Garrett Seiger

Gourd

Artificer to Gods and Heroes

The Strange Wolf of the Queen of Air and Darkness

Claimed by the Spear of Lugh

Child of the Feywild

Harengon of Many Homes

Blessed Artificer of the Green Lord

Blessed by the Queen of Spiders

Commander of the Sons of the Mountain

Defender of the Rainbow Bridge

Savior of Morad

Champion of Hilan

God of the Found Forge

The Godspark

Fuego Nevermere

Ruinfea

The Dagda

Nesryn

Kiara

Z

Oberon

Brioche

Queen Mab

Araushnee

Loki

The Sons of the Mountain

Corellon (defeated)

Bloody Jack (defeated)

Flickerflame (defeated)

Koschei the Deathless (defeated)

***Find out why the world is not as you thought it was. Assemble the facts, digest the information, consider the implications. THEN go postal. But with precision.***

*-* Terry Pratchett, *Thud!*

## Description

### Physical

Garrett is a male Rabbitfolk standing 4’10” – not including his ears. His fur is mottled grey-and-brown, but as Garrett carries himself with the standing of a younger man, this may be due to some stress or trauma he has experienced rather than age. Garrett’s ears are pierced and he wears two rings in his right ear and one in his left.

Garrett wears half plate armor held on with thick leather straps, a circlet as most helms are not constructed to accommodate his ears, leather bands at his writs, and pince-nez-style goggles with colored lenses cover his blue eyes.

In Chult, Garrett obtained a tattoo granting him darkvision, and now has a second tattoo (?) bonding his soul with the rest of the Third Family.

### Personality

Garrett’s personality was revealed to the Third Family. Intelligent but perhaps a bit unwise, he cares deeply for those who treat the planes and their inhabitants with kindness.

Although Garrett has a sense of duty, honor, and obligation, it is also clear that he suffers from a touch of self-doubt: not in his abilities, but in his own worth to the party and even to his god, Oberon. The extended stay at The Dagda’s lodge and all that happened there has helped him begin to work on himself in this regard.

At first, Garrett tended to not start conversations unless absolutely necessary but was ready to talk about things he considered obvious, trivial, or unimportant. Now he is actively seeking to know more about the party - his found family - and discovered Ash is helping him make inroads with Thea and Reiner and that both he and Ash are a comfort to Rylan.

He is used to his ears drawing attention, and often uses them to help lighten the mood when appropriate.

He is still cautious when it comes to those things he considers secret, personal, or important - such as his family.

Garrett has shown to have difficulty in taking praise or compliments, while at the same time being pleased when those around him are appreciative of his creations. He is gradually coming to realize his own self-worth thanks to the efforts of the Third Family and Oberon.

## Before the Story

Garrett is from the Sildëyuir region of the Feywild. He is the first child of Kare and Hurja and has three siblings in his clutch/litter: Sarto, Asker, and Casus. Garrett grew up loving the land: playing in the roots of the silver-boled trees and running along the stream banks, preferring to actually swim only when in great danger as a means of survival. Getting wet is not something Garrett will do lightly. He would sit for hours watching the animals of the forest illuminated by the plentiful phosphorescent lichens: the deer and squirrels and bears and dragonflies. The owls were both beautiful and deadly to a small rabbitfolk, and even the adults would use caution.

When Garrett was thirteen, the warren/colony found itself caught up in the nilshai’s invasion of Sildëyuir, and they each did what they could to push back the monsters and corruption brought by the aberrations. Exploring a nearby tower abandoned by the star elves, Garret found a desolate workshop, its owners’ tools and plans and journals left behind as if they might return at any moment, except for the thick layer of dust covering everything. Following the notes of the unnamed master, which Garrett called Master Elenath as the notes appeared to be written in more than one hand, Garrett showed a proficiency for tinkering and fiddling, and was soon recognized as a competent artificer. As his craft developed and he began to add his own writings to the elven master’s notes, Garret focused on the aid and healing aspects of construction, becoming a battle smith.

One of his first points of personal pride was building his first steel companion, which he created to look like a cat. The iron-black and metal-gray feline was named Ash, and Garret has taken to making each of his steel companions in the same manner, giving it the same name, and in general treating it as if it is one continuously-living creature.

Garrett reveres Oberon, the Green Lord, feeling a certain kind of affinity with the Archfey who has done so much to protect the forest regions of the Feywild.

Things remained relatively stable for seven years with the warren able to keep the nilshai from making any major incursions. But in the first year of Marjorie Digger leading the town council, the nilshai launched a major offensive, causing the warren to scatter. In the confusion, Garrett stumbled blindly through a set of standing stones, which sent him out of Sildëyuir and into . . . parts unknown.

At first desperate to return home, Garrett realized that every place (and plane?) has its own problems that may require his services, and though he is not a cleric or paladin, he sees his current position as a blessing from Oberon: in protecting all peoples and places and planes, he in turn protects Sildëyuir.

One of Garrett’s prized possessions is relatively insignificant in value: a small glazed tile pained to look like the night sky of Sildëyuir, which when tapped emits a low sound of wind blowing through the forest. Garrett made this to help drown out the noise on rough nights, and now it is a sentimental reminder of the home he involuntarily left behind.

And so, Garrett has found himself a traveler, drawing attention wherever he goes thanks to his appearance. Rabbitfolk are, after all, rather uncommon, and he has not seen another since falling out of Sildëyuir. He does not consider himself a mercenary, for while he does accept payment for his work, he is not a soldier-for-hire. He tries to accept those jobs where people have a great need and chooses assignments based on that, rather than the size of their purse.

Garrett has occasionally tried to find his way back home. One such attempt resulted in Garrett doing battle in a cold, wintry forest with Ash by his side and two traveling companions nearby. They took the fight to a blight witch and had nearly reached her when - by some magical means - he became ensnared and enshrouded in the witch’s thicket. Garrett spent an unknown amount of time imprisoned in the wood, until being freed by the Third Family.

Initially left in the care of Maxi, owner of the Purple Scale in Ruinglast, by the Third Family, Garrett awoke and determined to seek out those who had freed him.

Collecting his effects and directions from Maxi, who also told Garrett he could find Ash outside, Garrett and Ash made their way from Ruinglast to the Underdark city of Menzoberranzan.

There the guards directed him to the House Baenre, where Garrett discovered to his shock that Rylan, leader of the Third Family, had just been crowned emperor.

## With the Third Family

*Note: the subsections here are titled thematically and should not be taken as session titles or used to calculate the number of sessions played.*

### **Meeting the Third Family**

Initially left to wait in the Garden of Stone, Garrett was soon approached by Keres, a member of the Third Family about which he had heard little. After a brief introduction, they waited in silence for the arrival of the rest of the party.

Although it was evident Garrett had intruded upon their morning, Rylan invited Garrett to breakfast to hear more of his tale. Unfortunately, Garrett could not answer any questions about the nature of the blight witch, having stumbled into her literally by accident, but Rylan took a special interest in Garrett’s personal history in Faerun.

Garrett soon found himself invited into a telepathic conversation with the entire party as Rylan discussed their next plans. This was certainly more than Garrett had bargained for, and he found himself quite lost as to the particulars of what was going on. However, when Rylan mentioned several times that they were going to fix not just Faerun but all the planes and pantheons, Garrett decided that this was a cause in which he could put his abilities to the test.

Garrett found himself invited to go with the Third Family as they descended into the Abyss to do battle, and Rylan even included Garrett in his orders for Bella, the First Blade, to outfit the party with Drow bracers.

After some hours to prepare, they met up again. Keres instructed everyone to hold on to her hand (or else bits would be left behind), and Garrett found himself transported along with the Third Family to the Abyss.

### **The Demogorgon’s Demise**

Garrett found himself approaching the the Argent Palace in the city of Zeletar. There, he was introduced to Graz’zt and Tasha (Kam and Keres’ respective parents) and the party, with their help, began to plan their attack on the Demogorgon. Garrett sat listening, stroking Ash’s head, while everyone seemed to talk around him.

Rylan and Kam and Keres floated ideas with Graz’zt and Tasha about how to spin the attack and hopeful destruction of the Demogorgon both politically and in the court of public opinion. There was talk of ripping a spark from the monster? creature? thing, which Garrett still only vaguely understood as necessary for eventually fixing the planes.

He watched with interest as Ruinfea and Thea offered Kam and Keres a blind pull from a bag of treasure they claimed from a Fey dreamscape, and was somewhat surprised when Thea apologized for not offering him the chance, saying it was a rite of passage into the Third Family. Garrett knew he and Ash had wandered into things – as they were wont to do – and held no ill will in the giving of gifts.

It was Kam who finally broached the subject of what, exactly, Garrett brought to the table. He explained that he tinkered about, and generally kept people and things from falling apart – and tried to put them back together when he did. Garrett also implied that he had a few options if things took a more direct approach, for which Kam told him flatly there was no time for vagueness.

Garrett would have preferred to keep his Bolts of Escalating Retort secret until they were needed – they were usually his weapon of last resort, after all – but knowing the trick would be revealed soon enough he explained how he was able to fire ballista bolts from an ordinary crossbow. Kam and Rylan seemed impressed and immediately made them a pivotal point of their plan: use tethers attached to the bolts to ensnare the Demogorgon, bring it to its knees, and then rip out the spark. Garrett was fine with merely being useful.

The talk continued about what each person would do, but Garrett seemed to have one job: allow Keres’ to fly him into the air, then shoot the Demogorgon. There was some half-joking, half-serious laughter about what would happen if Keres dropped him.

Their tactical talk concluded, they made their way via a secret path to the Gaping Maw, home of the Demogorgon. Now separated from all other people, Garrett began to be suspicious of the Third Family. Perhaps they were intrigued by Ash, or wanted his bolts, or had some other hidden agenda. He began to shudder at the thought of anyone holding him.

That came sooner rather than later, as Kam led them down a path to a raging sea beating against a gigantic, monstrous tower a quarter mile from shore. Rylan carried Garret as they flew across the waves. He was kind, though, in giving Garrett a pet bag to keep Ash with him in the air.

Looking at the party carefully, Rylan declared that the Demogorgon already had already infiltrated the minds of the party – all but his own, that is. Garrett, though, felt fine.

They made their way up to the top of the tower and found themselves on a large plain covered in bone and flesh and sinew. The Demogorgon, shrouded in fog and mist, tore flying creatures from the air for the simple desire to kill.

As Kam stepped out to provide a distraction, Keres took Garrett into the air and put him in a good position to fire when the time was right.

The Demogorgon suitably distracted, Garrett saw Kam and Rylan attack the beast before Rylan reached into a human-sized cavity carved by his sword, pull out something glittering, and shove it into Kam’s chest. Garrett was about to take his shot when darkness fell and he could no longer see the battlefield. But Keres had done her job well, and Garrett fired off the shot anyway. Though lost in the dark, the bolt flew true and embedded itself in the creature’s shoulder.

Garrett waited patiently for another signal, but none came before Keres dropped him. She wasn’t hit or frightened or otherwise lost her grip: she just dropped him. For an instant Garrett was glad to be free of her, before realizing he was now falling to the ground. Thankfully, he had feather fall for just such a reason, but didn’t feel comfortable firing into the darkness. He might be suspicious, but the only one who’d acted against him was directly above him, and what goes up must come down.

Things must have been going poorly down below as well, for out of the darkness came Rylan’s voice:

GET IT TOGETHER, NOW

The presence of a god washed over Garrett and the feelings he harbored against the Third Family faded. What had he been thinking?

Keres now swooped down and caught Garrett, saying nothing. By now the darkness lifted and Garrett saw two Glabrezau, apparently recently angry at each other: one of them holding on the rope he’d fired and the other standing over Lacroix in a rather threatening manner. These Blabrezau turned out to be wild-shaped Ruinfea and polymorphed Thea. Garrett fired off one more shot before Kam finished off the Demogorgon and, its master now gone, the tower began to crumble as salt into the sea.

Garrett was flown back across the waves to solid ground, where the party regrouped and then returned to the Argent Palace. Rylan and Kam and Keres and Thea were welcome to stay in the palace, and Garrett and the others made their way to a tavern recommended by Kam, along with certain . . . messages . . . that would guarantee their safety.

### **To Fäerun**

After spending the night, Garret returned with the rest to the Underdark and House Baenre. There, he was invited to continue with the party as they attempted to enter Fäerun and continue their mission. Garret expressed doubt that they would be able to do so, having failed to often in the past, but Rylan seemed to imply he had a secret way in.

The party resupplied itself in the markets, which were now being cleared of its slave markets thanks to an edict from Rylan. Garret was able to replace his ballista bolts, though at 1,000 gold apiece, he may have overpaid. Joining up with everyone else in a clothier, he and the rest of the party prepared themselves for the cold that awaited them.

Garret and the rest followed Rylan to a secret harbor, where was anchored a boat with rather magical properties. Loraypiloted the ship into dark waters under starry skies. Soon, the party found itself surrounded by floating balls of light, which stung as they brushed against several of the party, including Garrett.

Attracted to the orbs, Ruinfea reached out and touched one. This was a mistake, as the creatures turned out to be malevolent rather than benevolent, and the party found itself targeted by lightning strikes. Perhaps due to the metal on his person, they seemed to target Garrett, and he would surely have died had Thea and Keres not come to his aid, helping him heal and spiriting him below decks.

A ship appeared, driving off the attackers and rescuing Garret and the Third Family from further harm. As the ship drew near, a voice called out, and the captain identified himself as Jarlaxle Baenre – Rylan’s uncle. The party was healed and rested for the night in a tavern in Waterdeep before heading out into the Ardeep Forest.

Though the party tried to make as little impact as possible, they still attracted the attention of a shambling mound and its offspring. They were able to defeat them both with varied fire attacks, though Jar found himself literally caught in the crossfire. Finally, they found refuge at a lodge in the woods. Entering it, they found themselves granted hospitality by The Dagda – one of the Tuatha de Danaan, brother of Oghma, and who revealed himself to be Rylan’s father in an emotional scene.

That night, Thea regaled a very large crown with the exploits of the Third Family, and Garret was touched to see himself mentioned in the story with them. After the song, which lasted for three hours, ended, the entire party found itself thronged by well-wishers, and Garrett found some strange metal pressed into his had as a gift.

When the crowds departed, the party sat near the fire as each member shared more of their own story. Garret, too, shared his story, and though he felt some discomfort when Kam implied Garret deserted his duty, he felt a little closer to the party. He also appreciated their showing him that even broken things have uses, such as gold repairing broken pottery or in creating a stained-glass window. Their talk then turned to plans, and it was decided that, in the morning, the would make use of Ecne’s library to research their options.

The next day after breakfast, the party minus Kam assembled in the library, where Keres seemingly pulled information out of thin air. She asked Garrett to help mark places on a map, which Ash helped hold down by sitting on it. They had located the probable location of four treasures or relics when Rylan realized that Lacroix, who had gone out on a separate mission for Keres and Rylan, hadn’t checked in. Using various magical means, it was determined he was in trouble, and Rylan was able to get a direction of his location.

### **Rescuing Lacroix**

Realizing it would be quicker if the party could fly, Rylan took Thea, Garrett, and Banner to his father and asked him a favor: to give us wings, if only temporarily. Making a concoction of each of their hairs (or fur, as in the case of Garrett), the party was able to fly to Lacroix’s location: a cave in the mountains.

Sneaking inside, they were met by an ice-wall barrier, which Rylan got the party around using misty step. Rylan was able to take out a guard, and indicated there were at least four more in a cavern around Lacroix. Peering into the room, it became apparent Rylan had miscounted. The cavern was a living space, and a dozen or so masked individuals surrounded Lacroix, with a few of them paying attention to a golden idol of some deity.

The battle both seemed to stretch on and on and at the same time be over in a minute. Rylan and Keres immediately took out two of the cultists and frightened four others. Ruinfea summoned a steam elemental and burned a few of them, while Garrett used catapult to throw the idol across the room at the fleeing cultists, bludgeoning four of them (outright killing one). Thea reached out and used “heat metal” to melt a cultist’s golden mask to their face, while Fuego struck out with Holy Avenger and scoring a critical hit. The remaining cultists tried to fight back, focusing their attacks on Brioche and shooting her with arrows. Rylan now focused on healing Lacroix, who’s wings were gone as well as a foot. Keres struck out again, Garrett tripped the remaining cultists up by casting web, and Fuego lit them on fire, as did Brioche. Thea once again melted a mask to a face, and Ruinfea finished the job with some well-thrown ice knives. With two cultists left, Rylan used a spell to grapple them with vines, and Keres went in for the interrogation.

Only a few questions in, and there was a voice from the corner. The cultist’s god had been summoned by their blood on her idol, and Waukeen now appeared. Keres had hostile words for Waukeen; understandable, given her background, and it seemed the encounter would come to blows. In fact, Waukeen struck Keres across the face, to which Keres replied “My brother knows of that slap.” Rylan struck out with his sword, dealing more damage to Waukeen than Waukeen dealth to him, but Waukeen held a tight grip on it nonetheless. Seeming to decide that we weren’t worth her time and trouble, Waukeen disappeared.

Turning their attention back to Lacroix, he lamented the state of his home (!) which the party helped clean by tossing the dead cultists outside in a ravine. Several party members, including Keres, Thea, and Garrett, kept a mask or two. Rylan carried Lacroix as the party flew back to the lodge of the Dagda.

### **Fighting Waukeen, and Aftermath**

Back at the lodge, it was decided to take to fight directly to Waukeen herself. Keres and Rylan came up with a plan for drawing her out of her palace and into the goblin market, which was located on a different plane than where the party currently was.

The plan to disguise the party as followers of Waukeen ran into a snag when LaCroix pointed out that none of the masks would fit Garrett. Rylan offered him and Ash a spot in his bag of animal holding along with Brioche (which Brioche also consented to), leading Keres and Kam to joke about pulling a rabbit out of a hat and letting the cat out of the bag.

Garret, Ash, and Brioche rode in the bag to the market, where the party – with the help of a goblin alliance negotiated by Rylan – successfully drew Waukeen into a tent and away from a majority of her retinue. Kam sprung the trap, and Garret listened for his moment, shouting “Tada, bitch!” and sending two bolts through one of Waukeen’s knees in two rounds of combat.

Surprisingly, one of Waukeen’s followers proved harder to defeat than Waukeen herself, but eventually Waukeen yielded. Her divine spark was ripped out and given to Keres, who proceeded to make Waukeen choke on her own coin while Kam took her head.

However, Waukeen had one last trick up her sleeve, and through some trick of magic, several divine ranks were transferred from Keres to Fuego, where they settled.

As the party left, Keres treated the defeated Waukeen’s followers with dignity, encouraging them to live their own lives. She seemed to bear no ill will towards Fuego, but Kam . . .

As they stepped back into the Lodge via a doorway, Fuego began to show signs of distress beyond the skills of the party to heal.

Thea and Garrett went off to find a cleric, finding instead The Traveler, who introduced them to Scáthach. While she could not help the party, one of her clerics, known as Ari, could.

The cleric attended to Fuego while the party waited outside his room – most in the hall, though Rylan prayed in the library while Kam and Keres practiced outside. Ash kept Thea company as she was apart from Keres, and she expressed an interest in learning how to care for Ash at some point in the future.

Rylan returned from prayer and informed the party that while Fuego’s symptoms might be cured momentarily, he would need a more permanent solution.

Keres and Kam returned and the party discussed the possibility of going after the cauldron artifact first, as it supposedly possessed healing qualities, leading to a disagreement between Rylan and Kam, and an almost-argument between Thea and Kam.

But these differences were put aside and the party made its way buy foot back to Waterdeep (the shambling mounds giving Kam a wide berth), and from there Rylan’s uncle Jar offered the party passage to Whitefish Bay.

It was during this voyage that Rylan approached Garrett with a question: would he make Brioche armor? Garret would have accepted the commission at no cost, considering it just a small favor against the massive debt he owed the rest of the party, but Rylan insisted, giving Garrett a shardcaster rifle, which Garrett needed to modify as it was designed for someone much larger than himself.

As he sketched Brioche and jotted down some thoughts for the armor (the details of which would have to wait until another time), the party all contributed to Garrett the various leathers and armors they had collected over the course of their travels. Kam even gave Garrett the Greatsword of Wounding he took off the (previous) First Blade, so that a weapon used to harm Rylan would now help protect him.

Leaving the ship, Ruinfea (with Keres’ help) guided the party into the Drowned Forest. Garret soon found himself carrying Ash, and was quickly struggling himself in the more-than-swampy wood.

### **The Cauldron Catastrophe**

Leaving the ship, Ruinfea (with Keres’ help) guided the party into the Drowned Forest. Garret soon found himself carrying Ash, and was quickly struggling himself in the more-than-swampy wood. However, the going came easier as the party approached a desecrated cairn. Rylan used located object to detect the cauldron, and the party made their way inside. Rylan guarded the door while the rest of the party searched, with Keres finding the cauldron as a bauble on the corpse in the tomb.

A low hum had filled the air, and now hoofbeats started to approach. Rylan recognized it as something he would refer to only as The Nope Horse.

The party discussed ways of leaving, and ended up talking too long. Keres tried to planar shift the party, but that didn’t work. The area was in some kind of magical lock. At that moment, the Root of War tore the roof off the cairn. Ruinfeawild-shaped into a fish in an attempt find a way out; Keres took to the air, and Kam and Rylan tried to attack. The Root of War merely shrugged off the attacks as if they were nothing and proceeded to knock Kam to the ground.

Garrett, casting “fly” on himself, joined Keres in the air while the others tried to make their way out of the cairn. Kam wasn’t moving and Rylan stumbled, leaving Thea to begin hauling Kam – still unmoving – out of danger.

It was at this moment a large doorway opened in the fabric of reality, with Tasha (bleeding from her nose) holding it open and Graz’zt stepping through. Graz’zt was able to distract the Root of War long enough for the party to make its way through the door (whether by flight or dash or misty step) before coming through himself.

The party thus found itself in the part of Hades where Tasha resided, as Kam opened his eyes. Graz’zt and Tasha explained they had felt Kam die, and heard a call from Keres, and came to their rescue.

Tasha demanded the party tell her what happened, furious that somehow Kam and Rylan had taken such a beating while the rest of the party remained (in her mind) relatively uninjured (though in fact many of them were at about half health). Tasha’s tone was biting, which while understandable, was also jarring to many of the party members.

When things had settled down, Rylan and Kam and Keres and Thea went to their rooms in the royal apartments, while Fuego and Ruinfea and Garrett and Ash were escorted to a guest suite. They all had trouble falling asleep, but once Garrett was asleep he was dead to the world – which is why Ash kept a watch for him.

### **Training Day(s) in The Grey Waste**

*Session 1*

Garret was awakened by Ash the next morning, alerted to a knock on the door. Ruinfea and Fuego were already up – but not by much. Over a breakfast of finger foods, Thea explained that Keres and Rylan and Kam would need time to rest and recover and come to terms with what had happened. This needed to be a time for family. “So what will we be doing, then?” Garrett asked, to which Thea replied “family things,” blinking wide as if the answer were obvious.

The group was interrupted by another knock on the door. It was Tasha, who led a group of four individuals into the chamber, said “they’re all yours,” and disappeared with panache.

They introduced themselves to the group and the group to them: Kiara: a paladin/monk with her mount Big Z currently in human form; Reiner: a warlock with his companion ambush drake Ryder; and Nesryn: a fighter. Tasha had asked them here in part to help the group train up for the tasks ahead of them. The new group of folks seemed just as delighted with Ash as everyone else.

As they each discussed their strengths (and the party included their weaknesses, too), Nesryn made a huge impact on Garrett by saying “I like you, cuddly bunny man,” causing Garrett to blush under his fur. Noticing this, Thea laughed and said “can I call you bunny, too?”

“You can call me bunny if you want to,” Garrett replied.

They broke up into groups for training: Kiara with Ruinfea, Reiner and Big Z with Fuego and Thea, and Nesryn and Ryder with Garrett and Ash. Garrett was pleased to have a teacher that wasn’t a book, and while the other groups did their thing, Nesryn helped Garrett clear the cobwebs from his mind. They sparred, and while it was obvious Nesryn wasn’t unleashing her full potential, it was also clear that Garrett earned every hit he made.

Despite some rocky fits and starts, things clicked when Garrett used Ash to impose disadvantage on one of Nesryn’s attacks. When it failed, he moved in to strike with a short sword he previously enhanced with brandishing smite. When the blow landed, Nesryn looked at Garrett with a look of approval and said “Good job,” calling an end to their practice session.

Meeting up with the others, Garrett learned Ruinfea had received a vision involving Kiara and Nesryn and Reiner, and – as no word had come from Rylan, Kam, or Keres that their situation had changed – it was decided they would travel together to retrieve their “spoils of war” as the man in the vision had called the things in his possession.

As they planned their next moves, the merged parties also began telling stories.

*Seasion 2*

As Thea played her lyre, it was decided that Thea, Ruinfea, and Garrett would help Nesryn, Reiner, and Kiara retrieve their things from Soren. After a rest, the party made it’s way – led by Reiner – through the Gray Waste to a seemingly abandoned tower. Ruinfea spotted a cat; and the cat spotted the party. Certain they had now lost the element of surprise, they cautiously made their way inside.

There they saw a large block with several weapons embedded in it. As they discussed what to do, Fuego looked up and noticed Soren standing on a balcony. Making use of the skills they’d learned or been reminded of the previous day, they all fought against Soren, who seemingly wove in and out of the shadows. Eventually Soren was worn down, and Garrett shot the killing blow up through Soren’s torso, surprising Soren (obviously) but also Reiner and Kiara, who had been unaware of Garrett’s special talent.

However, Soren had a surprise as well: he wasn’t actually dead, and he wasn’t actually an enemy. He was a celestial ally (of sorts) with Kiara, and had helped set up a training exercise for Garrett, Ruinfea, and Thea - - which they passed. Introducing everyone properly, Kiara declared the trio now on the path to becoming Hero Deities in their own right, she offered them their choice of the weapons, which had previously belonged to her own party. Ruinfea chose a sickle, Thea a short sword, Fuego a ???, and Kiara gave Garrett a crossbow – certain he could pull off his “ballista trick” with it.

The group now larger by one celestial and one cat, who got along well with Ash, they made their way back to Tasha’s. On the way, Garrett talked to Kiara and Z, who in turns told him about Beausiphus and their party’s fight against the great dragon-god Tiamat – as well as their own internal struggles. The pair offered Garrett much-needed insight in both practical and personal matters, and Garrett in return offered Kiara to hold Ash.

Back in their suite at Tasha’s, Feugo pulled Garrett aside and the two talked. Fuego was interested in how Garrett did what he did, and Garrett wanted to find out how he could best help Fuego. Seemingly small things Fuego said had a great impact on Garrett, and the talk between the two ended in them confirming their friendship.

Afterwards, Garrett and Ash spent some time working on the armor Rylan had requested for Brioche.

*Brioche’s Armor*

Garrett took the sketches he had made and, as he began to work, prayed to Oberon:

*Oberon, I know you are not usually a god of armorers, but I pray you guide my mind and hands, so this thing of metal and leather will protect my friend of flesh and blood who will in turn defend the green places of the worlds and their inhabitants. May my hammer blows be as a song of praise to you.*

And as he worked and meditated on his god and his new family, he found that the task became easy, and the end result something beyond his own capabilities:

* The entire thing was half plate armor, with the metal pieces reflecting light with the colors of an autumn fire, the leather pieces tooled to resemble dragon scales, and the metal joinery resembling cats’ paws and rabbits’ feet.
* The bone given him by Rylan was prominent up top, while a system of metal and leather protected the skeletal structure of the wings (with a similar system wrapping the tail).
* the sword given by Kam made gave the entire armor a +3 bonus, as well as being formed into a blade-tail covering for Brioche. Whether or not it kept its magical qualities remained to be seen.
* The armor bore the arcane propulsion infusion, without using one of Garrett’s infusion slots, and he got the idea this armor would outlast him. It also meant Brioche would have increased speed, a set of returning melee gauntlets, and the armor would magically replace any missing limb or similar appendage. Furthermore, it could not be removed against Brioche’s will.
* The armor provided resistance to piercing and necrotic damage.
* In gratitude, Garrett fashioned a set of golden antlers from his some of his mask of Waukeen as homage to Oberon, placing them in an inconspicuous place,

——————————

Ash woke Garrett up the next morning by batting him in the head; the others were already up. Ruinfea went to fetch Rylan, and upon their return he was introduced to Nesryn and Reiner. Fuego filled him in on the particulars, and as they all discussed their next moves involving Tiamat, Garrett used the opportunity to show Brioche and Rylan (and everyone else) the armor he and Ash (and Oberon) created. Pleased, Brioche strutted about and Rylan knelt down to give Garrett a hug, which he accepted. Garrett also passed on information given him by Kiara and Z, namely that he should ask his god to pact or bond he and Brioche, so that if the worst were to happen and Brioche die, she could be recalled as Rylan’s mount.

At this point they were interrupted by Tasha, who had prepared the cauldron for Fuego’s healing. Essentially, the Fae members of the party had to drown Fuego in the cauldron, but instead of death, it’s waters brought healing - complete and total healing. Not only was Fuego healed and the divine tanks return to Keres, but Fuego regained his memory and found himself free of his patron. No longer the warlock Fuego, he was the druid Barinn Orish, though he insisted the party called him whatever was easier.

They returned to their suite and, a few minutes later with their planning complete, Rylan and Garrett spend some time together. As Rylan made his poisons, Garrett constructed a butterfly homunculus to accompany them in battle, and the two talked about how to cast spells in a way that wouldn’t hurt certain members of the party. Recalling Rylan’s reactions in the recent catastrophe regarding the Root of War, Garrett asked if it would be okay for him to touch Rylan if absolutely necessary. Rylan gave his permission, and told Garrett that they would have a long talk back at the Dagda’s lodge about just why that meant so much to him.

### **Battling Tiamat**

Now prepared, they all went through a portal into the realm and lair of Tiamat. The dragon sensed their presence immediately, but as she took some time to emerge from her cave, they had some time to prepare. Staying toward the center of the group, Garrett cast Branding Smite on his crossbow and positioned Ash and the butterfly closer to the front to be of the best use.

Rylan and Nesryn were able to attack Tiamat as she emerged from her cave, and between the two of them managed to sever Tiamat’s fire head, with Rylan pocketing the stone left behind as it disappeared. The party continued the fight, with Tiamat fighting back with jaws and wings and lair, dealing comparatively minor damage to several members of the party – her attacks mitigated significantly thanks to Rylan’s poisons.

Garret was able to shoot Tiamat with one of his ballista arrows, and even Ash was able to strike blow against her after being knocked to the ground by Tiamat. When Tiamat went after Rylan a second time, Thea lashed out with Hellish Rebuke, destroying the acid head and subsequently picking up its stone – a gift intended for Tasha.

Garrett was able to resist most of Tiamat’s attacks, until her lightning breath caught him and nearly killed him – it was only through the quick-thinking of Rylan that he survived. The butterfly and Ash were not so lucky, each of them being destroyed with one of Tiamat’s wing attacks. This seemed to anger the party, even though Garrett thought they knew he could bring them back.

Tiamat summoned a Grey Dragon, which was almost immediately ganged up on by Z and Brioche, and then obliterated by Nesryn’sarrows. Ruinfeatook off one of Tiamat’s heads using a thunder attack, which from Garrett’s perspective looked like chiropracty gone wrong. He didn’t see who took the fourth head, but he definitely saw Thea force her sword into Tiamat’s fifth and final head, bringing the dragon down.

The party gathered a few trophies such as scales and teeth and claws. Thea carefully gathered up what was left of Ash and gave the pieces to Garrett, who thanked her and told her now would be a good time if she wanted to see how Garrett took care of him. Garrett also made sure to gather his ballista bolts and examine the cave before leaving with some scales, teeth, and claws for use in his crafting.

### **A Talk and A Tower (or Two)**

Arriving back at the Tasha’s, Garret spent some time focusing on Oberon, such as he could on this plane of existence. Eventually, Thea knocked on his door; she’d come to watch how he took care of Ash. Garrett explained how artificers created their companions, how he specifically kept making Ash from his previous forms, and how he talked to Ash through the process. Then, reminding Ash of all they had been through together, Garrett remade.

Ash woke up and almost immediately jumped into Thea’s arms. Smiling, Garrett gave Thea some cloths and showed her how to grease and oil Ash to keep them in good working order. As they continued to talk, Thea asked Garrett to fashion a weapon for her that would incorporate both her viol and her short sword. In return, Garrett only asked that Thea show him Rylan’s room so he could deliver a note of thanks – which he did.

Garret did not intend to disturb Rylan, but Rylan must have heard him in the hall and came out. The two had a heart-to-heart conversation that left Garret with the feeling that he was exactly where he needed to be, and that Rylan was both his friend and a leader worth following.

Garrett then spent some time studying his artificer’s spells, making a list of materials, and working on Thea’s musical weapon before drifting off to sleep.

The next day, the party (Garret & Ash, Ruinfea, Fuego, Nesryn, and Rylan & Brioche) met back up, and Rylan expressed concern that something had happened to his father, the Dagda. When he proposed traveling back to the lodge to check in on things; Garrett expressed concern that he would be leaving without properly expressing his gratitude to Tasha. Assuring him they would be returning shortly, Garrett joined the party in using Rylan’s ring – a gift from his father – to return to the lodge.

The lodge was in a state of minor chaos, serving as a retreat from those that had gone out to battle the Root of War. Hearing their side of things, the battle had not gone well. The Root of War had overrun the front lines and the Dagda feared dead when suddenly he withdrew from battle – to go and smash us in the Drowned Forest.

Rylan caught his father up on our exploits, as well as relaying a bit of Legend Lore given by Reiner upon our return to Tasha’s:

*"A Tower of Luskan once planted on solid rock now drifts East, fleeing from the Obsidian Born Lord.*

*Among the rocks of the City of Shadows you will find the Stone, which holds fast the doors of the Broken Weave, and he that Sundered it."*

Conferring with the Dagda, Thea and Rylan concluded that our next move should be to visit her Aunt living in the far North. Fuego sent messages by his familiar back to Tasha and those still with her; Garrett included a note of appreciation in hopes he would not be perceived a rude houseguest.

Using Planar Shfit, Ruinfeamoved the party to their destination: a tower of Lusk in the far north of Faerun, where Thea’s aunt Ana was First Evocator. The wind was bitter cold and the snow deep (compared to Garrett) and though hopping helped keep his blood circulating, he still found it tough going. Brioche offered space in the Bag of Animal Holding and Fuego offered to carry him; Garrett hopped into the bag with Brioche and Ash (who had gotten in for the initial shift).

The party was welcomed and led inside by Ruinfea’s gbrother Lindor, who Garrett had only heard about in Thea’s song. The party allowed the two a moment to reconnect, and then Garrett asked to be let out of the bag. Seeing Brioche and Garrett and Ash emerge, Lindor was intrigued by the Bag of Animal Holding, having only known of regular Bags of Holding to this point.

The group was then led into the First Evocator’s office/laboratory/workshop, where Thea made the appropriate introductions. Lindor and Ana told the party how, just a short while before, 150 other wizard and/or sorcerers had – in the middle of the night – entered the other tower of Lusk as if in a deep sleep and cast some kind of magic that caused the tower to rise and float away. Though some had tried to find the tower and those that had gone with it, none had returned.

Thea shared the Legend Lore, and Ana and Lindor agreed that the tower may be in a town far to the east: Skund. Ruinfeaasked many questions about the nature of the weave, which Garrett found interesting and helpful. Using her gifts of prophecy, Ana realized the Legend Lore had changed slightly from “he that sundered it” to “she that sundered it” – meaning Shar was behind whatever we were facing, not Cyric.

However, the cards also indicated that now may be the best time to act, so Anna opened a way through the mist for the party to cover the continent of Faerunin a matter of minutes. Standing before the city, the party was confused. The city of Skundwas supposed to be destroyed; instead, it stood tall and proud before them. Rylan found a smuggler’s entrance into the city, and while some of the party chose to hide and sneak, others did not. Rylan and Brioche and Garret and Ash walked right in, and Ruinfeaaccompanied “Team Fae” in the shape of a fox.

Team Fae met a supremely energetic and enthusiastic innkeeper who was just thrilled to meet them. Introducing themselves as Ryan Goodfellow, Pumpkin (Brioche), Gourd (Garrett), and Poppy (Ruinfea), the were able to determine that this young woman firmly believed in what she was saying/doing. The others came out of hiding, introducing themselves as Leaf (Nesryn), Warren (Fuego), and Liza Minelli (Thea). It took some time to extract themselves from the exuberance, but they gained three names to look into, as well as learning that the tower (which looked suspiciously like the missing tower from Lusk) had supposedly been abandoned long ago.

Fuego thought the town might be enchanted; sending a message to Rylan, Ruinfeasuggested kidnapping someone and seeing what “dispel magic” would do to them – Nesryn objected and Garrett said the innkeeper would probably let them just do it if they asked nicely.

Talking it over, it seemed to the party that the town was the cork holding back the chaos caused by the sundering of the weave.

“What now?” they asked each other.

### **The Cheerful Town**

The party found that while there had been a city council, the council itself had been disbanded some years prior (no one knew exactly how long). The running of the city was now in the hands of three individuals: Mr. Brand, mining operations; Mama Hornbone, religion; The Magistrate, politics and secular public affairs.

The longer they stayed in Skund, the more they all realized they stood out. Rylan seemed to pull money out of thin air; in reality Reiner had been walking with the party under a kind of shroud of invisibility, and he helped Rylan make sure their money would be accepted – it had something to do with the age of the money. Rylan then bought them all Skund-appropriate garb, and they talked about where to go next.

Garrett seemed to think it was Nesryn who pointed out the mine was relatively open and was likely to cause the least disturbance. They found the mine just as the workers came out for their midday break/meal. Rylan cast “pass without trace” on the party, and they stealthily and sneakily slipped inside.

There, the mine appeared to me mostly muddy rock with nothing of value and no veins of any kind. A singe track led further into the mine. Following it around a bend, they were faced with a choice: the track bore right, while on their left was an elevator. Reiner pointed out that whatever they were hiding or whatever they were after would likely be further in, so the party took the elevator.

As they descended, Garrett noticed that the air was getting hotter, which normally didn’t happen except under certain circumstances, like with pockets of natural gas or perhaps magma nearby. When they stopped, Thea and Reiner expressed concern: by their observation, they’d passed the water table long ago – or at least, where the water table should be.

Reiner dropped his invisibility, and Garret watched as he transformed into his hybrid-bat form to use echolocation to get a better sense of what the party was facing down in the mine. He soon told the party that the track continued a short way before opening into a large, water-filled cavern. He also sensed something scaly in the water. Hearing this, Rylan used his Divine Sense and concluded whatever was there was neutral in nature.

The party cautiously advanced, entering the cavern and bearing right along a somewhat narrow rocky path that curved around the water. Reiner commented that he still couldn’t sense the bottom of the pool. Looking around, Garrett and the others finally noticed veins of rock or mineral with fairly obvious tool marks along them. Rylan turned to Garrett expectantly, and Garrett was relieved when he was able to identify the material as labrodite– a quite pretty mineral that also held certain magical qualities, among them protection from negative energy, focusing psychic abilities, and strengthening intuition. He considered himself lucky to find a good-sized chunk that had been left behind and promptly pocketed it (or rather, placed it in his bag).

Renier was still determined to get to the bottom of things – literally – and dove into the water. Garrett and the others watched in surprise as he soon resurfaced – not by swimming but riding what appeared to be a giant turtle shell. Soon the creature itself surfaced, and some of the party recognized it as a turtle dragon. “It’s a baby!” Nesryn exclaimed somewhat excitedly, and proceeded to try to fill the party in on what they were looking at.

Rylan and Feugo tried to talk to it in draconic, and Ruinfea (still as a fox) tried nuzzling it, but Brioche (as a dragon herself) seemed to have the most influence in keeping the hatchling calm. And indeed, it couldn’t have been more than a few months old.

