You Can't Fix Men (in This Case the Kraken) - September 18, 2026

 - Dice kitty

 

- Soliana Messages everyone to convene in the library. (Message x4)

- She says that the Ironmoor jump did not go well, and points out that while she did get a benefit from the anomaly, the effect is not the one she intended. 

- She thinks that maybe if she knew what triggered the Kraken to want to aim for world domination maybe it would help her manipulate the energies to better thwart him. 

- Niniel doesn't know anything (you can't fix men, honey), but she offers up some of her Kraken-given trinkets to use to aid in a Legend Lore spell. 

- Soliana goes to find Ellie and they are mostly growing food crops right now, so she asks if with Soliana's, Niniel's, and Poetry's help they could convert the front lawn into a flower herb garden that would be prettier and more useful than just grass, and Ellie agrees.

- Soliana casts Wither and Bloom 4x times to create a large area of open dirt, which she then helps clear and plan and plant, and then once all the seeds are sprinkled Poetry casts Plant Growth and all the plants pop up very quickly.

- Ellie works on harvesting the plants (lavender and honeysuckle and jasmine and chamomile and other things that smell nice as well as look nice in a garden), and Poetry uses some controlled fire spells to dry them very quickly.

- Soliana takes the pile of newly created incense to the library with Niniel's Patron Pouch and focuses on The Kraken, Sea Lord of the Tidal Dominion while thinking about what triggered it to aim for world domination.

       - Soliana's head get woozy, and she is seeing strange things, but she realizes that she is seeing them from the Kraken's POV. She isn't hearing its thoughts, but she is getting a sense of its emotions.

       - She finds herself deep in the dark ocean, and she is confused and a little bit injured. One of her tentacles is burning strangely. 

       - Soliana/Kraken senses a ship coming and easily pulls it under, but as she/it sees the people flailing in the water starting to succumb.

       - In the past, the Kraken never thought much about the inhabitants of the ships, but now she/it focuses on them and she/it realizes that as it focuses on them it's changing them, giving them amphibious traits.

       - The changed ones are confused and don't know where they are, so the Kraken takes them and puts them somewhere. After a few more ships, the people she/it has gathered start building things, so the next ship, you grab a few supplies and drop them off, and the changed ones keep building things and spreading.

       - This keeps going for a while, and eventually she/it can't provide quite enough and they are asking for things, and so the Soliana/Kraken starts to notice where the ships are coming from and starts thinking about where he can get more of this stuff for the changed ones.

- Soliana comes out of it and is just like "huh, I wasn't expecting that" 

- Exposition happens. 

- She also brings Foxglove into this conversation, and after discussion about how to end the conquering ideation of the Kraken (kill it, remove whatever effect through a spell like Remove Curse, Greater Restoration, or Wish) when Grim pipes up about maybe they could find his old research at the Elder Spire Institute which was about memories and soul manipulation, which could be very useful. 

- Soliana Sends to Sharai, "Headmistress, do you have the address for the Teleportation Circle at the Elder Spire Institute? It might be the key to ending the Kraken situation before it works its way this far north."

- "I'll look into it for you. We've never really traveled there as far as I know."

- They decide while they are waiting that maybe they can try to manipulate another anomaly to try again at either siphoning power away from the Kraken or powering up Soliana again 

- Soliana suggests up in the mountains that are right over there so that if it goes badly they aren't right there by the ocean.

- Niniel writes in her book to the Kraken, "I don't know exactly how magic went somewhere else. If you send another beak I can try again. Maybe in the mountains."

- The Kraken Sends back, "Find the spot (a mental tether appears in Niniel's head). Also, find the usurper. Give them." (She feels something drop into her Patron Pouch.)

- Niniel tells everyone about the tether and how they can start hiking in that direction in the morning, then excuses herself.

- Back in her little room, she pulls a large shark's tooth out of her pouch that she can immediately sense is magical. She casts Detect Magic on it, and it's a combination of enchantment and necromantic magics. She gets the impression that handing it to Soliana is only one option for delivery. It could also be fashioned into an arrowhead or tiny knife and "delivered" in that way.

- That evening Soliana hears a soft little "tink" at her window.

- She opens the window and looks out and Caleb is down in the garden waving at her.

- She Messages him so that she doesn't have to shout, "Hi, why didn't you just come knock on the door?"

- His response is, "It makes sense I promise. Can you join me?"

- She shrugs and hops out the window and casts Feather Fall. If they are doing things unconventionally, she can play this game.

- Caleb gives an extremely awkward and extremely cute "I like you" speech, and Soliana is extremely flattered and likes the idea of Caleb liking her since she admires him too. They hold hands and walk in the new flower garden in the moonlight. There is also some tentative hugging.

- They return to their separate rooms and Grim tells Soliana that this interaction was AwKwArD, and Soliana tells him that every interaction Soliana has is awkward, so what did he expect and to be nice.

- She sneaks down to the library and grabs one of her mom's old romance novels to read for a bit before she goes into her Trance. 

 

- 3,000 XP ea for 96,000 XP total ea.

Are Eyeballs Difficult Terrain? - September 11, 2026

 - Long May He Reign

- Random quote, "Two Wrong Don't Make a Right, But Three Lefts Do"

- Another random quote, "Look, the girl was an elf when I grabbed her." 

- Another random quote, "Ah, that classic siren song Pee in her Patron Pouch."

