Meinheld

Gathering / Conference

You all have been traveling eastward for about a month for a multitude of reasons, some of which being to track down E4, return to Meinheld, and seek out Berezhki. With number one on your stops down, you all find yourselves at the next stop in your route: Meinheld. A secret hideout in the Bruadar mountains and the location of Vel’s bloodhunter order. Though many of you may just see this as a hopefully safe rest stop, and place to unwind which you all desperately need, Vel has racked up a decent list of inquiries: A letter from Chi (of which he didn’t share with anyone), questions regarding his irregular penchant for sometimes blacking out, and also the strange connection between E4 prime and an individual named Semena Mertvhyk.

Session 62: Arrival at Meinheld
You all have been traveling eastward for about a month for a multitude of reasons, some of which being to track down E4, return to Meinheld, and seek out Berezhki. With number one on your stops down, you all find yourselves at the next stop in your route: Meinheld. A secret hideout in the Bruadar mountains and the location of Vel’s bloodhunter order. Though many of you may just see this as a hopefully safe rest stop, and place to unwind which you all desperately need, Vel has racked up a decent list of inquiries: A letter from Chi (of which he didn’t share with anyone), questions regarding his irregular penchant for sometimes blacking out, and also the strange connection between E4 prime and an individual named Semena Mertvhyk.
The party arrives in Meinheld, where Vel begins to show the party around. From the Springhouse, Calarel can be heard complaining to Alaine. Calarel and Alaine express some concern over the volume of newcomers but ultimately welcome you to Meinheld. You next met up with Chi in the SLatehouse, who was excited for Vels arrival, and assures him that his physiological changes a natural adjustment to his new abilties. The group was next introduced to Gondul and Snod, as well as a new member named Axel who liked the color black a lot. The three argue in the gardens next where Axel futilely explains to Gondul why he should be allowed to undergo mutation. Gondul shuts him down and reminds Axel that he's free to go whenever he wants. Eri asks Vel to find her a sword, but their efforts go fruitless, when nightmarish visions of Palea send Vel away from the dark storage basement. After some discussion regarding the issue of lichenthropy to Chi and accidentally Gondul, Chi recruits Axel to help dispel the curse, which he agrees to, “for a price”. That night, Tem has a nightmare where he is initially speaking with Rig, until he sees alternate Tem over Tem’s should. Alt Tem asks to be let out, but is denied once again. To this Tem sees himself in the past carrying out several instances of evil acts, that he may or may not have committed, and he says he’s going get out whether he likes it or not.

Session 63: Meinheld: The State of Bewylndir
The next morning Sal joins Vel to the library, where they find a map of Bewylndir and books on beasts of the land, air, and sea (nat 20 on the sea book). Meanwhile Tem seeks out Gondul in the Springhouse, where the two begin to agree to trade artificer and smithing techniques, and Tem begins his multi-day training on Gondul’s corner-cutting smithing techniques.
  The group next resolves to find Axle and go through with the lycanthropy lifting ritual. Sal meets him in his room where he's singing emo songs. Sal flatters him and receives eye liner in return. He tries to lay the seeds to an Eri-Axle romance, and also retrieves a portion of his lost mulberries that Axel had found downstairs.
  After meeting with the rest of the party it's revealed that Axle requires something from each of the party members in return for Shar's blessing. Sal gives up his mulberries, Brogg gives advice for Eri, Vel promises to train him, and Tem promises to make him some sunglasses. Before removing her curse, Axel sheepishly asks Eri for a date. Eri laughs at him and he falters, asking instead for a candle out of embarrassment. He then runs away sobbing.
  We then begin a lesson with Chi about the order. She explains that it started as a monster hunting guild but its evolved. Bewylndir is a highly magic-based society, and as such there are lots of regulation surrounding the use of magic. The head of the council of arcana is Ffwrnais Featherdream, a very corrupt official head of the BCA. She explains blood magic is highly contentious and seen as an abomination. As such users of it are highly marginalized. In 882, the Hallowhale Massacre occurred in the capital. There was a cult of the demon lord called the Pale Night who practiced blood rituals and it got out of hand, it was put down but the event acted as a reason to criminalize blood magic, punishable by imprisonment, exile, or death. She explains the restrictions on magic are highest among the commonfolk, with a blind eye turned towards those that can afford it. He is also connected to a group called the Phoenix gang, a criminal organization involved in smuggling, embezzlement and other unsavory things. He is also directly or indirectly responsible for the imprisonment and death of many innocent people. Several are from their own order, including Chi's grandparents.
  She explains there’s talk of the Council of Arcana merging with the High Council. The High Council is the Queen's court, those that bring all the other councils together and make all the laws. The queen has always kept the two separate, but recently there’s rumors of a merge happening, which is highly peculiar. This would give FFwrnais a ton of power. There was a recent mission where Shistner revealed intel on a group of Phoenix individuals heading to Behemith to meet an individual named Mr. Wiggy from the Marble Syndicate, a merchants guild located in the Platinum Estates, responsible for many injustices in the city, particularly ruining Lower Lalt with the Calx trade. Tressanna Duncan mentioned them during the Crack Rack Grand Reopening.
  Chi was supposed to contact Mr. Wiggy, a member of the Marble Syndicate who was involved in the Phoenix gang about a month ago. She explains his house was in Balsam, where she entered it and hid in the closet while Wiggy was talking to Saida Elris and Ulseriph Wilgrettor. Wiggy told them to pick up something which would be dropped outside of the city, and to take it back to the Capital. She wants to know what it is. She also lets on that when she was at the house, she found something that she took. It belonged to Wiggy. It's a knobbly staff with a C shape at the top with a crystal in the middle. She says she used it to get back to Meinheld. Tem identifies it as the Staff of Dark Odyssey.
  Eri finds a temporary weapon with Gondul and plans to train with him to learn the Greatsword with Gondul and Snod. Calarel finds it pertinent to give her unasked for greatsword tips. Sal resolves to read his books in the library, and finds Alaine in the common room of the Sky House where they begin to build rapport. Brogg summons Ogrekind and sets the date for tomorrow morning. He learns that getting back from the Shadowfell is far more difficult than getting there. He joins Sal, Alaine and Sned to drink, after which Elaine and Sal soon pass out.

