Will This Cure My Blindness?

Year, Season, Month, Days: 5990 F.Y. Frinle, Yria 8-9

Felicity spoke with Han about her bow while on watch, realizing that talking to him for more than a few sentences was taxing, but she did notice Ruth had braided and put a bead in his little scrap of hair. Suffering through the conversation, Felicity learned Han was a baker before becoming undead. Felicity seemed to confuse Han and Tektun’s backstories to an amusing degree.

Realizing she was done with the conversation, Felicity turned Han around, and the two kept watch in opposite directions. When Felicity saw the sun through the haze, she woke up Molly asking why there was no coffee. Molly made terribly bitter coffee, astoundingly bitter. Ruth sacrificed the remainder of her bag of sugar to the coffee.

Tektun advised Felicity to consider listening to people, using the idea of learning about her mutiny as an example. Felicity finished her breakfast and bid Tektun a curt farewell. While traveling on the cart, Ruth gave Felicity arrows and showed her how to shoot her bow, although she gave her a wider berth, wary of the bow’s construction.

Molly spoke with Olman regarding disguising herself in a different race when they were closer to the Duke. The conversation was interrupted by Molly noticing a large set of wings flapping in the distance. Using the spyglass, Molly realized this creature was massive, with glowing red eyes.

Deciding that sneaking was a better plan, Molly used the recipe for perfect grease and greased the wheels with the product. Olman looked at the recipe and advised that Vanara fur might work better. Molly was immediately defensive and very aware of her strong emotions and distress.

Attempting to sneak, Felicity took down the comically oversized Hello Kitty flag she borrowed from the ship. Felicity overheard the creature talking about causing someone to know true pain, feeding them their own spleen, followed by an abruptly cut-off scream and crunching. Molly and Felicity gave everyone aliases as the group diverted around the flying creature. While dodging the creature, a flying writhing ball of what-appeared-to-be intestines caused the party to redirect again. Quietly avoiding both, the party continued back on the original course, encountering a desiccated body.

Creeping closer, Molly saw the body holding a book about necromancy splayed in its hands. Molly strongly debated taking the book and decided to leave it untouched. After returning to the cart, Olman stood up and said he needed to step away for a moment, floating westward on his disc and fading into the haze. The party had lunch and continued to wait until nightfall before setting up camp. A solid orange glow appeared in the direction Olman went. Felicity and Molly debated following him, with Felicity resolving to trust the wizard.

Molly attempted to commune with Novulu but found they were unable to make contact within Spot. Felicity kept watch, focusing on the light as it proceeded to get dimmer until fading away entirely. Upon reaching morning, the party decided to head in the direction of Olman and roughly where the light was. Molly snuck up and found Olman’s undamaged robes, but was unable to find his spellbook. Ruth found a bare footprint and pointed it out to a defensive Molly. Molly found a pair of Olman’s slippers in the cart, realizing he left without shoes, likely naked with only a spellbook, the party surmised.

Molly expressed displeasure at the Elven race, unprovoked, before following the direction of the footprint. Molly and Felicity found a stone plinth partially buried in the ashen ground, covered in script but otherwise unmarred and unbelievably old. The party regretted not bringing the collapsible shovel when they dug out the plinth by hand. They found the ground exsiccated their skin, leaving it prone to potential cracking.

Taking a potion of Tongues, Molly read about the plinth being a portal to The First World and a gate for those who have sought aid from the Queen of the First World before. Forgetting Gnomes were originally Fey in nature, Molly began to dread giving up more of her blood. Tektun advised trying hair or something less traumatic. Setting her hair upon the plinth, it grew fiery-red in color and the plinth began to glow. The group discussed if they should pursue opening the portal, knowing that time was erratic, everything on the other end was more powerful, and it could derail Molly’s revenge plan.

Molly’s hair refused to move from the plinth, and the party started to walk away when a feminine voice asked if Molly was rejecting her homeland yet again, offering help if she would come through. The party gathered that Olman was within the gate and could come help them if they passed through. Although tempted, Molly refused to go through.

The voice stated that Olman was right, and the portal opened, revealing a petite Fey woman sitting on a toadstool throne surrounded by butterflies and dragonflies, with Olman standing next to her in fine robes. The woman further elaborated that Olman trusted the party would not follow him and engaged in a bet with the Queen, gaining an extra day of life for correctly assuming the party’s actions.

Molly admitted Felicity was right and cleaned the ashen dirt off her and Felicity’s hands. Molly noted the Fey Queen wanted to have a conversation with her but stated they would come back after delivering their letter. The Queen offered aid in exchange for a favor, but Molly declined, cautious of the aid of fey creatures. Molly continued to turn down offers to further gain more of her heritage, such as the color of her hair, returning back to the dull-red she was so familiar with. Molly’s hair reattached where it was cut, undamaged. The Queen alluded to magic powers Molly turned down before bidding the party farewell and closing the portal, worrying Molly she might have offended the monarch.

Felicity was jealous of Olman’s fey-made clothes as they appeared nicer than her coat. She did her best to not admit how nice they were and was more than slightly tempted to take a scrap of Molly’s hair to reopen the portal.

The party made their way westward as the sun faded away, likely due to clouds. The party waited for the clouds to pass to stay oriented and continued in the direction Felicity assumed to be westward. A flickering light was visible in the haze, and the party pursued it as it moved. The party debated hailing it before the GM accidentally revealed it was a creature. Examining it, they saw it was floating, four-fingered, with flowing white hair, light bursting from its eyes, mouth, and cracks in its skin. Noticing the party, a voice reminiscent of rending metal spoke to them.

A valiant attempt at diplomacy was made, including asking Olman, Ruth, and Tektun for aid, but found the trio seemingly frozen mid-conversation. The creature asked for Felicity’s Gauntlets of the Weaponmaster, which Felicity would not even consider. Molly attempted to bargain with her unidentified candle, but the creature obliterated it with a searing ray. Molly then threw holy water in the creature’s face.

The creature managed to dodge the water before the party engaged in a valiant fight, eventually breaking the creature’s hold on the frozen remnants of the party. The creature, through the course of the fight, became damaged and blinded Felicity in a burst of light before being dismissed by Tektun’s Dismissal spell. Felicity came to the unfortunate realization she would be blind until Tektun could prepare spells the next day.

As Felicity was given a cup of hot tea by Ruth, she continued to ask if anything could cure her blindness, which disappointingly, nothing could. The party did what they could to make her comfortable, although she was more than a little crabby. The duo decided they hated their current locale before the party heard the sound of the creature’s voice, seemingly returning to finish the job. Throwing Felicity under the cart, the party re-engaged with the creature.

The party fought valiantly despite the rampant blindness that impacted all but Ruth. Molly concluded the battle by stabbing the creature with her dagger. The drivers assisted Ruth in collecting the blinded crew, providing them with tea and dinner before heading to bed, awaiting the cure for their blindness.