Episode 42
General Summary
Collective Action wakes after a night of rest, still recovering from the painful ritual to remove the aboleth tattoos. After breakfast, they return to Sendai’s study, where she attempts to rid Meepo of his tattoo. The spell fails once more, and Sendai expresses concern that Meepo may be resisting the Magic somehow. She casts another spell, one that clears Meepo’s mind, silencing the whispers that had gone unnoticed.
Sendai probes further, asking the party if they’ve observed any odd behavior in Meepo. Then, she hands him a magical mirror and instructs him to focus on his father. The mirror reveals haunting visions: two kobolds—one younger and one older—frequenting Madame X's establishment in Kureta City. Over time, the younger Kobold, who resembles Meepo, forms a friendship with an Angelkin worker, while the elder grows more disheveled with each visit. The visions ultimately show the horrifying moment when Madame X fuses the two kobolds into one being, with the shadow of an aboleth looming in the background. Madame X whispers control over the newly merged Meepo, ensuring he never returns to her establishment.
Shaken, Sendai performs the ritual one final time, successfully removing the tattoo from Meepo’s arm. However, she remains concerned that Meepo might still be under the aboleth’s influence. Before the group departs, she gives them a Mirror of the Past to aid in their future investigations. The party prepares to carry out the first phase of their kidnapping plan, with Blair and Roan teleported outside Mintaun, the pilgrimage site.
Mintaun is packed with Adonia-worshipping pilgrims, and Blair and Roan quickly learn that the avatar of Adonia is staying at the Knight of the Shield Tavern, which has been completely booked by her entourage. Determined to get closer, they approach the tavern but are met by guards blocking the entrance. After a brief success using a suggestion spell, the Magic wears off, and they find themselves trapped inside a room filled with guards and Adonia’s clergy. Realizing no amount of negotiation will free them, Blair quickly thundersteps them outside, and the duo finds a place to hide and regroup. Donning new disguises, they head back into town.
Meanwhile, the rest of the party makes their way toward the ambush site, wondering how Blair and Roan are faring. In Mintaun, the duo observes one of Adonia's followers tending to the wounded among the pilgrims and are soon approached by a Halfling informant. He shares that the guard who briefly let them into the tavern has been fired and is now drowning his sorrows at another tavern. Sensing an opportunity, they head over to gather more intel.
At the tavern, the guard—Harke—is already quite drunk, ranting about the pilgrimage and its many annoyances. He complains about the daily rituals performed by the pompous clerics after dinner, his back and shoulder pain from carrying the avatar’s palanquin, and the need for a new bearer, as the others have been grumbling as well. Harke also confides in them his feelings for a fellow guard, Liora, who has been unusually quiet and nervous lately but who he finds endearing.
Seeking more information, Roan transforms into a fly and sneaks back into the Knight of the Shield Tavern. Upstairs, she hovers by the doorframe of the avatar’s room and overhears a conversation between the so-called goddess and two of her clerics. After the clergy leave, Roan watches as the avatar gently caresses a ruby-tipped golden staff. Just as Roan is about to leave, the avatar suddenly calls out, sensing a presence in the room. Unnerved, Roan quickly escapes.
With the pilgrimage set to continue in the morning, the stage is set for the next phase of their daring plan. What will unfold as Collective Action’s scheme to capture the avatar of Adonia moves forward?
Rewards Granted
Mirror of the Past
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