Session 64: Bone Throwdown
Sal is passed out drunk but wakes up in the night to overhear a door close and conversation between two unknown figures, a guy and a girl. He hears one ask the other how much Alaine told them, and the other respond that Alaine doesn’t know herself. The next morning Brogg fills Brogg and Tem in as Eri spars with Snod underneath the Outhouse. Brogg catches Axel staring at the fight from down the hill, and Axel, seeing as his cover has been blown, cuts in on the sparring match with Eri as if that was his plan the whole time.
  After the fight, Sal questions Snod on whether there are factions or other social dynamics within the Order. Snod replies that she doesn’t think so, but their used to be years ago, and dropped a name Sal would have heard for the second time: Semena Mertyvck. She said she doesn’t no much, but fancy man (Calarel) was there when it happened. Brogg interrogated Axel on what he was snooping around for, just to find out, again that it involved Eri. Meanwhile, Tem and Gondul share artificing and smithing info. Gondul asked about Tem’s Bronze work and its dangers, to which Tem responds that its probably fine. Tem finishes his second day of training by finishing a chain shirt.
  Eventually, the group finds themselves in the mess hall of the Springhouse (with the exception of Vel who had been conferring with Chi for the day), where they ate and and discussed the days events. Alaine joins everyone and Axel contacts Shar to determine whether or not we will be able to get back from the Shadowfell. The augury spell resulted in a strange symbol formed by sticks which Eri confirmed to be “yes”. You all went to pick up Vel who was talking with Chi, and called Ogrekind to give you a boost. He told chi not to worry, snapped his fingers and everyone collapsed to the ground before Chi’s eyes.
  Session 66: Meinheld: Return from Shadowfell
Keenor of the Ancestral Order returns to Meinheld to see that the party returns from the Shadowfell in one piece, but not everything appears to be okay. Sal breaks down after seeing his lost friend Postie’s spirit, which he couldn’t take with him back to the prime material. Chi also appeared to be dealing poorly with Vel and the parties sudden and gruesome exodus to the Shadowfell, despite their apparent safety on their return.
  Seeing Sal run screaming to his room, the party decides to quickly grab a late night snack in the Springhouse because they’re really hungry, with the exception of Brogg who, two fights deep, fell asleep in a big armchair in the Skyhouse. During this time, Alaine sought out Sal to hand him “his end of the deal,” whatever that meant, which turned out to be an ornate silver pendent. The party returned to see if Sal was okay, where they learned of his traumatic childhood and a heist gone wrong that brutally killed his friends.
  It was also here, that Vel revealed the sorted past of the Order, where I young Semena Mertvhyk and a splinter of the Order attempted to assassinate Ffwrnais and several other members of the BCA. Unprepared, the assassination went belly up and ended with the alleged death of the splinter, with the exception of Semena. Later that day, Semena led Ffwrnais’ guards back to the Order’s old hideout, where a betrayal and massacre occurred, ending with the death of many, two of which included its leaders, Recury and Lorraine Leachlade.
  The next morning, the group sent a message to several individuals learning from Marrali; that the Crack Rack was doing well, E4; that he and Buford were slowly trekking through a mire, on their return to Behemith, Rig; that he is okay and hopes his two sons are as well, and Detlev; nothing, because he didn’t respond.
  Vel went to check in on Chi and apologize for the Shadowfell incident, and Chi admitted that their sudden and shocking departure reminded her of how her mother left, and that taking down Semena and Ffwrnais feels like it would bring her closer to finding her mother, but also knows its probably a fool’s errand.
  Chi also mentions that she was caught snooping around in Wiggy’s home in Behemith, making it potentially dangerous if she is caught there with them. Vel catches up with Keenor and inquiries about her knowledge on some materials he’s acquired on his travels, and Calarel who he asks about travel and housing in Bewylndir. Calarel references his cousin, Lord Elmo Lutoris, who has an estate in the Quarstice district catty corner to the cage and aquarium (a very affluential inn and tavern). Calarel also mentions some order gossip, which involves Sneds breakup, Chi’s secretive mission, and Shistner who has been a bit strange and distant recently.
  Meanwhile, Tem and Gondul continue to work on smithing/artificing, hitting some hiccups along the way. Gondul skips out to help Eri train, and Tem runs into Axel in the Springhouse. Tem trades his Shadowfell shadow agate for 4 of his mood rings, and a commission for a skull ring for Eri. A bit later, as Eri is getting her ass kicked by Gondul, Tem and Axel both accost her with rings, Tem’s out of commission, but Axel’s out of confession of love. Seeing Axel ask Eri on an applesauce date, Calarel informs Sal and Vel of the spectacle who immediately involve themselves and Alaine against her will. Vel shows axel how to make a subpar applesauce as Sal invisibly grabs apples and sets up a table right in front of Eri, claiming to be Helm. He tells her that he is setting up this up for them, and that Axel is his acolyte, to which Eri blindly believes. The date goes horribly, Axel flounders the entire time, Eri doesn’t understand what a date is, and Alaine steals Eris bag of hair. After Axel confesses his love, Eri tells him she isn’t interested and then proceeds into a long explanation of how to correctly make applesauce.
  As the night grows to a close, Sal takes Eri on a ride as a giant owl, and then spots a human man with short hair making his way up the long stairs to Meinheld. Sal drops her off right in front of him, which provokes a terse and guarded standoff as the man demanded who she was and who she was with. Eri said her name but before she could say much more, Sowl grabbed up again which provoked the man to attack Sowl with a bow and arrow.