Reiner pointed out that there was no other way in or out of the cavern, so the baby must have been magicked there in some way. Nesryn commented that the climate was all wrong for a dragon of this type, and Rylan noticed there were no other living things down here. The poor thing would soon be hungry. Almost as one, they all decided to save the turtle dragon. But how?

It was Rylan who came up with the solution. Conferring with Brioche and Garrett, he pointed out that the Bag of Pet Holding would still hold the dragon, but it also meant that – due to its size – no other creature could be carried or hidden in it until it was empty again. Ash took up their place by Garrett, and Garret and Brioche agreed to the plan. Using some psychic ability to communicate, Rylan asked the baby dragon if she wanted to go home and convinced her to wiggle into the bag. It was quite the sight, watching such a large creature climb into the bag, but in the end, it was accomplished and soon careful listeners could hear happy sounds of splashing and eating as the dragon found some semblance of comfort.

About twenty-five minutes or so had passed since the party first entered the mine, and they felt it was time to get going. Who knew when the miners would return from their break? They made their way back outside without incident, and noticed the workers were still relaxing with no sign of returning to work any time soon. It appeared whoever was running things here really did want to give the semblance of happiness.

They considered going to see Mr. Brand, but instead chose to visit Mama Hornbone and the temple. As Thea pointed out, visiting the temple in other cities had given them extremely valuable insight. As they walked, they talked about the temple to Lliira. Even 800 years ago, when Skundwas supposed to have disappeared, the goddess had been rather obsolete. So what was she doing here? Things became even more confusing when they reached the temple complex and Reiner found the ground consecrated; the prayers of the people were going somewhere, and this was holy ground.

Rylan and Thea, though, had a plan which they’d been working on for Kam and would now try out on Reiner – if he agreed. They would cast “protection from good/evil” to keep him from the effects of the consecrated ground (in his case, a massive amount of acid damage). If both of them failed to keep concentration, they could whisk Reiner to safety with misty step or dimension door or something similar. Satisfied with the thought put into their plan, Reiner agreed, and they entered the temple.

Inside the worshippers and minor priestesses seemed happy, just like everything else in the city. Bouquets of flowers were strategically placed: clusters of pale pink roses, baby’s breath, and white lilies. Music filled the air, and Reiner cocked his head as if listening for something in the melody. Rylan had taken point, and he led the party straight to the woman in charge – and stopped short as a look of recognition crossed his face.

In a moment, Garrett heard Rylan in his head (and assumed Rylan was in everyone’s head at this point) telling him that this was the celestial that had attacked the party on their journey from the Plane of Knowledge to Eilistraee– and got away. The other had been killed and their sword given to Kam. This was one of the individuals on Rylan’s list. Concerningly, Rylan also realized she had made some powerful friends since they last met.

“Mama Hornbone” turned to the party and looked them each over. Then she smiled. “We had not expected you so soon. Please, won’t you join me for a moment?”

### **Oghmas's Final Chapter (?)**

From his position in the mid-back of the group, Garrett noticed Thea lightly trace some music notes on Rylan’s back.

The party seemed to be in agreement, and combat was initiated. Rylan and Reiner and Nesryn all dearth significant blows to this unnamed enemy celestial. Ruinfea shifted from her fox form to a circle of stars, and Barrin/Fuego felt the return of his own Druid powers. Garret even scored a successful hit or two from his crossbow.

However, just when they were starting to get a feel for their enemy, she smiled. As she did so, time turned back and they found themselves as they were moments before, with sell slots and items exactly where they were before. "Now, are you ready to have a conversation or are we going to have to do this again?"

"Again, bitch." Thea told her sharply,a no once more battle was engaged. Although the celestial appears to grow slightly in both stature Abend power - as if she'd learned from the first round - the party was better prepared as well.

Once more they stabbed and shot and cast spells, and with more success than before. Garrett startled even himself when he scored a critical hit with a ballista bolt enhanced with both branding smite and arcane jolt. Rylan looked pleased.

Brioche joined in as well, making good use of her armor and bladed tail, and Garrett allowed himself a smile. Ruinfea called a dragon with cold breath attack, and between the two of them the dead started to look rather worn down indeed.

She seemed resigned to her fate and, instead of turning back time, fought to the end. It was Thea that took her down with a mind spike spell that, after a brief moment of looking like it had failed, caused the celestial to bleed profusely from her nose and fall to the ground, dead.

Inside the worshippers now turned toward the party with smiles still on their graces but murder in their eyes. Reiner summed skeletons to protect the party, and The played her lyre to poi them to sleep. They quickly looted the body and the temple and left in haste, with Rylan locking the door behind them.

Outside, things ha changed. The streets were deserted and people were streaming into the "forbidden" tower. Between Rylan and Brioche, Oghma’s presence was detected in the town, and it was decided to go after him.

It was then Thea and Garett remembered their plan to work in unison to turn a long rest into a catnap. Garrett would be down a spell slot or two, but it would be woth it to have the rest of the party get their health and spell slots back.

Ten minutes later Anderso they were ready to go again. Several options were discussed, but in the end they decided to do what had been done in the goblin market: draw out Oghma with a pretend prisoner: in this case, Reiner.

As the pastry began to disguise themselves, it was decided that Garrett should lead the party as he was one of the only ones Oghma had not yet met. Ryl;an handed him a holy symbol and scroll of Oghma's - itimes left to him by Bryn.

The various paladins and warlocks talked to their gods and patrons; Barron/Fuego looking noticibly relieved he did not hear anything. Garrett was neither of those, but offered a prayer to Oberon nonetheless. He was greatly surprised to feel a reassuring hand on his shooting arm, and he could swear he smelled the Feywild. Not just the Feywild - he sensed *home*. His ears wiggled and his nose wrinkled at the emotion.

He thought he had failed Oberon by being ill-prepared. Rylan noticed the conflicting emotion and asked gently "would you like something more to shoot?" Garrett said yes, and Rylan drew one of his special arrows from his skin and handed it over. "It's not one of your ballista bolts, but it'll still mess someone up." Garrett nodded in appreciation.

They followed Rylan's magic tracking to the council chamber. Entering it, they found it seemingly empty, though heavy with he smell of books and parchment and the sound of a pan flute filled the air. When Reinor tried to use echolocation to get a sense of things, Garrett admonished him in the style of a captor, saying "I told you to quit doing that."

Garrett found himself suddenly emboldened with inspiration and heroism from Thea, and just in time. A voice called to them from the corner, and Garrett found himself speaking to a older looking man with somewhat worn clothes and an eyepatch over one eye.

*"And who might you be?"*

"Oh, I'm a rabbitfolk."

*"Not what, **who**."*

"Oh, you want a name, or . . . ?"

"The artificer is fey, you see . . ." (Rylan)

"I am called Gourd."

"And who are you?" (Nesryn)

*"You can call me Adam. You're not from here are you?"*

"Well, I'm from near here. Just north, I think."

*"I mean from the city. Tell me, why aren't you at the tower like everyone else?"*

"Why should I be at the tower?"

*"Asnwering a question with a question is rude, isn't it?"*

"Wasn't that a question?" (Reiner)

"I didn't mean to offend, but I can't answer why I'm not doing something unless I know why they're doing it. It's like when I was growing up my mother would say 'If everyone jumped in the river would you do it too?' And I'd say no because I can't swim."

*"Large ears prone to infection?"*

"And large feet. And one too many pies."

*"Hmm. I can't help but notice you have not answered the question. Every citizen would have felt a call to go to the tower; a call that cannot be ignored. So I know you do not exactly belong here. So; why are you here?"*

"We were told this was where the magistrate was, and so we thought this was the place to come if we had a problem."

The man looked at Reiner. "*And what is your problem with this . . . Undead?""*

Garrett swallowed hard and kept down the bile he felt building up with what he had to say.

"Isn't that itself the problem?" While internally he thought *please don't kill me please don't kill me please don't kill me* (thinking of Reiner).

Adam laughed to himself. "*Don't worry yourself, Gourd. I won't kill you just yet."*

Garrett's eyes grew wide. He hadn't said that out loud, nor had he thought that in relation to Adam.

*"Oh, I know."*

Rylan must have sensed something was off, because Garrett felt a defensive wall go up around his mind.

"*Now,"* continued Adam, *"what is your purpose with brining this prisoner here? Is it a gift . . . Or an offering?"*

"Does it matter?" Asked Nesryn.

"*Bring the prisoner forward."*

Garrett took a step forward, and then Reinrer resided. Garrett used the opportunity to turn around and - using his eyes - ask Rylan for help.

Adam touched Reiner, and Reiner used it to his advantage, casting a contaigion on Adam.

"*You don't know what you've done,"* Adam said as a fog surrounded him and he grew to fifteen feet tall.

"Oh yes we do," replied Rylan as he misty-stepped up to Adam/Oghma and ripped out his spark of divinity. Rylan turned to Thea, who had bared her upper body to her sternum to just above her bra of holding, and shoved the divine spark into her chest.

Then Rylan and Reiner and Nesryn attacked Oghma, and battle proper began.

Thea tried to lay hands on Oghma, but something distracted her. Ever the bard, she was able to somewhere persuade him that, despite all evidence to the contrary, that she was on his side.

Oghma cast "weird" and for a moment Garret thought he saw [redacted], but then Thea's heroism kicked in and he shrugged it off, casting Elemental Bane (fire) at Oghma - but Oghma simply shrugged it off as if it was nothing.

Something had happened to Ruinfea, and she seemed to be out for the duration.

Brioche took up a defensive stance between Nesryn and Oghma, and Oberon cast fireball on the party. Thea replied with Hellish Rebuke, which Oghma countered with a legendary save.

Reiner cast a spell that caused psyich damage not only to Oghma but also to the party. Rylan tried to poison him: failing to break a vial under Oghma's nose, he nonetheless succeeded on forcing some kind of liquid down his throat. It appeared that some of Oghma's resistances were weakening.

Fuego cast fireball in Oghma's chest and Thea cast Weight of 1,000 Years, which Oghma's negated with another legendary save.

Garett fired Rylan's gifted arrow, poisoning Oghma further, but filed to hit him a second time. In reply, Oghma cast Sphere of Darkness, causing the terrain to become difficult and casting some of the party into a blinding darkness.

Renier cast Eveneration; Oghma used his last legendary save. It was at this point that Reiner's "Nine Bastard Skellies" showed up and joined the fight. Some scored hits while one in particular tripped and lost a femur.

Rylan cast Faerie Fire on Oghma before wailing into him again, and since he could see Oghma, Garrett was able to fire off a ballista bolt.

Swing that Rylan had been hitting him every time he cast a spell, Oghma changed tactics and started stabbing at Reiner.

"Why don't you just give up?" He asked mockingly, and to all appearances he appeared unhurt.

"Never!" Rylan and Thea replied.

But Reiner cast Feeble Mind and then things stared going rather poorly for Oghma. The fight continued for another round, and Oghma's glamour dropped - revealing a aged and sickened man.

Nesryn stabbed him several times with her shortsword, and Thea laid him low with her abyssal dagger. As the life ebbed from him the party looked at Oghma, refusing to say anything.

Thea - with tears in her eyes and a look of sorrow on her face - plunged the dagger into Oghma's neck, causing blood to rush forth. A mirror of Oghma's wound appeared on Thea, but she appeared not to notice. She gave a nod, and Reiner took his head.

### **A Trickster Situation**

The battle over, Ash finally came into the chamber. Garret smiled somewhat ruefully as he said "that's the last time I leave you outside."

The party knew they were depleted and needed rest. GArret wondered if it was safe, to which Rylan pointed out that Oghma's divine spark was still present in Thea and they were unlikely to be disturbed.

There was some talk of what this might mean for Thea. When it was pointed out that she was the new Oghma, she said "No, I'm just Thea."

Garrett used his downtime to finish Thea's viol, which he named Bard's Blade. He could think of no better time to present it to her than now, at the time of her ascendency.

The rest over, he gave it to her and she and the party looked at it with admiration. And then it was time to decide what to do. In the end, they decided to check out the Tower and perhaps find Mr Brand.

Brioche stretched to leave, and continued stretching. The golden dragon was now the size of a large horse and now capable of being ridden. She struggled through the door, and Rylan promised to help her work on shifting into a mug man form. Her armor had grown with her, and Rylan was able to find footholds and handholds to mount Brioche. Garret and Rylan agreed that a few minor alterations were in order to allow easier mounting and dismounting.

Scouting ahead, Rylan and Brioche saws something . . . Prismatic . . . At the top of the tower, and the townsfolk mining a strange rock. Reporting back to the party, Garrett recognized the stone as being from the Feywild, but Reiner determined that the stone was merely channeling whatever energy was at the top of the tower.

As the entire party came within sight, a man - appearing to be in charge and therefore Mr Brand - waved to them; Thea and Garrett returned the wave.

Someone- garrett wsn't sure who - whispered *Lokkju* as he called out "Hello, Adventurers! Come and claim your prize!"

"What prize?" asked Fuego while Thea said "I wasn't aware this was a competition."

"Your pride for winning, of course."

"Wining what?"

"The game. Or making it this far. But may I ask who you are?"

"Theodosia Chandler"

"Oh, no need to be so formal, Thea" he said with a laugh.

"And how is it you know my name?"

"Loki deals in names."

So, we were dealing with the trickster god. Thea and Loki talked for some time about the nature of Skund and the prize they had "earned" - the Hard of Ragnarok. With the understanding that the Root of war had upset Loki's destiny by killing Heimal prematurely, and that therefore whoever blew the horn would signal the end of the world, causing Loki to kill the blower and the blower to kill Loki, Thea claimed the prize and shoved it into her bra of holding.

Loki pushed at the sight, and then roared when Thea said "There's other treasures in there that I won't show you."

Garrett was uncertain what Thea decided to do about Skund. If she ended Oghma's creation, it would return to a ruin and everyone and everything return to the places and times they belonged. But they were all here to act as a ply keeping something in. What Garrett did see was the Tower heading back to its proper place, and then Rylan said "Well, it looks like we've got a walk ahead of us," and the party headed out once more.

### **Tempest & Tower**

As the tower floated back to where it belonged, Garrett spent time thinking about his friends and the things he needed to do once he was able to rest: namely, praying properly to Oberon, fixing Rylan's armor, researching the materials he'd gathered, and caring for the crossbow.

Fuego interrupted his thoughts briefly, and the two spent a few minutes discussing a possible weapon for Fuego.

Rylan, too, mentioned the possibility of working more with Garrett, but remained cause on details and left the rabbit to his thoughts.

As the tower floated on, it appeared to be nearing a magically-created storm, but it's own natural defenses as a caster's tower rebuffed the elements. Drawing closer to the town of Lusk, the party realized the town was under attack. Groups of summoners and their summoned creatures were arrayed before the tower commanded by Thea's aunt- seemingly led by a sorcerer floating or flying in the air.

Eventually the party could make out their features, and Rylan and Thea simultaneously spat out "Glynn" in recognition.

To his own surprise, Garrett recognized him as well - as one Glynnmarrow Kent, with whom Garrett had traveled for some two years before splitting up. In fact, it was the party Garrett had joined with after leaving Glynn (or vice-versa) that had found him the victim of the blight witch . . .

"Wait, *that's* the Glynn who attacked you? I think I know him . . ."

Rylan and Thea looked at Garrett, shocked, while Nesryn and Reiner seemed rather indifferent - Glynn was before their joining the party, it seemed.

"What did he do to you?" Rylan demanded.

"Nothing. We traveled together for some two years. He didn't speak much, but he wasn't like this."

There wasn't time for much more as they only had minutes to prepare. Rylan and Thea would ride Brioche; Ruinfea wild shaped into an albatross and offered to carry Garrett, and - seeing Ruinfea - Fueogo changed into an albatross as well. Nesryn and Reiner and Ash would stay in the tower as it floated on.

And so, they rode/flew into battle, with Thea giving them all bardic inspiration along the way.

Glynn seemed singularly focused and did not see them approaching until Nesryn came into range and let loose with her arrows, initiating combat - which was both exciting and short.

Garrett only got one action - a firebolt that hit Glynn but failed to do much damage. It also resulted in Glynn recognizing Garrett and - staring at him darkly - set his jaw in determination (of something).

Some highlights from Garrett's point of view was the breath attack from Brioche, as well as a breath attack from Fuego. Garrett wondered if anyone had ever seen an albatross breathe fire before . . . Ruinfea and Rylan teamed up, with Ruinfea calling sixteen giant bats, which while half of them managed to bite at Glynn, also provided Rylan the cover he needed to set up a sneak attack on Glynn.

Using his own wings, Rylan successfully shot and stabbed Glynn, ending with a cold-clocking unarmed strike that took him out of commission. When Glynn began to fall, Rylan caught him and carried him back to the tower.

(Note: the battle was longer than this, and everyone participated, but Garret didn't see all that went on due to his position).

With Glynn out of commission, the storm began breaking up, which also seemed to signal to those below that their leader was gone. The tried to flee eastward, but were met by Keres, who proceeded to pick up and drop many of them, letting gravity do its work.

Overjoyed at seeing her girlfriend, Thea opened a dimensional door to her and the two flew back together. By this point, Rylan had his foot on the unconscious Glynn's neck.

Staring at his former traveling companion, Garrett only half-heard Kere's explanation of what had brought her back to the party, but his ears perked up when his brain processed that Nesryn had received a letter and was needed elsewhere.

She said her goodbyes in her own way, giving each member of the party a wooden tab she called "Token of the Outlaws" and assured them it would give them aid and passage if they ever found themselves in her part of the world (which, Rylan indicated, was near the Dagda's hut).

The tower now settled itself back into position, and it seemed to be repairing itself. The party was met by Ruinfea's brother Linder, who explained that Thea's aunt was otherwise preoccupied.

The party tried to give him answers as to what had happened, but the explanation came out rather disjointed.

In regards to Glynn, Rylan remembered he had some type of potiion that would ensure he told them the truth. However, Glynn seemed unresponsive to Rylan's attempts to get him to inhale the elixir. It appeared Glynn was under some kind of magic.

Linder explained that Glynn had come to challenge Thea's aunt for control of the tower - and therefore control of the magic in Fäden, specifically the Weave. He had claimed to be allied with he Root of War, specifically calling him his "master", and Garrett wondered if perhaps there was some kind of bond between the Root of War and Glynn such as patron/warlock.

It was Reiner who found a way to muddle Glynn's mind enough to break through, though it was also likely to kill Glynn in the process. Both he and Thea determined they could use Spare the Dying to get what information they needed.

Rylan's potion worked, and Glynn began laughing as he looked at the group, stating that he wished it had been anyone but them.

"Even me?" Garret had asked, but it was lost in the hubbub as everyone had scathing remarks for the man who had caused so much trouble.

Glynn continued his cutting remarks until Garrett said:

"You've certainly changed since I last saw you. What's it been, three four years?"

Garrett was baiting Glynn for information - he wasn't certain how long he'd been held captive in the thicket. He got more than he bargained for.

Glynn continued to laugh as he replied "Oh, Garrett - four years? It's more like twenty-five. And just what has led you so far off the path it throw in with this lot?"

Garrett didn't reply to Glynn, both because he wouldn't deign to answer such a question but also because he was taken aback. Twenty-five years? Even he hadn't thought it had been that long . . .

"What's your end game?" Asked Fuego, picking up the line of questioning.

"Why, the throne of course. To control the magic and the weave. The weave is the key . . ." And then he went on pontificating about the Root of War's plans, how great and terrible a master he was, and how they should all either ally or surrender to him while they still had the chance.

"If he's so great and powerful, why does he need all these allies?" Keres wanted to know.

"Because it's war. It's not just about winning. It about the conquering, the joy of destroying one's enemies, of turning brother against brother and father against son, of causing strife and division and all the glorious things that come with it."

"And who are these allies?"

He began rattling off names at more-than-top speed. Garrett gathered that these were the more impoartant ones, and hoped either Keres or Rylan would be able to remember or write it all down.

"Where does your master reside?" Garrett was unsure who asked - he thought it may have been Rylan or Thea but honestly couldn't say.

"Right now? In eastern Faerun. He had claimed Narfell and the Endless Wastes. Soon, he will spread over all Faerun, over all the planes."

Something about the way he said this pricked Garrett's mind.

"And has he spread into my home?" Garrett asked.

"And where is that again? it's been so long . . ."

"It's . . . It's in between Faerun and the Feywild"

Glynn smiled. "Not as of yet, but rest assured it is only a matter of time. Your family would do well to submit when they have the chance."

Rylan or Lindor cut him off from going on this again.

"How many forces does he have?"

"Here in Faerun? Some three hundred thousand. I do not know of the other planes."

The party looked at each other, their questions at an end. Glynn continued to sing the Root of War's praises for another fifteen seconds or so until the spell wore off and they all let him die.

Well, almost. Keres did steal his soul away, but looked rather unhappy with the result. It seemed such a shitty person created a rather crappy gem.

"What was his name again?" She asked.

"I knew him as Glynmarriow Kent. I traveled with him for two years while trying to get back home. In fact, his was the last party I was with before joining the one I got trapped with. He was slightly odd, but nothing like this."

"So, he went crazy after you knew him. At least he didn't hurt you, or things would've gone much worse for him." Rylan said, and Garrett again wondered how he'd found such a friend in the space of a week.

Keres then said she needed a moment to check out the weave.

While she did so, Rylan tied up questions Lindor still had regarding their own story, then Lindor excused himself. There was something Thea's aunt wished to give her.

The party discussed their next moves. Rylan said they needed proper rest, and Garrett spoke up that, while it sounded silly to the others, he really needed to pray properly. Fuego and Ruinfea and Thea also mentioned things they needed to do. All of them needed supplied.

"Wait, are you all *planning*?" Keres asked incredulously.

"It seems some of their training has stuck," Reiner replied.

Lindor returned with a bag of goodies for Thea, and Keres rifled through Glynn's robes but came up empty handed.

Saying their goodbyes, including a only slightly awkward hug between Ruinfea and Lindor, Rylan opened a gateway to the Dagda's lodge using a ring.

The Dagda was there waiting for them, and he welcomed them - including Reiner - to stay as long as they needed. In fact, he insisted they stay for several days - - to observe Rylan's birthday.

### **Samhain at the Dagda’s Lodge**

The days passed somewhat quickly from Garrett’s perspective, perhaps because he had much to do. But first – after a somewhat awkward greeting – he talked with The Dagda, who gave Garrett permission to use the library and the forge as he needed. He also shared a pipe with Garrett, and Garrett found himself becoming more at ease (but not overly familiar) with Rylan’s dad. In regards to Oberon, the Dagda suggested Garrett wait just a little longer – an opportunity would present itself shortly, he said, but he would divulge no more at that time.

Garrett and Ash rested, ate, and then headed to the library, where they unexpectedly found Rylan. Rylan seemed busy, but declared a distraction was just the thing he needed, and made time to talk to Garrett. Or rather, listen to Garrett. After asking Garrett if he could make him a new brace, Garrett realized maybe Rylan didn’t need to talk, but could still use the presence of a friend. And so, there in the library, Garrett told Rylan his life’s story in more detail than he’d shared previously, even letting Rylan see and listen to his tile with the sounds from home. (Note: this RP is ongoing and may have more details to add).

Their conversation ended, Garrett stayed in the library to research his materials and methods, and when he felt somewhat confident in his findings, made his way to the forge The Dagda had told him about. There, Garrett met Goibniu– who had been expecting him. He had even prepared tools and equipment appropriate for Garrett’s height so he would not be unduly inconvenienced.

Ash found a spot to rest while Garrett worked, and Garrett was pleased when Goibniu asked if he could stay and work as Garrett did what Garrett did. They passed the time telling stories, with Goibniu singing a song a Gaelic and Garrett telling the story of how he became an artificer. Garrett said he wished he could have understood what Goibniu had said as the song had sounded . . . well, beautiful wasn’t quite the right word, but it was the closest he could do at the time. Goibniu laughed as said that perhaps Garrett would live it soon enough. He then patted Ash, and Garrett watched in amazement as something subtly shifted in Ash’s form and Garrett felt his friend gain a permanent increase to their hit points.

Garrett worked on Rylan’s request for a new brace, which Garrett made and improved with loops for vials and a few straps and pockets for smaller items Rylan might need to carry. Using some of the leftover material from what Rylan had given him, Garrett crafted a birthday present for Rylan: a metal-and-leather pendant reminiscent of Brioche in dragon form.

He also worked on Fuego’s request, [redacted until the request is revealed to the party] and was surprised how well it worked. In fact, Garrett was shocked to find that work that should have taken him hours of work had been accomplished in a fraction of the time.

Garrett was at the forge putting the finishing touches on his projects and (literally) wrapping them up when Thea arrived and announced that it was Rylan’s birthday, and she had made a pancake charcuterie board for everyone to enjoy. She kindly helped Garrett carry his finished items, and it was then Garrett realized Keres was also with her. He felt bad he had ignored her, but when he said hello, Keres was very kind and hadn’t seemed to take offense.

Thea played Rylan a birthday song, and as she played it was mentioned that today would be The Hunt held in celebration of Samhain and – by happy circumstance/coincidence – Rylan’s birthday. At the mention of a hunt, Garrett knew Rylan would need his brace, and so handed him two packages.

“You didn’t have to do this,” Rylan protested, but Garrett reminded him that one was something he specifically requested and the other was just a little something from him. The pendant made Rylan’s eyes light up with joy, and it immediately went around his neck, hanging just above his holy symbol. When he unwrapped the brace, Garrett was nervous. “You said you needed storage but I wasn’t sure what kind, so there’s a few loops for some vials, a pocket or two, some extra straps . . .”

Rylan cut him off with a smile. “It’s exactly perfect, Garrett,” he said, immediately beginning to fill the slots and strapping it on his leg.

As they talked of the coming Hunt, various people kept mentioning that, because there were guests here (meaning the Third Family) that most participants were likely to be clothed. Thea rather shamelessly yet with a grin and a laugh declared she had no dignity left anyway, while Garrett pointed out that he was covered in fur anyway. Nonetheless, all the clothes stayed on by choice.

They party finished eating, and just then (as if they were waiting for just that thing), a herd of horses (some mounted by various Fae and some not, some with “English-style” saddles and some unencumbered) cantered up to the courtyard. At their head, a rather tall and elegant looking figure of a Fey drew everyone’s attention – not just because of his beauty, but also due to his rather intricate silver right arm.

He spoke, introducing himself as Nuada, Rylan’s brother, and that The Hunt (called the Wild Hunt by some, but not by him, since that name also evoked a certain group of people) would be beginning shorty. For the benefit of those who may not know, he explained The Hunt was purely voluntary, but that those who participated would find either a blessing or a curse for the coming year. All participants would remain in the wood until they had found . . . something. What that something might be depended on the individual. At this point a group of . . . men? . . . rode up. Maybe they were men, but Garrett couldn’t tell because they didn’t have heads. Nuada named them the Dullahan, explaining that to be caught by them would not bring death as some believed, but a year of misfortune.

He asked those who planned to participate to step forward and claim a mount and, if they would like, to choose a hunting partner. For himself, he chose Rylan. Keres and Thea also decided to participate, and when Brioche (who was in her human form) looked at Garrett, the two shared a look of understanding and decided they would also pair up. Fuego had several offers from various Fae to join them, but he chose to go alone. Reiner said he would be best off researching in the library, and Ruinfea and Lorayhad gone off somewhere.

Of them all, Garrett was the only one to choose to go on foot; however, this soon proved to be futile. With a shout and a cheer, the hunt was on and Brioche rapidly galloped away on her horse faster than Garrett could keep up (even if he had used his spells). Circling back around, she deftly picked Garrett up and placed him behind her. The ride was rough but Garrett held on gamely. Maybe it was the shock, maybe it was the fear, and maybe it was just the fact that his life since being freed was just one form or another of “run!” – but he and Brioche rode as one, as if they knew what they were doing.

“Oh crap oh crap oh woah” Brioche said soon enough.

“what is it?” Garrett asked.

“Well, if we’re supposed to be hunting, wouldn’t going full tilt like this make noise and scare things off?”

“I suppose that depends on what we find.”

“Well, what do you want to find, Garrett?”

“Half of me wants to find something interesting that we can go back with a cool story. The other half of me wants to find something easy so we can get back home and not have a year of misfortune.”

“Oh,” said Brioche, “for me, I want the story!”

The rode on a short way and came to a stream, where a family of beavers were busily building a dam.

“Ohh! Look, Garrett! How about that?” Brioche asked excitedly.

Garrett looked at the beavers peacefully working away. He was reminded of his own home and how the peace was so brutally shattered.

“I don’t know, Brioche. I mean, they haven’t done anything to us. How would we like it if we were just minding our own business and someone just came up and attacked us?”

“People *do* do that to us, Garrett! And then we turn around and kill them!!”

“Exactly. And what if they kill us? You’d be fine, Rylan can get you back. But me? I’d be out here with a sign that says “Here Lies Garret. Killed by Beavers.”

“Oooh. That’d be a cool epitaph. We should use it even if it’s not true. And not now, but in the future after you’ve lived a long and happy life. ‘Here lies Garrett – Artificer to Heroes. Killed by Beavers’. Oh wait, no, we can’t.” Brioche said excitedly and then somewhat dejectedly.

“why not?”

“I don’t want to break any illusions you may have about me.”

Garrett did not know what to think, but they agreed to leave the beavers alone and ride on.

A short while later, Brioche’s ears twitched.

“I thought only mine did that,” Garrett remarked.

“What now?”

“Your ears, they twitched.”

“Did they? Must be an elvish thing.”

“Must be,” Garrett agreed as Brioche dismounted and flattened herself on the ground – much like a dragon does when it hunts.

“Do you feel that?” she asked.

“No,” Garrett replied, but no sooner had he done so than a wild boar came crashing out of a thicket. It seemed to not notice Brioche (her being flattened against the ground and all) and charged right at Garrett. Using some butter he’d grabbed from Rylan’s birthday pancakes, Garrett cast “grease”, covering the boar and the ground around it (but avoiding Brioche) with a layer of slick oil. The boar fell down, and as it got back up, so did Brioche. Now that she was visible to the boar, Garrett was concerned she would be a target and so cast fire bolt at the beast. Perhaps his concern put some extra oomph behind the spell, because both boar and grease ignited and the boar fell over, twitched, and sizzled slightly as an aroma of bacon filled the air.

“Wow! That was something!!” exclaimed Brioche. “Now what?”

“Well, I think were supposed to take something back, but this looks a bit big and heavy for just the two of us to manage.”

“We could field dress it.”

“You’re right; let’s do that. But I’m throwing the liver away. Liver is disgusting.”

“Oooh. Can I have it instead?”

“Sure, just don’t make me eat it.”

“Why would I do that? Everyone knows you don’t like liver.”

And so, pulling some rope from her pack, the pair managed to haul the carcass up into the air to work on it. While they worked, Garrett heard a rustling behind him. Fearing another boar – or worse, the Dullahan, Garrett turned around. Instead of a pig or a headless horseman, Garrett watched as a man – tall, not pale but not quite tanned, horned with antlers and dressed in green robes - stepped out.

“Greetings. Might you spare some bones for a weary traveler? I’ve been walking for . . . for some time, and could use refreshment.”

Garrett looked at the newcomer. Normally he would have simply said yes, but the nature of the Hunt made him more cautious. He couldn’t pick up on anything nefarious, and a glance at Brioche said she agreed with him.

“Sure! What would you prefer? Knuckles? Ribs? Jawbone?”

“I think you know what I would prefer, Garrett.”

Garrett’s ears twitched. “You know my name?”

“As well as you know my own.”

And then Garrett understood: this was Oberon. And with that understanding, he turned and cut some vertebrae for his god. Oberon smiled as Garrett offered them, and taking the bones in his hands, he broke them. From the broken bones sprang forth wildflowers, and Oberon sat down among them, brining him down to Garrett’s height.

“I believe you wanted to see me?” Oberon asked kindly.

“Yes. Well, I did. I mean I still do, it’s just that . . . You see, I had all sorts of questions at first, but then they were either answered or I saw that they’d be irrelevant. And I wanted to know why you were helping me, but I can see that’s not important either. So I suppose it comes down to this: I’ve been helping other people, but is there anything I can do for you? Anything you want or need?”

“You are correct, Mister Sieger, your initial questions weren’t that important. And while the one you’ve settled on is much closer to being right, it’s still off by a little. The question is not what I want, Garrett, but what you want.”

This was one question Garrett could answer without hesitation. It’s what Nesryn and Kiara and Z and Reiner and Rylan and Thea had all helped him see. His job, his duty, his purpose was to protect. And while he might not be the best swordsman or archer or caster, he could create the armor that would keep his friends from death, forge the weapons that would – in their hands – defeat their enemies, and invent the devices that would give them all an advantage.

“I want to support my friends.” He said. “To protect them. Truly.”

Oberon stood and smiled at Garrett. “Some ribs, please, if you would.”

While Garrett turned to oblige, Oberon continued.

“As for the why, I suppose it is because I find myself restless. My wife sleeps. Winter does not agree with me. Mab and I . . .” his voice trailed off. “And so I went wandering, and heard you call my name, and I answered.”

Garrett turned around with the ribs to see Oberon still smiling and handed him the ribs.

“You wish to protect your friends, Garrett? Then the next thing you make, incorporate these bones. There are eight of them, and they are blessed. It does not have to be armor or a weapon . . . just something. Use them.”

“Might I know what they do?”

“No. You must believe and have faith.”

Garrett nodded, fully accepting Oberon’s answer.

“All right then, I will.”

“I am sure you will,” and Oberon turned to leave.

“Are you sure you wouldn’t like some bones for the road?”

Oberon turned back. “The bones were not for me.”

“Some meat then?”

Another smile. “Yes, meat will do nicely.”

Garrett carefully cut a choice piece of meat for Oberon, who accepted it gratefully and then disappeared into the forest. At the same time, the way home opened up for Garrett and Brioche. Packing up their trophy, Brioche said excitedly

“Garrett! Do you know who that was?!”

“Yes, I know who that was,” Garrett replied kindly.

“But . . . but that was Oberon!”

“I know. He’s the one who blessed . . . all this” he said, motioning to Brioche’s armor.

“I know! I’m just thinking how cool that was. And you talked to him!”

“Well, Brioche, you wanted a story and you sure got one, I think.”

“Oh yeah!”

### **Safe at Samhain**

Brioche and Garrett followed the path back to The Dagda’s lodge, arriving back at the same time as everyone else. But while he and Brioche had a relatively easy path, not everyone was so lucky.

Thea was riding wildly down the middle of a stream with two Dullahan behind her - one on either side of the tuning water. Keres was ahead of her and made it on to the property safely, but Thea’s horse must have been just a bit slower.

As Garrett watched, Thea seemed to throw something at the headless riders. One of them easily avoided whatever had been done, but the other was struck in the chest and a flash a faerie fire burst across its body, driving its horse into the woods. Unfortunately, the remaining rider was on the side of the water Thea needed to get to in order to reach safety.

then, something happened Garrett did not expect: a wall of water rose between Thea and her pursuer, and while it did not stop him, it slowed him down just enough to give Thea a fighting chance.

[Garrett found out later that Ruinfea had been walking the ground with Loray when she heard horses approached. Scrying, she saw Brioche and Garrett, and then took to the skies as a falcon to check on the rest of party. Checking in first with Rylan and then Feugo, she discovered Thea’s predicament just in time and connected with her telepathically to help her out.]

That space allowed Thea to do two things nearly simultaneously: First, she misty stepped onto the property, bringing with her a braying basset hound. Turning as she stepped onto safe ground, she cast dimension door in front of her horse and closed it immediately after. The horse, coming through at full gallop, nearly took out some feasting tables, but was otherwise unharmed.

The Dullahan stopped just short of Loray; the boundary line lay between them. Thea strode up and addressed the Dullahan directly.

“Thank you for the hunt. It has been some time since my heart beat that fast.” And she bowed respectfully.

Loray simply stared a moment longer before he said “I hope there’s some extra clothes in the lodge. Brown would do nicely . . .”

And then it was everyone falling over each other and Ruinfea changing back into human form as everyone checked in with each other.

“You’re doing it all wrong,” The Dagda said, coming up to the group. “That’s not how you tell the stories . . .” He began before Rylan stopped him.

“No, Da. That’s just how we check in with each other to make sure our guts are where they should be. The proper stores will come later.”

“Ah, well then,” The Dagda said with a chuckle. “That’s all right. There’s a few hours left before the festivities of the evening. You’ll have time to change or not as you see fit, and if you would give me something from your adventures, Goibniu will fashion a token for you.”

Garrett pulled Brioche aside.

“Do you want to give our meat to the feast? I know we wont’ eat it all, and I’ll keep the hide and tusks for crafting purposes.”

“Oh, that sounds neat! Can I have the tail?”

”It’s yours. What will you do with it?”

”Oh, I’m going to braid a good luck charm. I’d considered a lucky rabbit’s foot, but there’s a rabbit in the party, so . . .” Brioche said mischievously.

“Indeed there is. Me.” Garret said laughing.

While this was going on, Thea - through Rylan and Loray- talked with the basset hound, who while upset he did not get to attack the bear Thea and Keres had faced, was nonetheless grateful for her aid with the Dullahan. Thea was determined that the dog should join the party, and he agreed - excited to go on adventures. And that is how Sir Butters the Valiant of the Wild Hunt joined the party.

When Garrett asked if Butters would need armor, Butters revealed that he was a Fey Hound with magical armor made of glamour. “Well, if you ever change your mind, . . .” Garrett said.

Brioche said something - Garrett wasn’t sure what - and then became embarrassed. “Do not perceive me,” she said. Of course, Thea couldn’t resist activating her “aunt mode” and staring at Brioche.

“You can hide behind me,” Garrett whispered up to his friend, and Brioche tried to crouch down and meld behind Garrett, but Thea followed.

“Um . . . I’m going to change back into my armor,” she said.

As she walked away, Garrett called out “Mind your tail, it’s sharp!” And then to Rylan he said, “She is the perfect hunting companion.”

“That makes my heart sing,” Rylan replied.

And then the feasted and told their stories. Rylan and Nuada had faced and defeated (temporarily) the god of cruel, unfair death. Fuego had battled a fiery hound. The and Keres had faced a bear (which Keres had subsequently brought back to life) before being chased by the Dullahan. And, of course, Garrett and Brioche had seen the beavers, killed the boar, and met Oberon.

*Note: It was revealed by the DM that the characters were engaged in shadow work during the Hunt. For Garrett, that meant coming to the realization that he was worthy of Oberon’s attention*.

As the turnips were lit for Samhain, The Dagda explained that it would not be wise to stray during the night, and in fact it might be best to stay indoors. However, if anyone sought to speak to a spirit of one who passed on, it might be possible.

Garrett pondered this offering. Anyone he might talk to had been alive the last time he’d seen them, and he did not feel it wise to attract the attention of just any passing spirit.

As they went their ways for the night, four Dullahan appeared on the far horizon. They practically danced a graceful dance as their horses circled each other and blue faery fire shot up into the air. Though the same men who had recently chased Thea, this was an entirely different countenance and atmosphere.

Garrett spent some of the evening fulfilling Oberon’s request. He fashioned bracelets for the party: hinge cuffs, each made half with the claws Garrett took from Tiamat and half with the bones from Oberon. He inscribed with a symbol or rune for family repeated three times in representation of the Third Family, and made sure that any fittings were made of brass.

### **Preparation and Planning**

The next morning, the party regrouped for breakfast and to plan what they would do now that their rest was over. There were at least two treasures left to find: the Spear of Lugh and the Lia Fáil (also known as the Stone of Destiny.

Rylan reminded the party of the properties of these artifacts. The Spear was a flaming war spear, a great weapon usually borne by a Druid or a Barbarian, and that once drawn it must be quenched in blood before allowing itself to be put away. The Stone conveyed authority on a high king, judging a person’s soul, and acting as a rallying symbol for those who followed the one who possessed it. The Stone did not judge morality, it was important to note.

