Session 8: Family Matters
General Summary
Session nr.8 09/02/2022
Wednesday, 9 February 2022
19:14
It begins to snow. Lucién sits outside, nearly escaping death thanks to Ruyi, who sits to the side out of breath. Finn asks what happened, and Ruyi shares she wasn't able to rescue Guy in time. Lucién kneels down in the snow and is about to curse the gods, when a familiar figure crawls out from the Morkaeas shell and sits next to him. The party stares in disbelief, as Guy has miraculously survived the cave-in by using the ice glands of the morkaeas to protect himself. They tell the others they must continue their journey, and head onwards. Ruyi is borderline annoyed at Guy for making her worry so much, and goes off about it to Finn, who is more confused than anything. She picks up Haarin's unconscious body and mumbles a bit more, and Finn takes Dust and the child with him.
Once they find a place to camp, Lucién cleans off their battle wounds when Dust finally awakens. Ruyi tries to have a talk with him, but Dust seems far more rude than usual. Ruyi, a bit saddened and her eyes still red from her outburst against the Morkaeas, says she will again take watch, and goes to si t further away from the group. Haarin is now awake as well, and heals Dust using magic, which Dust comments on. He also brings up Ruyi's current condition, and asks Haarin if she truly could be a danger to us the way she is now. Haarin reassures them she won't be, right before they spot her catching a little ferret and biting into it, drinking its blood. They kind of shrug it off (Finn making sure the child doesn't see it) and afterwards they begin to talk about what to do with the kid. After some discussion, they decide to find a suitable caretaker in Treff, their next destination, as keeping her with them would be far too dangerous.
As they sit by the fire, Dust pulls out his sketchbook and begins to draw C, the strange man they met earlier that day. He also makes a sketch of the seeds that were in the bag he was given. The child seems interested, and peeks over his shoulder to look at his art, something Dust isn't really comfortable with. Nevertheless he allows her to watch, and even lets her try to draw herself. He then asks her name, but she doesn't answer. Instead, she writes it down. "May". Dust asks her why she's refused to speak, to which she writes "Whenever I talk, people die". A bit set back by this, Dust chooses not to ask further and lets her draw a bit until he takes the sketchbook back. He notes its getting late, and gives the child his bedroll, considering he himself never uses it. It's a bit heavy, and she begins to waddle towards Lucién's tent, who offered it to her before. He then tells her he'll carry the bedroll for her, but he too has a surprisingly hard time carrying it, much to Guy's amusement.
That night as Ruyi is keeping watch up in a tree, she suddenly gets a jolt of pain in her side. A snake had slithered up into the tree and attacked her. Before she could do anything, the snake is pierced by three arrows, shot from Dust's bow who was meditating down below and heard her yelp of pain. She grabs the now dead snake and throws it off of her, sending it flying into the horizon like a boomerang. She thanks Dust, and decides to take a rest, switching watch with Finn.
The next morning Lucién goes over to wake up Ruyi, and she comes out looking like she's had five nightmares. She is given some breakfast, and goes over to join the rest. They talk about how Guy seems to still wear the pink bracelet he was given, and about Ruyi's snake bite that night. After they've eaten, they pack up and continue their trip, up until at some point they seem to find a strange clearing in the snowy path. A field of cute animals and perfectly preserved flowers, with an aroma of sweetness hovering around them. The party is filled with determination, and Ruyi wishing to keep one of the flowers, decides to pluck one. This was a bad idea, as suddenly every animal and flower turns to face her in an eerie way. She immediatly apologises and tries to put the flower back, but the damage was done. She slowly makes her way out of the field, losing the temporary powerup the rest had been granted.
The next day as they walk, Lucién begins a sudden inspirational speech, which boosts the morale of the party significantly. In addition, they begin to notice a figure following them. Inspecting closer, they find out it is none other than Dre, the man that had helped them during a snowstorm (see session nr.3). Ruyi is very happy to see him, and asks how he's doing. He says he's doing alright, and shows the party the compass he was using to find the Child of Suuth'Kallos had been pointing him in a similar direction for a while. It recently has changed its direction North-eastward however, towards Furanei. Finn asks Dre if he knows about the Frostbite, then brings up that his father, Kraask, is their leader. Dre is taken aback by this info, but the rest confirm it to be true. Dre says he will still go to Furanei for now, but will seek out this Frostbite to talk with his father. They say their goodbyes and wish eachother good luck. As they walk on, dust points out he's become suspicious about Dre, mentioning how odd it was that he had found them so fast despite how quick they themselves had travelled, including the teleportation done by 234 (see session nr.6). The rest don't seem to think much of it however, but do keep it in the backs of their mind.
