The Adventures of the Big HELP, Session 13

General Summary

• The Big HELP woke up the following morning in Ghispar. They sat down at the Cat's Paw Inn for breakfast and to decide what to do next. Larka prepared a parchment presentation to explain why they should travel south to rescue her parents. The rest of the HELP had thought she wanted to learn about her psychic powers from King Hespiro, but Larka explained she'd rather depose him.
• Helena and Bigwig wanted to travel north to track the Cult of Arazid and the people they had taken from Ghispar to heal. Both were suspiscious of the Cult's intentions. Helena said she'd travel track them for reconnaissance if the HELP didn't track the Cult of Arazid first. Bigwig was worried that Helena might be influenced by the cult if she weren't around.
• Amroth, getting ready to leave Ghispar, caught sight of Hest. He asked if she knew of a city called Valadris. Hest didn't know it but Bigwig and Petrichor did. The Nightwalkers had there base there in the home of Verga Stonehammer.
• Amroth explained that an elven wizard named Nascour was visiting Valadris. He overheard a patron saying the Nascour was famous for his enchanted jewelry, often considered an artist. Amroth suggested that he and Hest travel to Valadris to see if Nascour could help. Hest talked to Ravenna, who confirmed that Nascour was a famous as Amroth suggested. The party learned from her that Nascous was professionally famous for his work on Gadorr's flying ships and may have had some involvment with the Raziel.
• The party decided to help Hest first when they learned Nascour would only be in Valadris for about 10 days. It would take about 8 days for a party that knew their way to get there without marching hard. Helena kissed Bigwig goodbye and traveled north to follow the Cult. The HELP also bumped into Felgo who mentioned that his girlfriend, Yseld, had gone with the Cult after becoming sick.
• On the way out of town, The Big HELP saw a winged reptillian woman walk out of the Oaken Hall. None of the HELP had seen anyone like her before but Larka and Petrichor vaguely thought she might be a dragonborn from Mustaband, but didn't think they were winged like she was. Amroth mentioned she was the Fireblood that the Big HELP had heard about. She seemed to mentally note Bigwig before casting Teleportation Circle and leaving Ghispar. Larka didn't like her lack of symmetry, remarking on how one wing was gilded and she wore a golden half mask and gauntlet.
• Petrichor led the party on their trip to Valadris. After a couple hours, she noticed that they were being followed. The Big HELP ducked into the Evergreen Chapel nearby to prepare an ambush. They met the two caretakers, Bertram and Zelduin, who welcomed them. Bertram talked to Hest about having visited the Six Tenet Monastery years ago, which Ravenna vaguely remembered.
• The HELP were prepared when their stalkers burst into the chapel and realized they were Cult of Arazid members. The leader barely got a chance to tell his subordinates that Bigwig was their target when the HELP unleashed a volley of attacks on them. The minions went down quickly between Larka and Hest's efforts while Bigwig and Petrichor fought the leader. Before the leader died, Bigwig thought he mentioned the Fireblood ordered her capture. Bigwig felt the same heat within the fallen leader that she felt within Helena. This time, Bigwig happily took that energy within herself, killing the man in the process.
• Petrichor felt a call after defending the chapel, coming from a statue of the Goddess of Nature. She reached out to the statue as it began to glow green. Petrichor felt a warm embrace from behind and had the feeling she was being offered a blessing from Sindara herself. She accepted and took the stone staff from the statue, awakening it as the holy Staff of the Woodlands. It had clearly lost most of its abilities over time, as Petrichor found she could not use its full power. Bertram suggested taking it to places steeped in Sindara's magic might revitalize it. Though she may not fully realize it, she had become a druidic Disciple of Sindara. 

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Report Date

11 Feb 2024