Rylan expressed that he though Fuego should carry the Spear, which made sense, but when he said Garrett should claim the Stone, Garrett was a bit apprehensive.

They nearly all agreed that the Stone would perhaps pose the bigger “threat” at present if it fell into the wrong hands, it being an object that could sway the minds of many, and so would go to find it in the Jungles of Chult to the south.

It seemed as if there were readying to go when Garrett spoke up again. ”I know we’ve rested and readied spells and the like, but what about provisions and supplies? I don’t mean to put a damper on our enthusiasm, but Nesryn and Kiara and Z taught me the importance of having all the tools for the job.”

”Oh not at all, Garrett. You’re absolutely right. I could use some bolts, myself.” Rylan said, giving the Harengon an encouraging smile.

The Dagda came in at the end of the conversation and heard Rylan’s request. “You need bolts? How would a hundred do you? Do you need any specialty bolts?”

”That would do very well, Da. As for specialty bolts, Garrett and I are working on some surprises.” And Rylan grinned at Garrett.

“Um. Would you happen to have any ballista bolts?” Garret asked hesitantly.

“We do, but what use would you have for those?”

”It’s his crossbow, Da. He shoots them.”

The Dagda looked at Garrett curiously. “But the bow is so diminutive . . .”

“Well, I don’t know how it works myself, only that I can do it,” Garrett explained. “But I can shrink them down and they stay that size until I fire them.”

“It’s a sight to see,” Thea assured The Dagda.

“Well then, that’s a different matter. How many do you require?”

”Well, I think six will do,” Garret replied. “That’s how many I can make in a day,”

“Then they are yours.”

“Oh, this is very very very very much appreciated.”

“No appreciation necessary. These were headed to the front lines, and as far as I am concerned, anything given to you or the rest of your party is serving the same purpose.”

“Be that as it may, it is still how I feel,” Garrett replied, and he positively bounced in excitement.

Thea discussed her need for a tattoo that would allow her to speak with animals, and Garrett mention he was looking for one to grant him darkvision. They knew no tattooist was currently available, but vowed to keep a look out for each other.

Garrett then brought out his gifts. First, the bracelets, which everyone eagerly put on and admired. Garrett wondered what they would do for them.

And then the swords for Fuego.

“Yesterday was Rylan’s birthday, and I didn’t want to take anything away from him, but I finished Fuego’s swords. He gave me three of them, and then Ecne helped me in the library and Goibniu helped me in the forge, and well, this is what I . . . I mean we - made.”

He unveiled two swords as he spoke.

“Fuego, you gave me three swords, and with others’ help, I was able to make them into two. The first is for you and you alone. You gave me three blades, and have lived three lives. I can think of no better name for this that Trinity’s Edge.”

*Trinity’s Edge is a spiraled blade with three distinct edges ending in a single point. The hilt resembles branches, with the branches styled in such a way that the guard evokes antlers. The branches of the grip also twist around, holding a piece of mica and a piece of labrodite in place, before ending with the pommel containing a scale from Tiamat.*

”Now, I think I separated the magic the way I wanted to, but only testing it will tell. The other blade, though similar in style, may be different in power. I call it Twisted Fate.

*Twisted Fate is of the same style as Trinity’s Edge but does not contain any artifacts.*

“Garrett, you are a master artisan . . .” Fuego said in awe.

“You creations are perfect,” Rylan agreed as he adjusted his bracelet. “Everything you do is a work of superior craftsmanship.”

Garrett’s ears burned a little. “I’m just so happy when the people I make things for like them,” he said.

“They’re even more meaningful because they were made by you, Garrett.” Fuego said. “If I may ask, and with no disrespect, might I give you a hug in appreciation?”

”Of course,” Garrett replied happily, and the dragoborn picked him up in his arms giving him a mighty squeeze in friendship.

“You didn’t say anything about picking me up,” Garett said laughing.

Thus supplied, the party left the Dagda’s lodge - Loray and Butters with them as well - and made their way to the coast, boarding Loray’s ship the *Elg’hasek* and sailing south to Port Nyranzaru in the Bay of Chult.

The voyage took several days, with nothing major of note happening other than a dense swarm of whisps near Candlekeep. Garrett spent most of the time practicing loading his crossbow, determine to master the tricks Kiara and Nesryn had showed him, which he had also seen diagrams of in Ecne’s library.

### **Expedition Chult**

Loray docked the ship and went to talk to the harbormaster. As they looked over the rail, the party immediately noticed Chult’s distinctive property: domesticated dinosaurs. Ruinfea in particular seemed to be taking in every creature she could, no doubt storing them away mentally for future wild shapes.

Music reached their ears: sintirs and non-reed clarinets and drums and tambourines. A passing dinosaur bore a placard for The Triceratops Society. People of diverse races and colors walked the streets of the massive port city.

Disembarking, they made their way into the city. An archway welcomed them with a statue on either side. On one side was a woman with long, beautiful hair and bearing symbols like those borne by Kiara. The other statue had recently been destroyed.

Next to each statue was a chapel or church. One had recently been abandoned, but as they looked they noticed workers actively taking down a symbol they all recognized: Waukeen. The other was deducted to the same goddess served by Kiara: Sune.

The temple of Sune seemed larger on the inside, with gardens and fountains and courtyards filing the space. A man stood in the center, seeming to help those who came to him. The blonde-red man seemed to smile, and bore a large warhammer on his back.

Introducing himself as Thalice, Rylan introduced himself and explained they were looking for a guide into the interior of Chult, and Ruinfea chimed in that Kiara was a personal mentor of hers. Thalice smiled, and agreed that anyone mentored buy the hero deity Kiara was welcome in the temple of Sune. Thalice went on to describe the ideals of Sune: life, love, beauty, and art - but above all else, love.

Seeing (and likely smelling) their sea-weariness, Thalia’s directed them to a series of baths. Whether they bathed together or separate is irrelevant. But the baths and lotions and scented oils refreshed and rejuvenated the party beyond that of ordinary baths. Should they require clothes, the temple would provide. Or, as Thalice said, “The temple will know.”

A small gift of Sune.

Thus bathed, the Third Family regrouped in a common area where a very dapper and bespectacled half-orc stood reading a book. Hearing the party approach, he looked up and smiled.

Thalice spoke: “Allow me to introduce you to Boruq of Baldur’s Gate.”

“You can call me Bo,” he said, as he shook hands with the party - even reaching down to shake Garrett’s hand in a way that showed supreme respect and not a hint of condescension or patronization. Garrett notice Bo was nearsighted and his hands bore ink-stained calluses.

“I don’t have any titles,” Garrett said after Rylan had introduced himself,

”Would you like some,?” Thea asked in all seriousness.

“Oh, Master Sieger, I think you will find you have at least one title,” Bo said. “You are Master Garrett Sieger, Artificer to Gods and Heroes”

Garrett’s ears turned full-on red. “Yes, well.” And in that moment something clicked. This was not the first time someone had mentioned such a phrase to him, but he felt he wasn’t worthy of the title. But now he realized they were not necessarily commenting on his skill, but on the fact that in making weapons and armor for the Third Family, he was in actual fact an Artificer to Gods and Heroes.

While this thought and realization occurred, Rylan and Bo had been talking about where the Stone might be located.

“I recently heard a group of Aarakocra concerned about The Valley of Lost Honor. Do you know it?”

”Sounds like the place honor is lost,” Ruinfea said.

“I agree, the name kinds gives it away.” Garrett said.

Bo smiled. “Indeed. And in this valley is a place known as the Wyrmheart Mines. Tell me, do you think you could take on a red dragon?”

”I took the red head of Tiamat myself,” Rylan said as he lifted his hand. “And now, thanks to Garrett’s skill, I wear her bones.”

“I see. Well, what might you do with an undead dwarf leader and the zombie dinosaur known as the dimetrodon?”

”Zombie dinosaur?” Ruinfea asked incredulously. “Fuego, we’re going to have so much fun!”

Bo looked at the group. “I see we will have much to discuss before we set out.”

### **Welcome to the Jungle**

In preparation for their expedition, the group met up with Reiner outside the temple decided to go out into the market. Rylan and Reiner and Keres went to the market proper while Ruinfea and Thea and Fuego went to find the dinosaur tracks. Garrett had begun to feel the beginnings of a connection to Reiner after Ash had accompanied him to the library while Garrett was out on The Hunt, and since the two of them both appreciated knowledge, he thought this might be a learning experience. As they parted ways, Garrett could only thing of all the new forms Ruinfea would be able to take after this.

Rylan was looking for substances to replenish his stores, and Riner was searching for shards of some type. Garrett found himself torn in choosing who to follow, and while he tried to make up his mind, He noticed a tent advertising Lucky’s Magical Tattoos. He wondered briefly if they were the real deal, when Rylan came up beside him and said,

“Oh, hey! The artist who did my other tattoos is here! You wanted one, didn’t you? Oh, and so did Thea. I better tell her.” Garrett assumed Rylan send a telepathic message to Thea.

Entering the tent, Garrett was somewhat surprised to see none other than Tasha, though not as he had seen her before. Now, she wore a wig and a drawn-on French mustache. It was, in his opinion, not a very good disguise, but glancing around it seemed that everyone was in on the ruse so he went along with it.

He didn’t catch the tattoo Rylan went for, but Fuego got a Spellwrought Tattoo; Keres, a Blood Fury; Thea, an upgraded Speak with Animals; and Garrett himself purchased a Shadowfell Brand allowing him darkvision. His tattoo looked like a set of spectacles made up up gears and cogs and screws, nuts, and bolts.

Their shopping done, the party reunited with Bo and set out from the city. Bo said they would likely arrive at the mines around sundown, barring any unforeseen circumstances. To prevent any such misfortune, Fuego set out his familiar, Hannibal, ahead to scout.

The last building the passed as they entered the jungles of Chult was a stable bearing a sign “Dino Rentals Available”. Ruinfea was upset and even expressed an interest in freeing them, but Reiner pointed out that theft was punishable by losing a hand - or more. Bo drew her attention to the animals themselves, which were fat and happy and content - very well cared for.

“I myself sued the rentals when I first started exploring the jungle. They help give an advantage on unfamiliar terrain.”

So satisfied, the party continued on for some time, with Bo going on about he history of Chult, including notable flora and fauna. He was interrupted in his lecture by a rumbling and shaking underfoot. Looking around, they spied a deep puddle with standing water in it. Or rather, the water had been standing: now, it was rippling.

Then, in front of the party, a large foot pressed down, followed soon by a single horn. The smell of mildew filled the air. To varying degrees of success, the party tried to hide. Well, almost all of them. Fuego simply stood around looking confused, while Ruinfea looked around excitedly.

“Come one, Come on. Come on. Where are you?” She said out loud to herself excitedly.

Soon, the beast revealed itself: It was twenty feet long from its VW bus-sized head to its proportionally-short tail. It was covered in feathers, and was clearly in a molting stage, hence the stench. It lowered its head and issued a low grumbling growl like two rocks tumbling together.

The shaking was caused by this creature, which Garrett recognized as one of the things Bo had been talking about: an ancient beast considered by some to be the lord of the jungle. It had clearly been on its way somewhere else to do something else when it literally stumbled into the party and saw Fuego.

It had to turn its head to see him, and as he did so, the pupil dilated and its nostrils breathed in deeply.

Using his new tattoo, Fuego cast Shatter, but the spell seemingly did nothing as the dinosaur disappeared in a cloud of mist and reappeared directly behind Fuego, breathing heavily down his neck.

Acting quickly, Rylan misty stepped to Fuego, grabbed him without resistance, and misty stepped back out of the way.

Thinking back to the last time he was unexpectedly charged by something out of nowhere, Garrett cast Grease. The King’s footing faltered and he went down with a crash, his large jaw closing with force. For a moment it looked like he would be knocked prone, but he slowly staggered back up to his feet.

Keres tried to earth-bind him, but though the spell went off, it had no effect. Perhaps he really was lord of the jungle . . .

Reiner tried to use a force cage like he had used in the training sessions back in the Gray Wastes, but the King used a legendary reaction to teleport out of it, reappearing behind Reiner and using a bite action to grappled Reiner in his mouth. In a twist of bad luck, one of its teeth found Reiner’s heart and , for lack of a better description, Reiner “powered off” - not dead, but not able to react.

Looking at the rest of the party that had by this point revealed themselves, the King summoned a swarm of very large wasps.

Forgetting what he had learned during The Hunt, Fuego cast Ice Storm, which not only hit the King, but dealt a rather significant amount of damage to Reiner as well.

Pulling a page from Ruinfea’s playbook, thea tried Animal Friendship, but likely many adventurers had tried this on the King over the years, because he simply Ignored it.

Bo cast Otto’s Irresistable Dance, and though the King’s feet moved just a bit, he calmed himself and did nothing.

Loray mistet-stepped on to the King’s back and successfully lassoed him.

Ruinfea tried summoning some Mirthful Fae to charm him, but though her allies appeared, they were unsuccessful in their charms. In response, Ruinfea herself transformed into some type of primordial beast she’d seen back in the city.

Brioche cast weakening breath.

The wasps tried attacking Garrett, Loray, and Fuego but did not break through their armor.

Rylan misty-stepped up to where Loray was, and taking out some liquids from his brace, poured them all over the molting area in an attempt at aggravating the King. The King roared and dropped Reiner.

Garrett looked at the wasp that had tried attacking him, and in response drew out his Shardcaster Rifle that he’d modified to his own size, He fired twice, obliterating the creature.

Keres used her abyssal whip to attack the wasp near Fuego. The whip curled around the beast, and when Keres yanked it back to herself, it pulled the stinger - and its innards - right out. Then, she covered Reiner with her wings in protection from any of the King’s further attacks.

Reiner attacks the King with a necrotic attack that also helped Reiner regain some health.

By this point, the King was becoming frightened and perhaps felt cornered. And so, he misty-stepped away along with the last remaining wasp. Unfortunately, Loray and Rylan were still on his back. Fortunately, both Loray and Rylan possessed Misty Step as well, and just as quickly as they were gone, they were back again.

“Well,” Bo said matter-of-factly, “I suppose that’s a sign I should set up camp.”

“I think that’s for the best,” Rylan said.

Camp was set up relatively easily, and Bo built a fire – warning the group it must be tended during the night and was probably best if it didn’t go out at all. Darkness set in – true darkness that enveloped everything around it. The night was filled with sounds, and Garrett heard a scuffling in the canopy above him, but he could not make out any change in the darkness.

Bo started to tell of some nearby ruins, and had just finished stating that it would be best not to explore them in the dark, when Reiner and Keres seemed to be pulled irresistibly into the jungle. It wasn’t magic, just the desire to see what was out there. Ruinfea almost immediately jumped up to join them, followed almost as quickly by Loray, while Thea seemed torn between staying by the fire with Rylan and following Keres into the jungle – though after a moment’s thought she, too, got up. Fuego and Rylan looked at each other and sighed as they both stood up, refusing to let the party split itself. They all looked back at Garrett, who told Bo

“I’d say we aren’t usually like this, but that’d be a lie.”

Bo sighed as he lit a torch and followed the rest into the dark. Rylan and Reiner took point, and they carefully led the group through the jungle to a ruin long-abandoned by both man and beast. A courtyard was all that remained, and though there had evidently been a lower chamber at some point, it had caved in many years ago and even Reiner and Rylan could see no way down. Animals had nested there at one point, but the nests were old and dry and covered with vines. Ruinfea found a nocturnal iguana, and together Thea and Bo found a crumbling statue among the vegetation. Clearing the brush away, he told the other the statue was dedicated to Eshowdow the Shadow Giant, Ravager of the Tabaxi. Looking around, the group realized the ruined temple would give them some cover in the night, and spent some time moving camp.

The next day, Bo led them in a wide arc, circling the Valley of Lost Honor. He said the people of the valley, the Quezacotl, were a people who had suffered much, and as a result were very wary of outsiders. The journey would avoid their lands, not out of fear, but out of respect: they simply wanted to be left alone, and Bo was determined to give that to them. The party all agreed.

Toward the end of the day they reached the southern foot of the Kobold Mountains with the entrance to Wyrmheart Mine a few hundred yards in front of them. The outer defenses seemed long abandoned, and the group sat down to discuss their next steps.

Reiner asked Bo about his recent travels to the mine, and Bo pulled out some hastily-sketched maps he’d made just a few weeks prior. They showed three levels of the mine: a track spiraled down to the left and a pathway did the same to the right before opening into a larger room on the third level down. Beyond that, Bo said, he did not explore. Hearing voices, he left quickly.

Garrett asked about the history of the place, and Bo described the old dwarven leader Kyer Wyrmheart and his dimetrodons. Garrett listened carefully to the descriptions of the reptiles, and concluded that he was likely a tasty meal-sized target should they come within smelling distance of any of them. Rylan offered to whip up a potion that would mask his scent, which Garrett accepted.

Rylan made up a potion of couatl feathers and blueberries. Rubbing it all over himself, Garrett had to laugh – his fur had taken on a purplish tinge!

“Oh I am so sorry . . .” Rylan began before Garrett cut him off.

“Oh no . . . don’t be sorry. I feel fabulous!” And indeed his fur was soft and luxurious – even if a tad purple – and Garrett would find himself dandruff-free for the next week.

The question then became of what to do about Butters. Rylan pointed out that Brioche could now walk on two legs, and was in fact getting a bit large for the pet bag of holding, so if Butters wanted to and it was okay with Thea, he’d give the bag of pet holding over to her. She accepted gratefully, and after a short glance into the pet bag of holding and the wonders it contained, Butters went in gladly.

Reiner also asked Garrett if he had any special bolts, just in case they met a dragon inside, and he and Garrett came up with a plan to use chromatic spells on his bolts if it came to it.

Inside the mine, the party initially took the stairs to the right, but then took the short way down using rope and wings and rings of feather fall to transport the party in a more direct line downwards, jumping from track to track. Garrett was initially carried by Thea for the first descent, but when the second one proved difficult for Fuego as well, he and Ash joined Butters in the bag of holding.

After the first descent, Garrett also gave Bo his Goggles of Night to help him see.

Landing at the bottom of the track, Reiner and Rylan went out to scout, and reported back to Thea telepathically that they’d found a pen with three dimetrodons asleep inside. A door stood near the pen leading further into the mine, but more examination would be needed to open it.

Garrett stayed inside the bag as the party tried to sneak their way past the slumbering creatures, and though they nearly made it past in perfect silence, at the last moment a small rock caught Fuego’s boot in just the right wrong way and went skittering across the floor. Opening their eyes, they stared directly at Fuego.

Reiner immediately cast force cage and managed to stop one of them in its tracks, while the other two began coming at Fuego with a bit more speed.

Keres summed a balrog to distract them, and while she concentrated on controlling the demon, the rest of the party examined the door.

Reiner used Ghost Gaze and saw a mechanism inside, with various parts marked in runes. Describing them to Bo, it was translated as the word “waterfall”.

“Someone drop trou and pee on the door,” Keres said over her shoulder.

“I’m not coming out of the bag for this,” Garrett commented.

Rylan recalled seeing a waterfall on the other side of the cavern, and using misty step to return to it, he saw a bucket on a dial set horizontally so it could be turned. The bucket was marked by another rune, which Bo translated as “open”. Rylan turned the wheel until the party by the door heard a click. Rylan returned and they opened the door, passing quickly through it and shutting it behind them.

With Keres no longer able to maintain concentration on the balrog, it was left to its own devices against the dimetrodons, and things seemed to go poorly for it judging from the sounds.

Looking into the mine, they noticed this area was being heavily worked by a group of dwarves who had not yet noticed them.

Rider, Reiner’s familiar, had to this point spent his time in the shadows. Now he was somewhat nervous, and Thea offered him the last spot in the pet bag of holding. Garrett stuck out his hands and waved a welcome as if to say “come on in, the bag’s fine.”

Rider didn’t need much convincing, and the bag now at full occupancy, Garrett decided they would pass the time playing cards, such as they could. It was quite the sight to see Rider holding the cards in his hands, and then attempting to cheat with his tail. Garrett did not care.

Talking with Ruinfea later on, she filled Garrett in on what happened. They saw a group of dwarves unloading carts of gold. Keres looked at it with her special eye and realized with some surprise it was all real gold. Reiner and Rylan surmised that they were excavating a dragon hoard, and Thea found she was the only one able to speak Dwarven.

She determined to unionize the dwarves and get them to march off the job to keep them safe, and Rylan joined her in the quest. Approaching the dwarves, they were able to complain about their aches and pains, and the dwarves revealed that Kyer Wyrmheart was back from the dead, sitting on the throne with a black dragon on a leash. Despite some initial hesitancy at refusing to work any longer, a few were persuaded by Thea’s words, and she and Rylan soon found themselves being asked to go and share their views with other dwarves the group thought would be sympathetic.

### **Unionizing against the Undead**

They all found themselves following the dwarves down tunnels and ladders to a common area: a mining camp that looked to fit over 200 workers spread out in a cavern. Nearby sounds of excavation indicated the work in the mine never stopped. Again, there seemed to be a lot of gold but not a lot of other mine product.

The young dwarf that most hung on to Thea’s words - one Drawlin by name - introduced her to a group of assembled dwarves (men and women but no children), and Thea once more made the case for unionization based on wages and safety, for clerics and resources, freedom, and time.

“We need to make a list to take to King Wyrmheart” they told her. “You can do that while we go spread the word.”

Left alone, if only briefly, Thea and Rylan were able to find the rest of the group, who had followed along stealthily. They helped Thea come up with a list of requests/demands:

* Fair pay
* Clerics on hand
* Minimum of 10 hours between shifts
* Humane living conditions
* A living king
* Vacation time
* Medical leave and health benefits
* Life Insurance (to be paid out to family in the event of demise)
* Will writing and other financial services
* College credit  program
* Apprenticeship program
* Free theatre tickets
* Clothing allowance
* Equipment allowance
* Travel Stipend
* Shift differentials
* On Site Day Care/school
* Craft services
* Retirement plans (pentions or 401K's)

Garrett used this time to come out of the bag; his reasoning was that if things went very wrong very quickly (as was likely), he didn’t want to waste valuable time climbing out the bag.

Ruinfea also used this time to wild-shape into a mostly—green colored flumph. She wouldn’t seem out of place and may help avoid detection.

Drawlin returned and discussed the list with Thea, and then they were off, marching on a corkscrew path downwards. Every so often they passed openings with bells, and while some of the dwarves they passed wanted nothing to do with them, no one hindred them either. The army grew, and so did the energy. Garrett thought they now numbered about a hundred.

They passed a mill used for generating power to the electric lights above, something Garrett had not noticed to this point due to his accommodation.

The mine went deeper, the air grew colder, and atmosphere grew darker. Sandstone became obsidian, and Rylan commented quietly that it reminded him of the Underdark.

Reaching a set of doors, they entered a cavern deep in the mountain itself, leaving behind the traces of the dwarves and kobold miners that had formed the tunnels. This was a hoard-room, and looked to be about the size for the hoard of either an ancient dragon or a smaller dragon with ambition.

Crossing the room they found themselves in a smaller, yet still cavernous room entirely different than anything else they had seen here: it was an ossuary made of humanoid bone. Torches and braziers sparked red flames and led into yet another cavern, this one with a hole blown into the roof. Though Garrett knew they were far below a mine which itself was far below a very tall mountain, he could almost swear he could see a tiny dot of daylight far and high above him. Even if it was, which he could not be sure, escape would not be found in that direction.

At the far end of the room, a figure sat upon a throne of stone; appearing old and decrepit and wearing a tarnished dwarven crown of platinum. To his right, a large pillar looked out of place. Looking like it belonged rooted in the ground, it now stood upright.

Between the group and the party stretched the large, corpse-like structure of the remains of an ancient dragon. It stretched between the door and the king and circled in on itself. It reminded Garrett of a cat when it slept or rested.

Garrett realized that if they weren’t careful the party would be split. The dwarves hadn’t seen through Rylan and Thea’s disguises yet (though the effects might soon wear off). Ruinfea looked like a flumph, Reiner was practically invisible, and the others had high stealth checks. Motioning to Keres, he climbed back in the bag and began to plan what he could do when things inevitable came to a fight.

From the king figure came a feeling of a malevolent absence of life, cold and dangerous, unmovable as the stone and inhuman as the empty vessel of the dragon’s skeletal remains around them. He seemed piqued at the group as it entered his throne room.

He did not speak immediately but regarded the group as a whole before a deep, vibrating bass filled the room:

“Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be working? What is the meaning of your audience today?”

Thea, Rylan, and Drawlin stepped forward, and Thea listed their requests in an epic speech showing Thea’s worth as the God of Storytellers.

“I am permitting you to leave when the job is complete. What more do you want?”

”A living king,” Rylan demanded in Common while also casting Crusader’s Mantle, emboldening those around him and giving their weapons additional radiant damage should things come to blows.

Thea repeated her demands with vicious mockery.

King Wyrmheart looked like he’d been slapped in the face. “That was not wise. And i can always find more men.”

“It is not wise to whip the horse that works for you,” Thea spat back.

Wyrmheart glared at Thea and he began to hover above the ground as his eyes glazed over in a pale green light. Thea shivered. Those who saw her described it like a rake across her soul. She described it as the feeling of a curse.

The room, though smaller than many of the others they’d passed through, was still large; they were good 120 feet from the undead king. It seemed like things had now officially come to blows.

Ruinfea continued to flumph about, while Keres and Garrett held their actions to see what would happen.

Rylan took the initiative, and though his crossbows did not hit, his swords did. In so doing, he dropped all pretense that he was a dwarf.

Thea put her hand on Drawlin, casting Heroism on him and effectively blessing him. Truly, she was the god(dess) Oghma should have been.

Wyrmheart swung at Rylan for a physical attack with a heavy, two-handed claymore. (Garrett was told later it was quite the site to see the undead dwarf wielding it).

Keres got off two spikes of Eldritch Blast, and Garrett cast Aura of Purity from inside the bag, keeping those near him from being frightened and giving them advantage on most mental conditions.

Fuego cast Greater Restoration on Thea before hitting Wyrmheart with Scorching Ray. “Let’s fuck him up!”

Ruinfea conjured eight giant fire beetles, which emerged from the rock as her flumph tentacles conducted a chorus.

Brioche went into her now-adolescent dragon form and attacked with he claws and jaws and tail.

Reiner ended his invisibility behind him, and in response Wyrmheart retreated thirty feet backwards and diagonally.

Ruinfea-the-flumph inked and floated away in response, and though she dealt no acid damage, Wyrmheart would stink for an hour until he had a change to really, really wash himself.

Wyrmheart’s retreat was a feint to put distance between himself and the party, and he uttered words that caused the ground to tremble and the walls shake as the words rebounded and echoed around the chamber, the sound merging with the rattling of bones as the dragon began to move, awakened from its slumber.

“I want your bones for clothes, sir” Keres said (heard at least by Thea and Garrett).

The dragon turned its head toward those that had attacked Wyrmheart and opened its mouth for a breath weapon, dealing some amount of psychic damage to those around Wyrmheart and knocking Ruinfea back into her half-elf form.

They had expected a dragon, but as it now came into better view they realized it was not black as they’d been told, but purple. The dragon wailed, but Garret was able to maintain his concentration on the spell.

Bo cast Magic Missile at Wyrmheart, and though it was a clean, square hit, they seemed to do little damage. Perhaps Bo had been slightly out of focus due to the dragon.

the fire beetles tried to bite Wyrmheart, but to no avail, and Ruinfea dismissed then in favor of taking her Starry Form and casting Healing Spirit over Loray, who had taken a great deal of damage from the dragon’s attack.

Keres attacked with Edritch Blast, hitting Wyrmheart once, and Garrett determined that now was a good time to come out of the bag. He saw Reiner, and he could almost swear he saw him collapse before getting right back up.

Rylan cast Aura of Vitality, and checking on the party, healed Ruinfea before turning so that Reiner was behind him and casting Turnt the Faithless on Wyrmheart.

Wyrmheart fled from Rylan in cowardly retreat - straight toward Thea and the dwarven army with at her side waiting for a command.

The dragon swung it’s tail, and though Ash dodged out of the way, Garrett took some damage but still maintained concentration.

Wyrmheart continued to flee and, standing before him, Thea cast Shatter that seemed to reverberate in his skull.

Still Wyrmheart moved forward.

Fuego cast another Scorching Ray.

Wyrmheart’s clothes caught fire but he paid it no mind as he sought to get away from Rylan. Even when his skin began to crackle and bubble he moved forward, and as the flesh fell from his bones and he fell to the ground his muscles still tried to pull him forward pitifully as he died with a whimper.

The dragon, though raised by Wyrmheart, did not die with him. Instead, it now seemed to lose focus as it began raging about the cavern in an unpredictable motion.

The battle against the dragon took only a minute or two, yet seemed to last ages.

Brioche’s weakening breath attack did nothing while Loray stood up from being knocked down.

Reiner tried to use Feeble Mind against it, but it merely shrugged the spell off with a legendary save and then used a paralyzing breath attack on Loray, Reiner, Brioche, Ruinfea, and Rylan. Garrett saw Reiner go down and stay down, while Ruinfea appeared motionless.

Ruinfea’s beetles, though annoying to the dragon, failed to pierce his natural armor with their jaws.

Something happened with Ruinfea herself. She began to shake and then suddenly burst out of her paralysis and took the shape of a carnotaurus.

Keres used the dragon’s inattention to the ground at its back to sneak attack with her whip and Wails from the Grave.

Garrett and Reiner had had a plan, but now that he was both down and 120 feet away from Garrett, something else would need to be done. Garrett also knew that none of his spells could help Reiner at this point, and so he fired with his crossbow. The first bolt went wild and buried itself in the wall over the dragon’s head, but the second buried itself in the thing’s neck and shoulder. With the hit, an arcane jolt of healing power sparked out to Rylan, healing him just a little.

Rylan struck out with his crossbow, but it did nothing. However, his swords landed a critical hit, lighting up its chest as the bones began to crack with a radiant energy.

Thea, at the back of the dragon, said “I want to touch the butt,” rather angrily and then proceeded to slap its posterior, her hand covered in what looked to be shimmering golden ice. It traveled up the dragon’s leg before shattering; it looked to Garrett like it’s armor and dexterity would have suffered from the slap.

Thea stepped back and tried to put on her best “it wasn’t me” face as the dragon now turned it’s attention to the other side of the room and cast both a psychic breath attack that caught Garrett full force and a Circle of Death spell that he miraculously missed. Ash was quick on his feet and danced away from them both.

In a pincer move, Rylan tried a Mage Slayer attack on its rear while Thea attempted a hellish rebuke, but only Rylan’s attack landed.

Bo cast Ice Knife and did quite a bit of damage, followed by Fuego who used Mass Cure Wounds to keep Garrett and Thea and Keres in the fight. He also summoned a fiery avatar of himself that did fire damage against the dragon along with the healing spell.

Brioche used a radiant fire breath attack and Loray hit it with his scimitars, but still the dragon focused in on Thea, attempting to bite and claw her. Ash was able to distract one of its attacks, but the claws hit Thea and pinned her to the ground, injuring her as it healed itself and negating another of her reactions.

The dwarves - those that hadn’t fled or been killed in the previous attacks, rushed forward with their mining tools: “For Brawlin!” Garrett thought he heard them shout as he watched Bo give Keres “true strike”

Ruinfea (still wild shaped as a carnotaurus) dismissed her beetles and cast Moonbeam at a high level. Again, the dragon shrugged it off with a legendary save, but the moonbeam stayed. Ruinfea then appeared to try to misty step onto its back, but perhaps she forgot she was dinosaur-shaped, because without adequate arms she could not hold on a fell thirty feet onto the stone floor.

Keres, mustering more than her usual strength and focus, used Ghost Step to free Thea from the grapple while simultaneously stabbing the dragon with her abyssal blade and hitting it with a magic stone just to rub it in.

Garrett, remembering both the boar and the King of Feathers, cast Grease - but although the pool appeared, the dragon remained upright.

From across the room, Rylan cast a healing spell on Keres and then shot and stabbed the dragon - and this time both weapons hit.

Thea also put a healing spell on Keres and cast a bardic inspiration to Fuego.

The dragon turned again, pivoting through Runifea’s moonbeam and taking radiant damage. Now extremely pissed off, the dragon let out a roar that resurrected the fallen dwarves (but not the dwarf king, so far as Garrett could tell) and let out a wailing psychic attack. This was the party’s clue that the dragon itself had access to some kind of necromancy.

Brioche attacked with her claws and jaws and tail, forcing the dragon to use another legendary save. It then roared at Brioche, and the brave young dragon disappeared in a wisp of smoke and ash.

“Oh fuck you!” Rylan roared and the dragon turned to claw and bite him, but Rylan stood firm: “I stand by fuck you.” He said as the dragon’s attack had no effect.

Bo cast a vitriolic sphere on the dragon, while Ruinfea dropped her moonbeam and summoned 24 velociraptors in what looked like a conga line, and then proceeded to use Fury of Blows to repeatedly hit the dragon with her carnosaurus head.

Garrett watched in amazement as Ruinfea’s attack caused cracks to fly up the dragon’s leg and then spread across its body. They cracked and splintered and as the dragon fell apart, also into ash and smoke, a whisper floated on the air: “This isn’t over”

Its bones disappeared and flittered away just like Brioche had done, but just as they seemed to disappear from view a last blast of shadow and psychic energy grabbed at Bo. Wrapping around his legs, the tendrils whisked him away into nothing.

The battle was over, but at a great cost: Reiner was down, and both Brioche and Bo had been sent or taken who knew where.

Rylan, before the smoke had cleared and the ash had settled, cast revivify on Reiner, who - brought back from what state of death Garrett knew not - flooded himself with negative energy. Ruinfea offered himself some of her dino blood, but Reiner refused.

Shifting back into her elf-form, the party realized how hurt Ruinfea was, and together Fuego and Garrett healed her up to a more adequate level.

Reiner strode over to the body of Wyrmheart and summed a runed bone sword which he promptly drove and twisted into Wyrmheart’s chest. This is how Reiner cast Speak with the Dead.

Reiner coerced Wyrmheart to give up information. He had desecrated the temple here under the earth, and that desecration had brought ancient knowledge. Wrymheart himself claimed to be a Lich of Corvo, who he said was the dragon the party had just defeated (if only temporarily).

This bit of information was given quite reluctantly, and Reiner promised to return Wyrmheart to his phylactory. Though Wyrmehart wanted the agreement in writing, Reiner refused and asked where the stone was.

Wyrmheart was mocking, saying it was right here but was unsurprised they’d overlooked the simple obsidian stone nearby.

Reiner had enough of Wyrmheart’s snark, and said “Looks like Keres gets a new stone” and immediately pulled out the sword before any reply could be given.

In the meantime, Rylan had been concentration on a spell, Find Steed. The spell took effect just after Reiner pulled the sword, and in another swirl of ash and shadow and a flicker of fey magic Brioche reappeared. She was now in her elf-form and appeared to be running from something. She kept running into Rylan’s embrace, which after a moment of confusion and stress, seemed to bring her out of her state of terror.

Rylan gently questioned her about what she had seen, and based on her description, Reiner thought she’d been sent to the Shadowfell, and that was likely where Bo had been taken, too.

Rylan looked to Fuego and nodded at him. Returning the nod, he walked toward the stone, which began to hum as he approached. Symbols began to glow on it, unreadable to the party. He touched the side and the stone seemed to speak:

“Find that which would rule” and an obelisk-shaped amulet appeared around his neck. To Garrett it looked like a large needle on a thick cord.

Drawlin, the dwarf Thea had blessed, had survived the fight and now offered what they dwarves could to help the party rest and recover before the next stage of their journey.

The dragon hoard was now unguarded, and the party determined to examine it together. Garrett, though, found nothing of use to him beyond some gold.

*Note: the player did not update this wikia for several weeks, and as such, the next few entries may be a bit lighter on details and conversations than previous sections.*

### **Shadow and Dread**

Having rested and able to gather their thoughts, the party turned it’s attention to rescuing Bo. Ruinfea asked for more information about where it was, exactly, that Reiner and Rylan thought Bo had been taken, and Reiner explained that it was the Shadowfell: a place where light didn’t work the same way as other places, where illumination - including some magics - was reduced by half or more, making navigation difficult. There were also places of negative energy that would kill some of the party members if they happened to cross into them.

Keres asked about looking for certain landmarks, while Brioche recalled bone ash blowing in a cold desert. They wondered if, perhaps, the Root of War was looking for recruits there as well.

Between the more knowledgeable party members, a tower was selected as a point of focus and, with Reiner detaching his skeletal arm to help complete the circle, they all held hands through a planar shift. They arrived a a fallen tower that looked like it had been pushed over on its side and cracked.

The wide, sweeping plane spread out before them, and the winds pricked them all. It was a barren landscape, yet both alive and aware of their presence. A giant crack split the sky with a faint, glowing Mist. Garrett could hear the capital letter forming in his mind that this was no ordinary mist, but no sooner had this thought formed than his attention was drawn to Thea, whose hands appeared to go intangible just for a split second before coming back to reality.

Rylan and Reiner and Keres talked of a Dread Lord and a possible exodus for Borovia, wherever that was. Thea used “locate object” in an attempt to find Bo, which pointed to the south and east. In that direction, explained Reiner, lay Thar Amphala, the place where his father, Vecna, had been stopped from ascending into godhood himself. (Vecan, it was explained, was a once-human Litch wig a messy relationship to godhood. He was known for making a lot of “stuff” that tended to find and corrupt adventuring parties.)

They traveled through the Shadowfell, where time proved to be more wobbly-wobbly than previous, only to find the city of Thultanthar missing. 900 feet away, another crack branched down; through the crack they could see a graveyard, and Thea’s spell lead straight into it.

As they stepped through, a wet chillness stuck to their bones, and a fine mist kicked up on the cobblestones lit by nearby gas lamps. All of Thea seemed to blink out of existence just for a moment - the way her hands had done what was either a few minutes or hours ago - but Reiner told her not to worry.

Cold iron gates seemingly barred the graveyard. From an alleyway, the fog gave off a faint glow. Rylan speculated they’d found their way into the Dread Realm known as Peridon and said that, if that were indeed the case, they’d need to find a way to fit in both in terms of their clothing and in the actions they would take.

Rounding a corner, they literally ran into Bo, who looked startled but did not attack them. Thea gave him a hug and they turned to go back they way they came, only to find the crack gone and a tall stone brick wall in its place. Reiner and Rylan said they’d need to talk to the lord of Peridon - one Flickerflame (though his name was not said out loud but rather spelled in the fog).

As they talked, Rylan spotted a face in the graveyard: Bo. Subtly, he brought the party’s attention to the other Bo, and Thea used a sending spell to contact Bo; the one in the graveyard responded “that’s not me”.

Keres and others put it together that the Bo with them was a doppelgänger, and Keres attacked Doppel!Bo with a sneak attack from her daggers.

Doppel!Bo, in turn, grabbed hold of Keres with grinning yet lightless eyes.

Rylan attempted an assassinate move, but Doppel!Bo flicked at Kere’s magic eye, seeming to turn it off, before turning to ineffectively throw flying daggers at Rylan.

Reiner now cast contagion on Doppel!Bo, resulting in seizures overtaking its body, its legs going out from under it, and a dagger opening its side in a wide gash.

“My blood for Bloody Jack” it said as the life ebbed out.

Rylan went and gathered the real Bo from the cemetery, who explained how he’d only been here moments before the party showed up and was waylaid as he tried to make his way to them.

They walked through town as Rylan explained once more that they needed to change their clothes. Not many people appeared on the street, and the private homes were locked, though oil lamps glowed prominently in the windows and by each door. One door had no lamp, and a long red streak marred the door. Rylan assured the rest that it wasn’t blood. They finally found a well-lit square with a brothel on one side an a modiste selling outfits and a little bit of everything on the other.

