Shadow from guarding the wine by having Grover do tricks. Franz and Eli watch while reading the plant book. Dave and Clover succeed.
* The party (minus Shadow, Clover, V) share stories while sobering up (ie Level up speeches)
* Jaque pulls Franz aside and tells him that he saw Hal on Spirit of Fire. Jaque tells Franz not to tell the group (meaning Eli) because he's concerned that Eli will cancel her retirement to stay with the group and find Hal. Franz tells Eli anyway. After some thought, Eli decides to go back to Sirex anyway, and asks Franz to keep an eye out for Hal and make sure he goes back to Sirex (if possible).
	+ Clover pulls Neko and Franz aside and asks them both to bring him blood samples of plague victims for testing and analysis.
* The group leaves Neko's cottage and part ways.

### In Search of the Orb

* After their training session, Morgan the Powerful asks Matthias if he knows why he had that vision of the black-furred Tygron killing him. Matthias guesses that it was a Sentinel who fell before him. Morgan confirms and says that the black-furred Tygron killed the past 3 sentinels before you. You need to be ready for whoever they are.
	+ Morgan asks Matthias to repeat the Sentinel code and Mattias does. Morgan then tells Matthias the Dol Arrah prophecy, and says that she thinks those it pertains are here or will be soon.
* Matthias has a long rest. After a couple days, Morgan summons Matthias to her “zoom” call with Chestington, the arch bishop, Semasi, Kursk, Ercer Bas, and more. The Sirex leaders are bickering about who's fault it is that the orb is lost. Finally, Morgan loses patience and states that Mattias will be joining the Black Company team trying to get the orb. Ercer Baz questions the wisdom of sending a Tygron to Nymeria, and in private Matthias agrees with the concern. Morgan does not care, but does make sure that the Black Company can disguise Matthias as a Tabaxi.

## A Rocky Ride

### City Group

* Franz, Eli, Kysona, Shadow, Ina, and Liluth take about a week to make it to the capital, it's relatively uneventful.
	+ Along the way, they find a poison bramble (viper vine) plant. It looks like a snake, has poisonous leaves, and when smoked, it makes you have auditory hallucinations. By the the plant, they find the remains of a corpse. The ID on the corpse says that he was Felonius Flint, a student at the Arasaka Capital university who had been in the jungle studying plants. Kysona loots the corpse and finds 9 gold, 8 silver, and a shitty shephard badge (Pathways, a shepherding company)
	+ Shadow has a dream of building with traditional Elvish Arasaka architecture, it looks like cross between an Arasaka temple and a Symphasian building, There's a sun in the background that's slowly rising.
* Once the group arrives at the capital city, Ina and Liluth enter through the main gate so they can claim refugee status and be brought to the Sirex embassy. The rest of the group are smuggled on the back of a log wagon. Kysona and Shadow hide in one log (Kysona pretends he is allergic to cat hair) while Eli and Franz are in the other.
* The Capital City is set up in a ring-like formation with the palace situated in the middle. There's an office called the International which interacts with the university and the surrounding kingdoms. In the sky, they can see a wanted list of Arasaka's top criminals and their associated bounties.
	+ Pre-Arasaka the city was more more segmented by sides (university on one side, capital on the other)
* The group breaks up to meet their respective contacts:
	+ Eli, Kysona, and Franz go to the capital city university. They tell university administration about Felonious Flint and show his ID as proof. Then they go to the library to learn more about the plague; they don't discover much other than that elves are less susceptible to the plague. The name of Neko's superior pops up a lot.
	+ Shadow goes to the Bandia Shephredry School which is a front for a Tyger Claws hideout. She meets with Scorching Blaze.
		- Blaze tells Shadow that General Kaguro is secretly meeting with Malor (Terrin palace). This is highly unusual, and the Queen must know if it's at palace.
		- Spirit of Fire was just in town, Yorinobu recruiting heavily from universities. Jesfaris Reeves is heavily involved in selection; Shadow intends to investigate where the scientists went.
		- A wooden cube dropped off in PO box for Shadow. It has a small hole in front and there's a symbol engraved on the box. There's a note that says: "For Shadow, to help extinguish the Red Sun. Relinquish a piece of your Arcadian self and be rewarded.”
* The party reconvenes at a bar named the Dusty Spoon

### Dragon Tales

* Zhu Li, Verinen, Zhu Li, and Dave head out to find the storm draconists. On the way, Dave is seduced by a colorful bird and the group plays Dave's version of spicy questions ("How did you come to be in this group?")
	+ Neko joined because he wasn't content with life and got a vision from the stars telling him to go with the party.
	+ Zhu Li was abducted from home as slave for Arasaka, and she doesn't feel like she has a home anymore. Why? Home is not place, but people, but Zhu Li doesn’t have those people anymore
	+ Verinen talks about losing his family to the Orcs and the anger he has towards them.
	+ Dave was never steady in what he wanted to do. Neko is helping him get his life back on track. Dave and Neko banter back and forth. “Modern medicine doesn’t work so I need a homeopathic cure/alternative curse-breaking for my curse."
		- Hagnar is back at home, working. Sounds very legit.

