Awkward Innuendo and Attack Bugs - June 19, 2026

- CR raglan sleeve gray and green shirt

 

- After just a few minutes after the Keepers are shown into the formal parlor, the Haenénars arrive.

- Introductions are made, and Soliana explains about her book (with a small aside about the Kraken taking over the coast or whatever, but that's not why they are here).

- Ardred takes Soliana to a study and examines the book while Niniel and Anlyth offend each other in the parlor.

- Ardred says the soul is in the process of fully fusing with Soliana's soul. Right now they are two entities that are linked, but they are slowly becoming one thing. Is it a hostile takeover situation? Unclear.

- Soliana posits that maybe someone with experience in divine magic might be able to help or at least provide a soul-level "backflow preventer" so that she remains in charge.

- While in the hallway, Niniel accidentally attempts to start a class war by question the servant carrying a tray of sandwiches.

- Caleb then has the fun job of explaining about the Kraken and the Tidal Dominion to his mother.

- Anlyth is scandalized.

- As everyone is walking out, they find Zemma in the garden teacher them all the tricks she learned from Ellie to the, Niniel takes the time while everyone is distracted to take some of the rocks lining the flowerbeds to make a small cairn, and then she takes the fish head that she finds in her patron pouch on top, hiding it in a bush.

- She calls over a gardener and tells him that this bush has a branch sticking out that needs trimming while walking away. 

- The garden only has a few seconds before there is a flash of light and glowing bugs (they look like giant lightning bugs) the size of dogs start swarming around.

- Soliana pulls out the Elongating Shaft and starts backing up.

BUGGY BATTLE

 - Bug1 flies up to Poetry and its abdomen glows and a lightning bolt hits the bug and thunder slams out to everything within 15' of the bug (everyone except Caleb) (Soliana and Niniel take 18 thunder dmg while Niniel and Zemma take 36 and are deafened). Then it flies away.

- Caleb dashes towards the bug putting himself between it and Soliana and throws a psychic dagger at it for 7 psychic dmg then again for 9 psychic dmg.

- Niniel casts Summon Elemental (Water) and has it grab the gardener and bring him to the house and stuff him through the door to the house. It does the thing while she summons her tentacle next to Bug1, then she dashes off away from the house.  

- B3 chases Niniel and bites her twice with its mean pincers for 28 piercing and 13 (7) lightning dmg. 

- Poetry summons Ember within 10' of B1 and it takes 5 fire dmg from the summoning. She then turns and sends a Healing Word to Soliana for 6 HP.

- B4 flies between Niniel and Zemma and then spits a bolt of lightning at Zemma for 18 lightning dmg.

- Zemma Rages (bitey version) and rushes up to B4 biting it for 12 piercing dmg (she heals 4 HP) but she misses the second bite.

- B2 flies toward Caleb and spits lightning at him, but misses.

- Soliana runs toward the bush and manipulates the magic to reduce the effect of the mystical anomaly and the lightning bugs dim, then Starlight Steps away again. 

 

- B1 flies to the center of Caleb, Zemma, and Poetry and calls lightning to itself overwhelming them with 7 (3) lightning dmg. (Thank you 

- Caleb throws a psychic dagger at B3 eating Niniel for 19 psychic dmg then again for 7 psychic dmg. He then darts into B2's face.

- Niniel casts Vampiric Touch (5th level) on B3 dealing 59 necrotic dmg and healing herself for 29 HP. Then she moves her tentacle next to B4 and misses smacking it. She calls for the Water Elements to return to the battle and he runs into the middle of the battle between B4 and B2.

- Poetry casts Dispel Magic (5th level) on the anomaly and it disappears. Ember then throws a Flame Seed at B1 for 18 fire dmg.

- B4 misses biting Zemma then misses again.

- Zemma misses with her bite then bites it for 11 piercing dmg healing herself for 4 HP.

- B2 bites Caleb twice for 9 piercing and 2 lightning dmg. 

- Soliana casts Raulothim's Psychic Lance (5th level) at B1 for 30 psychic dmg which kills it, fully melting its brain.

 

- Caleb Disengages with B2 and flanks B4 with Zemma stabbing with his rapier for 27 piercing dmg.   

- Niniel moves around a bush to get next to B2 but misses with her Vampiric Touch. The tentacle moves away from Caleb and smacks B2 for 6 cold dmg.

- Poetry casts Scorching Ray (3rd level) two each to the remaining bugs dealing 18 fire dmg to B2 and 8 fire dmg to B4. Ember throws a Flame Seed at B4 for 7 fire dmg.

