Skyfell Campaign: Session 8

Skyfell Introduction

I started a once-per-month Dungeons and Dragons game in my Skyfell campaign setting. I wanted to provide my players with a log of their adventures and then realized that such a log might make for fun blog posts. See the Session Index for a complete listing.

The cast is:

Laura - Meribore Softwalker - female fitbolg, Druid (Circle of the Moon)

Jeff - Omagoshno - male rock gnome, Artificer (Artillerist)

Rodney - Tauffae Twofeather Topshelf - male orc, Fighter (Champion)

Dan - Drekzhar - male minotaur, Bard/Rogue (College of Swords, no specialty)

Pat - Frit Nimbly - female goblin, Monk (Way of Shadow)

Michelle - Bronte Whitewinter - male firbolg, Cleric (Tempest Domain)

Session 8: Home, Sweet Home

Preparation

The time between Session 7 and session 8 was the busiest ever for communication. It makes sense though.

First, the PCs had a ten-day trip back to Highwater and the players needed to work out what their characters were going to do. Some very important growth was taking place during that downtime. We work out in-game descriptions to justify everyone’s choices when they leveled up; everyone is now level four by the way. We also established the nature of the bagpipes described in the plans the party found and what was needed to build them. I covered all of that in the Session 7 Supplemental.

Second, the players needed to decide what they wanted to do next. The conclusion of The Piruna Run left many threads for the characters to pursue, including The Glutton’s mask, the return of Trovick’s personal effects to his family (Trovick being the zombie captain of the Howling Wind from Session 2), finding materials to build an arm for Bronte, finding materials to build the bagpipes for Drekzhar, Meribore’s need to re-center herself and learn more about wild shaping, looking into the origin of the coins looted from the old woman in the tree in Session 4, and finding their next job. Since each of these activities had the potential to split up the party, I asked everyone if they wanted these to be done offline or during session 8. The group wanted to watch these side stories unfold. I decided then that session 8 would be a collection of mini sessions targeted at whatever the players wanted to do. This meant I had to plan out every thread.

Third, I was not sure how long the mini sessions might take, so I needed to have a plan in place if they turned out to be a little more mini than I expected. I had two options on the table. One option involved a lot of planning as it meant the kickoff of another homebrew arc. It was an idea I had been kicking around for a while. In fact I had initially planned it as a one-shot for a live stream on Time2Tabletop but since it’s inception I had grown into a pretty wild yarn that exploited some of my favorite aspects of Skyfell and some much-loved pop culture references. The second option was more level dependent and I knew if I didn’t do it next I wouldn’t be able to do it at all. I won’t disclose any details here other than to say it is a published adventure whose title rhymes with Danger Dings.

Fourth, my own musical OCD kicked into ludicrous speed as I set myself the task of creating theme music for every point of interest in Highwater. I initially blamed this on all that planning I had to do but eventually owned up to the fact that I was just having a lot of fun. I  created 16 playlists just for the locales and four more sets of background music (mood, adventuring, and combat) for each of the possible adventures the party might begin.

Oh, Spotify, You Musical Bag of Holding

Fifth, I recently picked up a hardcopy of Spelljammer 2e from the DMs Guild. I was looking forward to mining it for interesting ideas. I didn’t get too far into this, but the little I did manage to digest proved really helpful. I also needed to reread bits about my players’ various races so that the mini sessions played out with a little more depth. (Stumbling on the description of Hiatea in Monster Mythology 2e, for example, during my prep for Session 7 had proved invaluable.)

Adventures in Space!!!

Sixth, I put a task to myself to improve a particular aspect of my DMing. I always get caught up in the moment and miss little details that make the game more interesting. Every once in a while I really botch a critical detail. This isn’t fair to my players as my choices are either to let go of that piece or retcon it in. I don’t very much like either so I made myself promise to slow down and consult my notes more often. I also found it wonderful to be able to hand out the dream sequences to Laura and Michelle. To keep up with this practice, I also made a promise to write up more descriptions to read to everyone rather than winging it. A fortunate side-effect of writing more will be that I can include them in this blog.

Finally, I invoked my random-monthly-events table. I wrote this up a while ago and I will be using it throughout my campaign. 