They entered the shop, where the shopkeep appeared to be either a human variant or half elf. Two others occupied the shop: one browsing and one working. It was pleasant to be off the streets, and the creeping sense of dread seemed to lift.

“Customers! And at night! So good to see you!” She exclaimed.

Rylan explained that we were in need of services, and then one by one the shopkeep seemed to read each party member for filth as they were outfitted: corsets for Thea and Ruinfea; jacket, vest, top hat, and mortician’s banner for Rylan; strait cut jacket for Fuego, a vest and coat and boots for Garrett (alive with sage and color), and fashionable clothes for Keres and Reiner (who she dressed in black and red).

Rylan paid for the party, and then the assistant offered a place to stay off the street and in the light. his name was Khalid, and he had rooms across the street in the brothel. “Jack’s men are coming” he explained.

In his rooms, he told them he himself came from a place called Baldur’s Gate and had become separated from his party. His rooms were warded, and so he shared that Flickerflame was the lord of the realm, but was not easy to negotiate with. Bloody Jack was a serial killer who reappeared every thirteen years and killed one person each night for six nights, murdering in gruesome ways. He carried a sword, possibly the same one usually held by Flickerflame, and left a person empty - soulless and with a scattered body. It appeared his goal was to kill his victims while also imparting as much grief to their family as possible.

There are some theories about the whole affair, most notable that somehow Bloody Jack gave Flickerlame his seeming immortality. His weapon, called Fang of the Nosferatu, claimed both body and soul. He was able to change form as fast as the wind.

At this time of year the Domain of the Timor also rose to repopulate the sewers of Maraketh, though how they might be connected was anyone’s guess.

They were now on the second night of six, and spent the hour resting, talking of weapons and history and the like. Khalid himself was concerned for his friend Arsinoë, who had a room adjoining his but who had not been seen recently. The candle in her room had even snuffed out as well.

The time passed, and soon enough people outside walked around as if it were midday, though the sun itself never shown through the gloom, giving wide berth to the brothel. Following Khalid, they walked to the city center where to large buildings - “King’s Quarters” and “Parliament” - stood. A series of statues, perhaps of stone royals, surrounded what perhaps may have been a temple. A board and soapbox stood next to a dry fountain; many folks lingered around the board, waiting for an announcement to be posted.

Soon enough it came; it was not Arsinoë. An unidentified woman had been killed by Bloody Jack outside Blackchapel Church. The Anglican-risqué church itself had been abandoned some time ago. Nearby “The Celebrants of Humanity” had opened a soup kitchen; a line of people now stretched around the building and down an alley.

Cops huddled around a body, which Keres sent Locket in centipede form to investigate. Ruinfea tried to detect thoughts, and got “wait for Sir Edmund Bloodsworth” for her troubles. The body was not shaped quite right, even under the sheet. It seemed rather to be in three separate sections.

Soon enough came the sound of a cane clacking down the alleyway, carried by a human male in his 40s: a mustache and sideburns made him every inch a proper inspector.

The inspector carefully examined the body, while Reiner looked on invisibly. The crowd pushed Fuego, Garrett, and the forward; Ruinfea and Brioche managed to stay out of the press of people. Garrett overheard a woman whispering to a man next to her “I don’t know who these people are or where they’re from. I think that one is Vistani” she said with disdain. The man glared at them, and they attempted to melt back into the crowd.

The inspector lifted the sheet covering the woman. She had been dismembered at the chest/sternum, but not through the spine. Connective tissue had been obliterated. There was evidence of one or two assailants, a serrated knife and a kris - perhaps the assailant was ambidextrous . . . His inspection of the body concluded, the inspector seemed to stare into the space around the body before speaking. “Well. I suppose Ill be meting any of you on the roof.”

Communicating with looks and telepathy and physically finding each other, they all made their way to the nearby church. The inspector introduced himself as one Bloodsworth, and there was talk of the number of party members (and pets). Bloodsworth thought they should talk more privately, and sent a message to a nearby tea house to reserve a table. Before crossing the street, Rylan in particular wanted to examine the church. He and Keres and Fuego and Thea went inside. As he told them later . . .

Inside it was dry and dusty with decades of abandonment. They entered through the back vestibule, and could hear things moving and skittering in the dark. Locket investigated, telling Keres “tall - long - spindly horns - I don’t know.” Fuego was distracted by the architecture, but something caught his eye in the corners of the room, and something in his memory clocked: there was a creature known as a night gaunt. They carefully made their way up the crumbling tower, and as they stepped outside a night gaunt became entangled in Rylan’s hair. It did not attack him, however, and they were able to get it securely inside without incident. On the rooftop they found a camp out and pieces of a dagger - the victim below had been hiding from her attacker as if she knew she was being stalked. There were even footprints down the side of the building!

Outside, Reiner was keeping a close eye on Bloodsworth while Ruinfea and Garrett and Bo examined a cellar door chained with old chains but a new lock. There was a lot of physic talking between the three - what some called “messages in the dark” or “demonic telephone” before deciding not to go in the cellar. At that moment the church group rapidly descended the exterior of the building.

They crossed the street to what some might call “a better class” and Rylan put on his sunglasses - not because it was bright - but to hide (or extenuate) his distaste.

They entered the Creeping Black Tea House and found it staffed by four people - all the same person; all doppelgängers. The tea was in jars, not bricks, and it was time for early afternoon tea. They found themselves ushered into a reserved English Tea Room. Garrett ordered gunpowder tea, and they all found themselves served extremely quickly. Garrett noticed Keres squinting at her tea; she claimed it tasted just like her mom’s and was half-convinced she was hiding in the shop somewhere. Rylan had a death cap tea and warned everyone else not to drink it. Ruinfea’s cup contained what looked like a literal galaxy.

As the discussion turned toward the murders, Khalid excused himself and shut the door behind him. To make a long story short, they decided to steal the body of the most recent victim, use necromancy to interrogate her, and then put things back the way they were “supposed to be”

### **The Great Corpse Caper**

Garrett found himself on Team Body Snatchers, which someone in the party called “Burke and Hare” because - you know - rabbit. Garrett (for his part) liked this. Also on this team were Fuego and Reiner. On Team Distraction, Ruinfea and Thea would be mourners, while Rylan would offer mortuary services. Loray and Brioche and Bo and Khalid would stay at the brothel. Keres would play the part of the body, and she relished her role.

They made their way to the house of mourning, where Garrett stayed outside the back with Fuego. He didn’t see what happened inside, but the distraction must have worked because Reiner came back out the rear entrance with the body. Reiner began his ritual and then started asking questions very gently. Sally (the deceased) tried to speak, but something was wrong with her vocal cords. Feugo must have known what to do, because he placed his hand in a certain way on her neck (very respectfully) and she could speak normally. Well, normally for a dead person, at least.

Garrett found himself fiddling with a piece of metal in his hands as Sally told them of her death and the days leading up to it. She’d had the impression of danger from a dream, which seemed to feature Mr Black (a patron of the Phantasmagoria where she worked) and her mother. But in her dream, her mother did not call out; while on the night of her death, she did. In the belfry, she thought she smelled her mother - a homey, if somewhat fishy scent - but something seemed off. And then she was flying and falling and hit her head on the cobbles below. There, the scent changed to dirt and freshly dug graves. The dream seemed like deja vu to her; reality like fate. “I think I have to go now,” she said - and though she looked like she wanted to say more, her breath left her in what could only be described as a peaceful hiss.

Things inside had not gone according to plan. Somehow, Loray and Brioche had come from the brothel, and Rylan had collapsed and was unresponsive. To make matters worse, Thea began to go every more wispy than she had before, and by the time the group got back to Khalid’s quarters, there was nothing left to see but her head.

As they wondered what to do, mists started to gather, and Ana, Thea’s aunt, came to them. She “fixed” Thea in a way Garrett didn’t fully understand, and then Reiner spoke, having formulated a plan. He would go out into the street and attempt to get the attention of the Dread Lord Flickerflame and force a meeting.

### **Them Bones**

Reiner went out into the street while Ana and Keres watched him from the doorway. Inside, Ruinfea, Fuego, and Thea watched from a window while Garrett pressed one ear up to the door. Loray stood in the hallway. From this position, Garrett missed most - if not all of what happened outside:

Spindly, spider-like fingers emerged from a sewer grate near Reiner and attempted to grab him in a grapple. They failed as Reiner subconsciously side-stepped the swipe, and the fingers continued to emerge from the grate, attached to a hand, then an arm, then a very tall, bony body organic in structure but while little actual “life” about it. It unfolded and circled itself around Reiner, who stepped back and warned it that if it were not Flickerflame, it best be on its way.

Ruinfea tried detecting the Spindle’s thoughts, but her impressions were of a somewhat muffled yet echoey Reiner thinking “I hope this thing doesn’t try anything.”

They all failed to see two more Spindles combing up on Reiner - all but Keres, that is. She moved to put herself in between Reiner and the approaching Spindles.

Thea looked around her and thought a Spindle had taken Fuego; she attacked, but nothing happened.

Keres and Reiner both attacked the Spindles outside, and hearing the commotion, Garrett casts Aura of Purity (making sure to avoid Reiner). He felt the spell go off, but wasn’t sure if it actually worked . . .

Ruinfea tried summoning some boa constrictors, but they failed to trip up the dexterous Spindles, who now focused their attacks on Keres and attempted to wrap their arms around her in a grapple - even the one facing down Reiner disengaged from him in order to confront her.

Fuego cast a spell that shattered one of their hands, while Ana tried to immolate the ones around Keres - using her evocation skills to carefully craft the spell to avoid Keres herself.

A third Spindle now emerged from an alleyway and grappled Keres, completing a kind of “bone cage” around Keres - and acting as one, they began taking her back down they alleyway.

In the house, Loray still stood in the hallway. When the commotion started outside, he had drawn his scimitars - his fighter’s instincts kicking in. Now he turned and stabbed a Spindle in the hallway that none of them had seen before; in response - whether to Loray’s attack or because of the completed cage outside he wasn’t sure - the Spindle threw itself out the window and grappled Keres (taking the places of the defeated Spindle(s)).

Keres tried to stab her opponents, but failed. Seeing her girlfriend in trouble, Thea went out the window and misty stepped toward the Spindles, putting her in range to cast Mind Spike, which went off and hit - but failed nonetheless. Reiner attacked one with an eldritch blast and connected, but two still remained around Keres.

Garrett grabbed Ruinfea’s hand and misty-stepped them out to Thea; Ash followed. Ruinfea caught up to the cage and cast Wither and Bloom on it, doing some damage but unable to free Keres.

The spindles were now moving quickly away from the party, and Fuego gave chase along with Loray and Ana, the latter of which used Thunderstep to keep up. Keres, though, now seemed along for the ride.

Reiner must have either sensed something or come to a conclusion and called out to the party “Don’t kill them, just keep up!”

By various means, including following a literal trail of crumbs that Keres dropped out of the cage, the party followed the bouncing ball of bone to the center of town - which happened to be a cemetery surrounded by high walls and featuring four cardinals-directed gates. They entered the South Gate. This cemetery was unnerving to Garrett, and he found himself thinking that, if forced to spend any significant amount of time here, the atmosphere would begin to affect him negatively. Some graves and crypts were smashed in by grave robbers; other plots and mausoleums were smashed out as the things inside sought release . . . It was the stuff of nightmares for some.

They found their way to a family mausoleum with four destroyed tombs long stripped of valuables, the remains of their occupants dried and decayed. In the back of the 20x20 room was a deep red stained glass window - a literal rose window in every sense of the term. Underneath the window was a large hole; they unthinkingly jumped down it, and while Garrett and most of the others landed safely, some even elegantly, Loray sprained an ankle.

As they went deeper into the earth under Peridon, the walls became wet and bloody, warm and sticky. Somehow, despise his size and closeness to the earth, Garett navigated the tunnel without getting a single drop on him or his fur. The tunnel opened into a cavern in which stood twenty silent Spindles arranged in such a way as to direct the party to a man wearing a purple jacquard vest, smoking jacket and pants in dark colors, and holding a cane as an accessory rather than a necessity. He had a pale (but naturally so) face, white hair, and ice-blue eyes with black pupils.

Keres was carefully deposited by the Spindles near him, and looking over the group he spoke. “I am a little surprised to see what my mares brought me tonight. I was expecting something, to be sure, but I was not expecting - - this.”

“Let’s keep this gentlemanly, shall we?” Reiner said. “I believe introductions are in order.”

The man introduced himself as Zadicus, and the party introduced themselves (Garrett noticed Reiner used the last name Briarwood and called himself an Ambassador of Borogovia). Zadicus seemed a bit perturbed at the party’s overall lack of titles, but as for Garrett, he had no title like Reiner or Ana or even the rest of them had.

Reiner talked to Zadicus, and the conversation was rocky to say the least. The clock interrupted them as the hour struck. “My master comes,” Zadicus said, “We shall meet again, I am sure, but perhaps not all of us. For those of you who know in your hears that you are prey, you will remember what it means to fear.”

And Garrett was, in fact, afraid - not of Zadicus, but of the figure descending from a hole in the ceiling: Flickerflame. Whatever he had looked like in the air, as he landed he took on the form of a 12-year-old girl, and then an elven boy, and then as a Reiner look-alike.

He grabbed at Reiner and demanded to know the reason for his summing. The conversation went as well as it had with Zadicus, and ended with Flickerflame demanding Reiner “choose” one of the party for an unknown reason.

Garrett recognized Flickerflame as a person with phenomenal powers that was clearly unhinged - and this only added to his fright.

Loray, chosen by Reiner, now collapsed in pain to great he could only scream silently. Ruinfea dropped to his side and Ana cast Counter-Spell, but with a blowback that clearly hurt her as she wiped blood from her nose. Ruinfea now polymorphed Loray into a gecko and put him in her pocket, but Flickerflame, now wearing the guise of Loray strode up to her, grabbed the gecko from her pocket, and threw it against a wall. The gecko died and Loray was returned to his normal form.

Keres now tried to stab Flickerflame and establish a grapple, but only managed some minor wounding. Reiner tried eldritch blast, and Ana tried both time stop (which Flickerflame counter-spelled) and meteor storms, using evocation skills to focus the attack on Flickerflame alone.

Flickerflame responded by calling down meteor storm on the whole party. Loray and Keres went down, and Ana turned to ash and smoke (but Thea seemed unconcerned by this), and Reiner become what looked like a block of ice. Thea and Fuego themselves looked worse for wear, and Garrett took nearly his full hp with of damage, being left with 25 hp. Ash had stayed at the entrance to the cavern and appeared to have gone unnoticed by Flickerflame and was out of range of his attack. This also meant that he was out of range of aiding the party, though . . .

Thea ran to heal Keres, and Garrett looked at Ruinfea who seemed utterly unhurt. He thought he saw her lips say “I wish for my family . . . ” and then he felt himself being healed to full strength - and not just healed, but unafraid as well.

Flickerflame heard the words as well, and he strode toward Ruinfea yet again - this time looking like her father - and grabbed her by the throat; it seemed that with just a little more pressure he could and would snap her neck.

“You! It will never be you!!” He screamed as his grip tightened.

And then, from behind him, came a voice.

“Get your hands off of my sister.” Rylan, who Garrett had last seen unconscious in the brothel, now stood behind Flickerflame with his sword and a new bow: a bladed bow of shadow.

Flickerflame dropped Ruinfea and turned to face Rylan and the voice he knew hadn’t been here a moment ago. Then he realized it wasn’t just Rylan, but the entire party was back up to full strength.

Reiner willingly went into bat form; Keres prepared her abyssal daggers; Fuego drew out Trinity’s Edge, Rylan assumed a fighting stance with his weapons, and Garrett - now unafraid - chambered the rounds in the shard caster rifle. As they did so, Ruinfea spoke

“You shouldn’t have messed with my family. Bad move”

Flickerflame decided that this might not be the best time, and true to his name he flickered and shifted and shimmered into intangible energy as he retreated back through the hole in the ceiling. “I’ll be back,” he threatened “and you will never, ever leave this realm.”

Now able to catch their breath, the group relaxed. Rylan and Thea caught Ruinfea in respectful hugs as they all went back to the brothel to plan their next moves.

### **All Hail the Queen**

Although Ruinfea’s spell had fully restored the party, they decided to still take time to rest and plan. Thea used her Book of Legend Lore, which sent her into a dream-like slumber. Fuego found himself a corner and meditated using the Stone found in the Wyrmheart Mine. Reiner and Rylan went off into a separate room, and though Garrett could not hear what they were saying, the tone was serious and he didn’t eavesdrop (not that he would have, anyway). Garrett intended to talk to Ruinfea and Loray about some projects he’d been working on for them, but as he stood in front of their door he got the rather obvious impression that he should not disturb them. And so, he went back to his To Do List.

* Caring for Ash, who for whatever reason seemed much more, well, aware, was the best word Garrett could come up with.
* Adjusting his spell list and infusions
* Meditating and praying to Oberon (even if he received no answer he continued to put his faith and belief out into the world around him). In particular, he tried his best to deal with the “prey” situation that had just happened.

Finding the others still occupied, he found Khalid, who helped explain how letters and packages were sent in Paridon. Paying a few coin at the front desk, he mailed the now-finished memento mori ring to the McNamara’s.

By now others were beginning to filter back into the main sitting area in Khalid’s rooms, and Rylan gathered them all together. He explained that from his perspective he had been somewhere else for a month or more dealing with “bureaucracy”. Whatever he had faced, it had been rather difficult, as the Dread Realms did not like other gods. He also had information on Thea; she was fine, just out of commission for a while.

Apparently, he and Thea had been in communication somehow (Garret did not fully understand the mechanics of how) and had uncovered relevant information concerning  Flickerflame. First of all, Flickerflame wasn’t his actual name, so they could say it freely without fear of drawing his attention. Second, he could not control his own form - hence his moniker. He relied on stolen abilities (which explained how he used Meteor Storm) and was cursed by the Dark Powers so that his touch healed people. He loves hurting people, but physically cannot do so.

Reiner had more information concerning the Dark Powers; his wife was a priestess (high priestess?) in a temple to them back on his home plane - a temple known as the Amber Temple. He thought there would likely be one here as well, though he couldn’t know the exact location or local customs.

This led to a conversation about how we might get in if the way was shut, which led to another tangent of how various planes were shutting themselves off as if battering down for a tremendous storm.

Khalid was able to direct them to the temple, where they found a large garden of greenery and fountains. A grey-robed figure swept the pathways. The temple itself seemed shut off by a large iron wall with no visible gate.

Rylan enquired with the Sweeper about the requirements of communion, to which the Sweeper asked if we were pilgrims, followers of the Dark Powers. Rylan did not lie when he said his lady was a queen of sorrow and despair, and indicated that he spoke for all of us together.

The sweeper cast a spell, and Garett felt a cold spot on his forehead. Garrett saw spots on the others as well, as a sigil showed who each person worshipped or what they were. Fuego bore a flame in wind and fog; Ruinfea, a star in a circle of rose petals; Rylan, a raven skull; Loray a string tree and a Celtic knot. Garrett could see Kere’s symbol, which looked much like herself, and caught a glimpse of Reiner’s sigils but not enough to describe it. He could only assume the antlers of Oberon were clearly visible on his own forehead.

“That is enough for entry” the Sweeper said, and as the coldness faded a gate opened. They stepped through and the gate closed behind them. Before the impenetrable wall  closed behind them, Garrett caught a last glimpse of the Sweeper resuming his duties.

The doors to the temple creaked open into a singular room that was much bigger than the exterior suggested. It was filled with a darkness that was darker than dark: and advanced darkness, if you will. And yet, in the darkness could be “seen” shifting darkness and the sound of footfalls heard scurrying. Many hands reached out and closed the door.

The darkness lessened to reveal an interior similar to a Russian Orthodox church. One mosaic stone figure was on the wall - neither vague nor ambiguous but of an actual person: Zantras the Kingmaker. An acolyte approached and indicated that he might be petitioned via a game, but what that “game” might entail, Garrett was unclear.

And then the statue spoke. “Who comes to see the Lord of Pitch, the Emperor of the Void?” Introducing themselves, the voice continued “You seek an audience with me? Then what do you ask of me?”

Indicating they were looking for a way to defeat Flickerflame, Zantras responded: “The answer is with you. Return stability to Paridon and eliminate the fear. It is not a game if there is no hope. The king must fall. Move the pawn to the eighth square and make her a queen.”

The party glanced at Ruinfea, who seemed perplexed by the chess metaphor. But Rylan was able to put events together quickly and told her what Zantras meant: she could use her Wish spell to make everything “right”. Ruinfea made her wish, and Flickerflame was summoned into the temple. Briefly confused and perplexed at this unexpected turn of events, he saw Ruinfea and rushed her as he evaporated into an abyssal eclipse.

As the doors to the temple reopened, Zantras spoke again:

“Long live Ruinfea, Dark Lord of Paridon. Long may she reign.”

### **The Hare and the Dragon**

The party returned to the brothel, though Ruinfea was told she needed to stay behind. “Now, were would you like to begin?” Garrett thought he heard Zantras ask as the door shut behind him and they found themselves outside the iron wall once more.

Garrett was reminded of the variable nature of time in the Dark Realms, as no sooner had they arrived at the brothel than they noticed a distinct change in the feel of Paridon. It still felt dangerous, but the fear was fleeting. They tried explaining what had happened to Bo and Khalid, but seemed to recall Paridon as always being this way. At this point Ruinfea returned, and while to the rest she had only been apart for a few minutes, she had spent hours with Zantras remaking Paridon. Thea entered just as Ruinfea filled them in on some less-than-noticeable changes:

* Inspector Bloodsworth finally caught Bloody Jack, and the people of Paridon were allowed to remember his crimes and determine his fate in the public square.
* The doppelgängers were removed completely, but as there still needed to be some element of danger, Ruinfea introduced mushroom dragons and plant-like dinosaurs.
* The city proper remained in Victorian-era industrialization.
* In her words, she would watch the shifting lives under her care as if in a snow globe. A caring lord who would allow her people the ability to live, to remember, to make mistakes, and to explore the world she had created. There would be mystery and danger, but there would also be hope.

Bo, though he didn’t remember Paridon being anything other than what Ruinfea had created, still remembered his past. Indicating that staying here would be a great adventure (and perhaps displaying some affection for Khalid), the party respected his decision, knowing that Ruinfea would be able to check on him. Garrett gifted him the enchanted Goggles of Night, even knowing that it would cost him an infusion spot in the short term. He would not leave their companion blind in the dark, and perhaps he could even make Bo his own pair with his own hands (or paws as the case might be?)

There was some discussion of where they should go, and it was Loray who suggested they go to his home in the Feydark. Apparently, the geas he was under to never speak of it had been lifted, and he felt it high time he returned. He also thought that the party could better communicate with other planes than they could from Paridon, which naturally blocked interplanar communication in the best of times, forgetting the ongoing events they currently found themselves in.

Ruinfea opened a door and the party stepped through into a black, barren forest in the middle of a deep, oppressively snowy winter. Many of them changed into other attire; as they did so, Garrett stared firmly at the ground - though when Thea said something about “hopping on one foot” he remarked “you have no idea . . .”

They set off in a direction indicated by Loray, though Reiner seemed to struggle a bit as his joints seemed rather unnaturally stiff. Sooner rather than later they began to notice they were not alone; arrows could be seen in the forest, though the soldiers themselves made no move to attack.

They walked on for another hour before a stoic figure appeared: one whose countenance displayed an icy coldness inside and out. And yet, Garrett thought that to see his expression change would somehow be even worse . . .

Formal introductions were made, and the Prince of Frost (Loray’s father!) greeted each party member with “well met”. When finished, he remarked that it was no mere coincidence that we had arrived in the kingdom “at such a time in the war” before leading them onwards to a castle seemingly constructed out of ice - though the interior was indeed pleasant enough for all. As they arrived, they noticed a bustle about the caste: carriages and sledges and sleighs and other winter conveyances were arriving and very well-dressed people disembarking. (Garrett sighed a little at one carriage being pulled by rabbits)

Entering the castle, the Prince said to Loray, “I’ll leave you to it then. You can find your guests the rooms and necessities they require before tonight’s festivities. It is the Winter Solstice, after all.”

The party was shocked to varying degrees. They had all lost a month or more of time in the Dread Realms, though to them it had felt like a few days. Rylan (and maybe Thea?) had lost more given the circumstances. Loray and Rylan were also panicking; Loray because he had princely duties for the first time in a very, very long time and didnt’ want to muck things up, and Rylan because the Winter Solstice just so happened to be the festival in honor of his lady (well, the current one at least. Garrett had to remember that Rylan alternated between Mab/Maeve and Titania depending on the season.)

Loray found them rooms altogether, and at Rylan’s suggestion he also summed enough tailors and modistes to help everyone with their attire. The party split up depending on what they needed, and then having dressed, they split up again for the ball - which was to be a masquerade.

Loray and Ruinfea would be going together, as would Thea and Keres. Rylan would have duties as a Paladin and did not suggest the others come with him, not because he didn’t want them to, but because his time would not entirely be his own, either. Fuego would not be attending as he had been informed of some solitary caves where his meditations would be more effective, and Reiner seemed to want to be on his own.

Somewhat hesitantly, he asked Brioche (who was in her elf form) if she would like to go to the ball with him. He made it clear he was not asking her on a date, they would just be two friends attending a masquerade together to have fun. They could “be alone together” as he put it. She seemed surprised by his request but quickly agreed, provided he was okay with her wearing a gold dragon mask. Garrett shrugged. He had chosen a blue suit with a smartly-cut vest and a flared and flowing jacket covered in intricate silver filigree. He wore the boots Rylan had bought him in Paridon and had chosen a deep blue wolf mask with a leaf motif. (He had given Ash a bow tie and an altered kitty mask). “I’m okay with yours if you’re okay with mine,” he said.

And so the Gold Dragon and the Harengon went to the masquerade.

Brioche seemed very, very interested in the food, and proceeded to enjoy herself immensely at the spread provided. (Rylan had told them most things should be safe given the circumstances, though a little salt on their food wouldn’t go amiss). They were standing at one of the tables when Garrett felt a woman’s dress press up against his back, and he turned to find himself looking at a beautiful (yet equally terrifying) female faerie with angular features, bone-white skin, all-black eyes, and long black hair.

“Strange Wolf” she said, “are you her escort for the evening?” She motioned over Garrett’s shoulder to Brioche.

Garrett wondered only briefly about which type of “escort” she might be referring to, but decided that, given her dress, to assume the more proper one.

“We are attending the masquerade together as friends,” he replied carefully, unsure of how much information to divulge.

“And are you attending to her needs, Strange Wolf?” (By now, Garrett could hear the capital letters. He was unsure what to make of this new name.)

“I am here to ensure she has a good time, whatever that might look like to her,”

“And tell me, Strange Wolf, do you know who she is?” She continued.

Garrett’s mind raced, again unsure how much he could or should say. “Yes,” he finally replied with as much respectful caution as he could muster.

“Do you, though, Strange Wolf?” She asked not unkindly yet with a hint of danger. “For, however you know her, she is also my granddaughter.”

Garrett’s entire body clenched and he found himself unable to speak. The woman seemed unfazed by this reaction and reached for an apple on a nearby table before continuing.

“Tell me, Strange Wolf, will you protect her?”

Garrett though of the armor he had made, the blessings from Oberon, and the promises to Rylan. However, still unable to speak, he nodded politely yet energetically.

At her touch, the apple had turned solidly clear, and now she held it out to Garrett, who took it in his paws.

He knew he should say something, and tried to remember what Rylan had told him to say without saying thank you. Those two words flashed across his mind and he hoped he did not say them out loud, though if they had, he couldn’t be certain. What he did remember saying was “I will greatly treasure your gift.”

The woman gave the faintest hint of a pleased look. “See that you do, Strange Wolf. And enjoy the masquerade. For tonight may be one of festivities and entertainment, but tomorrow will be something else entirely, a challenge all it’s own.”

And with that she was gone.

Garrett turned to see what Brioche thought, but she had missed the whole thing, stuffing her pockets with food and distracted when a violist fainted and they had to bring out another musician to replace him. Garrett knew he would need to tell Rylan - and Brioche - what had just happened. But he also remembered the charge he had just been given to enjoy the masquerade.

And instead he asked Brioche if she would like to dance, because it was a masquerade after all. And so they passed the evening eating and dancing and people watching. It was the finest evening Garrett had spent in a very long time.

### **Courting Danger**

Garrett woke in the owlery with Brioche nested in some hay on the floor. He vaguely remembered her running down the hall with her cape flowing behind her laughing about being able to fly. She had (figuratively) crashed here, and Garrett had spent the night as well. It seemed to Garrett that he had now promised three different people he would watch over her, and he wasn’t about to slack off now.

That thought gave him some pause as he recalled the woman - Brioche’s grandmother(!) - who had warned Garrett that today would perhaps be more dangerous or difficult than the Third Family expected. He padded down to Rylan’s room about 9:30 or so in the morning. Usually the rogue was already up by that time, yet Garrett got the feeling either Rylan had just fallen asleep or that Garrett had interrupted something. He had seen Rylan dancing last night . . .

And yet Rylan made time for the Harengon, following him to the owlery and listening as he explained what had happed the previous night.

When he had finished, Rylan said

“Well, first off, I think she just meant that things would be more political from here on out. Setting expectations, if you will. Though it wouldn’t hurt to keep a watchful eye open.

And second, I don’t think you have anything to worry about when it comes to offering offense. If she didn’t say something then, I doubt she will in the future. It’s was her ball, after all.”

Garrett was confused. “I thought the Frost Prince put on the ball in honor of Queen Mab . . .” Garrett’s voice trailed off as realization struck.

“Wait. That was. That was . . .”

“Yes, Garrett. Brioche’s grandmother is the Queen of Air and Darkness, and the Winter Queen whom I serve. I shouldn’t think anything you said will have altered your devotion to Oberon, just make sure to acknowledge her once in a while. That should keep the Stange Wolf in her good graces.”

Garrett looked at Rylan. He had deliberately left that tidbit out of his tale.

“I pick up on things,” Rylan shrugged. “But for now, let’s finish getting ready. We’re due at court this afternoon.”

That afternoon, the Third Family (or most of it) was presented at court. Keres had gone to meet the woman she helped save the night before, and Reiner had been summoned specifically in his role as a foreign dignitary.

Ruinfea was announced, as was her engagement to Loray, and Ruinfea presented the Frost Prince and Queen Maeve with a first sale from Tiamat.

Reiner was presented, along with all his titles, and it was then things started to go sideways. The Prince demanded he answer for choosing Loray to suffer in Paridon, and demanded the right to levy punishment against Reiner. Reiner replied that he understood the Prince’s position, but did not accept his decision. This seemed to make litte difference to the Prince, who cast a legendary action spell at Reiner, turning his aura cold and . . . changing him in some way, at least temporarily. “My advice is, don’t fight it,” the Prince said.

*[player’s note: known to the players out-of-character, Keres went off and discovered that the woman’s father was being held prisoner in the castle. She promised to help free him. This took some doing, and some convincing the man she wasn’t a trick of the guards. Having gained his trust, he warned there was a shapeshifter at court. The two then made their way to the court.]*

Upon Kere’s and the old man’s arrival, the Frost Prince seemed to struggle internally, and then - in a could have mist and darkness - he transformed into what Rylan later called a Leshy. The Third Family attacked - Keres, Ruinfea, Rylan, and Garrett all landed blows. Reiner still seemed unable to move.

The Leshy healed and dual-wielded fire blades before attacked, but was rebuffed.

Rylan counted and seemingly killed the false prince, who transformed into the shape of a young wolf, which the old man that Keres freed subsequently picked up and tucked under his arm.

He turned to Keres, inclined his head, and said “I appreciate the rescue. It will not be forgotten. Farewell, Third Family.”

Ruinfea called out, but no one else moved. the man turned. “Trust me when I say your exploits have reached the ears of many - even those imprisoned.”

[Fuego has a vision of an egg under water.]

“I am Koshchei the Deathelss,” the man continued, “and I have a spear to go and find.”

While the rest debated what that might mean, Rylan went and found the real, correct prince (using some part of his Paladin powers), who promised to issue new judgments and give out proper rewards the next day.

### **There’s a Bit of Work to be Done**

Garrett and Ash returned to their room. Garrett had determined to work on something (nothing in particular) and changed into his work clothes. He sat for a while working on some sketches and then began planning for maintaining his crossbow when a knock came at the door.

Garrett looked up from where he was sitting. He had been working on some sketches and had been just about to do some upkeep on his crossbow.

He walked over to the door with Ash padding behind and opened it a crack. Seeing it was Ruinfea, he opened the door wider. It seemed like a long time had passed since they last talked; Garrett couldn’t rightly remember whether it had been at The Dagda’s lodge or on the ship to Chult.

“Oh! Ruinfea!! Or is that Queen Ruinfea now? Either way, come in. Come in!!”

“Oh, you don’t have to call me Queen. I’m still just me!”

\*she walked in the door and bent down to pet Ash as she walked by\*

“With all the stuff going on, there hasn’t been much talking time. I know we talked about the dragon scale knives a little and I have another project I’d like you to work on if you would.”

“How have you been, by the way, it’s been a crazy ride!”

\*Garrett tried to figure out where he should begin. As he thought, he said\*

“ ‘Ruinfea’ it will stay then. Come in and have a seat, there’s plenty of them.”

\*He paused while Ruinfea settled herself, and Ash took up a position on the floor between the two of them, curling up in such a way one might think they were asleep.\*

“As for how I am . . . how far back should I go? To say things have been crazy would be an understatement. My fur was purple and I kind of liked that. I spent most of the journey through the mine in the bag and the there was all that with the dwarf lich and undead dragon and losing Brioche and Bo and then going through the shadowlands and into Paridon and the unpleasantness with Flickerflame and the doppelgängers . . .

Speaking of which, since you’re in charge now, I suppose you’ve a right to know I sent a gift to the McNamara’s - a memento mori ring. I don’t know if or what they’ll remember, but it seemed the right thing to do.”

\*Garrett flipped through one of his notebooks to find a sketch.\*

“It looked something like this” he said, turning the book to face Ruinfea.

\*Ruinfea looked at the ring,and smiled\*

“So they will remember losing their loved one and receiving the ring. They just won’t remember how it happened and will think the world has always looked the way it does now. It’s a whole weird thing. I’m still learning to be honest. Running a small place is one thing, but a whole mini world is something else entirely.”

\*she bent down to give ash some scritches\*

“Is Ash ok with everything going on? I mean I have no idea what they know is happening, but I have an eyeball I named and talk to so I figured I’d ask about the little one.”

“It’s funny you should ask that. I’ve always thought Ash was smart, but counted it to our unique relationship. But lately I’ve got the feeling that they really do understand a lot more than they let on. And I’m not quite sure what to make of that.”

\*Garrett smiled as Ash arched her back in contentment and leaned into Ruinfea’s hand\*

“I know for a fact she appreciates the scratches, though”

Garrett waited for a moment before continuing. “Is there something I can help you with? I’ve been working on the item we discussed back on the ship to Chult but it’s not quite done. I had assumed you’d want an engraving of some kind, but I haven’t had the chance to ask.”

“Ooh an engraving would be cool . . . I had another request too. Can you help shape this green scale into a heart shaped necklace type bottle. I want to put Kava’s ashes into something better than this pouch and I think a green dragon scale would be perfect.”

\*She held onto the pouch still around her neck.\*

“I know you have lots to work on, but you are such a great artificer and have made some awesome stuff for everyone!”

Garret smiled at the compliment as he said “If I’m a great artificer, it’s because Oberon has chosen to guide my mind and bless my hands.”

He paused as he took in Ruinfea’s request. He had heard a small bit of Ruinfea and Keva’s relationship in Thea’s song.

“As it happens, I think yours is the only active project I have - at least, beyond the planning stage. So let’s tackle the daggers first. Did you have an idea for the engraving? I had thought you might want your own sigil as Lord of Paridon, but of course they are your daggers . . .”

Garrett’s voice trailed off; he did not wish to be presumptuous.

“I had originally thought of using that symbol but I drew up one I like better for the daggers.”

\*Ruinfea pulled out a sheet of paper from her bag and handed both that and another green scale for the necklace.\*

Garret looked at the drawing - a brushstroke heart incorporating an ocean wave and seven-pointed star - and nodded “there’s some fine lines here, to be sure, but I think this is doable.”

he paused for a moment to allow the conversation to shift slightly

“And now for the necklace. I know this is important to you, so I want to be sure to get it right. You mentioned a bottle - do you want a stopper that can be opened or do you want something that will be sealed all around?”

“I am thinking it should be sealed. Even though I have her ashes and she will always be with me; that part of my life is closed and should be sealed for safe keeping- always!”

Garrett nodded and made some notes as Ash circled between his and Ruinfea’s legs.

“I should think I’d be able to finish these up shortly. I think it was Loray told us that this place has a way of just . . . providing what we need? I’ll see what I can do.”

he paused for a moment. Apart from a brief conversation on the ship to Chult he and Ruinfea hadn’t really talked. Definitely not as much as he had with Rylan or Thea and not even as much as Fuego. Yet here she was, ready to hand over one of her most precious possessions . . . a thought occurred to him.

“Thank you for trusting me with . . . all this (he gestured at the daggers-in-progress and his notebook). I wonder. would you like to be there when it’s time to close it up? That way you can keep Keva with you . . . you know? Of course, that’s entirely up to you . . .”

Garrett bent down to scratch Ash, who purred mechanically before winding her way back towards Ruinfea’s legs. He saw Ruinfea start to tear up as she answered him.

“That would be wonderful. It would feel like a closing to a chapter. Thank you so much for thinking of that,” she said as she wiped the tear from her eye and petted Ash.

“It will be my pleasure. I’ll let you know when it’s ready. Is there anything else I can do for you?”

“I think that’s all for now. I need to go talk to Rylan now and check on him. I’ll see ya later!” Ruinfea was just at the door when she turned back round.

“As a matter of fact, there is something else. You see, there’s this spell called Soul Bond . . .”

When their conversation ended, Garrett and Ash headed off. He thought he remembered hearing forge-like sounds when trying to keep an eye on Brioche before she crashed in the owlery for the night. True to Loray’s word, he found a forge seemingly set out for his exact needs.

The Frost Prince may have said he would hold court again tomorrow, but to Garrett it felt like he spent several days in the forge. Not that his projects too that long . . .

He started with Ruinfea’s daggers and added the engravings; cut, shaped, and polished the dragon scale for the reliquary; and maintained his crossbow. As usual he meditated on Oberon and his blessings, while also including a thought for Queen Maeve as Rylan had suggested. Garrett also considered that he was making these things for her future daughter-in-law . . .

It was when he had finished that he noticed something on a nearby workbench: two bone bracelets held together with brown sting and a tag with his name on it. Garrett recognized them as those he had made for Reiner and Keres. He found some bits of metal and begin mindlessly tinkering, not working on anything in particular but just enough to allow him to process his thoughts while keeping his hands busy.

It did not necessarily surprise him that Reiner had left, though whether that was a choice he had made himself or was forced upon him Garrett did not know. Keres was another matter; he imagined Thea would need some support . . .

As he worked and had these thoughts it was as if some things finally came into focus, like leaving the smoky wait of the forge and entering clean country air. He had made these bracelets because Oberon had said they would help protect the Third Family. He had given them freely to Reiner and Keres, but if they had returned them . . . It occurred to him that intelligence was not the same as wisdom, and perhaps his faith - the thing Oberon had said he’d need to have for the bracelets to work - had been misplaced.

He remembered the conversations Rylan had had with him recently, particularly about what it meant to be Fey, and his heart began to drop. In their own way, Keres and Reiner had used him, hadn’t they?

Garrett couldn’t deny that Keres and Reiner had helped him, could he? Reiner had the plan to make it through the mines, and he’d taken care of Ash in the library, and had helped Garrett and Fuego investigate in Paridon and . . . and . . .  and . . . that was it, wasn’t it?

