Session 2: Ol' Willy Jackson

*For a list of all sessions, see the page Sessions.*

The session begins with the aftermath of the battle for Gardicore. The young child by the river turns out to be the deaf child of the priest of the town (Vicar Maxwell). The priest thanks Mourd (the only one of the party that stood between the wolves and the children) by giving him a valuable amulet, an emblem of Pelor. Athleo and Roxy tend to Captain Sharp, staunching the bleeding of her wound as she drags her sword behind her.

A small creature, a gnome with chaotic cloud-like hair that Roxy identifies as the town alchemist Greebly, runs up to Captain Sharp and attempts to hand her a potion, claiming somebody needs to drink it. Roxy lunges towards the potion and drinks it before anybody can inquire further. She is granted a temporary dragon-like ability to breathe a spray of ice, which she uses to put out the rest of the fires.

Captain Sharp asks the party to figure out where the wolves came from as she finds herself unable to solve the problem herself. She loans Looney her sword to help them with the task, making Roxy promise to see the sword returned to her. She also finishes updating the party on what happened to them, telling them that she sent samples of the crystals in the crater to the nearest magical hub, the city Plortsburg, telling them that's the next place to look for answers.

The party head off to find Ol' Willy Jackson and, on their way out of town, pick up Athleo's horse Chip from the farm that was taking care of him while the party was missing. They pass by the graves again, and Looney asks that they pause so he may investigate them once again. He notices that the two bodies that stood out before, the dragonborn and the gray-skinned woman, have changed. They, too, now have blood oozing from every orifice. Looney decides to perform an impromptu autopsy on the gray-skinned woman and discovers organs devoid of color as the blood continues to be pushed out of her body. Athleo takes a blood sample, and they move on.

The party approaches a ramshackle building with a spattering of farm animals out front. Again, the Godling goes invisible at the hint of life. Inkcap notices the sound of moving from inside, but it stops as they approach. Willy Jackson makes himself known by limping out of the front door on a cane, a glowing wand held in his hand, leveled at the party. He tells them to get off his property, but seems to have an affinity towards Inkcap and Roxy and allows them inside.

He explains to the party that he was exiled from town as the result of a hate-crime decades ago. He also explains to the party that, if they're looking for wolves, he rehabilitated the cubs of a culled generation in a cave in a nearby mountain, so that is where they should go. In this conversation, Inkcap reveals she is from another world which she calls Lunaria, and Looney and Roxy come to the conclusion that she is from the moon.

Afterwards, the party follows Willy Jackson's advice and heads to the cave, but Athleo makes a pitstop into town to buy bolts for his crossbow and to deliver his blood sample to Captain Sharp. He tries to give her the blood sample to send along to Plortsburg but she advises that, if the party plans to head their next, he might as well keep it and deliver it himself. He also lets slip in the conversation that he is from Seira, and she tells him of another person from Seira who came through town 8 years prior and headed to Plortsburg.

The party meet up and head to the cave. As everybody begins to walk inside, Athleo attempts to wait at the mouth to cast a spell, and everybody waits for him except Inkcap who continues walking. She turns a bend and sees two large crystal structures near the tunnel entrance pulsating with white light. At the back of the room, Inkcap sees a strange, tall, purple-skinned goblinoid creature holding a skull in his hand. He says, "Oh my. It seems you've found me," and fires arcane energy into the crystals, causing a pulse that freezes Inkcap's feet in place, and chipping off the tops of the crystals, which sprout legs and begin skittering towards her.

Though Athleo attempts to stop Roxy by grabbing her wrist, she pulls away, and everybody rushes to join the battle. The session ends.