The Seventeenth Session

January 25, 2020, Campaign: As the ground quakes, evil wakes

Tomorrow will be the fifth day of the second week of Mirtul. We will be seven days and two hours along the nine-day path towards the Sky Diamond Academy.

But right now, Zelrathi and Salris are fighting Brazzik. Brazzik has asked Salris to kill Zelrathi.

Fighting Rezzik Brazzik

1. Surprise Round
   1. Brazzik slashes Salris, for a little damage.
   2. Zelrathi casts two Eldritch Blasts at Brazzik, for 7 and 10 damage. As the hits connect, his body sludgily ripples.
   3. Brazzik steps backwards, triggering an attack of opportunity by Salris, whose Eldritch Blast connects. The dwarf's body shudders and grows, morphing into another form. What was one a measly dwarf of old age grows into a Large figure, which vanishes.
   4. Salris yells, "Wake up!" and the rest of the Party wakes up.
2. Round 1
   1. Vurguron stands up, and sees Salris and Zelrathi staring in a direction. He moves in that direction.
   2. Ryltar casts Chilling Hand in that direction, but doesn't connect with anything.
   3. Jerry, seeing the situation, casts Ensnaring Strike and holds a dart attack until the enemy is visible.
   4. Jerry feels an arrow about to hit her, and it hits, for 19 piercing. A concussive wave of force erupts from the impact point: Bugfood and Vurguron save for 10, and Salris takes 20 damage.
   5. Jerry in reply yeets a dark at the character: 8 piercing, but it defeats the thorny vines with its Large size.
   6. The character vanishes again.
   7. Bugfood, now very wide awake from the concussion, stands up. He uses Balm of the Summer Court on Salris for 10 plus 2 temporary health points. Then he Wildshapes for a panther, making his movement speed 50, and sprints to the nearest tree and climbs it 10 feet.
   8. Zelrathi casts Detect Magic in attempt to see the foe. He sees their magical signature very close to Bugfood, behind the tree that Bugfood climbed, so he points in that general area and shouts, "He's over there!" Bugfood meows in response. Then Zelrathi hides behind Vurguron. What Zelrathi saw was the foe's weapons, and the illusion magic that hides him.
3. Round 2
   1. Vurguron moves towards the area that Zelrathi pointed out, and uses his fiery breath weapon on that location. He hits for 4 damage, and the foe becomes visible. The invisibility shimmers and fades. The foe's face is angry; he holds a crossbow and a sword, and wears metal half-plate armor. The crossbow is made of brass in the shape of a harpy, and the sword (technically a "dagger") is "wicked".
   2. Salris moves as far away as he can, then pops Hexblade's Curse on the foe, then casts Shatter. This does 10 damage.
   3. Ryltar casts Mind Spike on the foe for 13 damage, halved to 6.
   4. Jerry casts hunter's Mark on the foe. She then moves to within reach, and swings with her halberd but misses, then backs up 15 feet. The foe is not a monstrosity.
   5. The foe strikes at Zelrathi, and misses, and then disappears. He's 10 feet up in a tree, subject to Hunter's Mark and Hexblade's Curse. Zelrathi tells people where the foe went.
   6. Bugfood climbs down his tree, and then scampers around the tree, ending Wild Shape but remains on all fours, hissing. He prepares Heat Metal at third level on the breastplate.
   7. Zelrathi hits with one of two Eldritch Blasts, dealing 9 damage.
   8. Bugfood casts the held Heat Metal for 11 fire damage, but the foe is immune. It also doesn't have to make the constitution save to drop the armor. It doesn't even react.
4. Round 3.
   1. Vurguron walks towards the foe's tree, and casts Thunder Wave, hitting himself and the foe, doing 4 damage. There's a loud boom
   2. Salris does Eldritch Blast, at disadvantage from his cursed armor, but misses.
   3. Ryltar casts Mind Spike again, for 20 halved to 10.
   4. Jerry advances to the tree, misses the foe with her first halberd hit and hits on the second for 17.
   5. The foe drops from the tree and deals 13 slashing to Jerry, plus 33 poison damage, poisoning her and downing her. Then he vanishes.
   6. Bugfood gives her a hit of Balm of the Summer Court, bringing her to 1 hp and 1 temporary hp. Then he takes Form of Crocodile.
   7. Zelrathi runs from the foe, taking an attack of opportunity, bringing him down to 10 HP, and he hides behind Vurguron. Then he casts Eldritch Blast, missing and hitting for 5 damage.
5. Round 4
   1. Vurguron looks at the foe: the foe looks hurt. He longswords the foe, but naturally misses, then misses, then hits with an Action Surge and a 25 for 9 damage.
   2. Salris flanks the foe, and then summons his sword, because he had dismissed it last session.
   3. Ryltar casts Mind Spike for 24 damage, and the foe explodes with Explosive Retribution. Everyone within 30 feet takes damage: the only person not within range is Bugfood. Everyone makes a Dexterity save. Ryltar, Jerry, and Salris fail, taking 9 Thunder, 10 Fire damage. Everyone else takes 5 Fire.

