Session 10 - Oozing Curiosity

29/04/5-10

Otto shared his discovery and the party discussed potentially going to the Solar Forge, but Valeyo dismissed it. Cassinni insisted that it is a message from Sardior, but Valeyo said that Sardior's will had no bearing on his life so it won't start now. The group then prepared to leave, much as the rest of the campsite did. Moving further south, the area around the road became much more rural. Tall grass rose besides, undisturbed as of yet, by the trainline. Far in the west the mountains rose high and the silhouette of a Roc could be seen. Eventually farmland could be spotted west of the road, belonging to the Yuzhen clan, having converted some of their wild pastures into farms. Cattle was being reared, selectively bread to be smaller, as well as horses and sheep.

Eventually the party arrived before a farmstead, one which offered food and a campsite for travelers. They began talking about the box which was taken from the Hag, as well as the discs and flower inside. Sapphira tried to focus on the burning rose to discern its properties, but came up short. She could gleam that it was magical, likely from the Feywild.

Shiek asked Milivoj about how the clans work and their fealty to the crown. He also inquired as to if the Yuzhen would rise against the king, but Milivoj denied it. Valeyo asked if Milivoj had met the king and he confirmed. Valeyo then wondered if Milivoj would still be helping people if he wasn't a knight and the young knight said that he would. He explained that his brother was the destined successor, Milivoj himself had other interests before this. When asked about the farms, he said that his father oversought the biggest farms in the north, stretching all the way to the mountains in the west. Valeyo asked why Milivoj was out here if he was the successor, but Milivoj said it was complicated. Valeyo then turned to Shiek asking about his chest, but Shiek turned it around. Valeyo explained about losing his leg, as a child and how he used to want to be a knight, but seemingly it was books that were destined for him. He then explained about the wars in his country as well. Shiek confirmed that Valeyo's guess was right - Shiek was hurt in battle and pulling the item out of his chest would kill him. He also admitted to feeling a strange kinship with Simona, as he too was after revenge.

The conversation then turned to Sapphira and the bees and she explained she serves as something of a hive for them. In the middle of the conversation, an elderly woman with a basket approached the campsite. She asked if any of the party are ordering, but they declined. Regardless, she placed a couple of apples down and wished them a nice rest. Cassinni cast Detect Magic and saw a small magical aura around the woman's neck. Shiek shared that he was ware since the fey may be looking for us now, since last they saw us, we were the ones who had the cart. Valeyo told them they were being paranoid, and turned in for the night. Sapphira tossed the rose at Cassinni in frustration asking him to figure it out. He held onto it and figured out the fire gave him some resistance to fire.

30/04/5-10

In the morning, Shiek awoke and noticed something warm underneath his cloak. Lifting it up, it was a cat, different from the one before. Shiek said how weird this is and Cassinni turned into a cat to see what happens. As a cat, he sensed something about Shiek that is important. It was hard to say what it is or where it was coming from, but he felt an instinctual urge that he was of great importance. They talked about this suggesting that it might have something to do with Rosa's cats, but nothing that could figure out at the moment.

On the road, Otto drove the wagon, while Shiek looked through a journal, some written in old Almanati, as well as other languages, he didn't know. He could recognize some Sylvan, having seen it recently, as well as some Elvish. Valeyo spend the day, writing a note in the common script, but garbled. Shiek asked what it was and Valeyo said it was personal notes, before asking Shiek about the journal. Shiek said it wasn't his and returned to reading. Nobody matching the engineer's description was spotted and the party travelled through the day until it was time to camp again.

31/04/5-10

The group continued travelling without issue. They eventually arrived at a large house, with a selection of tents around. There was a sign, by the house saying "The Last Battle". Valeyo asked Milivoj if he had been here before, to which he said he had a couple of times. The tavern was rather nice inside, a human behind the bar serving customers. Valeyo asked about the tavern's name and the keeper explained that before the reign of Dragomir, the previous king Krum VII had his last battle here. The tavernkeeper said he tried to take the north, but the north banded sending him packing. Milivoj said that Dragomir III was the current king, but the kingdom was founded by Dragomir I, son of Krum VII.

Otto, Sapphira and Cassinni, noticed a funny smell, before a person entered the tavern. Sapphira noticed the smell of decay, Otto sensed a whiff of the forge and Cassinni felt the aroma of the university labs. A few people turned around as this man entered - a human man, with dark brown hair and a small goatee, wearing a long dark coat. Otto pointed it out, suggesting it might be the engineer we were looking for. Valeyo decided to approach and sat down at the bar next to the man asking for a drink. Valeyo pointed out the smell and said the man could clean himself here. He tanked for the suggestion and Valeyo asked what happened to him. Valeyo asked if he was a tanner and the man quickly agreed. When asked his name and the man said it was Ignacy. Valeyo talked about what happened in Konskirav and the guards looking for someone as there was apparently some trouble brewing and the man thanked him, for letting him know. Before leaving, Valeyo said that he could come visit them, as they had some exotic materials, though not for tanning, but rather magic rocks from the mountains.

As he left, Shiek noticed the man become nervous, cracking his knuckles frantically. After returning to the table Valeyo shared his findings and talked with Milivoj. He asked him if he had to choose between his king and his father, who would he choose. After much agonizing Milivoj said it would be his king, for he is his knight, not a Knight of the Yuzhen. Valeyo then followed up asking if Milivoj could choose a man to be king, who would he choose. After thinking Milivoj said he would pick Dragomir III or one of the Yuzhen kings of old.

With that the party bedded down for the night. In the middle of the first watch, Valeyo and Milivoj were alerted, by a stone hitting the campfire. The stone was a Sending Stone and from it the voice of Ignacy could be heard. He asked who they were. Valeyo told him the plan was off and that Blazh had been captured. The man asked why they had the material and where they were taking it to, but Valeyo said that if he wanted to speak, they could meet in person. He also noticed that Ignacy seemed more aware of the ICM's intentions with the Sky Stone, than the engineer and Ignacy admitted that he was something akin to an apprentice of his.

32/04/5-10

In the morning the party awoke and Valeyo shared his conversation with Ignacy. Sapphira noticed that one of the campsites nearby, had been vacated in the middle of the night. After a look around, Ignacy was nowhere to be seen, that likely having been his camp.

The party got in the wagon and kept travelling. A nice breeze could be felt throughout the day, forests coming into view either side of the road. In the early afternoon, those at the front of the group, noticed a small jam up front. Once of the carts, that had left prior, was stopped in the middle of the road. Milivoj approached the man on the cart, who was deathly pale pointing in front of him. There were 3 individuals up the road, one armoured and all of them hunched over. A selection of humanoid corpses surrounded them as well as a few dead horses. They stood almost stationary in the middle of the road.

Approaching them, Milivoj recognized them as bearing the symbol of the Otgore, the other two being guards or even Boyar. Milivoj shouted at them to identify themselves. One of them slowly lifted his head to look towards Miliuvoj, in an unnatural motion. From this Milivoj could see their faces covered in blood. At the sight of this, Milivoj charged.

The armoured man, moved as if not fully in control, dragging his great sword behind him, instead of carrying it as a trained warrior would. Sapphira noticed that blood was leaking from the man's eyes and ears. During the fight, we heard the archer gargle out the words "Where are you?" at Shiek. As Otto killed the Fighter, he began coughing up a bloody ooze, which came to life. Eventually the party defeated the Oozes and the corpses they had taken control of.