Into the Gray

A sudden goblin attack at the small town of Valdethirsk brings us all together as a group. We take no prisoners.

We loot the goblin bodies and the miners use goblin body parts around Valdethirsk's walls to deter more attacks. Wash convinces us to team up to go hunting for artifacts in ruins nearby. The ruins are not far out, where we find and kill aggressive owlbears - a manmade monstrosity.

After killing the Owlbears found in the caves, we find a rotting corpse which appears to have been nibbled on by an owlbear. We find papers, which Wash takes, and which self-destruct after he reads them. Star finds his arcane focus. We find some levers which lead to large vats in different rooms. In these rooms we also find orbs that make you able to revive after death.

Star learns about different ruins from the dead man's journal. The man is from an organization that Wash knows about. After carrying owlbear meat back to town, we cook and make merry with food and drink. Elzara works on Star's glove, Elzira writes to his friend, and Elzira begins his middle of the night bathtime rituals. In the morning, we help train the miners for self defense. That next morning, we head out to find the rest of the goblins.

We follow the goblin tracks north, then east until we find a hastily-constructed camp where 20 or so goblins are apparently refugees from their former home. Star manages to negotiate with them, learning that they blame the miners for the presence of owlbears nearby. I ask for the white staff which I've been seeking and they give it to me in exchange for us removing the owlbears from their former village. Once at the village, several hours away, we kill all the owlbears we can find there.

We put out the fires from the aftermath of our battle with the owlbears at the abandoned goblin village. Upon returning, we see that despite our efforts, something seems to have relit the fire back at the village. It is burning. The goblins decide it is worth negotating with the miners, and they hand Star something in secret. Back at Valdethirsk, Star works on building relations between Tubam and the goblins, where Star reveals the goblin broach he was given to help begin peace talks.

We set up Valdethirsk to negotiate with the goblins, Tubam leading the way with a few of the miners to meet them at their nearby camp. Meanwhile, we leave with the next caravan from Gendry, where government types work primairly with a smithy called Kokorun. On the third day of travel, not far out from Gendry, we find a tree that looks as if someone attacked it with a sword. If these trees were destroyed, it would make travel much more dangerous because wild creatures could roam freely along the pathway.

An Umber Hulk has made its way into the trees somehow. After a harrowing battle, we manage to defeat it. Twinkletoes is the only one to remember the battle. We learn from the people in the caravan that forgetfulness is a common side effect of these creatures. When we pull into Gendry, we are told by the watchman to meet Wash at a local tavern. He has already met with his employer and partner, Kai-Yo Taye. We stay at the nearby inn, the Lazy Bear, and begin working together to learn new skills.

Elzira writes home for money, Star and Pharèl train together and Pharèl meets Tatiana. Pharèl begins making relationships with the local eateries. Wash has reported the damaged tree an the Umber Hulk at the Gendry Town Hall, and tells us we are wanted there to give our accounts. Once there, the clerk Tasha asks about our experience and questions us about our goblin encounter in Valdethirsk. Star tells her the real problem is the Owlbears. It turns out the issue is whether to maintain Valdethirsk at all. We finally meet Kai, a drow elf, who then offers us work with the organization he and Wash work for to investigate the possible portal somewhere north in Gendry and possibly do more adventuring. We all sign a contract to work for a mysterious organization which is funded by people up north, presumably somewhere in Kelderheim.

We go shopping! Pharèl picks up Chef's Utensils, parchment, a flask, pen and charcoal, Star trades his short bow for a light crossbow and buys traps and pitons. Twinkletoes takes a light crossbow and ammunition, along with parchment and charcoal, and finally a shawm. Elzira wants to buy books but cannot afford them. Elzira talks to Nicole, the Gendry general store clerk, and learns that scholars and magic users usually meet around 10am Saturdays at the Gendry Theater. Star learns that the mansion up the hill - where the suspected portal is - is owned by the man who founded Valdethirsk. Star begins showing distrust in Kai, which Elzara shares. Later, we visit Kokorun, the smithy named after the resident puppy who lives there, owned by the blacksmith elf Dilip Corry. I leave my staff with him for inspection. Dilip works with the man of the mansion, named Hedvika, to supply mining gear. Elzara arranges to rent the forge. Meanwhile, Arachne has been meditating with her holy symbol back at the inn.

After incredulous judgement from Wash, we decide to meet Hedvika at his mansion, which Star wishes to do because he wants to save Valdethirsk. Wash advises us to dress nicely and we decide to go to the mansion that evening together. Star stealthily follows Wash and Kai, who proceed to try obtaining blueprints and receipts about Hedvika's mansion and business operations, but do not get a specific blueprint they were after. Pharèl picks up work at the Flank n Shank. Twinkletoes hangs out at the Gendry Theater and offers to volunteer there. That evening we meet Hedvika at his mansion, where he asks for our help to help him convince the authorities in Gendry to keep Valdethirsk running, because he earns a good profit from the mining operations. He asks us to guard the town, but we decline. Wash talks Hedvika into giving us each 100gp for our efforts defending it already. We all leave, except for Star, who chats with Hedvika about Kai. Star then lays the groundwork for building a work relationship with Hedvika here in town.

Star and Wash hash out differences and loyalties over drinks. Wash has worked with Kai, a warlock, for a while but seems to stay cautious. He deeply distrusts Hedvika. Wash explains he is interested in the portal, which should connect to something else much more interesting. Star lays out a plan to get further into the house, and reveals that he knows about Wash having blueprints. They discuss finding and taking the portal. The next morning, Star updates us all. Elzira is reluctant to steal from a high elf. Elzara tells us that all these artifacts being discussed are dangerous relics from the War of Magic. Someone from the North having artifacts from the South is somewhat suspicious. Wash tells us that the war was 50 years ago across the whole continent, devastating ecological systems so that people can now only live within the safety of cities and using the magical tree-ways to travel. Owlbears are an invented monstrosity from around this time. Kelderheim was adept with the use of magic, where Conqel specialized in creating magical items. Wash tells us he is a Horizon Walker. Pharèl buys himself a chef's uniform before leaving breakfast. Elzira picks up a history book about Gendry at the General Store.

During the week, we eat, train, and run errands. Pharèl begins planning a festival with the Gendry Theater and Hedvika, works at the Flank n Shank, gets Twinkletoes' help drumming up local excitement for the festival. Elzara works at the Kokorun Smithy and asks around about Hedvika. Elzira buys his history book and takes two days to read it at the inn, earning advantage on history checks regarding Gendry. Twinkletoes finds paid work at the Gendry Theater and busks during weekdays. Wash talks with Elzara about his shield and meets with Kai and his boss. Star sneaks around. Arachne buys up better armor and hangs out in a field communing with her holy symbol.

