Session Twenty Three: The Opalescent Shard

General Summary

On Watch – Mia and Silmer   Mia and Silmer take the first watch. Godrick joins them and rolls in the dust next to them. Silmer finds this whole thing a bit awkward.   Mia contemplates how unhygienic it would be to lick her wounds. So instead, she pokes at them. Godrick tries to stop her, offering to lick her wounds because poking at them is unhygienic. Mia, not being able to speak griffin, is grossed out by the mewing creature trying to lick her.   So Mia and Silmer have a fairly chilled watch together with some Team Lyrander bonding broken up by being a little weirded out by the huge meowing griffin. In a moment of true character growth and maturity (according to Mia), Mia followed Sil’s example and didn’t create chaos in a cave system potentially still inhabited by hostile cult members and echoing acoustics.   When watch duty is switched with Vence and Griff, Vence offers Mia a swig of whiskey. Which Mia whole heartedly accepts.     On Watch – Vence and Griff   Vence creates an illusion of a beautiful forest, along with the sweet scent of flowers. He then pours some whiskey for himself and Griff.   Griff shares a bit about himself. About the camp he was stationed at during the war. It was the same camp as Wrogar and Conrad. He was part of a division of griffon riders called the Sky Kings, lead by “Her Royal Highness” (later revealed to be Jossac).   He tended to the griffons and even slept there at night. Which is where he gets the title of “Griff”. Vence learns that Griff’s family calls him “Junior”. Vence says he’s not going to be calling him that.   Griff asks Vence what happened before he joined the group. Vence informs him “somewhat” on the situation. Griff learns that Covrus is an elf, similair to Cissa. But is also called a bird. He vanished from the airship in the morning. And might have caused Cissa’s father to die. Griff also learns that Corvus is in no way the shapeshifter Nesza mentioned. That was Almentash, a barkeep in Fairhaven. Who Vence suspects to be the Traveler.   At the mention of the Traveler, Griff makes it clear that he has some understanding of the Dark Six. Vence suggests only the Traveler is real. Griff shows his amulet to the Devourer. He explains that he does not know how real any of the deities are. But he leaves offerings to the Devourer as he definately does not wish to displease that deity during a hunt.   In between their conversation, Godrick would add quips and occasionally wrestle with Griff. During their conversation, Griff and Godric sensed that Vence was being truthful but was also hiding things.   Before their watch ends, Vence sends Cissa a quick status update.   At the end of their watch, Vence wakes up Malak and slips him a note with the “Traitor’s Song” on it. As Vence bids April goodnight, she thanks him for saving her life. Malak, in turn, says the same. “Thanks for saving her” – and that they need a talk after the whole finding crystals and cave business is behind them.     On Watch – Malak and April   Malak finds a place close to the door. Kneeling down next to Malak, April starts to remove cooking utensils and the means to make a little fire. She puts some water into a pot and waits for it to boil, humming a soft and slow song akin to lullaby in the hopes of calming Malak.   The song she hums is something her mum has done all her life, in moments of utter peace next to the fire drinking a hot cup of tea nestled with her dad. She attempts to recreate this atmosphere, letting him be in peace while she adds some herbs to her pot. She stirs and siphons what turns out to be tea into two cups. With a smile, she offers one to Malak. “It’s a soul warming potion.”   Malak lets out a chuckle and thanks her. Asking after: “Are you trying to butter me up, April?”   April declines with puppy dog eyes. She tells him she merely wants him to be comfortable and that she’s willing to listen if he wants to talk.   Malak sighs and says he feels like the only one thinking about both the long-term goals and what happened on the ship. To the former – no lack of plan was made even though there was plenty of time. To the latter: everyone just seems to have forgotten Corvus and he’s not sure how to deal with that.   April suggests that when it comes to the incident on the ship, everyone processes things a little differently. Some throw themselves into their work, others refuse to put a sad face on (to which April admits is often a weakness of hers). Others simply didn’t have as big of a connection than those who knew him for longer, so their feelings on the matter aren’t as overpowering. That perhaps it’s harsh to suggest that they don’t care just because of that.   After mentioning that her father warned her about optimism giving the wrong signal in such cases, she apologises for having given Malak the wrong impression. She was very fond of Corvus, and even ponders what it would be like to send him a letter……even if it’s just to ask what she should be doing next in her training.   Malak tells April that her father is a wise man and that sometimes it’s not best to show you’re too happy when you’re actually feeling sad. It’s not good for those around her as they don’t know how she actually feels, and it’s certainly not good for April.   He then suggests perhaps he was indeed being a bit harsh. He understands that part. But people aren’t showing their feelings about this at all, not even Mia, who knew Corvus for a long time. What’s more, everyone seems to have forgotten that Corvus may have been pressured into the situation. He remembers that it was said in front of everyone that his relationship had been threatened. And from the interactions after, it should have been obvious that it was Vence. Yet no one has questioned any of it. What’s worse is that they seem to be talking bad about Corvus instead.   