Bugfood heals Jerry. Vurguron stabilizes Zelrathi, and is further healed by Bugfood.

The foe, Rezzik Brazzik, has dropped a lantern and a bag of gold. Everyone gets 200, and Bugfood's is held by Ryltar.

Zelrathi's momentary unconsciousness thrusts him into the bar, the bar where he saw his patron. He winces in pain. She says, "Go back; you're not ready." He spends a spell slot to stay in the bar, to stay unconscious. He forces himself to remain there, spending another first-level spell slot.

He says, "Last time we spoke, you said that my prophecy had to begin. That was two days ago. What are you taking about? I know of the prophecy and that it might not be true? Where do I need to go? The prophecy is not clear."

"I chose you and you chose me."

"That is very subjective. That is an interpretation of what happened." He seethes.

"You are not ready."

"Fine. Just give me a warning next time."

He fades from the bar, having spent 15 first-level spell slots on that conversation.

As Salris' Hexblade's Curse returns, the armor relaxes. The spikes fade from the armor, smoothing out. He tries to pull off a gauntlet, and survives the attempt! He cries out in joy! He can take the armor off!

Zelrathi knows that there are 6 hours left in the night; he decides to spend the rest of the night reading his tome.

Vurguron and Zelrathi examines the lantern that Brazzik has left behind: it's a mundane hooded lantern.

Bugfood suggests planting a bean there to commemorate the victory; people laugh no. But Zelrathi plants a bush speed and uses Druidcraft to sprout it into a young bush.

Salris spends some time talking to the spoon in Infernal, about the battle. He gains its effect, but immediately loses that as he sleeps.

The Following Morning: The Eleventh Day

Today is the fifth day of the second week of Mirtul. We are seven days and two hours along the nine-day path towards the Sky Diamond Academy.

Salris and Zelrathi talk about Brazzik, and how he was Salris' headhunter contact. Salris didn't know that Brazzik was a demon. Brazzik was apparently a Greater Devil called an Orthon, a form of devilish bounty hunter sent out to take out targets.

Vurguron laments the loss of his crowbar, and says that the iron post he got from the graveyard is not the same.

Vurguron takes offense at something that Salris said about Salris having a money value for everyone in the Party, and clubs him with the iron post. There's a quick round of arglebargle, which results in Salris telling Vurguron that he's worth three silver. That's more than Vurguron expects. But Salris says that we're growing more valuable to him. Zelrathi is worth at least 4000 gold.

Breakfast banter completed, we get back on the road. The day of travel passes without incident.

At night, Zelrathi does The Thing, gaining 16 spell slots, bringing him to 19 first-level spells.

The Twelfth Day

Today is the first day of the third week of Mirtul. We are eight days and two hours along the nine-day path towards the Sky Diamond Academy.

