Clove was unhappy with us and our flouncing about in a dangerous place – protections put up by her and her mother.
We proved ourselves capable enough to not be stupid about running into dangerous situations (yeah, right).
A scream! We scrambled … another squirrel kin being held hostage by a fungal creature!
Fight!
Rotbloom! (Another Aspect of Serdak, the Fungal Wizard) … Elite, so two rounds, and goes first.
Sara is shaken, looking into a mirror.
Round 1
- RB - Grasping Roots! at the TBs … Earth Damage! And slowed! … except Training blocks it.
- Mizzle studies the Piercer.
- Piercer - Invigorating Sap - air and fire resistance (instead of vuln). Still vuln to Light.
- Sara - attacks both Piercer and RB with Prayer Wraps. And Squirrel Strength to MIG D12! Hits both! Piercer is Vuln to Light dmg … RB also Vuln. Nice! And knocks down Invigorating Sap!
- RB - Menacing Glare! at Saraid! Hits with Dark damage!
- TBs - Barrage at the pair of them. Fire! Hits! Big money! Big prizes! Piercer in crisis! RB takes only normal damage.
- Rose! - Whimpers in pain!
Round 2
- RB - Spore Burst! at Mizzle. Reflected back at RB - takes Poison damage. Mutable Aether Shield.
- TBs - Kill Them With Fire! Piercer killed. RB into Crisis.
- RB - Regrow vine to create a new Piercer arm at end of round. (Ultima Point)
- Mizzle - Healing to S and TBs.
- Rose! - Essence Transfer … healing Rotbloom … ugh.
- Sara - Breach … then Prayer Wraps punch. (so allies get +6 dmg)
Round 3
- RB - Grasping Roots on Mizzle. Ouch! Also, slowed!
- TBs - Shoot again, drawing on indominable will, to blast the heck out fo both of them.
- Piercer - Invigorating sap.
- Mizzle - Heal self so don’t die!
- RB - Menacing Glare … at Mizzle. Dark damage.
- Saraid - Multi to hit both of them. And does. Blows off the Piercer. Almost takes down RB!
- Rose! - Essence Transfer from Rose.
Round 4
- RB - Spore Burst on S. Poison damage and Poisoned. Mutable Aether Shield.
- TBs - Shoot! Fire vulnerable, in crisis.
- RB - Guard … resistant
- Mizzle - Heal on M, S, Rose.
- Rose! - Heals RB all the way back up.
- Sara - MIG+MIG check to try to break Rose free? Difficulty 12 … resist at 12 crit, so RB wins. And gets an Opportunity on Saraid … bonding, create a negative bond with Serdak (and have to lose one first)
Round 5
- RB - Grasping Roots on the TBs -
- Saraid - Free Rose … spend an FP to bump up … fills 4 sections of the clock.
- RB - Menacing Glare … Mizzle … misses.
- TBs - Free Rose - snipe at the arm.
- Rose! Whimpers
- Mizzle - Honor Beyond Death … Resist Poison.
Round 6
- RB - Spore Burst! - Mizzle … hits, but Resisting Poison.
- Saraid - grab for Rose again! She is free!
- RB - “No! My prize! It was everything I needed to find Ambra! This body is nothing … I must find a better one!” UP spend … to flee the body.
And that will pretty much accomplish our result … freeing Rose.
Rose
“Jenny! Did you save me?”
“I’m Saraid.”
… from the … Squirrelkin orphanage? No, raised in Central.
TBs will work on fixing her glasses. … and they do.
(Saraid - bond with Serdak of Mistrust; lost the bond with Lady (didn’t get name))
How did she get caught? Ran from town because of all the bother.
Which town? Dolremy
Jenny is on the other side of the lake? She came from an orphanage.
Only lost her glasses.
Back to the Cabin
Woods seem more menacing, with the threat of the spores and Serdak about us …
We return to Luxana’s cabin.
Rose seems to run into a barrier.
