Session 8

After returning to their airship, the Party spent some time bickering about Eckgroo's decision to lure a gnome to his likely death in Trap-Trap. The argument was interrupted by Valerie, who explained that Old Baby had been acting strangely before suddenly writing a cryptic message and fleeing the ship on Gab Gab. The Party hoped to find him in the Summerlands and agreed to take Valerie along so she could scatter Vincent's ashes. Before departing, Enyo and Eckgroo agreed to hire a botanist to guide them through the Summerlands, as they'd heard that the region was home to ingredients that might make a salve that could cure driderism. Valerie also reminded them that a masquerade would be held in Isabelle's honor that evening, so the Party also needed to acquire some masks of their own.

The Party returned to the city, making a stops at Made-o-Metal and a clothing shop. Enyo, hoping to purchase the most expensive mask on offer, returned to the Chrysanthemum to sell some of his stock in the business back to its owner. He was horrified to discover that he had been swindled, as a man named Benoit had posed as the bar's owner and absconded with the gold. Enyo recalled a distinct blade in Benoit's possession and was able to magically track it to a nearby alley. Though the Party had expected to find a cornered con-artist, they actually saw Benoit's blade buried in Jean Claude's lifeless body. Though shaken by the incident, the Party agreed to keep it a secret from Isabelle and allow the masquerade to proceed normally. They decided to bring Jean Claude's corpse with them to the Summerlands for a proper burial.

After arriving in the Summerlands, the Party encountered an odd goblin who had been attacked by a group of powerful raiders. The attackers left no trace, but the Party agreed to mete out justice if they ever encountered them. They then traveled to the glade, where Valerie scattered Vincent's ashes and began to pray. Perhaps triggered by the prayers, or perhaps simply due to the adventurers' presence, a pond began to bubble with bloody slime. The glade's trees morphed into fleshy mounds that disgorged demons bent on devouring the Party. The battle was harrowing, with the Party suffering serious wounds and Krangle being briefly ingested into the fleshy tree's body, but the Party was victorious.

The victory over the demons did not end hostilities, however. Consumed with rage from the battle, Thrassios attempted to kill Eckgroo as he lay incapacitated on the battlefield. Enyo managed to heal Eckgroo and urged him to retreat as he tried to calm Thrassios. Eckgroo instead used the power of his magical sabatons to shift into another plane. The Party's attempts to contact him were rebuked and Eckgroo did not return with the Party from the Summerlands.

The exhausted remnants of the Party had little time to debrief before the start of the masquerade. They met with Isabelle at the castle just before the king began the formal ceremonies. A variety of dignitaries offered Isabelle gifts and cryptic advice, none more ominous than Principe Julio's warning that nothing any of them did would have any affect on the future. The festivities became more and more suspicious, leading Isabelle to retreat to her private chambers with the Party. There they found Kantelvar, who revealed that he had been manipulating events since the Party arrived in L'Empire Celeste. The man claiming to be Principe Julio was an imposter planted by Kantelvar and the attempts on Isabelle's life had been masterminded by the true Julio, who had escaped Kantelvar's clutches and began operating as Thornscar. Kantelvar incapacitated Isabelle and escaped through a portal, leaving a construct behind to eliminate the Party. Though the Party defeated the construct, it managed to ignite the room and set fire to the castle. The Party was forced to flee the scene after guards discovered a charred corpse left behind by Kantelvar to hide Isabelle's abduction. The group eluded the pursuing authorities and regrouped in town to plan their next moves.

### Misc.

- Delaney from Made-o-Metal accompanied Krangle to the masquerade. He rescued her from the fire as the Party fled.

- Eckgroo briefly returned to the material plane to open the locked door to Isabelle's chambers as they burned, but disappeared before the Party saw him.