Session 18, Arc III

The Parent Trap

Played 11 July 2025 Watch the session

The party discovered two juvenile rocs named Brad and Campbell at a cave entrance, where they learned the young creatures had lost their father to the recent attack. After successfully communicating with the rocs using speak with animals, they convinced the grieving siblings to follow them by promising food and protection. The larger roc Brad was more vocal and assertive, while Campbell was smaller and more timid, both showing deep emotional attachment when they found their father's corpse nearby.

During their journey toward Easthills, the party had to travel at a slower pace to accommodate the rocs, who could only walk and perform controlled falls rather than fly. Nillituh successfully hunted elk and deer to feed the hungry creatures, securing around 300 pounds of meat. They made camp in a rocky outcropping where the rocs slept peacefully together, and during the night watches, Yomidrogo formed a deeper connection with their magical orb, gaining the ability to re-roll dice once per day.

The party decided to split up, with some members flying ahead to Easthills on their broom while others stayed with the rocs. The flight team encountered heavy rain and approached the city from the farmer's district, learning from a town crier that news of the Lyikdia attack had already reached Easthills. They discovered that the Night Swords rebellion hideout had been abandoned, with signs of either a raid or hasty departure, and that Darion's magic shop had been completely demolished.

When the full party reunited at Easthills, they met Captain Max, the Sundream guard captain who had become the de facto leader after the mayor's death in the terrorist attack. The party shared intelligence about Veurim's advanced weapons and the fall of Lyikdia, convincing Max to let them investigate the Marbled Basin disaster zone. However, their attempt to bring the rocs into the city caused complications when Yomidrogo accidentally triggered a wild magic surge, casting magic missile and killing horses in a distant cart, leading to their temporary detention.

Captain Max provided the party with an abandoned shack in the slums as their base of operations, and they spent time repairing and improving the structure. During their investigation of the Marbled Basin, they discovered crucial evidence including a magical trail that led to the origin point of the destructive beam outside the city. Using their orb as a compass, they found footprints and signs of conjuration magic at the site where the attack was launched.

The party also uncovered physical evidence including a severed finger with a silver ring and a mysterious wax stamp featuring a snake with flowers, which Captain Max suggested taking to the Order of the Gilded Seal in Arakcadia for identification. However, Bones grew increasingly suspicious of Captain Max's motives, particularly his discomfort when shown evidence and his request to burn location details. Bones modified one of their talking stones into a listening device and attempted to infiltrate the city guard to gather more information.

The party's investigation was cut short when they took a job clearing damaged sewers beneath Easthills. In the dark tunnels, they encountered will-o-wisps that had been lurking in the shadows. The combat proved deadly when the creatures used soul rend attacks and lightning damage against the party. Despite their best efforts with moonbeam spells and other magic, Fe was killed during the encounter when a will-o-wisp drained her life force.

In a desperate attempt to save their companion, Bones cast revivify using a precious diamond, with assistance from a mysterious dark entity that appeared during the ritual. However, Fe's spirit was given a choice by an otherworldly voice and ultimately decided not to return to life, choosing instead to explore whatever lay beyond death. The diamond shattered, the resurrection failed, and the party was left to grieve the permanent loss of their friend in the depths of the Easthills sewers.