Promise of Dawn

## The Calvary Arrives (Too Late)

* After the Spirit of Fire leaves, the party and the remaining survivors leave the safety bubbles and take stock of what is left of the Elder Tree. The residents of the Elder Tree mourn and pray over Pensive Paw. Magical flowers native to Nymeria begin growing on Pensive Paw’s body. The party scours the land and finds a counterspell machine and some leftover ammunition.
* Kysona takes out the mirror shard and tries to contact his patron and ask for help. He has minimal success as the mirror does not reflect anything back.
* Jaque says that he can feel the N'Komo Ambush coming and the party needs to decide what to do with the Arasaka turncoat because the N'Komo is an extremist group and will likely kill the traitor soldier.
* The party discusses what to do with the turncoat:
	1. Kill the Arasaka soldier
	2. Release him into the jungle (likely certain death)
	3. Send him away with a small group
	4. The soldier just stays with us
	5. The party pretends he is a thief to hide his identity.
* The party puts the decision to a vote and end up tying on option 3 and option 5. Before they can discuss further about what to do, the N'Komo Ambush arrives on the backs of dinosaurs. Franz introduces the soldier as a thief that he had brought with him to the Elder Tree.
* The N'Komo Ambush immediately set up an anti-divination ward to prevent other people from detecting them via magical means or getting close without alerting the Ambush. They also provide medical attention to anyone who needs it. V, who brought the N'Komo ambush, comes to talk with the party. Franz tells V that the child has been taken. He does NOT mention that the party made a trade to give them up.
	+ Starfall, the leader of the N'Komo Ambush, walks over with Shadow of the Flame to ask Zhu Li about what happened. Shadow notices Franz sending messages to Zhu Li while Zhu Li chats and tells Starfall.
* It's dangerous to stay by the Elder Tree, so the N’komo Ambush gathers up the survivors and Pensive Paw's tree monster corpse and bring the party to a safer location. The Ambush sets up camp for the next couple of days, and the party has the opportunity to finally rest.
* Now that Eli has found Ina and gotten her out of Dr. Perry's lab, Eli decides to retire from the party and go back to Sirex with Ina and Liluth. Eli the fae is aghast because he wants to go to Bombyx Mori and reunite with his dragon god. Since their goals are now incompatible, Eli gives up her Trickery cleric powers in order to go home. She loses four levels, but is able to keep 1 cantrip.
	+ She bids the party a tearful goodbye and gives her cleric amulet (and thus Eli the fae) to Kysona and asks him to bring Eli the fae to Bombyx Mori if he has the chance.

### The Sentinel Order

*About two weeks ago, immediately after the Time Eater teleported to Dr. Perry's lab*

* After the Time Eater teleported away, Matthias thanks Morgan for coming to help him and stating that he clearly still needs training. Morgan detects that someone was in the farmhouse and burns it down, but doesn't find anyone.
* Morgan teleports Matthias to the ice palace and challenges Matthias to spar, stating that Matthias has to train harder. Matthias manages to scratch Morgan while Morgan absolutely wrecks Matthias. (40 damage in one hit????)
* Morgan carves the sentinel symbol into Matthias's pec and pours blood onto the sentinel symbol. Mattias sees symbols of a forest and flash of light. He has a vision where his right arm doesn't work and his leg is cut off. There's a Tygron with black fur with a sword that says: "All sentinels must die", to which Mattias responds that "even if I dies now, another will take his place and defeat you" The black-furred Tygron drives his weapon into Mattias and responds "Asmodeus forgives."