April suggests in the case of Mia, that she just feels betrayed and that it will take her some time. The best option would be to let her be for a while. In the case of others, no one really knows what’s going on. Just that someone died.   She admits that she worries about the threatening of the relationship part. But as she’s come to learn with the Sicklemen, she’ll question him and learn first before making a decision. Much like what Corvus did unveiling information and leaving, maybe Vence had a reason too.   Malak agrees that he needs to talk with Vence. April asks if he would like her to be present, but Malak declines, saying he needs to do this one on his own.   During this time, Godrick comes to sit next to them, and meows advice every so often. Based on his responses, April is under the impression that Malak seems to understand the griffon quite well.   April offers Godrick tea. However, his beak is far too big to fit a cup so she pours it onto a plate. Godrick loses all interest. So…..she sips from the plate instead.   Malak pets Godrick and suggests that Griff brings a good atmosphere to the party. April agrees to that.   “Maybe we should just offer him some tea…” April suggests. “That might make him open up.”   “I knew you were buttering me up,” Malak replies.   April tells him that she’ll be there for him no matter what, to which he thanks her. He likewise says that he’ll help to the best of the ability, and that her mum will definitely be found.   She tears up a bit at this, letting him know this type of cave was where her mum was held (based off Cissa’s description). Thankfully it wasn’t this exact one. None of the corpses or clothes belonged to Valerie.   Malak offers her all the knowledge he knows on where she could be. April suggests that most of her hopes are on Cissa right now, figuring out that teleportation circle.   She also opens up about how the Sickleman made her feel until now – that they were loved ones, close people, that came back to take what was hard earned. What they knew was hard earned. She explains how hard she’s had to work most of her life because of the Sicklemen and the war put together. And she plans on putting as much work and effort into retrieving her mum…..at all costs.   Malak thanks her for being open, and that he could in turn have shared what he felt. But that they should go to bed and wake up Nesza.   They pack the bag of holding full of the cooking wear again, but leave the fire for Nesza.   Malak nudges Nesza awake and lets him know about the fire while April seats herself close to her bedroll and works on an elixir before following Malak to dreamland.     On Watch – Nesza (and Godrick)   Nesza and Godrick attempt a heart to heart. It… doesn’t work seeing as Nesza can’t speak to griffons.   So, after watching the door briefly, Nesza decides to meditate. This time, he hears no voice. But the flame, that used to be like a flickering candle, is now a blazing fire of Silver.   He finishes his watch and wakes everyone up.     The Doors   The group agree to have Nesza scout ahead, carrying Myri on his shoulder to communicate with Malak. He walks in the dark and finds the cavern completely devoid of any further movement. When he walks to the far side of the teleportation room, where the group fought the crystals, he finds a short hallway that leads to two doors. One is a very old-looking, large marble door. There is no lock but at its centre is a groove with a seven pointed star.   The other door is of a black stone and it looks very new. It also has no lock. However, in its centre is are three circles (smallest to largest) and around the largest circle, the below text is written in Celestial: “Shadows bring beauty in me. Bright lights would weaken me. Disappoint me, and I would roll. Look deep in me and I’ll show you a soul.”   Realising that there is nothing further in the cavern, Nesza alerts Myri to tell Malak to join him and he walks to the teleportation room to meet the group.   Once everyone has gathered, he tells the group of the two doors and the different specification of each door. He translates the riddle from Celestial to Common. The group discuss what to do next. Some are concerned that one of the doors might be hiding “Eyes”. After some to and fro, they decide to examine the doors. Before getting there, Mia chimes “The answer is EYE!” and Malak agrees. Both had deciphered the door’s riddle.   At the two doors, Malak asks April for a crystal and she hands him the red one. Unfortunately he is not as known with the arcane and could not quite figure out how it would fit in the grooves. He hands the crystal back to April and moves over to the other door. He puts his hand on, what he realises to be, an eye-shaped sigil at the centre of the door and says “Eye” in Celestial. The door opens.     The Office   A short winding hallway leads to a tiny room. In this area, the crystal protruding from the walls were filed down (in all other locations, they were jagged and sharp). April notes that this seems to have been done by hand and must have cost a lot of work to do.   The small room has no inhabitants. It contains a desk, a chair, a chest and a hammock. Papers are strewn all over the floor. It seems like someone left in a hurry.   Mia and Vence zone in on the papers and search for clues (and, in Mia’s case, dirt). Looking through the papers, it seems like someone threw ink over the pages to splotch out anything incriminating. However, they notice one sheet that has dots and stripes that look more like drawn patterns than spilt ink. It shows the below:   “.