Session 26

Session 26
·   Session begins

Venphira is dreaming of her patron.

o  As she falls to the ground in her dream, she hears the voice of Nidhogg repeating their Usual.

o  Venphira asks *how* she is meant to free the Nidhogg. They show her silhouettes of the party minus Sylvi and Kare. They tell her to “utilize them” and to focus on her end of the deal before releasing Nidhogg.

o  As she approaches the figures of her friends, they change into the shape of the Lumleys family. They are kneeling in the same position that they were before. Kare, Sylvi, and Nanna are there in addition to the house heads.

o  Venphira raises her sword, hesitates, but eventually strikes the figures. Their heads fall from their body and they dissipate as if made of sand.

o  Nidhogg Free Me Alarm

·   Venphira wakes up, the bed where she was sleeping is empty. Sylvi stayed with the Lumleys and Vjenga has been awake for a while. (Jinx is in the baby bjorn, classically).

·   Venphira sit at the nightstand in the room and writes in a journal.

·   She then makes her way down to the tavern, where Vjenga is reading.

·   She’s been looking through A Tale of Giants. It’s an anthropological account that details some immigration practices, farming, and accounts of a few individuals. There is a mountain Jotunn druid mentioned, who traveled and helped the land recover.

·   Venphira comes downstairs and sees Vjenga reading the book she threw at the window. They greet each other, Venphira is shameful. Vjenga asks why she threw the book at the window and why she was embarrassed.

·   Venphira explains that she is “charming in a fake way”. Not very good at talking to people intimately.

·   The very buff halfling from before walks up to them and gives them both breakfast. Venphira’s breakfast includes a cupcake.

·   Poison panic ensues.

·   Venphira eats the cupcake. IT’S NORMAL. Just a little dry.

·   Venphira doesn’t eat her vegetables. She ACTUALLY listens when Vjenga tells her to eat them.

·   Langar and Ymna wake up.

·   Langar goes downstairs to join the V people. Ymna presumably joins her.

·   Langar is a big strong boy and he eats his vegetables. When Langar eats, he unconsciously guards his plate with his nondominant hand. When this is observed, he says it is a habit from being in the army.

·   Solla is outside meditating, when they join the party inside they ask whether Venphira is enjoying her vegetables. She’s grimacing.

·   Solla asks about Langar’s new armor, he describes the way that the dwarf took an illusory image of his armor to model the new set.

·   Brussel sprouts lore.

·   Solla asks if Venphira has a plan for Grey Town after the Lumleys are “displaced”. They ask if anyone else is controlling Venphira.

·   Venphira says that it has been her singular goal for about 4 years.

·   When asked, she says that she wanted initially to kill all of the Lumleys, but now she’s not so sure.

·   Vjenga says that she thinks it’d be a bad idea to remove the Lumleys without a plan to continue management of Grey Town.

·   Solla brings up the contract with Athanasi, specifically when Venphira said that she was already contracted.

o    Venphira says she doesn’t remember it. 🤨 She thinks she came into it slightly after the incident.

o    Solla asks if it was an army contract. Langar says he doesn’t think so.

o    Vjenga asks who her contractor is.

o    Venphira says she doesn’t think that she should share. When Solla says she might not be able to talk about it (ie. Athanasi Contract) she nods.

·   Sylvi and Qo both enter. Qo is being carried, and is dumped out on the table. The 1/4th elvish boy says he needs to get a room or get out.

·   The party asks where Sylvi stayed. She says she was with her parents, because she loves them soooo much.

·   Ymna is reading The Fir Tree, by Archdruid Jire. The account of Zevan’s travels goes over settings that don’t strike Ymna as places in Midgard.

·   Langar goes to pick up his armor. He also takes a BAAAATH in between switching sets. He’s not allowed to bring his speartip into the bath but the workers do give him a knife. For Security. It’s like a teddy bear for people with a history of traumatic violence.

·   Vjenga seeks out Lothtr in the morning when he’s working at the bar. He’s reading a book in gnomish called silent summer. She asks on behalf of Sylvi how Grey Town will be different if they return post-party.

o    Lothtr says that the resistance will have a better idea of how to conduct their revolt. They’ll know more about how to get into the castle, and more about the Duke and Duchess. Lothtr says they won’t take any grave action during this time.

o    Vjenga asks him to have a talk with Sylvi, as he has firsthand experience with the other side of the Lumleys.

§  He says he’ll do his best but he can’t make any guarantees.