### Pandora and Azrael Are Not Good at Stealth

*Also after the Time Eater's appearance*

* After Pandora teleports herself and Azrael away, they meet up with Asmodeus and explain the situation to him. Asmodeus identifies the Time Eater as some creature from the Sea of the Fathomless (the Abyss). To combat Dol Arrah and the Time Eater, they need Damien to find "the Heart of Eckoles". They must also "activate the cultists" (i.e. the Disciples)
	+ Pandora is confused because according to Church teachings, the Heart was destroyed
* As Asmodeus is speaking, a surge of magic hits him.
	+ “far too early for the cultists”
	+ “we only get one shot”
	+ “must continue searching for the Heart”
	+ “it’s time to get the box”
	+ “Pandora, child…our relationship will not be like that of you and the church…Make your own decisions. I will always support you…but ultimately you are alone in this world. Be strong. I know you have it in you.”
		- Azrael is surprised by this statement, it seems unusual
* Azrael says that Asmodeus wants them to buy time and find allies. They are outnumbered in this world and in their quest, so "the enemy of my enemy..."
	+ The box is an enemy of the church. They have to head north to get it - to the Orcs and the Elves
	+ Pandora is not okay, but says they must push on. She has disadvantage on pretty much everything in the day
* Pandora and Azrael rest for a couple days before heading out. Azrael says that they're headed for \_\_\_\_, and plans a western route.
	+ They use an invisibility potion to sneak out of Silverhearth and steal horses from a nearby village. Azrael has Pandora steal the horses since she's better at stealth.
	+ The plan is to make a pitstop at Blackpool to rob a Protectorate tax office. Pandora prefers this plan because they don't have to rob people and she doesn't want the money going to the Protectorate anyway.
	+ They can only travel at night and kill a deer for food.
* They reach Blackpool, which is the same town that Grog rode a pig at the festival when the original party was traveling from Norbury to Sirex. They sneak past the Night Watch guards and into the tax office. Azrael intimidates the guard and the tax worker into opening up the safe in the back room. They are terrified and believe that Azrael is the devil.
	+ The guard tries to stop Azrael but he's visibly quivering. Azrael casts Hold Person on the guard, but the spells wears off before the safe opens. The guard shouts for reinforcements.

## Pooling Intel

* V introduces the party to Icy Knot and Shadow of the Flame. Starfall and Icy Knot provide what they know about Arasaka in exchange for what the party knows.
	+ They explain that Arasaka military force is divided by its generals into different segments and each other led by a chief airship. Yorinobu has the Spirit of Fire, General Kaguro has Ascendant Justice, and then there is the Shadow of Intent and Leviathan. All airships operate separately from one another. There have been rumblings that as Operation Lazarus progresses, the airships are coming together as a singular defensive force, forming a true armada
* Zhu Li explains that Operation Lazarus is why she was tortured. They are looking for ways to extend life. Sounds like Yorinobu wants to extend the life of his father.
	+ Kysona recounts what he saw when he was brought onto the Spirit of Fire: he (as Dr. Perry) told Yorinobu that Tolbo could be turned into a body that could house a new lifeforms, but then they cut off the head. Kysona expresses confusion over whether Yorinobu actually wants to extend his father's life. How did Yorinobu get Tolbo from Sirex? How did Sigil let this happen?
	+ Arasaka needs the Child of Bombyx Mori to show them where the Etherium Vault is
	+ Yorinobu is connected to Ethereum bombing in Sirex
* If the party can figure out where the Spirit of Fire is docked, perhaps they can plan a surprise attack and rescue Wan-Ti and Nibbler and take back Dr. Perry.
* According to N'Komo intelligence, there’s a Spirit of Fire engineer named Kono Utamara who has disappeared. It's very rare for any Spirit of Fire engineer to leave the vessel and the N'Komo believe that they have defected. Starfall suggests that they work together, and if they do the party can use the N’Komo camp as base
* Party discusses possible allies.
	+ **Draconists**: When Zhu Li was suffering from Etherium poisoning, V and Jaque brought her to a hidden enclave of storm draconists (dragon worshippers).
		- V was the only survivor of the Spirit of Fire’s attack on her ambush. She was captured and being brought to Elderwyn for execution in front of Saburo when the Draco Sphynx attacked the caravan, freed her, and healed her. If her experience is any example, maybe the draconic are to be trusted.
		- Zhu Li warns that the party should not mention Draco Sphynx to draconists; they believe that the sphynxes are against the dragons and view the Draco Sphynx as myth, a bastard lie told by sphynx worshippers
	+ **Sigil**: may be interested to know of Arasaka’s attempts to copy, alter, and reproduce Sigil technology. They might us board the ship if we could recapture the pieces of Tolbo
	+ **Elven towns**: concerned that their elves are being taken, maybe can get support from them
* When V leaves, Eli suggests that they ask Teppei where the Spirit of Fire docks. Kysona goes to fetch Teppei from the group of Elder Tree survivors. He also brings Tranquil and the Kenku that was kidnapped by Red Sun in order to avoid suspicion.
	+ The Spirit of Fire docks in Elderwynn, Arasaka’s stronghold. There’s advanced tech that comes specifically from Elderwynn
	+ With regard to Kono Utamara, Teppei overheard that they had someone from the science team or maintenance/engineering team disappear. Teppei thinks they snuck out on one of the troop shuttles. He's fairly certain it was not Elderwynn, it may have been the Capital or Relminth
	+ Teppei is part of a group within Arasaka who are opposed to Yorinobu’s corruption. They use the phrase “*waning gibbous*”
* V comes to the tent, bringing Clover who is riding Grover the baby Triceratops. Franz turns Teppei invisible to avoid uncomfortable questions. Everyone follows Clover to Pensive Paw’s tree body. The flowers that were growing on her corpse have been removed. Clover lists each flower's magical properties.
* Clover uses a powder form of detect magic to make sure none of them have magical trackers on them.
	+ Liluth and Ina has a tracking Sigil on their back. Clover scrapes the skin off their backs and throws it in a pot. The wards should have negated trackers but still suggests to Starfall that they move camp.
	+ Clover tests all the civilians, discovers that Teppei has a magical Sigil item in his pocket. Franz steps in and accuses Teppei of stealing it from him. He tells Clover that it's a music box he purchased that contains a recording of Cage the Loxodon's music, but it's broken now. Clover is a huge Cage fan and accepts the story. Zhu-Li experiences a microaggression.

