I've Got a Bone to Pick

A fight with the Weaver and her minions begins. She asks the party to hand over the remains, and strikes with lightning, charring Brodo. K'harth channels Ulu'goth like a kamehameha wave out of his hands, barely holding the struggling figurine with an incredible feat of strength. It blasts the Weaver. Pheu pokes Kinna in her neck, appearing to under the control of the Weaver through her fey powers. Sirrias tries to turn himself into an air elemental, but becomes a lava elemental instead, complete with white-tipped blue robes and an obisidian pompadour. He high-fives the lava elemental he summoned, fusing with it into a phoenix. The Chimera Jim flies to party and breathes dragon's breath onto them. Kobolds and goblins begin to descend from the ceiling, throwing projectiles. Phoenix Sirrias flies up to the Weaver and speaks to her in primordial, offering her a deal - she helps the party with their conflict with the First Flame, and we let her live and help her rebuild her garden, finding some sort of compromise state with the Hunters. She accepts. Sirrias drops phoenix form and declares the fight is over, to the bafflement of the rest of the fighters. The fire on his hand grows to engulf his entire arm. Jim is enraged and tries to attack, but the Weaver snaps his neck. The Weaver tells us she cannot leave the Fortress herself, but her minions will be of assistance. The party can communicate with her through Pheu, calling her on the Pheu-one.

On the way out of the Inverted Fortress elevator, K'harth sees a female drow with the body of a spider. He immediately jumps off the moving platform and attacks her. Brodo messages him to ask what's up, and K'harth tells him the drow is his mortal enemy, the reason he was framed and is hunted to this day. He refuses help and the party returns to Fort Maw. In front of the Hunter's Council, the party tell them the truth of their deal with the Weaver, but deceive the Hunters by telling them the fight might have ended with their death if they didn't strike a deal. The Hunters go along with it, but refuse to fight with the Weavers side-by-side if that is what they are called to do. Scouts return to Fort Maw. They report that Durotar, known as the Place of Loss, is a desolate desert canyon landscape where it is easy to get lost or be driven mad, never to return. Travelers need to familiar with it or they risk getting lost. Reports say there is a beautiful oasis at the heart with a ruined city. No full maps exist of the region, but a great deep dark canyon is said to be present on the north side. Dangerous nomads traverse the area. On the Grove of the Eagle, the scouts report that a forcefield prevents entry to the area, which is not normal. Nothing more could be learned.

Kinna and Courtney try to help Sirrias with his spreading flame issue. The flame doesn't burn them, but it grows when Sirrias performs acts that devalue life, or he becomes angry or mean. Ghorza talks to Sirrias in a pseudo-therapy session, which reduces the flame slightly. Courtney kisses him, reducing the flames to his hand. That night, Brodo and Bliss drink in the tavern, and Bliss tells him she wants to go back for K'harth. Brodo is against it, but telepathically messages him anyway to check in on him - nothing by static, which is unusual as it is not the response you get from either a living or dead individual when the spell succeeds. Bliss decides she's leaving, setting off into the night for the Inverted Fortress. Kinna, Brodo, and Ghorza reluctantly follow. As they leave the Fort and speak with Alala, they see two elves approach the Fort gates, riding wolves. The elves look at Ghorza and say, "So this is the one who killed our brother?".

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