Session0048

Episode 0048 - Defined By Our Past
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**Setting:**

Asaria - Tempest Gulf - Powderbowl - June 5th-6th, 211 AW
**Synopsis:**

* The party departs Asaria toward the Erdehalt Peaks and the village of Powderbowl to pursue Frog's quest for the Fable of the Thousand Year Door.
* Along the way, the party discusses the city of Volus and the Morningstar, and uses divination magic to learn more about her history and goals.
* Arriving at Powderbowl, the party discovers the city is inhabited by Kameshiman soldiers in disguise as the village's residents. They dispatch the Kameshimans and free the imprisoned villagers.
* Having rescued the villagers, the party speaks to the Mycorrhizan ambassador Blewit, who explains that the Kameshimans attacked a number of weeks ago, stole the village's magical painting, and imprisoned the villagers.
* Noting that the sky above is unnaturally stormy and occupied by air elementals, Blewit speculates that something has gone wrong in Nimbia - the cloud city located in the sky above Powderbowl, where the Tremella Circle is located.
* Blewit explains that he has access to enchanted water than can be used to create a giant magic beanstalk, which will take the party up to Nimbia. After some discussion of the best way to proceed, the party agrees to use the beanstalk.
* Blewit retrieves his enchanted water from the consulate building, and leads the party to a grove wherein they find the stump of a colossal beanstalk. When Blewit waters the stump with his enchanted water, monstrous plants sprout all around, seemingly a trap set by the Kameshimans.

## June 5th

The party continues investigating the ruins of the chapel to Nerull in Asaria. Louche searches for an in-tact skull of one of the skeletons present, in hopes of using a *speak with dead* spell to learn more information, but unfortunately finds that no such skulls are in tact.

Observing the chapel's stained glass image of Nerull's holy symbol, the party notes that the holy symbol's transformation into that of the Raven Queen has accelerated greatly with the celestial guardians defeated. Odell speculates regarding the strangeness of celestial guardians serving a long-dead god, suggesting that it might be somehow related the battle that took place here.

Concluding their investigation, the party discusses how to proceed next. They continue to discuss the possibility of finding a covert way to sneak into Volus and destroy the Lightspire using explosives and their *elemental devastation orb*. Odell explains that Volus is capable of moving, citing that fact that back during the Age of Arcana, the city would tour the countryside of Ayn Sitael once every ten years on the elven holiday of Sur'noresh. Malkoth uses his magic 8-ball and finds that the city is not currently moving. Based on historical records of its movement, Odell speculates that the city could potentially have reached Shaeserin since rising from the sea.

Irrespective of whether or not it is feasible, Odell expresses some objections to the notion of destroying Volus, saying that they don't know enough about the Morningstar and her goals. He also suggests that it is very likely that the city has been magically warded by now, which would render their plans infeasible. Jack also expresses some concern that if the plan failed, the *elemental devastation orb* could wind up in the Inquisitors' hands.

Ultimately, the party agrees to set aside the plan to attack Volus, and instead proceed toward Powderbowl to pursue Frog's quest for the Fable of the Thousand Year Door. They head west toward the coast of Asaria to begin their journey across the Tempest Gulf toward the Erdehalt Peaks. Along the way toward the coast, the party notices that Louche's face is marred by a ghostly draconic apparition. Gragnok senses traces of necromantic magic on him. Malkoth speculates that the effect had to do with Louche tampering with the skulls at the chapel of Nerull, but that it will do him no permanent harm. The effect does not seem harmful, and as expected, it eventually fades away with no other effect.

Arriving at the coast, the party boards Patches' yacht, and sets sail for the Erdehalt Peaks.

During the day's travels, the party relaxes and explores the yacht. Studying its arcanomechanical features, the party discovers that the yacht is made with incomprehensibly advanced magical technology, far beyond anything achieved within their own universe. Malkoth makes plans to place a *private sanctum* on the yacht once he gets a chance to prepare new spells.