We discuss going to the magic users meeting, aka Wizcon, on Saturday. Elzira read in his book that Gendry was founded about 450 years ago, its involvement in the war is unclear, in post-war recovery has a need for agriculture, and that Gendry played an important role in building up paths and trade routes. Pharèl attempts to sell the group on the festival. Star thinks it might be a good time for a heist. Pharèl, Elzira, Star, and Arachne attend Wizcon. Several regulars are away helping communicate with Valdethirsk, but about 30 are in attendance. Someone named Nikitha takes special interest in Pharèl's staff, telling him to hold onto it and be careful with it. Elzira meets an elf named Grizzle, who acts as his mentor. Twinkletoes puts on a successful show with other bards. Arachne and Star leave early, though separately. Elzara works the smithy. Pharèl goes looking for staff components and receives a piercing component at Anda's Pawn Shop. Arachne waits to speak to someone outside a church.

We carry on with our usual activities. Star updates us about the meeting to save Valdethirsk. Twinkletoes tells us she left to find her own adventures after her pirate captain retired. Hedvika provides Pharèl with fine clothes and agrees to let him cook for and dine with him for wine. Arachne sees a potato-shaped cloud. While Pharèl is at dinner with Hedvika, Wash meets with everyone else: He has secured 15gp advance payment per person, keeping Pharèl's share because he is missing. Back at the inn, we learn that more attacks have been made on the trees and are now accompanied with words in a foreign language. We attend a meeting the next day at the Gendry Town Hall regarding the trees and Valdethirsk. Everyone expresses concern about safety and terrorism, as well as increased monster activity. We decide to wait until we know what was written on the trees. Our commentary seems to have swayed people more to Hedvika's side.

We continue town life. Pharèl pranks Arachne by waking her up while looking like her, using Alter Self. Later, the translation of the writing on the trees comes back, "THE NORTH INVADES, THE SOUTH DOES NOTHING, NO MORE SHALL THEY STEAL, RETURN TO THE BALANCE, THESUNTHESUNTHESUNTHESUN", along with the ϕ symbol, which creates quite a stir. Hedvika calms everyone down by agreeing to install much higher levels of security. Later, we formalize the heist: Twinkletoes and Pharèl are to keep Hedvika entertained during the festival while Arachne, Star, Wash, and Elzara break into the mansion to look for the portal. Wash is concerned that the festival may attract actual domestic terrorists.

DREAM STATE: We are not ourselves. We are racing through a building, trying to get down stairs, through doors and rooms. There is screaming behind a locked door, which Natsu throws himself at. Someone inside notes loudly that they have unwelcome visitors. Inside, we find a mage and several unwell people chained to stone beds. Our blows do not seem to deal much, if any, damage to the mage. In short order, the mage freezes several of our party in place, leaving only three standing to attempt to take the mage down.

Awaking the next morning, Pharèl recognizes this dream as a vision. Wash recognized the architecture as being a ritual space in the Kelderheim style and believes the vision had to do with the end of the War of Magic, which was rife with mutually assured destruction. Elzira notes that he should know who the powerful elf wizard was from his studies, but does not. Next, Wash mentions the heist and we get him up to speed. Twinkletoes and Pharèl continue organizing the festival, complete with VIP seating, meet and greets, a cook tent, carnival games, and a special feast for the end of the evening.

Pharèl buys himself a fire component for his staff. The day of the festival and the heist is here. Hedvika has been fully invested into festival arrangements and taking public credit for the excitement surrounding it. Twinkletoes puts on a spectacular show, enrapturing Hedvika. Pharèl uses Alter Self throughout the night to look like the missing members of the party. Meanwhile... Arachne, Star, Kai, Elzira, and Elzara perform the heist. With a little trouble, they manage to find a room with a lot of magic and break in close to it, using Star's spider familiar to create a distraction on the other side of the house. This works temporarily, but the guards find them anyways, and before any faces are seen, Elzira manages to put all the guards to sleep in three casts. The party then blindfolds and ties the guards.

Arachne uses Disguise Self to look like one of the guards. From here, Star pick the lock to the magic-filled room. With the door open, they see a 1x2ft cylinder 6ft in diameter across the room, as well as shelves with ancient artifacts. As they enter, the rug in the doorway attacks, but they manage to shred it to pieces. Inside, Star and Elzara mark the walls with the symbols from the trees. Many items appear to be glued to the shelves. Wash manages to start the cylinder, which is in fact a portal. He leans through the portal. Elzira attempts to detect magic on the other side, seeing nothing. As outside guards return, Wash sets the portal on fire and they all run out and scatter. Only Dilip Corry notices Elzara was missing from the festival. Elzira and Wash let us know it was an empty shed on the other side of the portal, likely for a smuggling operation. Kai will sell what artifacts were collected.

We lay low in town: Working, praying, performing music, listening to chatter at the walls. Hedvika asks Wash for help at the Gendry Town Hall. Later at his house, Hedvika regales us with the tale of the break-in and tells us about the portal, which he had been using for trade in Valdethirsk. Once again, he asks us to work as guards, and we decline. The next day at Kai's, we learn there was a new macguffin and should head to New Flavem.

We start our journey to New Flavem and keep an eye out for any clues or signs along the way. During our travel, we spot some humanoid creatures in the distance to the east, and Star transforms his familiar into an owl to investigate. The owl observes the creatures and notes that they disappear underground. We mark the location on our map and continue on without incident, taking turns on watch during the night. In the morning, we spot a caravan of food caravaners headed north and purchase some colorful mushrooms from them. We also learn about the treatment of magic users in New Flavem and arrive there on Tuesday night, where Elzira treats us to drinks as a thank you for helping with the bath.

We arrived in town and booked an inn for 5sp per night. In the morning, we searched for food and heard a little girl crying. Her kitten was missing, so we searched the city center and found a house where the kitten had been. We followed its paw prints and heard it mewing, but it ran away until Elzara caught it with a net. Twinkletoes spoke to the kitten and found out it was chasing a shiny mouse but wanted to go back to its owner. We fed it some tuna and returned it to the girl, making her very happy.

We receive 1gp from the father for finding his missing kitten and head back to the inn to eat lunch. We discuss plans to catch the shiny mouse, and go shopping for cheese and a basket for the trap. I search for a small mirror but can't find any, and Star gathers sticks to make traps. Star chases the mouse down a hole and their familiar finds a person down there, giving us a clue for our next steps.

The group splits up to gather information. I visit several eateries to make contacts with local restaurateurs. Star reminds us about the shiny mouse, which may be a person living underground nearby. We decide to talk to the innkeeper about finding a historian and learn that there is no library, but there is someone who knows a lot about history. We meet with the historian named April, who offers to treat us to lunch and tells us about the history of New Flavem. We learn that the city has an issue with magic and requires a license, and that the city was named after a town on a different continent. Elzira discovers an old legend of a golden mouse that would visit people in their dreams and bestow good fortune. We later meet up with the others at a bar to exchange information.

We start our day by getting a magic license from the New Flavem Town Hall clerk, filing as general adventurers, and waiting for approval. We also send a letter to Kai about Wash, and Arachne reveals her motivations for being in town. Later, we camp near the mouse hole, and Star sends a letter to the shiny mouse down with his familiar, hoping to chat with it.

