Book 1: Sprouting Sessions

Notes from sessions. I'm going to just copy paste for now and edit as I have time

## CHAPTER I: A Second Chance

**2/2/2023**

"You are all dead.  Some longer than others, but all mourned and remembered, even if only by a few.  But tonight, all of that changes. Tonight is the night of your resurrection..."

The story begins In the town of Grindelwood which has been charred by obvious fire. A magpie with a red scarf and blue necklace sits atop a wooden plank serving as a grave marker. A human ghost girl named Julia approaches the marker and tosses an orange marble in her hand.  The marble resurrects Paeris Cindervale (Zoe). They are a half-ling and remember things in pieces: they are a thief with aspirations to be the best at their craft, love honey mead, rosemary scones, corvids are their favorite animal, and they hate being picked up. Julia wishes Paeris a good morning despite the fact it's the night of a full moon - "you just woke up, so it's morning". Paeris humors her, then worries about their sister Sybil and investigates their home.  It's clear the halfings are long gone, and many were killed attempting to escape whatever befell Grindelwood. Julia explains that a nice masked lady (Death) tasked her with waking up several friends because they deserved a second chance.  There are still 3 friends to find, and so they set out with ravens following close behind.

They find a ghost dog on their travels whose collar says Andromeda and follow it past the town of Mosswood, into the deeper part of the forest with shining Moon Trees. Julia takes a lilac marble and tosses it into the air while Paeris attempts to steal it.  Everyone digs for what's underneath, but Andromeda reaches the young drow elf first.Ellieanna Aster (Mary), "Ellie" to her friends, reunites with her dog, but she has vivid flashbacks to her parents death and dying in her sister's arms not long after.  As she whispers "sorry" to her sister, Death sweeps in. Ellie seems to remember much more than Paeris. Ellie uses magic to control the tree roots and boosts herself out of the ground, and observes that "it's a night of gods".  She also realized that one of her arms is gone from the bicep down.  The tree that took nutrients from her body and tells her to 'take back what she needs'. Soon Ellie's arm regenerates into one made of the wood of the Moon Tree, and the rhythm of her heartbeat changes--she and the tree are forever connected. A ghostlike flying squirrel floats towards the party.  Julia announces it's time to find their next friend.

The party heads towards Mosswood and into Moonlit Abbey Cemetery. Paeris does not want to enter, but Julia tells them that they don't have to worry about the curse tonight. Ellie is confused by this. The flying squirrel, Peat Moss, sinks into the soil in front of a white marble statue of a young woman in a heroic pose.  Julia tosses a sage green marble. Gwilla Moselith (Milori) recalls her death, and sees a vision of her father and Death. As Gwilla dies she looks at her father and is upset her death means he has 'nothing left', The rest of her memories are incomplete. There is barely anything left of Gwilla's body; as an Earth Genasi she seeped into the ground and nourished the plants.  Those plants possess the statue and it animates into Gwilla. She is able to find her belongings, including a blindfold with runes sewn into the eyes and a male voice guiding her: "Eyes unclouded".

As the party helps Gwilla, a blue morpho butterfly lands on her nose.  More butterflies swarm to an old crypt at the back of the cemetery, and Julia grows increasingly tired as they march towards the entrance. A blue marble 'sings' from her pocket. All of the coffins in the crypt belong to warlocks and are emblazoned with a butterfly. At the center lays a coffin with the visage of a crying woman carved in the lid. It reads "LILITH BLACKWOOD, MARTYR OF METAMORPHIS", Lilith Blackwood (Jillian) remembers bleeding out from an abdominal wound as a crowd surrounds her and a storm brews in the distance.  She cannot recall her assailant, but remembers giving a rallying cry to a group called Metamorphosis before being taken by Death. Upon waking fully, she shouts 'Zephyr!" After she collects herself, she walks through the crypt and mourns the loss of the other warlocks.

Julia's form begins to fade and the party rushes out of the crypt and towards a well. Julia tells them she fell into it one day, and it is understood this is how she died. But her time as a ghost is up, and Death emerges to guide her home. She walks into Death's embrace. Death, or the Raven Queen, shifts into a humanoid form and tasks the party with returning Julia's belongings (a pair of shoes and hair ribbon) to her parents.  She then goes on to explain that she resurrected them to save the souls of Catharsis, the home of a Tiefling king known as the King of Hallowes.  80 years ago, he ordered the Massacre of the Drow that took the lives of Gwilla and Ellie; Lilith died in the uprisings that happened immediately after the massacre. In an effort to correct for the king's sins, various parties made the situation worse, culminating in a curse cast by the Mourning Queen that brings back the dead.  Death states that she knows the Golden Afternoon Witches, who are representatives of the old noble houses, are involved in some way.

The Raven Queen gives the party gifts:

* For Ellie, a Bag of Holding
* For Paeris, a jar to collect marbles that hold the memories of the party and those they meet along the way
* For Gwilla, a lantern that can capture and purify unruly spirits
* For Lilith, a necklace that allows her to summon spirits with her voice

They decide to head to Mosswood first so that they can give Julia's belongings back to her parents. They also run into a woman pushing an empty baby carriage, followed closely by a Moonlit Abbey Asylum employee.

As the party rests at an inn in Mosswood, a swarm of red butterflies wakes Lilith. They lead her to the outskirts of town and she reunites with her Archfey patron Zephyr.

He shamlessly flirts with her and Lilith plays along politely, admitting she missed him. She also expresses concern when she learns Metamorphosis (including Zephyr) was involved in the situation in Catharsis. She then renews her Warlock pact with Zephyr. To seal the pact, he bestows tattoo at the spot she was fatally wounded (per Lilith's request). A pair of bony and faded butterfly wings sprout from her back.

## CHAPTER II: The Girl in the Apple Crate

**2/9/2023**

On a 'god's night', a young Tiefling girl and a cloaked man rush through the streets. The man attempts to calm the distressed girl, claiming that the dragon in pursuit is far away, however it is not, and the dragon swoops towards the pair.  The man grabs the girl and says"Eyes unclouded" as he casts a spell and they lift off and fly through the air.  The man lands and runs, the Golden Afternoon Witches in pursuit. The man urges the girl past the city gates, and readies a 'fireball' spell to cast on the witches.

The scene cuts to the player characters (PCs), beginning with Zephyr inducing a flashback of her childhood. A young Lilith meets a bandaged man playing the piano in a Temple of Pholtus. Lilith expresses her pleasure at hearing music other than hymns. After a brief discussion, the vision ends with the bandages becoming butterflies. It is understood that this was Lilith's first meeting with Zephyr. As the vision fades, Zephyr kisses Lilith's hand and gives her a letter before bursting into a swarm of butterflies. She returns to her companions at the inn. The inhabitants of the village, including frog and toad-folk, mushroom folk, elves, humans, and others, wake and set up shop for the morning market. The PCs split up and peruse the market and the town, particularly Ellie, who wishes to see her old house.

Lilith and Gwilla make their way to Silks and Such, a tailor, manned by a half-elf with Asian features and a large jumping spider.  Lilith realizes the man is Silkmoth (Toshiro), her personal costume designer and a close confidant.  Memories come flooding back to Lilith: Silkmoth helping her with costumes before a performance, discussing Zephyr, the persecution of the Drow, etc. The memory ends with Silkmoth mentioning he, too, made a pact with Zephyr to help with the revolution. This was the last time she saw him before her death. The two old friends hug as Gwilla watches on respectfully, and he fills Lilith in on what transpired following her death. He explains Lilith defended a drow girl from a Kingsguard's assault and was struck down. Metamorphis grew more overzealous in their efforts, killing many in Lilith's name and targeting the king directly. Zephyr got involved as much as he was allowed and made the king go mad, but it was ultimately the queen whose actions caused the most harm to him and Catharsis itself. Toshiro explains he is no longer involved with Metamorphis, and was so disgusted by the collateral damage caused by its members that he broke his pact with Zephyr. Gwilla makes friend with the jumping spider, and Toshiro gives Gwilla a wrap-scarf as he sends them off.

Paeris and Ellie approach Organza Organics upon seeing a MISSING poster with Julia's face on it. A human woman and her wife greet them, though they have obviously been crying. Paeris fumbles over their words to tell the couple Julia passed away, but stops when Ellie hands the two women Julia's bag. They weep and listen to Ellie's explanation of how it ended up in the party's possession.  Paeris tells them that Julia helped the party when no one else would, and how she wished the party good morning as she woke them one by one. The women excuse themselves so they can properly grieve and hang a "be right back!" sign written in a child's handwriting. A raven flies to them, croaks "all is well", and coughs up 3 white memory marbles.

The party meets up to swap stories and Ellie teaches Gwilla Druidcraft. They then head for 'Jarred Joys, purveyors of potions and knick-knacks'. The shop occupies part of Ellie's old house, and she peeks inside. She sees a mushroomfolk family with two young children. The firbolg managing the storefront notices and asks Ellie what her connection to the place is, and she explains she's of the Aster bloodline. The patriarch of the mushroom family goes inside to retrieve a box that belonged to her father. Its contents include: his will, deeds to the family home in Mosswood and an estate in Catharsis City; a bloodstained family portrait, her mother's signet ring belonging to the Aster bloodline, and a stuffed hedgehog toy, as well as her father's astronomy equipment.  Ellie reminisces about stargazing with her father. Lime green sprites resembling puffballs gather at her and Gwilla's feet, and the firbolg states he is a zoologist investigating creatures who came to be since the curse was cast.  He introduces himself as Wattzenberg, Wattz for short, and names these creatures Asters in Ellie's honor. Ellie notices Gwilla is upset and asks if she's alright, to which she says 'I will be someday'. They swap stories of their fathers and the traumatic loss. Gwilla worries she will hurt people with her stone body, but Ellie gives her a hug to prove to her that she won't hurt anyone. Two noblewomen in cloaks bump into the pair and sneer at Gwilla.  Ellie snaps back at them, but when the woman looks back she finds herself face-to-face with the Golden Afternoon Witches.  Ellie casts Levitate in response. Inspired by the courage of her friend, Gwilla casts Earth Bind to trip the woman's companion.

Paeris and Lilith remain oblivious to this commotion, their focus squarely on a fountain of the moon goddess Seline. They bond over their misgivings about organized religion and how Paeris's father was a fan of Lilith's music. A nun at the fountain introduces herself as Sister Abrielle. She explains that Seline is a merciful and caring goddess, having helped Abrielle escape an abusive childhood.  Paeris agrees wholeheartedly with this sentiment but does not elaborate further. In a display of generosity, Paeris donate the squash they purchased from Julia's parents to Abrielle's cause and deflects her blessing - "Seline's not watching over me, but okay!" Lilith also finds herself compelled to donate when Abrielle tells her that the core tenant of worshiping Seline is believing "a star to come" will liberate the people from Pholtus's heavy hand. Lilith expresses distain for Pholtus

Gwilla and Ellie reunite with Paeris and Lilith at the fountain just as a trumpet sounds.  The frog folk mayor delivers a speech expressing concern over recent disappearances in the town.  He also urges the townsfolk to not, under any circumstances, approach the amphitheater and its singing "phantom hive". As the party ruminates over the speech, Paeris reveals that the phantom hive likely consists of the souls of massacred drow whose bodies were mutilated beyond recognition and burned in a mass grave.  Gwilla refuses to enter the amphitheater, and Ellie remains silent. Without warning, Julia's parents emerge from their home with a crate in their hands. A young tiefling girl tumbles out just as the witches spot her. They both dash towards the girl.