During the day's travel, Jack approaches Gragnok and explains that he intends to try to bring Djinni back to life, and asks Gragnok if he would interfere with that plan, given that Djinni is undead. Gragnok assures Jack that he would not harm Djinni or interfere with his plans to bring her back to life. He does however caution Jack that he thinks he will only be disappointed with bringing Djinni back, and should move on.

Crossing near the Tempest Gulf en route to the Erdehalt Peaks, the party spots a pair of storm serpents in the distance. After some discussion of potentially diverting to attack them, the party decides to leave them alone and continue on their way.

Around nightfall, the party arrives at the base of the Erdehalt Peaks, where they anchor the yacht for the night to rest.

Late at night, as the party is resting, Odell helps XVIII with some medical research. The two also discuss the life's work of Dr. Johann Conrad Dippel, and how XVIII is processing his death.

## June 6th

In the morning, Louche plays the Psalm of Mastery.

While making their morning preparations, Louche opens a conversation about the party's goals regarding the major threads of their adventures, in hopes of making sure everyone is on the same page.

The group discusses the Divine Gate, and whether or not they would be interested in its destruction, if such a feat would even be possible. Louche speculates that the plots of Asmodeus and Israphel might somehow involve the destruction of the Divine Gate. Regarding Israphel, Louche explains that his intention is to take Israphel to a different universe via the Star Road, and says that even though he disagrees with Israphel, he does not want him killed.

The party also discusses their goals regarding the Morningstar and the Inquisitors. Odell says that the party hasn't given the Morningstar a sufficient chance to explain herself and her objectives, citing the fact that at their last meeting, she was trying to have a conversation with them before the situation was escalated by Patches and Avourel Orion. The party expresses some disagreement with the notion that the Morningstar should be given more chances to explain herself, but they tentatively agree that they would be willing to talk, though they would be wary of danger. Jack also explains that he does not want Avourel Orion killed until he finds a way to resurrect Djinni, for fear that Avourel's death will cause Djinni to depart for the afterlife.

In order to help inform their views regarding the Morningstar, Patches casts a *legend lore* spell regarding the Morningstar, at Odell's request. The party witnesses visions of Thalien Omadithas's youth, wherein she was raised in the city of Ossidia by her parents, Oloric Omadithas and Keytris Omadithas. In these vision, Thalien's family faces hardship and discrimination due to their race. When asked, her parents explain to her that they left Shaeserin in the hopes of a helping create a better future wherein the elves coexist peacefully with other people. Her parents are eventually slain in a seemingly racially-motivated murder, and Thalien is left alone as a beggar in Ossidia.

The visions also show Thalien Omadithas attempting to learn and practice arcane magic. As a young teen, she attempted to enroll at the College of Mimrinoth to study arcana, but was turned away on the basis of her race.

After her rejection by the College, the visions show Thalien Omadithas being approached by Avourel Orion and his older brother, Alduin Orion, and eventually being taken in by them and brought to Shaeserin to begin a new life, where she would eventually go on to become a teacher and a prophet among the elves, ultimately becoming one of the High Councilors of the kingdom. As a leader among the elves, she developed a following of loyalists, offering them the promise of raising Volus from the sea, and building a better future by ascending to godhood using the Raven Queen's rites of ascension.

Regarding the specifics of her plans for ascensions, the visions show Thalien Omadithas explaining to the council that her plan to ascend involves using the Raven Queen's rites of ascension, which will require a large-scale blood sacrifice. Unlike the Raven Queen, who had to kill Nerull to create a void in which to ascend, the Morningstar believes that she will be able to ascend into an existing void that exists due to the absence of any deities within the Divine Gate, without having to depose an existing god. After her ascension, she intends to build a world of peace and equality, returning the world to the state of the Age of Divinity, prior to the discovery of arcane magic. She says that the process of creating this new world will require the elimination of powerful arcanists, which she admits to be evil, but argues it is a temporary and necessary evil to create a lasting peace for future generations.