 

- The next morning, the Keepers return to the hole, and Poetry uses Move Earth to dig another 120' of depth to the hole (420' total depth). 

- Niniel then descends to the bottom of the hole and casts Lightning Lance and the earth shakes. We think that means we are within 120' of Nhalzarek.

- Niniel uses her book to scribble to Soliana, "I think we found him. There was an earthquake, but the hole is holding up. Poetry is great at digging holes."

- Soliana responds from the top of the hole, "The earth shook here too. Hopefully we get to him soon. I don't want to spend a week digging if we can help it."

- Poetry casts Locate Creature again to check direction, and he is pretty much directly beneath them again.

- Poetry makes the hole a bit larger (~30' x 40') as she dig another 100' until she reaches a rubber, blubbery surface the spell does not affect. 

- Niniel Sends up to Soliana that they should start descending, so Soliana, Caleb, and Zemma jump in and Soliana casts Feather Fall, so they arrive floating gently down into the excavated chamber.

- They all start feeling around, and Soliana detects a fold in the skin and pushes it aside as much as she can and it was an eyelid and there are a few of them around now that they know what to look for.

- There is a little discussion about whether they really want to do this, and Soliana casts Protection for Evil and Good on Zemma, and then almost immediately casts another spell 

BATTLE AGAINST NHALZAREK

- Soliana casts Raulothim's Psychic Lance (5th level), but the creature resists and only takes 14 (7) psychic dmg.

- Niniel sticks a hand under on of the eyelids (it's wet and unpleasantly warm) and casts Lighting Bolt directly into the eye for 27 lightning dmg. She then summons her tentacle which slaps it for 27 cold dmg. 

- The shaking intensifies and the eyeball that Niniel zapped opens and rotates to look at her and then zaps her back with 31 psychic dmg. Niniel reacts by casting Wrath of the Storm for 3 lightning dmg.

- The eyeball then rotates around and looks at Soliana and zaps her for 15 psychic dmg.

- A spot on the skin opens up like a pore and sprays acid at Caleb (Soliana casts Silvery Barbs to cancel the crit) for 16 acid dmg.

- Poetry summons Ember on the eyeball that was zapped with Lightning Bolt for 8 fire dmg.

- Caleb runs over to the eye that zapped his friends shoves it open with his off hand and stabs it with his main hand for 14 (7) psychic dmg. He then stabs again for 7 (3) psychic dmg.

- Nhalzarek zaps Caleb back for 22 psychic dmg

- Zemma Rages and bites the eyelid for 14 piercing dmg. She then bites it again for 9 piercing dmg.

- Another pore opens and sprays acid on Poetry for 19 acid dmg.

 

- Caleb and Niniel start to get sucked into the stasis spell and take a level of Exhaustion each.

- Soliana casts Disintegrate on Nhalzarek for 19 force dmg.

- Niniel casts Evard's Black Tentacles in the corner of the room and the Tentacles whacks it for 6 cold dmg.

- Nhalzarek starts its turn "in" the Evard's Black Tentacles and becomes "Restrained" taking 10 bludgeoning dmg.

- The skin starts sweating acid. Everyone except Soliana who was still standing on the lowest step created by Poetry takes 50 acid dmg. Soliana still takes 25 acid dmg. 

- Poetry sends Scorching Rays at the eyeballs hitting twice for 16 fire dmg. Then Ember then Flame Seeds it for 10 fire dmg.

- Nhalzarek zaps Poetry for 24 psychic dmg.

- Caleb lifts the eyelid he's standing beside and stabs it with his rapier for 32 (16) piercing dmg.

- Zemma misses biting and then succeeds for 14 piercing dmg. Then she sends out a Draconic Cry giving everyone advantage on their next attack rolls.

- Niniel gets sprayed for 20 acid dmg.

 

- Soliana gives up on Protecting Zemma and casts Banishment on Nhalzarek, but he saves.

- Zemma gets zapped with 25 psychic dmg. 

- Niniel casts Fly on herself, Zemma, and Caleb. She then flies 60' up the narrow tunnel at the top of the chamber.

- Nhalzarek sprays Soliana for 29 acid dmg 

- Then it zaps Poetry for 24 psychic dmg.

- Then it sprays Caleb for 21 acid dmg.

- Poetry Wild Shapes into a hawk and darts up the tunnel while Ember Flame Seeds Nhalzarek for 10 fire dmg.

- Nhalzarek deals 24 psychic dmg to Zemma and Caleb and Soliana take half. Soliana falls unconscious.

- Caleb picks up the unconscious Soliana and 40' up the tunnel with her body.

- Zemma flies up the tunnel as well. 

 

- Everyone flies up the tunnel as quickly as possible to the surface.

- Niniel casts Healing Word on Soliana for 2 HP.

- Soliana Polymorphs herself into an owl because of the narrowness of the tunnel. 

- They fly up out of the tunnel and the ground swells and the townspeople are freaking out. 

- Caleb hears in his head, "We are not friends, but you did us a service." 

- Everyone blacks out for a second and then wakes up on the barrier island outside Caledonia 

- As the Keepers are looking around there is a shimmering pillar of light over there on the island with a maybe 10' diameter.

- Soliana approaches the pillar and feels a connection to the magical source and it is a source of magic that she can control. (Once per day, she can call on the power of this pillar to empower a spell to upcast it two levels while expending the original spell slot only.