## CHAPTER III: Wrath of Witches

**2/23/23**

The session opens with a scene of two witches entering Catharsis Castle to report to the Mourning Queen that the wizard Mosalith has been apprehended. Mourning Queen remains unimpressed as the witches failed at t retrieving the Queen's daughter, May. The Queen threatens the witches to 'find her daughter or else', and the witches depart. It is understood they then made their way to Mosswood.

Those same witches , introduced as Rachel and Harini, spot the young tiefling girl tumbling out of the apple crate. Seeing they wish to pursue, Ellie scoops the girl up into her arms and runs. The witches make chase, and the party attempts to lose their pursuers. The mushroomfolk living in the house do their best to assist by slowing them down. When the party emerges from the back exit, they spot a train station and hop onto the train just as it leaves the station. They sit in a booth, occupied only with a sleeping young woman, and look at May, who signs 'thank you' and explains she is mute. Before the party can converse with her further, the conductor announces a delay due to "runaways" that need to be properly dealt with. Gwilla and Ellie use magic to transform into their original form and a cat, respectively. Lilith and Paeris make do with what they have on hand to obscure their appearance.  Just as the conductor knocks at the door, Ellie coaxes Mae into a hiding spot where she is well obscured by luggage. The conductor opens the door and witch holding him hostage can interrogates the occupants of the booth. The sleeping girl wakes up, and is recognized by the witch. She denies May is in the car, and the witch leaves. The young woman introduces herself as Beatrice and explains she is an old friend of May. Beatrice casts a disguise spell on May and takes the party to the Chipped Cup cafe to see her older sister. Gwilla notices a large green bloodstain on Beatrice's cloak, and remembers it belonged to her adoptive father, Val, and pleads with Beatrice to let her have it. The younger woman refuses, but her sister, Claire, emerges from the back of the cafe. Paeris and Claire recognize each other and they catch up. The party learns that Claire died at some point but was brought back to life with Beatrice's necromancy magic. She coaxes her younger sister to give Gwilla the cloak and is starstruck when she recognizes Lilith.

As the party enters the cafe, they pass a  muscular green fire elemental chef named Wick and an autumn eladrin waitress covered in tattoos named Maggie. They catch Gwilla and Paeris's eye, respectively, but Beatrice and Claire usher them out of the kitchen before they can be introduced. A black cat with one eye named Catastrophe lands in Beatrice's lap as the party sits down for tea. She goes into greater detail about her and Claire's situation: they are descended from the noble house of Wisteria, whose bloodline specializes in necromancy magic. Like all of the noble house heads, their mother was a witch and likely an ally of the Mourning Queen. She antagonized and abused her daughters, even going as far as killing Claire when she helped Beatrice escape the family estate. Beatrice sacrificed some of her life force to resurrect her, and the two now stand in opposition to the witches. Ellie shows the sisters her Aster signet ring in an attempt to bond with them, but they react poorly. They explain that the Mourning Queen is a member of the Aster House. The party realizes that May, as the princess of Catharsis and daughter of the Mourning Queen, is also related to Ellie. Beatrice breaks the tension by explaining that she and Claire believe their grandfather had a hand in casting the curse on Catharsis, and that the way to lift it might be found in their estate's library. They invite the party to meet them there that evening. Gwilla and Wick share a moment as they leave, and Paeris leads the party toward the smithy. Paeris flirts with the orc woman, Kay, and the conversation ends with plans for a date. Burst, the head smithy and Wick's younger brother, is also introduced.

## CHAPTER IV: Market for Memories

**3/2/2023**

The session begins with a flashback of the king shouting and waking the Queen Mother, who is on her death bed. The Mourning Queen sits beside her. the Queen Mother is disappointed in her and that her 'granddaughter deserves better', but does not state so outright. Harini bursts through the door and reports that Mosalith has escaped with May. It is explained that this was the Queen Mother's plan all along, that Mosalith poisoned her drink and escaped with May to fulfill her final wish of a better life for her granddaughter. Death appears and the Queen Mother dies, a sunflower sprouting from her face. The Mourning Queen sends the witches in pursuit of her daughter.

The scene cuts to the PCs as they leave Mae with Beatrice and Claire at the chipped cup, and make their way to the Steam Powered Snapdragon, where they are immediately spotted by a goblin woman named Grekz, who is very good friends with Paeris. She fetches her boss and friend Atticus Snapdragon, another friend of Paeris and a Changeling. Lilith is smitten and flirts. Atticus explains to Paeris that their family may still be alive after 'the attack'. The party looks around the shop and Ellie spots a stuffed lamb. She asks to purchase it for 'a friend named May'. Atticus agrees, though admits the toy has some sentimental value to him, and explains the daughter of an old friend was also called May. Lilith realizes he and Ellie are talking about the same person and more connections are drawn: Atticus is close to Beatrice and was once romantically involved with Claire, he knows May as well, and he has some sort of connection with the Mourning Queen. Atticus asks if any of the party were notable figures in any capacity, and Lilith tells him she was a figurehead of Metamorphis (both the band and the movement). Lilith expresses her pleasure that he has never heard of her and that 'it's refreshing to not have random people gushing over her for once'. But before they depart, Atticus gives Gwilla an apparatus to help her stay hydrated.

A raven perched on a lamppost greets the party as they exit, and they follow it into an alleyway where it caws "Market of memories!" as it coughs up a stick of chalk and flies off. Gwilla follows the raven's instructions and draws a door onto the alley wall. A black dog steps out of the newly materialized doorframe and invites them inside the shop. The Market of Memories is full of discarded and lost things. The dog speaks, then changes into a cat, a wolf, and finally a handsome black man, then introduces himself as Sammy Bryne, an archfey and vendor of memory marbles like the ones in the party's possession. To demonstrate their power, he asks one of the party members to pose a question to a white marble. Lilith volunteers and tosses a marble while asking what led to the fallout between Toshiro and Zephyr.

The room goes white and the party and Sammy find themselves in the backstage area of a concert hall. Flyers with her face and "REVENGE FOR LILITH - DEATH TO THE KING" litter the floor. He states to Zephyr that Lilith wouldn't have wanted this. Zephyr is dismissive until Toshiro says he'd like to break his pact. They continue to argue over whether or not Lilith's wishes were being honored before Zephyr breaks the pact and vanishes. This is upsetting to Lilith, and she explains she is a warlock when the party offers comfort. She states she first made the pact to free herself and catharsis, but does not elaborate. The party returns to the Chipped Cup and depart for the Wisteria Manor with Beatrice, and May.

The wisteria forest magically cloaks the manor, so Beatrice and Claire must lead the way. Ellie's arm reacts to the magical energy and Gwilla remembers playing in the forest as a child. As night falls, Harini and Rachel appear behind them and a battle ensues. Harini is the first casualty, however a poppy bursts from her corpse and another Harini appears. Paeris realizes that the witches are not bound to the "normal" rules of being undead. The party dispatches of the Harini copy, which also sprouts a poppy but not another duplicate, and Rachel retreats with the flower. They rendezvous with Claire, who is wearing enchanted obsidian armor. The party complete their journey to the manor.

## CHAPTER V: Phantom Waltz

3/5/23

A scene begins with a group of witches in Catharsis Castle's dungeon, mocking its newest occupant, Mosalith. When they leave, a second occupant calls to him and says hello. The young woman states she has been there for a long time and is unsure of who she is, but knows her last name is Aster and that she always wanted to be a princess. She states she is imprisoned because she tried to poison her cousin, who she thinks is 'a queen'. We assume this is Sidra.

The party reaches the Wisteria Manor and are greeted in the foyer by a Tiefling butler who materializes out of shadow. He introduces himself as Amenity, Claire's partner and the head of the household. He calls for another Tiefling servant, Able, who shows the party the house while he prepares for dinner. Able explains that she and the other Tieflings are functionally immortal and nourish themselves by helping people in certain ways. She asks the party what kind of rooms they'd like. She then guides the party to their rooms, which are seemingly perfect for their occupants:

* A loft in the aviary for Paeris. Abandoned art supplies and paintings suggest it once belonged to an artist in residence.
* A suite above the manor's theater for Lilith. The bedroom contains a blue morpho butterfly in a bell jar that Able does not recall being there before, and Lilith suspects Zephyr managed to sneak it in somehow…
* An observatory covered in paintings of planets and constellations for Ellie. It's cozy but in need of loving care.
* A greenhouse full of trees, moss, and an array of creatures for Gwilla. A lorikeet flies onto her head and lovingly pecks at the moss.

As the party settles in, Ellie joins Beatrice in the library to search for information about the Aster family and the curse. She is assisted by Archive, a tall tiefling man with a hunched back, who introduces himself as the librarian. He helps Ellie find a locked journal belonging to Beatrice's grandfather, but states only an Aster signet ring can unlock it, and he doesn't have one. Ellie uses hers to open it. It is a book of necromancy with a map of Catharsis with seven runes. Upon further inspection, Beatrice discovers that the curse is related to the late archfey Prospera and can only be broken when all seven runes are destroyed, the central rune at Catharsis Castle is deactivated, and the person who case the runes is killed. Ellie recognizes Prospera's name as the leader of a cult of witches who attempted to destroy Catharsis City, only for a wizard to turn the witches against Prospera, whom they kill. The witches were lead by an Aster, were forgiven for treason, and given noble titles and dominion over major schools of magic to protect Catharsis. The wizard, called Mosalith, was hailed as a hero. Ellie and Archive bond over their mutual love of books.

Meanwhile, Lilith and Claire discuss Atticus as she helps Claire remove her armor. She explains how the armor once consumed souls in Mosswood and offered her own soul as sacrifice to subdue it. She can now summon it to her. Claire goes on to say she's glad Lilith is pursuing Atticus, as he 'has been through so much and deserves to be happy'.

In the greenhouse, Gwilla summons Able and asks for books on statue maintenance, draconic origins, and kintsukuroi. She admits to Peatmoss that she has been doing her best to remain collected, but is struggling with her new body. An older Tiefling man introduces himself as Authority, the previous head of the household, and offers her comfort. He tells her she is lovable and they share their thoughts on spending their lives in hiding despite wanting to live authentically. They run into Paeris, who explains they are acquainted with so many people in Mosswood because "I was known for stealing coin and stealing hearts", Authority sees Gwilla is happy with her friend and departs for the time being.

Ellie goes back to the library to speak with Archive once more, inquiring about ways to fix his hunchback. He's not sure if that's something he wants, and Ellie struggles to understand. She feels guilty for suggesting something is wrong with him and says she won't bring it up again. She also asks why all of the servants are Tieflings, and Archive explains that it's a byproduct of centuries of enslavement. When many were left homeless after the curse was cast, the late Lady Wisteria took them in as servants so that they had a place to live. Ellie feels there is something he's not saying, but drops the subject and admits to Archive she feels unremarkable at best and doubts if she should have been resurrected at all – much less tasked with saving the world. Archive immediately challenges her: "I've only known you briefly, and yet I know you're plenty interesting."

The party regroups at the dining hall. Ellie mentions the story of Prospera and Mosalith offhandedly, and Gwilla is upset. She holds up a drawing she made of her father, and May states he is the man who rescued her. Gwilla is shaken by the news that her father is alive, and Lilith realizes that Zephyr's involvement with Prospera means the warlocks were pawns in a larger plot. Beatrice adds that, if the curse is lifted, the 'reborn' as a result of the curse will die, but those brought back by other means (the PCs and Claire) will survive. She continues on to explain that the runes are phantom hives surrounded by undead, and that when the rune is destroyed, the phantom hive is as well. Claire suggests the team tackle the phantom hive in the theater in Mosswood first to ensure the people of the town stay safe and the curse spores don't spread.