In fact, now that he thought about it, the plan in the mines had largely meant that Garrett had stayed in the Pet Bag of Holding, which while Garrett was thankful for the connections made with Brioche and Butters also meant that he was out of relative danger as opposed the rest of the party. Had that been the right choice?

And then the plan to use Reiner’s  powers in conjunction with Garrett’s bolts meant that Garrett hadn’t planned for any other contingency, so when the plan went south he’d had to improvise. He’d focused on what Reiner needed rather than what the party needed, and it had probably cost them time . . .

And the investigations in Paridon hadn’t exactly gone to plan, had they? Garrett was left out, and while he’d found something to do by creating the memento mori ring, he’d largely been ignored. At the time, Garrett had thought it was just because he was out of his depth, but now . . .

It had started with Ash, hadn’t it? Reiner had taken care of Ash in the library while he and Brioche were on the Hunt. Garrett had said Ash was a good judge of character, but he’d failed to even listen to his oldest friend. It was true that Reiner had cleaned Ash meticulously, but it was also true that Ash had not made a point to have anything to do with Reiner since then.

If Garrett had known better, he’d have seen he was being treated not as a valuable member of the Third Family, but as a pet - rather like a pet cow, Garrett now realized, though in this case he could have provided knowledge instead of milk . . .

And Keres . . . He didn’t know if Keres had used him or not, but he also knew he’d used the spell that got blood on the statue that summoned the goddess that sent them on a hunt in the market that resulted in Keres becoming a goddess and the problems with Fuego getting divine ranks he wasn’t ready for. She had seemed more upset that she didn’t get what was “hers” that that Fuego was dying - and Garrett should have seen it earlier.

And in battle both she and Reiner had put limitations on Garrett, insisting he not use spells that could hurt them while they seemed to attack with reckless abandon . . . It had nothing to do with alignment, either. One could be evil and not be mean about it . . . Garrett thought of Glynn and wondered if more information might’ve been gleaned in he’d been more forceful with how Reiner had handled him.

Garrett considered how this had affected the others, too. Then he remembered Rylan. Rylan had tried telling him, hadn’t he, in those conversations? And Rylan still trusted him with Brioche. And Rylan had allowed Garrett to interrupt a very intimate moment to walk and talk with him - even hugging him bare-handed! Garrett knew his relationships could be mended, though it would take work. He also knew that his actions would have to speak for themselves.

Ash was acting anxious.

“You can feel it too, can’t you?” Garrett asked her. “Okay, let’s go find the others and see what’s going on.”

They caught up with Fuego and Ruinfea and Thea in one of the hallways near Rylan’s room. Garrett handed Ruinfea the two daggers - carefully wrapped. “These are sharp; be careful where you stick them,” he said.

Ash rubbed up against Thea’s legs. Thea looked like she’d been feeling lots of emotions. Garrett chose not to say anything as she bent down and picked Ash up. Ash settled into Thea’s arms - indeed, she’d known Thea needed a good cuddle with the party’s emotional support cat.

They knocked on Rylan’s door and it was opened by Brioche. Rylan could be heard making breakfast in the back and a moment later came back with sweet and savory trays of breakfast foods. “Glad you’re feeling better,” Garrett told Brioche.

“Owls pooped on me,” Brioche said, “but I took a shower and feel better.”

Her comment sparked a conversation about what they’d all been up to. Brioche went first, with Garrett filling in when she got drunk, and the Rabbitfolk insisted Brioche had been chaperoned and looked over all night until he came to get Rylan. Everyone agreed they’d all had nights like Brioche and didn’t think anything less of her or Garrett for her night in the owlery.

Rylan filled in where Garret couldn’t. He’d danced the night away with “Pretty Boy” - which everyone but Fuego had at least glimpsed by this point, with Garrett seeming to recall seeing Rylan with someone when he’d knocked on his door.

Ruinfea and Loray had also danced well into the night and early morning; sleep seemed to be on few people’s minds, it seemed to Garrett.

Thea spoke up then, saying she’d received a letter from Keres. She read it for them.

*My dearest Thea,*

*When I met you I was a horrible person, I was a killer and a thief and I liar. But now because of you I am more. In the short time I have known you, you have shown me kindness that I am undeserving of.*

*I have a duty to my followers and I cannot remain here and let them suffer in fear.*

*I am to much a coward to say this to your face because I know that i would take one look at you and damn my duties and stay forever at your side so It is with a heavy breaking heart I tell you goodbye.*

*I wish you happiness and peace and everything good that this world and all others have to offer you.*

*Forgive me,*

*Keres*

They paused to allow Thea some time, but apparently she had already begun processing. “I can’t say I’m not sad, but maybe this is for the best,” she said.

Rylan then broached the subject of Reiner. With the Frost Prince restored, the Prince had determined he would not wait to hold court to “deal” with Reiner. The long and short was that Reiner had been obstinate and refused to take any kind of responsibility in regards to Loray’s death in Paridon. Left with little choice - as Reiner was a prince and diplomat in his own right - the Frost Prince had banished Reiner from the Feydark. Riner had chosen to take this “opportunity” to leave the Third Family entirely.

So, that’s why Garrett had the bracelets back.

Everyone wanted to talk to Fuego, who had missed the ball entirely. Fuego shared how he had been shown the Crystal Caves - a place for his personal use related to newfound powers, it would seem. Here Fuego had a vision of an egg underwater, vibrating. Rylan, asking permission, linked them all together to share Fuego’s memory of the vision.

It was Ruinfea who made the discovery. The egg was also trying to say something. “Deathless” - Ruinfea thought it might be Koschei the Deathless, the one they’d encountered at court - the one freed by Keres and allowed to escape by her and Reiner. She thought it might be a phylactery - a place to safely store his soul.

Brioche hopped down from her stool, grabbed an egg, and carefully took a pin to it. Garrett and the others knew what she was doing and allowed her the time to carefully blow the yolk and white out the egg. “Like this!” Brioche exclaimed when she was done.

“Exactly,” Rylan said.

And then it was time to dress for court, with Ruinfea calling a Modist for those that needed one. She was fiancé of the heir-apparent, after all, but she was very kind about it.

### **Cold-Hearted / Cold Blooded**

They arrived where they were expected. Pretty Boy was there, too, and as the Majordomo announced them with their appropriate names and titles, Garrett’s ears were pricked to hear his. He was introduced as “Erlkönig, Lord of ‘Tweens” - which Garrett took to be more of a title than an actual name.

The Frost Prince was now of a giant size and his throne had changed to match. Both he and the throne seemed to be carved out of living ice, if such a thing were possible for a living creature.

His attention was turned first to Ruinfea, his future daughter-in-law - but after some banter he turned rude (in Garrett’s opinion) and said that she needn’t talk if being in court made her nervous. Garrett knew by now that Ruinfea had been speaking with the Frost Prince in her “court voice” designed to make herself seem more pliable (?) ignorant (?) than she actually was. Garrett was surprised the Frost Prince would speak to another Lord this way.

His attention then turned to the Third Family, who voiced their opinion that Rylan could speak on their behalf in whatever matters he desired to consult with them about.

It was easy enough for them to state that Reiner and Keres were no longer members of the third family, though Garrett balked slightly and inwardly at the term “bastardized” the Frost Prince insisted on using. Even if it was correct, Garrett thought the Frost Prince would have used more . . . courtly language, in his own opinion.

Things did not improve. His throne had been restored to him, yet he seemed reluctant to take sides against the Root of War. As Rylan and the Frost Prince went back and forth about the causes and effects and consequences of his imprisonment and newfound freedom, their language also devolved from courtly diplomacy to almost naked disdain for each other. It ended that Rylan secured his promise to fight against the Root of War by calling in the favor earned by freeing the Frost Prince.

The Frost Prince responded by decreeing that Loray be sent to command the troops at the front lines, which then sparked an even more uncourtly conversation between he and Ruinfea about Loray’s proper place. The Erlkönig volunteered to take his place, and now Rylan faced the prospect of losing the man who had brought newfound joy into his life. It seemed either he or Ruinfea would have cause to hate the Frost Prince even more, when Rylan took off his metaphorical gloves and called the Frost Prince out on his shortsighted cleverness, implying that nothing that was said to that point really answered the question of why Loray should be sent to the front instead of the Frost Prince going himself.

Insults abounded but the Frost Prince was forced to admit that it was about his own legacy. Either Loray would win a great victory - which would guarantee the Frost Prince had a strong line - or he would fall, giving the Frost Prince time to sire another heir.

Disgusted, Rylan and the Erlkönig and Loray gave the Frost Prince an itemized list of favors he could conceivably owe them and the Third Family. The Erlkönig said he was going to call in his favor, with the Frost Prince leading his own troops under command of The Dagda.

The favor was granted frostily, and the party dismissed. Garrett paused for a moment as the Frost Prince had dismissed “lords and ladies; emperors, princes, and other rulers; foreign dignitaries; and deities, as the case might be”. None of those terms technically applied to him, but he thought better about pushing the matter, took “lords and ladies” as a colloquialism for the Fey, and turned to leave.

As they left, Rylan reminded the Frost Prince of the right of hospitality, which did nothing to improve the Frost Prince’s mood but gave Rylan great pleasure.

### **Through the Planes**

The doors shut behind them and Loray went off down the hall to let off literal steam - a portion of the wall was melted with the heat he put off.

The Erlkönig now explained who he was as “the Lord in In-Betweens” and asked if we would accept him. The party generally agreed, and there was some talk with Thea about what he was lord of and with Ruinfea about what he should be called. Garett gathered that it would be best to call him “Erlkönig” for the time being.

The talk also shifted into what they were going to do, with Ruinfea making a list of things to do for her “Jack and Jill Bachelorette Party” - which included finding the Spear of Lugh, defeating the Root of War, and dealing with Kam (who - Rylan disclosed - had abused him).

Garrett had been thinking during all this and spoke up when the others had their say. Thinking of the braclets in his pack he said to Erlkönig, “I will be the first to admit I haven’t been the best judge of character lately, but bear in mind that we are actively planning to kill the last person who hurt Rylan. Take that as you will.”

And then Rylan did something unexpected. He knelt down to be on Garrett’s height, took off his gloves, and in front of everyone Rylan hugged him. The significance was not lost on Garrett, who wrapped one arm around his friend and with his other removed his glasses (for the first time!) so that Rylan could see his eyes - blue as perfect water. It didn’t matter to Garrett that Rylan had his sunglasses on - ice had a way of making things too bright for him - Garrett needed Rylan to understand this moment was not lost on him.

Looking directly at Rylan Garrett said “I might not love you like some others do [Garrett meant, in this instance, the Erlkönig], but I do love you” and then he wrapped google-holding arm around Rylan, too.

As he did so, Garrett felt something change in the way Rylan was holding on to him. A good change. It changed from a hug to a true embrace - the kind of comforting squeeze that Garrett knew was not in his prerogative to end. Nor did he want to; he would hold Rylan as long as Rylan wanted to be held. That moment between them set his heart not only at ease but at legitimate, genuine peace.

Rylan breathed deeply for several moments, his face buried in the softness of Garrett’s fur. And then, smiling, he got back to his feet.

“I believe we have a spear to find,” he said to them all. “Koschei seemed to think it was in Hilan; our latest intelligence said it was in Faerûn. I can try to find out where, exactly, it is - but we’ll need more privacy than might be offered here.” Rylan twirled the ring on his finger. “What say we go back to the Lodge and get our bearings?”

They arrived to a quiet building, and they watched as Rylan cast the Locate Object spell. It was a second-level Paladin spell, but the results were perhaps more astonishing than any of them expected. Rylan had taken a twig from Ruinfea’s hair to cast the spell, and both he and the twig levitated in the air. The twig then shot straight at Rylan’s face before it exploded right in front of him, knocking him backwards.

Erlkönig was already there to catch him, and as Rylan got up somewhat shakily he explained that, in the vision created by the spell, he’d been cast out of the planes of existence and looked down upon the Wheel itself. A large golden streak ran through the planes from the Celestial down through the Abyssal, where it had seemingly been turned aside. Someone had run the Spear of Lugh through the planes of existence, and it now existed in every plane simultaneously. In Hilan, it seemed remarkably close to where Tiago - in one of his several scores of letters sent to Rylan - indicated their front lines were located in the war.

“The spear was thrown and the planes are broken,” he said to them all, reiterating the point. And then he turned directly to Garrett before continuing:

“Who better to fix them than an artificer?”

Rylan continued: “But unless we get that spear before old ‘deathelss’, we’re well and truly fucked. The fact is that someone tried to use the spear and shattered the planes in the process. If you want my theory, I’d venture that Corellon tried  - unsuccessfully - to kill my grandmother down in the Demonweb Pits.”

Garrett had to think for a moment before remembering that Lolth, Queen of Spiders, was Rylan’s grandmother.

“So, I guess that should be our next stop,” remarked Fuego. “Do you think we - I mean Garrett - will be able to get the spear from there?”

“I was going to ask how I’m supposed to claim something that large . . .” Garrett added.

“If I had to guess, I think the spear will act like the other artifacts and adjust to the one who claims it,” Rylan answered.

“Oh good,” said Fuego. “I had this vision of all of us needing to push a massive spear out of the wounded planes. I assume it’s kind of like an arrow in that you don’t want to pull it out.”

“Not least because pushing it out may, in fact, kill my grandmother,” Rylan pointed out.

“If I may, I would say you’d hit a massive void before piercing the Demonweb Pits proper,” Erlkönig proffered.

“Oh, so are you coming with us, Eel King?” Ruinfea asked.

He sighed, somewhat exasperated, and then looked at Thea, who had begun rummaging in her bag. She pulled out her Book, which had a faint glow to it and which, to Garrett’s eyes at least - seemed to give off a small amount of heat. She began flipping pages.

“That’s three times,” he said to her. “I’m assuming the rules are still the rules?”

She looked up with laughter in her yes. “Yup. It’s there. Seems to me people will start to know that name soon enough.”

He nodded to Ruinfea. “While I would be honored to join you if you would have me, I must also check on my own realm. If what Rylan has said is what I think has happened, then my realm may be the last.”

“The last what?” Garrett and Ruinfea asked together.

“Have I not explained what my realm is, what it is I am Lord of? I told you I was the Master of ‘Tweens, and that includes the space between life and afterlife. Sometimes a soul needs . . . rest . . . before moving on, whether their god claims them or they go to The Wall or . . . And that’s where I come in. But if the other pantheons hav enclosed their doors . . .” his voice trailed off.

“They have,” Rylan assured him. “Keres skipped out and went home just before curfew, locking the door behind her.”

“That is serious,” and his countenance took on a concerned and thoughtful look. Fuego used this opportunity to give his first offering, the skull of the Fire Dog that had attacked him during the Hunt. Erlkönig talked with Fuego for a minute or two of the nature of offerings, and while that happened Garrett noticed some sounds coming from the Pet Bag of Holding.

Thea bent down and released a very happy Butters, who took a deep sniff and - realizing he was home - promptly bowled Thea over in excitement and began licking her face. She tried pushing him off, but he went deadweight as puppies are wont to do and wagged his tail against her leg as she sat up, maneuvering him into her lap.

### **What the Party Learned at the Lodge**

Putting his hands to his mouth, Rylan called out “Da!” And soon enough the Dagda appeared. He was different than he had last looked: he walked slower, and his hair was streaked with grey. It would takes many centuries for his hair to gray naturally; this was something else. Garrett had heard of something called “level drain” which seemed to take powers and abilities away from heroes and adventurers. Maybe it could happen to gods as well?

“I have a spell for that . . .” Garrett heard Rylan say under his breath before he said much more loudly “Who did this to you? This doesn’t look like the Root of War’s handiwork. He’s much more . . . physically minded.”

“You’re right, it was not the Root of War. It was Larloch, the oldest known non-draconic creature in Faerun. Some call him the Shadowking. He is a lich so old that he should be decayed. Most liches, if you take away their powers, would be zombie-like creatures. But he - he is so old e could very well turn to dust. His eyes are orbs of red light and his body streaked with emerald energy: the evidence of the nearly two dozen ioun stones he uses to boost his abilities to godlike status. This is who has done this to me, and he has declared for the Root of War.”

Rylan indeed had a spell for that, and as he went to work the Dagda continued. “the Root of War also has a weapon: a large focusing gem the size of a boulder. I fear what it may do.” Rylan finished the spell and the Dagda asked “How many times can you do that?”

“A couple of times a day, and then I’d need to rest. Why? How many others were affected like this?”. The Dagda’s eyes told everyone all they needed to know.

Thea, meanwhile, had been pulling things from her bra (of holding) the way some people empty their junk drawers and finally pulled out the cauldron. “Maybe we could use this?” Thea suggested.

“yes, teach the cauldron!” The Dagda confirmed. “I’d have to borrow it to take to the front, but that would leave you free to continue. I have the feeling that once you come to battle, there will be no going back until the fight is decided one way or another.”

“Teach the cauldron how, exactly?” Rylan asked.

“You could try talking to it,” Garrett said. “I talk to my things all the time.” Ash purred in acknowledgment.

“Yes, but you’re an artificer. I don’t have the same magic.”

“Okay?” Garrett said. “But in this case it’s the cauldron that’s learning your magic. It’s not like you’re trying to force it in, right?”

Rylan looked comforted at that and took out what looked to Garrett like a stick of honey. He talked to the cauldron in low tones, lowering the stick as he did so. Garrett could swear the cauldron wasn’t big enough for the whole thing to fit without sticking out the top, but it did.

Satisfied, Rylan handed the Dagda the cauldron.

“Thank you for returning my artifact to me,” he said. “I will keep it safe for you until such time as you come to claim it.” And as he spoke, his clothes changed from those of a wizard or sorcerer to those of a cleric. “I will head to the front, and this time I will take my daughter with me so that she will cease her worry!” Brigid looked out from a nearby window both amused and annoyed.

“You may all use the lodge as you need. You are family, after all. Or alt least family-adjacent,” he added, looking at Erlkönig. And then he opened his arms wide to embrace any who would like such a thing.

Garrett wrapped his arms around the Dagda and said “Take care, sir - not that I need to tell you that.” The Dagda laughed and rubbed Garrett’s head playfully. “We will meet again, Garrett. I am certain.”

With goodbyes said and the Dagda gone, the conversation turned to how they should proceed. Ruinfea mentioned the Soul Bond spell she’d been thinking of, which would require meditation to activate. “I’m sorry,” she said to Erlkönig. “I didn’t leave you out on purpose, I just . . .”

“No need to apologize. It is for the best you are not bound to my soul for all eternity. I would use this time to check on my realm. By your lave, that is,” he said, the last directed at Rylan.

“We should probably do this someplace with a bit more privacy,” Thea suggested.

“What about the courtyard where we had my Birthday?” Rylan suggested. And so the party moved there.

Brioche looked concerned. “What should I do?” She asked.

Thea patted the ground next to her. “Come have a seat here.”

Rylan nodded “You need to watch over us while we’re gone. The lodge is safe, but we can’t assume anything at this point.”

“Ash will help you, too,” Garrett said before telling Ash “See you soon. Don’t get into trouble, okay?”

“Butters too,” Thea said. “So you won’t be alone.”

“Oh, Chewie can help keep an eye out!” Ruinfea said. Though kept in formaldehyde, the beholder eye had grown tendrils and seemed to want to blink. Ruinfea and Thea and Rylan all slow-blinked like cats, trying to indicate to the eye that they were friends.

### **The Binding of Souls**

And now the party sat in a circle and began meditating. Garrett focused on the wind and the birdsong and soon enough it slowed and faded away and Garrett found himself in a town he had never seen before with his hand on the door to a tavern.

Opening the door, he stepped inside and found the tavern doing a rather decent business with people scattered about. There were three people in a dark corner playing cards, a patron sitting alone with a hood covering his face, and in the back corner a table for one unoccupied save for a single burning candle. A fairy dragon sat on the bar, looking miserable in its cage. Looking about Garrett saw his friends seated and Feugo standing right next to him.

“Do you know where we are?” Garrett asked.

“Yes,” Fuego said in quiet awe and wonder. “This is Little Grove. This is where we began.”

As he watched, Garrett saw Rylan pick the lock on the fairy dragon’s cage - which sparked an argument with the barkeep. Garrett would have thought we was in a dream, except that - once words were exchanged - Rylan went over to the candle-lit table, took something off it, and then approached Garrett.

“This was Jii’s,” he said. “And now it’s yours.”

Garrett held the bread is if it were a sacred relic. “Do it eat it?” Garrett asked softly, quietly.

“It’s yours,” Rylan said kindly. “You may do what you want with it.”

Cautiously, Garrett took a bite, and as he did, the scene shifted. What followed was the entire history of the Third Family, from their start in Little Grove to their sitting down to meditate in the Dagda’s lodge. What Garrett had only heard in Thea’s stories he know saw for himself as if watching someone else’s memory:

* In Little Grove they tracked down ruffians, meeting one Brynwick Nibnibbler, exploring the cemetery, fighting a Beholder and meeting Hetzel, uncovering the “conspiracy” with Carrion, facing down Lilith Stormosin, finding an ally in Tiago, and the fallout form the attack on Little Grove.
* Beggar’s Hole and the Fey Children who warned the party of coming war.
* In Spriggan they exposed the secret society of soul stealers and faced Orcis, defeating him but losing Jii in the process.
* They saved Dewport from a plague and installed Ripjaw on the throne of the Court of Coral. It was also when they met Loray.
* They closed the hellmouths in Lymdell and encountered Ruinfea’s toxic family.
* Morad. So many things had happened in Morad. Garrett saw them all at the Ball and said (quietly) to Rylan “This looks familiar.” Rylan smiled and said “Yes, yes it does” as Brioche joined the party.
* Kam joined the party and they fought with Cyric and journeyed to the Plane of Knowledge and met Oghma (that bastard) and warned Eilistraee of possible attacks against her realm.
* They found Ruinfea’s lost brother in Gae Lafell and then realized they had fallen through a temporal paradox.
* They fought with Cyric/Ramless Civar a second time, and Garrett recognized Glynn shifting Rylan and Kam out of the material plane and somewhere else, only for the others to be attacked by Fuego’s patron, Fire Tits. Kam and Rylan returned with Keres, and then
* It was on to Ruinglast and meeting with the Dragon Fathers (with Bryn forsaking Oghma along the way) and eliminating the Black Hand for Julie and Thea joining with The Traveler.
* And then they entered they Feywild and partied with gold caps and red caps and found themselves facing a blight witch. This time Garrett felt no fear, but rather hope - his friends were coming to save him. But he saw Bryn feeble minded and then killed in Ruinglast and then . . .

And that is where Garrett joined the party.

The scenes continued with the history Garrett knew, and seeing it all laid out like this it seemed almost inevitable that things had happened the way they did. It seemed to Garrett that he heard a voice in his head saying “This party has been on a journey; an eternal cycle of death and rebirth. Loss and Love. And it all boils down to Freedom and Hope. And when you lost it, the world found a way to remind you  of it.”

A light seemed it connect them and then . . .

Night had fallen in the courtyard. The party fell into each other’s arms in a giant group hug and they looked up at the stars. There were fewer of them now, but the fireflies reminded them that they could be relit.

Rylan spoke to him softly. “From the beginning there was a Garrett-shaped hole that needed to be filled. Don’t ever doubt that you belong.”

Brioche reported that nothing much had happened while they had mediated, but she seemed unnerved that Ash hadn’t blinked the entire time.

“Well, they have eyelids,” Garrett said, but I did ask them to keep watch. For all I know, this is what they always do. But I’ll see what I can do.”

Rylan suggested they all get legitimate rest; by this point they had “their” rooms in the lodge.

Garrett found himself waking up the next morning with Rylan already having prepared breakfast-to-go and ready to find a way to the Demonweb Pits. Knowing Rylan’s dislike of spiders, they all supported him as he found a black widow spider and entreated it for an audience with his grandmother, Lolth.

They followed it to and through a long-disused wing of the lodge with strange carving on the walls until arriving at a point where three dozen spiders created a web whith a hole in the center. Rylan, thanking the spider profusely, indicated they should go through the web.

Stepping through, they found themselves at a bridge. They had arrived at the entrance to the Demonweb Pits proper.

### **In the Pits**

The sound here was quiet and muffled; Garrett was reminded of the heavy stillness in the snows outside the Frost Prince’s castle. They crossed the bridge in single file: Rylan, Garrett (with Ash), Fuego, Ruinfea, Loray, Thea, Brioche. Underneath them was large yet empty web; they crossed without incident.

The place had been  . . . something, once. The architecture was decidedly Drow, and not just “Drow” but First Drow. The guard towers and gate were made of stone but reclaimed by nature thousands of years ago. The webs here were old - cobwebs, not fresh - and a few ancient egg sac husks were scattered about. A staircase led up into the guard tower while two tunnels led off to the left and right. They were faintly lit with a kind of bioluminescence.

Ruinfea examined the scene before suggesting they go up. “The stairs look okay, and they’re made of stone so they wont decay or crumble easily. And the left-hand tunnel . . . it sounds like there are a great many legs down that way.”

No one wanted to deal with that just yet, so they claimed the stairs to an observation platform at the top of the guard tower. A bridge led across the chasm here, and looking down they could all see the great web spanning the entire opening, with fresh-spun webbing mixed in with the old.

“I’d expected to see a Drider or two, at least,” Rylan said somewhat concernedly. “But there doesn’t seem to be anything here.”  He looked about for a little while longer before kneeling down. “Might as well announce our presence. It’ll go bad if we don’t, I think.” And so saying, he knocked out a message on the spiderweb under the bridge in front of them - essentially he gave his name, rank and position, and said he was here with friends/family, so please don’t attack.

Rylan’s look changed as the web vibrated in response - an incoherent, chaotic reply followed swiftly by the sound of feet heading toward them quickly and aggressively. Rylan drew his weapons, prompting Ruinfea to wild-shape into a Fey Spider, Thea to polymorph into a Drider, Fuego to ready a Rage, and Loray to draw his scimitars. Brioche kept watch to ensure they wouldn’t be ambushed from behind, and Garrett put up an Aura of Purity.

A large male Drider squeezed out of the tunnel. He was disheveled with matted dreadlocks and appeared to be severely emaciated. A large, gaping wound the size of a baseball oozed black blood. It did not look fresh and had not healed well.

From how Rylan had described his grandmother and her retinue, Garrett did not think this was normal. It seemed to him he was under something very much like compulsion; the Drider was certainly not in control of his own actions - he would have to be controlled by someone or something with both great power and tremendous magic. He seemed to be ready to attack without question.

Fuego let go of his thinly-held rage, landing a critical hit with Trinity’s Edge for 48 points of damage - and drawing out more of that black blood.

The Drider held no weapons but cast Faery Fire at Fuego, but perhaps his altered state affected him more than his master knew, as he missed. Barely, but still . . . He then reared back to attempt a killing blow. Thankfully Ruinfea was alert, and she cast a Woe on the Drider, such that its claws barely missed Fuego’s face.

Linked by the Soul Bond, Garrett asked a question. “If I can save one person, should it be him? I’ve got enough for a casting of Greater Restoration.”

Almost simultaneously, Rylan and Thea told him to save his spell and materials; they could do similar and it would not coast as much in the long ruin. Garrett held his action.

Ruinfea tried to web him in, but he being a spider and all, it had no effect. Ruinfea did, however, manage to flank him.

Rylan cast Divine Sense and discovered the Drider was, as expected, a fiend. There was a veneer of undead about him, and while he was not affected by the Hallow spell, he was not himself. With some athletic skill aided by a Flash of Genius from Garrett, Rylan ran and slid under the Drider, slapping his belly with a lesser restoration spell. Ruinfea waved (wiggling a leg) at Rylan as he slid by.

“Get it together, man!” Rylan shouted at the Drider.

Thea cast Remove Curse as she hummed a melody while brushing a leg against the Drider. A swath of light and energy coursed through the Drider and he started to fall. The blackened wounds turned red, and though Thea cast Healing Word it only seemed to affect the would left by Fuego, leaving the hole near his hear untouched.

“Were you where the spear landed?” Rylan asked him as the party tried to figure out how to help him.

“It hit The Mother and so we all bleed . . .”

“So, we must get to her.”

“It will be a fight.”

“I am determined to not let anyone die. There has been too much death as of late, and I simply refuse to have it happen today.”

Ruinfea fashioned a cocoon sled for the Drider and Thea now cast Bless on the party.

“Ready, Garret?” Rylan asked. “You’re the plan.” And so saying, Rylan scooped him and Ash up and the three of them mounted Brioche (now in her dragon form). Fuego now wild shaped into a spider, and he and Thea climbed onto Ruinfea. That left Loray to misty-step himself through the tunnels, keeping up with he party.

The next room looked more intentional and less natural. A door stood in their way, guarded by two female Drider. Rylan raised his aura and shouted “Let me see my grandmother, godsdamnit!”

His words and power worked just enough or them to move their spears aside and, in a moment of clarity, one of them said “You’ll have to hurry!”

Brioche blew though the door and Loray - last through the door - barely dodged a spear thrust in his direction. Out of range of Rylan’s aura, the two female Drider had reverted to their previous state - looking and acting much like their passenger had just moments ago. They gave chase, and though Ruinfea and Thea asked their passenger (named Nilshod, it came to be) what could be done, he merely chuckled weakly. He was a \*male\* Drider, after all.

And now the party found themselves in the “city center” of the Demonweb Pits, and all the eyes of the main colony were now on them.

So. Many. Eyes.

“She‘ll be down below,” Nilshod said, and Ruinfea shouted louder “He said down!” And so down the went - flying and climbing and misty-stepping as manly things with even more legs persuaded them in a mass of bodies that would put the largest stampeded to shame.

The went down for some time, and through shouted conversation came up with a plan: everyone would do what they could to distract Lolth while Garrett tried to claim the spear and, if possible, cast Greater Restoration.

Some of their pursuers abandoned transitional means of mobility and gave themselves over to gravity, but as they burst through another set of doors and entered a large chamber, they ended the chase.

Lolth was huge and large and prominent and gargantuan - ad slumped over at the waist. A long silver spear pinned her to the ground, piercing her back.

“How long has she been like this?” Garrett or Rylan aksed.

“How long? Days . . .”

Garrett saw that he was near the spear and, acting on impulse, threw himself off Brioche and onto Lolth’s back, landing within arm’s reach of the spear.

Lolth started to imitate a fling reaction with her eight human arms, but Rylan counteracted with Sentinel - forcing Lolth to focus on him instead of Garrett - and Ruinfea cast another of her Woes.

As Garrett reached towards the spear he noticed the party take other actions.

Fuego did something with his pendant - the stone of destiny - and Garrett saw it glow briefly before he felt sunlight above him, the rays shining down on his paws seemed to give him an added power of some kind.

Thea shouted words of Bardic Inspiration, and in his mind he heard Ruinfea say “I don’t have a spell but I know you can do this”

In front of him Rylan cast a kind of Channel Divinity called Nature’s Wrath that seemed to keep Lolth from making too much movement, almost like she was being wrapped in a large, warm blanket and rocked to sleep. And then Rylan cast another spell of some kind and Garrett would swear that he saw a kind of celestial power reinforce Rylan.

Garrett touched the spear, and as soon as his fur touched the metal something happened in his mind.

Garrett became fully in touch with his ancestors, and in that moment he came to the awful, sickening realization that he was the sole survivor of his family - perhaps even the sole survivor of all the Harengon in Sildeyuir. He could tell that his parents had passed over some time ago, but his siblings  . . . his friends his community . . .  his clan . . . were gone.

Not just gone. Annihilated.

They had been some of the first to stand against the Root of War, and though each of them fought back in their own way, they fell one by one and . . . didn’t make it. The Root of War considered them so . . . inconsequential . . .  that he didn’t even bother to come in person, but rather delegated their destruction to his lieutenants.

They brought with them a finality in fire. The towers of the Star Elves crumbled and the knowledge they contained - which Garrett had only scratched the surface of - blackened into char before wafting away. The forests were uprooted and the meadows scorched and the waters boiled away. The standing stones cracked and split. The creatures of the forest were overtaken by smoke and flame and then Garrett understood there was no “home” to go back to.

Ever.

And then . . .

And then . . .

And then Garrett’s paw fully wrapped around the shaft of the spear and he was brought back to the here and now.  The spear moved in his paw, a kind of living metal, and it shifted to be Garrett-sized. The light above him seemed to grow further away and yet wider and the air in the cavern shifted and Garrett knew that the spear had accepted him - and with it he was fully aware he had a choice to make:

He could leave the poison to spread in Lolth, eventually taking her life, or he could end it and heal her.

Garrett closed his eyes and thought, “there were spiders in the forest, too” as he pulled the spear from out Lolth’s back and thought the word “heal”.

Lolth looked up at the party, many of whom had good auras or spells up about them. So many adventurers had come for her before; she looked terrified. They all spoke at once, but Garrett thought she paid a tad more attention to him. Perhaps it was because he now held the spear that had so recently been buried in her back.

“Will you be okay?” Garrett asked with genuine concern.

Lolth rolled her shoulders and stepped out of her spider carapace a delicate Drow woman - leaving Garrett standing on the hollow husk.

The light above seemed to swallow her (in Garrett’s eyes) and he heard her say “We will meet again. And thank you.”

It was not lost on Garret that Lolth must know what he was, and that to say Thank You to a Fey was a serious thing.

With Nilshod as a guide - fully recovered just as Lolth appeared fully recovered - they made their way out of the Demonweb Pits. Nilshod, it turned out, had shockingly white hair, and Garrett thought Thea looked perhaps a bit taken with his looks.

Back at the entrance with the guard tower, they debated where to go next. The Lodge? Morad? Ruinglast? And then Rylan said, “I think someone else may have some input” and the Erlkönig stepped out of a nearby shadow.

“Indeed, I may have a place indeed,” he said, opening a doorway.

Stepping through, the party found themselves in a calm garden outside a tavern in the untouched world of Gael Aethal.

### **For Everything There Is A Season**

Garrett had heard of this place in Thea’s stories, and he knew that Ruinfea in particular thought fondly of the many mushroom dragons that lived in Gael Aethal. But this place was unknown to him by reputation, and at this point he was going on adrenaline and the often listless energy that comes with truly life-changing tragedy. A Drow with a pleasant expression on her face came out of the tavern and seemed to recognize the others; as she called a greeting Garrett collapsed on a nearby bench.

He stared off into nothing as he tried to make sense of all the chaos he was feeling. He only partly heard Rylan explain to the woman (whose name was Sinanna) how they came to be there, and out of the corner of his eye saw Ruinfea and Fuego and Thea carry Nilshod inside. And then Rylan was sitting down beside him and Garrett felt an arm being placed gently around him.

For the first time since picking up the Spear of Lugh, Garrett allowed his emotions to wash over him and he found himself burying into Rylan’s side as his own breath became both rapid and shallow. Rylan spoke.

“What’s important to remember is that they loved you to the very end - of that I am sure. They were loyal and brave and courageous and you don’t need to feel guilty for not being there or for not doing more.”

“So you know what happened?”

“No, but I know that look. We’ve all seen it too often since Jii . . .” Rylan’s voice trailed off. “I know what that look means.”

“There’s nothing left . . .” Garrett began and then changed his thought. “We’re going to kill him, right?”

“The Root of War?”

“Yes”

“I swear by [and here Garrett could not tell everything that Rylan swore by, only that they were many, varied, and important] that we will not give up until he is defeated. But right now we’re going to sit here for as long as you want for you to feel whatever you need to.”

“How do you always know what to say?”

“I don’t; I just make it up as I go.”

“Well, it works for me.”

And Rylan held Garrett tighter and the two sat there until Garrett felt sure the others would wonder where they had gone off to. As he stirred, Rylan said “I imagine you could use something to eat. Is there something you enjoyed back home that might bring you comfort?”

“Well . . . Imagine hashbrowns made of alfalfa grass . . .

“Oh that’s brilliant! And have you every had latkes? Or pierogi? Oh, it looks like we’re having hand foods - it seems like it’s been so long since last I cooked!”

Rylan favored his leg as they walked inside, and Garrett was more than happy to take his time with his best friend. Ash meowed beside him as she rubbed up against his leg - the kind of meow that cats give when they know a person is hurting in some deep way.

Garrett took a breath. “Looks like you and I are what’s left. We’ll be sure to do them proud, right, buddy?” Ash seemed to walk a little taller at that.

They entered the tavern to find the others had gone upstairs where Sinanna had looked over Nilshod and determined that what he needed most was rest.

“And now that you’re all here,” she said “maybe one of you could tell me why the moon is purple?”

“My fur was purple once,” Garett said, “But that was due to a potion. I don’t think this is the same thing.”

“Actually, Garrett, that might not be entirely true,” Rylan said “This may be my fault, too.” And then Rylan explained to Sinanna how they had set out to restore Lolth to Araushnee. As they talked, Thea began fiddling with the Pet Bag of Holding and soon enough Butters was out and snuggling next to Nilshod and barking (though “borfing” would be a more accurate term).

Thea looked puzzled as she looked down at her Speak with Animals tattoo - it was faded. Some of Rylan’s tattoos were faded as well, and Garrett tried (unsuccessfully) to cover his eyes to see if his Darkvision tattoo was still working. Failing at that, he began crawling under the bed.

“I promise I haven’t gone insane; I’m just testing my tattoo!” Garrett called out. Above him, Fuego cast “Speak with Animals” and they were able to explain to Butters what was going on, and Butters said he was just trying to make Nilshod feel better.

Under the bed, Garrett’s eyes didn’t truly adjust to the darkness. “Nope; not working!” And as he crawled out from under the bed his paw brushed up against something. Coming back out into the light, he saw it was a pouch, and opening it he discovered dried beans.

“Are they magic?” Ruinfea asked.

“I don’t think so,” Garrett said, “but I’m going to hold on to them just in case.”

Sinanna and Rylan had been talking about how the Third Family now bore four Treasures of the Tuatha Dé Danann, and was explaining how the Spear of Lugh had been thrown through the planes and pierced Lolth.

“It pinned her to the wall . . .” Garrett observed quietly.

“Indeed,” Rylan agreed. “By removing the spear we aided Loth in her . . . reformation as  Araushnee.”

“And where is the spear now?” Sinanna asked.

“Where it should have been all along,” was Rylan’s simple, yet direct reply.

Thea brought up the idea of taking a rest, and Rylan said it would be a good idea if they all got a full eight hours if possible. Leaving Nilshod with Butters for the time being, they went back downstairs.

Sinanna went outside and gathered iridescent herbs to offer at a nearby shrine to Eilistraee; they let her be without disturbance.

Brioche lit the fire in the fireplace. Garrett and Ruinfea had not seen her do this in her elf form and both were suitably impressed. Ruinfea went out to say hello to the mushroom dragons; Fuego went off to meditate; and Rylan made himself busy in the kitchen. Garrett heard him talking out loud to Sinanna’s own mushroom dragon.

Garrett settled in near the fire between Brioche and Thea. Brioche seemed to be relishing the heat, and Thea was consulting her book - which now bore a new symbol, Garrett saw: a book seemingly sprouting flowers and held in two hands. Her face seemed happy and sad and joyful and sorrowful all at once. Bittersweet, that was the word.

Garrett stared into the fire and started to work some metal as he tried to make sense of things, pausing periodically to make notes as well.