- B4 moves around Caleb to the center of everyone calls lightning down to itself which it absorbs then pulses out with thunder dealing 25 thunder dmg and deafening Caleb and Poetry, while Zemma and Niniel take 12 thunder dmg.

- Zemma runs around and flanks B4 missing with her first bite then bites it for 10 piercing dmg. She then steps forward to flank with Niniel.

- B2 flies away towards the house. He then spits lightning at Niniel for 11 (5) lightning dmg.

 - Soliana walks forward 30' and casts Psychic Lance on it for 24 psychic dmg and Incapacitated until her next turn.

 

- Caleb turn to face the last bug and throws a psychic dagger at it for 25 psychic dmg. It's brain is also melted. 

 END BATTLE

- The Haenénars come out and ask Caleb if he's okay, but then ask why he didn't cast more spells as Soliana is handing him her Healing Elixir.

- Soliana tells them that Caleb cast exactly the right spells as needed. 

- Niniel then further distracts them by asking after the gardener. 

- Poetry sends Ember away and she flies into the stone wall of the house and explodes into sparks.

- Distraction successful. No long rest. 

 

- 3,000 XP ea for 65, 700 XP total ea. LEVEL UP TO 10!

Grim Memories - June 12, 2026

- "It's a bear suit, Joel."

 

- Soliana succeeds in casting Legend Lore on her book. She goes into a Trance and starts seeing things from the prospective of the book. She is looking up at a man who is writing "in her" (Kinky, no inky.) The man is wearing a green robe. He looks to be a middle aged human with short-cropped black hair and a short black beard. He seems to be very intent on his work. A younger person comes into the room and asks him a question, and she hears that the man's name is Professor Fellhart. The conversation seems amiable. Then the book is closed and trance shifts. At some point the book is opened again, and the professor is there again and he reviews his notes and starts writing again. Whatever he's writing is magical in natural, but it's not the usual sort of thing. It feels weird and different. An older man comes into the room, also human. They also have a conversation, but this time the conversation seems antagonistic. The older man tells Fellhart "I will not approve any experimentation. It's beyond question." Fellhart responds, "No, you don't understand! We're on the verge of a breakthrough. It's just about memory, it's about your soul. Everything is connected." The older man responds, "That's what I'm afraid of. You can't pick at these magical threads without everything unraveling." The scene fades and then Fellhart is standing at a lectern with the book and there's a younger man in a circle and Fellhart is directing him to cast spells into the circle, and the younger man after a few spells the circle shimmers and the man explodes into a whirling hurricane of magical energy which Fellhart shoos out the window with disappointment. The scene fades. The book is opened again and the older man (NOT Fellhart) makes a few notation in the book and closes it again. The next scene is Fellhart again, trying another magical ritual, but this time something seems to go wrong and his face gets closer and closer and closer to the book until it's pushed into the book and disappears. There's darkness and a feeling of anger then confusion then darkness. The book opens again and it's Soliana's before the accident looking into the book and there's a flash of energy and the book reaches out and grabs onto something in Soliana and Soliana starts out of the Trance.

- Soliana goes and tells Caleb all this. She casts Silent Image to show Caleb what Fellhart looked like.

- Soliana broaches the subject of maybe talking to his wizard parents, Anlyth Haenénar (mother) and Ardred Haenénar (father). (They were granted an estate in a small town just south of Arrandale, now called Nörienna, the New Dawn.) Caleb isn't happy about the idea of talking to them, but he's sure they would help even if they would be insufferable about it. (There were two rules growing up: 1. Education is the key to Success. 2. The Measure of Success is Status.)

- They have a hard conversation about parents and then Soliana darts out of the room with Grim.

- The next morning, exposition to the rest of the group happens, and everyone agrees to go to Arrandale and maybe to Caleb's parents house too.

- They check in with Foxglove, and he, Tanelia, and Ailas are all busy pouring over books and maps.

- Caleb talks to Emmyth on the way about Soliana and how protective he is of her, but also how he has complicated feelings and she's so young, and please help. Emmyth is confused, and Caleb stammers some more about his feelings and advice about involving Soliana in a romantic entanglement. Emmyth assures him that he is not too old for Soliana, but that Soliana is probably completely unaware of any feelings he is harboring. She also tells him not to let fear hold him back.  

- Alvin Bronzebelch slips Caleb a sheepskin condom in the hallway after accidentally eavesdropping. 

- He gets to the library just as Soliana starts looking for him before she casts Teleportation Circle to Arrandale.

- They arrive in front of Sharai's office just as an angry wizard student slams out of the door. Niniel trips him with a tentacle. Only Caleb notices her doing it.