At Catharsis Castle, the Golden Afternoon Witches are feasting with the Mourning Queen when Rachel arrives with the flower of Harini and explains that they found May, but that they were defeated by Beatrice and describes the PCs. The Mourning Queen casts a witch bolt on Rachel and Harini, who both become flowers. She then states that she will bring them back as 'something stronger' and that she 'will get her daughter back'.

## CHAPTER VI: Help Me Remember

3/16/23

The session begins with Ellie dreaming of a dark place, the ground covered in inches of blood. Sidra appears to her and hands her a marble, then tells her to 'remind me who I am in the waking world' before sinking into the bloody darkness, repeating to Ellie that she loves her. Ellie wakes to screaming and finds May beside her in bed, also awakened by the screams. They follow the shouts to Claire's bedroom door where the others have gathered. Beatrice and Able guard the door to ensure nobody enters. Beatrice explains Claire suffers from severe nightmares but that they can't help and just need to leave her alone. Paeris and Amenity sneak into the kitchen and make tea, taking a moment to draw profanities on a sleeping Authority's face. Amenity convinces Beatrice to let him and Paeris into Claire's room, where they offer her comfort as she explains her worries. She fears for herself and Beatrice, as neither know how much 'time' they have left.

Meanwhile Lilith speaks to the butterfly under glass in her room, assuming it is Zephyr. He appears and assures her it is not him, but that he has arrived anyway. Lilith then confronts him about the distorting of her legacy and using Metamorphosis to finish his business with Prospera. Zephyr deflects, and says he's helping her achieve her dreams and that he's guided her since childhood. Lilith states it was not her dream to be a martyr. Zephyr departs as the sun rises.

Ellie wakes with May beside her again, and recalls her dream. She finds the marble in her pocket and asks it the last thing Sidra remembers, as she stated she did not know who she was in Ellie's dream, as well as if Sidra is angry with her.

**Ellie lets May toss the marble, and the scene of the morning immediately after Ellie's death, Drow corpses litter Mosswood and are taken away in carts or burned, Ellie spots her own arm in front of her house, as well as mushroom and frog folk cowering in fear. May covers her eyes and Ellie encourages her to 'keep being brave'. Ellie watches as a young drow boy is captured by kingsmen, who tell him to come quietly. Sidra is spotted at the same time and is also grabbed, but struggles. She expresses her anger at the situation, which Ellie interprets as Sidra being angry at her for 'leaving her'. The boy offers Sidra comfort and she goes willingly. The vision ends with a view of an Aster signet ring in Sidra's pocket.**

Ellie believes Sidra is angry at her and openly cries for the first time in front of anyone. May offers comfort.

Everyone regroups for breakfast, noting Claire's absence. Even so, they joke about the drawing on Authority's face. Ellie expresses concern that Archive is not joining them for the meal and is told he enjoys his solitude, but Ellie is not convinced and heads to the library. Claire arrives and Lilith explains her interaction with Zephyr the night before, expressing concern about his remarks about Pholtus--that most of them are now undead. Claire notes many of them are fanatical and lead by an undead kingsmen bearing the surname 'Brownstone'. The name is familiar to Lilith, but she does not elaborate. Lilith explains that she wasn't really the figurehead of Metamorphosis, Zephyr was, and Paeris suggests Zephyr was behind her death and used it to rally the troops. Zephyr appears to Paeris, insulted, and has a brief, tense conversation unbeknownst to anyone except Lilith and themselves. Lilith sings and calms Zephyr, but he threatens Paeris and bestows a nightmare curse.

Ellie finds Archive eating alone in the library and sits with him. He explains he does not like the crowd of the dining room but appreciates her concern. Ellie states she feels the same and that she often feels as if she's acting to please those around her, or to keep from being a bother. Archive relates and says he feels different from everyone as well and that he tries to keep to himself out of sight so nobody mentions his deformity. Ellie is guilty (she asked Archive if he wanted her to 'fix it' the previous day), but tells Archive he has a very nice face. Archive then tells Ellie she can summon him at any time and he will come, then gives her a stack of playbills he believes may be helpful in destroying the rune in the theater.

## CHAPTER VII: Requiem for the Great Oak Theater

3/30/23

The session begins with Mr. Chanterelle and a frog folk walk home after a long day working the harvest. they converse happily as it grows dark, though Mr. Chanterelle (and all the mushroom folk) are deaf. As they pass the theater, the frog hears the siren's song and is lured inside. Mr. Chanterelle watches in horror as the frog walks through the sea of undead toward the headless siren, only for her to cut off his head and 'try it on' to see if it's hers. Mr. Chanterelle flees.

85 years prior, the Great Oak Theater is showing The Hallowed Prince, a satire poking fun at Cadmus, the tiefling next in line for the throne. Val arrives with a human-presenting Gwilla. She follows her father and does her best to listen to his conversation with the director of the drow acting troupe, but she can't make out much through the closed dressing room door. All she manages to pick out is her father talking about a tunnel, and debating with the director woman what “the kid” will do when his father dies. Gwilla wonders if the drow woman is advocating for assassinating the prince. But whatever is happening, her father is clearly against the woman’s proposal and the woman accuses him of putting all of the drow in danger “Fine then, I suppose I’ll know who to thank when the drow blood spills.” They depart immediately.

Meanwhile Ellie and her family attend the show. Sidra is stopped by an overzealous usher and he flirts with her shamelessly though she is obviously uninterested. She looks to Ellie to 'rescue her', and Ellie bluntly states their food is getting cold and that they should get back to their parents. Sidra expresses her distaste and states "Ellie, I hope that when you get to be my age you won’t have the urge to rip off your own face. Love yourself, and don’t feel pressured by creeps like him to be someone you’re not.” They sit with their parents and watch the show briefly before agreeing the subject matter is too heavy to be comical and Ellie states she wishes to leave. Her father agrees and they leave the theater.

In the present day, Beatrice and the party investigate the theater by the light of day while it's safe. They see the frog folk's remains, and collect costumes, sheet music, note stage mechanisms that may help during the fight that evening. Paeris ties up bodies hoping it will immobilize them when they wake that night. Ellie lingers far away, up in the seats her family used years ago, and makes little effort to help, though Lilith asks her opinion of the stars on the painted backdrop. Paeris approaches her and Poppy attempts comfort, but Ellie shoos her away before a tearful outburst. She stomps a foot in frustration and attempts Druidcraft on the tree to bring it back to life, only for the spell to stop toward the top of the tree. Livid, Ellie becomes a squirrel and runs up the tree to see what stopped her spell. Ellie then discovers the rune and seems to collapse, exhausted. Paeris offers comfort and squirrel Ellie climbs into their hood for a ride down the tree, and stays there until they reach the center of town to attend to some business there.

The party splits off, and Paeris and Lilith head to the Steam-Powered Snapdragon for tools that may aid them, but find Atticus looking exhausted and unsettled. He explains he is going to visit his mother at the Moonlit Abbey Asylum. Lilith and Paeris accompany him for comfort. When they reach the Abbey, Lilith is immediately uncomfortable but pushes forward into the sanctuary, where they see Julia's parents lighting a candle and a small moon tree sapling grows from the ground. Paeris attempts to cheer her up by calling her 'Lily', but Lilith states the name reminds her of 'a part of myself I'd rather abandon' and Atticus replies cryptically that he understands. They reach Lady Snapdragon's room and find her embroidering. Lilith and Paeris note a large scar on the side of her head as she looks to them and worries her husband is there. Atticus assures her he is not, and that he will never bother her again. Lady Snapdragon then asks for her daughter, and Atticus explains she's busy, but that she loves her. She then expresses interest in Poppy and how she'd like a bird of her own. After brief discussion, Atticus makes it obvious he's ready to leave, and Lilith and Paeris take his hint and say goodbye. As they exit the Abbey, Lilith asks Atticus if he was her daughter, and Atticus explains he had been born Andrea and was forced to take on the form of a human girl. He explained his father was abusive to him and his mother, and it got worse when Atticus came out. Though he escaped with Claire, he was unable to stop his father from lobotomizing his mother. Lilith and Paeris assure Atticus they are still his friends and that nothing has changed, and Atticus is glad for the company.

Ellie and Gwilla go to Jarred Joys to pick up a telescope case Ellie commissioned from Wattz, and are surprised to find Wick there. They converse briefly and he invites them to his house for dinner, which Gwilla shortly realizes is her childhood home. Nonnie, the frog folk who raised Wick and Burst, invites them in and they settle for tea, though Gwilla is quite distressed and grabs Ellie's arm for comfort. Gwilla asks Wick if he knows anything about who lived there previously, and when he says he doesn't, Gwilla shows him where she carved 'Vigilante Nomad Man' under the mantlepiece years ago. Gwilla explains her death and resurrection, and Nonnie shows Ellie, Gwilla, and Wick to the basement where she suspects Drow were sheltered during the massacre, but explains she has not been able to open the door at the back of the cellar and wonders if Gwilla knows how. Gwilla admits she was told to stay away from the door and didn't know how to open it, but Ellie unscrambles the letters on the lock to spell 'Sunflower' and the door opens to reveal a tunnel. Ellie remembers that Sunflower was a noble house with ties to the royal family, but stops speculating when Gwilla finds a Val marble.

**She tosses it and they are shown a disturbing scene set in the tunnel, the door shut, someone pounding against it from the outside. Val sits against the wall holding Gwilla's mangled body as drow huddle in the tunnel. A drow man rushes to Val and asks what they should do, and he replies 'remember them and don't let them die in vain. Today we fight back...and assassinate the king. We are going to the castle' and the entire crowd begins down the tunnel, which Gwilla and Ellie understand goes to Catharsis City. The vision ends and Gwilla drops to her knees and cries out. Wick offers comfort as Ellie and Nonnie retreat back upstairs, rightfully deciding it's best to give them a moment.**

The session ends with Gwilla and Wick returning to the main level of the house. Wattzenburg has arrived and offers Gwilla the tea her father used to make for her.

## CHAPTER VIII: Battle of the Great Oak Theater

4/20/23

The session opens with the Wisteria Manor staff wondering where May is, and May sneaking out to 'help Miss Ellie in Mosswood'.

The party regroups at the fountain of Seline to plan for the battle. Paeris then draws a door in chalk on the wall of an alley and steps into Sammy's shop. Sammy knows immediately Paeris has been cursed by Zephyr to experience nightmares. Sammy cannot remove the curse, but gives Paeris items to help them escape nightmares when they come: a whittled owl sculpture, a teacup that smells of lavender, and Paeris' old house key. If Paeris can find these in their nightmares, the dream will end. Sammy then takes notice of Poppy's teardrop necklace and interrogates Paeris, who explains they were hired to steal it from the dragon, Deedra, in the tower of Catharsis Castle. Paeris doesn't remember what happened after that, but that it cost them their life. Sammy then explains that the necklace contains a soul (OF SOMEONE IMPORTANT TO DEEDRA?) and asks if Poppy has been talking lately. Paeris says no, but Sammy sees through the lie and tells Paeris the soul will make itself known at some point. Gwilla exchanges marbles to see her father's last known whereabouts, but is deeply upset by watching him be tortured and thrown into the dungeon in Catharsis City. The strong emotion prompts green smoke from her nostrils. Paeris sees a vision of Gwilla morph into Deedra and becomes upset, snapping Gwilla out of her repressed rage and tends to Paeris, asking if they are okay. Paeris denies anything is wrong. Gwilla trades for another marble and asks to see her own birth. Sammy warns her she may not want to see, but she tosses the marble anyway and sees her birth. The memory begins with nursemaids just outside a door where a woman is obviously in labor. After many moments, a human-presenting woman with one purple eye and one gold eye opens the door and holds a dragon egg in her hands. The coloring of her eyes alerts Patris to the fact that this woman is Deedra and it is understood that the egg will hatch into Gwilla.

