One After Another

Ebongale the titular mascot.

**"One After Another"** (Ses 14) is the fourteenth session of The Exiled Abyss. NovaTome parties with their similar friends Ebongale where they learn more about the politics going on within The Braveateers of Lyria. Quickly after however, NovaTome is called back into action to visit Ryevalene at the request of its emperor and the Queen of Lyria.

## Synopsis

#### Fort Ebongale

Our adventurer's had just helped the famous braveateer group Ebongale take vengeance on a dragon. As gratitude Ebongale invited NovaTome over to their fort for socialization.

With Smitle Braxkeep joining the fun, NovaTome and Ebongale enjoyed a nice dinner where they talked about the current happenings including NovaTome's recent quest with Kywyn and Ebongale's recent suspension of their contract with the braveateers. Jovia also brought up a future event called the Bravebowl where braveateers fought to earn the right to represent Lyria in Thunderbrawl. A two-week tournament filled with gladiator battles to determine the new leader of Storic Kye, a great warrior nation.

Later our friends took in a little truth or drink with a potion of weird curses. They spun a few tales of their origins, but mostly NovaTome just wanted to see the different curses Dyra's potion could do. Ebongale mentioned the reason for their suspension in intervening to aggressively with a witch-burning. This involved NovaTome's own ally Ashe. The group decided to use their policing powers to command The New Order to let go of Ashe but wasn't prepared for when the demon inside her awoke.

More shenanigans took place, Sog lost in arm wrestling to Jovia and everyone got a trip off of Elypsa's Faeshrooms. Jenaveve received a particularly nasty bad trip causing a panic attack. Elypsa was convinced that Jenaveve had seen the Fae before. The next morning Elypsa and Jenaveve took a short walk to discuss these visions.

#### Braveateer Poltics

NovaTome collected their reward they had to meet with the council, within the halls of The Braveateers, they heard of rumors saying that Ebongale is washed up. The council had also been arguing about Ebongale's position were in the middle of NovaTome's review the council head Arckath had threatened to throw the cynical Banner off the council but yielded when Scratcher had advised him against it. The rest of the meeting went as normal with Banner criticizing NovaTome while the rest of the council had mixed but mostly positive feelings on NovaTome's results. In the end, the council majority ruled a success with mixed results denoting reduced pay. The council also gave a bouns based on socialization performance from the gold Faehar had given them and advised NovaTome to stop getting in mix-ups with Lyrian guards.

After their meeting, NovaTome received a few interruptions. First from a strange fellow named Fredan of Grove Brothers. He was attempting to get chummy with NovaTome before Jenavive made some odd comments. They were then engaged by a passively hostile elf named Chromis Renzen. Chromis in a roundabout way was judging NovaTome for their blunt methods and accused them of perhaps being villians by staging The Lords of Entropy to undermine The Braveateers.

NovaTome and Smitle were then engaged by a royal guard. The royal guard had handed Smitle a secret note and told the adventurer's they were to go to Ryevalene. Smitle was against this at first but was later convinced himself. Ryevalene's own emperor wanted to congratulate NovaTome on attacking an unseen threat, presumably The Lords of Entropy. This was one of the first positive communications from Ryevalene Lyria has received and an opportunity to learn about the lords. So as dangerous as it would seem they were forced to go. Before Smitle left for further conversations with the queen he showed his own Mark of The Heavens and mysteriously asked NovaTome to trust him in the times ahead.

#### Road to Xor Volicana

NovaTome was quickly on the roads again. They received little interruption with only friendly caravans passing them by in Lyrian territory. However soon it began to rain and their horses began to tire. They needed to find shelter, luckily an abandoned fort was nearby. NovaTome slept up in here. During the watches, NovaTome started to hear strange noises. On the final watch, Jenaveve had discovered three ghosts begging in front of a gallows. They started screeching at Jenevive and of NovaTome suddenly woke up and felt nooses around their neck suffocating them. NovaTome seemed to have a small upper hand over the ghosts until Tiben failed to get the noose off and fell unconscious and Sog was spun into a frenzy from the cursed Rage Blade. Tog jumped in front of his brother protecting the unconscious Tiben from Sog's mindless frenzy cutting his brothers back. The one surviving ghost took advantage of this opportunity and possessed Sog. With Jenaveve's army of fairies, NovaTome was able to subdue the possessed Sog.