On the 19th of Onett in the year 5372, we meet a druid named David Henderson during Star's watch. We bond over cooking and nature, and he gives us each Nature's Medicine which he says can cure whatever ails us. The next day, Kai tells us that Wash should be in New Flavem and suggests we investigate some nearby ruins for valuable items. We spend Sunday leveling up and get masks from Kai to protect us from toxic air in the ruins. On Monday, we set out on our mission after saying goodbye to Henderson and April.

On Tuesday morning, we continue our journey along the road from New Flavem when one of our group, Arachne, is taken by a bright light. Our friend Star's patron informs us that the gods are interested in our group and may whisk us away, but Wash has not experienced this phenomenon. Soon after, we spot a group of Umber Hulks in the distance, and we prepare for battle. Elzira, Elzara, and Twinkletoes launch a series of magical attacks, while I use my Slow spell to affect multiple enemies. Despite some missteps, including my failed saving throw, we are able to defeat the group of Umber Hulks, and Elzira's powerful Fireball is especially effective.

We continue our journey from New Flavem and Arachne is taken by a bright light. She reappears later, confused and looking for a safe place to rest. We find a small cave and settle in to recover our health. On the road again, we encounter two groups of creatures who ask for food, which turns out to be metal and gems. We give them what we have and they leave us alone. Later, we think we see a figure in the far north before continuing on our journey.

We encounter 11 owlbears as the stars are coming out. The owlbears charge at us, and we immediately start fighting. Elzara and Elzira deal heavy damage to them using their hammers and spells, respectively. Star casts Faerie Fire, and I cast Slow on them. Arachne's illusions and spells keep them busy, but they inflict heavy damage on us. Elzara manages to take down several owlbears, and Twinkletoes uses healing magic to revive the downed party members. We finally manage to defeat the owlbears, but not without taking significant damage.

We spend the night in a building without incident and cook a delicious owlbear meal for a temporary +2 hit points. The next day we find the bones of an old dragon, and I try to perform a ritual to respect its life. Star finds 11 arrows buried near the bones, and three light up with detect magic. We take some dragon teeth as loot and continue our journey, encountering sand sharks two hours later. We prepare for battle, and Arachne casts Blink to evade the sand sharks, while Star sets up a trap and I prepare a firebolt.

In a dreamlike state: We are three experimental animals, Twinkletoes the cow, Arachne the deer, and I in the body of a sheep. We are trapped in small enclosures with bells around our necks and have been here for about three weeks. One of the windows shows a person gesturing at Twinkletoes and we realize that what's around our necks look like the life-giving orbs. We escape by running through the building and jumping out of a window. People seem surprised to see us and we discover that the company's name above the door matches the one we saw in the records during our investigation of embezzlement at New Dawn. I plan to talk to April about this later.

We face a group of land sharks that are joining together to form a massive creature. We manage to slow it down and deal damage using a combination of Chromatic Orb, Fire Bolt, Shatter, Spiritual Weapon, Guiding Bolt, and Sacred Flame. Elzira invokes Giant Might and Arachne uses Blink and Mirror Image to evade attacks. Arachne takes heavy damage. Elzara gets taken down. Twinkletoes finds a semi-safe cave for us to rest in and I cook especially to help Elzara recover.

We debate whether to continue our journey and hear someone say “Hello” near our previous battle location. It's a human named Sylvia, and we decide to bring her with us as she seems trustworthy. We sneak past seven Umber Hulks and eventually find a door that is magically concealed with sand. Star detects the illusion and picks the lock, revealing a barren 10x10 room with a second door. The second door has four dials with numbers on them, and a small torn note found on the door frame reads "It’s what you want the door to do." We eventually figure out the password and open the door, finding a blue light and a dead body with arrows in it. We sleep in a Tiny Hut next door.

On Thursday morning, we enter a room with arrows in the front and back of a body. I pitch a turtle shield concept but no one likes it. We shoot at a turret, and I plan to Fey Step inside to grab a gem. I ride the turret like a mechanical bull and hit it with my quarterstaff. Suddenly, we hear a swarm of robots and they attack us. I hold the gem above my head and shout out all the commands, blinding Elzara and affecting some robots. Elzara and Arachne are stunned by the turret.

In the third round, we make progress despite Elzara being still stunned and blinded. Star shoots down a turret, while I smash one below me and decommission it. Arachne deals damage using Shatter and triggers her guardian effect. Elzira casts Fireball, and Sylvia heals Elzara despite taking damage from Arachne's Spirit Guardians. Star and I take down more bots, while Arachne heals me with Cure Wounds and Twinkletoes casts Shatter to kill a bot. Eventually, we defeat all the bots, and Elzara takes the stone after I give it to her directly… and after she punches me hard.

We search through the robots and find cores and parts, and Star detects magic in the next room. In the north door, we find a locked door and doors to the sides which the robots have gone through. I go to the room on the right and see a paper with a warning message and a lantern. In a desk, I find star charts with a particular area circled, an orb with engravings of a person, and documentation on materials and processes. I take the charts and orb but give the orb to Arachne who is looking for it. I go to explore the small bedroom and find bracers with a note saying they have finally been fixed. In a drawer, I find an object that I recognize can connect to my staff, giving it an extra five feet range. In the other room, we find eating areas with shields and a glowing one that floats, which Elzara takes. Twinkletoes finds a closed chamber in a hallway.

After Elzira and Star vanish in a light, Wash appears from the portal and tells us a crazy story about being chased and trapped. Arachne checks him out but can't find anything wrong, and we realize he might be a clone, or just a partial Wash. Wash gives us clues about where to go and what to look for, and then disappears. We decide to try to defeat the last turret and identify the orb, but Arachne gets stunned and I attack the turrets with Shocking Grasp. Elzara destroys one and I investigate the orb, which is alchemically magical. We rest up for the night and wake up the next day to continue our journey.

We ask Sylvia to join us and she agrees. We set out to search for Wash and move faster than usual, eventually spotting the Gem Eaters at a distance. Sylvia offers to take them to an abandoned mine with ore, and I communicate with them using Tongues. They ask about food, and I explain that we have so little. I ask about their home and they say they were stolen from it many years ago. Sylvia gives them directions, and we continue our journey. We encounter a herd of Umber Hulks and begin battle.

Elzira disappears in a flash of light. Sylvia administers Elzara a health potion, which lookes and tastes bad but heals her back to max health. She later also gives one to Arachne, which does not heal her to max but is still very helpful. Overall, we survive and find a safe place to rest and heal.

We find Wash, who seems to be in a dazed state, and after resting for an hour, we continue on our journey back to town. Along the way, we spot four owlbears, but manage to hide and avoid them. Wash's sword is screaming, and he is able to detect six more owlbears ahead of us. We travel uneventfully for the rest of the day, and Arachne finds a cave for us to rest in. During our watches, we learn more about each other, especially that Wash isn’t fully present and seems to be some sort of confusing diety now.