Meanwhile, Ellie and Lilith accompany Beatrice to obtain some sort of spell element to aid in the battle from a sketchy dealer. Beatrice tells Ellie and Lilith to hang tight while she meets her supplier, and they sit at a table with a woman named Jackie who asks them to play cards. Ellie notes that the woman has a 'corvid like nose' that has obviously been broken at one point, and offers to fix it. Lilith says that not everything that's broken needs to be fixed, and Ellie is very guilty and apologizes. Jackie says she isn't offended, but Lilith tells Ellie she has no tact, which visibly hurts Ellie's feelings, but she says nothing. They talk and play cards for a while, and Jackie orders drinks. Lilith becomes tipsy. Shortly after, Beatrice runs from the curtained booth being chased by a small tabaxi woman--the owner of the bar, Molly O'Malley. Jackie sees a fight coming and leaves, Beatrice close behind, leaving Lilith, and Ellie to the bar fight. Beatrice stumbles back in, bleeding from a wound Jackie gave her on her way out of the bar. Lilith and Ellie rush to her side and they all patch each other up as best they can while Beatrice apologizes for putting them both in harm’s way.

As night descends, Sister Abrielle and other nuns snuff silver candles of lots souls before going to bed. The nuns whisper that Abrielle isn't a real nun and is probably 'a witch like her mother', believing her out of earshot. They leave, and suddenly all of the candles go out at once and Abrielle hears a child laughing. She turns to see the ghostly figure of a ghostly young girl with wings. It is Julia, who explains she was sent by Seline to tell Abrielle that 'the Star is in Mosswood and will make herself known at the amphitheater as the prophecy foretold'. "When the Star presents themself, those of pure intention will wear the armor and wield its blade, living and dying for the Star to lift the curse." Abrielle runs to meet The Star.

Meanwhile, the PCs enter the amphitheater. As they enter, they hear The Siren sing and Gwilla is momentarily charmed. She sees a vision of Valperion, but comes back to herself after being shaken by Paeris. The party splits up and begins fighting ghosts and ghouls, and appear to be outmatched. Suddenly Ellie spots May out of the corner of her eye. As May sees the harm Ellie has sustained, she becomes enraged and fires a huge beam of energy at the Siren. Abrielle arrives at the same moment and shouts that the Star has arrived, and that May is the Star.

## CHAPTER IX: The Beast of the Great Oak Theater

4/20/23

The session opens with Paeris on another plane standing before Death, watching the scene play out in the theater as if watching from a glass balcony. Paeris is making death saves. Death suspends three hearts above Paeris and they beat as Paeris rolls their saves. they pass the first.

Back at the theater, Ellie rushes to May, picks her up, and runs her to safety outside the theater before the siren sings again. She hides her under a bush and attempts to wake her but is unable. Satisfied she is well hidden, she returns to the battle. Gwilla and Lilith join Paeris with Death and begin making saves as Beatrice, Claire, and Abrielle work to stabilize them. Ellie returns and the siren announces that though she cannot remember who she is, she has decided to take on a new form and uses moss, vines, and the pieces of bodies on the stage to become a canid monster. Ellie (Mary) grows tired of fighting and summons Archive to assist with a puzzle that should placate the siren that involves matching the backdrop of the stage, a costume, and a song. They work out the correct matchups and Lilith sings while wearing the costumes Ellie found around the theater. Each time Lilith sings the correct song, a piece of the Siren's head materializes until Gwilla and Ellie recognize her as Yvonne, the director of the Drow theater troupe they saw years ago. Upon hearing her name, Yvonne returns to herself and the fighting ends as Lilith destroys the rune with an eldritch blast. Benevolent spirits rise from the undead bodies, and one by one they enter Gwilla's lantern and 'move on'. Ellie repairs the tree with druid craft. Shortly after, Amenity and Authority enter the theater looking for May, but Authority seems to recognize Yvonne and they embrace tearfully. Yvonne asks Authority ever received 'the note'. When Authority states he did not, Yvonne tells him that the note said he is the father of a Tiefling-Drow girl named Riot, and makes Authority promise to find her and tell her that her mother loves her. Upon delivering her message, Yvonne steps into the lantern and 'moves on'.

When the group returns to Mosswood, the citizens rush to greet them and celebrate their victory. The Mayor gives them a reward of gold and badges of membership to the 'Mosswood Ghost Hunters'. Kay emerges and invites Paeris to the Chipped Cup to talk with Maggie. They confront Paeris about the fact that they flirted with both of them, and that neither were sure where they stood. Paeris admits their polyamory and come to the agreement that Paeris would focus on Kay romantically and Maggie purely sexually. Kay then reminds Paeris of their dinner date and they depart. Gwilla touches base with Wick and Silkmoth before returning to the Manor.

Atticus embraces Lilith and tells her he's glad she didn't die. He says that if the PCs ever need help, they can call on him and he'll be there. Lilith expresses gratitude, then recounts the battle to Atticus, as well as the news May is an aasimar of Seline. Atticus struggles to understand how a tiefling an also be an aasimar. Lilith states she knows quite a bit about angels, then admits to Atticus that she is an aasimar as well, fallen from Pholtus. Atticus asks if she regrets it, and she says she doesn't, that she does not want to be tethered to a god. She then hears Zephyr in her mind saying 'You may not be tethered to gods, but you are to me.'

Ellie and Archive walk back to the Manor with Gwilla, Authority and Amenity, and Archive congratulates her on a battle well-fought, and Ellie explains she wasn't always so confident, but that after dying, she found she no longer cared as much what people thought of her. Ellie thinks about the tree in the theater. She tearfully recalls her father and how he loved to take she and her sister to the theater, and that she was glad she was able to bring the tree back to life. Archive offers her a hankie and she laugh-cries with Archive, recalling happy times with her family.

Upon reaching the Manor greenhouse, Gwilla has an anxiety attack. As she recovers, she constructs a leg brace and collects books on dragons to attempt to discover her mother's potential weakness.

After their date, Paeris accompanies Kay back to her house, where she removes her prosthetic legs. Paeris notes with great joy that they are now the same height. They decide they're too tired to do much, so they just snuggle up to sleep, but Paeris experiences a nightmare brought on by Zephyr. It begins with Paeris in their home with their nieces and nephews, but things suddenly begin to catch fire. Nobody seems to notice except Paeris, so they continue through their dream, though slowly, everything appears to be catching fire, even the children and their father and sister. Paeris then sees his wheelchair-bound sister Sybil in a disturbing state, her jaw unhinged and eyes solid black. The dream continues to worsen until Paeris relives their death, attempting to save their sister who has fallen from her wheelchair. Paeris finds the key necessary to escape the dream in their sister's pocket. The dragon sees Paeris assisting Sybil and kills them both. Kay then shakes Paeris awake, and Paeris leaves her house, unsure where they're going.

## CHAPTER X: Beware of Thieves on the Road

5/4/23 • GUEST STAR: Ben (as Hanlon “Wally” Brownstone)

On a god’s night with a full moon at an unspecified time, two skeletons lay in an embrace in a ruined church A figure approaches them, and one of the bodies littering the ground calls out 'Dad?' the bodies burst into radiant light. The figure, called Cy, reaches the skeletons and places an amulet on one of their necks before singing a hymn to Seline, and a lost-looking spirit rises from one of the skeletons. The spirit has no memory, but knows he's looking at an angel. Cy explains to the newly reanimated skeleton that he was a good man in life, and Seline wants to grant him extra time. The skeleton names himself Wally, as he can't remember anything else, and Cy hopes he is happier in this life than he was in his first.

The next morning for the PCs, Wick goes to the Chipped Cup to open up and finds Paeris is already inside and wide awake from a copious amount of espresso. Wick sends a magical letter to Beatrice letting her know Paeris is there, as he suspects they will be missed. Beatrice reads the letter and tells the other PCs, and they begin preparing for their journey to Cerulean Falls

Archive goes to wake Ellie, and she tells him she's been 'thinking about his eyeballs all night' and asks him more questions about his past, but Archive is secretive and asks her to leave it alone. Ellie is guilty and apologizes, saying she always asks too many questions and makes things weird, but Archive tells her it's okay and wishes her safe travels with the rest of the gang. They meet Paeris at the Chipped Cup and set out in the Wisteria carriage. The PCs invite Atticus and Abrielle to accompany them and they agree.

Approximately two hours into the journey, the carriage stops for a mushroom folk named Dottie weeping at the side of the road beside a dead dog, Biophosphorus. Upon inspection, they find that the dog has a bite taken out of it, and Paeris verifies it is the correct size for a halfling bite. Abrielle sprinkles holy water so it does not reanimate with the curse. Dottie explains she were robbed by bandits and that a zombie halfling killed her dog. Though she declines a ride, she tells the party to be careful as they continue. Just down the road, a metallic green skeleton wearing an amulet leans against a tree. Ellie goes to investigate, as she has never seen such a skeleton before, and wakes the skeleton. She startles and bops him on the head with a stick but quickly realizes he means no harm. He introduces himself as Wally and states he remembers nothing of his life, but that he was resurrected by an angel. Abrielle recognizes the angel's description of that of Cy and notes Cy is the messenger of Seline the prophecy mentioned. Ellie studies Wally while Atticus takes a look at the wares he's selling. Lilith seems disturbed but does not elaborate. Gwilla confides in Abrielle about her anxiety, but that she was quite moved upon seeing Abrielle heal the party at the theater with her cleric magic. Abrielle encouraged her to explore this, and reach out to 'the god who's been trying to help you this whole time'. Gwilla admits she's felt a presence watching over her since she was abandoned in the woods as an infant, but is unsure they will respond to her. Abrielle offers encouragement.

Lilith continues to become more uneasy towards Wally and the amulet around his neck. Atticus mentions a ruined church nearby, and Abrielle informs them that after the Massacre of the Drow, people turned from Pholtus until his prominence was finally crushed by the Mourning Queen abolishing the church of Pholtus and replacing it with the Church of Seline with the aid of several women--the original nuns of Seline. Lilith's discomfort seems to come to a head, and Atticus encourages her to tell her friends she is an aasimar. Ellie questions how this relates to Zephyr, if she's an aasimar of Pholtus, and she tosses three white marbles which converge around Wally.