***GARRETT’S INNER THOUGHTS***

*Garrett had been running practically ever since being freed from the thicket. He hadn’t just been running from danger into danger, he’d also been running from certainty and closure.   It was one thing to suspect that things have gone horribly, disastrously wrong. But there is an odd kind of comfort in knowing the truth of the matter - no matter how awful - rather than pure speculation. He  found himself with the cold comfort of no longer needing to choose between his home and the world. The choice was made for him.*

*He was grateful for his family and people standing against the Root of War, though he did wonder when that final attack had come.*

*Garrett went though some questioning along the lines of “what if I had been there”. Emotionally that’s where he wanted to be, but remembering Rylan’s words and looking at the big picture he realized that if he had been there nothing would have changed for Sildeyuir  and who knows what would have changed for the Third Family - his friends; his found family.*

*What Garrett had initially though of as failures at returning home were not failures, but a kind of success on his peoples’ part. The ways in were not shut to keep him out; they were shut in an attempt to keep the Root of War in. Even the blight witch played a part, keeping him “safe” until the Third Family could find him and he could take his place in their company.*

*He wondered - but only briefly - if Oberon knew, but knew he couldn’t hold that against him; nor would Garrett presume to do so in any case. Oberon had always answered Garrett exactly. Perhaps the reason he was so blessed is because Oberon knew Garrett would need his saviors to become his friends to become his family - his home. Garrett had asked more than once for the ability to protect the living and the green, growing places. Perhaps Oberon granted these requests knowing the green that mattered most to Garrett is long gone. Garrett found himself even more sure in his faith.*

*Thinking on Oberon caused Garrett to think of Samhain at the Dagda’s Lodge, relieved he didn’t seek a spirit on Samhain. He could only imagine what that would’ve have done to him at that point in time.*

*Garrett realized he needed to finally and truly grieve what he has lost. There were words that  needed to be said. [It was at this point that Garrett gabbed his notebook and began purposefully writing down what he could remember of the funerary rites of the Harengon.]*

*His vision told him that it might be a good idea to suggest the party become fireproof/resistant. And maybe the large gem described by the Dagda could be a spell casting focus/amplifier or act like a large magnifying glass to set things on fire.*

*A word came to Garrett’s mind: responsibility. He was willing to accept the responsibility of the Spear of Lugh while whatever “power” he might gain was only secondary (in contrast to those who might be out for power and ignore responsibilities). He had tried to be a good defender, but sometimes one must go on the offense - and a spear is not, usually, a defensive weapon.*

***[END INNER THOUGHTS]***

As he finished his trinket and his writing, he realized that Brioche might not be able to understand him if and when he got to say the words.

“Brioche, can you understand Sylvan?”

“Sure, Garrett.”

“Okay.”

“Why?”

“Can I tell you in the morning?”

“Sure. Keeping secrets is fun.”

Garrett thought for a moment. “Well, I can tell you tonight and maybe you’ll tell me a secret of yours?” (Garrett was hoping Brioche would tell him what illusions he might have about her; the comment made on Samhain had stayed in the back of his brain.)

“Okay!”

And Garrett told her that there was no home for him to go back to, and that there were words that should be said, but he wanted to be sure everyone could understand them. Brioche thought it mattered more that they were said right rather than that folks could understand the actual words.

“Oh, I suppose I owe you a secret. You see this sapphire?” (She had been eating gems all the while) “Well, there’s more where that came from!” And the last sapphire was munched down.

Garrett did not want to be alone and asked if Brioche would mind if Garrett and Ash spent the night downstairs too. She didn’t mind, but said that she’d be up and down a lot in the night checking on Dad (Rylan).

Thea had been engrossed in her book and looked up. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry or anything.”

“Oh no, that’s all right,” Garrett said as he settled in for the night.

### **Acquaintances Old and New**

Garrett woke next morning to the smell of a delicious breakfast being cooked by Rylan. True to his word, there were plenty of alfalfa haystacks for Garrett. Brioche was stretched out by the fire, and Thea observed that she seemed kinda sleepy. Brioche objected, but was overruled by Rylan who insisted Brioche eat some proper food rather than gems.

Ruinfea gave Brioche a look and then slipped her a pearl.

Nilshod came downstairs and Rylan took over the introductions, seeing how last time he’d been not himself and had seen Thea and Ruinfea in spider forms and Fuego swinging a large sword at him. When Rylan mentioned his name, Garrett waved a paw.

Nilshod had not heard of the Third Family, which delighted Rylan. (“It’s been a long time since this’s happened!”) In trying to find events Nilshod remembered, it seemed he’d lost 600 years of time.

And Garrett thought he had had it bad . . .

Nilshod gave his name as Atreyu Nilshod, and the name seemed to trigger something in Rylan’s memory. Telepathically, Rylan shared that there was as story in the legends surrounding Lolth that a very, very long time ago a series of adventurers had been sent out by Corellon to defeat Lolth. One by one the adventurers fell until only Atreyu Nilshod, Paladin of Corellon remained. Engaged in combat with Lolth, Nilshod had called upon his god to help him deliver the killing blow. Legends said that, had Corellon chosen to answer, he ay have been victorious. But Corellon chose instead to abandon him to Lolth’s curse, and the Weaver of Destiny saw before her not a Paladin of Corellon but an oathbreaker with no god to claim him - and she took her opportunity.

“And let me guess, you actually feel you’re no longer a Paladin at all?” Rylan hazard as he confirmed these facts with Nilshod. “That may be our fault. Lolth is Araushnee once more, and while the Church has been preparing, I imagine there are quite a number of confused former Paladins waking up today.”

Rylan continued

“And now, we must be off. I imagine as soon as we pass the city boundary Tiago will find us and be on his way.”

It was at this point that Sinanna interjected and said that “The Lady has decided it is time for us to rejoin the world.”

“But, if you wanted this place as a haven . . .” Rylan objected with some concern.

“The Lady has decided.”

Garrett spoke up, and rather awkwardly explained that, if they were going to be on their way, there were some things he had to say because they were important, and without a guarantee of future rest or safety, he wanted to make sure they got said. He told them how there was no home for him to go back to, and that rites out to be said, and he invited his friends to listen as he prayed for those he lost.

*Moon and stars bear witness and earth, air, fire, and water carry these words to the ears of my lord Oberon:*

*Garrett Sieger, son of Kare and Hurja, minor inheritor of the knowledge of the star elves, companion of the Third Family, loyal servant and blessed artificer of the Green Lord, Strange Wolf of the Queen of Air and Darkness, Claimed by the Spear of Lugh, and Child of the Feywild speaks for the dead of Sildeyuir who fell defying the Root of War, that these words might stand in favor of those denied final rights and proper burial.*

*I speak for the Harengons Sarto, Asker, and Casus Sieger, and for all the Harengon of Sildeyuir; for the beasts and creatures both great and small; and for the forests and streams and rivers and meadows of Sildeyuir.*

*The hare runs into the fire.*

*The fire, it takes them, they are not burned.*

*The fire, it takes them, they are not burned.*

*The hare runs into the fire.*

*The fire, it loves them, they are free . . .*

When he was finished he breathed a deep sigh.

“Garrett you’ve done it again.” Rylan said. “Why did you think I wanted to go to the capitol? They deserve to be known and remembered and honored as the heroes they are.”

“Oh, I’ve messed it all up,” said Garrett sadly.

“You haven’t messed up anything,” Rylan assured him. “But you’ve once again decided that you’re somehow lesser or not worth time or effort. I know your heart is in the right place, but believe me when I say you were destined to  take your place with us. You are exactly where you need to be.”

“It’s like a funeral right, Garrett?” Brioche asked.

“yes”

“So isn’t there a ritual?”

“There should have been days of feasting and telling of tales and dancing and . . . And I can’t just let them go with nothing . . .”

“This is for family,” Rylan said, “And one day there will be a proper funeral for them all. they will not be forgotten.”

Thea, Goddess of Stories that she is, said "we can plan to have a memorial for them, and all we have lost at the eventual tavern/tea room"

“That would be perfect”

Fuego offered Garrett a place to stay in Ruinglast, and Rylan in Menzoberranzan, and Ruinfea in Paridon, and Thea in her eventual tavern and then Thea said. “You will not be homeless, Garrett of Many Homes” (And Garrett mentally added “Harengon of Many Homes to his list of titles.”

And then the walked out into the day and towards the outskirts of the city as Sinanna began the ritual that would place Gael Aethal back in its proper time and place.

There was a crack and thunder and lightning and then Tiago was standing in front of them - looking much older than Garrett had anticipated. Everyone else seemed taken aback.

“What happened?” Rylan called out while both he and Thea cast restoration and healing spells - which had no effect.

Tiago was acting the crotchety old man as he explained that there were problems enough.

In terms of time, only two months had passed since the others had left Hilan. Tiago noticed the changes in the party, but also indicated that would be part of the later story. The southeast border had been destroyed and the Root of War had entered. His army was spreading, taking over many of the port cities and - last Tiago heard - had taken Limdell. Ruinfea gasped at this.

Tiago lamented that there were not many legends left in Hilan, to which Rylan pointed out that things had changed since last they spoke face-to-face. He was aware of his own change in stature, but not that Thea was the Goddess of Stories, that Fuego was the Merlin, that Ruinfea was herself a Dread Lord.

Tiago then explained that Koschei had Mystra in chains, and with the center of the Weave thus entangled, the ebb and flow of magic was unpredictable.

Many thought the Root of War was headed for Rapture, but Tiago (and Rylan) discounted this. Rapture was a pleasure city and held no real value for the Root of War or his plans. They ventured that his army would go to the Great Plains, where the skies had been cut open and the ground cracked wide. (Garrett wondered internally if that was caused by the very spear he carried)

And if that weren’t enough, his army seemed to be filled with the ranks of those that fell, compelled by a large crystal the Root of War carried with him.

With more information now than they had at the Dagda’s lodge, Thea and Fuego were able to identify the object as the Relic of Forced March - and to defeat it, they would need to destroy it. It was just a construct, after all, so breaking it would likely break its power, but they would have to get close enough to it first. It was very likely that only those of high wisdom and charisma would even have a chance to remain unaffected by it.

When Garrett remarked that that was definitely not him, Rylan reminded them all that they got bonuses being close to him.

Faced with these three problems they decided to deal with Koschei first: they would need magic if they had any hope of breaking the Relic of Forced March or of defeating the Root of War. They might be able to use Koschei’s phylactery to help destroy the Relic of Forced March. They needed to destroy the Relic to keep the Root of War’s forces from being replenished.

“Do any of you know soul or blood magic? Because that’s what you’ll need to do anything with Koschei’s egg” Tiago said, after they outlined their thoughts and plans and Fuego’s vision.

Nilshod did, and good thing - no one else did.

Together, they formed a plan: Tiago would open a portal to the egg, and while the Third Family dealt with it and Koschei, he would go to Gra’atz and call in Rylan’s favor to aid his magic.

Tiago opened a portal and they saw a cavern under a great black ocean. A wooden box on a pedestal emanated dark power.

“Can we breathe in that?” asked Garrett.

Rylan said that the cave looked to be an air pocket, and Ruinfea said that if necessary she could transform them all into sea creatures.

“We’ll call that ‘Plan D’” Fuego said.

“For dumb?” Ruinfea asked.

For Danger (Garrett)

For Desperate (Fuego)

For Done with This Shit (Rylan)

For Damn It (Thea)

They entered, and Rylan cast Plant Growth to pull the box wowed them. Looking though its glass top they saw a large goose egg.

Nilshod began patting his pockets (he was wearing some of Fuego’s fine clothing) and realized he had no weapon.

Rylan handed him Twisted Fate, and Garrett warned him not to cut himself.

“But I need blood,” Nilshod began

“It’s a very magic blade that you do not want to get stuck with. Use this instead.” And both Rylan and Fuego passed him a dagger.

Nilshod cut his forearm and blood began pooling on the glass; Thea stood ready by his side.

A sharp sound announced the arrival of Koschei: clothed in golden armor and with a crown on his head, he carried with him a wicked blade that looked like it could cleave a person in two even without magic. His beard was combed and his eyes were bright and alert - this was a much different Koschei than the one that had left them in the Frost Prince’s court. This Koschei was well fed with food and souls.

Placing the point of the sword on the ground, he squared off against the Third Family and Nilshod and smiled.

“I thought you’d never come”

### **Written by the Victor**

Koschei stood before the Third Family in his own lair; the cold rose as the last bit of warmth and outside light faded with Tiago’s portal closing. He strode forward, his long cape fluttering out behind him - fluttering not from wind, but from scurrying hands and pressing faces into the very fabric itself. He smiled as he laughingly said, “I must say it has been some time since anyone has challenged me here. Good for you! Now, everyone knows what happens next . . . but if you just hand it over, we could cut a deal.”

“Just come out and say it,” Rylan rejoined. “Surrender.”

“That is one way of looking at it,” Koschei began before Rylan cut him off.

“Oh, not us. You.”

“Such big words. Come, children - I do enjoy a jest and jape but this has gone on long enough.”

“Indeed you have. Death comes for us all.” Fuego countered.

“I am deathless . . .”

“For now,” Garrett stuck in.

“There have others that have said that,” Fuego continued.

“None said it before me.”

“Oh. Bless your heart.” Ruinfea uttered, and the sickeningly sweet savagery made all their other comments pale in comparison.

“Let’s do this already,” Rylan nearly sighed as Ruinfea took up an additional defensive position next to Thea.

Fuego cast Foresight on her before he raged, attacking Koschei with Trinity’s Edge, landing a critical hit and earning a Hellish Rebuke in return - which did nothing, given Fuego’s invulnerability to fire.

Koschei looked at Fuego. “That’s adorable.”

Rylan cast a cantrip that Koschei simply shrugged off. He did not shrug off his attacks with clave solace and other magical weapons, which dealt over 300 points of damage.

Ruinfea attacked with a guiding bolt while Thea cast Mind Spike on Koschei while giving bardic inspiration to Garrett.

Before Garrett could act, Koschei responded. He cast Shunt (similar to misty step) , breaking Thea’s Mind Spike and bringing himself right in front of her as he began summoning a Storm of Vengeance - the first rumblings of which deafened Ruinfea.

Thea replied with Hellish Rebuke and Koschei responded by cleaving his sword downward at Thea. Ruinfea had the presence of mind to cast a Woe on him, and it distracted him just enough that the sword missed Thea entirely - though the sword gently caressed her ear such that she would later swear it screamed with the voices of the damned. Unnerved, Koschei slammed Thea in the chest with the pommel of his sword, and though she remained upright, it seemed it did more harm than one would suspect - it had been enhanced with the Harm spell.

“Well, that was rude,” Rylan said drily.

Too late to help Ruinfea, Garrett nonetheless cast Aura of Purity on the party as Loray ran forward with his scimitars drawn. The first one missed, but the second was an arc of fire and when it hit Koschei it gave off a spark of light.

“That’s a smite spell! That’s a smite spell!” Thea practically shouted while Loray looked at his scimitars as if seeing them for the first time with an expression that Garrett now knew all too well meant “what the hell?”

“You’re a paladin!” Rylan shouted

“I’m a what?” Loray shouted back.

Atreyu continued his work; linked telepathically, he indicated to Rylan and Rylan to the rest that he would need about four rounds of combat to undo the protections on the egg. During that time he would be unable to fight back or otherwise defend himself without losing his progress.

Brioche in her elf-form charged forward with no words, only screams, and hit Koschei with smite slots of her own - evidenced by two beams of light as her hits landed. She returned to riposte and squared off. “You big bully,” she spat at him.

Koschei cast a 9th level Time Ravage on Thea; thankfully she avoided the worst effects of the spell, though she did take a significant amount of necrotic damage.

Thea again countered with Hellish Rebuke as the Storm of Vengeance cast down acid rain.

As Atreyu continued working, time began to go out of order, or so it seemed.

Koschei attacked Atreyu, and as he raised his sword Rylan used an attack of opportunity to deal 228 additional points of damage to him. Koschei finished his attack, his sword burying into Atreyu’s armor but not breaking it. It was as Koschei drew the sword across Atreyu’s chest that it found a gap and wounded him, though Atreyu himself displayed no physical reaction that Garrett could see.

Ruinfea screamed “hey fucker look over here,” as she cast another guiding bolt on him and Rylan used his Channel Divinity to try to wrest control of Koschei’s sword. It seemed they were evenly matched as they ought over it, with Rylan sending Atreyu a telepathic message: “hold on, dear.”

Koschei, unable to move thanks to Rylan’s thorns, seemed terribly mad that he couldn’t reach him. Instead he looked to Fuego; the mere action of which earned him another Woe from Ruinfea. Koschei exhaled and moved his cape, revealing a chasm in the shadows - a pocket dimension he’d created to carry with him - and a dozen zombies (fast and quick) rushed out of the pit and swarmed into a loose formation.

The Storm of Vengeance continued its acid rain as Koschei targeted Fuego with a Finger of Death, dealing 82 points of necrotic damage and stunning him in place.

Gripping the Spear of Lugh tightly, Garrett now rushed forward. Koschei was wearing plate armor, but Garrett was an Artificer and knew that some joints were more susceptible to breaking than others. Using his height as leverage, Garrett thrust the spear upward and found the joint he was looking for under Koschei’s armpit. There was a flash of silver energy as Koschei’s body jumped and ricocheted, jerking with the power surging through it before he fell to the ground, lifeless.

Atreyu was still working; this wasn’t over yet.

Ruinfea conjured eight angry badgers.

Fuego dropped his rage and readied himself to cast spells.

Thea used Misty Step to move Atreyu out of Koschei’s immediate reach.

Garrett initially thought to take Koschei’s sword, but thought better of touching it, and seeing that Rylan held it in his thorns, Garrett instead took up a position next to Brioche. He had made promises, after all, and he was somewhat pleased even in the middle of battle when she squared off next to him - the two of them facing off against Koschei side-to-side.

As Koschei rose from the ground, Ruinfea shot him with a critical hit of guiding bolt.

He looked at the her. “Oh, now I understand.”

“Do you?” Ruinfea mocked him. “I don’t think so,” she said sarcastically as she shot him again.

Koschei turned his attention on Brioche as he cast Circle of Death on her. the armor Garrett had made for her did its job and the damage was hardly a scratch on her. “Oh, fuck you!” Brioche shouted, visibly annoyed that she hadn’t been able to take another swing at Koschei yet.

Loray tried attacking with his scimitars again but missed, and Fuego and Koschei held a brief spell duel - with Fuego casting and Koschei resisting or counterspelling.

Atreyu continued his work.

Rylan stepped behind Koschei using Misty Step and, taking him by surprise, dealt a rather large amount of damage.

Garrett ran forward again and tried hitting Koschei with the spear, succeeding in hitting him once with the pointy end and once with the butt end, adding a dose of Arcane Jolt for good measure.

Enraged, Koschei cast Hellish Rebuke on him, but it was counterspelled by Thea, who then reached out and lay a single finger on his wrist, giving him a Touch of Golden Ice.

Koschei Shunted away again, this time encasing Thea in solid stone walls of a Force Cage. He turned back to Fuego and used a legendary action against him, leaning forward and whispering something in his ear that none of them could make out.

Linked telepathically, they could feel Fuego’s memory of being greeted by Meme as he shared that he’d thought of the perfect name for their daughter. “Her name will be Kava, and she will be amazing,” he said, caressing the egg. And as around them all the Storm of Vengeance entered its fifth level a silence fell on the battlefield. Fuego’s thoughts lifted and to the others in the Soul Bond it felt like fog lifting in the morning sun . . . and Fuego was gone, taken from them by Power Word Kill.

Koschei stood over his lifeless form, looking at Rylan and Thea and Ruinfea and Loray and Garrett with a look that matter-of-factly said “See? I told you so,” while out loud he said “Now we fight . . . . let’s play this straight.”

Ruinfea cast Feeble Mind but perhaps the grief of losing Fuego was too much for her and it rolled off Koschei like water off a duck’s back.

Rylan cast Chill Touch on him before unloading a flurry and fury of blows and hits and stabbing that brought Koschei to the ground. Rylan shot him in the heart with rays of light and, with tears streaming down his face, screamed “Take that, you fucking litch. That’s two.”

Meanwhile, in the Force Cage, Thea had thrown a brief fit before sitting down and opening her book to read about what was happening outside. She felt along with the others the vacuum of silence as Fuego left the Soul Bond. She read how Feugo died and it did not sit right with her. This was not how it was supposed to go. Not here. Not now. Not like this.

If one were to be in the box with Thea, they would have seen lines of light flash across her face as the words from her book reflected off her. They would tell how the great Barrin Orrish, Merlin Fuego Nevermere the Stormbreaker had fallen in battle.

And now a blue light and energy passed over Thea’s face as she raised her hands over the book and erased the words as if a sandstorm blew the very words themselves off the page.

Things would be rewritten.

Back outside the Force Cage, Koschei again rose to his feet as Atreyu finished his work.

Garrett was overcome with emotion. His blood kin had been taken from him and he could do nothing. And now his found brother, one who had freed him from his long imprisonment, had been taken from Garrett as well - despite Garrett trying to give him the best tools to prevent such a thing. In him gathered a well of rage and grief and anger and retribution and justice and he put a foot forward.

“Fuck him up, Garrett,” he heard Rylan say, and then Garrett ran as if he would either run straight through Koschei or take them both to the floor. His spear found a weakness in the joint at Koschei’s groin and he pushed in the spear with a fury Garrett had not felt in a very long time, if ever.

Fighters and soldiers know when the job is done. They parry and thrust and withdraw as if in a dance. Garrett was no fighter, nor a soldier; he was an artificer. Most of his fighting was done from a distance. But as he had realized when the Spear of Lugh claimed him, spears were often an up-close-and-personal kind of weapon.

And so Garrett did not stop until the spear pierced through the backplate of Koschei’s armor with a massive pulse and push of energy, piercing Koschei the Deathless with such force that any last words he may have said were taken from him. The lich who feared death most of all and being forgotten a close second had found his end on the point of a spear wielded by a Harengon, perhaps the most unlikely of creatures to stand against him.

Garrett stared down at the body. “You goddamn fucking bastard,” he thought to himself. He let out those gaping breaths one has after a burst of intense emotion, as was so focused on that moment that he did not fully see what was happening around him.

The Force Cage disappeared and Thea stepped forth as the animated dead disappeared. Fuego’s body began to turn to dust and lift and waft into the air like sands in an hourglass . . .

“What’s going on?” Rylan asked, wracked by grief that even Feugo’s body was being stolen from them.

What had happened, happened. But Theodosia Chandler, Goddess of Stories, had decreed a different ending for Fuego.

For, unbeknownst to the party, Fuego was marked by the Endless Soul, destined to live and die and fade and come back wherever he was needed. How long this had been going on, nobody knew. But now he was supposed to be taken away and return to his homelands, probably somewhere in the mountains. And yet, the power of the unity gathered in this one place stilled his transformation. His clothes shifted and he looked out on the world with new eyes. Opening them, he said

“I’m sorry, old friend. I can’t stay long. I have to get back to my family.”

And then he got up almost as if waking from a sleep and embraced Thea and Rylan as Ruinfea dropped her star form and misty stepped to them.

The sight of Fuego coming back to life was certainly enough to break Garrett from his funk of trying to figure out how to fix this. He slowly yet purposely joined the group, standing next to them shakily.

Thea looked over at Koschei’s form and spoke in words that could only have come from a god: "I banish you from history, Koschei the Deathless. May storytellers remember your acts and deeds, but may your name never pass their lips. May your existence vanish into the sands of time, lost to the ages."

Garrett was certain that while veryone in the room would remember the name of Koschei, no one else would. Ruinfea said as much out loud, and remarked they should all just go along with it so that no one would get ideas.

In the silence that followed they heard the sounds of magic as Tiago - now looking much better if not downright refreshed - opened another portal.

“Looks like you all had quite the fight; come on everyone, come through.”

Thea walked over the Atreyu, who had been turning his hands over and over. They looked like cracked porcelain, and then Thea realized they were covered in . . . in . . .

“The egg was filled with flesh,” Atreyu said. “And I’ve never felt anything more exhilarating. I do believe this will scar.”

“Some girls like scars.”

“Are you one of them?”

“I could be convinced.”

Rylan was stepping through the portal, calling out “Luca. Luca, please,” as he began shaking. The Erlkönig appeared and put out his arms in a questioning manner. Rylan nodded and was immediately enveloped in a comforting, consuming hug.

Rylan turned his head. “Speaking of ideas, we need to do something with that,” he spat at Koschei’s form.

Brioche grinned wickedly and then proceeded to use her breath weapon to reduce him to nothing but char that mingled with the sand as the portal shut on the scene.

### **Crumbling Magic**

They returned to the tower not to calm or quiet, but to crisis. The tower itself was rocking and swaying like a ship in extremely rough seas; if not for their naturally high dexterities both Garrett and Ash would have either fallen over or gotten sick or possibly both. Others weren’t so lucky. Acting on instinct, Rylan started passing some patches to Thea - holdovers from their voyages in HIlan and Faerûn. Looking to Atreyu and Luca (at least, that’s what Rylan had called The Elderking), Rylan realized they weren’t doing well, either. Briefly in their telepathic link Garrett could have sworn he heard “it seems like we perfectly matched, then” followed by laughter from Rylan and Thea.

Tiago was busy opening another portal. “I refuse to end up like my ex wife,” he said. Garrett wondered who his ex had been, and Thea and Rylan and Fuego quickly filled him in that his ex was one of the first enemies they had faced. Lilith Stormosin had eventually met her end when Thea dropped her out a Dimension Door several hundred feet above this very tower. “I’m glad to be on your side,” Garret said.

And then the portal was open and they went through quickly, finding themselves outside on the ground. Lots of people were trying to get down by various methods; it looked like most magic users had one or two spells but tying to use more caused . . . problems.

Rylan sent a message to Brioche to help them, and with an audible “on it, Dad” she was up into the air and bringing folks down to safety, landing first in front of Rylan - who gave his daughter a look of both admiration and slight annoyance, as Brioche could now do the same job as Rylan with his wings. It was the look parents sometimes give their children when they no longer need help with a task the parent actually enjoyed doing with them.

Not trusting his wings due to the fickleness of magic at the moment, Rylan began scaling the exterior of the still-quaking tower, looking for handholds and stringing rope to help folks rappel the outside wall. Using the telepathic link, he coordinated with Garrett to shoot crossbow bolts in strategic locations to close the gaps.

Fuego rushed forward to cast mending spells on the base of the tower. He knew they wouldn’t fix anything in the long term, but hoped to buy time for anyone still trying to flee the tower. His heard was heavy for the apparent destruction of the historically significant piece of architecture.

Thea found herself in charge of the ground crews, triaging those arriving and coordinating aid. Even assisted by Tiago, it was like herding cats. And speaking of cats, Ash herself went into “emotional support cat” mode, rubbing up against folks and offering some comforting - if mechanical - purrs to those who seemed to need them.

Ruinfea tuned into an eagle and helped Brioche for a moment, but as the crumbling worsened she landed and - from Garrett’s perspective - seemed to go into a brief trance. The soul bond felt off somehow; not wrong or anything, but different.

Ruinfea had made a wish - not for the tower to be fixed, but for magic to be put back the way it was supposed to be. The magic flooded over her as before, but this time is was different, and it felt to her that something was backing up in her . . . And then she was in a calm meadow.

The green grass bowed and waved under a sunrise-tinged sky. A woman stood in front of her, not unpleasant to look at and WTH a beautiful dress that mimics the movement of the light and sky and clouds above them.

“Oh my dear Ruinfea,” she said “I am afraid that you must make a choice.”

“Why do I keep having to make these choices?” Ruinfea asked. Perhaps she meant to keep this to herself, but the woman heard and answered

“Because, Ruinfea, you are pure of heart”

“You know my name; might I know yours?”

“You already know it dear. My name was taken from me, but you know me as the Keeper of the Weave.”

“Wait. Someone took your name? Why would they do that? Tell me who did it and we’ll go beat them up.”

“They took my name because names have power. And I do believe you have already dealt with this particular thief.”

“Then what choice do I need to make?”

Mystra, Keeper of the Weave, took out four flowing orbs of light. “I have very little left to give, but I can do this. These will bless four people of your choosing with access to all the magic in them that comes from the Weave.”

Ruinfea hesitated as she tried to remember who got their power from the Weave, and when she started stammering out names “Well, we need Fuego of course, and Thea for her storytelling, and . . .” Mystra cut her off.

“My dear, time is precious. You can take these with you and use them when you see fit.”

“Oh, I thought I had to decide right now . . . But tell me, do you need help? I mean, more than this?”

“You are so polite and thoughtful. It has been many years since anyone asked me such a question. I think you should come find me.”

“I’ll put it at the top of my list,” Ruinfea promised as she returned to the world outside the Tower. Now looking at the structure, she could see that it would indeed come down, but its destruction had been slowed. Coming out of her eagle form, she started yelling at whoever was near here that there was time to do things safely but no dilly-dallying. Tiago noticed her and used Thaumaturgy to amplify her voice.

Looking to the group he said “You do what you do best; I appear to be Archmage today . . . I hate responsibility” he muttered as he walked away.

Now back together as a party, Ruinfea relayed what had happened with Mystra. They everyone and decided that Fuego and Tiago and Garrett would each get an orb, with the fourth and final blessing being saved in reserve for whoever might need it.

Ruinfea rushed over to Tiago and quickly filled him in. He was shocked that Ruinfea had seen Mystra, saying “I haven’t sat down to tea with the woman myself,” and was unsure how to  use the orb. Tiago said he might wat it like an orange or use it as an ingredient in a recipe. Ruinfea suggested he use it like she’d seen Rylan use the divine sparks: hold it over his heart and concentrate on it. He did so, and both felt and looked rejuvenated.

Tiago called Rylan over to address the magicians. Rylan greeted them as friends and explained that he knew the magic was failing, but that they were trying to help. He suggested that they begin to prepare for battle outside the weave: though much of their magic came from knowledge of the arcane, perhaps they could petition different gods of magic for their blessings. Gods like the recently-restored Araushnee or even Rylan’s stepmother.

“Ah. There’s the Paladin,” Tiago observed. “I wondered when it would come out.”

“We all have our duties,” Rylan reminded him.

And now he and Ruinfea came back over to Fuego and Garrett and showed them how to use the orbs. For Garrett, it was like waking up from a nap he didn’t know he needed.

They needed to find Mystra, but they also needed to rest. Thea and Rylan nearly simultaneously suggested going to her parent’s tavern. Making their way there, they saw military wagons outside. The tavern was not commandeered, but was being used as a strategic waypoint for both soldiers and refugees - the latter of which seemed to be wearing Spriggan garb.

They made it about twenty feet from the door when it flew open. Mrs Chandler rushed out followed slowly by Mr Chandler, who was nursing a new injury to his leg. After greeting Thea with huge hugs, she let Butters out of the bag - he was quite excited to be at Thea’s home and nearly immediately went off to find the horses Biscuits and Gravy.

Thea introduced the new members of the party, and when it came to Garrett they did not treat him as a curiosity or a child, they simply changed the direction of their eyes. Garrett knew without a doubt that Thea’s relentless kindness had been passed down from her parents. Mrs Chandler went to hug Garrett he froze for a moment. He had been through \*a lot\* in the last day or so, and he was conflicted, both wanting - if not desiring - this display of welcome and yet unsure if he could handle it. He started to return the hug, perhaps not as tight as one might expect, and he heard Rylan in his head:

“It’s okay, Garrett. I was the same when I first met them. She’ll be ready when you are.”

That comforted Garrett as he let go and looked up into Mrs Chandler’s smiling face and understanding eyes.

They went inside to eat; the menu reflecting the wartime conditions around Morad. Things weren’t crossed off, but availability varied, to put it gently. Rylan went to the kitchen, reminding Mrs Chandler that last time they’d visited he had promised to cook for them. Garrett would be unsurprised to know that as Rylan worked in the kitchen on his signature stew and small, easy family recipes that he also surreptitiously restocked the Chandler’s cabinets from his own bags.

Over food, Fuego discussed the merits of taking a rest while Thea convinced her parents to “spend the money” that she had left with them last time and Rylan conversed with Mr Chandler about his injury and how best to accommodate his leg.

And then they broke for a few hours’ rest, reconvening in the main room just after sunset. And as they began to talk of what to do next and how to find Mystra, they noticed something: no one else was in the room, not even the Chandlers, who would surely have been preparing for the evening rush, if not already in the thick of it.

And then the door opened, letting in a cold and dark that had not been there moments before. Koschei, dressed in rags and now leaning on a walking stick, entered the room and looked at the party with tired eyes. “Would anyone care to buy me a pint and show a little kindness for a parched man?”

Rylan reached for his knives, Fuego began moving his hands, and Garrett started to reach for the spear, which was now never far from him.

“Oh, there’s no need for all that. You earned something from me, but the manner of our parting was so abrupt I did not have the chance to fill my end of the bargain. You’ve left me with unfinished business, you see.”

And now Koschei was crossing the threshold to the table and sitting down in an empty chair that Garrett did not remember being there. Rylan gestured next to him at a plate of crusty bread and nearby salt - the bare minimum of hospitality.

“I’m not one to turn down hospitality,” Koschei said as he ground a piece of bread until coated in salt and then placing it in his mouth.

“Now, let’s not waste words. The place I’m sending you is rather unpleasant at the moment.”

“You killed me you son of a bitch,” Fuego spat out, finding his words at last. Seeing Fuego’s emotions brought a smile to Koschei’s face.

“So, nameless dead,” Rylan said “tell us.”

“What do you know of the Knights of Mystic Fire?”

“They are are church dedicated to Mystra. Some members band together to locate hoards of ancient magic, like the legends of the Round Table. Many become protective Paladins, and are so well known that there’s nearly one in every town. The largest church is in Lymdell, as far as I can recall,” Rylan said.

“Yes. At least, they were when I left it,” Koschei said.

“You were there at its sacking, weren’t you?” Rylan asked demandingly. “Come to think, of it why aren’t you at The Wall right now?”

“As I said, unfinished business.”

“And the fact that you are still here tells me you haven’t told us everything. Out with it, or I will find just how persuasive Death can be,” Rylan countered.

Koschei sighed. “You know what Paladin blood does to holy ground?”

“It sanctifies it.”

“Yes. Or it can de sanctify it, depending. It’s supposed to make necromancy quite impossible. Of course, it becomes much less effective when the vigilant protectors are gone.”

“You set a trap, didn’t you?” Ruinfea accused.

“When one’s Paladins begin dropping quickly, gods tend to notice,” Koschei said, reaching for another piece of bread.

“Hospitality gets you one, old man,” Rylan cut him off with his fork menacingly before turning to Luca and saying “I trust in your judgment for his destination.”

“Sometimes The Wall is too good,” Luca agreed. To everyone else he said “Anyone who does not wish to follow him should look away.”

Garrett did so. If he had looked, he would have seen Koschei’s already loose skin fall further as Luca spread his arms wide and caused oblivion to stare Koschei in the face. Everything fell into the silence of the void, interrupted briefly by the clattering of a walking stick as Koschei walked forward, compelled by Luca to enter his embrace. And then Koschei was gone.

At that moment Butters returned and told Thea of his adventures in the barn and how he’d tried to make friends with Biscuits and Gravy but things didn’t go according to plan. Butters thought about transforming into a horse - he was Fey, after all - and mentioned that Garrett might want to ride him into battle.

When Thea shared that with the rest of the party, it sparked a discussion of Garrett and how various party members had carried him into the fray. Garrett blushed a bit when Rylan declared that he wouldn’t dream of going into a fight without Garrett if it could be helped, and Brioche piped up  that she enjoyed fighting along side him as well.

And then it was time to go. Thea brought her vardo around and folks began climbing in. Butters had transformed himself into a Percheron, and Thea had to adjust the harnesses to accommodate him at the front. She then helped Ruinfea, whoa as trying to find a tree to transport them to Lymdell immediately rather than taking two weeks or more on the road through hostile territory. Ruinfea was momentarily distracted by a shrubbery until Thea turned her around, and then had to admit she had the spell wrong all along and really did need the shrubbery after all. Casting the spell Ruinfea climbed inside the vardo and Thea took her place up front with Atreyu - and Garrett between them.

### **Keeper of the Weave**

The vardo exited a tree near the temple to Corellon in Lymdell. They saw signs enacting military law, establishing curfew, and declaring the Root of War the new monarch in Lymdell.

Thea expertly handled the vardo through the streets until stopping within sight of the temple to Mystra. Guards were largely absent from what they could see, but high on the walls stood three guards with a clear view of the temple. If they happened to turn around at the wrong moment, of if alerted by an unexpected noise, things could change very quickly indeed.

Rylan cast Dancing Lights on the other side of the wall to distract them and then Pass Without Trace on the party as they crept to the temple door in single file. Heraldry adorned it, surrounded by a star. Rylan then used Divine Sense to deduce that evil was present, and that someone had used the Hallow spell recently. The evil auras moved and meandered in undead patterns centered on the interior altar.

Fuego could see them briefly though the soot-covered windows, and Garrett realized the soot was outside and could be wiped off if one were so inclined.

Ruinfea and Thea could tell for certain there were 12 undead inside.

Peering inside by various means, they saw a staff inside, upright on the floor. Its circular top encased a star-shaped corrupted gem.

As they made their initial plans, something changed.

The staff emitted a pulse from within, and they felt a change in the air as a wave of energy cast a shadow on the ground inside. The shadows themselves began to grow and shift, and then an arm emerged . . . and another . . .  and another . . . until four arms lifted a woman up out of the shadows. She looked nothing like the woman Riunfea had met in the meadow. Wether this woman had been changed or corrupted or perhaps even drained was impossible to tell, but she was unmistakably Mystra.

### **Dealing with Dark!Mystra**

The party stealthily entered the temple and found themselves in an outer hallway or corridor surrounding the central room of the temple.

Dark!Mystrasat up like a tiger in its lair. She was wrapped in cloth and shadow and grime and dirt, and her skin – which seemed too tight for comfort – was cracked like fissures in dry earth. Her eyes were . . . wrong, bulbous yet sunken, and she opened her mouth wide to reveal a set of fangs not meant for her. She rose up into the air, where she seemed to float as if in water. To watch her was to watch something moving unnaturally, as if one were watching a film constantly yet jerkily rewinding. Her mouth moved in speech, yet Garrett could not make out what she was saying.

Dark!Mystrawalked toward her altar on her tiptoes, stepping on tiptoe as one would on a floor covered in broken glass. Approaching one of her paladins, she laid her hands on him and whispered something in his ear. He rose, nodded, and walked to the right; Garrett could see a broadsword on his back. And then Dark!Mystrawas crossing back in front of the altar – still with jagged movements – and laid hand on yet another paladin. This one, too rose, nodded, and then headed to the left. This one held a two-handed claymore out before him.

The others assembled in the desecrated temple seemed engaged in some kind of ritualistic prayer, uttering in various languages a nearly silent mantra. Rylan, with his knowledge of both languages and speaking in code, realized that the supplicants were talking backwards. Translating telepathically with the party, he relayed that their prayers involved plucking the weave of the tapestry free and burning it.

No sooner had this information been relayed than the two paladins emerged from opposite ends of the hallway yet nearly perfectly in synch with their pace and movements of their heads as they scanned the hallway. In particular, the one with the broadsword wore a helm that seemed to give the impression that he was looking right at the party.

Thinking back on Rylan’s abilities, Garrett recalled that paladins could sense good and evil easier than most. And then he was somewhat shocked to discover that, in a moment of introspection, his own alignment had changed. When he had first joined the party, he had been neutral. But Garrett could not deny that his choices and actions spoke to a good alignment. Particularly given the responsibilities entrusted to him, Garrett felt he should have discovered this before, but told himself it wasn’t something we was looking for. Chaotic good – that was new; he wondered what alignment Ash would have, if Ash could have one. Probably neutral; Ash was still very much a cat, after all.

All of that passed through Garrett’s mind in a flash as he watched the claymore paladin begin swinging his sword in broad and wild arcs. From the tip of the blade a dark energy emerged. Garrett got the impression that the paladin could sense the party was there but not their exact position, and so was trying to put them off guard by being unpredictable.

In their telepathic link, they quickly accessed their options. For better or worse, battle would need to be enjoined. Perhaps most distressingly, no one was sure how to cure Dark!Mystraand return her to her true self – other than killing her and allowing her to return after a rest of indeterminate length. They did not want to take her shards to create a new “Mystra” like had been done with Oghma; they wanted Mystra back as Mystra.

