Episode 38: And you see.........a bear?

* We finish a short rest - during which Olivia receives a sending from Temerity that states Tamvrien has come under attack by an army of combined Grindwall and Torrys forces. Tristram decides to clear a rockslide out of our path - apparently using Blood magic to greatly enhance her physical strength. This leaves her weak and with a reduced HP maximum, she is also covered head to toe and blood. Tristram you're weird and foolish.
* Olivia finally admits that Verde is Theo.
* We move on, following around the edge of the lake. Godfrey stumbles into a drow trap, but seems to shake off the mind-effecting magic no worse for wear. Through a combination of spider climb and the Fly spell, the rest of the party avoids the trap.
* We're spotted by a Illithid Mindwitness - which attacks Godfrey, Lucius, and Desdemona. Instead of risking an outright conflict, Godfrey casts Hunger of Hadar and the party flees down the beach and down a side tunnel.
* Inside the side tunnel is a inexplicable large bear - seemingly frightened, it charges at Barkley and takes a swipe at her. A few moments later, a large host of drow outrunners - accompanied by a high priestess, her riding spider, and a brass dragon wyrmling all drop down from the ceiling and subdue the bear with nets.
* After the bear is captured one of the drow approaches Vahlka and claims to know her. She doesn't recognize him, but he introduces himself as Rystus Shadowbane - her uncle on her mother's side. Rystus is talkative and friendly, though the other outrunners treat the party with disinterested hostility. He talks to Vahlka a great deal about familial matters, seemingly unaware of the Nightwarden's estranged relationship with the rest of her family. He informs her that she's two siblings she hasn't met - a sister named Andromache and a brother named Ender.
* Rystus asks the high priestess in charge of the Outrunners, Marli Venomblood, if we can spend the night resting in his quarters. She reluctantly agrees and we travel back with them to their base. Rystus leads us to his quarters to put us up for the night and then leaves.
* After a few moments of talk, the brass dragon wyrmling, Bright Eyes comes to talk with us for a little while. She implies that the outrunners capture animals and on occasion people and that they "don't come back down". This alarms the party and they look to Vahlka for explanation for what is happening here - she refuses to answer.
* After Bright Eyes leaves, the party, concerned for the wyrmling's safety, accost Vahlka about the wyrmling. She dodges the questions at first just claiming that Bright Eyes is an Anshi and a part of a drow ritual that they'd not understand. After a few moment of fruitless and tense arguing Vahlka, stressed and furious, snaps and outright refuses to tell the party anything more on the subject.

## Chatzy 17

* Vahlka, Olivia, and Barkley discuss who to send messages to and decide to talk to both Sirius and Anika. Sirius claimed he was injured but had escaped - and that he didn't know whether or not the red Dragon Mask was still in the museum in Tamvrien. He also warned us about the "Red Woman of Torrys" (presumably Valeana)
* Vahlka excuses herself for a little while to talk to Rystus in private.

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