The road now approaches a small mountain range coming from the west. Not a big enough range to be marked on any map, but still, a mountain range.

As we round the last corner of the increasingly-mountainous terrain, we come across a small trading town. The mountain range ends with a couple of sizeable mountains terminating in a bowl. Outside the bowl is the compact yet prosperous town, with a bunch of different merchants selling animals, potions, rations, alchemical supplies, food, pastries, and so on.

Vurguron buys tinker's tools.

We sell off Tula's two javelins for 4 silver and explorer's pack contents for 2 gold.

Ryltar buys five Healer's Kits at 6 gold apiece.

The merchants are selling stuff at a markup and buying things at a low cost. We talk to the blacksmith's shop, where they say that their main profit driver is selling things at a markup to the Sky Diamond Academy students. Jerry sells Tula's chain mail for 30 gold.

The blacksmith's shop is very busy, with three forges going making tons of rods. Vurguron talks to the foreman, a dwarf with braided reddish beard and goggles. They make about 30 magically-infused rods per day. Vurguron asks them if they've considered expanding their operations at all. The dwarf replies that they'd like to make another forge, but there isn't space on this plot of land. Vurguron explains that there might be a big demand for crowbars soon, and that they might want to expand. But the neighboring shops are in use. Vurguron suggests manufacturing a magical crowbar to the dwarf. Gears turn in the dwarf's head, and he slowly suggests talking to Moon about making magically-infused crowbars. She, Moon, is located at the Academy. Vurguron asks if there's a mundane crowbar for sale here. The dwarf wordlessly points next door, at a tool shop. Vurguron tips the dwarf four silver and goes next door, where he buys all three that are in stock.

Ryltar decrees that it is time to go to the academy. We walk down the center street of town, where there is a magnificent fountain of multiple spellcasters with water pouring from their casting focuses.

The road ends with a double door bolted to the rock face, guarded by five guards.

We state our business: we're going to talk to Galinndan Melleruelel. The guard checks a scroll and says that we weren't on the list of expected appointments today. We explain that we were referred here by Ren, from the court of wizards back in the West Haven. We were apparently expected a couple days ago.

Zelrathi, who's now wearing another half-mask, this one with a sun, explains that he's here to talk with someone about religious prophecies.

The guards point their staves to the hinges, and the doors open. The rock face pulls back from the inside, and we ask about a place to stable out horses. At 5 silver per horse per day, we pay two days' up front and are assured that we can pay the rest afterwards.

We enter the mountain.

Into Sky Diamond Academy

The tunnel is brightly lit. The walls and ceiling are covered with painted carvings depicting various schools of magic, casting, the origin of the school, the different towers of the Academy. The towers are in different colors and directions, save the last one, which points straight up like the Space Needle in Seattle, connecting to a diamond in the sky.

The final doors open, and we see open skies, here under the mountain, with the academy present in the middle of a clearing. The doors open out of a low rock face. It's like we're not under a mountain at all.

We have some discussion about magic, and whether the mountain or the academy is "real". It's probably extraplanar.

We enter a courtyard, where there's a very mixed population of spellcasters, all very clean. Salris Prestidigitates everyone clean, save Bugfood, who objects to being cleaned. So Salris casts Minor Illusion to make him appear clean. The people around us are mostly students, either in their books or playing hacky-sack with gusts of wind. It's like a college.

Bugfood requests the hacky-sackers pass him the sack; and he tries to kick it around fancily, but he fails utterly and basically kicks it back into a student's face.

The Academy is split into three areas: one striped black and white. One very tall pillar reaching up to the sky.

Zelrathi walks up to a Gnome and, in Gnomish, asks where a professor of religion might be. He gets directed to the divination department. And because he asks after the hospital, where he might do some healing, he is directed to the hospital. The hospital is in the direction of the explosions, which we can all hear. He thanks the Gnome and shakes his hand, wishes him a fun night, and walks away. Because there's no party like a gnome party. Then Zelrathi heads off towards the hospital.