Rylan, Brioche, Luca, and Ruinfea(in chameleon form) darted into the central temple before the paladins could get too close and close off the entryway. Fuego and Atreyufollowed, planning to stay between Dark!Mystraand the hallway. Thea, Garrett/Ash, and Loraywould try to handle the paladins.

Fuego seemed determined to draw attention to himself and perhaps buy the party a bit more time, breaking his stealth with a brilliant casting of chain lightning amplified by channel divinity, followed quickly by a fireball perfectly sculpted so as to miss his friends. For a moment it seemed that he intended to reverse the gravity around Dark!Mystra, but she counterspelledit as one would wipe away words from a chalkboard. The look on Fuego’s face showed that he felt something inside.

Luca moved forward to aid Rylan so that he would still be able to flank Dark!Mystra.

Brioche stuck toward the outer walls and climbed a column into the rafters, transforming into her dragon form and breathed down a cone of fire on Mystra, who avoided the flame by flickering in and out of existence – or so it seemed.

The claymore paladin focused on Fuego and attacked him, hitting him twice and missing once. Fuego reacted by casting some form of lightning damage, which the paladin shrugged off and then began engulfing himself with a dark shadowy aura that was quickly counterspelledby Thea. He then looked down at his hands before looking around again and then opening up his aura completely, surrounding himself with a horrendous negative energy.

Up in the rafters near Brioche, Ruinfeamade good use of her Monk skills to quickly close the gap and position herself nearly directly above Dark!Mystra.

Garrett took aim athe claymore paladin, who seemed to be the most pressing concern, and quickly fired off two Bolts of Escalating Retort before slamming a Brandishing Smite spell on the bow. One of the bolts barely missed but the other buried itself deep in his right shoulder.

The paladin looked back at Garrett and, almost without breaking his gaze, reached back with his sword and cut the head of the ballista off, pushing the bolt out, and spending the rest of his action with his hand deep inside the wound.

Rylan attacked Dark! Mystra directly with his paired swords for incredible damage and then used his cunning action to hide behind Luca, seemingly melting into shadow and air.

Using a twisted blade grip, Atreyutook a swing at the paladin with the broadsword, landing a hit around the paladin’s codpiece. Garrett gave a grimacing smile; he knew what that hit looked like up-close.

Thea attempted Mindspikecast at Level 5 on the claymore paladin, but he seemingly shrugged it off. Frustrated, Thea then cast True Strike on the pair of paladins.

Lorayhad the same idea as Garrett in focusing on the claymore paladin, and he brought down one of his scimitars on the paladin’s helmet. It was a glancing blow that only caused the paladin to turn his head – just in time for Lorayto thrust his second scimitar in the wouldcreatedby Garrett’s bolt and twist it like a corkscrew.

The temple shook as Dark!Mystra’slair took an action, and seemed to focus on Ruinfea, gripping her with the annals of time and reverting her age to that of a twelve-year-old elf. She fell out of the rafters and was caught up before hitting the floor by Rylan, who used his body to block the insect swam sent their way.

Dark!Mystraherself smiled as she used a 9thLevel Time Stop to cast four rounds of delayed fireball at the party within the temple proper, with Rylan able to physically protect Ruinfeawhile using magic or a link to take all the damage Luca would have taken.

Fuego now used Quicken to cast two guiding bolts at Dark!Mystra, who shrugged them off with jittery, rewinding movements. Frustrated as Thea was, Fuego cast Aid on Rylan, Ruinfea, and Luca.

Luca invoked a storm rune and then charged Dark!Mystra, missing on his first strike but hitting her with his second and third.

The claymore paladin now attacked both Lorayand Garrett, swinging his sword around in such a wide arc to catch both Lorayon his back and Garrett in front of him. Perhaps Ash sensed the danger before it came, and Garrett saw them jump and mew metallically at the same time. The action seemed to slow the paladin down just enough that what was certainly going to be a devastating blow to Loray’sface was instead a slice across his face. It was damage, but significantly less than otherwise. Loraywas safer but Garrett couldn’t dodge quick enough at took 51 points of damage as the claymore completed its arc.

The broadsword paladin attacked Thea with a shield smash to her throat with the pointy end. Perhaps she was distracted by the claymore paladin, but this one now had her attention as she responded with Hellish Rebuke. The paladin then tuned toward Atreyuand Garrett could have sworn that he landed a critical hit to the bloodhunter’sheart – but a glance through the archway to Rylan showed that he had seen what was happening and declared “Not Today”. Perhaps there was an alternate timeline where Atryeuwould have been laid low, but not here and not now.

Ruinfea, still with all her faculties yet hindered by her now-young body, cast a guiding bolt on Dark!Mystra– hitting her with advantages given by Luca.

With a sense of urgency, Garrett fired another ballista bolt at the claymore paladin. It entered his chest right under his sternum and came out the other side angled upwards through his neck, missing Loray. The paladin had been raising his sword for another strike and now tipped forward, his sword now held by a literal death grip preventing him from falling to the floor entirely. Garrett’s arcane jolt sparked back, giving him back a little bit of health.

Rylan now cast Turn the Faithless on the praying crowd, and they soon fled the scene. So too did the broadsword paladin. Garrett wondered if their rapid exit out into the city was the best course of action, but he did not have much time to ponder this as Rylan then cast plant growth around the temple, preventing anyone outside from getting in, and also keeping them inside with Dark!Mystra.

As the vines climbed higher, Thea cast Bless on Garrett, Ruinfea, Fuego, and Atreyu.

Dark!Mystraalso watched the climbing wall of vines and plants, her body swaying and curving as they completed their quick and rapid growth. Then she looked down on the party as if measuring them up for size.

“Oh good. I finally have you alone,” she said as, overhead, a Storm of Vengeance entered it’s second round. Despite the falling visibility, looking at Dark!Mystra seemed to increase her form, though she remained unchanged in actual size. She was looming over the part as if to say “you’re trapped in here with me” (but perhaps did not stop to consider the reverse was also true . . .”

Luka could see the bigger picture of what was going on, and running his hand along his blade, activated a Grass Rune - imbuing Rylan with speed and agility.

Rylan tried hitting Dark!Mystra but perhaps was slightly off-kilter due to everything going on because only one strike hit. But what a hit it was nonetheless, dealing close to 200 hp worth of damage to the goddess - - who proceeded to laugh and trill on the air and then disappear.

But not from everyone. Brioche saw her and used her catlike agility to aim over and behind the party, engulfing Dark!Mystra with a cone of fire sculpted to avoid the party. Even if they couldn’t see Dark!Mystra herself, the party could now see her burning outline.

Garrett considered his options and decided that now was as good a time as any to test the Spear of Lugh one more time. Aiming at center mass, he cast Beluud's Brutal Jaunt  - passing with force through Dark!Mystra and arriving behind her. He then immediately used his free casting of Misty Step to get out of harm’s way and rejoin the party some 20 feet away. As Ash scampered over to him, Garrett turned to see the lighting damage remove a few flakes from her form. In comparison, the damage was almost nothing. But the knowledge of what the spell could do had given him an idea for the final battle that was sure to come.

Thea used her knowledge to realized that Dark!Mystra (and Mystra herself) acted like all casters depending on the spell she was casting. So Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma were all attributes she relied on. The telepathic link in the party was now such that they were almost sharing thoughts simultaneously, and Rylan quickly suggested that Thea attempt to limit her Intelligence (as wizard spells could be particularly damaging). Thea was successfully able to bestow a curse on Dark!Mystra and then Misty Stepped herself back to Garrett.

Ruinfea used wildshape to turn herself into a baby carnotaurus and projected her thoughts toward Dark!Mystra. In an endearing and kidlike voice where Rs sounded like Ws she said “remember who you are, Mystra.”

There was a moment where Dark!Mystra seemed to twitch her head in Ruinfea’s direction, but it was only a moment and not long lasting at that. Whatever part of Mystra that Ruinfea had reached, Dark!Mystra shook it off.

Fuego shaped a fireball toward Dark!Mystra, but she easily avoided it. He then tried persuasion: “This isn’t bringing balance to magic.”

Dark!Mystra looked thoughtful at these words, and Lost used the pause to cast Death Ward on Ruinfea and Lesser Restoration on Fuego.

Luka aided Rylan with a Fire Rune before attacking Dark!Mystra with his huge, two-handed sword. The reflective obsidian blade struck three times deep into the shadow as the Lord of ‘Tweens Misty Stepped to the neckline and then fell gracefully to the ground and sticking the landing, effectively flanking DarkMystra - who finally returned Feugo’s words, saying:

“Balance is overrated. All things end.”

As her words ended, the Storm of Vengeance entered its third round and visibility was reduced to about five feet. Chain lighting seemed to find Loray, surging through him. Though he remained upright, he seemed stunned.

“No.” Thea responded with stern contradiction as she sent fire towards Dark!Mystra

Garrett looked down as his feet felt wet. Necrotic grave water seemed to be seeping up through the ground and rising. He picked up Ash and realized he would need to do something soon or he would run into trouble. And shortly afterwards, so would Thea and Rylan and . . .

Atreyu channeled feral might/energy as he marked Dark!Mystra for the hunt.

Rylan scored a critical hit and, bolstered by the Fire Rune, was able to dispel the grave water from the temple. At least that was one less thing to worry about.

Dark!Mystra cast Mordenkainen’s Sword, which proceeded to attack the vines that Rylan had raised. Then she raised her finger as if to play “eeny, meeny, miny, moe” with the party.

Recognizing a spell, Rylan went to hit her with a Spirit Trap, but not before she cast an 8th Level Eldritch Blast at Loray. But Rylan wasn’t the only one watching out for Loray, and Ruinfea invoked a rune to quickly switch places with Loray and take the damage in his place. With a rush of lightning, energy, and wind, Ruinfea took four bolts of Eldritch Blast while Loray now found himself swaddled on Rylan’s person.

Brioche did a multiattack with her claws and jaws and then seemed to hold off, allowing Garrett to consider his options.

He considered trying to modify Catapult to move Ruinfea out of the way, but realizing she was too heavy, used Brioche’s attack as a guide and fired off two shots with the crossbow, one of which was imbued with branding smite.

Thea tried to attack and missed but cast some Bardic Inspiration to Atreyu.

Ruinfea cast Mass Cure Wounds at level 8 before once more swapping places with Loray, who Fuego now closed the distance to and cast a level 5 cure wounds on.

Luka sued Giant’s Might/Great Stature to grow to 16 feet tall and, spreading his arms, a mass of tentacles like sleek vines emanating from his sternum tried to envelope Dark!Mystra in a grapple. They slipped off but kept going as if to try to offer a distraction.

Brioche now unleashed what she’d been holding back: a wing attack that knocked Dark!Mystra prone. “Sit. Down.” Brioche commanded.

Even prone, she could still cast some spells, and though she tried both Gravity Fissure and turning Mordenkainen’s Sword to attack Luka they all stayed up.

The Storm of Vengeance now closed in and visibility was down to zero. As darkness fell so did hail mixed with acid rain.

Atreyu used an enhanced version of Predatory Strike to rush forward, opening a bright red wound in Dark!Mystra that refused to mend - effectively starting her bleeding out. Wild magic flourished in the blood pooling on the floor.

By this point Garrett was down to about a hundred hit points, and remembering what had happened to Fuego battling the Unnamed Necromancer, Rylan healed him up 50 points. Perhaps he was distracted by the healing, but despite yelling “I’m gonna hit a bitch!” Rylan failed to connect in any meaningful way. Frustrated, he cast Chill Touch - which would at least keep Dark!Mystra from healing up any.

Dark!Mystra cast Horrid Wilting, which though it concerned all of them, seemed to focus mainly on Brioche.

Garrett considered his options. He could fire into the dark, but also he knew others were perhaps hurt more than him and maybe Rylan’s spell could have been better used. With no idea how hurt Dark!Mystra now was, and with no real idea where she was thanks to the low visibility, he opted to cast Mass Cure Wounds instead.

Thea summoned a Shadow Spawn centered on Fear, and even Dark!Mystra’s immunity to being frightened couldn’t stop the piercing stab of the Spawn.

Things froze into stillness as Dark!Mystra fell and crumbled as a flower wilting. Flakes peeled away and wafted away into shadow and darkness. But underneath was not the woman Ruinfea had seen in her vision, but instead an aura of magic in the shape of a woman. As they watched, the magic disintegrated and the form faded away to nothing but a small prismatic shifting orb pulsing as with a heartbeat.

The very seed of magic.

Mystra was no more. And as they considered, they realized that even before they arrived she was already gone. There was nothing to save. But they had freed a little bit of her back into the world, such as it might be.

The orb seemed to be like a godspark, and they understood it needed to go to someone (or someplace) nurturing and neutral. Someone capable of seeing good and bad and not interfering. Whoever would take it could be taken out of the world.

To Thea, the choice was obvious: it should be offered to her aunt Ana (who was currently cursed in Barovia). The party was in agreement.

Anastasiya Nadezhda Konstantinova dreamed of a field at sunset, and as the last rays of light faded to black she found herself in a room with  some familiar and unfamiliar faces. It was the party.

Ruinfea greeted her and, as she was filled in on what happened, she removed Ruinfea’s curse and was convinced to take the orb by Ruinfea and Thea and Fuego. Not that she needed much convincing, it seemed to Garrett, as she seemed excited by the prospect of the adventure it would bring.

The magic of the weave now stabilized, and the party found themselves in a temple now reconsecrated as the birthplace of a goddess.

Garrett began picking up and shrinking down his spent bolts. As he did so, Rylan asked him what he used as a quiver. It was a standard one, and Rylan then gifted Garrett with his own Quiver of Ehlonna. Garrett’s ears twitched happily when Rylan said “I have no need of it; my arrows now come from pure energy. I am certain you will put it to great use, brother.”

They each knew the final battle was not far off. But they needed to rest and regroup one more time. Where would they go?

There was discussion of family and friends and how both Luka and Atreyu fit into things and general good-natured ribbing before it was decided to go once more to Ruinglast.

### **Here There Be Dragons**

They stepped through a portal opened by Luka  to find Ruinglast - somewhat surprisingly - untouched. One might even call it miraculous. Perhaps this was due in equal parts to the relative unimportance of the city and its quite formidable defensive position. Looking out from the city, billowing smoke rose in the distance on the planes. Ruinglast was a city in recovery in the midst of the ruins of war, and circles of crows drawn to the battlefields inched ever closer to the town, whose battlements were now actively patrolled by two dozen guards.

Fuego led the party, stopping short of the gate out of respect before speaking. “Fuego Nevermere with the Third Family seeks to enter  Ruinglast,” he said matter-of-factly as his staff tapped emphatically on the ground beside him.

“I’m am sorry to ask, but have you any proof of your identification? One can never be too careful in these uncertain times.”

“Perhaps you know me by a different name. Barrin Orish is here to see his wife, Meme, along with his friends and companions.”

Two guards broke off and the party was left standing outside the gate for several minutes before Meme appeared, leaning heavily on her staff and with magic rippling under her skin.

“Let them in, you fools; do you really think I would not recognize my own husband?”

Fuego and Meme embraced and, after a few moments, she could be heard to say “I take it you aren’t here for a social visit, then?”

The party understood Fuego and Meme needed what little time and space remained to them. While they went off to their home, the others walked toward the tavern. Things around Ruinglast had seemed to improve, with younger residents seen on the streets than last time. The tavern was mostly empty part from the barkeep and the zombie helper Kam had animated when last the party was there (something Garrett had heard about since traveling with the party).

They realized that the poor man had not been preserved, and was now a badly decaying skeleton bound to the confines of the tavern. Ruinfea tried to help, but none of her spells would help. It was Rylan who came up with the solution: first by using Chill Touch to restore heath and vitality and flesh to the zombie and then -with assistance from Luka and a purchased glass of mead - crafting an amulet that would allow him to wander where he would. The amulet itself was made using Garrett’s tools and a ribbon from Thea, and so nearly the whole party had a hand in helping restore the man.

There was a moment of hilarity as Rylan pulled out two consecutive handfuls of copper coins trying to pay for his drink before nearly slamming a dozen platinum pieces on the counter. The barkeep was beside himself, having seemingly lost out on what would amount to a small fortune in the city.

As they negotiated the renting of rooms, Garrett purchased a mug of mead; later that night, he would transform the mug into a version of a bag of holding, allowing the tavern to hold many more tips than currently possible.

They party now split off for what they knew would be the last night of rest. Rylan and Luka, Ruinfea and Loray, and Thea and Atreyu all took rooms, not-so-subtly ensuring that sound would not be heard outside the walls. Brioche and Garrett shared a room as well, though the two made it clear that whatever the others got up to, their relationship was completely and purely platonic in nature.

At some point in the night; messaged flitted telepathically from Ruinfea to Rylan and Garrett and Thea - and a wish was made on Fuego’s behalf.

Fuego and Meme spent the evening saying their goodbyes. Meme was in the twilight of her years and neither was under any illusion that they would meet again. Meme gave Fuego what blessings she could, and in the morning he took his leave and went to see the black dragon under Ruinglast. Despite his arguments, the dragon determined to remain neutral in the coming fight.

Back at the tavern, the party woke up in their respective rooms. Thea sent Atreyu to get some breakfast from downstairs, and used the alone time to consult her book about the coming battle.

She saw the battlefield on the plains of Morad, with tens of thousands of soldiers marching hypnotically to the beat of the Root of War’s drums. Wave after wave of men perished before the walls until they formed a ramp of death up the walls of the city, at which time five siege engines began rolling forward. Mounted on a large steed, the Root of War gave his commands. And then he seemed to sense Thea’s presence.

“Ah. There you are. Tell me about the final stories, Theodosia Chandler.”

“Then I’ll have to show you my book.” She slammed it shut and the vision ended. She heard someone screaming. The someone was her. The party nearly broke down the door getting to her, and she was immediately comforted by Rylan and Brioche and Atreyu - if only because they all could not find space around her in the rather small rented room.

Taking Thea’s vision into consideration, they went to find Fuego, discovering him at an old, ancient temple over a thousand years old. To what god or goddess or cult it had belonged to was unclear. To Fuego, it seemed familiar, and he  seemed to have a look of pace on his face.

“Good morning, my friends. I’m glad you found me here. This is where my adventures started. This is where I died.”

And with those words he started his own backstory of how one night many many years ago he had been the intended sacrifice of a cultist. Praying wildly to any god that would hear him, he managed to charge his would-be killer and took them both over the sheer cliff wall.

He woke up the next day in the prime of his life once more, and passed himself off as a distant  brother. Over the years, he had a hand in designing and building much of the city. And though he had lived many lives - over 17 or so by now - Meme was the love of all of them. Meme would not be joining them in the final battle, he said. And the tone in his voice said everything they needed to know.

And then Ruinfea revealed that she wished for Meme to be an endless soul like Fuego, and that in each of their lifetimes they would continue to find each other. The decision was made to let Meme discover this gift naturally, though Fuego said “speaking from experience, I know she’s going to blame me for all this,”

They knew it was time to head to Morad. Time was not on their side. But Fuego would not leave without one more attempt to elicit help from Ruinglast.

“People of Ruinglast, others across Hilan have for centuries viewed us as little more than beasts. Recently, through the actions of the Third Family, things have charged. In their time of need you have proven them wrong. As our people have returned home, they have showed far more kindness and resilience. I stand here before you not only as a member of the Third Family but as a son of Ruinglast. I humbly ask that you join us in the battle to come not for just Morad, not just Ruinglast but all of Hilan and the realms beyond.”

Thirty-five volunteers stepped forward.

And then it really was time to depart, and as they discussed if it was safe to travel by portal, Rylan simply said “why don’t we fly?” And pointed upwards. the Dragon Fathers and their drakes circled above them and Rylan grinned. “I have been planning and plotting since before we even met. The next days will see if it was enough.”

They traversed the distance with Garrett and Rylan riding Brioche. Rylan knew Garrett and Brioche would go into the final fight together, and wanted the Harengon as familiar with the basics of tactical maneuvering as possible. Beneath them they saw the armies of the Root of War marching towards Morad. At their forced march pace they would be outside the city in the next day or so.

They arrived in Morad to find there was no where to house the dragon-drakes that had come with them. Well enough, they could nest in the mountains for one night and perhaps the Root of War would not expect them.

Now was the time to plan their final plans, keep up their morale, and determine how best to bring fire to the enemy.

### **A Council of War**

It has been said that war is made of long periods of boredom followed by short periods of chaos. From Garrett’s perspective, many things started to happed at once. Rylan’s ravens arrived and delivered him messages. No sooner had they gone off again than they were approach by the Patron of the Dragon Fathers of Ruinglast - a man who Garrett thought was named Jazreid, but couldn’t be certain he heard correctly. He had brought 45 drakes along with their dragon riders from Ruinglast, and was most interested to hear from Rylan about the restoration of Araushnee.  Rylan gave a shortened version of events as they walked to the council chambers, and when he said that Garrett had dealt the decisive blow he felt his ears growing red and he started to protest. “It wasn’t really a blow, more like undoing a blow,” he began but Rylan cut him off. “It was the final blow in that it was the deciding action, Garrett. Without you pulling the spear, it wouldn’t have happened.” The Patron nodded. “We have heard the story by now, of course,” he said “Yet I wished to hear it for myself from those that were there.” And then, turning directly to Garret, he continued. “Already your name is being hailed among the Drow for what you have done. Without hesitation you restored Araushnee to us.”

“I would only ask to be remembered as a Harengon of the Feywild, so that should my name be forgotten, my people will live on,” Garrett began before being cut off once more.

The Patron looked at Garrett curiously. “Your companion is a god of stories, yes? Do you think your name could be forgotten? And you are Fey; we will never allow your name to be forgotten in the first place.

Now, I am not blind when it comes to certain plans of your party. I take it you will ride the dragon Brioche in the initial attack?” When Garrett nodded in confirmation - he didn’t trust  himself to speak - the Patron nodded too. “Good. When you do so, we will be at your back to order us as you will, Commander of the Sons of the Mountain.”

Gears in Garrett’s mind that had been slowly turning since the Demonweb Pits finally fully engaged. For weeks Rylan (and the others, if he was being honest) had been telling him he was worth more than he gave himself credit. But to Garrett, his friends would say exactly that; it’s what friends did, right? But this . . . this was different. Garrett felt his resolve harden like metal worked at the forge. His friends had always believed in him; why had he  ever doubted them? Gods trusted him; the Spear of Lugh submitted to his touch; and still he had refused to admit he was anything but the lost Rabbitfolk that had stumbled out of the blight witch’s thicket. This was the moment Garrett would say he truly started to believe in himself. This was the moment he truly felt as worthy and touched by fate and destiny as Rylan constantly told him.

Rylan was speaking now. “My brother will make a fine commander,” he told the Patron, “and my daughter Brioche Baenre will be Wing Leader.” Without waiting for a response from the Patron, Rylan turned to Garrett directly with a smile on his face. “Welcome to the family, Garrett. Look like it’s grown by a score or two.”

They entered the Great Hall, its enormous stone council table carved out of the mountain itself and the room constructed around it. Many people were already present, some of whom Garrett knew by sight and others by reputation: The Dagda, Lord Ripjaw of the Court of Coral, Tango and Carrion, Bela (First Blade of Menzoberranzan), Tris, Gratz, Kaira and Big Z. When Shantris Foundling was introduced, Rylan corrected the herald. “I’m sorry no one told you. It’s Shantris Baenre now.” Everyone - including Shantris - looked at Rylan, who merely shrugged as if he adopted family every day of the week. Come to think of it though, he did actually seem to do that. And the world as a better place for it.

The council had not yet officially started when the Third Family wondered what day it actually was. They had been doing so much so quickly and had several time jumps. Consulting quietly they came to the realization that tomorrow would be 1 Deepwinter 7999: the first day of the new year marking 7999 years since the first Unification Day when Correllon Larethian had “united” Hilan under the supremacy of the high elves.

Destiny

Emperor Arden opened the proceedings by once more recognizing the assembled representatives. Commenting on the “recent passing” of G'eldaere Baenre, they all had to suppress a laugh as Thea sent the telepathic message “Rylan’s mom is an earring that comes out of my boobs” and when Arden mentioned that Tiamat had not replied to any messaged and was not in attendance, Garrett couldn’t contain himself.

“In fact, we’re wearing her,” he said, lifting an arm and jangling one of the bone bracers. Ruinfea laughed and said “actually, I think I’ve got her right here,” and reaching into her bag of holding produced a rather distressingly decomposing dragon head. Collectively, the assembled representatives not already in the know looked from Garrett with interest to Ruinfea with rather more focused and concerned interest and then decided to just pass over the whole thing altogether.

Then the emperor gave an official speech, essentially saying that he was not a wartime emperor and so would relinquish power to the military powers.

Rylan suggested otherwise, saying “What are we fighting for if not two days from now? We fight for peace, and we will need an emperor who desires it.” When the others voiced their agreement, Arden consented.

“What information do those assembled here require?” he asked, moving the conversation along.

“We’ve been assembling allies,” Garrett said motioning to the table. “Undoubtably our enemy has as well. Do we know who is with him?”

“Correllon, of course. And some former followers of Oghma. Elias and the Fomorians . . .”

“Ah. Now may be the time to reveal that things are not as bad as they seem,” Rylan said. And then he proceeded to reveal a complex web of plans that he had been working on since the party encountered Lilith Stormosin in Little Grove.  Garrett would be hard pressed to recount them all, but it seemed that Rylan had formulated at least ten different plans to aid them in the coming fight. Every time he was off journaling or writing letters or maintaining correspondence he had been moving his own pieces of influence across the chessboard.

Among the more prominent plans:

* Lacroix had been in talks with the Fomorians, and not all of them were loyal to Elias. A new Court of the United’s Gentry would be revealed and would fight against the Root of War.
* Valendra, Loray’s sister, would turn on the Root of War as well.
* Rylan, as God of Death, had offered a general amnesty and promise of peace to all souls at the wall in exchange for fighting against the Root of War. Well, all souls except that of Lilith Stormosin. These armies of the dead would arrive with Luka at the appropriate moment.
* The church of the Dark Sun would fight against the Root of War
* Tiago and Carrion had been developing new spells the mages were eager to try against their enemies
* The Dagda, along with Loray and Luka, would initially help remove the fallen from the battlefield and work on healing them - preventing them from being raised on the side of the Root of War.

And this was only the half of it! Garrett felt they might actually stand a chance. And then he remembered the Artifact. Intelligence and Thea’s vision said it was a large stone or polished gem the size of a house surrounded on four points by four drums, with the whole thing drawn on wheels at the back of the army, compelling the armies ahead of it to attack. The lich Larloch accompanied it.

“The Artifact must be dealt with quickly,” Rylan said “or the Root of War will simply raise and compel our allies as they fall.”

“I have plans for the Artifact - and for Corellon,” Garrett said. “The lich, though, I do not know what to do with.”

“I will send some of my soldiers to deal with him as best they can,” Gratz said. And this seemed to satisfy all assembled.

They spent the evening at the Chandler’s tavern gathered one final time around a bonfire. Rylan consulted with his god and encouraged Brioche, who was concerned that she would say the wrong thing and get people killed. Rylan told him, quietly, what got him through after Jii’s death and that sometimes things just happen and then you have to do your best to keep going.

Thea played a song of rest and then consulted with the Traveler. Through what to Garrett’s ears amounted to a comedy of errors, Thea somewhat accidentally created and came into possession of a sentient rock named Boul, son of Der.

Loray mostly-jokingly asked Ruinfea if she would run away with him and marry him; they could escape through a secret tunnel he’d found. Ruinfea politely declined and then used her wish for the day to bring him a tent o replace the one he’d lost when they’d first ventured from Morad to Ruinglast. It was a yurt, technically, and those gathered around the fire fell into laugher combining the words “yurt” and “tent” into “yurtent”. Of course, the interior of the tent was bigger on the inside, and shadow servants looking like dinosaurs in formal wear waited on any who entered.

Garrett worked on creating a Germ of Seeing with the gem Rylan put his mother’s soul into, and then he and Fuego began assembling a rather dirty bomb containing thirty-five pieces of shardcaster rifle ammunition, two abyssal daggers, six pieces of the Crown of Madness, and lots of gunpowder. At one point Mrs. Chandler came out with her fine silver. “For the effort,” she said. “Use it to save lives.”

This time, Garrett gave her a hug.

### **Apocalypse Now**

Inevitably, day broke. They gathered outside the gates of Morad and Rylan spoke to the assembled warriors:

My Friends, both new and old, Family both blood and chosen. I pray you, hear me.

What we have endured is a path that none should ever need tread. And forgive me for asking you to once more face the horrid onslaught of War.

We have, to a one, paid a heavy price for the callous machinations of a creature so blinded by his own nature to glutton endlessly upon suffering simply for the sake of it. The corrupt drive to destroy with delight at what it costs others. The losses we have lendured, each enumerated in our hearts are almost too vast to bear: Friends no longer breaking bread at our tables; Parents whose presence should be a bastion against these atrocities; Children whose eys have lost the innocent wonder of youth long before their time; Family trees of unbroken bloodlines razed to the ground; Wives, husbands, now forfeit to all but bittersweet memories that cut to the core.

It is with a heavy heart that I must ask you to be here now, to meet this foe upon the field that is his namesake and face uncertainty once more.

I ask you to believe in me when say you that we will triumph despite it all, because there is one thing that can always outlast War. It is what he has tried to snuff out, it is what he will never understand, and it is what will live on when he is out is naught but dust forgotten: Hope.

Hope for a future, hope for a better day than any that have come before. Hope is a promise of healing, of surviving, of dreams that will be ours again. And I swear upon my name & my blood we will be victorious. That today is not the end and we will show the gods themselves that the flame of our shared fidelity will spark such a blaze, history will never forget. A legacy worthy of our loved ones that paid the ultimate price. That our existence cannot be conquered. Know I am honored to stand with you and to fight by your side. So let us raise steel and song, magic and might, and remind Neit there is no war, without a future peace worth fighting for. As today marks the unification of Hilan, here’s to the unification of the Planes.

Are you with me?

In their heads, the Third Family heard the thought “the god of death says not today.”

Ryaln’s speech boosted their resolve (and hp), while Fuego cast Foresight and Ruinfea cast Guidance on who they could. The party would be prepared as possible.

The choices that they had made had already altered Thea’s vision. No longer sending wave after wave of “expendables” to assault the gate, the Root of War had entrenched himself with Larloch and the Artifact some distance away - effectively creating two battlefields and forcing the Third Family to come to him.

Leading the zombie/undead armies in front of the Root of War was a lieutenant known to Rylan but which intelligence had failed to locate on the battlefield: Balor the One-Eye.

Their initial plan would need modification. Garrett and Brioche would drop Rylan as close to the Root as possible and then bank back to get Thea before heading towards the Artifact. Fuego would ride Big Z - along with an unnamed Rider who Rylan seemed to know -  and lead the airborne Dragonborn toward the Artifact, with Garrett sending the Sons of the Mountain on as well. Lacroix, Kiara (now visibly pregnant) and her husband Soren, and Ruinfea would do what they could to assist Rylan’s frontal attack. The fall of the artifact would be the signal for their reinforcements to reveal themselves.

Kiara reached out to Soren and pulled a large diamond necklace from his neck. “Unleashed,” she said, crushed the gem in her hands and handing the diamond dust to Fuego. “Use this when the time is right,” she said as Soren stretched and revealed himself as a Celestial of the Void. Garrett knew there was a story there, but now wasn’t the time.

Garrett looked over to see Rylan hand the eyepiece formerly worn by Keres to his High Priestess and then fully engage in conversation with Gratz while Kam and Keres stood behind him. Their eyes did not meet.

And then, with a shout, they were off.

Brioche used her breath weapon on Balor while Lacroix used his full movement to flank the Root of War.

Z banked for a wing attack, and though Balor stood unfazed several of the zombie warriors fell prone. Z roared as he soared on towards the Artifact and Balor’s gaze followed him and Fuego and their companion.

Rylan struck at the Root, hitting him with Clave Solace and his bow before using his cunning action to hide. The Root, failing to see Rylan, swung his ichor blade wildly in front of him with no regard if he hit his own troops or not. Several fell, but Rylan remained unharmed.

Kiara attempted to use Abjure Enemy but Balor used a legendary resistance to ignore it while the Lair emitted a hot, blowing wind.

Balor scoped the field and settled on Ruinfea, who was in a camouflaged wildshape with Thea on her back, attacking her with his longsword. She cast a woe on him and he missed, but he followed with a crack from his fire whip, a second sword attack, and then used his whip again to grapple Ruinfea - but utterly failed to see or attack Thea, who responded with a Hellish Rebuke from Ruinfea’s neck.

“Bitch,” she said with derision.

The shadows cast by the spell reveled his missing eye. “Ah. Welcome to the party.”

Ruinfea failed to break Balor’s grapple, and by this point Garrett and Brioche were in position. Thea used acrobatics to use Riufea’s wildshape as a springboard to launch herself into the air towards Brioche, where she was caught thanks to the combined effort of the Harengon and the Dragon.

Butters arrived in the form a Jack Russell terrier in Mage Armor, barking and borfing all over the battlefield.

The Root failed to see Rylan and double-botched his attack, giving Rylan a full three hits before hiding again.

Now headed to the Artifact, Garrett cast Haste on Brioche to catch up to the Sons of the Mountain who were already on their way.

A few of the Root’s raised warriors seemed to see Rylan’s location but failed to hit him.

Now within hitting distance of Larloch and the Artifact, Fuego attacked, casting Fireball on the lich. Now, Larloch had two dozen ioun stones circling his head, protecting him and boosting his power. Garrett had wondered how they could take them out easily, since any hit would have to do between 20 and 40 points of damage in a single attack. Taking them out one at a time would cost time and resources, but they had to start somewhere.

The somewhere was Fuego’s spell, as a single ioun stone rose to block the spell and disintegrated. Now over the lich directly, Fuego poured oil from an alchemy jug down onto his foe. The nameless Rider lit a blaze, and two more ioun stones disappeared. Three down; twenty-one to go.

Larloch looked up at Fuego and seemed pissed beyond all reason - at least, considering what had happened to him up to this point. The lich reached up and gathered nineteen of the stones into a group and then crushed them into nothing, using their power to boost a spell that caused the earth to open and chains to erupt towards Fuego and Z and the Rider - dragging them underground into a prison that would last until certain unknown conditions could be met. Not even the death of the caster would undo the spell.

Just before the earth closed over them, the Rider unleashed a psychic scream that removed the last remaining ioun stones and paralyzed Larloch.

Back at the Root, Atreyu cast Crimson Rite, taking down about eight fighters.

Using Blood Lust, the Root hit Rylan once - he was attempting to inflict wound damage. The Root looked down and considered Rylan.

Lacroix used his in attention to sneak attack and plunge his daggers into the Root’s Achilles’ heel.

Still too far out from the Artifact, Garrett trusted the Sons were following his orders to cause havoc and chaos. Beneath him, he saw Ripjaw and the Court of Coral fighting Elias, literally flooding the battlefield to their advantage. Thea cast Bank of Fog on the scene below.

Somewhere in the earth, Big Z used his legendary action in an attempt to see the way out. Meanwhile, the Rider conjured fire from his hands, eerily lighting his face from underneath and revealing a half-face bone mask and gleaming eyes. “I know the way out,” he said.

“And what is that?” Fuego asked.

The Rider smiled. “Give me Ragnarok. One of yours has something of my people. Blow it.”

Using the telepathic soul-bond link, Fuego communicated with Thea and Garrett. The two knew what needed to be done, though it would mean changing plans ever so slightly.

“Look’s like I’m letting Garrett get to second base,” Thea said with a laugh. In his imagination, Garrett could almost hear Atreyu say “you’re going to do what now?” and allowed himself a smile, too.

Rylan struck the Root with critical hits, one of which was an arrow to the throat. Reaching up, the Root found the arrow was energy and he was um able to pull it out. It was Rylan’s intention to remove his ability to cast spells reliant on a verbal component.

The Root of War now realized Rylan was capable of inflicting ascendant damage and hit Rylan with his fire sword, doing a small amount of damage but succeeded in lighting Rylan on fire.

Rylan disengaged and used Misty Step and acrobatics to try to put the fire out, but no to avail. The Root moved to follow Rylan and Lacroix used the opportunity to pull harder on his tendons.

Kiara, using her wings, looked down on the battlefields and used Hold Person on Balor and Larloch (the Root was unaffected).

The Lair emitted a piercing sound that dealt enough necrotic damage to bring Ruinfea into her elf form.

Balor broke the grapple Kiara had cast and threw his sword after her, hitting her in the head for twice the damage. She lay hands on herself as she circled to the ground. Those who saw her worried for her baby,

Ruinfea went into Starry Form: Archer and used her Constellation Bow to send out healing energy.

Kiara was now visibly in labor and sent out a single word: “Sunspot”

Balor turned back to Ruinfea and attacked her again with his whip.

“Fuck you!” Ruinfea scream back.

Butters ran to Rylan and, leaping on him, put out the fire. “The bestest of boys,” Rylan declared him.

The Root of War struck Lacroix twice, and he was unable to hang on. Given the choice to dodge or stay, he’d chosen to stay - inflicting a bleeding wound on the Root of War and hampering him with the Blade of the Raven Queen.

From the shadows around the lair, Feno appeared and landed two hits on Balor. “Hey Balor, I heard you like little girls,” she said derisively.

Continuing to fly toward the Artifact, Garrett reached into Thea’s Bra of Holding. He noticed that she wore two bras: a normal one and the one of holding over it. Atreyu needn’t have worried, and since it acted like a bag of holding, Garrett didn’t need to fish about unnecessarily. His friendship with Thea would not be unduly affected.

And now, without hesitation, he raised the horn to his lips and blew with all his might. Those of Loki were freed from their imprisonment, among them Hela and Fenris and Jormungandr and Sleipnir.

From behind Garrett came a sound like a rushing wind and, looking over, Garrett saw a horseman in the sky next to him: tall and lanky with fiery red hair and a gleam in his green eyes. Garrett recognized Loki and nodded to him. Loki spoke.

“We meet again, gracious Rabbit. It seems the horn as found a new home. Today is a glorious day for Ragnarok, don’t you think?” And as he turned to ride off in a different direction he said, with all respect, “well met and dear parting, Defender of the Rainbow Bridge”. And then Loki was gone and as Garrett and Thea and Brioche flew on, Garrett spoke in the telepathic link, just in case anyone had missed what just happened.

“Hell’s coming with me,” he said with resolve.

Meanwhile, the Root’s lair belched out a fiery wind and brought Atreyu out of Rylan’s boost and started doing real damage.

Gratz swung his sword in front of him, taking out several of the compelled army before him screaming “there’s more where that came from!”

And now Thea went into action, opening dimension door to the Artifact, planting and engaging the bomb, and - closing the dimension door - began running towards Fuego and Z and the Rider.

Fuego brought up Force Cage as soon as Thea was within range, and Thea used the precious seconds before the blast to arrange a ride back to the Roof of War with Big Z.

The Rider would attend to Ragnarok and Fuego would stay to help Garrett and Brioche.

Atreyu hit Balor once while the Root threw his swords at Rylan; missing, they stuck into the ground and quivered.

Lacroix now Misty Stepped toward Balor and attempted to grapple him with his thighs around his neck, preparing to take him to the ground.

Brioche, still hastened, now pulled up next to the Dragonborn and the Dragon Fathers, who were holding about 150 feet away from the Artifact.

Rylan brought a rain of thunderbolts on the Root and tried to use Action Surge to stab him, but when nothing landed, he tried to hide among the shadows.

A pulse of emerge emanated from the swords in the ground and Atreyu took fire damage. The Root of War saw Rylan and attempted to grapple him; the grapple was unsuccessful. The Root took the opportunity to talk to Rylan:

“How long will you let this continue?”

“Yield and it is done.”

“What number of allies are you willing to lose?”

“Just admit you’re a scared, tired old man.”

“Tired? I’m just warming up.”

And with those words more necromantic soldiers were raised and the Root of War recalled his swords.