- Soliana explains about what she saw and does two Silent Images to show the two men in the book, and Sharai recognizes the old man who sabotaged the book as Quellmoor (the one who Grim thought was an idiot). He was also a headmaster of a school from the southern continent called Ember Spire. She met him once at a symposium for teachers of the arcane arts. The Ember Spire school is in the middle of the southern continent near the mountain ridge.

- Mistress Sharai confirms that the Haenénars are unlikely to murder Soliana for Grim, but they are in fact overbearing.

- If they are in town, they would be staying with the Count and Countess Harthor, so they thank Sharai for her time, and then head to that estate. They knock on the door and Caleb introduces himself by his full name (Celeborn Valuthar Haenénar) and asks after his parents, who are in fact in residence. The Keepers are invited inside.

 - 2,000 XP ea for 62,700 XP total ea.

Foxglove's Elongating Shaft - May 29, 2026

 - Long May He Reign

 

- As soon as they get back to the manor, Ailas comes to tell Soliana that the Teleportation Circle should be ready for testing.

- Soliana is beat to hell and says maybe they can do the testing tomorrow. Somehow Caleb shows up with Emmyth who immediately begins fretting over Soliana. She gets dragged off to get a hot bath.

- Soliana Sends to Sir Foxglove asking if he can meet them in Arrandale the next afternoon since he has news per Caleb.

- Foxglove responds, Sigh. "While I generally avoid travel, I suppose this is sufficiently important to warrant a short trip. I can meet you at the Hollow Oak Tavern tomorrow afternoon."

- Niniel scribbles in her book to the Kraken to ask what he knows about Morgion with a bit of the story about Father Powell. The only response she gets is, "No gods are worth your worship." She agrees with him.

- She then feels her Patron Pouch bulge and she finds a piece of parchment inside with two circle diagrams. The first goes to Port Carling (she has a vision of a dark and dusty version of the city). The second sigil looks like a rocky beach that she doesn't recognize when she gets the vision. She runs to give the sigils to Soliana who transcribes them into her book for future use.

- The next morning the carriage arrives a little after dawn, and they get to Arrandale a little after midday.

- Soliana runs into the school leaves a note for Mistress Sharai that they will be back to talk about the cleric situation, then she scribbles down the appropriate sigils for the Teleporation Circle for the school, and then Caleb takes them to the Hollow Oak. 

- Sir Foxglove is already at a table in the corner having a glass of wine. 

- Niniel gets a glass of Elven brandy made with apples, acorns, and elderberry flowers.

- Port Carling has been come to be called by the Tidal Dominion "The Lord's Gate" so any danger would come from the South rather than over the mountains from the ocean to the east.

- Soliana buys a cloak of protection, 200 GP worth of Teleportation Circle components, and 800 GP worth of general spell components.

- Zemma buys a pair of fingerless gloves that function as an Insignia of Claws

- Caleb buys Glamoured Studded Leather with Soliana and Poetry's help.

- Sharai has not yet heard back from the cleric of Mishakal that she knows, so Soliana just gives a report on everything she has learned and what Caleb has learned (you know, for their "Independent Study").

- The two of them then return to the everyone else at the Hollow Oak where Zemma has been helping get Sir Foxglove well lubricated and having a giant meal of Elven. Niniel is enjoying a citrusy mead.

- "There was a meth lab in one of the music practice rooms at SMU." "Well, Methodist does start with meth."

- They collect their friends and then since there isn't a big enough space in the pub / tavern, they go back to the school again to use one of the ritual practice rooms.

- Soliana successfully casts Teleportation Circle for the first time ever, and they are magically back in Lamarra at the Twilit Grove. 

- There is some discussion where Soliana finally finds out about the second tree that Ellie and Niniel and Poetry planted on the other side of town. She likens it to cutting off your left arm at the elbow so that you can use it as a back scratcher. A short term gain for a long term extreme amount of loss.

- The tree is examined and Foxglove confirms Soliana's theory that this is a magical drain that might ruin this area, but it's also not entirely stable.

- Foxglove then gives Soliana an artifact that he invented that is a small cylinder that when twisted becomes a spear-like staff that can be used to modify the anomalies to redirect the focus of the energy. This must be done from near proximity to the anomaly, but not so close you get sucked in to it.   

- It is called the Lance of Temporal Manipulation. Or possibly the Lance of Temporal Anomaly Manipulation. Or maybe the Lance of Temporal Articulation.

- Niniel suggests Foxglove's Elongating Shaft. 

