Shallow Graves

"**Shallow Graves**" (1x05) is the fifth session of the first Boiling Sea campaign. The party finds themselves surrounded by wyrmlings and cockatrices, and Rhys's magic turns sour.

### Unleashed

Rhys holds on to his control of his spell, but the fire grows wild. It burns the cockatrice in front of him even further, and nearly singes Vaita. The fight continues, Sirius narrowly avoiding becoming petrified and Vaita making the kill on the black dragon wyrmling.

In the tense calm after battle, Rhys retreats to the cart with Thistle. Sirius attempts to harvest from the corpses, but they are burned beyond salvaging. Heka searches the wyrmlings, and finds a pouch caught in its scales, which contains gold and lapis lazuli. He hides it for himself.

### Cart conversations and blue calendula

After the tense combat and short silence after, the party regroups on the road and continues on. Deciding that they should probably talk about what happened, a terse conversation is had. They all agree that if they're going to be travelling together and working together, they need to learn to fight together. Rhys is asked if it happens every time, and he replies that he doesn't use his fire magic.

The group enters into The Bloomfields proper, flowers stretching out as far as the eye can see. Remembering that Angela Barrowthorn requested the group try and find more blue calendula, Sirius searches from their seat, assisted by Thistle. The successfully harvest a large amount of the flower and store it carefully.

### Bodies in the road

Later in the evening, the group sees something ahead in the road. Between two jagged overhangs, a cart lies overturned just off the road. The party investigates, and finds two men, one human and one halfling, lying very still. With flies buzzing around, it's very clear they are dead. Whatever goods they had in the cart are gone, and any valuables that might have remained on them are also missing.

Solemn, the group is for once single-minded. Heka and Sirius help clean the bodies best they can, tidying their clothes. Heka discretely takes a piece of cloth from one of the bodies. Vaita and Rhys both begin digging graves. The pair, discussing the reasons they both left their homes. Rhys talks about the people from his home, how their minds are set in stone no matter their side of the line. He tried time and time again to change someone's mind, just one person. It didn't work out and they had to leave. Vaita chuckles without mirth, and explains that she's been there. They say that someone they knew was blamed for something they didn't do. No matter what Vaita tried, she could not convince anyone, and the person had their head cut off anyway. She left shortly after that.

The sun sets as they finish laying the two men to rest, side by side.

### Stars and dreams

The group moves off to find a place to camp for the night, and while getting ready to rest, Heka notices that one of the stars are missing from the sky. This is pointed out, and the group discusses what it could mean. Has it happened before? Not to their knowledge. Vaita and Sirius talk, and Vaita enquires about Sirius's dislike for silkdust, and wonders if they have an issue with giltgraven or weavers. This isn't the case - they don't fault the wielder, but the tool. Vaita talks about how giltgraven are treated in the capital, and apologises for losing her temper before.

Heka and Rhys take watch, and during the night Heka hears a wolf's howl, and smells woodsmoke on the wind. Worried, Rhys sends Thistle out to investigate. She disappears out of Rhys's range, but returns with nothing to report. Heka and Rhys talk, writing in their journals. Heka wishes he could forget, while Rhys says memory informs future decisions. They find common ground, unexpectedly.

While a restful night is had for most, Vaita awakens in a dream. At first it is somewhat normal, the Bloomfields around her, but she reaches out and the flowers begin to rot beneath her touch. The dream shifts, and she's in a tunnel of branches. Behind her is a line of shrouded bodies, and there's a presence there that she swears is familiar, thought she's certain she's never felt it before. She hears words in another language that she somehow understands. *PLEASE DO NOT FEAR. ALL CANNOT BE GOLDEN.* The presence swoops through her, cold as the grave, and as she falls she comes face to face with Brighid, their head sitting inches from the stump of their neck. Their eyes move, and they whisper, "Wake up, V!"