Soren arrived at Kira via black hole - which made a rather interesting sound - and when Kiara pointed at Balor he cast Dark Star near the region where his heart should be.

The Lair again cast fire damage and with Balor still grappled Ruinfea had an idea. Her eyes pleaded with Lacroix to get off, and he must have understood because he shook his head and mouthed back “do it”

Ruinfea nodded and used a Cosmic Action to Misty Step above Balor and then wildshape into a carnotaurus. Gravity took over and she dropped to the ground with Balor as a cushion. “Go down and stay down,” she said.

Balor couldn’t respond; he was nothing more than another bloody stain on the battlefield.

And now Garrett’s bomb went off with a 140-foot blast radius. A veritable mushroom cloud rose over the battlefield. It is a fact that in war there are likely to be casualties among one’s allies despite the amount of planning one does. In this case, as the cloud expanded, Garrett saw a detachment of Gratz’s army - led by Kam and Keres - within the Danger Zone. As the cloud overtook them, he remembered that, because of their divinity, they were not likely to die but rather would be sent back to their respective realms.

He surveyed his handiwork: a huge crater had replaced the battlefield - the artifact completely destroyed and the lich Larloch entirely disembodied. Though, since dealing with a lich or two previously, Garrett realized Larloch would return - but that would be a problem for a later day.

Garrett smiled and thought of the Chandler’s silver. It was true what they said: things made with love tended to turn out better than expected.

As the final echoes of the drums faded away, the Root of War looked at the rising cloud of dust.

“Your friends?”

“Your catch on fast,” Rylan replied as 95% of the Root’s raised army crumbled into piles.

Butters ran around the bones excitedly, thinking he did it - and had anyone known, they would never tell him the truth.

Thea climbed onto Z’s back (in his elf form) so they’d be ready when Fuego dropped the force cage.

The Root cast Meteor Shower and Rylan replied by finally pinning his tongue to the roof of his mouth with another energy arrow dealing ascendant damage.

Screaming a battle cry, Feno charged the Root of War.

### **The End of the World as We Know It**

Garrett felt something shift and change behind him. A portal opened and Corellon Larethian arrived - alone, wearing bright, shining armor and surrounded by an aura of light, he strode onto the battlefield, lifted his hand, and gestured at Brioche. He pulled her into her elf form, and as she and Garrett and Ash began falling to the ground, Corellon shouted “Come down quickly or I shall come down to you.”

Thankfully, Garrett had been prepared for such a thing ever since Keres had dropped him while fighting the Demogorgon, having both Fly prepared as a spell and - since Peridon - a pair of Winged Boots. Already gripping onto Brioche’s saddle armor in her dragon form, Garrett was able to keep hold of her and get them to the ground safely before turning to face Corellon directly.

He had a plan for fighting Corellon, but it involved holding off to enhance his abilities while Fuego attempted a grapple and Rylan whittling down the Root of War to a manageable size.

As Garrett watched, Corellon drew his blade and then a beam of light that cleared and sanctified the land. Where they had been standing in the wreck and ruin of Garrett’s bomb, they were now standing in a pleasant field with flowing grasses; some might even go so far as to describe it as a kind of Paradise.

Rylan, seeing what was happening either through Garrett or Brioche’s eyes, used a bonus action to bring the land of Gael Aethal to the plain.

Corellon looked down and grinned before looking back up and gesturing once more - this time issuing a call for all those descended from high elves to come to his aid. Garrett did not know this since Fuego was a Dragonborn and Brioche was a gold dragon and so were unaffected by the spell, but several of the party and their allies had to fight the call: Ruinfea and Thea and Feno and Gildur (Ruinfea’s brother) and Tiago and Emperor Alden himself. Thea’s father, being affected by lycanthropy, and Atreyu, being effected by something unknown to Garrett, were not compelled by Corellon.

On the battlefield, Feno’s eyes changed to a shade of brilliant blue. In Morad, much of the citizenry left their homes and began rounding up their neighbors “for their own protection” while others armed themselves and began heading out of the city and toward the god who called to them.

The Dragon Fathers followed Garrett’s command to cause chaos and began attacking Corellon with Psionic attacks. Garrett could not see if their attacks were landing because the damage would be psychic, but collectively they dealt about 300 points of psychic damage.

Fuego dropped the Force Cage and Big Z and Thea immediately set of towards the Root of War while Fuego himself opened a magic door behind Corellon, stepped through, and cast a Fireball at him. Brioche attempted to use her breath weapons against Corellon. Still hastened by Garrett, she used both her Weakening Breath and Fire Attack, and though it was a valiant effort, neither of them affected the shining bastard.

Around the Root of War, things happened quickly now that the Artifact had been destroyed.

Gratz attempted to keep Feno away from the others by brandishing his sword; Rylan admonished him to hit the Root instead: “Hit him, you fucking pussy!”

Atreyu charged the Root while Loray arrived from assisting the wounded, grabbed Feno, and whisked her off the battlefield. At the same moment, The Phalanx of the Dead arrived with Luka and Bres and Limeth Baentlar (who took Rylan’s offer) arrived with the Fomorians defecting from the Root. These reinforcements were sent to aid the fight against Corellon, though Luka himself stayed to fight the Root of War with Rylan.

Lacroix attacked the Root of War, hitting him twice.

Big Z had by now carried Thea close enough to the battlefield that she could cast Major Image - creating a version of herself within eyesight of the Root of War and mocking him: “I heard you want to hear a story. Once upon a time . . .”

Rylan used the distraction to Channel Divinity, allowing him to reach into the Root of War and grab at his spark, activating his tattoo as he did so, stealing several of the Root’s abilities - including his fire ability that had swept the Lair several times.

The meteor shower finished, and Rylan looked into the Root of War’s eyes and saw reflected in them the singing energy of death tinged with true fear - the first time the Root had truly felt pain.

“Now,” Rylan said to Garrett in his mind.

Luka attacked the Root, and striking true the Root of War began looking rather smaller, weaker - and stunned.

Thea now arrived at Kiara and Soren; Kiara was definitely in labor. Saying as much through the telepathic link, Feugo was able to give Thea some pointers in childbirth - he had lived a long time and had many experiences, after all.

Ruinfea cast Hyperborean Star on the Root of War’s nether regions, dealing massive cold damage as he botched his defense, being stunned to disadvantage.

Thea’s image now moved about the battlefield, continuing to taunt the Root of War. “I heard you wanna hear a story. I heard you wanna hear a story. I heard you wanna hear a story.”

With one final “I heard you wanna heard a story,” Thea cast Vicious Mockery through her image.

Corellon glared at Garrett and increased his movement speed before using Star Smite to junior into the air before slamming down on Garrett with his sword.

Garrett smiled; thanks to Rylan’s inspiring speech, the damage done was minimal. And now it was his turn. He’d planned on having two rounds to make his move, but with “now” timing in his ears, he made a fast-as-thought prayer: “Oberon and Mab and Lolth help me” he thought as he cast Beluud’s Brutal Jaunt using the Spear of Lugh.

He had attuned to the Spear and, using it against Dark!Mystra, realized there was a moment in time when the spell caused the caster and its target to exist in the exact same point in time and space - this is what caused the force damage to the target. Garrett reasoned that if one could get the timing just right, that he could rip the divine spark out of Corellon as he passed through him.

The spell could have carried Garrett up to 60 feet away, but he would not leave Brioche that way. Instead, he held the spear in his left hand, held up his right hand, and blipped to the other side of Corellon.

Corellon grinned wickedly as the spell went off, making his Constitution check and only taking 13 points of damage. The grin faded to anger as Garrett opened his hand just enough the light of Corellon’s own divine spark shone through.

Atreyu and Lacroix continued chipping away at the Root of War, and inspired by Riunfea, Big Z used his ice breath weapon.

Rylan, his hand still inside the Root of War, cast a Rain of Thunderbolts from inside him while simultaneously summoning his sword to his inside hand.

The Root of War was literally ripped apart from the inside, and as Rylan pulled his hand free from its fleshy cavern, the Root of War turned to stone.

Corellon rolled his shoulders and laughed. “Did you feel that? Finally, now we can begin.”

From Morad, the high elves - led by Emperor Alden and his High General Tiago - advanced on the Third Family and their allies.

Corellon stretched out his hands in a magnanimous gesture. “There they are: my children. Now the real work begins, don’t you think?”

Rylan sent Gratz and his remaining forces to protect the non-high-elves of Morad, and Garrett sent the Dragon Fathers to cause non-lethal chaos among the newly-compelled army  and to support Gratz as needed. Ash followed him. If one had a viewpoint from the Dragon Fathers, one would have seen a contingent of mountain dwarves led by a dwarf named Hetzel arrive just in time to aid Gratz in liberating the city.

Fuego had planned to grapple Corellon before Garrett made his move, but with that plan now shot to pieces he pulled Trinity’s Edge and ran towards Garrett.

Corellon backhanded him, and though Fuego stayed on his feet, he took damage to the face. Corellon grappled Fuego around the throat and closed his hand, allowing Fuego to breathe but with Corellon in control.

“Quiet. I’m having a conversation.”

And then he turned his attention fully once more to Garrett.

“Give it back. It’s not yours.”

Garrett’s mind thought quickly. Technically, Corellon could be talking about either the Spear or the Spark, since he was the one who threw it at Lolth (now Araushnee) - but if Garrett had to guess, the Spark was the preferred option. The plan had been to get the Spark and then what? Give it to Rylan? Rylan wasn’t here. There was Brioche and Feugo, but would they understand? Would they accept it?

He thought of the Patron of the Dragon Fathers and Loki and Oberon and Araushnee and Mab and the Spear and The Dagda and The Hunt.

He thought of Rylan telling him he was more than he ever gave himself credit for.

And staring into Corellon’s eyes (as best a 4’10” Rabbitfolk could in comparison to a 7’ god), Garrett did what he had seen Rylan do: he slammed the spark into his own chest.

And now Garrett understood something he did not before: Rylan and Keres and Kam had been able to take their sparks because, in one way or another, they had divine blood in them. They might not have been gods themselves, but they had a protection Garrett did not.

Garrett felt the power rushing through him. He had the feeling he was both on the battlefield and away from it at the same time. He could choose to come back to that reality, but it would cost him. Or, he could choose to wait it out.

Brioche saw this and relayed it to Rylan.

“Garrett’s gone and made himself Fomorian,” he said in equal parts shock, awe, pride, and wonder. And then, as if he could sense Garrett’s thoughts, sent one word to the Harengon: “Hold”

Garrett held on.

“I’ve got a stupid idea” Brioche said and then appeared directly behind Corellon. “Does this smell like chloroform?” she asked, holding a rag to his face.

And that was the scene the rest of the party and their reinforcements saw upon arrival:

Garrett in some kind of state with Corellon dropping Fuego and trying to claw Brioche off his face while the compelled army from Morad advanced on them.

Fuego swung again but missed. “Proud of you.” Garrett heard in his head.

Luka and Rylan shared a quick kiss of reuniting, and then Rylan realizing that Luka had once more granted him a boost of energy, allowing him to attack sooner than anticipated.  He stabbed and shot and managed to land a critical hit.

“Remember me?” Rylan asked Corellon.

Corellon reverse grappled Brioche to hold her by the neck. He was going to break it. To prove his point, he used the hand to cause lightning damage to Brioche.

And then he stopped time to have a conversation with he party. As it was relayed to him later, Corellon pompously berated the Third Family as upstart children trying to run around and start their own pantheon, but even now he would be gracious and merciful if only they would bend the knee.

And then he did more lighting damage to Brioche, who responded by shifting back into her Gold Dragon form. Corellon’s pride outweighed his perceived advantage, and he let go - providing Brioche with her final two attacks thanks to being hastened.

Garrett’s mind stirred. “Hold” he heard in his head.

Thea attacked Corellon by bestowing a curse on his Wisdom; Corellon responded by using Greater Restoration on himself - healing his wounds and repairing his clothes and armor. The man was incredibly vain. He looked up as the sky grew dark with storm clouds.

“Well. We have your answer.”

Luka invoked a fire rune and attacked Corellon with berserker energy and a fiery aura, hitting twice.

Corellon glared in disgust. “Oh. The mongrel. I should have known.”

“Death comes for us all, Cory.” Luka replied with equal disdain.

And now Tiago arrived, flying through the air at just under Mach 1 and dropping Gildur into the battle. Then, borrowing from his future magic, he cast an earthquake under Gildur’s feet. A fissure opened and Riunfea began slipping towards the open wound in the earth. Gildur strode towards her, weapon drawn, and intent on sending her down.

Ruinfea had other plans, and she expended a lucky for Gildur to try once more to break Corellon’s compulsion. Aided by his sister, Gildur stopped his sword’s downward arc and his foot’s outstretched kick and, planting his feet, reached out his hand to pull Ruinfea to safety.

By that time, Tiago was gone from sight.

Big Z used his cold breath action and then Tiago was back, using a time spell to start conjuring. But Rylan and Thea did something similar to what Riunfea had done and gave him one more chance to break Corellon’s spell. As the blue faded from his eyes, Rylan continued to try to look scared as if Tiago was still casting a spell against them. Instead, Tiago was able to flank Corellon and cast a level 9 flame strike, singeing Corellon badly.

Fuego used a cosmic action to cast Blight twice against Corellon, the black-veined creepers crawling over Corellon’s skin.

“We’re not done with you”

“Good. Neither am I”

Rylan scored a critical hit against Corellon, who responded with a Greater Restoration. Rylan countered with yet another critical hit and a massive hit with his bow dealing ascendant damage.

The air grew darker and Rylan’s portfolio descended.

“Marry me, Luka!” Rylan shouted, followed quickly by “Thea?”

Corellon strode forward.

Garrett came out early; this was worth taking damage for. The power now settled on him, and though he was still rabbit-shaped, he was also somehow bigger the more one looked at him. His fur had taken on a purplish hue similar to the color his fur had turned when Rylan disguised his scent in Chult. It was similar to Rylan himself.

“I’m keeping that,” he thought to himself as he raised his arms and bought up a wall of energy around the party. Standing sentinel for the ceremony happening behind him, Garrett stared down the approaching Corellon.

“You’re not invited.”

“Rylan, you?” Thea asked.

“Yes!”

“Luka, you?”

“Yes!”

“Kiss!”

They did.

The ceremony over, the wall started to lift.

And Corellon broke Thea’s curse and called once more to bring certain high elves under his control, namely: Ruinfea, Tiago, Thea, and Gildur - and Rylan. Corellon had long disdained the Drow as being unworthy of consideration, but for this one - well, for Rylan he was willing to make an exception.

His call for aid failed, and he advanced on Rylan, using Star Smite on him before pulling his longbow. He was using Rylan’s own tactics against him, but he did not have Rylan’s control and he botched the shot. It went wild, and for a moment it looked like it would strike Brioche before piercing Tiago, dropping him instantly beyond any kind of death saving throws.

Brioche screamed in rage of greif and, pissed, attacked. This was the first death she had seen, and while she missed with her claws she did manage to bite Corellon, who seemed to brush it off as a playful nip.

“You will only increase your suffering,” he said.

Garrett cast Haste on himself, intending to send 6 bolts into Corellon at his next opportunity, and bolstered the weapon with Branding Smite.

Thea forced Corellon to make a Constitution check, and when he failed, the Shatter spell echoed in his brain.

Corellon lashed out wildly, this time targeting Luka and landed a critical wound - removing two tentacles from his chest. Corellon continued to grin.

Luka empowered Rylan to attack again. Rylan sheathed both his swords and held out both hands to activate a Dark Star.

In their minds they heard Rylan’s voice: “If I don’t make it back from where I’m going, know I loved you all.”

And then he poured much of his remaining life into the spell as the stillness of a void collapse engulfed the two combatants, vaporizing Corellon’s body - along with Rylan’s.

The dust settled and the light returned and the battle was over. In the spot where Rylan had stood, only his magical items remained. They all felt the severing in the soul bond, and  Brioche collapsed to the ground in her elf form. Luka immediately rushed to her side.

Fuego shook his head in determination. “Not today,” he said as he spread half the diamond dust he’d been given from Kiara over Tiago’s body. The blood seeped back up into him and the life returned to his eyes as he blinked slowly.

“Did we win?” He asked, looking up into Fuego’s eyes.

“Not yet,” and then he looked at Ruinfea. Spells like Revivify and True Resurrection require a body, and there was nothing left of Rylan.

But Ruinfea had her wish. Wishing for something like True Resurrection might kill her, but wishing that someone casting True Resurrection could use the spell without a body? That might be possible. She gave Fuego a look.

He threw the remaining diamond dust into the air and said two words: “Come Home”

Rylan was elsewhere, dreaming of peaceful fields. He woke up in a warm, comforting bed to hear someone walking down the hallway and calling his name. As he stirred, he heard Fuego’s voice as well. And he knew he had a choice.

“I think I’ve earned my retirement”

And opening his eyes he said to Fuego: “I knew you had this”

They helped Rylan to his feet only to have him knocked back down by Brioche, who was nearly inconsolable with her range of emotions and understandably so. But Rylan assured her it was the plan all along, he just didn’t want to say anything in case it didn’t work. Of all Rylan’s plans, it seems this was the one he was worried most about failing. They could all understand why.

They began to walk back to the city when Ruinfea said “You know, there’s something I’ve always wanted to try. Hold hands” And doing so, she planar shifted the party first to Pandemonium and then almost immediately to the city center of Morad, where Gratz and Hetzel and the Dragon Fathers and Ash had been doing a fantastic job of keeping order.

There was a second of silence and then the gathered crowd erupted in cheers.

Today was a Unification Day worth celebrating.

### **Epilogue**

Life went on, differently. Statues were made - not just for the Third Family, but also . . . changes were made in the Garden of the Gods. Some statues were deconsecrated. Others were erected. Some were changed, like Waukeen, who was now represented by a simple golden mask, the symbol adopted by her acolytes.

With varying degrees of excitement, the Third Family posed for their states. Ruinfea insisted on being a chameleon, Loray had apparently been planning for this day for years, and Big Z and Brioche posed together: Z as a Silver Dragon and Brioche in her elf form standing in an epic, hands-on-hips stance.

Garrett posed with Ash, his crossbow in hand and the spear on his back and an anvil to his side. The engravers had asked for titles . . .

And Emperor Alden had offered them any title they wanted. Duke, Admiral, Viscount - it was all on the table. But Garrett, who for so long felt that he had no titles, settled for a simple “Sir,” reasoning that anyone who knew his story would know his actions, and anyone who knew his actions would not need a fancy title. And if they didn’t know the story, well - it’s a good thing he knew someone who could tell them with the best, right?

He had consulted with Rylan about what counted as a title, and so it was that when the statue was finished it bore the inscription:

*Sir Garrett Sieger*

*Also Called Gourd*

*Child of the Feywild*

*The Cuddly/Fluffy Bunny Man*

*Artificer to Gods and Heroes*

*Blessed Artificer of the Green Lord*

*Strange Wolf of the Queen of Air and Darkness*

*Claimed by the Spear of Lugh*

*Harengon of Many Homes*

*Blessed by the Queen of Spiders*

*Commander of the Sons of the Mountain*

*Defender of the Rainbow Bridge*

*Savior of Morad*

*Champion of Hilan*

And in time two more titles were added:

*God of the Found Forge*

*The Godspark*

For as time passed and Garrett settled into his powers, he found that among those who revered him were those who praised his ability to make things greater than the sum of their parts. They remembered the artificer who taught himself from the books of the star elves, who used donated materials to make superior weapons for his party, who used spoils of war to eliminate an entire battlefield, and the one who forged his own family when his own had been taken from him - God of the Found Forge

And one day, when it was time to add to their pantheon - for Corellon was right in that they were becoming gods - Garrett discovered that the divine spark of a creator that now resided in him allowed him to forge sparks for other gods . . . It was Rylan who named him The Godspark, and that was that.

But in the more immediate future, a celebration was held one week later to celebrate their victory, with all taxes and proceeds raised during that time to be spent on rebuilding efforts - and there were plenty of things to be done. It was a cultural reset. Some towns would need to be rebuilt entirely, as was the case for the pleasure city of Rapture. Some cities were relatively free to chart a new course almost immediately, such as Ruinglast and Limdell. Other towns were easier to restore. Little Grove, for example had its council chambers burned, and thought the fire spread, it was quickly put out. Homes and businesses were abandoned and could be restored and inhabited with some effort.

These scenes were repeated throughout Hilan, and with many deaths and reburials numbered in the thousands, mistakes were bound to be made. But the clerics did their best and could not be blamed.

In the week before the celebration, a certain Dragonborn Druid found her way to Morad. She had died in Ruinglast on the last day of the old year, and awoken at daybreak on 1 Deepwinter 7999 by the Lake of the Black Dragon under Ruinglast. Confused, she assumed her husband had something to do with it, and set out to find him.

Finding Fuego in the market in Morad, Meme said “You know, you remind me of my husband.” With smiles and embraces it took some convincing that while he was indeed Fuego Nevermere, also called Barrin Orish, he actually had nothing to do with her rebirth.

And when the celebration was over, the Third Family journeyed once more to Little Grove. Rylan had once remarked that there had always been a Garrett-shaped hole in the party, and finding Tiago during the week had consulted him concerning a certain time spell. With Ash silent on his lap, Garrett - wearing a large hooded robe that hid his features and shrouded him in darkness - had watched as the party met at the tavern in Little Grove and freed the faery dragon Little One. And he smiled, knowing this was the first of many to be freed by their actions.

The tavern now sat vacant, and the last remaining council member (known to the rest of the party as Grandma) allowed them to move in with no fees. With Fuego as Architect and Garrett guiding the craftsmen, Thea and Rylan and Ruinfea and they worked on building the Tavern of Second Chances. It was a tavern/pub on one side and a tea room on the other separated by a stage. The music was tailored to whichever side you sat on, unless someone entertained on the stage. There were private booths branching off into a maze-like warren - almost as if the patrons were exploring a dungeon. On the walls were sings and symbols and decorations representing the party, and anywhere there was a space sat a bookshelf.

And as the Goddess of Stories, Thea had a special book created telling the stories of the Third Family. It would only appear to one who was deemed worthy, and as the tale was narrated by one Brynwick Nibnibbler (known for her chronicle and whose return is another tale for another day) misty images would appear so that the reader could experience the tale with all of the emotion and none of the danger. And at the end of the book, the reader would be presented with a choice to become an adventurer . . .

The Chandler’s visited every chance they could, and loved on Thea and her friends as much as possible.

There were also weddings to be had.

Tiago and Alden were married that summer, and it was THE event of the season.

Rylan and Luka held a more formal ceremony on Samhain, with Garrett fashioning crowns for them for this occasion: simple wreaths stylizing elder branches, their berries encased in ice. It was a traditional Tuatha Dae handfasting - very Fey and very sweet.

Ruinfea and Loray were married that winter, with the ceremony held under a starry night sky on the flagship of the Drow navy anchored in Dewport Harbor - making sure through magic that no one affected by seasickness suffered. Her dress had magnificent wings, and since he would not be outdone, so did Loray’s suit. Fuego walked her down the aisle and Rylan’s Uncle Jar officiated. Valendra attended, and as a present offered a rather ornate box. Inside the box were the ring fingers of Ruinfea’s parents - just the fingers, rings still attached. The honeymoon was held on Loray’s ship.

Thea and Atreyu’s relationship moved along at a slower pace. But in the days and weeks and months and years that passed, they grew closer until one day a question was asked and the answer, returned immediately, was “yes”.

Fuego and Meme were reunited, and with Araushnee restored they received her Blessings - not just they, but Ruinglast, too - and as it prospered so did their families, with Fuego and Meme having another child in due course - a boy born of a red dragon and a gold dragon.

Nor were they the only ones whose family increased. Ruinfea and Loray, in their travels, adopted a white dragon child and named him Barrin.

Rylan and Luka consulted with clerics and magicians and certain Fey creatures, and performing a ritual on a sacred frozen lake, received nine months later into their family a boy they named Amalatar Baenre - the Divine Prince. Nor did they stop there, for in Rylan’s dealings as the god of death and murder, some misguided mother felt he could be appeased by her offering her two Tiefling children. Rylan accepted the mother as the sacrifice instead and tried to smuggle the children home under his cloak the way one might with a stray cat. Luka saw through it immediately and began working on expanding their home as daughters Fallon (“Proud Leader”) and Raegan (“King’s Child”) joined their family.

Garrett discovered that he was not the last of his kind. Other Harengons had been away as well and, like him, had escaped the destruction of their home. He took on the task of resorting the Feywild and reopening the ways between the planes. The Root of War’s armies had tried to leave the land desolate, but Garrett discovered that this earth could not be salted. It was the work of centuries, and with Ryaln’s help in casting a certain ritual every year, eventually the land was restored to such effect that it surpassed its former beauty.

In the meantime, in Little Grove near the tea shop, Garrett and Feugo reconstructed the tower of the star elves that Garrett remembered from his childhood. There he took on apprentices, unwilling to turn away any who showing willing. Their reasons, motives, skills, and attitudes varied as much as the weather - but Garrett would not fail a student.

Rylan set up a bakery, and Fuego and Ruinfea worked together to create a garden/temple area with beautiful plants and cute mushroom dragons.

This corner of town was theirs to share with others, and they adored it.

Time passed, and so did many of the Third Family’s friends. There came a time when they each faced the choice of continuing their godhood or willingly setting it aside to rest as mortals. They chose to continue, and to expand their pantheon:

Loray: god of the sea

Ruinfea: goddess of luck and of stars

Atreyu: god of the hunt

Fuego: god of justice, law, and architecture

Meme: god of the Harvest

Tiago: god of time

Garrett: god of creation and the forge

Rylan: god of death and murder

Thea: goddess of bards, stories, and workers

There were many more to find, but that was fine.

They had the time.

## Relationships

### The Third Family

Fuego Nevermere: Garrett was told being accidentally lit on fire by Fuego is a rite or passage for all members of the Third Family. As of yet, this has not happened, though Garrett is certainly a member of the Third Family.

Fuego and Garrett talked about magic and their relationship after returning from Soren’s tower. The two solidified their friendship, and Garrett promised Fuego to help him regain his memory and defeat his enemies. Fuego’s memory has since returned, but his former patron was not confronted by the end of the campaign.

Garrett made two twisted blades for Fuego from three swords and several artifacts Fuego gave him for that purpose. Though the two have talked several times, Garrett only came to realize how much the Dragonborn thought of him when embraced in a bear hug.

The two joined forces (along with Brioche) in the battle for Morad and Hilan against Larloch and Corellon, and together they made a bomb that wiped out an entire army, disembodied a lich, and destroyed an Artifact.

After the evens of the campaign, Garret assisted Fuego with many of his architectural endeavors.

Garrett remained continually impressed with Fuego’s stubborn insistence to be only and always himself.

Ruinfea: Though the two had little interaction compared to others through the campaign, Garrett gave Ruinfea some of his fur “just in case,” telling her to use it wisely.

Garrett also told Ruinfea not to get too attached to any of his creations or constructs apart from Ash. This advice went unheeded and caused some distress with Ash was destroyed by Tiamat (though he was subsequently restored during the night).

Garrett was particularly pleased that Ruinfea would allow him to ride her back in albatross form into battle.

More than once Garrett has thought that Ruinfea wanted to talk to him or ask him something, but she became distracted before anything could be said or done. Garrett did not push the issue.

Garrett has come to see that Ruinfea is completely and utterly her own person, and he will support her wholeheartedly - though he will still warn her not to pet unfamiliar animals in case of a repeat of what happened with the wisps.

Garrett is especially appreciative of Ruinfea entering him to make a reliquary to hold Keva’s ashes and a pair of twinned dragonscale daggers for her and Loray, etched with the symbol of her realm.

What impressed Garrett the most about Ruinfea was her ability to continue to see every one as redeemable, to give them a chance even when everything indicated otherwise. The world needs more people capable of seeing the intrinsic goodness of people.

Rylan Baenre: Garrett and Rylan were connected in their motives, but the two did not talk extensively about this - they simply did the next right thing. Rylan showed genuine interest and compassion regarding Garrett’s past, and displayed kindness to Garrett when he voiced his opinion on replacing broken things, reminding Garrett that gold makes a broken pot a work of art, and that stained-glass windows bring light and joy into the world.

Garrett was deeply moved when Rylan hugged him for making armor for Brioche, and the two had small yet powerfully meaningful conversations, as well as a longer one at The Dagda’s lodge.

Their discussion in the corridor at Tasha's had, in Garrett's mind, solidified their friendship, with Rylan holding small, quick yet important conversations with Garrett that indicated the two were closer than Garrett realized.

It was in the library at The Dagda’s lodge that Garrett came to realize that Rylan literally trusted Garrett with his life, asking him to fashion a tactical cargo brace to replace the one worn while he and Kam were together. Garrett is also pleased to see the jewelry he has made Rylan take prominence on his person.

If asked, Garrett would say that Rylan is more than a friend - he is his best friend and his brother.

Though Garrett was led astray by Reiner for a time, Garrett found that Rylan never truly gave up on him, and was comforted by Rylan’s bare-handed embraces of him, once privately in a hallway while going to Brioche and the other publicly after the contentious court with the Frost Prince.

Rylan continued to tell Garrett he was worth more than most gave him credit for, and when Garrett truly started believing this himself he started to find out so much about himself in such a short amount of time it came as a shock.

It was because of their closeness that when Garrett took Corellon’s godspark and found that he could choose a permanent color change for his fur that he chose the color of his brother (and also because it was the same color his fur had turned when Rylan protected him in the Mines of Chult).

Since the ending of the campaign, Garrett has worked with Rylan on several projects and has attended the family meals Rylan insists on having regularly.

He also writes at least one letter a month beginning with “My beloved brother Rylan . . .”

Theodosia Chandler: Garrett appreciated Thea’s help and honesty. It was mainly through Thea’s actions that he survived the trip into Faerun, and her explanation of how the Third Family lets new members pull a treasure from the bag of holding put him at ease that, while he wasn’t a full-fledged member yet at the time, the possibility was there - which came to fruition after the party’s adventure to free LaCroix.

Thea reminded Garrett many times that he is now family and a genuine part of the Third Family.

The two solidified their friendship when Garrett invited Thea to come watch him remake Ash, which up until then was something he’d done in private.

Garrett was pleased to present Thea with the sword known as Bard's Blade after her ascension to God of Bards, and the two were often seen together at The Dagda’s lodge.

Garrett is most appreciative of Thea’s aggressive respect, often speaking up for Garrett even when he himself is slow to do so.

Garrett also appreciates Thea’s ability to see what must be done and act decisively under pressure. She saved him in Faerun, gathered an unionized army in Chult, made friends with a Drider in the Demonweb Pits, used her visions to great effect, made sure the bomb would be placed correctly to destroy both the Artifact and Larloch, and married Rylan and Luka in the middle of battle. Garrett sees Thea as the keystone to most of the party’s success - and he is proud such a wise, kind, and loving person is his friend.

**Brioche** - Garrett shared space with Brioche in her bag and considered the dragon to be a friend. He felt the two of became closer after Garrett made armor for her; this feeling was reciprocated and confined.

The two shared a rather special day as they partnered up for The Hunt (sometimes called the Wild Hunt) and, choosing to ignore a family of beavers, successfully took down a charging boar. While dressing their kill, they were visited by Oberon.

While Thea is Brioche’s “aunt”, Garrett did not know how he fit into Brioche’s circle, but sought to give the growing dragon space to be herself without judgment.

One of the finest evenings he experienced in a very long time was attending the Winter Solstice masquerade with Brioche, where the two spent the evening eating, dancing, and people watching, being (as Garrett put it) “alone together”.

Since that night, the two were often seen fighting near and alongside each other, sometimes even with Garrett riding Brioche in her dragon form.

By the end of the campaign, Brioche may have been Rylan’s mount and adopted child, but she was undoubtedly Garrett’s best friend, with every party member commenting on the bond they seemed to share. Perhaps it had something to do with the best years of their life being taken from them, but the two had a close understanding that lasted long after the events of the campaign, with Brioche often visiting Garrett when Rylan said it was okay.

They turned the Hunt into a tradition, and one Samhain - maybe the one where Rylan and Luka wed, or perhaps the next - they went out to the boundary together after the Dagda’s invocation. With Ash on one side and Brioche on the other, Garrett held a lit turnip and looked out into and through the veil . . . and one observing them from behind would have seen perhaps five sets of silvery rabbit ears shine against the night sky as Garrett was finally able to introduce his sibling and his parents to his best friend, and tell them that their sacrifice was not in vain, that the whole of Hilan sang praises to the memory of the Harengon of the Feywild who stood against the Root of War.

### Other Characters

**Nesryn** - Nesryn may have helped the struggling members of the Third Family as a favor to Tasha, but Garrett appreciated her nonetheless. She put him at ease when he was fearful he offended the group when being introduced, and her comment of “I like you, cuddly bunny man,” caused Garret to blush. She made it clear she was Garrett’s superior in their sparring match, yet gave him enough opportunity to test his abilities. She also looked pleased and excited when Garrett revealed the armor he’d made for Brioche.

These actions, combined with Nesryn’s seeming fondness for Ash, contributed to Garrett’s respect for Nesryn, and he was sad when it was time for her to leave the party.

He credits Nesryn’s training for his later successes in battle.

**Kam**

Garrett respected Kam for a time, but feared their acquaintanceship got off to a rocky start, with Kam implying Garrett deserted his duty in Sildeyuir. Since Kam left the party and it was revealed as abusing Rylan, Garrett considered Kam an enemy.

**Keres**

Garret appreciated Keres’ non-hostile treatment of his joining the group, and was particularly pleased when she asked for his and Ash’s help in marking a map of Faerun with possible relic locations.

Garrett looked forward to making more of her acquaintance but she left the party without making a real connection with Garrett - though she found both Garrett and Ash useful for small tasks. Garrett is upset with how Keres treated Thea, but unless or until Thea declares her an enemy, Garrett considers himself neutral.

**Kiara and Z**

Kiara and Z shared with Garrett the story of Beausiphus, Kiara’s party member who carried the crossbow before Garrett. Their talk of party and family and practicality has begun a change in Garrett that he hopes he can one day express.

**Reiner**

Garrett spoke very little to Reiner prior to going into the Mines in Chult, but it was clear the two shared a common interest in knowledge. After returning from The Hunt, Garrett found that Ash and Reiner had spent the time in each other’s company in the library, and based on Reiner’s words and Ash’s actions, Garrett gathered they each enjoyed the time spent together immensely.

In Garrett’s mind, this bode well for their future interactions. However, this was not to be, with Reiner coming to treat Garrett as a pet rather than an equal, gradually wearing down the Harengon and damaging - but not breaking - Garrett’s friendships in the Third Family.

When Reiner left the party, Garrett vowed to be more careful who he trusts in the future.

**The Dagda**

Garrett has come to see the Dagda as an ally, and is grateful the god helped him commune with Oberon. He also gets the idea that The Dagda would like to have a longer conversation with Garrett , were it not for the whole “end of the world/planes” thing that is going on.

## Known Artifices

### **Ash**

Ash is Garrett’s steel companion. Despite being recreated many times, Garrett insists on Ash maintaining the same appearance and treats Ash as one continuous living creature. Though steel companions obey commands given them, Ash’s prime command is to “be a cat”.

Ash has become a support animal of sorts among the members of the Third Family and has spent time in the company (and laps) of almost every party member.

### **Bolts of Escalating Retort**

These bolts are a special creation of Garrett’s - but even he doesn’t know exactly how or why it works. What he does know is that casting “reduce” on a ballista bolt shrinks it to the size of a regular crossbow bolt, which then keeps its small size until fired from a crossbow. The bolts can be fired by anyone from any crossbow. The spell does not work like this for any other time, even other types of bolts or arrows.

### **Blessed by the Lord of Beasts**

This armor was made for Brioche the gold dragon at Rylan’s request, though the entire design belongs to Garrett. The making of this armor was Garrett’s first inclination that Oberon was taking a special interest in him.

The half-plate armor was made with armor and weapons and equipment donated by members of The Third Family and has all the benefits of a set of Arcane Propulsion armor plus a bladed tail piece made from a Great Sword of Wounding - all without Garrett using an artificer’s infusion slot. In recognition of Oberon’s blessing, Garrett not only named the armor in his honor, but included a set of gold antlers as adornment.

The metal plates reflect the color of an autumn fire, while the leather parts are tooled to look like dragon scales. A system of metal and leather also protects the bone structure of Brioche’s wings. The rivets connecting metal and leather look like cat paws and rabbit feet.

### **Bard’s Blade**

This combination sword and instrument was crafted for Thea Chandler and was presented to Thea on her ascension as the God of Bards, taking Oghma’s place after he was killed by The Third Family.

It combines a viol already in Thea’s possession and the short sword she was given during training in The Grey Wastes.

### **Dragon Totem**

This is a non-magical trinket made for Rylan on the occasion of his 111th birthday and resembles Brioche in her dragon form. Rylan has taken to wearing the amulet around his neck along with his holy symbol.

### **Dragonscale Daggers**

A set of daggers made for Ruinfea and Loray from a single green scale of Tiamat engraved with a sigil provided by Ruinfea.

### **Dragonscale Reliquary**

A heart-shaped contained made to hold the ashes of Ruinfea’s deceased partner Keva, this artifice is made from green dragon scale from Tiamat and permanently stoppered/sealed with a small bit of dragon bone, again from Tiamat.

### **Tactical Brace**

This brace was made for Rylan after returning to The Dagda’s lodge after saving Lusk from Glynn (who in turn was acting on behalf of the Root of War). This leg brace has pockets and pouches and straps for Rylan’s paraphernalia.

### **Trinity’s Edge**

This sword was made for Fuego/Barrin using the swords Holy Avenger, a Longsword of Life Stealing, and a Longsword of Wounding - as well as a few other items Fuego wanted incorporated.

Trinity’s Edge is a spiraled blade with three distinct edges ending in a single point. The hilt resembles branches, with the branches styled in such a way that the guard evokes antlers. The branches of the grip also twist around, holding a piece of mica and a piece of labrodite in place, before ending with the pommel containing a scale from the dragon Tiamat.

It is unknown if Garrett’s intended magical effects worked or not:

* +3 to attack (from Holy Avenger)
* +3 to damage (from Holy Avenger)
* Hit Points lost to this weapon can only be regained through rest, rather than through regeneration, magic, or other means (from Longsword of Wounding)
* On a natural 20, target takes 10 necrotic damage and the wielder gains 10 temporary hit points (from Longsword of Life Stealing)
* Proficiency with a longsword allows one to add their proficiency bonus to the attack roll for any attack they make with it (only once, not stacked or doubled, as this feature is found in both Longsword of Wounding and Longsword of Life Stealing)
* Mica will allow Fuego to cast Shatter so long as the mica isn’t consumed
* Labrodite and Tiamat’s Scale – unknown effects.
* Will require attunement

### **Twisted Fate**

This is a second sword made from the same three blades as Trinity’s Edge. It has the same look but does not contain any relics or artifacts.

It is unknown if Garrett’s intended magical effects worked or not:

* Offers advantage on saving throws against spells and magical effects to the wielder and creatures friendly to the wielder within ten feet.
* Once per turn, when one hits a creature with this weapon, the wielder can choose to wound the target. It takes 1d4 necrotic damage for each time it has been wounded (against a constitution saving throw (DC 15). Or, as an action, a wisdom saving throw will also end the effect.
* Proficiency bonus added if one is proficient in longswords (since two swords had this feature and it was not doubled . . . or was it?)
* May or may not require attunement by a paladin

### **Blessed Bracelets of Bone & Brass**

A set of eight bracelets were made by Garrett at The Dagda’s lodge in accordance with Oberon’s instruction to use the blessed boar bones on the next thing he made to help protect the party. In addition to the boar bones, Garrett also used the dragon claws he scavenged from the dragon Tiamat.

It is unknown what effect these bracelets will have on those who wear them. At the end of the campaign, Garrett was told by Oberon. “Sometimes we invest in future generations.”