That evening, Ruyi shows off her new magic spell, a "Tiny Hut" in the form of a magical dome one can see out of, but not in. As they sit inside to rest, they spot two individuals wearing heavy armour approach the dome. The armour has a sigil on it, one all too familiar to Ruyi. They are James and Kresh, guards of Bloodworthe. Haarin steps and greets the two with a big smile, and welcomes them with open arms. Ruyi greets them as well, but after that they note that they wish to speak to Haarin in private for a moment. Ruyi first asks what they're doing here, and they claim her mother Claudia is worried for her. They walk off, and Ruyi begins to feel something is amiss. She asks Finn to follow them to see what they're doing, and Dust offers to go along as well. He however gets spotted fairly quick but plays it off claiming he's simply taking a wee. Meanwhile back at the camp Ruyi explains to the others that this Claudia isn't her real mother, but her step mother. She tells them she's far from anything good, and if she's sent guards to find her, she must be up to something.
Finn is still in pursuit until Haarin and the guards stop at a clearing, and eventually overhears their conversation from the treetops. The two guards tell Haarin that Jarvis Bloodworthe, the head of the Bloodworthe family, has passed away. They have received orders form Claudia to seek out Ruyi and take her to "The Doctor", dead or alive. Haarin nods for a moment, seemingly in understanding. The two guards ask Haarin to trick Ruyi and bring her in, using her trust in him against her. At that moment Haarin begins to raise his voice, until he pulls out his weapon. Seeing the situation escalated, Finn emerges from the trees weapon in hand, ready to assist Haarin, who happily accepts his help. Together they fight off the guards, emerging victorious. Haarin takes their armour and belongings. "Are you sure you still wish to don that sigil?" Finn asks, as Haarin puts on the breastplate. "I only follow the true Bloodworthe." Haarin replies.
They return to the camp, blood on their armour and bodies. Ruyi asks what happened, and Haarin sits down with her, explaining everything. He shows her a piece of paper he took off the guards, containing the final letter from her father. It reads as follows;
My Dearest Ruyi,Ruyi is shocked not only by her father's death, but also that she is now being "gifted" to Doctor Hasnar. He had lied to her back during their meeting in Crane's Hill (see session nr.3), saying how her father was getting better. Haarin reassures her she shall never fall into their hands, as he will be there to protect her no matter the cost. She asks Haarin if there was any news about her sister Alice, but Haarin shakes his head. He then gives her the item her father gave him, including a chain with the sigil upon it. He tells her she is still the top of his and her father's priorities, no matter what Claudia does. This fills ruyi with self confidence, and she enters the dome to tell the rest of the party what happened. Finn had already shared what he had gathered from listening in on Haarin and the guards' conversation, but Ruyi confirms most of it. She shows the letter, but Finn and Guy notice something odd. It had a hidden message written in it. Looking at the final word of each sentence, it spells out "Poisoned. Stepmother. Keep. Alice. Safe. I. Love. You." Upon hearing this, Ruyi excuses herself and goes to her bed to rest, overwhelmed with what is happening. The rest leave her be. Once outside Lucién begins to pace around, thinking to himself. Haarin sits to the side, looking distraught. Finn exits the dome now as well and asks Haarin to share everything he knows about how the Bloodworthe guards fight, what armour they have, weapons they use, tactics, etc. So they May be prepared for another attack. Dawn comes, and Ruyi tells the party that in case they run into any Bloodworthe guards again, she wishes not to harm them. Instead she will make them kneel for her, as she is the one and only heir to the Bloodworthe family name. The party agrees to her request, and they head off. After walking for a bit, an odd sense washes over everyone. Finn shrugs it off and continues to walk, but when looking at his party members Ruyi, Dust and Lucién, he notices they seem... Out of it. ... "knock, knock, knock..." "You should let me in..." a voice says from behind the blocked wooden door. The room resembles a small kitchen with cupboards, two doors and a window. That voice, it's so familiar. But it couldn't be, thier parents are long gone. Ruyi tries to comfort Tendrin as they hide underneath the table, as Lucién yells back at the voice to go away. The three siblings of Brezzskoth are frightened and alone in their own home. After some footsteps are heard walking away from behind the door the voice emerged from, Lucién goes to check the hallway. As he opens the door, he is met with only darkness. The three children gather their courage and enter, slowly making their way down the hall. Eventually they come across a set of stairs, with gaps between each step. Ruyi tries to comfort the crying Tendrin, as Lucién bravely attempts to take the first step upwards. Upon placing his foot on the first step, a cold shadowy hand shoots out from between the gap and grabs hold of the boy's ankle. "FOUND YOU..." the voice cracks as Lucién is pulled under the floor. He yells to his siblings to run, as his life begins to leave him. Ruyi pulls Tendrin's arm and runs back through the hall, back into the kitchen, and slams the door behind her shut, barricading it with anything she can find. Footsteps are racing towards the door and a mass begins