Arachne and I keep watch when we see two Umber Hulks 120 feet away from the cave. We wake up the party, and everyone starts to move out quietly except for Star, who casts Darkness on his hand and tries to walk out after being slower to pack than everyone else. He later uses minor illusion to create a boulder and hide inside. Elzira uses the Enemies Abound spell. Wash fires Baja Blast, but both shots miss. After the in-fighting thanks to Elzira, the Umber Hulks stop, and we're able to escape without any further issues. We have 1.5 days more to town and only 6 hours until we reach the main road.

We find our way down into a bunker, which starts out with a pantry and leads to a secret door. We have to scale a wall down a stream of water, which has old humanoid bones at the bottom. Some get wet, which is a miserable condition. We cross over a bridge and Star gets hit by a trap. Elzara triggers the rest of the traps intentionally. In another room we find chests, which are rigged and I get hit by daggers. Star uses mage hand to disarm them and finds loot and strong weapons, which are distributed to Star, Wash, Elzara, Arachne, and Twinkletoes.

We enter a room and find a box with four shapes on it and a rotator for letters. There's a sequence of images and letters on the box, and five pictures of a leaf, seven pictures of a flower, six pictures of a tree, and seven pictures of a maze on its sides. I input "SCIO" and "QICK" into the box, and it opens with a key and a note inside. We find a small safe behind a loose brick, and I use the key to unlock it. As I open the door, a disco ball arrow flies into my back, but it only deals one damage. We find an old letter that says "GOTTEM" and Wash writes "Get wrecked" in celestial on a trap he reset before taking a crossbow.

We come across an illusionary bridge, and Arachne detects that it is fake. I toss a rock to test it, and we hear a splash. Arachne presses a button on the wall, and the bridge becomes solid, allowing us to cross. We find a bedroom and a skeleton, as well as some mostly empty shelves with basic board games and playing cards. Star finds a special playing card. We come across another room with crests on flags, and Elzira recognizes it as having something to do with smuggling elements in Conqel. I find six buttons on the throne, and Wash starts pushing them, causing a massive pillar to come out and deal Arachne damage. Elzira casts a sleep spell on Wash to stop him from pressing buttons, and I open some double doors to find a spectacular display and a destroyed disco ball. We find a cool map, and Star tries to open the trap door.

We begin by making our way back to the main road with Elzira, Star, and Arachne, after Wash mysteriously vanishes. We travel for about 6 hours and make it back to the main road around midnight. I suggest to Twinkletoes that she make a hut for our safety before we sleep, and Sylvia stays with us for the night. In the morning, Sylvia offers to help us break down the camp, and I cook us a delicious breakfast before we part ways. After we return to New Flavem, I go to a restaurant and ask about magic item makers. We then go to see April to ask her more about New Dawn. We show her a crest we found in a hideout, but she recognizes it as being related to a smuggling ring from 50 years ago. We also show her star charts that we found and she suggests talking to an astronomer to read them correctly. She warns us that Perfrind, one of the nearby towns mentioned in the notes we found, is destroyed and dangerous to visit.

We spend a week in New Flavem where I unsuccessfully look for work in restaurants before accepting a job further out. Arachne and Wash build a temple, while I learn Blink and Mirror Image from Arachne. Twinkletoes performs with her viol, Elzara practices her moves while blindfolded, and Wash searches for Kai. Kai returns and gives us our payment of 100gp each, and we give him the orb and robot parts we found. We consider whether to go to Perfrind or follow Wash's trail and learn about Sylvia, who Kai and Wash believe to be a magical creature. We eventually decide to visit Perfrind to find artifacts and materials to sell.

As we continue on our journey, Wash and Star's birds fly ahead to scout. After a few hours, they spot Umber Hulks in the distance heading in our direction. We discuss running but realize it's too late as they've already seen us. We prepare for battle, and Arachne casts Beacon of Hope on everyone. In the battle, we fight against the Umber Hulks, and Elzira and I deal significant damage with fire. Although Arachne's Guiding Bolt fails, she creates a Spiritual Weapon, and Star manages to take down two Umber Hulks with his bow. Wash also deals damage with his shortsword, but we sustain some injuries, with Elzara failing multiple charisma saving throws and running away. Finally, Arachne manages to kill the last Umber Hulk with Sacred Flame, and we emerge victorious. Elzara and Star have no real memory of the fight.

On the 10th day of Twott, year 5372, we arrive at a campsite Wash found with water and trees, and catch some fish. During my shift, I hear the far-off otherworldly wshrieking sounds again, and see the ground being disturbed in the distance. Later, Star sees 21 owlbears heading towards the oasis but they leave after sniffing around and finding no fish. We start our journey again the next day and Wash senses 6 owlbears to the south. We jog northeast but the owlbears suddenly change direction towards us. We engage them in battle and win.

Wash and his bird vanish with a thud. After four more hours, we are attacked by Bone Snakes that are able to cast magic. We have to dodge multiple bolts of lightning, and some of us take significant damage. Star casts Darkness, Arachne casts Beacon of Hope, and Twinkletoes casts Shatter. Arachne uses Turn Undead to make them flee. We manage to defeat most of the creatures, but Star is taken down. After healing and stabilizing each other, we are able to defeat the last Bone Snake, and Arachne heals Star.

Elzira disappear. We search for a place to camp but don't find one. Star's hawk scouts for enemies, and we put distance between us and the bone snakes. We rest in a nook and manage to sneak by the snakes. After four hours, we encounter two owlbears, which we defeat, and Star prepares the meat. During the watch, Star sees Umber Hulks and hears unholy shrieking. Arachne attempts to contact her deity but is met with silence. We notice something off about the air and see a flash of light in the distance. We inform April of the strange occurrences, and she says the strange air is normal.

We set out for a town to the south and arrive around noon after detecting owlbears and baby Slaad creatures. We avoid the owlbears with Twinkletoes' Tiny Hut and decide to clear the main roads first. Elzira lets off a Fire Ball, and we encounter three Slaad creatures. After some hits and misses, Arachne’s Sacred Flame hits, and Elzara finishes off one Slaad while also taking out another with an action surge. Wash gets hit and deals some damage, and we eventually manage to kill all three Slaad creatures. The town center has a larger road leading to a government building that is now a ruin, and we all wear masks due to the bad air.

We engage in a battle with a group of Slaads after spotting them 400 feet southwest of us. As we begin to retreat and shoot, Star gives Elzara a bear trap and keeps missing his shots. Star's bird informs us of two more groups of Slaads, one to the northwest and one to the southeast. After a series of attacks, we manage to knock down one Slaad. However, it regenerates and moves closer, managing to hit Elzara twice and making her very ill. We continue our attacks and manage to take down the rest of the Slaads, including the one that is slowed by my spell. However, we are left worried about Elzara's well-being after she fails to heal using Second Wind. I use Nature's Medicine on her but we cannot tell if it was effective.