- Niniel's Book of Shadows gets hot in her pocket and there's a message from her patron asking angrily what went wrong and asking him to kill the creature who has usurped his power. Niniel leaves her book in the sand and goes and sits in the water.

- Soliana hands Caleb her Healing Elixir and then sits in the sand chewing on travel rations while staring into the distance.

- Caleb offers to pee on Niniel's book, but it's already cooling off, so she just gives him a Look. 

- After her snack, Soliana drawings a Teleportation Circle in the sand of the beach and bring them back to the Twilit Grove

- They were gone about a day. 

- They all retire to their chambers to rest properly. 

 

- 5,000 XP ea for 93,000 XP total ea.

Are Clowns Really Better? - September 4, 2026

- Fellowship of the Penguins

 

- Just before dawn, Caleb catches Timothy (eyes still black) attempting to sneak out of the room. His mom is asleep in the corner.

- Caleb stops him and asks him where he's going, but he just says he wants to wake up. Caleb tells him they are going to try Greater Restoration ("Wizard Stuff") in the morning. 

- Finally everyone wakes up. and Timothy's mom says there isn't a jeweler in town, The apothecary has just enough diamond dust on hand for Poetry to cast the spell on Timothy.

- Timothy and his mother had come with, so Poetry does the spell. He comes back into himself, but he can still hear It.

- It is pissed because it thought it would be woken up, and It is basically is screaming in Timothy's head.

- Caleb connect mentally to Timothy and it sucked into a void space with a small Timothy curled up in the corner with a tall Slenderman-like being towering over both Timothy and Caleb. 

- The being is Nhalzarek. It wants them to break the obelisk to wake it up. 

- Nhalzarek's physical body is deep beneath the earth beneath the obelisk. 

- The sleep is its prison and it was put there by mortals. 

- The hags are users who maintain the slumber and steal Nhalzarek's power.   

- Destroying the hags would also wake Nhalzarek.

- Timothy is stuck because he is the only one for whom the communication goes both ways, so Caleb asks that Nhalzarek at least make the void space less frightening for Timothy, and the void space becomes the inside of a circus tent. There are clowns and Nhalzarek becomes a bear with solid black eyes and a party hat.

- Timothy is still freaked out, but maybe less?

- Caleb exits Timothy's mind, and Nhalzarek lets him go.

- He comes to sitting on the ground with a beginning to panic Soliana gently tapping his cheek.

- The Keepers buy incense off of the apothecary so that Soliana can cast Legend Lore on the obelisk to see what she can learn about Nhalzarek.

- They go back into town and Soliana casts Legend Lore on the obelisk.

- Soliana has the following vision of events:

     - She sees a group of people like a small army of elves and humans made up of soldiers and a group of mages or wizards engage in a battle with a creature that looks like a large floating orb with a wide mouth full of creepy teeth, but it doesn't have eye stalks, it's just covered in eyes. The soldiers distract the being by attacking it with their weapons while the wizards cast a group spell that pulls the eye-covered orb's eyes shut and the earth parts and it is sucked underneath, and then the obelisk is constructed.

     - The obelisk is left, but then a town grows up around it. Soliana can sense the magic emanating from the obelisk, but it weakens over time and the creature, Nhalzarek, fights the binding. Sometimes there is a shudder as Nhalzarek fights to wake up.   

- Soliana explains everything, and they all figure out that the hags are feeding children's ability to sleep and their hopes and dreams into binding spells, and then during this process connects the person to Nhalzarek and the hags then use that link to siphon power from Nhalzarek for their own purposes.

- As an experiment Soliana goes to the general store and uses Detect Magic to see his tether and then uses Dispel Magic to break it. The general store merchant is completely unchanged by the breaking of his tether.

- At the obelisk, Poetry casts Locate Creature (Nhalzarek) and can sense him, so he's within 1000' of the surface.

- Niniel tries to cast her Lightning Lance spell (which only requires a creature's name, not line of sight) and determines that he is beyond 120' below the surface.

- Poetry casts Move Earth and starts digging a tunnel. She digs a tunnel 240' deep. Soliana uses Polymorph three times becomes a giant mole, and Zemma uses a shovel to help dig and they get to 300' depth today. 

- A rope barrier is erected around the hole opening to prevent people from falling in, and everyone returns to the inn to sleep.

- Zemma has nightmares again. 

 

- 3,000 XP ea for 88,000 XP total ea.

Stag in the Back - August 28, 2026

- What One Hand Giveth

 

BLINKY BACKWOODS BATTLE

- The blink stag looks over the group, opens its mouth and screams like a terrified child frightening Zemma and Caleb.

- Squirrels jump out of the trees and bushes next to Soliana and Niniel. The first lands directly on Soliana's head, and Niniel throws a spell (Silvery Barbs) knocking it off before it can hurt her, but then she gets bitten by another one for some psychic and piercing dmg.

- Poetry summons Ember who burns the stag and the squirrel next to Niniel on entry and then throws an Flame Seed at the same squirrel 

- Niniel summons a tentacle and smacks the squirrel next to Soliana for 14 cold dmg and it is not moving slightly more slowly. Then Niniel grabs the squirrel gnawing on her shoulder and it takes 9 lightning dmg and cannot take reactions. The squirrel explodes into black spaghetti. 

