(Feb 6, 2024)

After the battle with the cultists, we investigated the leader, who said they wanted to summon a Marid who they thought would grant them wishes. They were in fact followers of Korfel Orstaroth (a sea master, said to control tides, leader of the Cult of Elemental Ruin) who apparently lives on an island just off the coast. Something we might want to investigate later!

But why summon it here? The cultist said because the temple was built on a “ley line” which amplifies magic. Upon hearing this Lyra left, distraught.
Janette meanwhile was quite scared of the group after witnessing that outburst of violence of Gigi and Mir. She and Eldara went to get the city guard, thankfully she downplayed the murdering a bit so our group wouldn’t get in trouble.

Mir, curious about the ritual, decided to cut a finger off the cultist, but seeing as she didn’t even flinch, gave up, just in time for the guards to show up. Mir, Gigi and Janette “decided” that the payment would be 30 GP/person for the gig and go with Janette to the newspaper to collect the money – which seems to pretty much bankrupt the poor Halfling.

Meanwhile, Lyra was at the inn watching people prepare for the upcoming Harvest Festival. There she was joined by first Casmos, then Eldara, who, over a glass of wine and tea, shared a little about their past lives. In short (long versions inside the character pages):

• Lyra: Her hometown in the Feywild was built on a “wild magic zone”, but no one knew that. Everyone just thought “magic” is an uncontrollable force, not to be used. She experimented with it, however, especially after finding a backpack with a scroll in it. This enabled her to cast a Mage Hand for the first time, but when she went home, her brother was turned into a pig. She was sent to this plane to learn about the weave and find a cure for her brother and was smitten by how magic makes sense here and can be learned and controlled.

• Casmos: From the peaceful village of Silverwind, raised by an eccentric “Aunt Talia”, who also taught him the art of tarot and ignited their interest in mysticism. Their best friend was called Nestor but he went to the “big city” to be a scholar. One day, Aunt Talia disappeared relatively suddenly on a personal journey, fueling Casmos‘ desire to travel and find her, while discovering the magic of the world.

• Eldara: Lived another live as Yue Chang, in a small village in the far east. At 13, a plague almost killed her, but made it through, aided by the moon goddess, and from then on could cure people. This was the time of a large rebellion and when the army came through her town, she along with her family was killed. In the Netherworld, it was discovered that she was not supposed to die yet and as a reward for her good deeds, was sent back to this plane to live another life as Eldara Moonwhisper, but keeping her memories and powers of her previous live, granted by the moon goddess

Also, Casmos and Eldara finally talked about serving apparently somewhat different moon goddesses.

During the conversation, the others joined at the inn. Gigi gave each one 10 (!) GPs, kept the rest for herself and Mir.

Casmos laid Tarot cards for Mir. (Full reading here.)

Past	Present	Future
Judgement Reversed	Temperance	Death

Though the road ahead may take many windings and at times seem unclear, know that you do not walk alone Eilmiris. Greater forces guide you even when the destination remains obscure. As caterpillar becomes butterfly, change shapes the soul. Trust inner wisdom, allow renewal. Your true calling lies ahead, not behind.
— Casmos, in the Tarot reading of Eilmiris

Mir spent the night at the temple, to feel the connection to the weave and realized that when anger comes, the connection to the Feywild is stronger.

The next day was the day of the Harvest Festival!

First, we checked the newspaper, and to our contentment, the report of us stopping the cult is overwhelmingly positive. Also, Casmos is hailed as a great fortuneteller. However, there is another fortune teller in town today, Edeline Crowglacier(?). Competition!
The festival has everything! Ale Drinking Contest, Shan’s Noodle Soups, Goblin Tossing, Wares from Lands afar…

We try out first the soup, then the goblin tossing (no real goblins unfortunately). Lyra gets a small wooden bird, Casmos a small, shiny star, which they give to Mir. Gigi gets a rabbit that she gives to Eldara.

Just as Mir was in a wood chopping contest – screams from the food stalls! 2 giant crabs have emerged and started attacking the server.

[Level 3]

31 Eleint (continued)

(Feb 20, 2024)

A fight started with the crabs and Mir lost his temper again. Suddenly a red-pink pixie appeared out of thin air next to one of the crabs - weird… As the first crab got chopped down by a raging Mir, an unconscious sailor emerged from the body. Then the pixie exploded and appeared again next to another crab. The pixie did this again and again during the whole fight. More crabs appeared, aided by an octopus, which grappled Gigi and almost choked her. Eldara, Mir and Gigi fought against the sea creatures, while Casmos hid under a table and eventually helped the others with some magic. Lyra was nowhere to be seen, probably drunk - unreliable feyfolk! Together we managed to defeat all sea creatures and turn them back into sailors, which got healed by Eldara. Luckily the festival band was still playing, so Mir calmed down after the fight.

After the fight we interrogated what seemed to be the captain of the group. He told us that their memory was spotty, but he remembered, that they were supposed to deliver goods to that island off the coast where, as the cultists told us last night, Korfel Orstaroth, leader of the Cult of Elemental Ruin, resided. The last they remembered was an orcish looking female, with greenish skin and wet hair…

Mir, always the diplomat, demanded from the mayor a compensation for our troubles in a rather rude way. Beasanport, however, was a poor place and Casmos quickly accepted a shiny sash from the mayor as payment, while apologizing for Mir’s style and paying for the sash. Afterwards, he tried to tell Mir to behave well in future similar occasions.

Back to High Harvesttide business! Next was the “Wares from Afar” shop, with it’s shady, but probably powerful owner Abel Shadowcutter. He gave Gigi a business card, that we could simply rip anywhere and he said, he would appear. The wares were a mixture of affordable kitsch and nick nack on the one hand and very expensive magic items and jewelry on the other hand. Maybe overpriced and of dubious effectiveness or very real and powerful, who knows. At least Gigi got a good deal on a healing potion, Casmos a little golden Goblin (“Someone’s trash is Casmos’ treasure!”) and Mir a Lyre to try to calm himself down, when in rage.

Next, the fortune teller! Eldara and Gigi “convinced” Casmos to go there. But it was a total sham, as the group quickly figured out, who just made stuff up on the spot. Gigi got so upset that she ripped the fake beak off the fortune teller’s face, who in turn cursed Gigi. Gigi cursed her back.

Lastly, the beer drinking contest, which Mir and Lyra (back again when it comes to drinking, of course) joined and both became buzzed (for an hour). While Mir was drunk, Gigi disarranged his belongings.

So where do we turn our attention now?