Session 46: The Wake of Destruction and Other Partings (4/26/26)

Desnova 26

The PCs look around Old Shard's Tabernacle to find signs of a struggle, and then perform a brief burial ceremony before moving on to the rest of Zolovny. Sadly, it too has been sacked. The Sallowmoon gypsies seem to have vacated the place, but most of the Ganelari clan has been destroyed by some sort of insect plague. And this is the story for the rest of the fishing village/den of ill repute, they find swaths of scorched earth and bodies, areas destroyed by insect swarms, and then a lot of victims with stab wound, many in their backs. In the basement of the House of Drawn Zippers, they find Lt. Strand locked away, who fills them in on some of the details. Zolovny was sacked by three black riders who each weilded a vast and destructive power.

Many of the PCs' contacts and friends are missing, including Smoker who may or may not lie beneath the scorched rubble at the Flapping Salmon. Strand and several other Soverat soldiers survived, as well as a group of children and elders that were sheltered at the Stockade, but all other residents seem to have been slain or fled the area. The PCs find a roguish boy near the docks who asks if they want some company, but he ultimately heads off on his own. Speaking with some of the D'vryn, they realize that Olena and the other Sallowmoon escapees might have set up at one of the camps near Arkany.

Desnova 27

They decide to tree-port with the survivors to Arkany, where they carefully hide Stellum out in the woods to prevent discovery. The non-D'vryn seek refuge in the city, and then the rest of the party marches off to find the Sallowmoon camp. En route, they encounter a pair of giant Elk, one of which is brought down to feed the troupe, while the other flees for its life. They rejoin with Olena Sallowmoon and her clan-mates, all thrilled to be reunited with the children that they had left in the Stockade shelter.

Next, the PCs trek back to the west and put the folding boat to water at the Jaggerhead. Sailing back to Omutny, they encounter a strange, arrogant but fit man who has scaled one of the rock formations in the lake and is just sitting there sunning himself. After some mutual taunting, they return to the temple of St. Flume, where they are reunited with Rucia! It turns out the dragonborn had been spat back into the Skorbi River where he was eventually fished up by some of the monks, and he's been imbibed and unhappy ever since.

Captain Condor is returned to life at the temple, and says his thanks and goodbyes to the party. Stellum also offers to take Rickardt to his home of Maegra, hopefully beyond the range of Dr. Flargheist and his travelling circus, and the plasmoid accepts. The PCs thank Stellum and Rickardt for their help and, reunited with their paladin, plan out their next step.

PCs: Aldren, Bjork, Nebol'shoy, Rickardt