**In the memory, Wally is revealed to be Hanlon Brownstone and the party watches as he waits for his daughter to arrive home. Wally begins to remember who he was, and that he had twin sons as well as a daughter who was an 'angel of Pholtus', earning the family great prominence in the local Temple of Pholtus. Though he did his best to keep his daughter involved in the church, she was becoming rebellious. It is revealed that his daughter is named Lily Eve, and is, in fact, Lilith. Lily enters the scene sadly and tells her parents that the paster asked her to marry his son. The parents congratulate her until she expresses her distaste. Hanlon tells her that she must follow the will of Pholtus and Lily has an outburst, proclaiming her frustrations with the church and the pressure her parents have placed on her. Hanlon states that if that's really how she feels, then she is no longer his daughter and should leave. The scene changes and shows Lily rushing into the music room at the church and falling to the ground in tears. Her piano tutor reassures her everything will be okay and asks what she wishes for. Lily says she wishes for freedom and to nobody to be oppressed by Pholtus again. The man's bandages become butterflies and it is revealed to be Zephyr, who then forges a pact with Lily. This causes her wings to dissolve. Lily then proclaims that her name is now Lilith Blackwood.**

The memory ends, and Atticus stands in stunned awe as Gwilla offers comfort to Lilith, covering her in Val's cloak. Ellie is quite disturbed and attempts to change the subject, but Gwilla gently scolds her and she dissociates. Wally tells Lilith he regretted his actions and his failings a a father for the rest of his life, but Lilith says she doesn't regret hers, and Wally simply nods and accepts it. They make camp for the night and Ellie apologizes to Lilith for her reaction and explains she was deeply disturbed at how Lilith and her father treated each other, and that she could never imagine such a situation happening between her and her own father. Lilith appreciates the apology, and the whole party notes their mutual dislike for Zephyr and how creepy it seems that he has known her for so long. The party then sees something rummaging through their things, and the small figure runs off with Gwilla's staff and Wally's bag of 'baubles'. Gwilla, Paeris, Atticus, and Lilith make chase and follow the thief to a destroyed building Atticus states is 'the church'. Halfling-sized ghosts shamble around with forget-me-nots in place of eyes. The halfling gives their stolen loot to a robed figure, who shortly spots the party and removes her hood, revealing she is a witch. The party flees back to camp, and after brief discussion decide to ambush the church and steal back their belongings without engaging in combat. Gwilla disguises herself as another halfling ghost and holds Wally 'prisoner' to distract the witch. Wally attempts to make a run for it to further distract, but the witch sees through Gwilla's disguise. Lilith casts a 'crown of thorns' spell on the witch, which appears to affect both the witch and the halflings. Ellie deduces that they are a hive mind, and suggests they escape while the halflings and witch are incapacitated. As they attempt to flee, Wally is grabbed by a tangle of vines from the witch and pulled under the ground, shouting that he loves Lilith and will redeem himself one day before vanishing. The party agrees that there was a presence of an archfey controlling the witch, but are unsure how to proceed. They decide to continue on their way and get as far from the church as possible now that they've recovered their belongings.

## CHAPTER XI: Two Mothers, Two Dreams, One Tree

Ellie and Gwilla have a shared dream. The dream begins with Ellie being guided by Andromeda to her mother, who is sitting under the Moon Tree. Ellie recognizes it as a dream and is apprehensive, but eventually approaches and gives her mother a hug. Cassia tells her she’s been watching her. Ellie asks where her father is, and Cassia replies that he’s in a better place, that she will not move on until Sidra and Ellie are both safe. Cassia then shows Ellie telepathy–a skill passed down through the Aster family. When Ellie asks why her mother never showed her before, she states that she wanted to keep the girls away from the Aster side of the family and their power to keep them safe. Ellie retains the telepathic ability upon waking.

Gwilla also dreams of being under a tree, but is greeted by a deity: the Wild Mother. Gwilla doesn’t recognize her at first, but the Wild Mother explains to Gwilla that she’s been watching over her since she was abandoned in the woods as an infant. She comforts Gwilla and tells her she won’t hurt anyone, only heal them, and shows her how, engulfing Gwilla in magic. She then explains that the Archfae are her children. She then states that Prospera feared death and began to gather power to stop her and lost her sanity in the process, but that she may be able to be saved. Gwilla asks why the Wild Mother didn’t let her die in the forest, and she explains that she is life itself and couldn’t let her die. She then promises that Gwilla will feel like herself again soon.

Ellie and Gwilla both wake leaning against the same tree and slightly tangled in roots. Paeris is nearby and Ellie tries her new telepathic ability on them. An airship passes over them, and Paeris explains they were invented around two years ago and hunt sky-whales. Paeris then receives a ZipLine letter from Beatrice updating the party on May’s condition (stable but in a magical coma) and one from Kay full of mushy stuff signed with her name as well as Butch’s pawprint. Abrielle makes everyone breakfast which sucks but Ellie makes a big show of telling her it’s awesome. To Ellie’s surprise, Abrielle admits that she’s never felt romantic feelings for anyone or understood the appeal of sex. “I’m the same way,” Ellie admits, and the two are relieved that they are not alone. Abrielle then falls asleep, admitting that she stayed up all night praying to Selene–perhaps this triggered Ellie and Gwilla’s dream. Gwilla picks her up and sets her in the cart while Paeris tosses Wally’s bag of baubles to Lilith; mixed in with his goods are the exotic bath salts and mosses Dottie planned on selling to people in Cerulean Falls.

As they continue their journey, Paeris and Lilith sit beside Gwilla, who is upset she was unable to save Wally. Paeris makes a quip and Gwilla realizes they are horribly sleep deprived. Paeris explains they didn’t sleep because of Zephyr’s nightmares, but says they don’t regret talking back to him, causing Zephyr to give them a headache. Lilith and Ellie brainstorm ways to help Paeris with their nightmares, but Paeris isn’t quite ready to tell everyone what their nightmares are. Gwilla reflects that, in order for the party to help each other and be effective allies, they need to all be honest with each other. Ellie asks if Gwilla is okay and Gwilla replies that Ellie asks her that a lot. Ellie says she’s going to keep asking until Gwilla is honest with her. Ellie then assures Gwilla that what happened to Wally wasn’t her fault.

The party stops for a break in a forest clearing and Ellie asks Atticus to “help her with something”. Together they figure out the ‘range’ of Ellie’s telepathy. Atticus is amazed and startled, and says he wants to study Ellie’s brain, but doesn’t want her to die. Ellie says if she goes before him, it’s all his. They then attempt picking raspberries and Atticus is awful at it and picks a grand total of two. Ellie pokes fun at him and says he isn’t an ‘outside creature’. Ellie tells Atticus that he reminds her of her father and that they would have been good friends. Atticus then asks about what types of surgery her father had done, how much she knew, etc, then admits to Ellie that he is a trans man and says it’s difficult to keep up his masculine appearance all the time. He asks if Ellie would be willing and able to perform gender-affirming surgery. Ellie says she’s happy to try and will start researching. Ellie then tells Atticus she thought changelings were ‘born potatoes’ and figured out their gender etc. later. Atticus laughs.

When they return, Lilith sees how shit Atticus is at picking raspberries and offers to take a walk with him to try again. Atticus expresses his admiration for Lilith’s strength confronting her father, and realizes they have more in common than he originally thought, and that he had a similar experience of being disowned by his father. Atticus then brings up Zephyr, and Lilith does her best to explain their relationship, realizing as she does so that she was a victim of grooming, to some degree. Even so, she swears he never took advantage of her sexually, even though she did admit to having a crush on Zephyr when she was 13, and Atticus is relieved. They continue talking and Lilith realizes Zephyr is nearby. She then states she wished she had Ellie’s telepathy to speak with Atticus without Zephyr knowing. They then embrace and share a kiss.

Meanwhile, Gwilla and Paeris go on their own walk and Gwilla confronts Paeris about their reaction to Deedra at the Market of Memories and they finally admit Deedra destroyed Grindlewood and killed them in the process. Seeing the airship made them think of how much their nieces and nephews would have loved to ride in one. They tell Gwilla that as terrible as the nightmares are, they don’t want them to go away because if they did, they know they’d never see their family again. Gwilla offers comfort and Paeris says they would have liked Gwilla. Their conversation ends when Poppy croaks ‘my…wife…where’s my wife?’

Lilith and Ellie go fishing later and Lilith can’t seem to catch anything. Ellie says that she and Atticus are perfect for each other because neither of them are outside people. Ellie catches many fish, and two of them spit out memory marbles: one of Sidra, which Ellie pockets and does not admit she knows whose memory it is, and one she truly does not recognize. Upon further inspection, she sees it belongs to the Drow boy from the previous Sidra-marble-memory and throws it.

**The memory shows the boy, named Charlie, and Sidra in a chain gang marching through Catharsis City. Charlie and Sidra are talking and decide to say they are brother and sister so they have a better chance of staying together. A guard scolds them for speaking and goes to slap Charlie, but Sidra intercepts and takes the slap instead with very little reaction. A crowd awaiting a Metamorphis concert crowds the streets, and Sidra makes eye contact with two people in the crowd: one high elf woman with an Aster family crest, and a girl around Sidra’s age with blond hair. The woman asks Sidra her name, and when she hears she is an Aster, she pleads with the guard to let her go. Sidra lies and says Charlie is her brother, and they are allowed to leave after Sidra shows the signet ring. The memory ends.**

Lilith looks extremely angry and Ellie looks away before asking Lilith if she hates her, stating she believes Lilith looks at her as a socially inept child who’s rude and blunt and unkind. Lilith assures Ellie she does not hate her, stating she is a ‘badass’ and ‘not afraid to speak her mind’ and that she looks forward to combining their magic in their next battle.

Finally, the party comes to a walkway lined with blue glowing lanterns leading up to a gate where two axolotl guards ask them their business. Lilith shows them Dottie’s goods. A third axolotl takes the bag of Dottie’s things to an albino tiefling woman who appears to be in charge. She wears a luna moth kimono and has a Metamorphis tattoo on her thigh. She sees Dottie’s things and is concerned when she looks from her tower and does not see Dottie at the gates, but tells the guard to let them in.

## CHAPTER XII: To the Onsen

The party regroups and fills each other in on their discoveries before heading toward a tent with a banner that reads 'Lady Menagerie's Mystical Fortunes'.  They overhear a conversation stating that earthquakes nearby have gotten worse near the ruins due to upset spirits.  the party and Atticus enter the tent and are given a reading:

Paeris: the Fool, which they take offense to.  Menagerie explains it means rediscovery or to reckon with their past.  The Tower: conquer whatever it represents for them (a dragon)

Ellie: the Moon, she faces great uncertainty and needs to face her fears.  Temperance, represents someone with whom she will bond closely, perhaps romantically, and will help her along the way.  Ellie is taken aback by this and questions how a relationship could possibly be in her future, but she then hands her the Star card and says she must protect the child at all costs.

Lilith: Reverse Hierophant, not reflective of her religion but rather that she will continue to challenge the status quo, but that she must first learn to 'liberate herself'.  The Devil, fluctuates between upright and reversed, Menagerie explains she will have to choose one side of the card and reject the other.

Atticus: the Emperor, tells him he needs to resolve issues with his father

Gwilla: the Sun, she is going through a difficult time but things will improve as she learns to draw on her inner strength.  The Hermit, the Tower, the Empress, all of these are parental figures who will help or hinder Gwilla as she comes to terms with her relationships with each.

Menagerie goes on to tell two stories, one with the Hanged Man and Justice who gave birth to the Star, but that the Hanged Man and the Hermit experience tension due to similarities that are currently unclear to the party.

Next is a story about the Upright Hierophant and Judgement and that they were once the same but were severed--'a much needed divorce' and that was when Judgement gave birth to the Star.  Menagerie then states that what will happen at the end of the quest and to the Hanged Man is up to the party.  Ellie has heard enough and leaves suddenly, followed shortly by Gwilla.  Paeris asks if Menagerie can help Poppy, but Poppy just pecks the Tower card and repeats 'my wife'.

Upon exiting the tent, Paeris attempts to put on Poppy's necklace, hoping to 'see what she sees' and find some answers, but is stopped by Lilith and Gwilla.  Abrielle meets them with crepes.  Koji then arrives and tells the party that Lady Getsumei is ready to see them and leads them to the onsen garden through a secret entrance in the back.  They meet Getsumei in the garden and she asks for proof they are doing Dotty's bidding by bringing her wares and that they didn't simply steal from her on the road.  Dottie corroborates their story with a ZipLine message.  Lilith and Getsumei briefly discuss their shared pact with Zephyr and Getsumei asserts that he is a great companion.  After a moment a group of felinid tabaxi arrive in the garden with a flying sky whale on a leash.  A short human man follows shortly after, and introduces himself as John Nightjar, a environmentalist and sky pirate--the pilot of the air ship the party had seen the previous days.  The whale seems drawn to Ellie's tree arm and shines with moonlight when she pets it.  It behaves similarly toward Gwilla and shines with sunlight before lowering itself into the pond and sucks up water before 'raining' on the plants.  The session ends with Getsumei inviting the party to stay at the onsen.