## Unfriendly Faces

* The party decides to split into two groups.
	+ **Dragon Group**: Zhu-Li and Verinen will go to Zhu-Li's Draconist enclave in the hopes of getting their assistance against Arasaka to retrieve the Child and the Orb.
	+ **Capital Group**: Franz, Kysona, Eli, Ina, Liluth, and Shadow of the Flame (Shadow) will go to the Nymerian Capital to gather intel and allies. Franz, Kysona, and Eli will re-establish contact with Urser Baz and the Black Company, and possibly establish contact with Sigil to muster support and/or obtain information about Arasaka.
		- Eli, Ina, and Liluth will accompany the Capital Group to reach civilization, and plan to find safe transport back to Sirex, officially leaving the party.
		- This group also is escorting a number of civilians who would like to reach the relative safety of civilization.
* While resting at the N'Komo camp, Liluth, Ina, and Kysona experience debilitating sickness at breakfast, as if poisoned, though each show different symptoms:
	+ Liluth begins burning up, loses consciousness and begins rolling death saves. Eli gets Clover to use the Dendrabium of Purity on Liluth, which stabilizes her. Because of this, she does not get a long rest.
	+ Kysona begins hallucinating that he is "the Snake Queen". His condition is resolved with Clover's alchemical pastes.
	+ Ina collapses, but is otherwise fine.
	+ No signs of poison can be found from any of the three, nor anywhere else in the campsite.
* Veg announces his departure from the party as well. He will go out in search of his son as soon as possible.
* Eli writes out a meta-recap on the events of the "Party" thus far, for the sake of the newer members. As far as players are concerned, all members of "the Party" are now caught up on most of the things that happened in the campaign.
	+ Chestington owes Jaque a favor, and Jaque passes on that favor to Eli
	+ Franz gives Eli his very powerful amulet of proof of divination
* The night before the party is ready to leave to their respective destinations, Kysona sneaks out to the middle of the woods to try and contact his patron. Shadow notices his departure and follows him.
	+ Kysona rests his hand on mirror, and sees a hand on the other side reaching out and sliding itself down. A second form of Kysona appears. Kysona hears scream and it all fades out.
	+ He then takes out the amulet that Eli gave him and shows it to Aria. Eli the fae appears and they talk. Eli the fae tells Kysona explains what the mirror is (how it connects him to his patron, how his patron is being elusive). Eli also says that they need to go to Bombyx Mori (calls Kysona "that weird feylock bitch”)
	+ Kysona conjured the fey that Kysona works with and asks them if they are familiar with this world. He asks where he can find out more and get more connection with the jungle. The fey answers that Kysona should go to Bombyx Mori.
* Suddenly, Kysona is attacked by Carver and her sect of the ambush, who are driven by elf-phobic racial profiling (Carver wears a necklace made of elf ears). Shadow attempts to defuse the situation but is unsuccessful. She manages to get back and warn the camp of Carver's arrival.
	+ Carver is furious that Starfall has allowed elves (Liluth) and half-elves (Kysona and Ina) into the camp and demands that they be killed. Starfall refuses, stating that they are allies and that she's taken them under her protection. The confrontation culminates in a standoff between Starfall and Carver. When Starfall says that Carver can always challenge her for leadership of the ambush, Carver backs down, acknowledging the title of Striker.
	+ Shadow explains that any can challenge the striker and if they win they can have the striker’s position. Carver and Starfall were in the same ambush and didn’t really get along, but Carver used to be better but lost her mind in a battle. Shadow: Carver used to be a more caring soul than she is now, she’s usually not this bad