A female Tabaxi, black of fur with a white splotch on her upper right torso, in black robes, walks up, and asks us if we're the Knights of the Summer Court. We reply yes; she introduces herself as Moon In Empty Sky. Ryltar asks her if she's the one that the blacksmith said might be interested in enchanting crowbars. She's immediately derailed, inspired, nerdsniped. Vurguron and she talk for a minute, and she gives him an enchanting formula.

We ask if she has knowledge of patrons; she says Natural Science for extraplanar entities, or Professor Fiverian in the far end of the Academy for natural ones.

Salris asks if she'd know someone who would be interested in purchasing magical artifacts, and pulls out Tula's sheath, The Road Less Traveled. She examines the runes and the knotwork, muttering about magical effects on the blade, and allowing teleporting. We didn't know about that. She asks if we're sure we'd want to sell it. She offers 300 gold; we decide to hang onto it. Salris asks about whether it could be reshaped to fit his khopesh.

Eventually we get around to the topic of the conversation with Guy Pennet, and Moon suggests that we'd be able to find him in his study rather than on the grounds. She leads us towards the housing blocks.

Zelrathi's adventures in medicine

Zelrathi comes across a pristine arena, made of metal, with concentric rings of enchanting runes. This is the source of the explosions. Next to it is a modest building with stained-glass windows and open doors. He enters.

Inside the doors is a reception area with lots of injured people. There's lots of acid wounds, a person with a third arm made out of a frog. He can't do anything about the arm, but he can Cure Wounds on the acid burns.

The receptionist asks him, "Can I help you?" "I'm here to help you!"

She list off a list of wounded or injured or afflicted people, but the acid burn is the only one who was physically wounded in the waiting room. Everyone else is suffering from various forms of enchantments. They don't get a lot of physical injuries here.

The receptionist says that the normal injured are usually found in the temple, with the religious healers. Zelrathi explains that he'd just like to do good. She quietly leads him to a back room, where someone is in a delicate way. Tons of charms on the bandages, suppressing pain, on someone completely mummified in stained bandages. "This will be fun," says Zelrathi. He casts ten Cure Wounds, but can't see what he's done under the bandages. He asks the person, "How you doing, buddy?" The mummy mrrfs. The nurse helps remove the bandages, to reveal a person with pristine, tender new skin underneath. All the burns on his face have cleared. The person is completely healed, after 10d8 + 10*4 healing. The person cautiously gets up. He's even painfree. Yes, he is feeling better. The nurse says that they'll get started on the discharge paperwork.

The nurse sends him around to different rooms. There are 12 other rooms, and so he spends the rest of the day generating spell slots and healing.

Guy Pennet's painted bedroom

We're led to the dorms, where Guy Pennet is more likely to be found in his study. This is the astronomer. It's a very mundane dorm building. Moon asks the desk clerk where Guy's room is, and we are led to that room, in the far end of the building, on the top floor. A corner space. Bugfood Disguise Self as a human.

We knock on the closed door. From within the room comes a thud of something collapsing, then a patter of feet. The door opens to reveal a halfling with frizzy brown hair, simple shirt and trousers. He's holding a paint brush and has some paint smears. "Hi."

Ryltar introduces ourselves, saying that Ren sent us to talk with Guy about the problems with the stars.

The room is dark, completely painted to look like the night sky's starfield. It's crude, but accurate, and the stars glow with bioluminescence. Bugfood looks for his constellation, but doesn't see it.

Guy explains that people study here to become traveller mages; until they can pass the Trials at which point they will become traveling mages. Guy is young. But Ren told us to come to him, because Guy is the person that Ren trusts most on this topic. (He may or may not be an expert.)

Guy explains that, with the passing of this constellation over the planetary body of this — he goes through a lot of divination ideas and professional mumbo-jumbo — then the prophecy will start on the fall solstice, next year.