Random Events, Oh Yeah

I proposed (over Discord) trying out the tag-team rules I came up with but haven’t really had a chance to use. I also decided that I wanted to try out some critical fumble and critical success tables. (I very much enjoy the randomness generated by the tables that Rodney uses when he DMs.) I picked up a few tables from the DMs Guild. I think, though, I will ultimately come up with my own because there is a certain flavor that I'm looking for. Something more akin to the narrative glitches I wrote about for my Epic Gnomish Invention supplement. I'll post a write-up about them here and maybe, if they work well, publish them to the GMs Guild.

So yeah, I was freakishly busy. This hobby can be a lot of work for a DM. But it’s work that I love so it's all good.

Leading up to the game, Pat let us know that he would not be able to make it to the session. Later, Michelle mentioned the same. Given the nature of where we were in the story, I felt that we could still have a game even with missing players. This is because there were going to be certain tasks each of the players might want to perform on their own or in small groups. Also, I figured if there were too many folks out, then I could do a simple one-shot for those who could make it depending on the how long these individual mini-quests took. To that end, I planned for a quick, simple adventure, resurrecting a creature from the 1e Fiend Folio and another from the b/x basic rules.

Pre-game

After everyone arrived, I did a quick recap while we were enjoying some pizza. We all decided that Bronte and Frit would quietly accompany whichever portion of the party was the largest. We then jumped right into the game.

In-game

The party watched with excitement as the Stout Crow approached Doraku. The ship aligned itself with the gravitational plane of the continent, crossed over the Mayraki Flats, and pulled into the port in Highwater. The four-story structure looked like a scaffolding built into the side of the mountain with its numerous piers poking out in all directions. There were a handful of inter-continental ships docked there along with numerous tugs, runabouts, and ferries. There was even a gigantic freight ship tendered with its cargo being ferried and then unloaded by crews with pachycephalosaurus. The Aerie, just east of the docks and higher up the steep slope of Mount Doraku, watched over the activity. The Wyrmking’s Sanctuary stood next to it, a comforting symbol of Bahamut’s benevolence and glory. 

Wyrmking's Sanctuary
Source: "Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica"

It was good to be home.

The party first went to Garrison Market to collect their pay. (Here’s the background music I put together for the marketplace.) Everyone but Tauffae went to The House of Coin with their contract and the fulfillment papers Captain Ka-aaw had prepared for them. Since Tauffae was a crew member rather than a contractor, his pay was held by a checker in an office operated by Goldfinger at the docks.

Garrison Market in Highwater
Source: "Dungeon Master's Guide, 4th Edition"

With coin burning holes in their pockets, the party next went to The Sword and Shield. (Take a listen to the background music for this locale. I’m not entirely satisfied with it yet.) The smithy, owned and operated by Morgan Firebeard, was the premiere armorer and weapons shop in Doraku. It has earned much praise for the high quality of its commissioned work. The building was a large, oblong dome with several chimneys around the outside edge all trickling smoke. A large central stack coughed out thick black exhaust that left a thin patina of soot on everything in the surrounding environs. There was a main entrance opening into a showroom of sorts where customers examined and tried out the wares while employees did their best to make a sale.

Morgan Firebeard, Owner of the Sword and Shield
Source: HeroForge rendering

Drekzhar sold the orc scimitar that Vola gave him. He bought a matching set of two scimitars and a dagger. He also sold off a few pieces of equipment he had gathered and would no longer need. Omagoshno unloaded his well used leather armor and purchased some scale to replace it. Meribore inquired about scale armor made from non-standard materials like chitin. While they didn’t have any such armor in stock, she was assured that if they had the materials they could easily build a custom set for her. Bronte browsed about but found nothing that piqued his interests.

This preliminary shopping done, Tauffae and Drekzhar headed to Trovick’s home to return his horns and worldly possessions to his family. The family, named Axiotis, lived in the Maht District, the wealthy area of Highwater where both The Aerie and the Wyrmking's Sanctuary are located. The two were granted access to the family compound and ushered into a rather small sitting room. 

Lady Zoka Axiotis, accompanied by a servant, arrived several minutes later. 

Lady Zoka Axiotis
Source: HeroForge rendering

After Drekzhar told the story and presented the items, she explained that Trovick had been a ward, brought under the family’s care when his parents disappeared at sea. Though she maintained the social bearing appropriate for her station, Drekzhar did notice how heartbroken she was by the news of his death. She thanked them profusely. She also mentioned that he and his team might be right for a little problem she had recently become aware of in Delakor. Drekzhar said he would need to check with the rest of the party before accepting any work. The meeting concluded.

