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.