- Ailas and Tanelia finally show up and Soliana has them escort Sir Foxglove to the arcane lab so that he can search the lay lines for additional anomalies. 

- Soliana has Niniel and Poetry take her to the second tree they planted and she examines it and finds it to be the same as the other tree. A proper duplicate.

- She gently touches the tip of the Shaft to the second tree and can feel the energies of the magic flowing through the tree.

- She cannot use the Shaft to manipulate the energy in the tree to redirect it back to where it is coming from, and she cannot pull energy into the Shaft and store it. This tool can only manipulate the energies of the anomalies of a tool shaping clay. It is a conduit.

- They all go back to the manor and Soliana makes a beeline for the arcane study where she is finally going to cast Legend Lore on Grim.

- Caleb tries to ask Zemma her opinion on how big is an age gap before it's creepy to like someone younger than you.

- She says it's not creepy if you are in the same stage of life, which is wise, but not as helpful as Caleb would have hoped.

 

- 2,500 XP each for 60,700 XP total each

Temple of Doom - April 17, 2026

 - Fellowship of the icosahedron. 

 

- While she's sleeping, Niniel has dream that involves a magic girl transformation, but when she wakes up her Periapt of Wound Closure isn't plated gold, so she put her money pouch and the periapt into her Patron Pouch and now the Periapt now gives +1 AC.

- She then goes and finds Soliana in the Arcane Study where she and the new Conjuration specialist Ailas Morrel has arrived and Soliana, Ailas, Tanelia, and Nym are all laying out the new Teleportation Circle so that Ailas can enchant it more quickly.

- There is some talk of money, and then Soliana does a Sending to the stablemaster in Arrandale to call for a carriage for the next day.

- Near the end of the day, Miss Emmyth approaches Soliana and says there is a very upset townsperson at the door. A young elven man is at the door. There is something going on at the temple.

- Something grabbed his brother, and he barely made it out. 

- The Keepers rush to the temple.

- The two double doors leading into the temple are standing open, but the sun has set enough that you can't see very well, but there is an indeterminate greenish glow coming from inside.

- Niniel goes up to a portion of wall on the side of the building and uses her Ghostly Gaze to look through the wall. She can see someone slumped over or sitting on the raised portion of the sanctuary near the lectern. 

- Niniel reports back and then Soliana casts Protection from Good and Evil on Zemma who then strides into the building. Poetry follows, then Caleb, then Soliana, then Niniel.

- The doors closed behind them of their own accord. Poetry's shadows rises up and tries to claw her.

BATTLE AT THE SANCTUARY

- The shadow attacks Poetry and Soliana casts Silvery Barbs on it, but it still gets her for 15 necrotic dmg. Then it claws her again for 19 necrotic dmg.

- Caleb attacks the darkness very successfully for 29 psychic dmg, then he whiffs the second attack.

- Soliana's shadow claws her for 10 necrotic dmg and then again for 15 necrotic dmg.

- Poetry summons Ember on the far side of her shadow dealing 3 fire dmg to the shadow. The fire seems less affective than normal. The light from Ember doesn't affect the creature. Poetry then runs forward towards the lectern dodging another claw attack. The shadow doesn't follow her, but she does generate a new shadow.

- Soliana sees that the lectern / altar thing is the source of the green glow so she Starlight Steps away from her shadow then runs up the stairs to the dais to get a better look. She can see that there are little piles of bones in the corners of the room on the dais and the slumped over Father Powell are all connected somehow. (Arcana 27 - Success)

- Zemma runs to the nearest corner and smashes the pile of bones into dust. (Athletics 24 - Success)

- Niniel casts Wall of Light encompassing the two shadows an extending into the corner behind Soliana dealing 18 radiant dmg and the two shadows are Blinded. Niniel then runs around her Wall of Light to the corner with some bones then she summons her tentacle next to her and it attempts to smash some bones.

 

 - The shadow that started as Poetry's dissolves and reappears next to Soliana and slashes her for 10 necrotic dmg and then again for 12 necrotic dmg and Soliana is now unconscious.

- Caleb runs forward and misses throwing a psychic dagger at the shadow that attack Soliana, then he hits with the second one for 9 psychic dmg.

- The shadow that started with Soliana dissolves and reappears next to Caleb and claws him for 9 necrotic dmg and then it misses. 

- Poetry runs up the stairs next to Soliana taking 12 necrotic dmg as she runs past Caleb's new shadow. She then casts Cure Wounds on Soliana for 12 HP. She then turns and casts Thunder Wave in the corner on the bones, but they move around without being destroyed. (Arcana 11 - No success)

- Niniel's shadow animates but misses her on the first hit, then claws her for 13 necrotic dmg. 