## Plotting Next Steps

* On the third day, the party prepares to leave in search of some cleric that may be helpful in healing some of their most pressing wounds. Before their departure, Starfall gives them a Rallying Horn that, when used, alerts all nearby Tygron in the area to the aid of the user. All Tygron purportedly know its sound, and that its use means an ally requires their immediate assistance. (Yes, ALL Tygron. Proceed with caution? And someone please get the elves some earmuffs or something)
* Icy Knot talks with everyone, but especially V and Shadow. *(Recall that Carver's group had just returned from a mission)* Icy Knot explains that given intel Carver's group brought back, Operation Lazarus is advancing even faster than they feared
	+ The Spirit of Fire was seen over the Capital a few days after the Elder Tree battle (for reference it has now been 7 days since the battle -- 2 traveling to the new camp, 3 in the N'komo camp, 1 traveling to Neko, now on the 7th day). Word is Yorinobu "recruited" a sizeable talent pool from the Nymeria Academy of Science to their airship for work on a construct-creation tied to the project. Carver also found out the airship known as *The Behemoth* is going to link up with the Spirit of Fire in Elderwynn in the coming week or two. And then they are headed to as an-of-now unspecified location & goal <-- Carver's group is going to pursue more intel on this lead once they've recuperated.
	+ Given this intel, **Starfall** is considering contacting other ambushes and convincing them to form a larger Tyger Claw fighting force that could have a chance against an airship. **V and Jaque** are probably going to decide to head back to the N'komo ambush to try and help form this Tyger Claw alliance. Jaque and V will also explain they'll work on the Carver situation while there to ensure that the ambush is a safe resting point for the party when they return.
* Key logistical takeaways
	+ Jaque proposes that both groups set an approximate date range to meet or at least send a message back to the ambush to confirm that they are alive and communicate findings/progress.
	+ Icy Knot and Clover confirm the party can use the N'komo ambush's camp as a resting pointing, though they note the location changes. Shadow will know the way back, but will only bring the party there if they aren't being followed and the party is still trustworthy. For the other group, they can use the Shepherdry totem given to them. This totem will guide them not to the camp, but a location the N'komo will monitor where they can confirm the group has not been compromised, before leading them to the real camp.
	+ Shadow will have the ability to request a N'komo Tyger Claw strike team through her connections in the capital. The idea is this PC group can maintain a lean, under-the-radar approach until they identify HVT's, and then call in the reinforcements. The dragon group will be more on their own (mainly because they don't want to divulge that they're seeking dragons).
	+ Clover requests the groups (if they can) try and collect some rare plants (he has a list) and insists he can make powerful items if you succeed, and they will also help him make progress on understanding the unknown Pensive Paw Flower...
* Clover leads them to the cleric's abode, which takes about a day's journey. On the way, Clover explains his background. He is an academic from the Nymerian Academy of Sciences, with an obvious specialization in botany.
	+ Lore Drop: The Nymerian Plague (spoiler: it fucking sucks)
		- "transmission" patterns are unclear, seemingly at random with little regard for distance.
		- vaccines exist
		- The Bardic College of Whispers was established in response to the Plague. The Plague is connected to necromantic magic, which the Academy has stayed away from exploring; however, the College of Whispers was founded initially to research this necromantic magic