We debate whether we can sneak before setting a distraction to clear out the town of Slaad. Wash gets a secret message from god, which he uses to lead the Slaad out of the town. We then search the houses and find some loot, including expensive paintings and jewelry. We rest overnight and discuss ways to distract the Slaad out of the government building, which Wash and Star manage with their birds. In the building it smells rotten. Wash uses Unseen Servant to explore, where 20 Slaads await in the Records Room.

We hatch a plan to lure the Slaad out of a house by locking ourselves in a room and using Mage Hand to open the door, then Wash's bird leads them away. Once the coast is clear, we shut the front door and explore the house. Arachne casts Detect Magic and sees magical figurines and a pooled magic essence in the next room. I investigate the Records Room and find a barrel with transmutation magic that Arachne warns could turn people into Slaad. After marking the barrel, we collect papers with Wash and find some tax documentation with the name New Dawn, which has a missing address. Wash finds a love letter signed by someone named Marvin, a skeleton with a knife, and little trinket toys. We plan to investigate the New Dawn building next.

Our party arrives at a warehouse and enters it, finding a note on a locked door. They pick the lock, and Arachne detects magic within. They hear a faint noise beyond and find a hallway leading to two sets of stairs, one up and one down. Following a wire of electricity down the stairs, they find another set of security doors, which they pick to find a hallway in disrepair, with three doors on each side, two of which are broken. They speculate that the warehouse was the birthplace of owl bears and that Kelderheim is involved, but Wash cannot detect any familiar enemies. He can, however, detect three monstrosities on the levels below us.

Arachne, Star, and I explore a room in search of magic. Star finds a pink rug, and we notice a concentration of magic near a locked door. I examine the crack under the door and find a sheet of metal. Star successfully lockpicks the door, and we find a desk emitting a green fog. Arachne sees magic under the floor leading to the desk and attempts to open a locked drawer. Suddenly, a loud slamming noise shuts the room and Arachne and Star get trapped while we work to break them out, which we finally do. Some papers managed to survive. We find paperwork detailing that the New Dawn may be creating owlbears using magic, which they plan to use in war. Elzira and I are unsettled by the discovery, especially since we have seen the creatures migrating to the north. We find a journal that belongs to Hulderick, who works in the tech department of Conqel, which contains information about the company's research and secret labs. Star picks locks while Wash uses Unseen Servant to open desks. The journal refers to a tunnel that smells awful and whatever was there was terrifying. We also learn about the myth of the Disco Thief in Conqel.

Elzira, Star, and Arachne disappear and we find a hallway with a right and left stairway. We go down the left stairway after smelling living creatures. In the next room, we find a piece of paper that says "We are the future of science", but it seems like a front to show visitors. We go down the metallic smelling stairwell and find a locked room with a mechanism for a four-digit code. Elzara uses a key given to her by Star to unlock it, and we find papers about chemical warfare and fear gas. We discover that there was a leak and take the 3 empty vials that caused it. Elzara opens a compartment with disconnected tubes. Arachne starts talking to the safe and it starts replying in beeps.

Arachne tries to pick the lock of the beeping safe with some assistance, but is unsuccessful until one vain tug suddenly springs it open. Inside, we find a large, 15lb gun that works similarly to other tech we've discovered. Elzira investigates the gun and finds nothing more than what we already know. Wash goes into another room and taunts turrets until they stop firing, then finds a piece of research about autonomous units that can complete various tasks. Meanwhile, Arachne befriends the safe and discovers that it can respond to her through my casting Tongues on her. We communicate with the safe through Arachne, and learn that it has been poked at before and something has exploded. The safe needs to be hooked up to something to survive if it is to leave this area.

Star and Elzira return. Star quickly sets up traps to stop the incoming robots, while we all get into position. Wash opens the door, and we start firing as the first two robots walk out. Elzira deals a heavy hit with her fire bolt, but Twinkletoes and I both miss. Elzara turns giant and dodges, and I finally land a hit that destroys one of the robots. More robots spill out, and Wash and Elzara dodge the beams. Wash hits one for significant damage, while Star manages to take one down with a critical hit. However, the robots keep coming, and Elzara takes a lot of damage. Elzira casts a fireball, and Twinkletoes uses Shatter for an AOE attack. We manage to take out several of the robots, but more keep coming. Arachne uses her healing spells to revive Wash, and Star continues to fight with his bow. Despite the challenge, we continue to fight and dodge, taking out several more robots with our spells and attacks. After the battle, Arachne names the safe Steve with its permission and it expresses interest in the outside world.

Summary unavailable.

Downstairs we find two creatures in separate rooms which we are unable to identify. One appears to be a chimera and is asleep, while the other is pacing around with several sprawling bits coming off of it. We discover they are not wearing collars, and there appears to be no way to control them. Star casts Comprehend Languages to open one of the observation rooms and discovers that the tangley creature is hostile, as it attacks the glass, creating cracks. I use SLOW to slow down the tangley creature, and we attempt to negotiate with it. However, the creature continues to attack, and we have to engage in battle. We defeat them, but Elzara is badly injured in the fight.

We split up to explore the dungeon. I go alone into the foliage room, while the others wait outside. Wash kicks the door shut and startles us, while Star searches for valuable items. I find the bushes produce sticky resin, and the drawers are inaccessible due to the overgrowth. Star finds papers about escaped animals, and we all regroup at 6:45pm. After dinner, we take a long rest at 7:30pm, and nothing happens during our watch shifts. The next morning, I ask Wash about the final monster, and we find it down a floor and further on the left side, initiating combat with SLOW.

It is an intense battle with the creature in the hallway. Due to Blink I learn that it exists on both the material and the ethereal plane. Elzara uses the gem to blind it, but it seems able to dispell the effect. Twinkletoes is particularly dextrous, avoiding seemingly impossible-to-avoid magic fire. It is able to frighten most of us. Star gets creative and tries to tickle the creature, with great success! It frightens and deafens some of us, then paralyzes Twinkletoes. Just as all hope is lost, Star manages to get in a good hit and take it down.

We start investigating a room with broken glass cases on podiums, all facing towards the door with readout screens and buttons. Star unlocks some research rooms containing papers, while Elzira and Wash investigate the screens. We discover that the research here is all about storing and harvesting energy, with the most potent item ranked at 267. Arachne casts Detect Magic and finds the strongest magic pulse in a small robot core, which fits into the gun. She also finds stairs going up and down and sees a faint magic glow around the creature. We return to the upper rooms and discover two enormous desks with viewing screens and shutters that can open and close. By pressing buttons on the desk, I open a door in the other room, which releases a blinding light, and everyone with an orb teleports to the room. During transportation, the orbs flash in response to a signal, and Arachne's orb looks sad. Star opens the wall using Mage Hand, and we move to the next room. We eventually figure out this was a teleportation device and learn how it works. There are energy charging devices around. Arachne finds magic mold on what used to be shelving. We manage to salvage gear from the ruined storage area.