On the way to the Axiotis residence, Tauffae had noticed the fine hats the upper-class women were wearing and wanted to go to an area hat store to buy one. Drekzhar recognized that any store in the area would be out of their price range and redirected Tauffae’s interests to the WhatNot Shop.

All the Amazing Hats
Source: My Fair Lady

While Tauffae and Drekzhar were busy, the rest of the group went to The WhatNot Shop. They were greeted by Zana who welcomed Omagoshno as a regular customer. (I started playing the WhatNot Shop ambient music.) She quickly explained the shop and it’s layout. (I have rules for browsing each of the shops and generating random finds beyond what each shop normally stocks. We followed those rules for this visit.)

Zana Daergel, Owner of The WhatNot Shop
Source: HeroForge rendering

Meribore was completely overwhelmed and fascinated by the place. She lost herself in bemused wandering, picking up pretty jewelry trinkets and a very lovely brass bowl with blue accents that looked a lot like waves. (She later learned this was a bowl of commanding water elementals and way out of everyone's price range.)

Meribore's WhatNot Shop Find
Source: Dungeon Masters Guide, 5e

Omagoshno found a cloak that bellowed magnificently when the wearer struck a superhero pose. He also picked up some raw amethyst (one of the components for Bronte’s arm) and sold the plushes in a poke that he had found back on Moss Creek. (He got a really good deal too because Zana was apparently a bit of a fan and collector.) After a couple of hours the two found themselves back at the storefront. In a fortuitous stroke of luck, Drekzhar and Tauffae happened to come into the shop at exactly the same time. (It was almost as though the timing had been manufactured by a higher power.)

Tauffae immediately went to the clothing area where he found a trove of hats, scarves, and other frilly garments. Just when he thought things couldn’t get any better, he discovered the feather collection. Suffice it to say, the ensuing shopping spree left him a happy orc. Meanwhile, Drekzhar updated the party on how it went at the Axiotis residence. He also spent a little time browsing around. He found a bin of free items and poked around in it for anything interesting. After a while, he found a tiny sphere with an airship inside. As he stared at the tiny model, he noticed that there were little people on the deck going about their duties. He kept this item. (Later, he went back to the Sword and Shield to have the sphere embedded in a custom pommel for one of his swords. The work would take a couple of days.)

When Tauffae finished, they approached Zana about the mask. They retired to a back room that looked a lot like a cluttered room at an inn. Zana examined the mask with great care and concern. When she finished, she took a few nips from a flask of cave-fisher whiskey and then passed it around to everyone else. She confirmed that it was an artifact of The Glutton--a quite a dangerous one at that. It had its own defenses and, when activated, opened a portal to another plane. While it was possible to destroy it, she did not have the means to do so. That would be better handled by a priest at the Temple of Garl Glittergold. She warned them to be very careful with the thing.

The Mask on The Glutton
Source: Races of Stone, 2e

The party met with Trickfinger Folkor, a divine prankster, at the temple.

Trickfinger Folkor, Gnome Divine Prankster

He confirmed Zana’s assessment and offered to take the mask off their hands to have it disposed of properly. The players had some worries about whether Trickfinger was secretly a follower of The Glutton but their characters couldn’t have that conversation in front of him. During the discussion, Tauffae admired Trickfinger’s outfit. Trickfinger returned the kind remarks as he plucked one of the tiny bells from his pants and gifted it to Tauffae. Tauffae was quite happy about this.

After handing off the mask to a well-armed group of acolytes, Trickfinger went on to explain that they had found another follower of The Glutton in Delakor. Finding two such followers was cause for some concern and Trickfinger wanted the person brought back to Highwater for questioning. He offered them healing potions for their troubles. The party accepted the request, especially since the initial conversation with Lady Axiotis indicated that the troubles she wanted dealt with were also in Delakor. Trickfinger provided release papers to present to the Captain at Fort Delakor to release the person into the party's custody.

The party next went back to the Axiotis residence to accept their new mission.

!!!SPOILER ALERT!!!

This is the beginning of the adventure that comes with the Dungeons and Dragon Stranger Things box set. Because this is a log of our campaign, I will be disclosing details of that published module. I will, of course, be altering some of those details to fit the campaign, but the overall adventure along with its puzzles and solutions will likely appear in the coming posts. If you don’t want to know these things...

...STOP READING!

You’ve been warned.

