Session 11: A Pit Stop in St. Louis

General Summary

After solving the first riddle, the scroll found with the cryptex showed a large arch as the location of the next clue. Quinn identified this as the St. Louis arch. While the trio was excited about figuring out this location, they were becoming increasingly worried about their friends in Haven. Peter attempted calling Jessica and Liam while Quinn called Hazel and Valerie called Seth and John, all with no answer. Peter went for a walk. He called upon Dionysus, asking if his friends were ok. Nothing happened. Peter then told Dionysus that he was worried about D and just wanted a sign that he and the others were safe. A vine began to grow, sprouting several grapes. Peter said thank you and ate one of the grapes before returning to the others. While Peter was out, Quinn called her father, who told her that there have been an increasing number of fires in California, seemingly centered around Haven. Quinn and Valerie filled Peter in on the news when he returned. Peter then reached out to Collin, who did not answer. When he called Clarice, she picked up, coughing, and said she couldn't talk before quickly hanging up. Sounds of a roaring fire could be heard in the background. The trio decided they needed to get to Haven as quickly as possible. Because they would approximately be driving through St. Louis, they decided to stop there for one day on their way to see if they could discover the next clue. They spent the rest of the night watching the news and discovered that unusual (and likely magical) weather patterns were ocuring world-wide but concentrated in the central US and moving out towards the coasts. After a long rest, they set out for St. Louis, driving through progressively worsening rain storms. When they arrived that evening, they stopped by the arch but didn't find anything unusual. The next day, they made their way back to the arch. There was nothing unusual in the museum or lower levels. When they made it to the top of the arch, Quinn spotted a sign topped with the symbol of the skiff. She reached out and touched it with a "boop". Liquid copper immediately began to spread up from her fingers. She sensed that this effect was not harmful, so Peter and Valerie took her hands. The copper covered the three of them. Once it reached and covered their eyes, they were transported to another plane. They saw a sign reading, "Welcome to your next clue." A riddle appeared, stating, "The man who built it doesn't need it, the man who bought it doesn't want it, and the man who needs it doesn't know it." Quinn had heard this before, and Peter guessed, "a coffin." He felt he may have heard it before too though. A second riddle was presented: "I am the son of water, but when I return to water I die. Who am I?" Peter responded, "Ice." The writers of the riddles seemed mildly annoyed but presented the next letter of the cryptex: KSI. They said the next clue would reveal itself in time. The trio were then quickly transported back to the top of the arch. The symbol of the skiff detached itself onto a coin-like object and fell into Quinn's hand. As they prepared to leave, a dog began to growl. Upon further investigation, what they thought were a woman and her dog were actually an echidna and a baby chimera. The enemies attacked, but after a tough fight, Valerie dealt the final blow to both the chimera and the echidna. Fortunately, all three were able to successfully manipulate the haze to avoid detection by the crowd of observers, aided by the fact that no observers were harmed. They then set off for Haven.