Do I Have To Spell It Out?

The Soup Troop are attending the TDFDFFAJOAQSJC(WC) during a break period in the Spell Jam. Bliss sees Kinna's upcoming competitor, Isaiah Holyshield, being coached by some children. Some of the gang bet on Kinna to win. Ghorza meets Drak Dran and his friend, Anak. She recognizes Anak as the shadowy assassin who attacked her outside the Playwright tomb. The gang notice Shado Widowghast's coach, a white haired woman with a feathered shawl similar to Shado's mask, rubbing elbows in the upper balcony. Brodo swaps to his formalwear and tries to enter the balcony, but is rebuffed by bouncers. A smack-talking child seen coaching Holyshield earlier comes up behind him and ushers him past the guards. He says he sent Brodo the bloody playing card earlier when he bought the Opera House, and they chat. He tells Brodo they're setting Holyshield up to fail and win some money, Shado's coach is a leading Draughmoor councilmember and possibly the servant of some spooky god, Brodo's Opera House isn't doing so hot. The kid talks like a neighborhood racketeer.

The jammin' begins, and Kinna defeats Holyshield. Sirrias returns from the green room and says he was approached by the white-haired woman's henchmen and offered 1,000 gold to bow out of his upcoming match with Shado. They encouraged Sirrias to stop by their chapel as well. Bliss is against the deal, and the party vote against him taking the money. Brodo pays off a guy from the mobster child's retinue to buff Sirrias, and notices the guy has a scaly hand. Drak Dran warns Brodo the kids are basically the Draughmoor mafia. As the semifinals begin, Sirrias steps into the arena against Shado Widowghast and defeats him. Next up, Kinna squares off against Ghorza. Since a Soup Troop victory is now assured, they go full bore and Kinna wins. Brodo returns to his swank booth, but the mafia children are gone, leaving behind just a playing card. Bets are placed, and the championships are underway. Kinna defeats Sirrias, Ol' Calaway emcees the prize ceremony and Kinna receives a Pearl of Power and Robe of Stars, and Sirrias a crystal ball. Calaway takes Kinna into the back and gifts her an old spellbook as his as well, and offers to apprentice her before he retires.

The festival ends and the party head to the Stagger Inn and Drak Dran to follow up on Anak. There, Anak is working as a waiter and takes their order. They interrogate him, and he claims total ignorance of the attack and says he has amnesia, only appearing in Draughmoor week ago to be taken in by Drak Dran. He agrees to meet after his shift. After he gets off work, they all head up to his room. He shows them the old leather outfit of his, the one he wore when he attacked them, but he has no other possessions related to being an assassin. The party believe him and Bliss offers to have him at the Temple of Tymora to work on who he is. He's tentative but receptive.

The party return to the Temple. Kinna raps with Beefo, who's moody about her absence, but he's been learning magic from her tutor. He draws an arcane summoning circle and summons a horrific goblin goremonster he names Fluffy, alarming Kinna. She asks where he learned he, and he shows her a book that recently appeared: The Book of Vile Darkness. The goblin monster tries to destroy the book, but Ghorza intercepts it and sees the book as taken no damage from the goblin's claws. When Kinna opens it, it begins to speak to her in writing, "Hello Herald...the time has come...come to the grove...your parents died for this" She snaps the book closed, panicking. (It reminds her of the note she found in her ancestral box. After the fight with the two dragons at Fort Maw, Kinna used some of her blood incidentally on her hands to open her previously unopenable box, revealing a feather dagger with the Dispel Barrier spell and a note from her parents:

"Dearest Kinna, You are one of an ancient line. We have paved the way for you. Our sacrifice was for your gain. You shall be the herald to His claim. Unlock your potential and greet Him. Shall the Blood sharpen your Blade. May your Fire burn ever brighter. The Silverwing shall return. Your loving mother and father, Malva and Anson.")

Meanwhile, K'harth meditates on his traumas by Pip's grave and a has a dream of Pip telling him to "protect her". He goes to the rest of the gang in the Temple. Kinna opens the book again, and it reads, "Hello again Herald, it seems you are wavering in your faith. This is a gift, we will not accept NOOOO!" The book sucks Kinna and the rest of the Soup Troop into it.

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