Session 16, Arc III

Back The Way We Came

Played 11 July 2025 Watch the session (audio only)

The party found themselves in the aftermath of a battle within an underground prison complex, where they discovered magical orbs embedded in gothic chandeliers on the cell ceilings. Most orbs were dark and lifeless, but one still flickered with a faint glow that responded to Bones' own magical orb, though they pulsed out of sync like mismatched car blinkers. When Cumin attacked the glowing orb with a firebolt spell, it absorbed some energy before reflecting half the damage back at him and shattering into dangerous glass shards. The party carefully collected these remnants, with Bones using his shovel and iron pot to avoid the cutting fragments.

Their investigation revealed approximately 40-50 freed prisoners wandering the caves with vacant expressions and chaotic minds - victims of telepathic control similar to what Yomidrogo had experienced. The party found evidence of the operation's scope: fifty bloodstone coins bearing a cult symbol of two axes and a skull, and a storage room filled with crates containing different stages of orb materials. Some crates held iridescent frosted glass shards that appeared to be empty soul vessels, while others contained fine mushroom-like dust that seemed to be raw materials for the orb creation process.

In a locked chamber, they discovered superior thieves' tools, a magical longsword, and most importantly, a book filled with mysterious scribbles that would take weeks to decipher. Their exploration led them to a dining room with a mahogany table, six chairs, and a silver chalice, followed by a circular treasure chamber protected by magical wards. After Bones successfully dispelled the door's enchantment, they found healing potions, a scroll of detect magic, a Ring of Protection, and a golden chalice with purification properties.

However, when Yomidrogo attempted to swap the magical chalice using illusion magic, he triggered a deadly poison dart trap that nearly killed several party members. Through quick thinking and magical intervention - including protective earth walls and healing spells - they survived the assault and disabled the trap mechanisms. The party then led the freed prisoners to safety in Serpanaise, where they arranged care and transportation to help reunite families.

Meanwhile, Kailyn had undertaken a solitary journey to visit Rayne's grave site, where she found a sky blue flower and experienced an unsettling sense of being watched. That night, she had disturbing dreams of a volcanic landscape with a mysterious cloaked figure, foreshadowing darker events to come. The party reunited and traveled to Vainlake, where they consulted various experts about their discoveries.

At Ophelia's alchemy shop, they learned that the fine powder was actually "spice," a valuable recreational drug worth 350 gold pieces, while the iridescent material was identified as an extremely rare and sought-after mineral. The library research revealed the cult symbols were unknown religious iconography, and the blacksmith Zorro mentioned creating an adamantine sword for a wealthy northern aristocrat named Tassarion. The party upgraded their equipment and prepared for their next destination.

Their plans changed dramatically when urgent news arrived at a crossroads market: Veurim forces had invaded Lyikdia, Fe's hometown. The newspaper reported border forces advancing with smoke visible in the distance, prompting Fe to rush back to find her family. The party encountered extreme heat and grass fires as they approached, eventually meeting a formidable blockade of Veurim soldiers in distinctive black armor with beetle-like features.

Unable to pass through the heavily guarded main roads, they devised a plan to infiltrate through the hills and forests. Bones scouted ahead in raven form, discovering multiple barricades and a camouflaged sniper observing the area. Through coordinated message spells and careful timing, they created an illusion distraction that allowed Bones to eliminate the sniper and capture his advanced weapon - a technological marvel unlike anything they had encountered.

The sniper rifle used golden ammunition and represented a significant advancement in Veurim's military capabilities. Using the weapon's scope, they observed the occupied town of Lyikdia, seeing smoke rising from within and guards patrolling the walls. The party successfully infiltrated the town under cover of darkness, discovering that Fe's family tavern had been ransacked and emptied, with the townspeople forcibly separated and taken in different directions.

Their infiltration took a dangerous turn when a Veurim guard confronted Fe, but the soldier revealed himself to be Darion, an ally working undercover to gather intelligence. Despite being shot in the foot by a suspicious superior, Darion helped them escape while maintaining his cover. He provided crucial information about Veurim's invasion plans, warning that Easthills was likely their next target and that the threat was far greater than anyone realized.

Darion revealed that Veurim possessed millions of trained soldiers equipped with advanced weapons and black arts training, making them a formidable force that most kingdoms were underestimating. He advised the party to warn Arakcadia about the growing threat while avoiding the heavily patrolled main roads. The party debated their options, ultimately deciding to head to Easthills to warn the town and potentially gather more intelligence about Veurim's operations.

As they traveled through rainy, foggy conditions toward Easthills, both Bones and Yomidrogo experienced a shared dream featuring a mysterious scarred figure named Auril in a volcanic landscape. The figure offered them a red orb but told them to find him when they were certain they could trust him. This supernatural encounter added another layer of mystery to their already complex situation, as they prepared to face the growing threat of Veurim's expansion while searching for answers about the cult's activities and the fate of Fe's family.