—. … . -. – .. / .. ..- .-. . / – .— . - -. …. / -.. -.- . / …. ..-. .—. -. – -.. -- / - ..-. - .-.-.- / … -. -. / … .-. / .. .- .. … -- ..-. – -.-.”   The two examine the paper together while the rest investigate the room.   Griff notes that the chest is locked and asks if anyone is good at lockpicking. Vence looks up from the paper and proudly points to April. She agrees to open the chest. And as she approaches the chest, everyone hugs the opposite wall. Vence and Mia lean against the hammock and hear an audible “clink” as they do so, making them freeze completely.   To everyone’s confusion, April takes out her carpenter’s tools. She completely dismantles the chest without ever touching the lock, having taken the entity’s warnings of “they’re everywhere” to heart. The lock could be trapped…   The chest contains:   A robe with the eye insignia Beautifully crafted Chain shirt A Scimitar A gold ring Two day’s worth of rations Four daggers – 2 are Moontouched One potion 55GP and 70SP Vence asks for one of the Moontouched Daggers. The rest are placed in April’s bag of holding… including the entire dismantled chest.   Vence and Mia carefully turn around and examine the hammock. Inside they find three more crystals (orange, indigo and green).   Vence pockets the indigo crystal while Mia gives the other two to April. It seems the group now only need one more crystal: The Blue one guarded by the water entity.     Son of Kes   The group return to the teleportation room to discuss the next steps. They all agree to Nesza’s suggestion to ask the water entity for the crystal by mentioning that Darnell trusts them and that they will return itl as soon as they are done.   Nesza is, however, concerned about how secure the cave is. He suspects an attack from the Eyes is imminent. He wonders if the door locked by the crystals perhaps holds enemies who can ambush them or that they could enter through Darnell’s cavern.   The group agree that the door is secure and they think that the Eyes had never actually opened the crystal-locked door as Darnell protected the Violet Crystal, preventing them from completing the key. As such, it’s also very unlikely that the group would be ambushed via Darnell’s cavern as the Eyes would not automatically know that Darnell is not in there right now.   However, just to be sure, it’s decided to place an alarm at Darnell’s cavern entrance, and that of the water entity’s. The group then head towards the circular cavern with the waterfalls and the giant crying statue.   Vence and Mia decide to stay behind and decipher the contents of the paper they have found. They both have identified that it must be Morse code.   Silmer and Griff stand watch and April observes Malak and Nesza as best she could through the curtain of waterfalls.   Nesza and Malak swim up to the crying statue and the water entity appears. After “Speaking Her Name” again, Malak asks the entity for the Blue Crystal. He explains that they need the Opalescent Shard to defeat a great evil and prevent a catastrophe from happening. He explains that he recognizes this is ground sacred to Miron’s Tears and that he respects its sanctity. They also have a member of Miron’s Tears amongst them. At this, he calls Mia to join them. She dramatically swims up to present herself. Malak then mentions they have Darnell’s trust. They will place all crystals back where they belong and will return the Blue Crystal as soon as it’s used.   The entity observes all three but focuses on Malak. It then bows and says in Celestial: “Son of Kes, please take the crystal”. Malak, a little confused by this statement, uses Mage Hand to remove the Crystal from the sword’s hilt As soon as the crystal is removed, the elemental disappears.   As the three swim back, Malak feels something brush against his feet but he can’t see what it is. Mia (who doesn’t speak Celestial so didn’t follow any of the conversation) asks if she simply swam up to make an appearance. Because now she’s wet for no reason!     The Pit of Silver Flame   The group go towards the crystal-locked door. April has a look at the grooves and identifies the pattern which the crystals need to be placed: from the top, clockwise ROY G. BIV. Vence, more focused on cracking the code than what April was doing, nearly forgets to give her the Indigo Crystal.   The door opens upwards and disappears into the ceiling. The group peer into a rectangular room. A kaleidoscope of colourful crystals line the walls and ceiling in sharp shards. The room is illuminated by a bright eerie light in the centre of the room. A large pit… with a Silver Flame blazing from within it. On the far side of the pit is a large crystal statue holding something over the flames.   Through the pit, from where the group are standing standing towards the statue, is a very narrow walk way.   Malak is taken aback as there should only be “one Silver Flame” and that’s the one in cathedral in Flamekeep.   Malak marches in, followed closely by Griff (who feels a strong sense of duty as this regards druids and the Wardens of the Woods). They both hear a voice in their heads and are convinced to walk through the flames.   Godrick tries to follow but hears something in his head that unnerves him so he stays outside. April also peaks in, hears what Malak and Griff heard but also decides to stay outside. Vence and Mia have no interest in this scary flame room and are fine with staying behind and deciphering the code. They had, in the meantime, figured out that the Morse code spelt out the below, which now needs to be deciphered further: “Psegtu iurn Tjemnh dqe Hfpgtdo Ofo. Bnn vr Dwiboftc”   Silmer questions Malak and Griff’s sanity for wanting to walk through flames because a random voice told them so. He decides to stand watch.   