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.