2/3/24

BEGIN SESSION
 
The Raging Echidna wasn't in dock during that previous fight. We are now standing on the dock, watching the slaver boat burn. We hear the city guard charging this way from the main docks. Max really lays into Druss when we go to flee the scene. The clock runs out for us to flee, and the guards arrive along with folks from the Black Legion. The Legion now has authority here in the city, and can take over the investigation. We are interviewed for a bit, but Druss handles it with his Legion brethren.
 
We head back to the Dog's Breakfast for some food and rest. A phantom hand emerges from under a table, grabs some coffee, and returns to its dark abode. We all have some brekky (breakfast burrito, extra spicy; hash browns, scattered, smothered, and covered; a metric gallon of coffee). Retiring to our standard room, Melfine uses Sending to reach out to Dani about finding another soulstone, but they're super rare. Also, there has been chatter from the Hells. After a moment, a foreign voice erupts from Marda, talking to Melfine. It says that we don't have much time and that it can't wait to get Melfine back. There's a flicker around Melfine's person, and their Aasimar self alters a bit, changing wing structures and such. The voice is having a hard time maintaining a connection and Marda is bleeding out of their head holes. After that, it seems like the voice is gone and Marda is back, but unconscious and falling to the floor. Melfine springs to catch her, with her now 6 total wings wrapping about the two women, and the Heal spell flares to life inside the boundary made by the wings. It's now apparent that Marda came back to us with some souvenirs. She is mantled with a golden crown, which is leaking black ink down her face. Moving to stand, Marda also pulls the crown from her head, dropping what looks to be skin stretched between a wooden frame to the ground. In her other hand, there is a black sword with tendrils reaching up her arm. After falling to the floor, the wood of the frame petrifies.
 
Druss goes to read the scroll written into the skin, seeing it is a spell of binding. It is for binding souls into objects, or to other souls, or to places. The frame is spreading the petrification to the floor now, and it's not stopping. Yun uses Mage Hand to get it off the floor, and we cram it into the lead box we'd gotten before. Marda then drops the haunted crown in, and the crown's thorns retract as soon as it's not touching flesh. Next, Marda puts the sword on the ground. The blackening of her veins does not recede,, and her hand is sharper, more claw-like. Yun tries to investigate the item but can't. They then throw it at me to look at, and I reflexive catch the damned thing. I drop it quickly, but there is still some blackening to my palm. Druss uses Lesser Restoration and cures the damage. ARC - 30 it is the Soylent Sword; the skull, tendons, and knucklebones that make it up are human; it's necrotic and super cursed. Melfine then uses Identify: the skin - necrotic, a spell is bound to it that will bind it to the holder so they can't release it, it's infant flesh, it contains passive protection magic that will leech life (DC 17) from what it is touching, and it will show more spell(s?) after it leeches more health. The crown - divination/abjuration with a whiiiiffff of necromancy, abjuration protects it from non-chosen wearers, necro for the spikes, divination for a biggly good Scry and also 2 Portents a la divination wizards, requires attunement for which it is the choice maker, the blood from the barbs has been sucked into the crown. Sword - there's someone in the sword, evocation to freeze, 8 charges; 1 charge = Chill Touch; +1 cold/necrotic damage per charge spent; spend HP at midnight to put more charges in it; the poison in the hilt is 3d8 damage, when activated for 1 charge.
 
Dragon Island city we would make port in - Valorant City, a bubble utopian city, magical hub, but known tourist face for the island. It is not representative of the inner lands. Melfine reaches out to Garnet via Sending and says: Asmodeus using Marda to come [sic], soulstone dangerous, we're going to Dragon Island, can you come help us? and hears back: the size difference is a bitch, make sure you stretch; what do you mean soulstone bad?; you're going to Dragon Island? Where are you? She uses it again to continue the conversation, answering the questions and saying Asmodeus needs to die, receiving only "K" in response. Druss runs to take the rug off of the Teleportation Circle, but doesn't make it in time. Garnet and Druss meet in the stairs, then move on to the room we're staying in. Garnet kicks open the door, and demands an explanation about our trip to Dragon Island. We need the pure chaos essence of the Material Plane to fight the Prince of Lies.
 
Druss enlists the airship captain in our plan to go to Dragon Island, and Gale is down for it. We go to bed for the night, and all find sleep. I dream of a storm from one of my sea trips to Dragon Island. In the gaps between the lightning, I can see the outlines of dragons. Uncertain trips and times, I feel the pure chaos of the place around me. Sleep through the night.
 
END SESSION
 
INSP Inventory: INSP, +d6