Ep 67: "Welcome Back Connor"

The morning of Wearis 10th, Primeheart awakened before dawn and watched the sun rise with Kali. He helped prepare her temple in whatever way she needed, devoted some time at the Nature Temple, and then checked on the garden at the Tea Garden.

Nyx, as Bridget, took the day off from the Greaser’s Union due to the curse. Nyx instead wandered Cinderhaven in the guise of a red-skinned tiefling with a broken horn. GB, at the advice of a random stranger, performed as a street magician at the Tea Garden. Cyl spent time with her mother and Dub. She continued working on the mural outside her workshop, adding an underworld landscape with monsters the party had defeated, which included Kali punching a spider. Oisin contemplated and came to the conclusion that their negative feelings about Nyx had passed. Instead, they worried about what Ezra had said about them to Pinból. To remedy the worry, they devoted their time to tending the gardens at the Nature Temple.

Primeheart brought an oil diffuser to the Beer Forge to aid in dealing with the lingering scent. GB found a soupbone left in his bowl near the bar. Nyx came in wearing the tiefling and introduced themself to GB and Primeheart, intrigued by the talking dog. Oisin apologized to Nyx, but they said that it was unnecessary.

Aldion walked in with Connor, a pale man with blonde hair, dashing good looks, a lithe but not skinny body, and well-made clothes under studded leather armor. Introductions were made, with some giving the advice to avoid Nyx for flirtation reasons. Scouts had found Connor leaving the Undermyst. He remembered entering, but not what happened within, and had been there since before the University was built.

After asking the group about Cicily, Connor approached Ivy at the bar and introduced himself. She recognized the name and pulled up an old book of tabs, finding him within with an unpaid balance. He admitted he used to know her mother and the two shared a toast to her memory, on the house.

As he returned, he asked the group about potential topics of interest. They spent a sufficient amount of time describing their friends, which was the most interesting topic to them, before declaring that they should just go for a walk and show him around.

Since Connor was last in the city, new businesses had filled the old buildings, the bridge was expanded significantly, the castle was built and destroyed, and the boatlift was constructed to help the local economy.

Electroswing was playing inside Mo’s tower as the party approached. Answering the door was Mo in a maid outfit and a feather duster, both apparently taken from Pinból’s dresser. Mo met Connor for the first time and was introduced to the shapeshifting likenesses of Nyx..

They talked about the Tome of Transcription, noting that Connor had known Hobbes, and that GB referred to his book as Dad’s Tome of Transcription. Oisin went to Pinból to have him join them and he declared that he must ready himself first. As Oisin made their way out of the alleyway entrance, they saw Eiress Kyne and company moving toward the tower. Waiting for their approach, he welcomed them inside.

Primeheart, GB, and Connor met Eiress Kyner for the first time. Pinból came down a half hour later, having not cleaned himself, and stated that his research had lead to the discovery that no amount of cleaning of the blighted portion of eirshale could stop it from infecting other eirshale.

Eiress Kyne described a flower with black and red petals that Primeheart recognized  as a mythological flower called a Demonstooth Flower, which only grew in the Shadowfell. Cyl asked Eiress Kyne about helping, but she would not risk another goa life for this journey. Primeheart announced he would go to find it along with Cyl and the rest slowly agreed to follow as well.

Cyl backtalked her mother defiantly and Eiress Kyne left instead of responding. Connor followed her and talked her into supporting her daughter and helping the cause. She would return soon. Connor returned and talked to Cyl about the goa while Pinból and Oisin went to the workshop in Pinból’s sky flat to find a way to help.

After the wizard began to prepare a ritual, Pinból declared that he was dedicated to helping Cyl at any cost. He also said that he would make sure Oisin and the others came back. Oisin came back down with a bag for GB filled with a cluster of five crystalline berries called Sunjoy Berries, a spell component that could turn any energy-type spell into radiant.

Eiress Kyne came back and gave Cyl a vial of granulated eirshale, which Cyl divided between GB and Primeheart, that could act as metamagic for spells. She cautioned that if more than one dose was used, there could be adverse effects. Oisin braved the weapons closet and took a greatsword. Primeheart took a shortsword, and then scoured the party loot for potions of healing, finding one and a vial of Ursali’s Touch.

GB, Oisin, Nyx, and Connor went to Aldion. They found him at a bar and told him where they were going. He gave them a couple of healing potions and told them to be careful. Cyl went to talk to Dub at her workspace to tell him where they were going and to say goodbye for now. He drew a black heart on her hand “for love or something” and she pressed her hand against her cheek to transfer the paint. Kissing his cheek, she left. Primeheart went to Kali, informing her where he was going, and then went to the Nature Temple to purchase a flask of holy water for himself and a holy symbol for Oisin, who had taken to the Nature/Light goddess Aedeah, a firbolg shepherd of the dawn.

They made their way down from the cliff into the tunnels and through the winding stale paths, avoiding the marked dead ends, and past the basin of holy water. Nyx filled their flask with it before moving onward and they were all anointed by Primeheart. At the portal situated between two stone pillars, a pool of blood stretched upwards and towards the rift. A force seemed to pull in toward it and even light was altered in this way. They stepped within and their lights dimmed as a barrage of wind assailed them.

Within the Shadowfell, mist came into view as the walls of the tunnels faded. Visibility came to everyone as dim, ever present, slight illumination. A crack in the wall revealed the outside.

As the group made their way through, they noticed that there was no ocean, Cinderhaven was above, the boatlift was the old version and rotted, and Bilgeport stood empty of people. Primeheart noted that the myth of the Demonstooth Flower said that it grew prevalent there near rotting things and buildings. Toward Bilgeport, they noticed that it was eerily silent and there was no wind present.

To get up the boatlift, GB cast Fly on Cyl and she began to take everyone upwards. As she made her way down, she noticed a flock of starlings above. Positioning Primeheart outwards to be able to cast and be mobile, they flew upwards. The starlings, seemingly undead, made their way towards the flying duo. Primeheart extended his archery gauntlet with his holy symbol and turned the undead flock, decimating a significant portion with a divine word.

At the top, the party checked at the castle, which stood tilted and leaning outwards. Rotting vegetables filled the courtyard and figures shifted past cracks in the walls. Further away, two figures laid on a tattered blanket on the cliff.

As Primeheart and GB approached, they recognized the bodies of Seldanna and the King on a rotted blanket, along with the desiccated corpse of a winged quadruped. Leeches began to squirm out of the body of the King as Seldanna flashed brightly and floated up. She outstretched a ringed hand at the King, shrieking. He vanished as she turned and shrieked again, this time at Primeheart. They realized that this was the moment where Seldanna had killed the King and broken herself.

Shambling figures made their way out of the castle as the leeches approached the dog and Goliath. A dire fight occurred on the cliff, with Nyx falling once and Primeheart thrice, but they were victorious. Needing to leave, they made their way to the cliffs edge and GB cast Fly on Cyl once more. She immediately grabbed Primeheart and then followed suit with the rest as they descended. GB, left on the cliff, noted an army of undead approaching. A flash and Seldanna, this time peaceful, appeared. She leaned down, handing him a Demonstooth Flower, and whispered, “Find me.” Cyl grabbed him and they escaped with their prize.