01: Welcome to Balaayt

Next Session

## **Summary**

Four travelers and a runaway cross paths in the city of **Lhoam**, a bustling ark metropolis on the western coast of Balaayt. After a scuffle with the police and some ruffians, **Mujie**, **Bran**, and a talking feline known only as **Cat** are taken into custody along with the cloaked bandits. **Tira** and **Lucarius** follow to give their statements.

In the **Lhoam PD** squad room, the five strangers meet **Mahi**, a suspicious young man who was recently arrested for public indecency. After taking everyone’s statements, **Constable Tayle** tells the group about some Kobolds outside of town making trouble along the **Arkline** that powers the city. Tayle makes them a deal: he’ll return their belongings in exchange for their help taking down the troublemakers and ensuring that the city’s supply of Ark is safe.

### The Wilds

Reluctantly, the newly-formed party heads out on the East Road, and follows the Arkline off the path and deeper into the **Wilds**, eventually reaching a cluster of hills hiding a Kobold camp. After making quick work of their leader and four Kobolds, they incapacitate another and shake down the last man standing for some information. All he can offer is that they were going to collect the ark and sell it, though he can’t tell them where or to whom.

The party decides to tie up the two remaining Kobolds and investigate the camp, finding some ark casks (both empty and full), and a mysterious pedestal with a symbol they recognize from Mahi’s earring. When the party touches the earring to the pedestal, the pedestal activates, ark coursing through it. The ground rumbles around them, rocks from the campsite are pulled in like magnets to repair the weathered stone structure, and the ground gives way to a descending staircase illuminated by twinkling golden lights.

### In the Arkspring

The party enters an otherworldly underground maze with four puzzle rooms: the first, a reverse hallway; the second, a round room with three statues (a merfolk woman, an elven archer, and an elven warrior); the third, a dark staircase; and the final room, a stone walkway between two ponds.

When the party solves the final puzzle, the dungeon rumbles, and the light coming from the walls glows even brighter, like sparkling gold veins. A small tree grows from the stone in the ground itself, and grass, moss, and small flowers sprout; pink camellias float on the surface of the pools on either side of the room. When the party looks back down the stony walkway, they see what appears to be a wood elf with a strange golden aura.

The party meets Bartak, God of wilderness and overseer of earthly creation. He gives the group some cryptic advice, returns the ark in the casks to the land (and destroys the containers), and leaves his gold necklace with Luca, a druid.

Having overcome their first trial, the party resurfaces to find a beam of golden light shooting to the sky from Bartak’s Arkspring.

## **Quotes**

### *CONSTABLE TAYLE’S OFFER:*

> “A group of Kobold bandits have been messing with the Arkline outside the city, accosting whoever tries to apprehend them. It’s causing a lot of trouble for our citizens—people’s power is going out, the Ark network is on the fritz, and even the radio tower is experiencing some blackouts. So if you all don’t mind, we’d just be overjoyed if you could take care of them for us.”
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*—Constable Tayle, to the party*

### *BARTAK’S WELCOME:*

> “My, what a long rest. You’ve done well! I sense strength of spirit in all of you. But you… *[he looks quizzically at Cat]* Your Ark is unstable.”
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#### *ON THE ARKSPRING:*

> “I see I’ve forgotten my manners after such a long sleep. I am Bartak. In your language, they call me the Caretaker. I have watched over the Wilds since they were raised from the sea. You find yourselves in my Arkspring, which you’ve so skillfully awakened. It appears the realm is in a bit of disarray…”
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> “This spring is a point from which Ark flows from Balaayt herself. There are six, spread across the realm. They belong to my kind, who yet sleep. Two belong to my siblings, one in the vast sands to the southeast, and the other *[he looks at Mahi]*—well, I suspect you should know, as you are—rather, were—a child of the sea!—but I’m afraid I can’t seem to remember the others…”
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#### *TO CAT:*

> “I apologize, but I can’t lift this curse. There is someone who can, but I… I can’t recall. But they are of my ilk. You should hurry and open their spring. You don’t have forever…”
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