Herbie the Love Snake

Year, Season, Month, Days: 5990 F.Y. Frinle, Yria 10

Molly recalled her conversation with Charon, whom appeared in a boat along a river, grabbing the soul of Overn Adsin. Recognizing her, he remarked on her deep involvement with the River of Souls. Molly, initially hesitant and worried that her time had come, was reassured it wasn’t. Concerned she might offend him, Charon assured her she wasn’t—and that, in fact, she was serving him.

Charon offered Molly the chance to consume Overn’s soul, warning her that if she did, there would be no going back, and her soul would belong to him. When Molly asked what would happen to the soul, and upon being told it was akin to eating food, she immediately consumed it. She was welcomed into his legion. Curious about the nimbus on her hand, she placed it in his. She felt a cold touch as his hands turned black and skeletal while he handled the nimbus, unaffected. Charon identified it as The Nimbus of Pain, one of his greatest works. He explained that the only way to remove it was to either perish permanently or find its counterpart, The Life Caller, which could be found in Ravenrock. After giving her a Cacodemon, which called itself Karastnatof (but which Molly named Herbie), Charon sailed away.

The party looted a hidden armory that appeared to have formerly contained the bow, in addition to an Endless Quiver, Iron Bands of Binding, a Ring of the Sophisticate, and a Trident of Fish Command.

Olman tried to cast Greater Teleport but failed. As Molly chided him for not succeeding, she donned the Veil of Freedom to check for interference. With the Veil’s help, Olman’s spell worked without issue. Forrest and Oliver received a tip from Molly and left to return to Lavea. The party then decided to Greater Teleport to the Jeweled Port.

Their contract with Olman was technically over, but the group convinced him to stay with them a bit longer, with the understanding that he might need to leave for his own purposes. He agreed to provide magic for a yet-to-be-determined favor from the group and a wand of Mage Armor.

Deciding to collect on their mission, the party looked over their directive and noticed they needed to bring in documents they found, which Felicity happened to collect on her own. Molly had a slight breakdown and decided to hang back, sending Herbie in on Tektun.

Felicity cut the line and attempted to open the door but found it locked. After knocking and using her Menacing Presence through the eyeslot, she was granted an audience with The Portmaster, also known as The Ears. The calico cat was surprised by the information Felicity presented and offered her an Amulet of the Planes as aid. Felicity played up her displeasure at the lack of communication regarding the payment but took the amulet. Felicity offered them a job because “they were kind of mean” and she was into that. After verifying that Felicity was still interested in jobs through The Ears‘ employer, they passed Felicity a bottle of blood wine before she left.

The party then visited a wizard’s tent to “see the nerds.” Felicity used a Dazzling Display to intimidate them. After bullying them, she informed them they needed something fixed. When one of the wizards laughed, it enraged her, and she threatened him. As he continued to mock her, Molly sent Herbie into the man’s mouth, forcing him to use a Silent Spell to cast Baleful Polymorph on Felicity. Felicity resisted, and Olman retaliated by casting the same spell on the wizard, turning him into a beetle. Herbie then consumed the beetle and performed a Soul Lock, turning his soul into a crystal.

A wizard dressed in blue was able to transfer the curse from the bow into a stake, which Felicity later stored in her gauntlet. The bow itself turned out to be an Oathbow, which the group gave to Ruth.

A wizard dressed in blue was able to transfer the curse from the bow into a stake, which Felicity later stored in her gauntlet. The bow itself turned out to be an Oathbow, which the group gave to Ruth.

After examining the red hue of the wizard’s soul, Molly decided to have it fitted into a Soul-Powered Amulet +5. Despite radiating evil, it granted her profane armor and could be useful. The group then teleported to Elysntire and hid within their cart while Molly revisited the bar where she had previously acquired the provocative elf picture. She managed to convince the barkeep to give her another one.

Upon arriving at the castle, they were welcomed, with their reputation preceding them. Molly asked about their reputation and was told they were known as deadly pirates with a ship in the Astral Plane, worshiping questionable deities. Molly clarified that she actually followed Smyton, the God of Redemption. Despite this, the group was given free rein of the castle, with the exception of the royal quarters.

Felicity visited Tektun’s quarters and found him deeply engrossed in working on the vampire manuscript. They discussed the location of the leg which was supposedly somewhere in the castle although the notes didn’t specify exactly where. Felicity also questioned Molly’s mental state, and Tektun made her contemplate whether Molly had truly changed. Felicity admitted she had, but also that she had become “more fun.”

When Felicity later spoke to Molly, Molly confirmed that a soul had the texture of spun sugar. Felicity asked if the gods could help her retrieve her ship, but Molly explained that any divine aid would come at a steep cost they likely wouldn’t be willing to pay. Felicity handed Molly the notes, and Molly verified the accuracy of Tektun’s findings before heading off to speak with Olman. Meanwhile, Felicity took a bath and was pampered by Ruth.

Molly asked Olman to cast Detect Object, which he did successfully, locking onto the leg’s location. Olman cast Invisibility on both of them, and they followed the trail to the royal chambers. After finding no traps, Molly opened the door and searched the room. She found a tapestry depicting the Kordova Monarchy, and when she donned the Veil of Freedom, she spotted the left leg behind it. She reached through and retrieved the leg.

As they prepared to leave, Olman pointed out the sound of guards approaching. Molly, realizing Olman had exhausted his Teleports for the day, instructed him to fly out while she hid. The guards, followed by Queen Nadelle, flooded the room. The Queen, using magic, detected that the leg had been taken and rewound time, revealing both Olman flying away and Molly returning to the window, although the figures were unclear shrouds. Just as Molly was about to sneak out, she noticed two guards with Spectacles of See Invisibility standing outside the door.

Meanwhile, Olman arrived at the room where Felicity was finishing her bath. He quickly explained the situation. Felicity finished her wine, dressed, and rushed to handle the problem.

Molly, now hidden, drank several potions to aid her escape and turned invisible. The Queen, however, cast Arcane Lock on the door, sealing Molly inside. Molly made her way towards the fireplace as Felicity knocked on the door, distracting the Queen with a drawn-out conversation.

Ruth and Felicity slowly made their way down the hall, while Molly climbed up the chimney. Suddenly, the Queen’s voice rang out in Molly’s head—and in the minds of her companions—recognizing her by name. The entire group began to flee, attempting to escape the castle as Molly flew outside.

Realizing their only option was to use the Amulet of the Planes, the party left behind their cart and donkeys, finding themselves floating in the silvery-grey void of the Astral Plane.