We continue taking damage from the toxic air on a daily basis, the masks help but do not prevent all damage. I collect a sample of the multiplanar tentacle. At the bottom level of the building we break into a high security door. Inside are four cylinders and one is shaking and making a loud, rythmic pounding sound comes from inside. Arachne finds a secret door with buttons in it. Star breaks into a panel outside the cylinder. Wash rick-rolls whatever is inside. Star then uses Minor Illusion to communicate whether we can help whatever is inside. We eventually get a window open and can see a blue winged creature inside. Wash uses his teleporting watch to bring him outside. His name is Hestor and it appears that New Dawn was using him and his three friends, who are in the other cylinders, to generate energy.

Star and Wash disappear in a beam of light, which Hestor recognizes as a calling from the gods. We meet Hestor and he examines the tentacle I collected. Arachne shows Hestor her orb, which siphons energy from its surroundings, and he is taken aback by its power. We discuss our strange visions of sentient animals, and Hestor examines the multiplanar creature's corpse, expressing his desire to take it back to his own plane. We learn that the creatures we encounter are called Planetars, and Elzira writes a letter to his parents for information. Arachne shows Hestor her religious pieces, and he mentions he might be able to help her locate the rest of them in a few months. However, she mostly just needs to use Detect Magic and continue looking. Hestor and his friends must heal before they are strong enough to return.

We need water and return to the house we had previously been in to retrieve our belongings. We manage to avoid the creatures and get water refills. We split loot, including a ring, a bracelet, a diamond necklace, a coat, some paintings, and some sheets. We continue our journey and notice some movement in the sky, which we convince ourselves is a dragon. During our watch, a group of familiar creatures passes by but eventually leaves. We wake up to something burrowing in the ground towards us, and we unsuccessfully try to move away from it. We then encounter and defeat a group of sand sharks.

We set up camp in a depression in the sand to rest and recover before detecting seven owlbears heading towards us. We decide to detour south and continue west to avoid them. We continue on our way, keeping a safe distance, and later encounter five land sharks to the east. We engage them in battle, using spells and weapons to fight them off. We successfully take them down, but not without injuries. One of the sharks injures Elzara and Arachne, but with a bit of healing magic from Arachne, Elzira's Fireball, and our combined attacks, we manage to defeat them. April continues to use too many words to reply to Arachne's use of Sending.

We take a rest for the night in a small cave, but during the fourth hour, we hear a loud, inhuman shrieking. Star sends his bird out to investigate, but it suddenly collapses as soon as it gets up, and so does Star. Arachne uses her medical skills to check on Star and finds nothing physically wrong with him. Arachne investigates the area but falls to her knees as soon as she turns the corner. She later explains that there was something bad and unnatural outside that hurts her head to look at. I decide to blindfold myself just in case it comes back, and for the rest of the night, it's calm. During my watch I hear what sounds like gentle footsteps leaving the area. Arachne finds a clear crystal that is freezing cold, and she wonders if it is a tear of some kind.

I start the day by polishing and selling my old cook's tools, then selling the bracelet from the loot we collected after weaving a wild tale about it. Star tries to sell his diamond necklace, but he doesn't get a good offer. Wash gifts arrows to Star and Twinkletoes. We go to see April but she doesn't answer. We ask the innkeeper but he doesn't know much. We come back in the afternoon and April greets us. I give her a ring with an insignia to research and she's interested in hearing about our recent discoveries, including the cold crystal rock and the transmutation magic in the water in Perfrind. We give her 1gp to help with her research, and she recognizes some of the names we mention.

We search for a safe place for the Planetars and find ourselves in the deep cave where David Henderson is, who offers us a purple liquid that has some kind of healing effect. We make plans to meet him for lunch the next day, but Arachne scolds me about discretion, so we leave to get permission from the Planetars before talking about them to him. We return to Hestor and the others and ask if we have found somewhere for them to stay, but one creature is angry about someone knowing about magical blue items, which was what I had said so far to Henderson. We discuss getting permission to talk to Henderson, and as we say our goodbyes, I take some scrap metal for new bracers from the ruins. We then teleport back to New Flavem.

As we discuss clues, Arachne mentions a man who claims that the gods have abandoned us. I go grocery shoppingfor ingredients to make lunch for everyone as we meet Henderson. While cooking, a golden mouse appears, and I realize it's Henderson. Back near his home he offers us his purple drink, and we all feast and sleep. Arachne suggests bringing giants to the cave system, which requires extensive planning to get everyone down the tiny tunnels. We manage to sort out a method and eat stevia leaves.

Everyone but Wash blips back and we share some stevia leaves. Star stays behind to secretly watch Henderson, as others of us teleport back to Hestor and Co. They are happy to see us and we discuss the possibility of Henderson helping out. We attempt to teleport back to the cave, but only Hestor returns due to a malfunction. We try again and successfully bring everyone, but Henderson's friend is angry about the entire situation. We teleport back to New Flavem and discuss teleporting the Planetars to the wild for fun. We distract some children with lights when they see us teleport out of the cave. I intend to find the cost of renting a forge for Elzara to make my bracers.

In town, we seek out relevant activities and train our new level skills. Thanks to his time with Henderson, Elzira can now become a mouse for 1 hour using Polymorph, but must remain a mouse the entire time. Arachne, Twinkletoes, and Pharèl discover the power pooling beneath a hidden door in the bottom floor of the New Dawn warehouse in Perfrind. Pharèl earns +1 History checks and +1 INT checks when researching forges. Pharèl rents the Alhodgy's Smithing forge for Elzara at 4gp and she makes him a set of bracers, giving him +1 AC when he wears them.

We debate what to do and where to go next. Twinkletoes and Pharèl are most interested in the Disco Thief. Arachne wants to build a battery for Steve the safe to live at April's house. Elzira is scolded when Arachne finds out he told his parents about the Planetars. After deciding we visit Trin next, we head out to April's, picking up a pot pie on the way. While we wait, we happen upon a poetry competition with a prize of 100gp! Everyone but Elzara writes a poem, all but Arachne perform. Twinkletoes wins and treats everyone to a night of fine wine. April does not know much about mass infections in Perfrind, nor much about the Disco Thief, nor too much about building batteries. While drinking, Arachne says she needs to get Grace back when Star asks why she seems so downtrodden.

We drink at a pub and talk about befriending the Disco Thief. People think that is a hilarious idea. I say it’s because he’s a genius and I want to hear about his experiences. I say I don’t want to imitate him, but I am told it is the sincerest form of flattery. We meet Kai for breakfast, Wash is not there. We ask for tools to dig 5 miles down in Perfrind. We talk about the Disco Thief as being our lead in Trin. Arachne shows the GOTTEM note. Arachne asks about potential batteries for Steve. We each get paid 175gp. I buy a funk robot.

We continue our journey towards Trin and set up camp midway to town once night falls, taking turns to watch for any danger. During my shift, I hear a large group approaching from the south, so I climb a tree to investigate. I spot a herd of about 30 owlbears heading towards us, and they seem agitated and aggressive. Arachne advises us to wait quietly, but the owlbears start attacking the trees, and we have to defend ourselves. Wash uses some clever distractions to split the herd and make them more manageable.