* The party rescues a trapped baby stegosaurus before its mother can come and crush them for upsetting its baby.
* Zhu Li looks at the party with true sight and doesn't see anything suspicious.
* Neko prays to stars each night, sensing that an abrupt shift in life has just happened. It feels similar to the first time they moved form the winterlands.
	+ He finds solace in Stargazing, and gets this message from the stars: "you’ve learned physical healing, now you must learn to heal people (like psychological/mental)"
* They finally arrive at the draconists layer (Zhu Li confirms). They get a human guide named Abiola who takes them up a massive peak to the enclave, which is hidden behind an illusion.
	+ There's a lot of silver decor. A storm rages outside -- it's a sacred stormcloud and said to be part of Raiju's essence
	+ The enclave consists of humans, tabaxi, kenku, and even lizardfolk. Nobody talks to them because the enclave is skeptical of newcomers.
	+ Three dragon with magic abilities watch the party in the hut. They clearly don't trust the party.
* A lizardfolk named Fang approaches them because he's a friend of Zhu Li. They exchange greetings. The rest of the party doesn't really trust the lizardfolk (especially Verinen).
	+ Three dragon w/ magic abilities are watching the party in the hut. Clearly they don't trust the party.
* Zhu li tells Claw and Fang about the fact that the Child is draconic. Claw goes to consult with the leaders of the enclave, and then tells the party that one of the elders, a storm dragon named Repentant Thunder will meet with the party the next day.
	+ To get to her, the party will have to walk into the Maw, a cave near the top of the mouth which leads to a bunch of tunnels within the mouth.
* Gales the dragon and Marshal lead combat training.
* Zhu-Li mentions “War at the End of Days”?

## Snow...In Nymeria?

* The group walks into the maw of the dragon cave to talk to Repentant Thunder. Zhu Li tells Repentant Thunder that the Child of Bombyx Mori is a dragon turtle.
	+ Repentant Thunder summons Lorekeeper, an eyeless tabaxi. He says that much of their knowledge of the prophecy regarding the Child was lost when the storm of knowledge was breached 30 years ago. But they know that Child is connected to the future of Nymeria.
	+ Verinen can temporarily see through Nibbler’s eyes. See that Nibbler is with Wan Ti in a gold room with an Ouroboros
	+ Lorekeeper unable to discern purpose of the Child
* The group informs Repentant Thunder that they found a dragon egg at a lizardfolk village. Repentant Thunder scornfully identifies it as a fire dragon's egg. Fire dragons are impulsive and rash, while Storm dragons are balanced, careful, precise. Value knowledge and careful planning before they take action. They survive for the young dragon children. Repentant Thunder’s child died, and she can’t let it happen to the other storm dragon children.
	+ The Storm Dragons are uninterested in the Fire Dragon egg. Dave wants to eat it
	+ Repentant Thunder is willing to provide the group assistance, but she can’t leave the enclave because she needs to be here to protect it. The group are going to meet another dragon at the camp.
* Zhu Li asks Lorekeeper if he knows anything about the Court of Owls. Lorekeeper says: “beware the divination wizard” and starts having a panic attack.
	+ Damien was the one who breached the storm of knowledge decades ago and stole all the knowledge
* While the Raiju no longer has full knowledge of the Child of Bombyx Mori, more information is available at the Symphasian monastery in the south near Lake Sol.
	+ Zhu-Li agrees that they are going to Lake Sol next. They leave the Maw and return to the hut
* Verinen asks Lorekeeper about the Kanas tribe. The name Lesrya appears -- Lesrya was Verinen's sister and one of the most important members of their tribe. She was also in the line of succession. Lorekeeper says she’s still alive. Verinen asks where he can find her. Lorekeeper doesn't know where Verinen’s sister is, but does know she is not dead. He gives Verinen drawing (page from book) of a staff that is commonly wielded by jotasha (alpha/leader) of tribe.
* Dave asks Lorekeeper about reversing the polymorph spell. Lorekeeper says it's likely a curse. Dave will either have to find the hag again, or find someone with very powerful shape-changing magic.
	+ Party agrees to help Dave go find the hag (in the Swamps of Il-Zur) if he helps with the dragon party and doesn’t eat the egg. Dave agrees and also designates himself the secretary of the party (“Chameleons are good at secretary confirmed”)
* Lorekeeper gives Neko a rare shield that attunes to a worshipper of a moon deity.
* The group meets a new dragon, Humble Downpour. She arrives with more rain around her than thunder. Verinen tries to fill up his flask with her rainwater, and she blasts him onto his ass with a stream of water.
	+ Downpour agrees that they should investigate the Child and show the rest of the dragons that they should act. it is the End of Days after all.
	+ There's an additional dragon who would be willing to help them. He has previously betrayed the enclave to save the humanoids, so she's forbidden to speak his name.
* The group gets on Humble Downpour's back and she flies them to a decimated village. Levi and Dave get airsick on the ride there and vomit.
* The town they arrive at is called Asili and there are only two survivors left. The town has a dragon at the town hearth, which is very unusual; most towns have the TauruSphinx in the hearth.
	+ The party meets the humanoid-friendly dragon-traitor, Levi. Levi's mother is Repentant Thunder and his sister is Humble Downpour. He was banished from the enclave, and is in Asili now to pay respects to his partner who recently passed.
	+ Levi had been doing sphinx related stuff at the TauruSphinx hearth when group had approached, which is strange given that dragons and sphinxes famously don't get along.
* The dragon group tells Levi about their need to rally the dragons against Arasaka. Levi suggests the Fyrinir Fire Dragon Enclave as an alternate source of draconic aid. Fire dragons are quicker to act and enjoy firebrand humans so they may be more willing to attack Arasaka (compared to the Raiju dragons' gather-intel-first approach). However, traveling here will take 2-4 weeks because you need to go to the Ashlands South of Nymeria.
	+ The group is concerned that Zhu Li’s Storm Dragon tattoo will cause the Fire dragon enclave to kill her. Levi hopes that there won’t be a problem.