·    Lothtr approaches Sylvi later in the day. He asks her to follow him and she does. They go back down into the basement, and sit at the same table where they sat before.

o    Lothtr dads.

o    He says that he understands how she’s in a difficult situation, Sylvi says that she Just Loves Her Parents So Much.

o    He asks how Sylvi feels about the party’s effort to separate the Lumleys from their heads.

o    Sylvi says they’re all she has left. Kare is gone and she’ll be the last one left if her parents die.

o    Lothtr says that being the last of her lineage is not easy, and asks if she really *wants* to uphold the legacy of her parents. He says she should focus more on herself and what she wants.

o    Sylvi asks about the castle. Lothtr says it would go to either Venphira or Nanna.

o    “Venphira’s going down on the dating list.” “Venphira’s going down on Sylvi.” Elyes asks whether a comment made about Athanasi is said in character. 🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨 in front of Lothtr 🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨.

o    Lothtr detects the geas placed on Sylvi by her parents, and takes a knee next to her. She can hear praying under Lothtr’s breath and then something WHACKs the side of her head. Lothtr has hit her with a rock. Her head SMARTS but she feels a weight off her shoulders. She doesn’t feel so much love for her parents after Lothtr rocked her nog.

o    Lothtr apologizes for bonking her, she says she doesn’t love them anymore. He asks her to promise not to tell Ymna about the rock.

o    Lothtr mentions offhandedly that he was in a rock band. When Sylvi mentions Eikthyr, he calls him a dickhead. He shows Sylvi up to an office-like room. In the office there are posters, she recognizes Lothtr on one of the posters. Lothtr has some HISTORY??????

·   Sylvi starts playing with her tarot deck in front of Lothtr’s office, on the floor. . She doesn’t know how to use them and doesn’t read the book that came with them.

·   Solla goes window shopping.

o    They pass a variety of stores. One store they pass has frosted windows and seems very run-down. It does not have a name.

o    When Solla peaks inside, they see a gnome sitting on a pile of books. They have a fabulous beard and large spectacles.

o    Solla asks if they’re a wizard. They say no, but they *could* be a wizard.

o    Solla asks to try their beard on. Oh my god this section went so fast it is so hard to keep track of. They ask for a price, Solla ignores them.

o    “What is the fourth rule of wizardry?” “You have to have a beard?” “Fuck.”

o    They ask what Solla is in the mood for, and say they have more than books.

o    “Ok, goodbye.” “Ok, get out.” “No.”

o    They try to abduct the gnome? By saying they have a beard?? AT HOME???

o    Solla says they’ll be back for them. As they leave, the door is locked behind them.

·   Qo goes component shopping.

o    Kale needs to figure out what he has to buy first.

·   Ymna tries to finish as many books as possible, they get two done. We didn’t say which ones.

·   Vjenga is trying to read “The Radiance”, Venphira cucks her out of it. She asks to speak to Venphira in private. On the way back to the room, they pass Sylvi who is still playing on the floor with her deck. Sylvi greets Venphira coldly.

o    Venphira says that Vjenga seems agitated. The latter apologizes.

o    Venphira says that she thought about Vjenga’s proposal to “just talk”, and she wants to know more about her. Venphira goes to sit beside Vjenga and they begin to JUST TALK BABE Y.

o    Venphira asks about Vjenga’s childhood. She says that hers was very different from Venphira’s. Vjenga did not grow up in a clan of Jotunn and was raised by her uncle. She mentions her two adopted sisters, Ylda and Erva, and gets upset when talking about them.

o    “What kind of people were they?” PAST TENSE? They rocked thanks for asking. Venphira asks if everything is alright.

o    No girl. Vjenga explains, upset, what she saw in Leonidas’s scrying orb. (Recap 21)

o    Venphira gives her a hug. She promises not to let her deal with it alone, and reminds her that she’s here for Vjenga. When Vjenga reciprocates the hug, she puts a little too much squeeze into it. Venphira says she’s sure there’s something they can do.

o    Venphira suggests that when the party is done with the Queen’s party and the wedding, they could visit Vjenga’s uncle to gain his insight. Vjenga responds that she wants to go home but is unsure if she’ll be able to leave again. Her uncle is very knowledgeable but has been guarded w/ respect to information. Venphira says that she’ll support her decision whether she stays or leaves.

o    Venphira offers to change the subject, Vjenga is eager to talk about something else. Venphira begins to tell her about her siblings, of which she’s got 8.

§  She was far from the oldest so she wasn’t in a leadership/heir role.

§  Garth was meant to take over. Before the death of her family, Venphira meant to tell her parents that she wanted to leave and explore the world. She was never able to, as the Lumleys killed ‘em dead! Rough!

§  She or Nanna are now in the place to assume the Vidal mantle, but Venphira isn’t sure what to do. She feels the consequences of her plan catching up to her and feels uncertain about the future.

§  Vjenga asks if her family wouldn’t want her to live her own life, after their passing?

§  Venphira, laughing, tells Vjenga that Leif would have told her to “get out there and slay mad puss.” (paraphrased). She thinks her siblings would have been alright with her following her own path in life.

§  Vjenga says she thinks that the life which honors the Vidal fam most is the one that makes Venphira feel fulfilled. (pretend I didn't stumble over my words here. You imagined that. But if it was real it was for comedic effect trust me). Vjenga asks what her plan is post-Lumleys revenge.

§  Venphira doesn’t know, she says she’ll have to figure it out.

§  Vjenga is proud of her for talking out her feelings.

§  The two of them leave the room, and see Sylvi in the hallway.