We immediately jump back into combat, having defeated the owlbear group closest to us, but there are more alive. Once we handle the immediate danger, we notice that the remaining owlbears are in two groups - one group heads eastward while the others continue north. We rest for a few hours, and during the second watch, we spot eight metal-muncher creatures sniffing around. In the morning, we move the owlbear corpses to the side and collect pelts. We discover that all the owlbears have a familiar symbol on their tongues, but we find nothing magical about it. About half an hour out, I leave a note about the owlbear attack and continue the journey. Arachne warns April that some of the owlbears that may be headed to New Flavem.

We encounter a caravan on the road and warn them about owlbears. The caravan leader, Nirmal, is enthusiastic but the rest of the caravan seems skeptical. They arrive in the town of Trin and warn the guards about the owlbears, who take the threat seriously. The group meets a talking cat named Krystale who requests proper yarn. They stay at the Tahvo Inn for five nights and shop for items to bribe cats for information about the Disco Thief. They explore the harbor and overhear a family talking about the area. Arachne wants to check out a jewelry store. They are given the homework to figure out their purpose in town.

We go shopping for yarn, ink, parchment, leather, and leatherworking tools. Star goes to a pet shop and begs for an exotic animal, like a snake. Twinkletoes and I give Krystalle the cat yarn and show him the disco ball, which he wants dearly.

Elzara gets information about the latest Disco Thief victim – it is a public service member and lives in a gated community. Twinkletoes acquires 1,000 servings of catnip for the cats. I hear that pirates attacked here about a month ago. The next day we attempt to visit the victim but are rebuffed when we arrive to the gate.

The group plans to investigate the scene of the Disco Thief's crime, but they're unsure about what to tell Orna. They meet Krystale, who suggests that his friend Mavuto may have a lead on the shiny balls they're looking for. They go to a pub to gather information about Orna and end up talking to a group of five people who invite Pharèl out to a strange-sounding interview. Star finds a secret room and snoops around the house, discovering a red-headed woman in a green robe.

We are able to talk our way into a short appointment to see Orna Julianna. She deigns to interview us and thinks it would be hilarious to let us search the house two days from now for one hour.

We caught up on the day’s events during which Wash informed us about a criminal warehouse where artifacts might be found. We decided to try to stealthily raid the factory, and after some unsuccessful attempts at picking the lock, we used a crowbar to break it open. As soon as we entered, we were met with a group of sword-wielding enemies, and we engaged in a battle, with some members of our party dealing some significant damage but negotiated a way out for the swordsmen and learn they believe our attack was paid for by Rajul. After defeating our enemies, we found some magical items, including a strange orb and tablet-like magic devices, which we took with us. We also found several robots and a box of shiny cards. Another box had fine linens, and one contained a bottle of 200-year-old wine. One box had rotted food with magic cast on it.

After the raiding party, we gave Wash the goods to sell in town. Star started to gut the stuffed animals and found something fine and thin inside. We cast Detect Magic on it but found no magical properties. We struggled with the string, but Twinkletoes managed to connect all 15 strings to climb it. We found a claw with two buttons, and I pushed the one on the left, which made it extend outward. The other button closed the claw, which extended up to 20ft and made some noise. We each received 19gp from Wash for selling items.

We set up a plan to draw out the Disco Thief by acting out as the thief and his victims with the funk bot. Twinkletoes did an amazing job performing while we gained plenty of attention. Star and Arachne posed as salespeople and unsuccessfully try to extract information from the woman who had been reading. The next day, we met with Wash and Orna to investigate the missing items. We examined the room, and I investigate the locks with my magnifying glass, finding no signs of forced entry. Arachne saw a small bit of magic from a piece of pottery after nailing a stealth cast of Detect Magic. Wash saw footprints coming through a window, and I noticed that the window was not designed to be opened.

We complete our investigation. Orna indicates she knows Arachne used magic and advices caution with thinly veiled threats. Our clues include a broken magic pottery, easily bypassed glass, dirt outside a window, and and overly cleaned window on the inside. Kamal and Liana are at the top of the suspect list.

The group sets out to find Arachne's orb in the ocean and devises a plan to use Polymorph to search effectively. Twinkletoes teaches us about sea creatures, but they still can't get a vision of one. I head out to a meeting with Star tagging along. At the meeting, I'm given a uniform and led to a seat, while Star sneaks around the building and discovers some potentially dangerous defenses. I get the sense I narrowly avoided being brainwashed or charmed in some way.

I help construct a machine that creates a rainbow in the air while Star continues to investigate the building. He manages to avoid being caught and finds a book about Synergy and a sign-in sheet with my name on it. During dinner, Arachne uses Sending to ask about the Synergy cult and learns that they may be connected to the New Dawn.

The party rents a small boat with three crew members for 130gp and sets sail. I start feeling seasick and must make a CON check every 4 hours to avoid getting sick. On an island, we come across a column with a bowl-shaped top, but our attempts to light the fire with Firebolt fail.

We sail towards our next destination. We come across a pillar with a bowl shape on top and try to relight it but fail. Star lights some coals that will last for an hour. While on the lookout for creatures, we see a reef shark and Twinkletoes casts Animal Friendship on it. It tells us that items like the orbs we are looking for might be on the seabed. We approach the third island and find another unlit pillar, so I polymorph Arachne and Star into reef sharks to search the underwater city for the orbs. They find ruined buildings, toys, and jewelry but nothing magical. Star gets separated from the boat but we find him with the help of Sending and Dancing Lights. We arrive at the last island with 36 hours left on the rental.

The party spends the night in a castle made by Elzira, and returns to shore to look for oil to light the pillars. They successfully light all the pillars and Arachne has a divine feeling that leads her to believe they should investigate further under the sunken city.

With 15 hours left, we continue our search for clues. Star finds an old government building, while Arachne discovers a sign reading "New Dawn" but is unable to enter the building until she turns into an octopus. She takes damage but manages to get in and finds orbs. Meanwhile, Star opens a safe that contains records of businesses and the general director's name. Arachne shows us the orbs, but we do not recognize one of the markings, and she asks her goddess about it. She wants to go back to the shore because she is afraid of sea demons.

The party goes back to shore and Arachne gets her deposit back. Wash finds Phantom Thief's footprints near Kamal's house, who is too naive to have done it himself. The group splits up to look for Dina Maeve. I give copper coins to bartenders and shopkeepers for information and find out she's at the Sleepy Seal inn. I introduce myself and ask her for work, but she seems unimpressed with me.

Star and Arachne use their stealth abilities to infiltrate Kamal's house and search for evidence, while Kamal talks with Wash and Kai. They find a suspicious lever behind a bed, but decide not to pull it yet. Kamal shows Wash around the house and offers to have Orna come to identify a suspicious item. The group eventually meets up outside and exchanges information about what they found.