Bugfood asks what the prophecy is.Guy responds that the six stars were here, but they went away. Bugfood is happy, because Guy is correct! Guy says that the stars will come back, which may be bad. So he's very excited that he knows when it will happen, because that gives us time to prepare.

Bugfood brings up the fact that the red star had been flashing, and stays. He asks Guy whether Guy has seen the red stars. (Which he's only been seeing in visions.) There's two of them, and they're flashing,a nd they're bad.

Guy shuffles a bunch of papers, and in horror says, "Oh. I was wrong. It's already started."

"Can we stop it?"

"I don't know."

The conversation turns to Zelrathi, and whether he's the Chosen One.

Guy is overwhelmed with new information, brain fraying between different possibilities, almost shutting down. He is eventually convinced to talk it out: he says we're expecting a major climactic event of some sort. A new age of magic, perhaps, or a new god. Good or bad, this is not something to stand idly by and let pass.

Bugfood says that it's bad.

"How did you know?" asks Guy.

Ryltar explains that Bugfood isn't an academic, but is a druid.

Guy asks if Bugfood saw this in his dreams. Yes. Guy closely examines Bugfood, and is puzzled until Bugfood ends the Disguise Self, startling Guy with his Tiefling appearance and wild smell. Bugfood apologizes for the smell. But Guy thanks him for confirming stuff. He's been working on this process for three months.

Guy pricks his finger, and paints a red star on the wall between two major constellations.

The color of the next stars that will reappear is blue, green, brightening white, fading white, and then the sixth one remains. That was Ren's vision, which matches Bugfood's. So we're in the opening movements of the prophecy.

Guy is pretty well overwhelmed, so we make our leaves.

Salris wants to talk to Feverin, the professor of Magical Beasts, and Ryltar wants to talk to Galinndan, the History Wizard.

Zelrathi arrives at the Pink Tower

The gnome said that Zelrathi should talk to a professor of divination, who's currently giving a session. Zelrathi will wait. The session is in the pink tower of Divination next to the Astronomy tower.

At the desk, Zelrathi says he'll willingly wait for the professor to be available. He Does The Thing during the time.

Ryltar departs for Professor Galinndan

The history building is square and stone, with increasingly large windows as you go up. There're display cases visible through the windows. Ryltar says he'll meet up with us in the courtyard when he's done.

The Department of Magical Beasts

Salris, Vurguron, Bugfood and Jerry are led by Moon to a building near a veritable zoo of stables. The building looks like an oversized Hagrid's Hut. Moon says that, most of the time, Fevrian is with the creatures, and she leads us around back to where the food prep area is.

Professor Fevrian is a weatherbeaten, scarred human, who is presently involved in cutting up meat.

Salris asks if he has a moment, and Feverin takes a moment to throw meat to a set of animals while blindfolded. He's very scarred on the face, and one arm is limp.

Salris asks what he knows of eldritch patrons. But Fevrian doesn't know much about eldritch patrons; he says he's not the sort to ask about such things. He doesn't even know who to talk to about this.

We notice that Bugfood had left the group at about the same time Ryltar left the party.

Bugfood in the Library

He compares his Book in an unknown Tongue to various books in the library, seeing if he can find a book that matches the language of his book. He spends an hour looking through the various sections of magic by which the library is organized, and in the necromantic section he finds a book bound in large leaves. The book is very familiar. It's the same as his book. He takes it to the librarian's desk.

The librarian says that it's written in Giant. "Oh, that explains the big letters," he says. The letters are not big. Most Giant is scrawled or chiseled; this is almost scholarly in write.

"How would one go about learning Giant," he asks.

"Giant is not an easy language to pick up. It takes time."

He asks whether they have a grammar and vocab book that he can borrow or buy; the librarian leads him to one eventually: Cyrillian's Guide to Giant Runes. He spends five minutes checking it out, and then returns to the courtyard.