- The blink stag runs up to Soliana and rakes her with its antlers for 8 piercing and 4 psychic dmg. Then in its turn kicks her with its back hoof for 10 bludgeoning dmg and then it blinks away. 

- Zemma side steps towards Caleb and then throws a hand axe at the squirrel next to Soliana but misses.

- Another squirrel jumps out of the trees kind of in the middle of everybody and starts chittering and squeaking like mad. Nothing happens as everybody saves.

- Caleb throws a couple of psychic dmg daggers at the squirrel "menacing" Soliana, but both misses. Then he pulls himself together and stops being Frightened of the stag.

- The stag runs at Niniel and gores her with its horns for 6 piercing and 6 psychic dmg then as it turns to run away it kicks her with a back hoof for 12 bludgeoning dmg.

- Soliana Starlight steps across the clearing away from the squirrel and the group then she casts Grim's Avatar (Bigby's Hand) smashing into the stag for 15 force dmg. Then she runs around the tree she Stepped next to.

- A squirrel jumps out of a tree and misses Caleb.

- Another squirrel lands on Poetry and bites her for 10 piercing and 4 psychic dmg.

 

- The stag runs up to Poetry missing with its antlers and then manages to slam her with a back hoof for 15 bludgeoning dmg. Then it blinks into the middle of the clearing next to a bush.

- The squirrel that was menacing Soliana runs over to Zemma and tries to chitter and squeak. This time Zemma and Caleb take 7 psychic dmg and they have Disadv on their next attack roll. 

- Poetry steps away from the squirrel chewing on her and then casts Burning Hands on two of the squirrels. Then Ember throws a Flame Seeds at the stag but misses again. 

- The stag runs up to Zemma and gores her with its horns for 19 piercing and 4 psychic dmg and then it slams her with its back hooves on the turn and deals 7 bludgeoning dmg, then runs around where it can see Soliana behind the tree where she is hiding.

- Niniel (who the DM accidentally skipped) casts Eldritch Blast at squirrel 3 but misses and then casts the second one at the same target for 14 force dmg. And the squirrel explodes. She then moves into the clearing and can see the squirrel next to Caleb and blasts it with Eldritch Blast for 11 force dmg. Her tentacle slithers over to squirrel 5, but misses.

- Zemma moves around Caleb next to the squirrel menacing him and then she Rages and becomes a bitey kitty and claws the squirrel for 10 piecing dmg and it explodes out with black spaghetti and a shriveled little squirrel corpse drops to the ground. 

- Caleb throws a dagger at the stag for 7 psychic dmg and the second one also find its target for another 7 psychic dmg 

- The stag runs forward and gores Caleb for 12 piercing and 4 psychic and then clams his hooves into Caleb for 8 bludgeoning dmg. 

- Soliana moves Grim's Avatar to the stag and slams into it for 23 force then dashes around some trees and casts Mind Sliver at the stag for 5 psychic dmg and it's a little dazed (-1d4 on its next ST before Soliana's next turn. Grim's Avatar evaporates.

- The last squirrel struts up to Poetry and chews on her, but a tentacle gets in the way, so it takes 6 dmg away from the attack. 

 

- The stag runs over to Soliana and gores her for 9 piercing and 5 psychic dmg and then hoofs her for 16 bludgeoning dmg. Then darts past Niniel in the clearning.

- Poetry casts Call Lightning in the middle of the clearing and zaps a glancing blow at the stag for 7 lightning dmg. Ember misses the stag with a Flame Seed.

- Niniel (who didn't get forgotten this round) is now inspired and casts Lightning Bolt on the stag for 45 lightning dmg. The tentacles smacks for the last squirrel for 12 cold dmg and it's slowed a bit.

- The stag staggers at Niniel but misses with its antler, but manages to cold cock her with a back hoof for 11 bludgeoning dmg. 

- Zemma moves laterally and manages to throw a hand axe at the last squirrel for 10 slashes dmg and the squirrel is dead. 

- Caleb throws a dagger at the stag for 11 psychic dmg and then misses with the second dagger, then he darts around a tree.

- The stag runs straight through a bush at Poetry missing her with his antlers and then kicks her for 15 bludgeoning dmg. It then runs into the middle of the group again.

- Soliana guzzles her Healing Elixir for 11 HP then she casts Mind Sliver on the stag again for 6 psychic dmg. Then she runs and hides behind a big tree again.

- Poetry sends a Called Lightning at the stag which takes another glancing blow for 7 lightning dmg. Ember throw a successful Flame Seed at the stag for 6 fire dmg. 

- Niniel casts Hold Monster on the stag and it is Paralyzed. She then runs up to the stag and and brings her tentacle over too which whacks the stag for 25 cold dmg. 

- The stag screams again dealing 16 psychic dmg to the Frightened Zemma and 8 to everyone except Soliana who is too far away. It then teleports out of the clearing into the forest. It is still Paralyzed.

- Zemma moves a little to where she can see the stag, but her hand axe bounces off a tree. Her second attempt hits for 13 slashing dmg.

- Caleb runs all the way up to the stag (Dash bonus action) and stabs it with his psychic dagger for 59 psychic dmg. The stag collapses into a pile of black spaghetti with the corpse of an extremely emaciated stag in the middle of the pile. 

