Session 5 Recap by Steve

### Part One

It was the fifth month since the Arrival of the 71st to Hardholme.  Five months of no sun and no night, but a steady overcast purple that enveloped the world.  Progress could be found beyond the Silver Flame temple however, as Aequitus had narrowly persuaded the town’s council to build a palisade wall along the North and East bounds of Hardholme.  Maeve the Radiant also had broken ground on a temple meeting space for the Light.

Fitzkin, Rael, Forge and Maeve head to Steepridge looking for the one known as Rosa, the last person thought to have seen the now missing Millicent.  In speaking with off-put inhabits of the slums the group somehow learns that Rosa was last seen there headed for the Pioneers Guild.

It is mentioned by the group that they might head to the local weapons shop while out and about, to which Rael grows nervous.  It seems he has “history” with the weapon shop owner.

While this occurs Kamara, Ulrich, Aurelae and Aequitus visit town-hall to see Goldie, who was busily organizing all the notes Aurelae had left for him since the 71st’s adventuring had began.  He had to reorganize them in his own incomprehensible filing system of course, because they were practically unusable to him in their regular proffered state.

The group asks Goldie what he knows of the land east of Hardholme- comprised of forest and mountain.  Located due East of town, he told them, were the Golden Peaks which the group confirmed had been named by none else than Goldie himself.  To the northeast of the peaks were said to be a forest. The unknown remainder of the 70th Arrivals had gone East as well, though what had happened to them was quite unknown.

The two groups reunite and decide to get to the bottom of Millicent’s disappearance.  Rosa, who had recently been voted off of the Council for reasons still unclear was growing more and more central to events of dark and leary context.  So they headed to the Pioneer’s Guild as it was the last reported destination of Rosa, suspected kidnapper of Mallicent.

Upon arriving to the Pioneer’s Guild building guards were noted at the entrance to what looked like a tall structure.  It was a structure Aurelae had walked up in spider boots multiple times as it had the best skyline view around- being the largest building in Hardholme.

The guards accosted the group as they tried to walk into the building like they owned the place, as if they were Dar himself.  The guards of course said of course no to access but in the exchange they let slip that Rosa was actually headed South, and that the Pioneers don’t like Rosa and wanted no part of it.  It was the pejorative word however, because the 71st and Rael were still no closer to discovering Rosa’s plot against the powers that be.

It was still day, and after talk of a disguise to infiltrate the Pioneer Headquarters Aurelae did what she had casually done before, walking up the outer wall but this time poking her head in a window to survey a large room below.  It appeared to be a giant factory floor, a very industrious workshop filled with various tinkering tables. To far away to be able to tell what exactly was being built, Aurelae snuck back down lest she be seen in a daylight window.

The Pioneers Guild was ostensibly and originally organized to further industry in Hardholme. Yet it’s owners, Dar and Vera that started it also operated orphan labor mines. Supposedly a sister guild of the Prime, the group got a most definite vibe of heck off.

Feeling like there was not much more they could do with the present circumstance at the Guild hall, the group huddled again to decide their next move.  Should they head South, following in the direction of Rosa? Should they head East to explore lands unknown? Ultimately the group decided that intel from the Pioneers could not be trusted and that they would continue with prior plans of heading eastward.  And with that they set out.

The Easternlands were a flat plains and they traveled quickly across them.  East was a range of mountains and eventually the group saw trace of a forest to the NorthEast, and calibrated their course to keep the forest on the left and mounts on the right.  Two packs of Striders are seen in the plains but they are moving fast. As they get closer to the forest they see that DaemonWhite trees resembling birches that clearly have hives at the bottom.  Without a word the group avoided the foreboding foliage. They adjust course to head further NorthEast towards the thick forest land in the distance.

On the third night’s watch several party members saw Wingers, but with even the utterance of the beginnings of a charm spell they still took flight.  Fitzkin particularly saw Wingers scurrying about on his watch, and for the third close time the little goblin attempted to catch one.. which he did successfully!  The Winger laughed “aha!” in Fitzkin’s hands then abruptly disappeared. Fitz leaped up into the air appearing suddenly more dexterous than the party had ever seem him previously.  He awoke everyone celebrating, and to a groggy response Fitz brightly said, “Look if I drop this stick Fitz dropped a stick from near his eye level, Rael attempted to snatch it but missed and Fitz caught it, finishing… I’ll catch it!”.  Fitz is clearly invigorated.