Ryltar in the History Department

The professor is in his office upstairs, and Ryltar knocks at the door, and is invited in. Ryltar says that he was sent here by Zarolen Berevan, a professor of his from many years ago, who said that Ryltar should bring an item to the professor. It's in runes that Berevan and Ryltar can't read.

The book is something that, as it turns out, the professor recognizes. It's the front page of "his book", says Galinndan.

Galinndan is an unnaturally overweight elf; he's definitely not lithe.

"On the last paper of his I received, given to me by an interested third party, it took me the better part of a week to translate. But this I might be able to do in a couple of days. I think I gave away the translation codex, to someone who looked fairly like you."

"Pardon?"

"The person who came to pick it up looked fairly like you. Were you working on the same project?"

"I wasn't aware that anyone else was aware of this project. May I ask, what was it written in?"

"An ancient form of Sylvan."

"I might have a friend who could help you," says Ryltar, and says he'll go look for that friend. Galinndan describes his availability for the rest of the day and week, and Ryltar says he'll plan to return tomorrow.

He returns to the courtyard.

Zelrathi and the Divination Tower

45 minutes pass, and students begin to leave the lecture hall. Zelrathi enters the hall. It's a small one, with lots of tables and crystal balls and tea sets. At the front of the room is an immaculately dressed spellcaster, a half-elf like Zelrathi. Zelrathi's cloak billows behind him. The professor waves his wand and the room rights itself.

"Hello!" calls Zelrathi.

"Hello! Did you miss the lecture?"

"I'm not from around here; sorry. I hear you're an expert—" "Yes!" "—in prophecies. Specifically about me." Zelrathi hands over his book, which is many inches thick.

The professor examines the book, and says that the book is blank. Zelrathi looks at the book, and it's definitely full of many languages. So he writes down the prophecy himself, and hands it to the professor, and describes a bit of his backstory.

The professor says that he's definitely on the first bit of the prophecy. Zelrathi confirms that he's met the Knights. He wants to know what the rest of the prophecy means.

"What do you see when you sleep?" asks the professor.

"I don't sleep."

"Oh."

"You know how you make agreements you didn't realize you made?"

"I do it all the time."

"I made one with a celestial."

"I'd say you're very lucky."

"Wrong. She's — she's listening. She's not very nice to me."

"Oh."

The professor suggests that the prophecy might be fake, but that's definitely not the case.

"Well if you don't want to fulfill this prophecy —"

"I don't know what it means!"

"With most prophecies, the more you go against it, the more you get through it. The more you know, the less better-off you are. If someone wants to go against the prophecy, they fail."

"That's great."

"Well if you know what the prophecy is, it's not called the Prophecy of the Betrayed Star. It's the Witch's Night's Prophecy. From what I've read… Not all prophecies come true. I'll look into this."

"I'll come back tomorrow. When should I come back?"

"When you feel right about it."

"I feel right now is right."

"Tomorrow."

"And if I do sleep, which I don't want to, are there any questions I should ask about my prophecy?"

"Ask what you can do to help."

"I did that, and she said I wasn't good enough."

"Well then you should train." git gud, son.

"I'll be back tomorrow." Zelrathi leaves, his cloak billowing. He casts Message repeatedly as he wanders the Academy, trying to find anyone from the Party, and eventually gets in contact with Ryltar, who is standing with everyone else in the courtyard.

Ending the day.

Zelrathi props himself up in the common room of the inn. Ryltar buys everyone else a night in the inn.

Salris and the Eldritch Club

The professor, Salris learns, is located near the mines, on this night. The mines are located at the back of the academy, with a heavily fortified entrance. There are lots of guards, many ballistas, and some form of magical ballista made with metal rods from the forge in town.

Salris hears laughter and rabble-rousing. He eventually finds a fire with a handful of Elves, Tieflings, a Halfling. This fire is in a cave off to the side of the mines. He knocks on the cave wall, and introduces himself. He was told to come here if he had questions about patrons.

