Lemon! Tomato! and Other Dwendalian Swear Words

Session 11

Maltheo summarizes what we’ve done so far so we can all get a feel for what should be next, and confronts Prophet about what he's been tasked to do. We don't know details, but it's obviously something that will help the Kryn's military objectives. We decide to help, and so on the way he gives a speech to give us inspiring leader temporary HP. Maltheo and Prophet continue their talk, and have a conversation about religion. We head south on the road, and then eventually leave the road and begin traveling west.

Mint, as our “guide”, notices that this trail already has moribounder tracks. There are dozens of them, and they’re not very old at all. We’re going to follow Prophet to meet, in fact, the “Shadowhand” Thelyss. Prophet insists that we’re going to help the light of luxon and keep the faith.

Another hour on the trail and we catch up to the group of 40-ish moribounders from a distance. They’re in a valley that we can oversee in the Brokenveil Marsh. They’re all stationed around a 40 ⨉ 40 giant hole in the ground. Their moribounders get excited because they’re recognizing something, and as we get closer, we notice that it’s Morgid with the rest of the gang. They’re a group of people from Urzin, fighting for Xhorhas!

We quickly discover that they have been invited by the Xhrhasian forces for a battle at the border, which it seems that Prophet has known all along. Or at least here to help the Shadowhands. We go into a tunnel that’s perfectly round; it's been made by what is known as a "purple worm". The Kryn use them as tunnel-diggers, and Prophet knows what they are. We travel for an hour and then come above ground at a fork in the tunnel, into a place where there were signs of a village in the past. Ruins are all around, including a fallen, split tower. There are also Kryn soldiers.

A tall, muscular drow female (very Brienne of Tarth style) comes to meet Prophet, and she has a sigil of a Kryn house. She invites him to join her for they have much to discuss. It’s Den Mirimm, the same signet that’s on a ring Mint is wearing. In the tent, there’s a half dozen strategists around the table and it’s obviously some sort of war planning. Some are wearing mage robes-style clothing. Another woman, with stars and constellations on her dress, recognizes Prophet and says her brother mentioned he’d be coming. “You must be Tisiphone Thelyss”. She invites us all to have a seat while the captain introduces herself as Thambiran Mirimm.

One of the mage women leans in and whispers something into Tisiphone’s ear. Briya and Maltheo leave the tent to not be part of a purposeful zone of truth spell. The rest stay behind and fail the save willingly. They reached out to Prophet in order to help do this incursion/blockade. “We’ve brought a beacon” spoken in Undercommon. It's a relic of their people, around the size of a basketball, that’s needed in battle, but makes them vulnerable and needs to be protected.

To agree to assist them, we strike a deal for 1000 gold and a yet-unnamed favor in the next town. Their forces number 100 infantry, 40 stealth soldiers, and 10 mages, who are here in the tent. This is versus the approximate 100 opposing forces in the fort. They want to do an attack at dawn, or just before, while the "night magic" is put into effect. It’s created by a different relic (the Night Pearl) than the one we’re to protect. This will give the Kryn an attack-in-darkness advantage.

Briya turns into a weasel and carries Maltheo as a disguised-self into the tunnel for a quick “escape” to the fort. They arrive safely at the fort as the sun is setting, with two guard towers to the north and the same to the south. Each is equipped with a ballista. Maltheo puts his hands up and says “I need to speak with Dje’ri!” He eventually comes out and chats with Maltheo. “My mission has led me to learn that there’s an attack coming.” “When?” “They’re coming, via tunnel!” (mages, worm, shadowhands, 10 mages, etc.) “You’ve probably saved the empire!”

A man named Carn arrives, youngish with red hair, hooded, and they immediately recognize him as the man from the drug cave with the flying broom. Commander Dje’ri apologizes and defers to him. He wants Carn to fly away with a message and with Price Eidys Dwendal, the son and heir to the throne, who happens to be on a visit to the fort. He's in his mid-20s, with long flowing blond hair and is not happy about being woken. Within minutes, they fly off. Maltheo feigns deference to the prince, but is actually full-on scowling. He despises the prince for some reason.

Back at camp, the remaining party gets a sending stone so that we’ll be able to be communicated with once we’re in position. We learn the grave reality of the beacon we've been tasked to protect: everyone who dies within the range of the beacon will have their souls rescued and reborn anew in another live thanks to the light of the luxon. Mint comes from Den Mirimm and in a past life was part of that family! However, those who die out of range of the beacon, cannot be reborn and their soul is lost to the heavens. Once you’ve been reborn many times, people think that you’ve become a perfect soul. People have referred to Prophet in this manner in Undercommon with the word “Umavi”. They eventually start remembering their past lives as they grow older; their dreams will lead them back to Rosohna eventually (or, if not, they are divined and found out) to be able to go through the amnesis process. Skysibil Abrianna Mirimm is the Kryn head person here, and tells us that Prophet is an incarnation of Thanatal the Radiant: a perfect soul.

Briya and Maltheo get a room at the fort for the evening. They hash out some details after Briya has a bit of a breakdown. She’s never experienced anything like this before. Maltheo explains that the Dwendalian Empire needs work, but shouldn’t be wiped out by the Kryn forces just because they can.