Some of the other leaders of Shaeserin, including the Archpriest Elion Valyra, push back against the Morningstar's plans, concerned that Shaerserin should be trying to build diplomatic relations with the Empire, not further alienate themselves. However, with the support of Avourel Orion, Thalien moves forward with her plans.

The visions show the Morningstar raising Volus from the sea, after which the city flies to Shaeserin, where it is received to the praise and rejoice of the people.

After viewing these visions, the party discusses the implications on their views of the Morningstar, and the possibility of convincing her to change her plans.

Afterwards, the party makes preparations to head up the Erdehalt Peaks toward the village of Powderbowl. Before departing, Malkoth uses his magic 8-ball and confirms that there are Kameshiman supporters in Powderbowl.

The party flies up the Erdehalt Peaks, arriving over the snowy village of Powderbowl after about an hour of travel. At the mountain peaks, they take notice that the skies above are filled with roiling dark stormclouds, seemingly quite unnatural for the terrain.

Overlooking Powderbowl, Gragnok uses his *primeval awareness* and senses the presence of just over a dozen humanoids. Most of the humanoids are scattered into individual locations throughout the village, but there are a few together in a longhouse in the center of the village, and a large group together at a small storehouse at the edge of the village. Outside of this storehouse, the party spots a single flonflon - the seal-like humanoid residents of the village - standing outside the door. The party decides to go speak to this individual.

The party approaches the flonflon outside the storehouse. As they do, Gragnok tries to give the flonflon a hug. The flonflon tries to back away and avoid the hug, but is unable to, and Gragnok discovers that the flonflon is illusory, concealing a smaller humanoid within. Frog casts *dispel magic* on the flonflon, which reveals that it is actually an armed shybold in disguise. While Gragnok grapples with the shybold, Louche breaks down the door to the storehouse, and finds that there are several flonflon villagers and a myconid being held prisoners within. The shybold calls for help, and the party spots several other flonflons - presumably also disguised Kameshimans - rushing to regroup at the longhouse in the center of the village.

After subduing the shybold, the party rushes to the longhouse, where they discover more disguised Kameshimans, as well as a spear-like construct creature that seems to be their leader. After unsuccessfully trying to convince them to surrender, the party battles the Kameshimans and defeats them, keeping a few of them alive for later questioning. Looking through the remains of the battle, they recover a magical spear from the wreckage of the construct, as well as a small vial filled with magical water. Malkoth identifies the water, and learns that it can be used to cause a particular plant to grow, though it's unclear what plant.

The party releases the villagers being held prisoner in the storehouse, including the village's flonflon residents and their elder, Frigg, as well as the Mycorrhizan ambassador, a myconid who introduces himself as Blewit. Blewit explains that the Kameshimans invaded about 8 weeks ago, taking the magical painting from the consulate and locking all the residents away. The party recognizes this to be around the same time that the Kameshimans invaded Mycelium Palace, and they speculate that the Kameshimans somehow used the painting to reach the palace.

The party asks about the Tremella Circle of druids, and Blewit explains that the druids live above in the cloud city of Nimbia. He says that if the party needs to get to Nimbia, he can use some enchanted water that is kept in the consulate to grow a magic beanstalk, which will take them up to the city. The party mentions the possibility of just flying up to Nimbia instead of taking the beanstalk, but Blewit points out the roiling stormclouds above, and says that they are definitely unnatural and unusual. The party notes movement within the clouds, and speculates that the Kameshimans have likely somehow sabotaged the Tremella Circle. Louche attempts to use a *control weather* spell to dissipate the storm, but finds that he is unable to, as apparently a more powerful force is influencing the weather. Some discussion, the party decides to use the beanstalk to get to Nimbia, in hopes of avoiding the elementals and other dangers of flying through the storm.

After spending some time talking to Elder Frigg and the flonflons, the party heads with Blewit to the Mycorrhizan consulate to retrieve the enchanted water, and then follows him to a grove where the beanstalk can be grown. At the grove, they find the stump of a colossal beanstalk, which Blewit waters with the enchanted water from the consulate. When he does, to his surprise, plant monsters sprout all around and attack the party.