·   Sylvi is still playing with her cards in the hallway.

o    The cards look a bit like MTG cards. The names for the cards are written in Daelkyr. It’s like a language blendini at .5 speed.

o    When asked, Sylvi says she feels awesome. She says she talked to Lothtr, and “I’m okay with killing my parents now!”

o    Vjenga and Venphira share an awkward look.

o    Venphira asks if she’s sure she’s okay with killing her parents.

o    “I’m been chillin.”

o    Venphira is still trying to get Sylvi to talk to her in detail.

·   Meanwhile, Solla walks into another bar. The bar has a nameplate written in orcish. It’s called the “First Goose Bar”. They sit down and order a bowl of jambalaya. Solla tries to order in orcish but the maid who takes their order doesn’t speak it. The establishment is run by a father and a daughter.

·   Solla notices a cloaked figure. Upon seeing them, they sit at Solla’s table. Iiiiiit’s Skóð/Skoth!

·   They exchange greetings. Skoth says they’ve been tracking the Lumleys. Solla updates them on what they’ve learned about the dragonborns of the golden horn.

o    Skoth and Solla leave the bar to move to an alleyway. She wants Solla to show them what they’ve learned. Against Skoth’s recommendation, Solla DEVOURS some jambalaya. Solla tries to incapacitate their mentor with one of their new breaths (dragonborn patch notes).

o    Skoth shrugs it off, and avoids their next breath by diving face first into the mud. When she decides to take a turn, she beats the SNOT out of Solla.

o    Solla loses their lunch.

o    Solla asks how long it takes for them to learn the techniques Skoth uses. The two of them show eachother their staves. 😳

o    They continue to duke it out for a while for the sake of time.

·   TRAVEL TIME! We rolled a 1 on the d10 tho so we’re not gonna see burt for a hot minnie.

o    The party is traveling with the Lumleys, who are up front in the carriage.

o    While in the carriage, Qo talks to Vjenga. (very begrudgingly)

o    Qo tries to tell her that they were childhood friends. Please see the linked media for an approximation of how true this is.

o    When that doesn’t work, he tries to ask Vjenga about the latest hot goss.

o    He says he wants to know about Sylvi. Vjenga gets her attention, and Sylvi asks what’s up.

o    Kare asks how she feels about killing her parents. They are RIGHT THERE in the front of the carriage. IT iWAS OOOC.

o    Qo gives up on trying to talk to Vjenga and decides to steal from her. Regrettably I egged him on. Didn’t think he’d actually do it.

o    😔

o    He does it.

o    Badly.

o    As Qo goes digging in her bag, he notices Langar, who has been staring at him. He says to Langar that “this is for you”.

o    This completely BLOWS his cover and Vjenga picks him up like a little ragdoll man. She wrestles his hand open and takes her swiped ring back.

o    Qo says that he thought it was his.

o    Vjenga is unconvinced and unimpressed. Qo tries to drag Langar down with him, but it doesn't work. This is a real tragedy of issues.

o    Vjenga puts the plat ring back in her pouch and tucks that away. She’s peeved.

·   Langar puts his javelin tip away, places it under his chestplate.

o    He takes out his carved Angelina coin and asks Vjenga if she’s heard back from Hugo or Angelina.

o    She shows him the letters from Hugo. They are not clarifying.

o    Langar seems distressed by this response, but instead of asking more about it he asks about Sihinion.

o    Vjenga says that she wrote him a letter, and when she mentions the Lumleys by name Ulfred pipes up to confirm that he’ll be there. Sihinionwas not the one that informed the Lumleys of the party. He also says that Sihinionwas the master of education in The Green Lights. He was moved to the council at Queen Bergljot’s request.

o    Langar supposes that if Sihinionis there, he could potentially send the party to Vostordon as he did before.

o    Vjenga says she’s not sure if he wants to see them. Langar doesn't care. Langar don’t give a fuck.

o    Langar is clearly agitated and worried about Angelina. He wants to make sure she’s okay.

§  Qo asks who Angelina is and is rebuffed by the person who he tried to rob and the person who caught him robbing.

o    Vjenga asks what Langar would say to Hugo if he could speak to him.

o    Langar says that he’d want to ask if she’s okay, and what the party might do for them. He says that he’s willing to provide money (of which the party has substantially more than they did before.)

o    After asking this, Vjenga casts Sending to Hugo. She says the party is concerned and wants to know what’s wrong with Angelina, she asks what the party can do.

o    “Little hiccup, we’re fine. She might not remember you. Some hiccups here and there, I don’t know if this was foreseeable.” He keeps talking until he reaches 25 words and gets cut off. Hugo sounded hesitantly optimistic and Vjenga is very relieved.

o    She relays this information to Langar.

o    Langar is very upset when Vjenga says that Angelina may not remember them. Langar takes his coin carved with her name, kisses it, and throws it out the back of the carriage. When he closes the door, it slams.

o    When it slams, there is a rumble from the front left of the carriage. And another

o    The Lumleys are surprised and the party can see two huge creatures tumble out into the road, fighting one another. The pair is a treant, rotting and infected with amber, and a massive (approx 26 ft.) hill giant.

o    The party hops out of the back, and can see the two fighting more clearly. As this happens, the session ends.

o    I left the recording on for a little while ooopzie.

Or else.

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