## CHAPTER XIII: Unfortunate

6/1/23

A group of tabaxi mobsters enter Madame Menagerie’s room and she begins a reading for the leader, Costa, but is stopped short when Death appears and the tabaxi man’s throat is slit by a mysterious figure.

Koji checks the party into the onsen and escorts them through a festival in the lobby, but the party shortly notices an obviously poisoned orc in the hallway. The guard tells them he saw a man run from the room but nothing else. Upon entering the room, the party finds

“Oh dear, another drunk guest!” Koji sighs as the elevator halts. The orc guarding Costa is slumped in front of the door, bulging veins turning an intense purple.

Paeris leaps into action and slaps the guard awake while Ellie and Gwilla work to stop the spread of the poison coursing through his body. The guard tells the party that he saw a man run out of the room, but doesn’t remember anything after that.

Upon entering the room, the party finds Costa’s body and Madame Menagerie bound to a chair with notably wet rope. Bloody footprints lead out the window and Ellie summons Andromeda to follow them to no avail. Costa’s notebook yields some clues:

Costa refused to supply the rebellion with goods, which angered Jax Brownstone.
Costa beat Needlepoint, the tattoo artist, in a game of cards; the latter holds a grudge over the loss and suspects the game was rigged from the start.
Razz, the tiefling woman Lilith and Paeris encountered earlier in the day, lost her boyfriend to an arson attack that Costa was involved in.
Zanz Shrooman still hasn’t received several weapons that Costa owes him.

Lady Getsumei arrives and the party fills Getsumei in on the situation. She tasks the party with finding the culprit. They decide Razz has the most motive on their way to the Onsen’s theater. They watch the performance. Axolotl and frog-folk dance around the stage before clearing the way for a paper representation of Mizuchi, dragon guardian of the waterfalls. Another dancer glides onto the stage and calls for Suijin, goddess of the waterfall. She appears with a dragon’s egg, but before the townsfolk can celebrate the stage turns red and a caricature of the High King stomps on stage. Suijin manages to escape his wrath, but Mizuchi is slain.

A woman in a yellow dress and sunflowers in her arms enters stage right alongside a man in a recreation of Val’s cloak. Together they calm the High King down enough for the axolotl to take the egg back, and the play ends with a frogfolk triumphantly hoisting the egg up in the present day.

Koji then rushes in to report that another body has been discovered. The party follows him as he rushes to the dressing room that belongs to a distressed fire genasi named Fiaro. An orc lays on the ground dead, as well as a tabaxi.The party questions Fiaro, and learn that the deceased tabaxi, named Scratches McWhisk, was getting a bit hansy with him backstage. Before Fiaro could defend himself, Scratches was dead. He said that the killer was bald and that a male ghost was involved, but didn't see anything else. A search of the room reveals an ectoplasm foot path, blood blonging to a human male, and a beanie style cap with gold makeup smudged inside. Two other actors then appear, one stating his makeup has gone missing. The party splits up to cover more ground.

Everyone decides to check up on suspects in the baths, and John arrives and states he’d like to help with the hunt. After talking with the suspects, it is revealed everyone has an alibi except for Madam Menagerie, who Gwilla discovers was the one who stole the makeup.

The party plays games in the foyer until an axolotl tells a tabaxi they saw a ghost with angry eyes. Paeris follows them to a room where they close the door. Paeris then notices movement in the hallway, a bald man appearing as well as ghosts. Paeris watches as the ghosts enter the room on the man’s command, then hears a scream. The ghosts and the man attempt to rush away, but Paeris manages to apprehend the man, who is actually the true identity of Madame Menagerie.

Lady Getsumei arrives and ‘Menagerie’ introduces themself as ‘Nameless”, the they and Jackie (their sister) the only survivors of a group of traveling clairvoyants murdered by Costa’s mafia after one of them saw something they weren’t supposed to in a reading. Nameless admits to killing them as revenge, then states they can call the ghosts of their deceased family. Getsumei states she will allow the party to decide whether or not Nameless should be executed.

## CHAPTER XIV: The Motherless Egg

An frog-folk priestess called Nanami sweeps the floor of a decrepit temple of Suijin. An old warforged broken in the corner. An axolotl-like dragon made of pink marble and a statue of Suijin holding a dormant egg are also in the room. Nanami turns to the dormant egg and prays: I know you probably won’t hatch because your mother was slain, but I can still hope and pray that it will one day. Please guide me so that I can be helpful.

A rancid smell interrupts her and the statue of Suijin cries tears of mud. Nanami grabs the dragon’s egg just as the skeletal remains of Mizuchi barge through the door, a green fog rolling in behind them.

The Warforged’s eyes light up and it says: KITSUNE-590 ACTIVE. OBJECTIVE: PROTECT CIVILIAN AND EGG.

K590 defends Nanami from the undead dragon as well as other undead, allowing Nanami to escape. The egg cracks as she runs.

The party is awoken by Koji inviting them to tea and they discuss Nameless’ fate. A letter from Beatrice falls into Ellie’s lap. It states that May remains in stable but critical condition and unaffected by the curse despite not wearing a mask at any point during the party’s altercation with Yvonne. “Archive and I performed tests, and we’ve come to the conclusion that May was stillborn but brought to life through unknown means. Indeed, it’s entirely possible that the Mourning Queen cast the curse to resurrect her” the letter continues. “As she is technically undead, she will likely perish If the curse is broken.” Ellie writes a frantic letter to Archive requesting more information, but before she receives a response, Koji escorts them to Lady Getsumei

The party meets with Getsumei and decides Nameless should be released but banished, and Getsumei makes Needlepoint give them a tattoo of the kanji for “repent” on their back imbued with a suggestion spell that permanently prevents them from killing unless it’s in self-defense.
Getsumei invites them to breakfast.

Ellie questions Getsumei on the tiefling orphanage, and Getsumei reveals that she was conceived there. Whether born at the orphanage or kidnapped, all of the tieflings endured experimentation, with runes being inscribed on their bones. The ones who survived gained special abilities, but it was impossible for them to disobey their masters due to the bone runes.

Getsumei was employed by the Tiger Lily family when the curse broke out and escaped in the ensuing chaos, but perished in a factory explosion. Only through the efforts of Dr. Enola Requiem, a scientist renowned for her research on resurrection and healing, was Getsumei brought back to life, though it came with side effects. She explains she wasn’t albino until she was brought back, that she doesn’t age, and her blood is white. Ellie pricks herself and shows that her blood is also white.

Paeris breaks the silence and wonders if Dr. Requiem could resurrect May with the serum if she dies, and Wes writes a letter on the party’s behalf to ask. As he writes, the party fills Getsumei in on their quest, and she gives them her full endorsement and financial support.

John hears back from Dr. Requiem within minutes, and she tells them that the serum’s formula was essentially lost along with its creator, Dr. Gilead Aster. Ellie freezes up at the mention of her father’s name. Dr. Requiem’s letter elaborates that she has 2 vials remaining, but can’t make more unless she can determine what Gilead meant by the ingredient “moon tree”. Once she can locate that, she may be able to recreate the serum herself.

The conversation then turns to Zephyr, and Getsumei states they have a ‘fruitful business relationship’ and intend to rule Catharsis when the curse is broken and the queen is destroyed. Getsumei explains Zephyr’s wish to rule stems from the fact that Catharsis was feywild territory before humans, elves, and dwarves colonized it. Their leader married Deedra, the dragon, and she chased off the remaining fey – including Zephyr. Gwilla storms off at the mention of Deedra, and Paeris goes to comfort her.

Ellie gets a library card from Getsumei and goes to the library and summons Archive. Ellie catches Archive up on the day’s revelations and asks if he can help her find more information on who Deedra married and who fathered Deedra’s child. Together, they learn that the humans were led by Isabetta Hallowes, a refugee from an oppressive kingdom. Her husband and children accompanied her on her journey to the feywild but were killed by a fey prank; Isabetta went mad with grief soon after. She eventually marched alone to Dragon’s Hearth so that she could coerce the dragon into ending her life – but Deedra recognized the hurt in Isabetta’s eyes and transformed into her humanoid form, explaining that she lost her husband as well.

Through their partnership and eventual marriage, Deedra helped Isabetta foster an uneasy truce between the fey and the humans, culminating in the construction of Catharsis. When Isabetta died of old age, however, Deedra had a wizard put her soul in the Widow’s Tear. The relationship between the two women deteriorated over the centuries, with Isabetta begging Deedra to let her move on to the afterlife and the dragon refusing to let her go.

Ellie keeps reading and learns that Deedra swore loyalty to her and Isabetta’s adopted descendants, who became the royal family. But that’s all the information Ellie can glean from the library; there’s next to no information on who fathered Gwilla other than that Deedra had frequent one-night stands after Isabetta died. Ellie then gives Archive May’s rock and instructs him to give it to her when she wakes. She also admits that she found out about the tiefling orphanage and apologizes for prying. Archive is quick to forgive and they say goodbye. Ellie notices that the pages he used to teleport are love poems.

Atticus and Lilith head to the bath and do the deed after brief discussion of their futures. Then they play some games in the lobby.

Abrielle fills Gwilla and Paeris in on the collapsed temple, and the three of them rush over to assist the people with removing debris. Paeris puts the Widow’s Tear back on Poppy, and Gwilla asks Paeris if they’re afraid of her. Paeris says no and states that Gwilla is not her mother. Gwilla then admits to Paeris that she wanted to die when she laid down her life for her father. Paeris recoils in shock, but Poppy fills the silence by parroting Gwilla’s words. Abrielle looks on in concern and is skeptical of Paeris’s attempts to explain what’s happening with their pet. They all turn their attention back to the ruined temple. Many of the nearby buildings are submerged in polluted water; litter floats about in every direction. Abrielle rolls up her sleeves as she, Gwilla, and Paeris get to work. The townsfolk show their appreciation by giving them rice balls, and as they work into the evening the priestess expresses shock that Nanami wasn’t present to help as well. They then find K590’s head. He states he is defending Nanami and the egg and bickers with Paeris until Nanami appears with a baby axolotl dragon, which promptly becomes a human baby with pink hair.

Poppy flies over to the dragon and pecks at them, calling them her wife over and over again. Gwilla distances herself from the group just as Ellie, Lilith, and Atticus arrive to investigate the commotion.

Atticus fixes up Kitsune-590 and reactivates him. Poppy perks up at the mention of Isa’s name as Ellie recounts her findings in the library; the bird requests that they go to Dragon’s Hearth as soon as possible.

A commotion in the onsen below interrupts the party, and they watch as citizens run from a rapidly approaching storm. Hordes of undead frog and axolotl folk, covered in mud and trash, waddle towards the onsen. A humanoid figure caked in mud leads them.

Getsumei draws her samurai sword. And demands the humanoid to speak. They explain they are Suijin and that she is extremely angry that Getsumei’s Onsen caused the pollution of her waterways and poisoned her.

## CHAPTER XV: The Dirty Goddess

**6/22/23**

Val, Hanlon, and Majesty run through Catharsis City until they find a church of Selene and stop to rest. Val succumbs to Prospera’s curse and falls into a dream like state where Prospera attempts to make him forget who he is, but Majesty reminds him and he wakes with most of his memories intact.