Lady Zoka Axiotis welcomed the party into a larger seating room. She explained that she had been receiving distressing news from Captain Kimbatuul out of Fort Delakor near the town of Delakor. A monster that he called a thessalhydra was appearing out of nowhere. It was attacking outlying farms and other settlements. It even attacked the fort. Thankfully, the soldiers stationed there were able to fend it off, but only barely. The Captain couldn’t send troops after the monster because he needed them to protect the town and the fort. Besides, he was pretty sure they wouldn’t be able to beat the monster in its own lair even if they did go after it. She wanted the party to go to Fort Delakor to hunt down the monster and kill it. She expected the Captain would want the party to bring back the heads (it reportedly had eight of them) as proof of their success and so she gave them two Bags of Holding to carry them in. She offered each member of the party 100 GP, a Ring of Protection, and a Healing potion. She also presented a Wand of Magic Missiles, which Omagoshono took, and a very fine greatsword of an unusual style made from a strange black metal. Lady Axiotis explained that the greatsword was made specifically for this task by Morgan Firebeard, who had named it Shadow's Dark Bite. She expected that it would prove most potent against the thessalhydra.

The Great Sword: Shadow's Dark Bite
Source: Dungeons and Dragons Stranger Things Box Set

The party accepted the mission and promised to do all they could to end the terror of the thessalhydra. Lady Axiotis gave them contract papers to show to the Captain upon their arrival. She expected the party to fully cooperate with him. They then thanked her for her time and left.

The party decided to rest for the night and then head out the next morning. To that end, they went to The Groggy Hive for dinner, a little relaxation, and some much needed recreation. (There is background music for the Groggy Hive as well.)

It was here that they picked up on two local rumors that seemed to cause a bit of excitement.

First, there were stories of a shipwreck found in the Open Skies that showed signs it had been attacked by gnoll reavers. Most of the bodies had been missing and the few bodies that had been found were badly mutilated. This caused a good deal of worry among the sailors but was welcomed news for the sellswords who suddenly found they could fetch a little more for their services.

Second, a laborer and a flower-seller were missing. The last anyone had seen either of them had been a few days ago in the neighborhood around The Groggy Hive. The wife of the laborer had been by several times since looking for him. The father of the flower-seller, a known drunk and layabout, had been around to complain that his ungrateful daughter probably took up with some wealthy fellow and was keeping her new-found fortune to herself.

Skyfell Cultural Note

The gnoll homeland is Burati Minor. Their populations are constantly “thinned” by Yuan-ti hunting parties from Burati Major. Because of this, many gnolls take to the Open Skies. The refugees sometimes form into groups that prey on ships not for piracy but for the sure joy of murder. These bloodthirsty bands are collectively referred to as gnoll reavers and are feared by many sailors. They're a big enough problem that Tescalain has formed a task force specifically to deal with them.

Gnoll Reaver
Source: Dungeons and Dragons Online Article

Reaver ships are small, fast vessels that can sneak up on another ship and cripple it before it can retaliate. Boarding parties are as likely to rape, eat, and dismember anyone they find as they are to enslave them. Looting is usually an afterthought in these attacks. There are horrific stories of reaver masters commanding packs of demons that can devour a minotaur whole and of dark magic that transforms victims into undead slaves. But since no one is known to have survived a reaver attack, it's hard to confirm such tales.

There are also rumors of reaver “villages” loose in the Open Skies. These settlements are comprised of dozens of ships packed tightly together with ropes and makeshift bridges to connect them. Because a settlement is a collection of ships rather than permanent structures, it can easily disband and reform somewhere else. Once again, it's difficult to know whether these stories are true or if they're just the wild wonderings of frightened sailors and imaginative bards.

End session 8.

Experience earned:

Bronte - 0 (3631 total)

Drekzhar - 710 (4285 total)

Frit - 0 (3686 total)

Meribore - 715 (4321 total)

Omagoshno - 715 (4242 total)

Tauffae - 650 (4360 total)

Post-game

A few sessions and discussions happened after the game ended. I’m summarizing them here because I want a clean start for the next arc in my next post. They are organized by character.

Omagoshno

After the rest of the players left, Jeff and I had a quick one-on-one session. He wanted Omagoshno to have a couple of drinks with the rest of the party and then make his apologies for turning in for the night.

Instead of going back to his apartment, Omagoshno returned to Trickfinger Folkor. He wanted to discuss his dreams during the trip back to Highwater. Trickfinger reminded him that he was loved by his friends and family. He belonged to a rich, thriving gnome community. He was also proving himself a valuable contributor and adventurer to society in general. As long as he kept this in mind, the dreams were nothing to be worried about. Trickfinger then gave Omagoshno a medallion of Garl Glittergold as a reminder of his place in and importance to those around him, including the gods.

