Investigating the earthmote, Gomruss discovers two intact scrolls in the armoury: compelled duel and earth tremor. At his side, Blythe brushes away the rubble to reveal a set of ancient light armour of Antiquan origin. She stuffs it into her bag of holding—perhaps it was worth something. Guy rummages through the dilapidated furniture in the stilt house, collecting a small pouch of gold coins. He admires the expert craftsmanship of the rug beneath his feet, which he recognises as characteristic of mid-700s Primal Antiqua. Outside, Firien and Bantonio discover the basilisk’s victims. Hundreds of shattered statues litter the lakebed.

Firien spots an intact statue and summons Gomruss to perform an adjust density spell. The statue begins to float as Arti lowers an improvised grappling hook. Together, he and Doom manage to heave the statue onto the pontoon. The statue is frozen in a moment of shock. She wears the same ancient armour that Blythe discovered. Without the equipment they need to collect and distil the basilisk venom, the Six of Steel decide to hand over retrieval of the statue to the Commission. They mark the earthmote’s location and course on Doom’s map before returning to Crowswood Place.

996, Roscidas 24th

Crowswood Place

While Guy supervises the furnishing of the earthmote, Firien and Gomruss meet with Doom to begin extracting the basilisk venom. Gomruss soothes his new serpentine companion while Doom and Firien hold the flasks to its fangs. Gomruss spends three charges of his basilisk die, earning him 20 flasks of basilisk venom. Seeing how Gomruss bonded with the basilisk, Doom decides not to release it, instead returning Gomruss’ die. Firien considers how they might track the venom’s location. Gomruss advises that the distance would be too great for magic to work. Arti suggests the Commission send a scout instead.

“Track the venom the old fashioned way, huh? I know just the person.”

“Am I coming out of retirement?”

Doom to Subira.

996, Roscidas 25th

Guy caresses the earthmote’s helm as Tuperk’s engineers finish installing the cannon. She was finally sky-worthy! Droleg offers a bottle of sparkling wine to bless the earthmote. The Crows applaud as the Six of Steel name their new ship the Verity. Captain Brush calls for a test flight, naming Gomruss his boatswain. The dragonborn echoes Guy’s orders with piercing volume as the mainsail catches the wind. The Verity sets sail to howls of celebration! Firien beams as they watch the iridescent clouds swirl in their wake. At the bow, Bantonio tears up at the sensation of flying as he raises his arms like wings.

Tacking into the wind, Blythe spots a small earthmote the crew might use for target practice. On Guy’s orders, Arti loads the cannon while Bantonio lines up the shot. The explosion pops Bantonio’s ears but a direct hit shatters the earthmote! Next, Firien suggests they test the Verity’s speed. Their talons prickle with divine magic as they summon a gust of wind to propel the earthmote. The thrusters activate in unison, bringing the Verity up to a speed of 34 knots. Upon disembarking, the crew lift Guy into the air and sing three cheers!

996, Roscidas 26th

The Oratory

The Six of Steel, Adelaide, Hadley, Lathraia and Doom are escorted to the Oratory by black-armoured inquisitors. The doors to the Oratory are locked and the windows shuttered, officially sealing the party inside. Sana, Spiro, Aura and Tristis sit upon elevated chairs in judgement. The fifth chair in the circle is empty. Disgruntled by Clara’s tardiness, Tristis steps down from his chair to begin the hearing. He cuts an imposing figure, matching Gomruss’ height. This draws Blythe’s attention to Tristis’ armoured boots which seem to match the footprints she found at the Statue of Caelum. She receives a hard stare from the Grand Inquisitor, sending a shiver down her spine.

First, Tristis questions the sense in risking further lives considering Glimback and his expedition are likely long dead. Arti steps forward, claiming he remains connected to his heart and that Glimback still carries it. Tristis remains dubious. He presses that Glimback may be impossible to find owing to the constant shift of earthmotes. Arti closes his eyes and reaches out. A warmth embraces his heart, beckoning him towards the Miasma. Then a shiver runs down his spine as if he were being watched. Firien notes Tristis’ gaze is locked on Arti. Though Arti cannot provide Glimback’s location, Tristis seems satisfied.

Next, Tristis questions the legality of Lathraia’s blood hunter ritual. The yuan-ti steps forward, claiming all his research was conducted outside of Church territory and therefore no laws have been broken. He and Arti explain how the blood hunters can protect one another from psychosis, and refer to their successful tests on psychotic pteranodons. Firien spots Lathraia shiver under the Grand Inquisitor’s gaze. Intrigued, Tristis reveals the true reason for his trepidation.

“You place a lot of faith in a known Mallian spy.”

“You can’t judge people based on their past!”

Tristis to Arti.

Arti defends Lathraia with wisdom beyond his years, momentarily befuddling the Grand Inquisitor. Aura steps down from her chair to praise Arti. She acknowledges the blood hunters’ sacrifice and deems it necessary to defend against psychotic creatures from the Miasma. When Tristis suggests an inquisitor accompany the expedition, Firien accuses Tristis of reading their minds. The Grand Inquisitor explains how he has the right to use restricted magic in defence of the Church. Sensing an opportunity, Bantonio steps forward to question the Grand Inquisitor’s motives.

“So you exist outside of the law? That doesn’t seem right. You police the Church, but tell me… who polices the Inquisition?”

“Enough! We are not here to debate the loyalties of the Inquisition.”

“Alright! I’ll go.”

Bantonio to Tristis. Spiro interrupts.

Spiro steps down from his chair, flexing his muscles nonchalantly. Before Tristis can protest, Spiro declares himself captain, prompting Captain Brush to interject. Though initially prepared to challenge Guy, Spiro is easily appeased when Guy offers him a commander’s insignia. Four knocks echo throughout the Oratory. All eyes turn to the entrance as Sana unlocks the doors. Clara strides in with the crew of the Verity behind her! Roshia stands beside Eureka and Zephan. Even Constable Denover and the Feywild Ones have come to support their friends.

“Sorry I’m late! I picked up a few friends.”

Clara makes an entrance.

Outraged, Tristis demands Clara escort everyone out. Instead, she declares her intentions to join the expedition. While Spiro’s objections are ignored, Tristis defers to the Exarch. Aura declares the hearing adjourned and offers the expedition her blessing. As everyone else exits, Bantonio takes a moment to pray at Caelum’s shrine. Arti wraps his arms around Aura. She returns the hug with a solemn smile. Firien approaches to privately ask the Exarch a question. As they suspected, Aura knows nothing about the Church sourcing basilisk venom.

“This is troubling. The order must have come from Spiro or one of his paladins. I’ll look into it.”

“Bahamut guide you, Exarch.”

Aura to Firien.

Next: Session 32

Previous: Session 30