- Soliana army crawls next to Father Powell and casts Dispel Magic on him while calling on Chislev in a non-denominational temple to get him out of the web of magic created by this ritual. The ground around him cracks and vines grow up encasing Father Powell disrupting his connection to the web. She then stands up and Starlight Steps to put her back to the wall to maybe prevent another shadow from forming next to her. (Religion 18 - Success)

- Zemma dashes over next to Soliana and another pile of bones. She then Pounces on the bones (Acrobatics 17 - Success)

- Niniel uses her action to attack the shadow next to Poetry with the Wall of Light for 22 radiant dmg then she casts Thunderclap on the bones and the shadow in the corner. The bones and the shadow are both unaffected. (Intimidation 15 - No success)

- The shadow next to Poetry disappears and appears in the shadow of the table next to Soliana for 13 necrotic dmg (she's unconscious again) then it slashes Zemma for 15 necrotic dmg.

- Caleb runs away from the shadow next to him dodging a claw then stabs into the creature with his rapier for 33 piercing dmg. The shadow poofs out of corporeal existence. He then looks around to assess if there is anything else that might be involved with this magical affect, and he notices that the tapestry that depicts the symbology of the gods also had a hidden Hood of Morgion as well.

- The remaining shadow moves to Poetry and misses her then claws her for 14 necrotic dmg. 

- Poetry casts Dispel Magic (5th level) on the bones next to her. Then Ember throws a Flame Seed at the tapestry that Caleb identified and Poetry uses her control of the element of fire to spread the flames very quickly. (Nature 16 - Success)

- Soliana fades a little bit.

- A new shadow forms in the shadow of the tables next to Caleb and misses him twice.

- Zemma claws the shadow that just appeared for 8 slashing dmg then again for 12 slashing dmg

- Niniel uses her Wall of Light to attack the shadow next to Poetry for 18 radiant dmg then she Eldritch Blasts the pile of bones but misses. (Arcana 11 - No success)

 

- A new shadow appears next to Niniel and misses her then claws her for 5 necrotic dmg. She maintains the Wall of Light.

- Caleb steps up onto the stairs and dumps a Healing Elixir into Soliana's mouth for 9 HP. He then without even looking throws a dagger into the lectern. (Sleight of Hand 23 - Success!) The green glow sputters and dies. 

 

- Niniel stabs and stabs and stabs the pile of bones with a trident and then uses up the Wall of Light absolutely destroying them and possibly the floor in that area as well.

- Soliana sits up against the wall and starts trying to clear Healing Elixir out of her sinuses. 

- Caleb and Zemma examine Father Powell, but find that one he is dead and two its not Father Powell just someone dressed up to look like him. 

- They clear more of the vines away and find that the symbol of Morgion (hood with eyes) has been carved into his chest. 

- Soliana casts Sending to Father Powell, "A ritual to Morgion has been cast in the Temple and someone dressed to look like you has died. Where are you? Are you safe?"

- He responds, "Worry not. I am quite safe. I think you no longer need my assistance. Lamarra is a bit too soft for me. I will spread my gospel elsewhere." 

- Grim tells Soliana that she is naive because this guy clearly left a trap trying to kill you for all the trouble you've caused him. 

- Niniel goes to find the boy who almost fell into this trap to heal him. She tells him that Father Powell has left town. 

- Zemma moves the body of the unknown man who died in the temple to a respectful pyre and Poetry summons fire to cleanse his earthly form of the magic that killed him.

 

- 3,000 XP ea for 58,200 XP total ea.

Business Affairs - April 3, 2026

 - Virtual 5k from 2020

 

- When the Keepers and Nym return to the manor, Miss Emmyth tells Soliana that she has a visitor. She dashes off to clean up after the fight in the forest.

- She Prestigdigitates everyone clean and they all head into the parlor.

- There is an elf in a cream, 3-piece suit. He sounds like a southern gentleman. He is Silvarus Duskrin.

- He is her business partner with Château Mystique. The chief Enchanter is Eldrin Thandor (not present). The winery itself is on the outskirts of Arrandale (mountain side).

- The wine is enchanted as it is fermented and aged. It is supposed to make you feel like you are sitting in a park on a warm summer day. The idea was to cheer people up during the winter, but people are somehow getting frostbite and cold damage instead of the park experience. 

- He has a couple of sample bottle of the enchantment gone-wrong for testing.   

- He describes what he knows of the enchanting process. It mostly involves magical reagents that infuse during the aging process. 