 

 - The kid is just laying on the ground as all the mayhem has gone on around him. He's murmuring to himself and his eyes are still black.

- The Keepers gather the boy up again and rush back to the village. It's the middle of the night. 

- They take Timothy to the inn and take turns watching him through the night. They ask the overnight barkeep if there's diamonds in town anywhere for a cure for Timothy. He says maybe the apothecary might have some if it's for a cure.

- About an hour after they get back, Timothy's mother shows up and the Keepers explain what happened to Timothy, but not yet the whole situation with the village. 

- The all still take shifts to watch him through the rest of the night and into the morning just in case. During their rest, Zemma has nightmares about the giant stag crushing her and the horrible taste of the squirrel that she killed, so she does not benefit from the long rest.  

 

- 4,800 XP ea for 85,000 XP total each - Level up!

Reverse Kidnapping Kidnapped Kid Napping - August 7, 2026

 - What One Hand Gives

 

- Poetry pets trees as they walk into the forest.

- Stardust the owl flies above the canopy to keep an eye on the rising smoke

- Eventually the sky gets hazy with incoming rain, and Stardust can't see the smoke any more.

SKILLZ CHALLENGE 

- Caleb parkours up a tree and determines they have walked in a bit of a circle, and finds a new bearing for them to follow (Acrobatics of 22 - SUCCESS)

- Niniel find a nearby stream and sticks her head into the water and ask for directions (Persuasion 23 - SUCCESS) A crawfish tells her that sometimes kids tramp over the log over the creek and occasionally splash in the water in exchange for a shell from her hair, but they usually head that way. Niniel's vision goes dark while her head is in the stream, and she sees a big bulbous shape in the darkness (like a pufferfish? but not a water creature, she feels like she's been buried alive) it has eyes, but looks like it is sleeping and having a bad dream. She grabs a smooth river rock on her way back up.

- The forest becomes denser and darker as they continue. Niniel summons some Dancing anglerfish Lights.

- They find some animal tracks, some deer, and some of the trees have antler marks. 

- After another little while they approach a clearing, but the clearing is eerily silent. In the trees around the clearing there are birds and squirrels and other critters, but they are all just sitting there staring vacantly.

- Zemma examines the clearing and the animals (Survival 19 - SUCCESS) and she manages to make her way across the clearing by carefully following the deer tracks. As she is crossing the clearing, a squirrel makes eye contact with Zemma and makes a chittering noise, but the sounds is more a child giggling than a normal squirrel chitter. 

- Soliana notices that the squirrel that laughed at Zemma is following them. She has Stardust the owl capture the squirrel alive and bring it to Poetry so she can ask it questions. (Arcana 21 - SUCCESS) When Stardust drops the giggler into her hands, Soliana can see through the small non-fatal wounds from the owl's talons that instead of blood and muscle, the little creature's body looks like it is stuffed with black, skinny, stringy

- Poetry casts Speak with Animals and asks it who it is, why it's following us, and if we can help it. (Animal Handling 20 - SUCCESS) She then casts Cure Wounds on it, and the wounds close up. It giggles again.

- The squirrel makes another sounds like children laugh, and it says, "We all see you." Niniel casts Detect Magic and sees that there are magical shenanigans that is a mix of transmutation and necromancy and a sprinkle of enchantment.

- Poetry dumps her coin pouch into her backpack and hands it to Soliana who stuffs the squirrel tail first into the bag and then tightens the drawstring so that only it's little head is sticking out.  

- The eventually reach a part of the forest that looks like it is dead or dying. There's no underbrush, and most of the trees are leaf-less. There are some mushrooms growing around, but that's about it. Some of the tree have red string tied around them. The sound of a child's scream floats with the breeze.

- Caleb tells everyone else to wait here and he does a quiet, stealthy circuit of the clearing (Stealth 29 - SUCCESS) finding a good path, and then comes back and leads everyone across to a larger opening surrounded by a ring of dead trees, and there is a homey little cottage in the clearing.

SUCCESS NAVIGATION 

- Niniel casts Invisibility on herself and stealths (badly) up to the cottage and uses her Ghostly Gaze to look through the wall. She sees that inside the room is like a cottage kitchen with a hearth and a stove. There's a woman tending the fire and the stove, and there's another woman sitting at the table on the opposite side. There are herbs and roots and things hung from the rafters. 

- The woman at the stone suddenly looks up and says "Who is spying on me?" and whips around to look directly at Niniel, who is invisible and on the other side of a solid wall. Niniel waves, and then walks around a little bit. The woman waves back. Niniel Misty Steps out of there. The door opens and the woman looks around outside. Niniel freezes still invisible.

- The woman says from the doorway back into the house, "I think we have visitors." The second woman also appears at the door. 

- The first woman says, "Come out, come out wherever you are."

- Soliana steps out from the tree line and says she's looking for Timothy who got lost in the woods. 

- They invite Soliana in for tea, and Soliana asks about the squirrel in the pouch at her belt. They say to invite her sneaky friend in too, and Soliana says that her friend snuck off and Soliana doesn't know where she went as she walks closer towards the doorway to the cottage.

- They call out so that everyone can hear, "Sneaky friend, you should come in for tea too."

- Niniel starts walking up, but casts Detect Magic causing Invisibility to drop and she can see that the two women radiate Illusion magic. An examination of what she can see of the house shows no sort of tethers or other magic besides their illusion spells.