Session 67: Stop Looking at Me
In a tense standoff, the man shouted they were being ambushed, shooting Sowl with an arrow and knocking both him and Eri to the ground. As Gondul, Keenor, and the rest of the CR5 arrived, they found Sal paralyzed and the man in full fight mode, like a cornered animal. However, his demeanor softened when ordered to stand down and recognize them as friends. After Sal was left to "sleep off" his paralysis, the man introduced himself as Shistner, leader of the Ancestral Order, apologized for the mix-up, and abruptly headed to bed.
  Later that night, Keenor, updating Vel on Sal's condition, also gave him her notes on the materials Vel had handed her. She then gave him her old herbalism and alchemy notes, hoping he'd put them to use on his travels. As Tem settled into bed, Axel barged into his room to brag about his “successful” date with Eri, completely unaware or in denial that she had rejected him just an hour earlier. Tem, with a mischievous grin, suggested Axel try "negging" Eri to win her over, and ask for the ring back.
  One room over, Ogrekind visits Brogg to deliver a message to Sal from a yound kid named Postie, thanking him for past help, saying it was “just like old times.” The two then decided to wake up Tem, who had just begun to relax after Axel left, to identify a cool new belt Brogg had acquired, finding it to be the legendary Championship Belt of Bones, cursed by numerous spirits but with great power waiting to be unlocked.
  That night, Vel was drawn back into the dark realm of Palea, where he stumbled upon a dilapidated house with a strange, macabre pull. Inside, he found a metal box, but as he opened it, he was confronted by a familiar, terrifying cultist holding a dead crow. Attached to its claw was a note. The cultist cryptically hinted they were close to the Prime Material but always watching, even from a distance. When Vel locked eyes with him, the cultist screamed in fury, and tried to gouge out his eyes. Vel dodged the attack, grabbed the crow, and fled into the dark woods, visions of the seconds proceeding his parents execution before his eyes unfolding before him.
  Sensing Vel was in trouble, Eri, Brogg, and Tem charged in. As Vel fought to control his visions, he resisted the pull of the tincture, risking further effects to unlock deeper memories. In a burst of willpower, he shifted the region to daylight, unveiling a landscape eerily similar to Bewyldnir. The cultist was gone, but the old house remained. Vel read the note on the crow’s arm:

“…. hiding in the shadows. ………..should know that I am dedicated to you and …..will go as far as it takes, and if I had to, I’d do it all over again….I will find the documents…..…. Sildan………Perhaps next meeting we should meet in person?.....”