Session: Jan. 22nd, 2024

I can't believe we're so close. To getting Father back, to saving Chompy's family, to getting the crystal rod that Garren wants, to finally killing Mother - and hopefully G'Vath'Haz. This has all been the culmination of years of suffering and dreaming and anger...soon to be realized in one fell swoop.
 
I don't know how we're going to do it. We don't have any sort of concrete plan yet. Mud purchased 12 bottles of the extremely strong alcohol that Sessalie makes, and we know we have two vials of 'Fool's Love'. That, so far, is the extent of the planning we've done, which I'll be honest, makes me a little uncomfortable. I'm hoping Saanes comes back to help with that. He's got more of a strategist's mind than the rest of us do. Because I worry...there's no way they won't find it suspicious that the group Eirlyssia was travelling with is suddenly down Eirlyssia and up one random half-elf female. Not unless Dan'or'avil actually told my mother that I died in that botched rescue attempt and she believed him. But that also wouldn't make sense, seeing as his words were "Tell everyone Eirlyssia was never there. I will find her and I will kill her, regardless of what her bitch of a mother wants". Though who really knows what's going on in that psychopath's head, I suppose. All I know is we need to have something more than just "We'll get the guards drunk and figure it out from there".
 
We won't even have Kyil with us, though that's probably for the best. I offered him a position with us because I was nervous for his future with Mother. But he said his wife and daughter also work at the house, and there's no way he could get them out or leave them behind, which is completely fair. So when we came across the broken bridge to Mathyr (which was suspicious since it had obviously been sliced), he said he'd just stay behind with the carriage and wait until the bridge was fixed. Also of note - he was always going to be staying behind in Mathyr to pick "something up" and take it back to Mother via above ground travel. He genuinely didn't know what he was getting, something that I don't love. But regardless, we parted ways with him (I left him with a sheet of the common alphabet for him to practice with) and continued on foot into Mathyr.
 
Mortalis and I had what I think was a very good conversation along the way. Unsurprisingly, he was not happy with what he'd heard during that argument on the carriage, and was unimpressed with both the group's lack of trust for him, and my lack of trust for him. Which is fair. I imagine, if you're a patron, having a warlock that isn't willing to go all in with you is essentially useless. And I did acknowledge that fact to him, which he appreciated. I asked him if he understood the concepts of friendship and attachment, and it was fairly obvious he did not. Then he brought up the very correct point that the party would be significantly safer if I left them behind here and just went to Mother's just him and I, and that we could become more powerful together if we weren't hindered by the rest of the party. He wasn't wrong. But by some miracle, I managed to convince him that having both him and the party are my best chance of success. I didn't think he'd accept that, but he did. In exchange for him being reasonable, I did agree that I would try harder to work with him in the last few days that we have before getting home.
 
It's risky, which I don't love, but I don't see any other way around it. I'm going to have to find times to sneak away from the group and practice with Mortalis. Tonight I actually think I'll have a great chance while the typical evening-time fights break out at the Weeping Wench where we're staying. Zun is very clearly going to get involved, and Mud is very clearly going to try to keep him alive. I don't know what Elegant will do, certainly not join the fight, but I don't think he'll care too much if I wander off citing that I just want somewhere quiet. Normally I'd practice at night when everyone is asleep, but we're all sharing a room, so I fear it would be too obvious. Unless perhaps I just never go up to the room. But, I also usually keep watch for everyone, and I'd feel a little bad just disappearing while they slept. So I guess during the fight is the best time after all.
 
We shall see. Everything is going to culminate soon. I've got to get busy casting some Sendings tonightl. I have to ask Dan'or'avil if he really did tell Mother I'm dead, tell that man I met from the Lock Keepers about Dan'or'avil and Azhek to get SOMEONE on their tails, and ask Father if there's anything we need to be aware of when getting home. There's an awful lot of details to wrap up before everything either ends in complete success or in utter shambles.