Session 24: Cohabitation

The Bulette lies defeated on the ground and a sigh or relief flows through the refugees of Littleton as they catch their breath from the devastating chase. Their relief does not last long though, as a stone cold Melethril orders them out of Minas and into the icy waters of the Laowise river to clean up. Isaya follows Melethril, Edel and Ruvaen into Minas to explain the situation. While the group is bathing, Aaler returns from his mission to retrieve Gert, Ben, and Sarah who were camped out in the party’s expedition pavilion. The peg-legged half-orc loses his temper when he sees what treatment the elves have forced upon his compatriots. Luckily, the party manages to calm him down before things escalate, although they decide to spend the night outside the village of Minas in light of the outburst.

Meanwhile, Isaya briefly explains to the Circle of Elders the events that lead to these refugees showing up in Minas with an army of orcs on their heels. She tells Melethril of her son Eschenal’s Death and tells her father Edel of Envil Moonbane’s death. She is unable to read through their stony faces into what thoughts or emotions may be going on beneath but the atmosphere in the room is tense. No brash decisions are taken and no heated comments are made, the Circle of Elders will convene under the moonlight give their verdict on the morrow. Isaya heads back out to rejoin the rest of the party.

The villagers have finished cleaning up and busied themselves making camp. Shed gets the feeling someone is stalking him and finally manages to catch a glimpse of a beautiful elven ranger who immediately dives into the woods upon being spotted. Jerky makes friends with Dorik, an aspiring adventurer who reminds him of himself not too many years ago… Aaler prays to Elune and spreads her comfort and soothing light throughout the camp, healing the injured.  Night falls and the party sets up watch.

Jerky bonds with Dorik during his uneventful watch and Shed, during his, accepts Camille’s apology and gratitude for saving Jerky from the Bulette. She gives him a magical scarf she found on an orc’s body that allows him to understand any spoken language and she warns him that the elves might not be trustworthy… he sets off into the night to spy on the Council of Elders. When he gets there, Edel and Melethril are in the middle of accusing each other of letting family ties influence their judgement and Ruvaen intervenes to calm them. At that point Shed is interrupted by soft laughter coming from another branch in the Elder Tree, it seems he is not the only one listening in on Circle Matters.

Lyari, the elf who had been stalking him earlier leads him away from the Elder Tree and they end up talking long into the night. Shed tells her about his time training at the monastery and the hardships of his past and Lyari shows him the sacred art of treesinging, crafting a pair of boomerangs for him. They spend the rest of the night together under the stars in the warmth of each other’s arms.

Outside of the Elven Magic circle the night is much less pleasant, the morning sun rises on a group of snow-covered refugees without adequate shelter. Luckily no deaths are to deplore but a few villagers have developed frostbite… enough to make these poor souls eye the warmth of Minas with envy. The party enters the village to hear the verdict of the Circle before the Elder Tree along with all the eighty or so other elves of Minas. It seems they have written an entire tome about all the things they are pissed off about but nonetheless it seems they have not chosen to exile Isaya. Instead she is to travel back to the Glen of Gozreh and perform the Urna Guldur. The Urna Guldur is a spiritual journey into the Feywild wherein an elf connects with the god Gozreh himself and reinstates the pact that the elven druid Minas made long ago to keep the village that now bears his name protected from the harsh winter for four years. Each elf can only perform this ritual once in his or her lifetime and Eschenal was the only one left who was of age… unfortunately he was interrupted. In exchange for Isaya performing the Urna Guldur, the elves accept to let the refugees of Littleton temporarily stay inside Minas, the alternative is Exile for everyone. The party has until midday to make a decision.

During this time, Aaler has a chat with Ruvaen, the old elven druid. Ruvaen is eager to hear news of his long-lost brothers, the Children of the Moon who have not made an appearance in the Centerlands since the great divide almost five hundred years ago. He asks about his old friend Eleren and Aaler tells him that he is well and lives in the great city of Astranar far to the east. Ruvaen is delighted to hear this and gives Aaler an artefact that he would like returned to Eleren: The Elune Stone. Of course, Aaler is welcome to use it on his sacred mission to find the lost temple to Elune in the meantime. Jerky has a long discussion with his mother, and feels terrible about being re-united with her for only a day before being swept back off onto a new adventure. Before he leaves she lets him know that when he returns they should talk about his father. Meanwhile, Isaya spends some time with her own father but contrary to Jerky and Camille, few words are spoken. They watch their familiars, hawky and foxy play for an hour until finally Edel opens his mouth “Isaya I am proud to see that you have grown strong but I am troubled to see that you have not grown wise. I hope that the Urna Guldur will open your eyes, and that you will see your revenge from a new perspective when you return. Let us discuss it then.” Shed spends the time searching for Lyari, but she appears only moments before the group leaves for a secret kiss, hidden to the eyes of all by the forest.

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