The Smell was Divine

Year, Season, Month, Days: 5990 F.Y. Pishrin, Wedroe 14-16

Entering Corkis, the party noticed the exceedingly protected society, tall walls, many watchtowers, and ensured they were non-threatening when they approached with the child. The party was let in and given an exceptional dose of hospitality. Although there was no inn, the party was invited to stay with the townsfolk and eat with them.

While traveling through town the large stone Journal Athenaeum, the library/storage for the entire Samsaran journal library. The party informed the Samsarans where they found the child and Felicity finally learned her map was mirrored (but otherwise excellent).

The party was pampered while revealing their stories and also were able to ask questions about history, which resulted in every Samsaran consulting their journals for answers. Felicity learned that the symbol on the package they were delivering was for Raven Rock, the vampire colony, and also learned more about her ship, The Ruby Renegade; the usurper Captain Redclaw went to the Galean Isles for the purpose of forming a navy and dominating sea-based trade including allying with Merfolk and The Last Free Lands of Avak.

Felicity also asked for information on her father, a merchant, but wasn’t able to provide enough information to gather anything, save for a recommendation to consider using a cleric to speak with her dead mother to learn his name or any other information. Molly used this time to gather information on a duke who crossed her, Overnn Adsin, who killed a number of people and is alive as of two years ago but has not left the Ensin Empire.

The Samsaran people asked them to name the baby they saved and chose to name him after Pailun, a barkeep on Quensit. After settling on a name and hearing about a persistent disappearance issue of Samsarans in the forest nearby, the party chose to investigate before their journey to Elysntire.

The party slept overnight, with Molly and Tektun sharing a room with Molly warning of her nighttime “night fits” and to keep at roughly arm’s length. Tektun cast Sleep and she slept through the night without incident.

The party enjoyed breakfast while speaking with an old woman, Ruth, about the details of the disappearances. She offered to join them as their guide, as she was an experienced ranger (and general badass). After nearing the sites of disappearances, the party was shown dried Samsaran blood, which was clear and difficult to miss, as well as conical depressions that appeared to be insect, crustacean, or large peg-leg shaped. A few fiber remnants appear in the trees, as well as some conical depressions on the trees themselves. Felicity collected a poisonous mushroom for Molly.

While caring for Molly after she poked her one good eye with a leaf, Tektun’s leg was wrapped in a white filament that originated from bushes below. In moments he was pulled into the bushes. The party noticed body parts, fingernails, bones, and other offal in the entrance of a well-hidden cave. While Ruth rode off to get back up, the duo entered and began hunting for Tektun with a jar of glow paste to mark their journey.

The party follows a trickling of water, likely from the nearby river, for some time until entering a larger opening of a cave, when Evana, Tektun’s peacock, began squawking loudly. The party found a ledge hidden away from the other tunnels leading out of the cave and found Tektun stuck to the wall with a crab creature, a Cave Fisher, eating his leg.

The party freed Tektun and managed to kill the additional Cave Fishers that arrived. Felicity followed glittering pairs of eyes down another cave while Molly extracted the fiber glands from the Cave Fishers.

Felicity cut down and found every missing Samsaran including 3 they were able to save, the others had either passed while being healed or had died long ago, they also recovered 17 journals in various states of disrepair. Ruth arrived with nearly the entire town carrying weapons prepared to fight. Tektun met with Ruth and worked to stabilize the hurt village members as a child guided Felicity and Molly back to Corkis so they could clean up from the cave.

As thanks for saving so many journals, and members, the party was given a tour of the Journal Athenaeum and Molly spoke with the keeper of the Athenaeum and learned that Duke Overnn Adsin‘s family has a legitimate claim to the throne of the Ensin Empire, whether they know it or not, there was an illegitimate child named Olivier Adsin, and the Ensin Empire has been heavily searching for the remnants of an old kingdom, the Kordova Monarchy.

Tektun asked if the party named themselves but they had yet to decide. The party prepped for their journey, selling Rascal and giving War to Ruth as a thank-you for her help. The party was given upgraded weapons and armor from the Corkis armory as thanks.

The party leveled up!