Omagoshno next went to the central tower at Oh-hellka’s Campus. (Here’s the ambient music for his location.) He wanted to study the wizarding arts as a complement to his growing artificer skills and would need to find a teacher to do so. The central tower was inky black inside save a single pillar of light that illuminated a young woman sitting behind a circular desk. Her feet were up on the side of the desk bobbing out a rhythm as she hummed a tune. Every once in a while, a large, pink bubble emerged from her mouth and popped loudly. All the while, there seemed to be some sort of disturbance surrounding her, like a swirling breeze, that surrounded her. Omagoshno called out to her several times but she didn’t answer. When he approached, he noticed that there was a little jewel in each of her ears. When he rang a bell on the desk, the woman started, resumed a more professional pose, and then gave him with a great big smile. "Why, hello there Sunshine," she said. She introduced herself as Ariel, the lead support staff for the Campus Tower, and apologized for not hearing him.

Ariel, Lead Support Staff at the Campus Tower
Source: HeroForge rendering

“I was listening to my ear music bands." She indicated the jewels in her ears. When she held one up to Omagoshno's ear, he heard music emanating from it. Despite his fascination with this, he managed to make his inquiry about finding a master to teach him about being a wizard. She told him that no-one was taking on apprentices at that moment, but she could file away the request and someone would get back with him. He accepted this. She jotted some information down on a piece of parchment, checked it over for mistakes, and then made the paper disappear into a splash of twinkling dust.

His primary business out of the way, curiosity finally got the better of Omagoshno. He asked Ariel about the bubbles she was blowing. She explained that it was a new invention by a wizard name Wrigley that he called non-comestible amalgamated mastication polymer. Ariel simply called it bubble gum. She offered him some, warning him never to swallow it because, "...bad things can happen." Omagoshno left Oh-hellka’s Campus, with a spring in his step and a pouch filled with 8 carefully wrapped sticks of Wrigley’s bubble gum in his pocket.

Wrigley's Non-comestible Amalgamated Mastication Polymer

After this visit, Omagoshno went to the scrap hoard in the basement of the Gearmount Foundry to scrounge up components for Bronte’s arm. (Have a listen to the Gearmount Foundry ambient music.) As a member of the guild, he was entitled to a discount on any components he might take from the hoard. There, he met Rustmaister Scheppen-dunturo, a befuddled elderly gnome in charge of it.

Rustmaister Scheppen-dunturo, Minder of the Scrap Hoard
Source: HeroForge rendering

The old man complained about a recent spate of parts going missing. He’d reported it to the higher ups, but they didn’t seem to care, so it was up to him to figure out what was going on or to hire someone who could. He asked Omagoshno if he would be such a fellow. He’d be more than happy to provide parts for free or at a further discount rate if he did. Omagoshno said he’d have to check with his companions first. He then picked through the hoard and found an electrum servo and a vial of crude black bile (both needed for the arm). Satisfied, he left for his apartment.

Meribore

Meribore excused herself after her first drink for the Encampment Green. She hoped to gain some insight into the side effects of repeatedly wild shaping into a deinonychus. The Encampment Green is along the eastern rim of Mount Doraku, about a three hour walk from Highwater. (There is also background music for the Encampment Green.) She spent an hour wandering the region before she stumbled upon a group of individuals who were settling in for the evening. One of them, a halfling named Paela, welcomed her. “I am she as you are we as he is me as we are all the Oneness,” she said, offering Meribore food and drink.

Paela, a Halfling Druid Wandering the Encampment Green
Source: HeroForge rendering

She introduced the others: Milo (a male halfling), Taan-ohm (a male kenku), Astrid (a female tabaxi), Cinder (a female silver Dragonborn), and Geed (a male aarakocra). Meribore offered Paela a bracelet from her home island as a gift, a firbolg custom when making new friends. Paela, in return, gifted Meribore with a clumsily made ash box that contained a gold-colored feather.

Meribore then explained why she was in the Encampment Green. As she spoke, Milo began to hum. The tune was strangely relaxing, its notes blended perfectly with Meribore’s words, not forming a song in any traditional sense but rather fusing the notes with each syllable. Words, rhythm, and melody blended into a rainbow of dancing lights that drizzled beads of twinkling flames. The heartbeat of Doraku bubbled up from all around her and wove itself through the food Paela ate, the air Taan-ohm breathed, the breeze that ruffled Astrid’s fur, and the tears that came to Meribore’s eyes. Meribore could also feel a very faint twitch in Doraku somewhere far away and deep inside its rock. She couldn’t pinpoint its location. Neither could she really understand what it might mean.