(Doesn’t affect Saraid.)
Mizzle – probably a spell to resists the fungus-infected. Like, it seems, Rose.
… does a ritual with Grandfather Oak.
TBs and S don’t help. Mizzle spends FPs. Collect flowers and petals, cup in her hands, breathe onto them, and the petals fly off to the winds.
And the barrier no longer blocks her path.
Head to the guest house. Rose looks around.
How did you meet Jenny? Came into town, collecting for the orphanage. Jenny maybe was stealing things, and Rose got blamed for it. About 2 days ago.
Mizzle lists off the Foundlings. Rose feels alone. TBs - it’s a big world. You have six kin, must be others …
Mizzle - Arcana of the Grimoire … what is the significance of the Squirrelkin in the legacy of the Archmagus.
MANY YEARS AGO, THE ARCHMAGUS IS WORKING AT A LAB, SURROUNDED BY DIFFERENT VESSELS … FINISHES AN EXPERIMENT … GOES TO A TUBE, OPENS IT UP, AND OUT STEPS A FIGURE … “SUBJECT A” … HE STEPS INTO A LAB, FOLLOWED BY A SQUIRRELKIN.
MONTAGE OF EXPERIMENTS … LEARNING ABOUT … SPEAKING TO … TEACHING … THE SQUIRRELKIN GOES FROM AN EXPERIMENT INTO A LIKE A CHILD FOR HIM … INTERACTIONS … FONDNESS … OVER THE YEARS, THE AM STAYS THE SAME, AND THE SK GROWS OLD … AND DIES … GRIEVING … “I’LL BRING YOU BACK, AMBRA … I CAN DO THIS.”
Dissonance between Archmagus as the BBEG, and the Archmagus as kindly parent.
Rose is weeping.
Mizzle tells about pursuit of her by the Lamenters and by the Elonians … can arm you with knowledge. And Saraid will look out for you, too.
Am I a real person? Saraid is.
Rose: Growing up … parents moved from Tolby to Dolremy, Teaching. Does it matter any more?
Saraid: Good life with parents. All different.
All seemed to grew up in port towns.
Doing stuff for Harmony, but also helping each other.
Brightens up about Mizzle being from the Gallimaufry. Lots of books!
Rose, wants to take a nap.
Clove returns … “Who’s that?”
Mizzle, “I cleansed her.”
Clove seems skeptical.
Oh, yeah, Serdak.
Couldn’t reach Mom in the stream of souls … Got hold of the druids … Mom and my uncle have gone missing.
Offer to help.
Invoke Tiny to help calm her down. Preaches about cooperation, eyes on the prize, duty, success.
She relaxes.
“You’re a wise little beasty.” (Yeah!)
Flight of the Phoenix
She turns to Mizzle.
We elves – the true elves – have a connection with the Phoenix. Their life keeps up our long lifespan. As it goes to the north for rebirth, the elves of Fletz are similarly renewed. The role of the phoenix sovereign is to rouse it from its sleep. My uncle went off to do that … and something has happened. The druids say that means my cousin is now the phoenix sovereign. And I’m very worried about that. So when Mom was called back to assist, she went with him and that’s why both are missing. They must be in New Daren.
Mizzle - find family. and wake up Phoenix.
And also the Dancing Forest.
Follow their path … and maybe take the Phoenix Sovereign along?
Near Daran. That’s where we’re from.
No knowledge of any Phoenix.
No clue as to where the Phoenix is there. The PS would be able to find it.
The New Phoenix Sovereign … she’s still a babe. And has no name, just the title now.
Find the Uncle. Or find the PS. And then find the Phoenix.
How get in touch with the Druids? Through the Stream of Souls.
The elves are insular, and don’t like her much, even if she is (mostly) one.
Mizzle does a ritual, To swear an oath that he won’t misuse the knowledge given. We all sign up.
Wrap-up
8 XP! (with 2 FP left over) → LEVEL UP!
Take down Serdak? Or go to Fletz?