Nesza stands by the door and is conflicted about whether to come in. He exclaims that these are the flames from his meditation and that they are often accompanied by voices. Malak is alarmed to hear this. He tells Nesza that he wishes that Nesza had shared this with him sooner so that they could’ve figured more out together before this moment. Nesza asks whether he should walk through the flames too. Malak feels that the flames will “cleanse and judge” him. If he’s in doubt about himself, the flames may not see him as worthy. And so, Nesza decides to look on and observe as Malak and Griff walk into the flames.     The Opalescent Shard   The flames lick at the two as they move through them but all that is felt is a warm breeze. The walk way stops a few feet in front of the statue, just close enough for anyone to reach the item that the statue is holding over the flames. The long item is being held downwards, almost like a sword about to pierce the flames below.   Upon closer inspection, Malak and Griff can see that the statue is that of a crying female Thranian Paladin and the item that she is holding is a shard with an opalescent sheen.   Malak takes the crystal and the statue begins to speak. She explains that the artifact that Malak holds is very important to their cause. It can only be used once and would then need to be returned the Keeper of the Flame. She then goes rigid again and the flames go out completely.   As they walk to the door, they note that they both feel somewhat rejuvenated. Griff asks to examine the shard. Malak agrees but asks to give it back after. As they exchange the shard, they both note that the one holding the shard feels “different”.   Once Griff has a look, he hands the shard back to Malak, who ensures that the shard is secured.   Outside the door, the group realise that the seven crystals are merged into the the raised door. April examines the doorframe and happens to find a button. When she presses it, the door lowers and the crystals are released.     Returning the Crystals   The group reconvene in the teleportation room. Silmer, once again, questions whether it was wise for Griff and Malak to not question a random voice in their heads. Griff understands his point and agrees.   They decide that the best course of action is to leave all crystals, except the Blue one, with Darnell, seeing as he was the sole reason why the Violet Crystal was never retrieved.   So they go back to Darnell’s Cavern and slot the Violet Crystal back into its groove. The image of Darnell appears again and the Malak explains to him what has happened.   During their conversation, Vence recalls that Darnell previously said something about Vence in Celestial and Malak never translated what it was. He asks Malak and Malak answers that Darnell wondered why Vence turned down the offer from Miron’s Tears. Vence looks both taken aback and furious. Malak goes on to explain what Miron’s Tears is but Vence stops him, telling Malak that he has some idea as to what Miron’s Tears is. The two agree to discuss the matter further once they are outside of the cave.   Malak goes back to talking to Darnell, asking him if they could leave the other crystals with him. Darnell at first is not too keen on keeping them all in one place but eventually agrees when he realises that almost all crystals were previously in possession of the Eyes.   Malak also enquires about what the water entity said about him being “Son of Kes”. Darnell regards Malak and says that he’s not sure that she was correct in assuming that Malak is Kes’ son. Kes is an elf and Malak is obviously an Aasimar. Malak points out that he’s half elf too but Darnell simply shrugs, unconvinced.   With that, the group bid Darnell goodbye. Malak and Nesza go to return the Blue Crystal to the water entity. Malak bows to her before she disappears into the water once more.   Griffy Shark (doo doo doo doo doo doo) Knowing that they are about to leave the cave, Griff returns Godrick to his amulet.   The group join Nesza and Malak in the centre of the circular waterfall room. They can see through the waterfall by the entrance that the light from outside is dim (probably sunset). Unsure of whether they can just leave, Griff offers to swim out as a shark and survey outside.   So Griffy Shark leaves the cavern. He swims around the edges of the lake and notices 6 sets of feet near the water. He returns to the group and, in shark-mode, tries (and fails) to explain the situation. Nesza casts “speak with animals” and is able to translate from Shark to Common.   The group discuss their options. There are suggestions to surprise attack (and possible drown) the people by the water. Malak is a bit concerned by these suggestions as they are not sure WHO are by the lake. It could be children, for all they know.   It’s decided to send out Nesza (who is invisible in dim or dark light), Myri (who can survey an area almost unnoticed and can communicate with Malak), Vence (who can teleport the other two with him onto the ship with Dimension Door) and Griffy Shark will transport them all as close to the ship as he can. Griff had cast water breathing on the group (except Myri) so they can swim under water to be unnoticed.   So the four of them swim up to the ship (Myri being transported in Griffy Shark’s mouth while the other two hold onto his fin). Vence bamfs himself, Nesza and Myri onto the ship. As a distraction, Griffy Shark does a barrel roll outside of the water to make a splash (far away from the ship).   Vence and Nesza listen carefully for anyone nearby. It seems like the coast is clear. They hear the people talk in, what seems to be, Elvish.