"What patron do you have?"

Salris pulls out his khopesh; the elf pulls out a light crossbow. Salris puts the khopesh away. "That doesn't explain anything," says the elf.

The halfling sitting across the fire has oak leaves growing out of their hair, where the leaves fall off periodically. He pushes his leaves into the fire.

One of the Tieflings asks Salris, "So you don't know who your patron is." Salris says to her, "It was pushed upon me," and explains how he killed a family member and picked up the khopesh.

So the group around the fire settles down, and they talk about each other's patrons. They ask him what he can do; he demonstrates summoning the khopesh, and Eldritch Blast. He says he can do other spells too.

They question him about who his patron might be; he says he's only heard his patron say a couple words. They're surprised that the patron hasn't contacted him. They ascertain that he gained the power from his father, and that his father has attacked him.

"Huh. That's new." they say.

Perhaps it's focus-based?

"Well, some deals manifest in other ways. The patron could be in your family. And when he passed, maybe that transferred the deal to you."

Salris describes that he's only developed the power to summon the blade recently.

The warlock study group says they thing the father is being used as the messenger for something else. And Salris is the only one who could see the messenger, so maybe his father is maybe a vengeful spirit as well.

So then Salris wanders until he finds the group, and is pleased to find out that his room has been paid for.

Ancient Sylvan

Ryltar shows Bugfood the paper.

Ancient Sylvan is to Sylvan like Old English is to Modern English. Because of how long Elves live, the time for the language to change like that is really, really long. But with a natural 22, Bugfood can understand it fairly well. Many words are absent, but:

Through stone and ice,
Find myself
Heart shall lie
Halls and walls shall protect
Protect your people
And pray, parting
…. (more words)

Bugfood can read about half of it. It's weird to him; it's like some distant part of his brain has clicked. He knows stuff here that he shouldn't know; it's familiar yet foreign. Kind of like a forgotten memory.

"So we are going to go meet Galinndan tomorrow," says Ryltar, "and talk together about this."

Sky Diamond Academy: Day One

Bugfood and Ryltar at Galinndan

Ryltar and Bugfood go to Galinndan, and Ryltar introduces him. Bugfood says hello in Sylvan. Galinndan doesn't speak Sylvan, and is somewhat surprised. Bugfood suggests he learn it, because it's fun. Ryltar excuses Bugfood. Bugfood asks if Galinndan can speak Giant; the answer is not.

Ryltar suggest Bugfood and Galinndan work together to translate the reminder of the document. Galinndan pulls out a number of books. They go for history.

Over the next two hours, they parse together

Through stone and ice,
I shall find myself
My heart shall lie upon my breast
My walls and halls shall protect my tomb
Have this to protect,
my people in my absence
(a recess in the rubbing)
And pray this conflagration ceases with my parting

"But what does it mean?" asks Bugfood.

"'Through stone and ice…'" muses Galinndan, "no, that would be foolish."

"What would be foolish?" asks Ryltar.

"One of your team, the other team on the project I guess, was looking for the Ice Heart of Winter."

"And you said there were other Drow that were coming here, translating this passage?"

"Not this same passage, but this language. All in all-black outfits. Some in disguise."

"Did any of them look like this?" And Ryltar holds up his mask of daylight vision.

Galinndan shakes his head no. "But some of them had a tattoo of a black hand reaching out. But if this is what I was thinking, the Ice Heart of Winter was lost long ago. It's a fool's quest. Some even say it lied in the Arcadia Infinatum, in the Endless Halls of Ioun."

Bugfood thinks Ioun is familiar, and it turns out Ioun is the goddess of knowledge, skill and prophecy.

Next Session

The party levels up! Everyone's now Level 6!

Jerry wants to research what the laughing jester pink thing was that was possessing the goblins: She will learn it was a form of Undead.

Zelrathi will return to the divination professor, for more information about the Witch's Nights Prophecy.