- Soliana and Niniel walk into the house.

- The front room and kitchen looks like the inside of a nice country cottage. They chat about Timothy and other people from the village while tea is steeped, and then an earthy, spicy smelling tea is handed around in thick earthenware mugs. Soliana pretends to drink the tea. Niniel actually drinks the tea.

- Niniel asks how the one woman saw her when Niniel waved. She says she just heard Niniel. 

- Soliana then asks if they trade for the things they forage in the woods why there isn't a path to their house. No answer is given that is satisfactory.

- Soliana meets Niniel's eyes and tries to look at the women and then back and Niniel and then back at the women and then back and Niniel.

- Soliana casts Dispel Magic on the woman doing most of the talking. The Illusion disappears from her and in front of them is a bulbous, squat, fat, creature wearing only a loincloth made of stringy bits, with a long pointy nose sticking out from stringy hair curtaining the rest of the face. She sighs and asks why Soliana would ruin a perfectly good evening?  

- Niniel then casts Hold Monster on the hag.

- The other woman who still looks like a woman in her early 60s stands at the ready for further action.

- Soliana holds up her hands and says, "We just want to know what's happening to the children."

- The hag says it's time to put all the cards out on the table, so Soliana puts the bag with the squirrel on the table. The hag declares that a weird card, but does admit they created the creatures like that. They would love to get rid of the giggling.

- The hags say they are helping the village by keeping the thing beneath the village asleep or it would wake up and kill everyone.

- Soliana asks the hags what they would do if they could get rid of the thing sleeping beneath the village so that they don't have to "help" any more, but they just never answer.

- The hags say that the creature consumes dreams and that children's dreams are special, more vivid, more magical because they have such big imaginations. The hags take their dreams and use them to hold the creature at bay.

- Soliana goes quiet while Niniel is still asking questions and then she just goes over to the door and opens it to find Caleb listening at the door. She then gestures for the rest of their friends to come inside as well.

- There is some more chat with roundabout answers to things, and Soliana tries to ask where Timothy is, but can't get an answer other than that he will be returned in a few days.

- Niniel just gets up and goes over to one of the other doors and opens it to find a small boy who seems to be asleep on a small straw mattress. There's a crystal suspended from the ceiling pointed over his forehead. There are runes carved into the floor around the bed. He is tied to the bed loosely The hags say not to disturb him while he's in the ritual. They don't know what will happen as the ritual has never been interrupted before.

- Niniel casts Detect Magic and gets the same transmutation and necromantic vibes as the Restless Devon. The crystal is collecting magic up from his head and that's the necromantic element, while there's a transmutation sort of magic tether forming and going down into the earth. 

- Niniel calls for help freeing the kid despite what the hags have said.

- Niniel pushes the crystal aside and starts sawing at the bonds holding him to the bed. Timothy immediately wakes up, his eyes are solid black orbs and he starts screaming and thrashing and Soliana put him (ironically) to Sleep with a spell. 

- Niniel takes the crystal while Zemma carries Timothy outside.

- About halfway across the clearing while heading back to town, Timothy wakes back up from Soliana's spell and she casts Dispel Magic on him, and while he is no longer screaming and thrashing, his eyes are still black and he's muttering things like "He can see me. He's going to get me." amongst other gibberish.

- Soliana looks back to the hags, but then she sees that the trees are full of squirrels just staring at them. As they keep walking there's the sound of an animal immediately followed by the sound of a child screaming.

- Niniel immediately turns and takes a few steps in the direction of the scream.

- Out of the forest gloom a large stag jumps out and gives Niniel a toss of it's antlers, but it misses. Then it blink teleports a few feet away and turns to face the rest of the group. It's eyes are solid black like Timothy's and it's antlers look strangely overgrown and not right.

- Initiatives are rolled.    

 

- Boofing comes up due to a mishearing. Several definitions are laughed at. 

 

- 3,000 XP ea for 79,200 XP total each

The Pervy and the Restless - July 31, 2026

 - Dino and turtle

 

- The Keepers wake up in beds in a room. They all feel extremely well rested. (They have 20 temp HP!)

- The room they are in seems more dormitory than barracks.

- Niniel looks out the window and sees a small village with well-kept little streets. Little houses with little gardens with human-people walking around. The trees seems mostly deciduous. 

- Niniel opens the window and a morning spring breeze blows in 

- After some chat, Soliana heads out the door, down the stairs, and comes into the common room of a tavern / hostel.

- Soliana tells the tavern keeper she was drunk and doesn't remember and asks where they are. They are at the Fiesty Fox in the village Ironmoor. 

- A woman runs in and asks Marlin (the tavern keeper) if he's seen Timothy (her 8-year old son) because he's missing.

- The mother says "they've taken him, I know it!" Marlin responds that he'll be back in a few days, but the mother responds that he'll be different.

- There may be hags or some other kind of creature kidnapping children.

- The changed children no longer sleep, and they seem to have lost all their joy. They just sort of sit and stare at you.

- They get some hasty rations from the tavern keeper, and they head through town toward the meadow west of town, keeping their eyes peeled for strangely calm children.

- There's an obelisk in the center of town that Niniel (who can cast Detect Magic at will these days) says is a mix of abjuration and enchantment magic. Very strong magic.