## Black Company Debrief

* Franz, Kysona, and Eli are going to go talk to the Black Company contact, Professor Germaine Louden. He works for the Nymeria Academy of Science in the Bardic College of Valor and teaches military history. His current topic of research is the Dol Arrah creation myth and how it impacts Sirex’s military and political structure. The group finds him in the library of the arcane.
* Franz gives Prof Louden the Black Company call and response and he brings us to the tombs of the arcane. We meet a dragonborn named Byrd. When they arrive, Byrd places a music box on the table and has it play a tune that prevents their conversation from being overheard. There’s an additional attachment that allows for private conversation even with other people in the room.
	+ Byrd asks about Sarovar. He reveals that the Black Company has come to the conclusion that Sarovar was a Tarrin spy who killed Shad.
	+ Sirex and the Protectorate had a contingency plan that involved Tolbo. They purposely let Tolbo slip into Arasaka’s hands for Operation Lazarus. they know Operation Lazarus is an attempt to make Saburo completely immortal or impervious to the effects of age through the use of construct magic.
		- Eli demands to know why they had Hal join the Arasaka scientist group. Byrd says that the did not assign Hal to Arasaka's group, and that Hal went on his own.
	+ Arasaka has storm cells on the spirit of fire. Utanara was going to steal a storm cell with the help of White Widow and defect to Tarrin, but Utamara never showed up.
* Byrd gives the party 20,000 for the defeat of Damian Rourke. Each person gets 5,000, with the last chunk going to Jaque.
	+ He doesn't have the money on hand. Instead, he tells them to contact a tortle at a bar called the Sloven Sludge in the Underflow named Anton Novak. He will get Franz and Kysona their money.
* Kysona’s previous sentence is mostly relieved, but want him to continue work
* Eli tells Byrd that she’s retiring. He promises that the Protectorate will help her, Ina, and Liluth get back to Sirex.
* Byrd and Ercer Baz (via Zoom call) reminds the remaining members of the party that their goal is to get the orb and Dr. Perry. The N’Komo goals may not always align with the party's goals.
	+ To help them on their mission, Byrd introduces the group to Matthias, who will be joining them on their mission to retrieve the orb. Matthias is disguised as a weirdly buff and large tabaxi, but Franz, Eli, and Kysona recognize him from his confrontation with Ivan and the Time Eater.
* Finally, Byrd says that General Kagero is having a meeting 3 days from now. In addition, they may be able to find more information about Kono Utamara from White Widow. She's a crime lord whose exact form and appearance are not known, but she knows what to say to get anything from anyone. She's also the one rumored to have helped Utamara defect to Tarrin, so she may know where he is.