Narrative

At breakfast in the great hall in Hartwall, Lady Kalissa Hartwall felt much better. Fighting had been pushed back earthwise to Stonerampart Earthwise. There were many mutations, and retreating troops had seen a large explosion in that area. Hartwall would defend the pylon while the party went to get the betrayer. A margin note reads “Da Pig Plaguers.” Reports from the captured leaders said they had all managed to retake their cities with minimal casualties. Three paws on the ground reported the safe arrival of the goliaths.

The party scried on The Mother, Betrayer. They saw mountainous terrain, a weird two-legged horse, a little tiefling girl, and a small band of odd creatures. They were together by a small crater in the side of the barrier near the mountain, close to Valentinhide’s Prison. The Mother, Betrayer had been imprisoned last time with help from the [unfinished]. Cardonal had dabbled with Envy but had not entered any [unfinished]. The party met Brother Fracture in the bazaar, with Kalama, Andy’s guest player character, with him. They had been on their way to the front lines. The party directed Brother Fracture to Lady Fat Rabbit.

The party went to the teleport circle in Valentinhide’s Prison. They arrived in a twenty-foot-square room with no doors, made of seamless stone. When they touched the wall, they felt a slight difference in temperature and found a rock statue. They decided to go down the middle door, where the guard or prison had been. Lucas hit the door, and nothing happened. After hitting it again, the party cracked their doorstop after a while. Tremon’s skull did not open the door. They put a Grand Towers penny on the wall, and the door opened to ten feet of corridor and then darkness. Joy was thick. Daylight made the darkness retreat into the shape of a female figure. Morgana touched it and took damage. A door lay at the end of the corridor, but a peephole at the end of the next space was trapped. Dirk looked through and took damage.

The party opened the door. Smoke lay at the end of the room. Symbols on the floor marked the prison, and smoke on the far side suggested where an explosion may have happened. The female figure laid her hand on Dirk’s shoulder and asked to come with them. When Eliana turned around, they took damage. The entity had had recent visitors, very friendly, who promised to come back but would not be back soon. They had cleaned up quickly, teleported outside the prison, and left Valenthielles there.

Morgana saw Joy in the trees, motionless and looking very odd; it was an illusion. Mutated animals belched out of the woods. The party entered combat with them and the betrayer. Cardonal joined the party. The betrayer was killed. Cardonal and Ruby Eye talked and thought some information would put the party in danger. The party tried to ask what they knew, but they did not want to say and thought the party should focus on the [unfinished]. Ruby Eye was regaining some memories. They were unsure whether they should renegotiate some of the deals made with the gods, and wanted to look into breaking the curse on the inferlite and the damage caused by the barrier. It was not only Ruby Eye’s memories that had been tampered with; Icefang’s had been too. They thought the party should talk to Mama Hartwall, but first needed to head to Stonerampart Earthwise. Ruby Eye and Cardonal left.

At the cathedral, priests walked around dealing with people. Two humans with blistering skin were healed by a priest, who then came to the party. After Highden fell, its armies had retreated to the firewise mountain’s second level by 14:00. There were issues with sickness, internal consumption, from the crystal. The party told him about crystal sickness and advised that people spend time away from the city. He told them to see the Earl, in the other foot. The statue had been created by the five mayors.

The party went to see the Earl. In the park between the legs, plants were in bloom. Militia wore jagged rock keep tabards, and there was much activity. The party left a message with a lieutenant. A note says she did not have it because she was born in Highden and [unfinished]. A frog appeared to Laura and wanted Eliana’s attention, motioning for them to follow. They did not follow, and Sevor-ice could not follow; possible bullying was noted. The party got another sending stone with a new number from someone in the Underbelly. A Highden lizardfolk was on the building, mumbled something as the party left, and Eliana shut up. The creature said hello and cast invisibility. Morgana cast thorn whip on it. It had been skulking because it was scared of the party and had been sent to deliver something by its boss.

The lizardfolk wanted to go somewhere private. The party met an old gnoll in a rocking chair under a blanket, “granny,” an Underbelly liaison. The lizard was named Scurry. Granny knew what the party had done in town but did not know if Hartwall was there yet. The Underbelly was getting back on track now that Lady Coke was back. Granny and Scurry were the only two to trust. Highden was a wreck, troops had taken over the inn, and the place “never sees the sun.” The party sent The Basilisk a note about current events and used a pulley lift system to go to the inn.

A guard on the door was a sixty-foot giant, though not the size of the Tor statue. He led the party upstairs to the commander. The commander was an elf with a laurel of white roses around his head, a beard, and green peach fuzz unlike standard elves, described as a Moss couch elf. He was Captain Briarthorn, of an elf hundred. He hoped to use the natural terrain of the river as the battle point. Thousands of tribesfolk, perhaps goliaths, were involved. A blue dragon had been spotted with them but had not been seen for a while. He would mobilize the troops now that the Mother had been slain.

The command had some “exciting” obsidian ravens. The party advised them to stop using the ravens, because all messages back had been telling them not to support the cause. Gerald went to get the quartermaster. The raven was a stealth version, and the quartermaster did not think anything was wrong. A message was sent to Dirk. Dirk said he would be there in a minute, but the reply came back saying he could not come. The party told the quartermaster to send messages ordering troops to come regardless of any reply. Errol was loaned to the commander for two hours.

The party went to another inn, the Three Full Moons, and talked to Gary, a house farmer with a dog named Shep.

People, Factions, and Places Mentioned

People and name-like figures mentioned include Lady Kalissa Hartwall, The Mother / Betrayer, the little tiefling girl, Cardonal, Brother Fracture, Kalama, Andy, Lady Fat Rabbit, Lucas, Joy, Valenthielles, Mama Hartwall, Ruby Eye / Rubyeye, Icefang, the Earl, Laura, Sevor-ice, Granny, Scurry, Lady Coke, The Basilisk, Gerald, Captain Briarthorn, Gary, and Shep.

Groups and factions mentioned include captured leaders, Three Paws on the Ground, goliaths, odd creatures around the Mother, mutated animals, priests, Highden militia, the five mayors, the Underbelly, troops, and thousands of tribesfolk or possible goliaths.

Places mentioned include Hartwall, Stonerampart Earthwise, the pylon, the bazaar, Valentinhide’s Prison, Highden, the firewise mountain’s second level, the Earl’s other foot, the park between the legs, Three Full Moons, and the river battle point.

Items, Rewards, and Resources

Transport and communication resources included obsidian ravens, a new Underbelly sending stone, the pulley lift to the inn, and Errol’s two-hour loan to the commander.

Magic, spells, and supernatural effects included scrying on the Mother, daylight pushing back Joy darkness, trapped peephole damage, crystal sickness or internal consumption, Morgana’s Thorn Whip, and false obsidian-raven replies.

Named objects and obligations included the Grand Towers penny, Tremon’s skull, the prison symbols, the new Underbelly sending stone, obsidian ravens, and Dirk’s message.

Clues, Mysteries, and Open Threads

The Mother, Betrayer was found near a barrier crater close to Valentinhide’s Prison with odd creatures and a little tiefling girl. The Mother was killed, but the exact gaps around her imprisonment, companions, and Cardonal’s withheld information remain unresolved.

Valentinhide’s Prison contained seamless stone, damaging Joy-like darkness, trapped peepholes, smoke, prison symbols, and a female dark figure who said recent friendly visitors had cleaned up quickly, teleported outside, and left Valenthielles there.

Highden suffered crystal sickness, false obsidian-raven messages, and military retreat. The party began coordinating with Captain Briarthorn, but the Day 38 marker appears before the battle plan resumes.