to smash against it, almost breaking through. Ruyi hides Tendrin in one of the Cupboards, and she herself looks around for any way to save them from this unknown intruder. The thumping has stopped, and she sees blood coming out from underneath the door, slowly pouring towards her. Ruyi yells in desperation for the being to leave, but after a moment of silence, she begins to hear footsteps again. Not from the door however, but from outside the window. Ruyi uses her magic to fire a bolt of fire at whatever is trying to get through it, but it is no use. She takes a single step forward, and... Tendrin hears something smack against the cupboard door. Blood oozes inside his hiding spot, as slowly but surely, something cracks open his cupboard... ... Snap back to reality. Dust immediatly takes weapon in hand ready to strike at anyone who gets too close. Ruyi burst out into tears, as Lucién shocks awake. They had felt the sensation of death. Looking around, they realise they're back to where they were, with Finn, Guy, Haarin and May looking at them confused. They ask what happened, and Lucién explains they had this strange dream, but it wasn't a dream, it felt real. Guy explains they were just walking along the path for three full hours without stopping or saying anything, no matter what they tried. Ruyi asks if there are any local folk tales that are similar to their story, but none can think of any. Dust, Ruyi and Lucién are now walking side by side, as if they have suddenly become greater friends. Finn looks to Guy and tells him they must keep an eye on them, in case this happens again. After some more travelling, they finally reach the walls of Treff. They are greeted by a guard, who doesn't speak common all that well. Lucién casts tongues, and is able to converse with the man. It seems they were expecting them, and he lets the party inside and brings them to the Elder. On the way many of the townsfolk seem to show respect to the party by bowing and cheering. Lucién asks the guard if they've had any Ho'ruushi troubles. They have, many in fact, but have been able to fight them off thanks to thier military and commanders. He leads them to an elder looking man, Elder Brex. After greetings are made, the Elder explains their arrival was predicted through a prophecy. Dust claims he has been to Treff before. The elder looks him up and down, but doesn't say anything. He shows the group around the town, leading them to where the market and the inn are. He also brings them to a small house where a gnomish man lives named Whirlwind. If they need magic items, he's the guy they need. When they ask the elder if any strangers have come around town, he explains they've recently received a teacher's assistant from far away, a red tiefling, who is currently helping the town learn more common so they may converse more with the outside world. The elder tells them they may rest at the inn for free. Next, they follow the elder back to his home, where he shows them more about the prophecy. On his desk stands a crystal ball, and peering inside it shows them a vision of their arrival. The Elder explains that the town has a great warrior, named Mukrask. She once had a dream of such heroes, and it came true. The Elder asks them a favour. He plans to, in order to escape the non-stop attacks from the Ho'Ruushi, move all his people to Snowcake. He has been thinking about this for a while and the town is aware, but he doesn't know how they think about it. "I wish to know what my people think of needing to move to Snowcake" he asks. The party asks what he knows about the Ho'Ruushi, and he marks their main camp on the party's map. It seems to be located southeast of the foot of Suuth'Kallos. He wishes for the party to speak to Mukrask, who has been "hiding" in a large room in the back for a long time. She hasn't come out in a while, and despite being strong and valued, she isn't complete in the head anymore. He wishes for the party to find out why she doesn't wish to leave. Whatever happened to her to make her this way, it happened 12 years ago. The group goes into the room behind the Elder's, all but Finn and May who stay behind. Finn asks the Elder about any chance they could take care of May, which prompts May to begin kicking and punching the Lizard's legs in protest. The elder tells him there is the aforementioned school with the teacher and his assistant, and other than that there is a caretaker in town as well. Finn nods, then holds May still, telling her he wishes that were she to stay with the people of Treff and eventually travel to Snowcake, she is to seek out the Strauss family, and tell them he sent her. May is still saddened and does not wish to leave the group, but she nods silently in understanding. Inside the room behind the Elder, it is very dark. In front of them a very tall, fully armoured person sits. There are bars along her visor, and on the left side is one large glowing yellow eye peering from within the helmet. Lucién attempts to light the candles using his fire magic so they can see, however as he does, Mukrask begins to speak. "Disrespectful" she says, after which two lanterns are lit as Mukrask smashes her axe's hilt on the ground. "We mean you no harm, we simply wish to talk" Lucien said. However, it is ignored. As Lucién tries to communicate, he notices Mukrask is a bit aloof, much like the Elder told him. After finally managing to get her attention, Lucien asks Mukrask how she's doing in *her* language. Dust seems to understands it as well, and translates the conversation to Ruyi. Lucien asks if he can help her, but she says she needed no help, for she is 62 years old and still