- Niniel agrees to drink some For SCIENCE.

- She smells the wine, which is a rosé color, and it smells crisp and floral. It's a bit thin in the mouth feel.

- They proceed to the laboratory and Tanelia and Soliana prepare to watch the process. Soliana ritually casts Detect Magic

- Niniel drinks about 1.5 oz and after a few minutes she feels cold. Then the feeling fades and she's fine.

- Caleb drinks about the same amount. After a few minutes he starts to shiver, then he takes 4 cold dmg. After another few minutes, his stomach starts to cramp and then he vomits ice slush and takes 5 more cold dmg.

- "A dead customer is not a repeat customer." 

- After another few minutes, Caleb starts to feel a weighty oppression in his mind. Kraken bullshit?

- Silvarus also has a bottle or two of a "better" vintage, which Niniel and Caleb are excited to try. 

- The better vintage causes their skin to tingle and they can see little color motes flitting about like fireflies in their vision.

- It apparently makes all of your parts tingle delightfully, so this vintage is particularly popular with young lovers. 

- Tanelia is able to tell that the reagents are some kind of fresh water (maybe fresh rain water or maybe clear mountain spring water) and some sort of seed. Somehow the water seems to have been used salt water instead, giving cold watery depths.

- It turns out that Caleb Farstar is Caleborn Velathuil Haènenar and his parents are the Lord and Lady Haènenar who helped clear Arrandale of the lingering Drow influence so many years ago. 

- Silvarus makes Soliana a bit uncomfortable so she goes to the other side of the room and then casts Grim's (Nathair's) Mischief on the other half of the room making minuscule droplets of molasses hover in the room making it obscured and sticky.

- She is found out almost immediately.

- At some point Soliana uses Alter Self to show Silvarus what she used to look like. 

- Niniel and Silvarus come to an agreement to send the cold wine to Revelora via Port Carling and have Viceroy Laroth pay for it. 

- Soliana does a Sending to the Viceroy to let her know the Emissary has arranged the purchase of enchanted wine with a cold affect to be forwarded to Revelora (cash on delivery).

- Silvarus and Soliana go out to speak to Ellie as there may be another harvest of grapes this year due to magical shenangians.

- Silvarus then gives Soliana her share of the last season's profits (2,000 GP). 

- Soliana gets Ellie to harvest as much as possible of a short list of plants with latent magical properties (96 GP worth).

- Soliana stores her newfound riches in her Vault of Amber (spell). 

- Soliana takes some (most) of her new components to learn Absorb Elements, Protection from Good and Evil, Snare, and Sudden Awakening.

- Caleb gets a Sending from Sir Foxglove, "Next time your group is in the area, I have some insights that I'd like to share. Also, the navy from Rhoanor has come to blockade the city."   

- Niniel finally gets the circle right for Find Familiar, but the cat comes out with six eyes, squid tentacles (plural) for a tail, and a squid beak at the back of its cat mouth.  

- A long rest is had. 

 

- 2,000 XP ea for 55,200 XP total ea.

More of Morgion's Manifestations - March 13, 2026

- Kitty with dice 

 

- The tree they plant immediately start to grow and get bigger.

- Soliana still doesn't know that this has happened as she's still in the library with Nym on who they might get to come and build a Teleportation Circle.

- Niniel zaps her obsidian kraken broach with Shocking Grasp and she speaks in kraken Tongues for a second.

- Her Kraken Book gets warm. There's a message from the Kraken in there, "The Emissary does well. Our power grows. Soon we will walk the land."

- Niniel write back asking if he's happy about this tree, the ice demon in the locket, or something else.

- After the tree and book stuff are done, Niniel, Poetry, and Caleb head to Father Powell's cottage to spy via talking to plants.

- On the way, they talk to the townspeople who are very enthusiastic about the current situation and are excited for the new magic tree.

- They are browsing the shops near Father Powell's cottage to try to watch and see if he is there. Caleb sneaks over and peeks into a window and sees him inside doing chores like cleaning candles.

- Caleb looks around to the best of his ability to see if there are any signs of Morgion, but he doesn't see anything.

- Niniel and Poetry go into a nearby bakery and buy some bread and cheese and pastries and go sit under a tree between the temple and the "parsonage" and Poetry casts Speak with Plants on the tree they are sitting next to each other.

- The Oak Tree tells Poetry that Father Powell talked to some people about how they needed to work harder on the thing. The tree directs her into the forest, the opposite direction to the garden they are building for Chislev. 

- Caleb has a very boring stakeout where Father Powell does nothing untoward.