At the Onsen, Ellie attempts to get between Getsume and Suijin to prevent a fight, but Suijin does not back down and instead calls Ellie a ‘half spirit’ before making her swear to fix the pollution. Ellie agrees and her eyes glow white, she’s unintentionally agreed to some sort of magical pact. Ellie then gathers the party and tosses three white marbles. They see Cerulean Falls 100 years in the past guarded by Mizuchi and Suijin, but Mizuchi is killed by the High King’s guards. Suijin speaks to the Queen Mother about their mutual hatred of the king and she laments she should have married Val instead. The King claims Cerulean Falls for Pholtus and Suijin quietly curses him.

Lilith, Paeris, and Atticus join John for a tour of his ship and discover the crew is entirely undead.

Gwilla writes to Wick, and Ellie throws a Sidra marble. It begins with Sidra and Charlie in what is assumed to be Sidra’s room in the castle for the time being. Sidra’s cousin enters and we learn she is planning on proposing to the King to ‘fix him’, even though she does not love him. A commotion outside ensues and a mob calls to avenge Lilith Blackwood and Charlie is dragged away. Sidra’s cousin demands an audience at the execution and they see Charlie in chains, assuring them everything will be okay. The memory ends, and Ellie is very upset.

Paeris writs to Nameless. Ellie and Gwilla visit Zans and Ellie attempts to hug him but he hesitates and states he was wounded in the war, and that he is probably infected with the curse. Ellie asks to see but he won’t show her. Gwilla notes he is putting others in danger by refusing treatment. Zanz says he heard about the mosswood rune and that the party would be perfect to take care of some business for him in the Underdark. Ellie is disgusted by his willingness to risk lives for money and leaves. Gwilla follows shortly after. Ellie notes she just wanted Zanz to be like her dad, and was disappointed when he wasn’t.

Paeris and Lilith get tattoos. Paeris gets a moth with the ‘protection from energy’ spell, and Lilith gets a blue rose with the ‘flame blade’ spell. Lilith then writes to Toshiro and expresses her doubts with Zephyr. Toshiro replies with his agreement. Abrielle invites everyone for tea and Paeris corners Gwilla to say she seems sad. Gwilla admits her depression and that she feels Val was all she had to live for. Paeris reassures her.

Paeris throws a marble and asks for Isabetta’s life. They see Isabetta confronting Zephyr for preventing a child from retrieving water for the village. She outsmarts him, stating she’ll use just one bucket, and returns with the same bucket over and over again.

Lilith also throws a marble and asks about her brother Linus. The party is also present, and everyone learns that Linus accidentally killed Lilith trying to hit the young drow tiefling she was protecting. Kings guardsmen then rush to the scene, stating the king is dead and ‘they’re coming for [him]. Linus flees and lives underground for months with popes and priests of Pholtus. One day he wakes and is told by an angel of Pholtus–Rus–that he is undead and tells him to redeem himself by retaking the city for Pholtus and assures Lilith will forgive him if he does. The memory skips some time, then ends with Linus fighting Riot. Lilith states she feels all of her goals in life have been fulfilled by other people and she feels she has little purpose. The party reassures her she can now forge her own path, but she is reluctant.

The party parts for the night, but Paeris stays with Gwilla as she throws a marble asking for Val’s whereabouts. She sees his torment by Prospera and his conversation with Death. She then sees Prospera crush Val’s heart. Gwilla is deeply upset and believes him dead, stating she has to live for herself now.

## CHAPTER XVI: The Star Child and the Dam

**7/20/23**

As Val lays unconscious in ‘death’, Death meets him and shows him a field of white flowers where two angels, Julia Organza and May, play together. Val fears May is dead, but it is revealed she is an aasimar of Selene. They promise to find each other and Val’s vision fades before he wakes up in Hanlons arms. At the same time, May wakes up at Wisteria Manor to the angel of Julia stating she is her angelic guide.

Upon waking and meeting for breakfast, the party receives a letter from Beatrice and May explaining May’s relationship with Julia. Getsume then tells them that Suijin’s accusations were true and Cerulean Falls is in fact built on stolen land and the dam that powers the onsen is what flooded the original village and caused the pollution. She states that destroying the dam should clean the water. The party goes to the ruined village and finds that the dam is hollow inside like a tunnel. The party enters. In the first room they must give up something important to them. Ellie gives the scarf Zanz gave her that belonged to her father. Gwilla gives up leftover tea from Val, Wes gives the belt from his airship, and Lilith gives her comb from Atticus. After another puzzle involving carvings with masks, the group encounters a room filled with jibberfish and eventually learn the ‘secret’ kept by the builder of the dam: ‘I saw the Queen sleep with the Wizard’ meaning the Queen Mother and Val. Gwilla becomes upset and enters the next room. The party follows and finds the skeleton of the dwarf builder and his diary. They read it and discover the dragon was slain and the dam built, displacing the residents, and that the builder did not want to do it. The gang is able to open the dam and the town is revealed again.

Upon exiting the dam, Gwilla admits she purposely died protecting Val and does not feel any better now. Ellie becomes angry and shouts at Gwilla, telling her that they’ve all lost people, they've all died, they've all come back, and they’re all sad, but ‘we aren’t making it someone else's’ problem’. Ellie leaves and Lilith and K590 comfort Gwilla.

Upon returning to town, everyone gets pancakes and Ellie sits outside with K590 and explains she feels badly about shouting at Gwilla. K590 tells her both their feelings are valid and that if anyone can protect Gwilla it’s Ellie.

Paeris and Ellie then go to the library to investigate K590’s history. Lilith explains to Atticus that she sees herself in Gwilla and feeds badly for her. Gwilla goes to the outskirts of town and writes a letter to Val, explaining she realizes he’s dead but wanted to write him anyway saying she’s ready to live for herself. Val receives the letter and decides to let Gwilla believe he’s dead.

## SESSION XVII: The Forgotten Village

**7/27/23, guest starring Ben as K590**

The session opens with Watzenburg telling Claire that he is infected and is leaving town to face his fate so he doesn’t infect anyone else. He tells her to kill him before he hurts anyone if he comes back. Then, a green fog announces the arrival of Florence Forget-me-not, who threatens to destroy the town with Deedra unless they give up Beatrice and May and tell her where the party is. The townspeople refuse and rally together, fending off the witch, who leaves stating she will return in 24 hours with Deedra if they do not comply. Watz is seen for the final time riding a moss-covered hound into the woods. Beatrice writes to the party to tell them to return immediately.

Paeris and Ellie find that the library has been purged of all texts relating to Cerulean Falls before the dam, and therefore can’t find anything on K590 in writing, however they find a piece of artwork depicting a man in orange robes they suspect is K590. When they leave the library to tell him what they found, Suijin appears. She is angry and asks why they haven’t destroyed the rune yet. Ellie explains that they had to break the dam first, and that they did that yesterday, but that the rune would be broken tonight. Suijin is not satisfied and says she will ‘make the stakes higher’ and puts a curse on Ellie and Paeris. Ellie no longer has use of her Moontree arm and Paeris is blinded in one eye. Ellie attempts to reason with Suijin, stating it doesn’t make sense for her to incapacitate them when they’ll need their full strength to destroy the rune, but Suijin doesn’t care.

They then show K590 the scroll they found, but he regains no memories. At this point Ellie realizes her ghost hunting badge has gone missing, so the party search for it, eventually discovering that Nameless stole it when they left.

That evening, Getsume and the citizens of Cerulean Falls barricade their houses and the onsen in preparation for the rune being broken. Nanami gives the party 4 candles and tells them to light them to appease the spirits of the old town. Mizuchi the undead dragon haunts the area, and Ellie and Gwilla are momentarily charmed into seeing upsetting illusions, but the party helps them snap back to reality. The party realizes they must place their candles into four small shrines and quickly manage to place the first two. Paeris places the third a few rounds later. Gwilla attempts to reason with Mizuchi, but the dragon won’t hear it and attacks, hitting everyone except Ellie, Abrielle, and K590. Ellie demands K590 place the final candle by taking it from Lilith’s hand as she lays unconscious and throwing it into the shrine. He does, and the rune flickers. Abrielle revives Gwilla, Paeris, Lilith, and Atticus as K590 deals the final blow to Mizuchi, and the rune shatters.

## SESSION XVIII: Gifts from a Goddess

**8/03/23**

Florence Forget-me-not and another witch called Tiger Lily alerts the Mourning Queen that they were unable to get May or Beatrice in Mosswood, and Deedra arrives and announces that the Cerulean Falls rune has been broken. Deedra speculates that the two runes being destroyed in succession, the Queen Mother’s death, Val escaping, and the reappearance of Paeris and Lilith could possibly be because Beatrice resurrected them, and that they might be in league with Val to overthrow the queen. The Mourning Queen is angry and tells Tiger Lily and Florence to go to Lavender Fields to wait for the party there and intercept them if they try for that rune next.

Suijin returns to the Onsen early that morning and prepares to fight Getsume, as she is tired of waiting for the rune to be destroyed. She is about to deal the killing blow when Suijin regains all her memory and appears in her purified form as the rune shatters. Remembering Mizuchi, Suijin calls out to her in horror.

Back at the site of the destroyed rune, The spirit of Mizuchi as a beautiful woman in white rises from the bones of the dragon and expresses her gratitude to the party for giving her peace. Nanami then shows her her baby and Gwilla says she’ll keep watch over the baby. Lotus flowers bloom and clean the air and water, and golden spirits of the old townspeople rise from the water as Suijin appears. She reverses Ellie and Paeris’ curses, however Paeris is left with a white streak in their hair.

Among the litter and abandoned possessions in Mizuchi’s hoard stands a suit of samurai armor with intricate wave patterns. Lilith realizes that it’s similar to the armor in the Moonlit Abbey and the armor Claire wears and asks how many other sets there are; all Mizuchi knows is that several were forged in Dragon’s Hearth. Paeris dons the armor and it magically fits perfectly. Gwilla opens Death’s lantern and the spirits of the townspeople enter. Finally, Mizuchi tells Suijin she wishes she chose her instead of the black dragon Obsidian, and they share a kiss. Before Mizuchi enters the lantern, Paeris shows her the Widow’s Tear and a scroll of Deedra. Mizuchi recognizes her and says they were friends but ended on bad terms when Obsidian left her for Deedra after Mizuchi became pregnant. Paeris asks if dragons have any weaknesses she can share, and Mizuki says dragons can only be killed by a weapon made from the remains of a dragon. Paeris asks Isabetta (Poppy) if she would be okay with Deedra being killed, and she replies through Poppy that she will do it when the time comes, that she would rather Deedra die at the hand of someone she loved rather than someone she hates.

Suijin grants the party gifts in thanks: Lilith receives a biwa with ‘shape water’, Gwilla a sake bottle that contains infinite water, Paeris a yukata that casts ‘misty step’, and Ellie a fan of reflection that allows her to cast a light-based spell multiple times in a single turn once a day.

Mizuchi then explains she can sense an Archfey, and notes Lilith’s pact with Zephyr, as well as Atticus. She explains that Changelings are almost like Tieflings in that they are born when someone has fey ancestry, though it may be so far back in the family tree nobody remembers. She says Atticus ‘smells like’ his ancestor was either Zephyr, Prospera, or Sammy, or someone in the same family. Ellie then asks what Suijin meant when she called Ellie a ‘half spirit’. She explains that a minor deity associated with Selene lives in the Moon Tree, and that Ellie bonded with them when she got her arm. Ellie hugs Suijin and flowers grow from her arm. Gwilla does the same, but instead claws emerge from her hands and feet and she is afraid. Ellie offers to paint them and Gwilla feels a bit better.