- Soliana examines the obelisk and finds that the magic is coming from an orb which is being amplified by the obelisk structure. The obelisk also has an inscription "Good sleep and pleasant dreams will protect us all." It looks like with a little bit of effort, the orb could be removed.

- Niniel walks up to an old codger (Lawrence) feeding birds and asks him about the obelisk. The obelisk is certainly older than he is, and the village might actual have grown around the obelisk.

- They walk on and get to the meadow and see some children playing a tag sort of game, and there's one child sitting off to the side just sort of staring.

- Niniel immediately wants to cast a minor illusion of a hag to see how the kids react, and Soliana asks if they can wait until they've at least talked to the kids to ask them about Timothy. She ties up her long skirts joins their game to try to earn their trust. They accept her immediately.

- Niniel summons her "cat" familiar and has to rub on the staring child. He notices its weird squid end on its tail, but just stares at it.

- After 15 or 20 minutes, the kids take a breather and Soliana asks about Timothy, and one kid says flippantly the hags musta got 'im. He says to go talk to Devon (the staring kid) who's now their best friend.

- Soliana tries to get the kids to not hold Devon's condition against him because he probably didn't ask for the hags to change him. They call her preachy and run off back to their game.

- Niniel casts Detect Magic through her familiar sitting in Devon's lap and sees that he has a faint bit of transmutation and necromantic magic about him.

- Soliana sends Stardust in her owl form to do a quick fly around of the nearby forest to see if there's anything obvious to be seen from above.

- Soliana sits next to Devon and asks him about the hags, but he just remembers the ladies who gave him beautiful dreams. He didn't walk there, he just was there.

- Niniel starts casting Minor Illusions of various hags, sirens, mermaids, but Devon doesn't react to any of them. 

- Soliana can't get any more of a read on the magical aura or essence, so she also casts Detect Magic so that she can see the aura. At that point she does see a tether, and it goes straight down into the earth.

- Soliana asks Devon if he remembers when he met the ladies, and it was two years ago when he was 8.   

- He thinks they had a cottage, and it was cozy with their fireplace. He doesn't remember going outside while he was visiting them.

- Stardust returns, but the loop she flew was short, so she didn't see anything abnormal in that space.

- Both the familiars get sent out to do some more exploring. A mile-radius loop for Stardust, and unnamed cat get told to explore the forest for an hour and then meet the Keepers in the town by the obelisk.

- They head back to town. Soliana and Caleb head for the general goods store, and he is a staring straight ahead, and has visited the Ladies several times. 

- Soliana gets permission to cast a quiet magical ritual (Detect Magic), and then she examines the tether coming from him, and it's thicker and more prominent than Devon's.

- Meanwhile Poetry, Niniel, and Zemma ask around and find the town's healer woman. The healer woman calls the people who have visited the Ladies, "The Restless". She reiterates that all the Restless insist that the Ladies are "out in the woods".

- They have this discussion over an herbal tea concoction. 

- Other people have gone out looking for the Ladies, and the ones who came back didn't find anything, but not all of them came back.

- Soliana examines the base of the obelisk, but doesn't find any mechanism by which it would move.

- Everyone sits in the square with the obelisk and waits for the familiars.

- Soliana ponders about the fact that she woke up this morning when she's never actually slept before, and she wonders if she would be charmed by the Ladies if they only Trance overnight and don't dream.

- The cat poked around in the woods for the hour and found lots of ground squirrels and other rodent dens.

- Stardust comes back a little while after that and while she saw lots of trees, she also saw some smoke rising from the forest to the west.

- The Keepers begin heading west into the forest.

 

- 3,000 XP ea for 76,200 XP total each.

Ope, Here It Comes Again - July 17, 2026

 - L3 / Major's Field 75th Anniversary Tee

 

- Everyone turns into their own beds, and a long rest is had.

- Bright and early the next morning, Soliana enters the Arcane Study / Library, her researchers are mostly asleep, except Sir Foxglove who is startled from his maps and books when she approaches him. He has the Teleportation Circle all queued up to take them directly to the anomaly they found.

- Everyone has a quick bit of breakfast, then they step through the Teleportation Circle that Foxglove dialed in, and they land on a hill under an overcast, angry sky.

- They are on a rocky, island with some grasses and scrubby trees. 

- Soliana pulls out the staff our of her Wristpocket and uses it a bit like a dowsing rod to find the source of the anomaly, and they find it a bit up the beach right on the water's edge.

- As they approach, the anomaly pulses and grow a bit and two large humanoid figures made of solid sand with . 

- As they get just a little bit closer, some medium-sized humanoid shapes of blowing sand pop out of the pulsing portal and run for the Keepers.

BEACH BATTLE

- Niniel casts Evard's Black Tentacles on all the medium guys and one of the large guys grappling all but one of the medium-sized sand storms and they take 9 bludgeoning dmg. She then summons her tentacle between Soliana and SandStormMan1 and it thwacks it for 4 cold dmg.

- SSM1 takes 14 bludgeoning dmg from the tentacles then melts down into the sand then pops up equidistant from Soliana and Niniel and pushes a small wave of sand over them. Soliana saves and takes 8 bludgeoning dmg and Niniel does not save and takes 16 bludgeoning dmg.

- The ocean rises up and a wave crashes over everyone.

- SSM2 melts into the sand and pops up next to Poetry and it swipes her twice for a 9 slashing and 5 cold then 12 slashing and 4 cold.