- They head back to the manor to get Soliana from the library and Zemma from the blacksmith shop. 

- From there, they sneak through the wood to the area they think they need to go, and Zemma finds a path from the temple out into the woods.

- As they follow the path, the trees and forest get darker and more overgrown.

- Niniel and Zemma are hearing a tapping that is coming from a variety of directions.

- Niniel casts Dancing Lights. With the glowing lights, the sounds stop, but now there are glowing orbs reflecting the light in eye kind of locations, but there are no pupils.

- One of the lights approaches it, and the thing is very large, holding onto the top of a tree. It looks like a monkey crossed with an insect. It has very large claws and its back is covered with chitinous plates with glowing orbs embedded in the plates. 

- Poetry offers some cheese to one of the beings, and it does not want the cheese.

- Niniel offers it some bread, and it starts to climb down from the tree and approach her.

BATTLE WITH MORE SCARY ABERRATIONS IN THE FOREST

- Niniel casts Hold Monster on Aberration1 and it is Paralyzed. Then she runs behind a tree and summons her Tentacle next to A1 which smacks it for 15 cold dmg.

- Poetry summons Ember behind A3 who immediately throws a Flame Seed at A3. 

- A1 fails his Wis ST.

- Soliana casts Tasha's Caustic Brew (4th level) on A3 for 21 acid dmg. She takes a step back away from it, but as it's shaking from the damage one of the orbs on its back falls off and becomes a swarm of larval worms.

- The Larval Worms1 immediately moves over and attacks Poetry for 9 piercing dmg and now she is poisoned until the end of LW1's next turn. 

- Zemma runs up to A1 and Rages (claws). She claws it for 24 slashing dmg. Zemma takes 7 acid dmg from the creature's blood. Another ball of Larval Worms fall off right at her feet. Zemma then claws the swarm of worms and deals 10 (5) slashing dmg. She then misses clawing A1.

- LW2 start crawling up Zemma's legs, but then can't bite through her tough skin (yet).

- A3 takes 22 acid dmg and another swarm is formed (LW3). (The Aberrations are apparently called Tree Stalkers. Very gross.)

- A3 moves to flank Zemma with A1. It claws her for 8 (4) slashing dmg and then stabs her with its proboscis for 22 (11-4) piercing dmg and 26 necrotic dmg. Zemma is now poisoned until the end of A3's next turn. It then shakes and more LWs (4) off its back.

- LW3 also misses biting Poetry.

- LW4 moves to Niniel and misses.

- Caleb moves to flank A3 with Zemma and stabs it for 69 piercing dmg (Crit!! Noice!!) and Caleb takes 10 acid dmg then he Disengages and comes back to guard Soliana.

 

- Niniel Misty Steps away from the worms to a spot behind Soliana and next to a medium-sized tree. She then casts Eldritch Blast on A1 for a total of 10 force dmg. Then she steps farther behind the tree.

- Poetry casts Burning Hands down her own legs onto the worms. LW1 and Poetry both take 5 fire dmg, but LW3 takes 11 fire dmg. Ember then moves to Poetry and Fiery Teleports her 15' and they both take 2 fire dmg. Poetry is no longer poisoned. 

- Soliana casts Wither and Bloom (5th level) centered on the big bunched up group dealing 14 necrotic dmg at A1, A3, LW1 through 3 and Zemma regains 44 HP. 

- LW1 moves to Caleb and starts to eat his legs, but Soliana Silvery Barbs them and they miss.

- Zemma claws A1 for 19 slashing dmg and Zemma takes 8 acid dmg. Zemma then claws LW2 for 9 (4) slashing dmg. She misses the third strike.

- LW2 still can't seem to chew on Zemma.

- A3 takes 25 acid dmg and dies!

- LW3 swarms Soliana and bite her for 24 piercing dmg. 

- LW4 swarms Caleb and bite him for 12 piercing dmg. He is now poisoned. 

- Caleb Disengages from the worm swarms and runs over to A1 and stabs it for 63 piercing dmg. Right in its brain! It's dead now! LW5 and LW6 drop off its back as it falls dead.

- LW5 misses Caleb.

- LW6 bites Caleb for 15 (-7 from the tentacle).

 

- Niniel casts a Careful Sickening Radiance on everything ignoring her friends. All the LWs take 29 radiant dmg. LW1, 2, and 3 are dead. Niniel then uses her bonus action to tentacle LW6 for 6 cold dmg. 