Orna confirms her missing pottery has been found and Kamal apologizes. At 3 am, Arachne hears something and starts following someone on the rooftops while contacting Star for help. They find that children are following the person who might be the Disco Thief. Wash casts Longstrider and they catch up to the thief. However, the thief jumps down and the footprints change direction. Elzara notices that someone leaves on the other side, and they attempt to follow quietly. I turn into an owl, and we catch up with Wash and Elzara overhead. Star will soon have a chat with the thief.

We enter a small room, following a figure in a robe, who offers us tea and asks why we are hunting them down. We explain that we are fascinated by their work, which confuses them as they have not been in the region for a long time. They are surprised that we don't know about certain events that happened 50 years ago in Kelderheim and Conqel. As more of our group arrives, we discuss a note that we found in the caves, and learn that the figure is a wood elf who has been redistributing things to less fortunate kids in town for over 50 years. We ask for a name, and they tell us to call them Sam and give us a way to contact them in the future. We show Sam some orbs we have and discuss their purpose, and Sam shares some information about the gods and Noctana. They also recognize an orb for a god who is dead and express surprise that we found it.

Twinkletoes busks. Wash, Star, and Elzara spend the week crafting two full exoskeletons. I sweet-talks his way into an afternoon of learning with a chef. Arachne receives our invitation to a dance from the Disco Thief. I learn from Dina Maeve that Rajul is someone to avoid. We attend the Disco Thief's dance. In preparation for the party I sell a robot for a profit and use the money to buy a fancy dance outfit complete with cape. Elzara helps me bring the remainder of my beer keg and we are greeted by a male dwarf who offers to teach us how to dance. As a result of our adventures, Elzara gains a permanent +1 on Smiths Tools, Arachne gains a permanent +2 to Religion, and I gain a +1 to my Chef’s Tools checks.

At the party, Sam (the Disco Thief) offers us food and dance. Arachne uses Detect Magic to identify magic users and finds a unique ink in someone's pen, getting wrapped into awkward conversation and nearly trades her necklace for an orb of scrying, but decides not to trade for or steal it. She can see that Sam is dripping in magic. Star overhears dark elves discussing government funds but does not find anything of value. We join Sam in dancing, but Elzira struggles and receives judgemental stares and quits early, while myself, Elzara, and Twinkletoes perform well enough. We all survive several constitution checks to finish the nightlong dance and learn about the freedom of expression and incorporating dance into daily life. We receive dance-based abilities relative to our performances through the night. `

Kai returns with news and items. He has acquired magic charms that allow us to stay underwater and breathe for an hour, in exchange for trinkets we find in the process. He also provides us with information on how to commit a crime up north to obtain batteries for Steve. We decide to commit crimes and then search the sea. We prepare for a day before teleporting to New Flavem, where Elzita uses Banishment to begin returning the Planetars back to their original plane of existence. We visit Steve the safe. On the road to Gendry we see more markings and strange words carved into the trees. We arrive in Gendry, restock, and continue heading northward without significant events. In Whethel we hear rumors about an assassination attempt on a prince and shapeshifters taking other people's forms. Explosives were set off about 3 months ago. We arrive in Humbrey on the 8th of Fourtt.

We arrive in Humbrey and visit a pub the night we arrive to find out what's happening in town. The barkeep informs us about a show called "Maddy's Hot New Show" coming up in a week or so and asks about our reason for visiting. We find out that there isn't much to do in Humbrey. We opt for the nicer of the two inns available. The next day, we meet our client, Vilma, who asks for our help in getting incriminating paperwork from New Dawn, an old company she thinks we wouldn't have heard of. We agree to help but have to make sure not to tell anyone of our mission. Vilma offers us information on the protective magic used in the building and a cash bonus of 1,400gp, double if we can do it without anyone finding out about the theft. We accept her conditions, and Vilma promises to get us more information the next day through her contact Danni. While waiting, I ask her about her favorite food, which is a good curry. Wash, Twinkletoes, and Star visit the target building which is covered in magic alarms and likely more. I go shopping for curry ingredients. Arachne visits a shrine and hears from her goddess, then wanders the city and sees how much more common magic usage is here.

After much debate about how to steal the paperwork, Elzira ends up successfully befriending Jorah. Then, during a drunken cooking lesson with Pharèl, we learn much more about the inner workings and Elzira manages to get into the shift rotation for a period over the following week. During a singular hour to himself on shift he is able to successfully swap out the desired paperwork with the fakes that Vilma provided for us.

Elzira reads through the papers he stole and confirms that Vilma’s family essentially committed treason and worked with a company acting as a government front for the opposing country. Vilma gets her papers on the 21st of Fourtt. We each receive 400gp contained in a silk bag worth 50gp. On the through Whethel I sniff out a scammer. We avoid more Umber Hulks and warn guards on the road. Star buys 2gp worth of pest poison. Elzira buys books about Whethel and Kelderheim’s royal family. From there, we teleport back to Trin. Once we’re back, we make our excursion plans and rent the boat again.

We spend an hour diving down in the underwater New Dawn warehouse in Nitas. Elzara and Wash work together to break open many of the doors. Inside, we collect 11 boxes from podiums, a chest with Afra Rusudan’s journal inside, and orb fragments. On our way up we hear what Twinkletoes can confirm is in fact a kraken screaming. However, those are extremely loud creatures so hearing it doesn’t mean it’s extremely nearby.

After Wash pings to detect where the Kraken is, we realize it’s pretty close to us. As we leave and he continues pinging, we determine it’s probably not actually following us but we still feel safer going back to shore. Pharèl gets his deposit back. The ship’s owner says pirates are a bigger issue than any strange large creatures. We compare the notes we found to the map of ruins Wash carries. We decide to go to Gabi and Ferrein to continue searching for artifacts and clues. It should be about four days of travel and we can teleport back. Pharèl sells and stores some gear. On the way out, Wash carries us over the river. Shortly after, Pharèl finds another component for his staff! It converts the damage to radiant damage. Unfortunately, there are 10 land sharks heading our way, and we decide to take them head on.

We destroy ten land sharks in battle.

Death. Death is everywhere. As Wash disappears, we carry on like naïve fools and end up encountering a 60 foot tall monstrosity that could have otherwise been easily avoided. It nearly destroys us but after several creative moves and close calls, we manage to teleport back to Trin.

After discovering a magical sword and shield buried in the sand, Wash successfully distance-drugs the beast of death. We race over to it in an attempt to kill it while it is drugged. It is not going well as we are barely able to scratch it.

After a minute and a half of wailing on the increasingly conscious creature, we manage to take down the unconscious beast.

We arrange with Kai to find experts who can work with the Tarrasque corpse to sell parts and create the items on our wish list. He says he’ll need several days and we expect to meet back up with him in a few days on Monday. Meanwhile, we hang out in Trin awaiting Wash and Kai’s return to figure out our next steps: Attempt to return to the ruins or go to Kansem while we wait for our gear. Elzara works on improving her shield, Twinkletoes and Pharèl busk and cook together, Elzira studies with a geologist named Karina, Arachne tries to commune with her goddess, and Star attempts to invent a way to shoot two arrows at once.