- SSM3 takes 9 bludgeoning dmg from the tentacles melts into the sand and pops up behind Soliana missing her on its first swipe but smacking her 12 slashing and 3 cold dmg.

- Zemma Rages and runs up to the only grappled guy left and claws him for 17 slashing dmg then again for 9 slashing dmg and she summons her Infectious Fury for 18 psychic dmg then one last time for 11 slashing dmg. 

- Soliana casts Gravity Sinkhole such that SSM1, SSM4, SandGolem1, and SG2 for 26 force dmg on the SSMs who are pulled to the center of the spell, and the big guys take 13 each and aren't pulled. She then Starlight Steps out of the fray.

- Caleb Disengages with SSM3 and moves to flank SSM2 with Poetry for stabbing it with his rapier for 28 (14) piercing dmg. 

- SG2 takes 10 bludgeoning dmg from the Grasping Tentacles then launches a barrage of sand, stones, bits of coral and whatnot at Soliana for 17 piercing dmg

- SG1 reaches out an arm to Zemma punching her from a distance for 19 (9) bludgeoning dmg 

- Poetry summon Ember in the tentacles next to two of the SSMs who then throws a Flame Seed at SSM4 for 6 fire dmg then steps out of the Tentacles, which did not affect her, and next to Soliana. 

- SSM4 is grabs by the Tentacles and they rip him into tiny breezes that can't carry a single grain of sand.

 

- Niniel moves her tentacle and smacks it for 6 cold dmg. She then casts Cold Lance on SG1 for 27 cold dmg and it is incapacitated until the start of her next turn.

- SSM1 takes 10 bludgeoning dg from the from Grasping Tentacles then melts into the sand and pop up near Poetry and Caleb and pushes sand at them taking 20 and 10 bludgeoning dmg respectively.

- Another tidal wave crashes over the beach and Caleb and Niniel fall over.

- SSM2 smashes a prone Caleb for 8 slashing and 4 cold dmg then again for 17 slashing and 1 cold dmg.

- SSM3 moves to Niniel and smacks her for 13 slashing and 2 (1) cold dmg then again for 15 slashing and 1 cold dmg. Niniel reacts with Winter's Rebuke for 12 cold dmg.

- Zemma runs up to SG1 who is incapacitated so she claws him for 9 slashing dmg then again for 8 slashing dmg then again for 7 slashing and she calls forth her Infectious Fury for 13 psychic dmg.  

- Soliana moves 30' away from the center of the battle, casts Raulothim's Psychic Lance on SG2 for 20 psychic dmg then drinks her Healing Elixir for 11 HP regained.

- Caleb stabs SSM2 for 24 psychic dmg then moves away from the SSM2 and throws a psychic dagger at SSM3 for 6 psychic dmg.

- SG1 is incapacitated.

- SG2 is incapacitated.

- Poetry moves away from SSM2 now that Caleb doesn't need her to flank and she takes 13 slashing dmg from it then casts Fireball in the middle of everything getting all three of the SSMs. SSM1 and SSM3 take 19 fire dmg while SSM2 takes 38 fire dmg. SSM1 is incinerated. Ember then throws a Flame Seed at SSM3 for 8 fire dmg. 

 

- (SG1 is no longer incapacitated) Niniel runs away from SSM3 then casts Eldritch Blast at SG2 for 10 force dmg and again for 10 more force dmg.

- Another tidal wave crashes over the group and Caleb, Niniel, and Poetry are knocked prone.

- SSM2 moves up to Caleb misses then smacks him for 17 slashing and 7 cold dmg.

- SSM3 moves up to Niniel and smacks her for 9 slashing and 5 (1) cold dmg then again for 11 slashing and 8 (2) cold dmg.

- Zemma claws SG1 for 10 slashing dmg then again for 10 slashing and then again for 11 slashing dmg. SG1 crumbles into a pile of inanimate sand. She then darts around the open portal to the remaining SG.

- Soliana casts Raulothim's Psychic Lance on SG2 for 25 psychic dmg and it is incapacitated until the start of her next turn.

- Caleb stands up and stabs his psychic dagger into SSM2 for 11 psychic dmg. SSM2 explodes into a cloud of sand. He then run over to the spectral flame left by SSM1 (from Poetry) and heals 14 HP.

- SG2 is incapacitated.

- Poetry stands up and casts Fireball out over the ocean so that SG2 takes 31 fire dmg. Ember then throws a Flame Seed at SSM3 for 6 fire dmg.

 

- Niniel stands up. Her tentacle smacks SSM3 for 11 cold dmg. Niniel steps forward directly in the spectral flame that is summoned because of Poetry's proximity and gains 11 HP. She then Eldritch Blasts SG2 for 5 force dmg and then again for 13 force dmg. She then steps forward again next to her tentacle.

- A tidal wave comes through and knocks everyone except Poetry on their asses. 

- Zemma stands up and claws SG2 for 12 slashing dmg then again for 9 slashing dmg.

- Caleb runs into the spectral flame for 13 HP.

 END OF BATTLE

- Zemma moves away from the portal and Soliana moves to 30ft from the portal. 

- Soliana manipulates the energies attempting to create an energy siphon away from the Kraken, and as she is completing her manipulations, they are all whisked away into the portal.

 

- 4,500 XP ea for 73,200 XP total ea.