- Poetry casts Scorching Ray at LW4 for a total of 20 fire dmg. LW4 is dead! Ember then runs over and grabs Caleb and Fiery Teleports him 15 feet away and LW5 and LW6 each take 5 fire dmg. LW6 is now dead. Ember takes 

- Soliana runs forward to about 10' from Zemma and then drop Wither and Bloom on Zemma so that LW6 dies and she regains 11 HP for the cost of 1 Hit Die.

END OF BATTLE 

- Niniel allows the breeze to carry away the miasma of her Sickening Radiance.

- The group continues down the path with Caleb scouting quietly ahead. A short walk up the path Caleb sees something glowing just off the path.

- Soliana begin ritually casting Identify on the altar. It also has the symbol of Morgion. It looks very freshly constructed. The symbol of Morgion is painted onto the altar in blood. The Identify spell notes that the altar is humming with Conjuration magic. Soliana fails to Dispel the effect with her last 4th level spell slot, but she succeeds on her second attempt with a third level slot.

- After some discussion, Soliana does a Sending to Nym asking her to meet Niniel at the temple. 

- Niniel waves to Father Powell through the window as she walks past and he comes out to talk to her. She notices that he has some blood on his sleeve. He claims to have snagged his arm on the door. Niniel believes that he doesn't care about the missing people, but she can't tell if he's lying about having cut his arm on the door jamb.

- Niniel gathers Nym and guides her through the woods to the battle site and then brings her the few more minutes to the altar site.

- Niniel has another look at the shoe prints Zemma found, but she can't tell if they are Father Powell's.

- Nym collects a sample of the blood. 

- Once Nym is done, Poetry casts Polymorph on Zemma turning her into an elephant who makes short work of smashing the altar. 

- Poetry lets the spell fade, and they walk back to town and the manor. (An elephant wouldn't fit in the dense woods.)

 

- 2,700 XP ea for 53,200 XP total ea.

The Magic is Cocaine? - February 27, 2026

- Long May He Reign

 

- The next morning The Emissary and her entourage are given free breakfast. 

- Two new ritual spells have appeared in Niniel's Pact Tome and Grim may have "dreamed" them into it.

- The Keepers head to Sir Foxglove where Soliana trades him a instructions for how to cast Legend Lore for an 8" long snake fang (ivory stick).

- They tell Sir Foxglove about the Kraken (the Sea Lord), the anomalies being created by the Kraken for power, Tidal Dominion, and then he teleports them to Arrandale.

- Soliana immediately power walks into Mistress Sharai's office and infodumps.

- While waiting for the carriage to Lamarra, Soliana goes and spends her new 500 GP in the Fireside Quill (3 pieces of ivory, 250 GP of incense, 100 GP of chalks).

- They get to town and Soliana asks the first person who greets her about the missing citizens, and so far Thomas Manly, an old pensioner, went out for firewood and never came back and some traders who were passing through the wood also went missing.

- The manor has experienced a good bit of work in the two months they have been gone to sea. It looks a lot less dilapidated now. 

- While Soliana confers with Emmyth, Niniel goes to check on the tree. The air by the tree is warmer, and when she touches the tree it feels like it hums and it slightly warm to the touch.

- Nym hasn't found evidence of a cult or people associated with Morgion in this area, but she still has some feelers out.

- They turn to gossip and Soliana asks who Emmyth hits with a broom when they are being obstinate and it's Rolamine from the Workshop who got hit with a broom, though Tanelia almost forgot she had dish duty once and Emmyth smacked her but just with a hand that time. Nym also thinks Caleb is cute. 

- Tanelia, the Arcanist, shows up in the library to ask if Soliana and her team can create another one of the magical trees on the south side of town to envelope it. It has created a very mild winter in this area, the garden is going crazy, and they are selling vegetables to the townsfolk at an extremely low cost and the fields in the estate are probably going to produce a harvest midwinter. Tanelia just thinks Caleb is "all right".

- Poetry goes to the garden and meets Ellie who shows her the garden that produces enough to feed a large household every day. A full cart goes into town every day.

- Poetry then proceeds to the magic tree and casts Speak with Plants and the tree is manic. Absolutely on crack cocaine. Poetry gets permission to prune a branch and try planting it in a different part of town. It's leaking magic all over the place and it's making everything grow. The tree don't know nuthin' about no kraken.

- There's some kind of grain growing in the fields, maybe a wheat or a rye. It will be ready for harvest in a week or so.

- They get Ellie to cut a branch the proper way and take it to a spot recommended by Tanelia. On the way back they'll get Poetry to talk to some plants outside the parsonage.

 

- 2,500 XP ea for 50,500 XP total ea.