Session 41 Reunion
Roundhouse
Inside the ramshackle abode, Arti is met by Kalyptos, the black dragonborn who encouraged Glimback to leave him behind. The monster slayer is holding a white rabbit. When Arti offers a home-grown tomato, the rabbit expresses his gratitude in a surprisingly deep, eloquent voice. Owain, a wild magic sorcerer, explains that he is stuck in his current form owing to a year’s worth of stress. Arti finds Glimback curled up in the corner, cradling his heart. He approaches and rests a hand on his father’s shoulder.
“Arti will save us, yes… the voice said Arti is coming.”
Glimback speaks to Arti’s heart.
Glimback caresses Arti’s metallic cheek in disbelief before wrapping his arms around his son. The elderly gnome listens intently as Arti recounts the events of the past month in record time. He gasps, realising the voice he heard must have been Ten. Examining the magical fibres in Arti’s chest, Glimback becomes hesitant to replace Arti’s heart in fear of disrupting Ten’s repairs. Conferring with his friends, Arti agrees to wait until the time is right.
Firien and Gomruss detect a mote of concern on Kalyptos’ reptilian brow when Arti mentions the Inquisition. After some subtle interrogation, they discover that Kalyptos worships Caelum. Bantonio strokes his chin. The dragonborn’s Mallian accent suggests that Kalyptos was reformed by Church missionaries during the war. Kalyptos is adamant they forget about the pillar and proceed home immediately to minimise further exposure to the Miasma. Without warning, Arti embraces the dragonborn.
“I know you don’t have any family back home. But this family wants to help the people of the Relief. Maybe you could be a part of that?”
Arti hugs Kalyptos.
Moorland Village
The Six of Steel exit the roundhouse to find the frogs lying in wait. A thousand vacant eyes stare at the bipeds soon to become their matriarch’s next meal. The queen frog, fifteen feet in diameter, emerges from the marsh and leaps onto the bridge! The rotten woodwork cracks beneath its limpid bulk. Kalyptos darts ahead, hoping to discover the queen’s weakness, and is immediately restrained by several sticky tongues! Guy sounds the boatswain’s call, signalling the Verity to prepare for battle.
“It’s just a giant fucking frog!”
Kalyptos analyses the queen frog.
Firien rushes to help Kalyptos, only to retch when the ranger squeezes one of the frogs like a water balloon. Realising the queen is preparing to swallow Kalyptos, Arti pushes forward. The queen’s gelatinous flesh seems resistant to Arti’s bestial claws, but his relentless assault opens wounds faster than it can heal them. A trio of frogs restrain Arti with their tongues. Bantonio repels the advancing frogs with his whip, popping several of them with a singular arcing motion. That gives Clara a brilliant idea. With a clap of her hands, her spiritual guardians appear and begin to gobble up the frogs, drenching her in slime!
When Guy blasts the queen with his gemlock rifle, it seems to heave in agony. Six more froglets ooze out of the egg sacs on its back. Resisting the urge to vomit, Firien summons the power of the tempest to shatter the newborn amphibians. Tiamo blasts the queen with a devastating ruby-red ray of fire, prompting Gomruss to flip Tymora’s coin and follow up with a critical ray of frost! With the queen’s hind leg frozen, Gomruss launches a salvo of magic missiles to defend Arti. The frogs restraining him burst in a satisfying sequence, allowing the warforged to deliver a final blow to the queen.
The Verity
Clara leads the evacuation across the bridge. Clambering up the gangplank, Guy is relieved to find the crew ready to set sail. He orders all moorings to be cleared, wary of stowaway frogs. While Glimback enjoys a heartfelt reunion with Adelaide and the other Crows, Firien summons the Six of Steel, Spiro and Kalyptos to a private debriefing. Humbled by the Grand Paladin’s presence, Kalyptos explains his misgivings. When he questions Arti’s ability to find the pillar, the warforged concentrates, humming Saint Lydia’s song to himself. Arti feels a familiar presence and turns to find Ten standing behind Firien.
Ten’s image, clearer than ever before, offers a knowing nod; it seems only Arti can see him. Arti doesn’t bring attention to the curious being, he merely offers a warm smile in reply. There was no doubt in his mind that Ten was benevolent. Dismissing Kalyptos, Firien solicits Spiro’s opinion. The Grand Paladin notes the ranger’s piety and decides to keep Bantonio’s vision a secret from him. Firien can’t help but recall Ten’s warning. “One of them is false.” Eager to enthuse with a fellow scholar, Gomruss rushes off to find Glimback and discuss the results of his experiment.