Getsumei asks the party if they want to celebrate with the villagers back at the onsen. Ellie tells her no – she’s tired and wants to go to bed. However, she does want to build a shrine to honor Mizuchi and the lives lost to the High King’s conquest. It doesn’t take long to complete it with everyone’s help, and Ellie places the teleportation rune on top.

As the group prepares to head back to Mosswood, Abrielle speaks with Getsumei and Abrielle tells her she seems cuddly. Getsumei is flattered and says she's welcome to come cuddle any time. A squish is born and Getsumei leads Abrielle to her private quarters to sake and chill.

Val receives another letter from Gwilla, and Hanlon scolds him for not replying, but Val says she wants Gwilla to think he’s dead so she will live for herself.

Ellie tosses another Sidra marble when she’s alone that night and asks how the Mourning Queen is related to them. She then witnesses a scene from the execution day, the Queen Mother watching sadly, the Red Devil ordering the slaughter to continue though he grew bored and left. Sidra and her cousin see Charlie moving up in line, and her cousin says she’s going to demand an audience with the king and ask to marry him right now to stop the executions. Sidra tells her that’s an awful idea and that she can’t do that to herself, but she insists. Sidra finally relents, but trips her cousin as she’s approaching the Queen Mother’s box and runs up instead, announcing that she is Sidra Aster and she demands a meeting with the king. The Queen Mother calls for Cadmus, and he arrives and asks who she is and what she wants. She tells him she wants the executions stopped. When he asks why he should listen to her, she offers him her hand in marriage. The memory ends, and Ellie comes to the conclusion that Sidra is the Mourning Queen. She pens a letter: “Sidra, I want to find you. Where are you? ~Ellie”

The letter lands at the Mourning Queen’s feet and she reads it in disbelief. Tiger Lily reminds her that a ‘drow girl’ was among the resurrected. The Mourning Queen sends a blast of magical power, which lights up the castle. Ellie vows to herself she will not let the party kill Sidra.

Paeris sends a friendly message to Nameless. Gwilla writes a letter to Wick telling him they succeeded in destroying the second rune. Lilith receives a letter from Hanlon saying he is escaping Catharsis City with ‘some friends’. Lilith replies tursely. Atticus also writes a letter to Hanlon introducing himself.

Gwilla and Ellie discuss a cure, and realize that nobody is in their right minds. They agree it isn’t right to kill anyone if it can be avoided, because they’re all under Prospera’s control and not acting on their own behalf.

The party reconvenes and heads back to mosswood where they are told of Florence’s threats. They are also told Claire and Amenity broke up. The party goes back to Wisteria Manor to plan.

## SESSION XIX: the Mycena Festival

**8/10/23**

The session opens with the Mourning Queen calling a meeting with an undead Linus Brownstone, telling him that Lilith and Hanlon have been spotted alive. Linus is enraged, but agrees to an alliance with her. She then calls forth Andre Snapdragon, stating that if he can accompany Linus and return with Hanlon, Val, Lilith, and her traveling companions, she will induct him as the first man in the Golden Afternoon Witches.

The party arrives in the center of Mosswood to find the festival gearing up. The Mycena Festival celebrates the day the Drow and Mushroomfolk escaped the Underdark. They continue on to Wisteria Manor and find Beatrice, Authority, and May waiting to greet them. Ellie scoops May up in a big hug. Beatrice then shows them 6 lanterns and explains that they are components for a cloaking spell that will prevent Mosswood from being found by outsiders, in the same way that Wisteria Manor is impossible to find without an escort. Mayor Carefulfoot is apprehensive, worried it will collapse the trade system and that it’s too much trouble to protect one little girl, but Beatrice assures him it is to protect all of Mosswood, not just May. She then explains that the spell can be cast by lighting the lanterns at six spots throughout Mosswood. However, two people must confess a hard truth to one another for the lanterns to activate. She then summons Amenity, who is out of uniform, and hands him a letter of recommendation and a lantern before telling him to meet Claire on the train platform later to activate it.

The party then heads to the festival. They play games and eat mushroom cakes. Paeris and Kay share one pink-with-a-red-center (care+) raspberry cake at the moss farm at the edge of town and share their hard truths to light the lantern: Kay states she wants to be Paeris’ ‘rock’ and Paeris states Kay deserves better than them.

Lilith and Gwilla go to see Silkmoth, who reassures Lilith that she still has purpose even though all of her old plans have been accomplished. Gwilla gets a haircut, then meets Wick who says it looks great. They get a mushcake and share it at the Starlight Abbey cemetery where they tell their hard truths: Gwilla admits Deedra is her mother and that she’s fearful of her draconic ancestry. Wick states his father killed his mother and that he is now afraid of his own fire. They reassure each other and the lantern lights.

Lilith meets up with Atticus at his shop and they get a red (love) mushcake with blueberry inside. They then make their way to the amphitheater and say their hard truths: Lilith says she wants to reform Metamorphis under her own name, and break the curse on her terms and break the status quo. Atticus comments that if that’s what she really wants, then Zephyr is holding her back. Time freezes and Zephyr appears to Lilith, stating she has done nothing for him and can’t believe she’d choose Atticus over him. He asks Lilith if she’s devoted to him, and she tells him she’s tired of him. He then demands she open the letter he gave her, but finds it isn’t addressed to her. Instead it is a love letter to Zephyr from Monarch, one of Lilith’s dearest friends from Metamorphis. The letter states how much he covets the archfey and how jealous he was of the attention Zephyr gave Lilith. Zephyr then explains that Monarch cast ‘inflict wounds’ the moment Linus stabbed Lilith, and that Monarch actually dealt the killing blow, not Linus. Metamorphis then tortured Monarch for killing Lilith, then worked with the Mourning Queen to fuse him and the King of Hallowes together into a homunculus that doesn’t even know its true identity. Lilith replies that she doesn’t want to be a part of a group that tortures and kills its own members, and Zephyr ‘breaks up’ with Lilith, dissolving her pact and cursing Atticus with nightmares. Time resumes, Lilith tells Atticus what happened, and Atticus says he loves her, which is his hard truth. The lantern lights.

Ellie, Archive, and May enjoy the festivities, then take a purple (family) mushcake to the moon tree grove. Ellie absently touches the moon tree and goes limp, then has a vision in which she meets a ‘granddaughter of Selene’ in the form of the spirit of her moon tree, who has taken on Ellie’s appearance. The tree apologizes for taking Ellie’s arm and for all the side effects she will experience as a result, such as growing paler. However, she will be immune from the curse in several year’s time.

These side effects are identical to the antidote Gideon was developing. But those who gain immunity from the curse will be connected to the moon tree, just like Ellie. Ellie names the moon tree spirit Luna. Luna explains that at one time, all the moon trees were connected, but that the connection was severed when Prospera was killed. Ellie states she feels everything is her fault, and that, had she not died, Sidra wouldn’t have become the Mourning Queen and the curse wouldn't have been created. Luna comforts her and says they’ll fix it together.

Archive then shakes Ellie awake before departing upon Ellie’s request so she can speak with May. She tells May that the Mourning Queen–her mother–is Ellie’s sister, and that she’s sorry for putting this entire mess into motion. May doesn’t seem to understand at first, but Ellie does her best to explain that she believes May might have died as well. She tells May she’ll do everything she can to put things right and that her mother isn’t a bad person. May says she loved Ellie before, but loves her even more now. The lantern illuminates at the exchange of truths.

## SESSION XX: Birdcalls

**8/17/23**

Claire and Amenity share an exchange on the train platform before Amenity leaves. Amenity states that he “wishes I met you after I knew what I was meant to be”, and Claire says she “wishes he would change his mind”. Their exchange of truths lights the final lantern and the spell is complete. Mosswood is obscured from outside.

Claire notices an old woman on the train platform, but upon further inspection realizes it’s Beatrice in disguise, as she knows she and May are at risk of discovery while the town was unprotected. She tells Claire not to blow her cover and they head back into town together. They meet up with the party for carnival games: Faerie Fire Away shooting range (Ellie, Atticus, and May win), mushroom pie eating contest (Paeris wins), Chicken Rodeo (Lilith wins), and a brawl (everyone loses but gets prizes). Then there’s a talent show: Archive on piano, Ellie and May drawing pictures, Atticus and Kay strength and finesse feats, and Clare singing. May, Ellie, and Clare are the winners.

Shortly after, the entirety of the town gathers to hear the mayor congratulate Mark Mycenum, an elderly mushroomfolk man who assisted many in escaping the Underdark. He then passes the ceremonial sword down to his daughter, Mica. Mycenum then presents the party with medals and cheers erupt when he says: “You four are our hope that the dreaded Mourning Queen and her minions are slain and stopped!” This is upsetting to Ellie, but does nothing. The final lantern sits between Beatrice and Authority at the fountain of Selene and lights when Beatrice states she hopes to find her father one day. The spell is complete and Mosswood vanishes.

Ellie leaves shortly after, goes to the Moon Tree Grove, and demands an audience with Death. When only a raven appears, Ellie pulls a knife. The raven states that it cannot be killed, and Ellie turns the knife on herself. Death appears and tells Ellie she is disappointed she would threaten to end her second chance at life. Ellie replies that she did not ask to be brought back, and that she doesn’t understand how Death could be so cruel as to put her in a position where she must destroy her own sister. She demands to know why Death brought her back when Death knew her sister was behind everyone’s suffering. Death states they did not know, and Ellie doesn't believe them, though Death is telling the truth. Death then tells Ellie that she can’t ‘leave May’, echoing what Sidra said to Ellie when she was dying: ‘don’t leave me’. She becomes irate at this, and continues arguing with Death until Death tells her Prospera is the one she needs to worry about and that if she discovers Prospera’s past, she will be able to save her sister and everyone else.

Lilith, Atticus, Kay, and Paeris visit Sammy and tell him Lilith is no longer Zephyr’s patron and they congratulate her. Paeris then tells Kay that Zephyr is behind their nightmares. Kay then invites Paeris to dinner to cheer them up.

Gwilla and Wick snuggle up elsewhere in Mosswood and state they will do whatever they need to do to protect each other. Gwilla prays to the Wild Mother and promises to help Prospera however she can. A flower then blooms in front of her in response, and Gwilla throws three white marbles, asking how Prospera died. She then sees a scene from Val’s past. He and other student Mages are attempting to protect Catharsis Castle from the witches who are being lead by Prospera. The child Val acts in fear and raises his wand to Prospera, accidentally killing her with a burst of magic. The memory ends.

Lilith has a dream where she is greeted by the Wild Mother, who states she is ‘quite in demand’ among the archfey and that she can choose a new patron, if she wishes. She is then introduced to a pantheon of dieties: Eislynn, Zephyr’s youthful counterpart and the archfey of dreams, arachnids, and fun. The Wild Mother, Suijin, goddess of water, and Death. After speaking with each, Lilith decides to become a warlock of Eislynn.

The following morning, Mosswood awakes to Florence Forget-me-not and Deedra wandering the woods aimlessly, searching for the town. Upon realizing there is some cloaking spell afoot, Florence shouts that hiding May and Beatrice is a declaration of war against their queen and that there will be consequences. They are then chased away by an undead, mossy Watzenburg riding an undead dire wolf, as well as a small army of other woodland creatures, living and undead. Seeing that Watz has succumbed to the curse, Ellie immediately attempts to speak to him, but finds he can only seem to communicate in birdcalls. She tries telepathy instead, and Watz replies: “It’s okay. I’m with my friends now. Don’t cry for me – I’ll protect this town.”

END BOOK 1