Eventually the land to the South flattens into hills that dissipate to a grassy space in what they suspect is the End of the Known World.

Continuing across Strider country continuing to head NorthEast from Hardholme they encountered an abandoned campsite which they guessed had to of been left from the 70th Arrivals, who had departed Hardholme and also been last seen heading this way!  Rael is concerned about what could have happened to them but also figures that the 70th had left him and Aurianya in a jail cell err.. spa to take off without them, so maybe they were a “bad influence”.  Especially Grandl.

The mountains are now directly at the right of the travelers path (meta- 3 o’clock).  Aurelae suggests heading North at this point, to which Ulrich offers continuing more Eastward.  Psychologically if the group were looking for the 70th surely their party would have continued in a straight line?  Or perhaps at this junction they had the same conversation our current travelers were having?

As Ulrich continued to explain to the group his directional thoughts, with all attention on him as if he were an auctioneer, the group felt an alien, tingling sensation of being lulled from focus. A Large winged creature with eight face-tentacles bolted down from the sky silently behind Ulrich.  The creature, like an Octobird, had the body of a bird and giant talons to match. As it opens its face to nearly pluck Ulrich into its mouth, the Octobird overshoots Ulrich and its face slams into Kamara all the same. Tendrels wrapping around Kamara the OctoBird pushes off the hilly ground with its massive bird feet and launches back into the sky.

Aurelae elvishly threads an arrow and looses it into the creatures neck, splashing blood against the bottom of its face and onto Kamara as well.  This all happening in a blur, Kamara’s drive to survive kicks in as he concentrates as hard as he can on the rapidly disappearing land below him, as if grasping for a foothold with his mind.

Aequitus lets loose a massive fire blast singing the creature while Maeve deals a whallop of pain to this creature obviously not from the Light.  All the same the giant Octobird continues flapping away into the sky with its nearly acquired meal. Kamara grows still in the creatures mouth as he continues to concentrate in his mind on that patch of land he so so urgently wanted to reoccupy- and like that Kamara warped into that very space, shocking him and the entire crew.  But there was no time for talking as the giant Octobird looped back around and descended into another strike run.

A familiar tingling feeling once again returns as Forge, Maeve, Kamara and Ulrich become frozen in place.  And they are immediately struck with impressions of their worst fears. Ahead of Forge he sees the ground begin to give way to the gnarled undead form of his old master!  The golden zombie dragon claws itself toward him, defiantly coming to take him back to the underworld with her. Forge panics and shoots an unguided cold beam through the air but it is futile, for the enemy is in his mind.  Maeve sees a Darkness that causes her to double over, its black hole depth impossibly hard to comprehend. To Kamara snakes sprout and take the form of retribution for his betrayal. They are all practically paralyzed with their greatest fear.

The creature hits the ground by Aurelae and the force of its landing sends a shockwave of damage to Rael, Maeve and Kamara.  Aequitus is the most seriously injured. The group is able to recover their bearings however and they spring into action. Kamara mentally pushes against the creatures hold and, exceptionally, is able to push through its grasp to knock the creature instead to the ground.   Maeve jumps to heal Aequitus who is on the brink of death. Aequitus was now revived, noticed a faint glow emanating from his healed shoulder that matched the grey of his hair. Rael also administers healing to his comrades. Ulrich brings the pain by leaping towards the temporarily grounded creatures with both of his blades drawn and descending from above his head. Only one of the blades connect with the Octobird but it is enough!  The creature turns its large body recovering and attempts to fly off.

Rael seeing the chance for another strike at the creatures sings an inspiring battle hymn to Ulrich, who seizes the opportunity for another leaping strike.  It connects, with both blades this time and Rael viciously mocks the bird, inflicting further psychic damage on its pride. The rest of the group sends volley after volley and ultimately, perhaps goaded by intensity of coming face to face with Darkness, opened the sky like a reverse volcano and blasted fire down into the Octobird- slaying it with immolation mid-air like sacrificial pyre in the sky, to the Light!

That night the group ate Octobird, and it wasn’t a very pleasant experience.  The meat had already been partially cooked and they roasted it slowly over a pit.  Even still, Octobird meat retained a slimy texture similar to Batdusa, but also had some trace notes of grass and hills.   Overall it might be graded a four out of ten on a theoretical measuring scale. Forge was sure to soul-blade slice the Octobirds talons for resale in town and of course Aequitus harvested another head for perhaps the hearth of the 71st Estate.  The group set watches and called it a well worn night.