capable of fighting. Lucién brings up the travel to Snowcake idea. She says she will let the rest leave, however she herself will not leave her town behind. Lucien suggests her villagers are her town, and she should go outside to see them and help them if needed. This seems to change Mukrask's mind. She agrees to go outside, and Lucién asks her to meet with them at the inn once she has done so. As they get out Lucién tells the elder he was succesful in getting Mukrask to at least leave her room for once to see the townsfolk. The Elder thanks him dearly. Dust sees May pouting while holding Finn's hand, and asks what happened. Finn informs them of his idea and what the elder told him. The party agrees it is unsafe for her to travel with them, but they do wish to see this teacher and caretaker for themselves first. Dust and Ruyi will take May (Dust shares her name now with everyone) to go see the teacher at the school, while the others go get some rooms at the inn. The two take her to the school and seek out the main teacher. Knocking on the door of a small house next to the building, they see a pretty hideous man who looks like he's been burned alive partially, with scars across his face. Dust begins to speak in the local tongue Trefian, and asks him if he is the teacher. He is indeed the one. They introduce May, and inform them of their current predicament. The teacher says there is plenty of room at the school, and as for her language barrier, his assistant speaks fluent common. Dust asks what his opinion is on the Elder's idea of travelling to Snowcake. He says he is currently against it, saying how he worries the trip is dangerous. Dust wishes to speak to the new assistant. The teacher points them to where her residence is, but gives them a warning. Those who gaze their eyes upon her may begin to act... strangely. Dust asks for the assistant's name. It is "Helley". Back at the Inn called "Tuhuru Bharisk", Lucién gets some rooms and pays for the drinks of every single person in the bar. As they all sit down and have a chat, Finn asks Guy, Lucien and Haarin to tell him about himself. They seem confused at first, but Finn reiterates how it seems he can't recall his past, and maybe he has told them about it before he lost his memories. They tell him he claimed to be from a tribe, but he never gave details about them other than their beliefs and hatred for The Brjalao. Finn reveals the ring he has around his finger, and Lucien comments how it's good craftwork. Finn asks Guy if he fully believes what Pink told him. He says yes, and so Finn says he'll believe her too. Guy then says if she did lie, he'll kick her ass as they told them they'd move to Crane's Hill. Ruyi approaches the front door of the assistant's home and gives it a knock. The door opens to a red tiefling, fucking hot as fuck. Helley allows them to come in, and offers tea. Dust asks for Coffee. They introduce themselves. Dust almost tells her his real name, but quickly corrects himself. May accidentally drinks super hot coffee and burns her tongue, dropping the cup from her hands which Dust manages to catch. After getting May something to cool her tongue, Ruyi notes how she knows Helley's name's origin, which is a bit odd. Dust asks what that was about, and Ruyi explains she knows the name is derived from abyssal and infernal. Dust tells Helley about how they found May. He explains to her as well how its not safe for her to join them on their quest. They speak of offering the 50 gold for the child's upkeep, but Helley claims she needs it not. She'd happily take care of May. Ruyi and Dust tell her they are still weighing their options. Meanwhile May is drinking the coffee she burned her tongue on earlier. Dust is proud of her. They say their goodbyes and head back to Tuhuru Bharisk, and join the rest around the table. They tell the rest about the teacher and his assistant, and how they fear leaving her behind here might not be the wisest due to how the track to Snowcake would be far too dangerous. Dust brings up he knows of another group living in shadows. A place for lost people, The Everglade. They took care of Dust when he was younger, despite them not being big on outsiders. While they discuss, May manages to steal a glass of Ale and is drinking it. Finn tries to take it away from her but she manages to pull it back. Ruyi then steps in and takes it from her with a stern look. May seems to have been enjoying that drink, and is now a little dizzy. Ruyi assigns the group to look after her to make sure she doesn't drink anything else, then excuses herself and walks towards the stairway up to the bedrooms where she shall rest. As Ruyi walks up the stairs, she hears a familiar sound. "knock, knock, knock".
I pray this letter reaches you in good health and your endeavours are going well, I am afraid to say but my condition seems to be worsening, apparently the lack of sleep is destroying my body feeling akin to being poisoned. That matters little as my desire to see you again keeps me strong, we all miss you Ruyi, even your stepmother.
In other news, we have recently found some old Faandian scrolls and other magical relics that are yours to keep. I am sure out of anyone a great mind like yours can truly change the world for the better with items like these, as well as Alice. We will likely contain them within the family safe.
I cannot wait to be reunited, you and I. I pray to Joran that even out there in the frigid cold, you can still feel my love. I will always be counting the days Till next I see you.
Your loving father, Jarvis Bloodworthe.
Report Date
01 Mar 2022
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