Becoming the Oneness
Source: Pixabay with Digital Manipulation By Me

Paela said, “The Oneness flows through us and we flow through the Oneness? There is nothing more exhilarating. Only in that state, in a state of complete surrender, can we free ourselves. If we try to take control of the Oneness, the Oneness will control us. That’s simply the way of nature. Struggle begets struggle. Freedom begets freedom. Love begets love. Hate begets hate. The Oneness doesn’t make our decisions for us. It simply reacts, just as we react to the Oneness.” She then offered Meribore a pouch filled with fragments of dried leaves. “This will help you shed your illusions of control and free yourself. It will help you be with the Oneness. You can chew these by themselves, but they’re a bit bitter that way. It’s much more enjoyable as a tea, or in soup, or baked into a desert. Use it sparingly. As the emptiness in the pouch increases, your surrender to the Oneness will also increase.”

A Gift from Paela
Source: Pixabay 

The group then wild shaped into various creatures and indulged in a little frolicking in the woods. Meribore tried to do exactly as Paela had instructed. She felt the Oneness and her own will struggling to decide what she should become. Despite every attempt to let the Oneness have its way, her own will won out and Meribore transformed into a deinonychus. Though she participated in the play, she couldn’t let go of her failure. She had more work to do. After an hour, everyone returned to the fire in their normal forms. Meribore then asked the group if they had ever felt the heartbeat of Doraku flutter as the heartbeat of Moss Creek had. They indicated that they had not, but they would take extra care to listen to the Encampment Green more carefully.

The group then settled in for what was left of the night. Meribore trekked back to Highwater, exhausted by the experience but glad for it and hopeful.

Drekzhar

Drekzhar remained at The Groggy Hive where he put on a dazzling performance featuring the songs he had written about his adventurers in the Piruna Fields. During this, Vola arrived to kick back and relax. She needed to celebrate her return to civilization after being marooned on Moss Creek for so long.

Vola
Source: HeroForge rendering

She, of course, hung around Drekzhar; they were both eager to continue what they had started on the ship. A few other folks also decided to make Drekzhar their focus. All of this only served to inspire Drekzhar’s performance. He really got the crowd going into the wee hours. Eventually he and Vola stumbled back to a room with a handful of his new groupies in tow. News of the legendary party was already spreading through Garrison Market even before any of its participants were asleep.

Drekzhar and Vola woke a couple hours later with only minor hang overs. The groupies were less fortunate and remained passed out long after Drekzhar left for his mission to Delakor and Vola returned to her own apartment.

Bronte

Bronte left the Groggy Hive along with Meribore and Omagoshno. He wanted to get more information about the coins the party had looted from the witch. He met with Zana at the sales counter of the WhatNot Shop and presented one of the coins to her.

Zana explained that she believed the coin was from before the cataclysm. “If I remember correctly,” she said, “the people at that time used to place a coin in the mouth of the deceased at burial. The person's ghost could then take the coin with them, presenting it for passage out of the Material plane to wherever their final destination might be. I suppose you could say it’s like a token or ticket. I’ve never seen one before so I could be wrong. Anyway, it’s rather intriguing. I can take it off your hands for 78 gold pieces.”

Tomb in Piruna Fields
Source: Neverwinter Online

Bronte politely declined Zana’s offer and asked whether she could read the inscription. Zana struggled for a bit. “It’s in the Ancient Tongue. I’m a little rusty. I’m pretty sure it says, ‘To traverse that which was sundered.’ It’s probably talking about the soul being separated from the body. That would make sense, I guess, given the whole passage-into-another-plane thing.”

Passage into Another Plane
Source: Pixabay

Bronte wondered how it was that the party would find three now all in one place if the coins were so ancient. “You tell me,” was Zana’s reply. “You found them. On second thought, I don’t want to know. That’s your business. To your question, these coins do turn up every now and then on the market. Usually some adventurer finds one and quickly sells it off for the gold. I’m not aware of any private collectors per se but I hear that the university has few they are studying.”

Bronte thanked Zana for her time and asked whether she knew how he could find out more about the coin. She suggested paying a visit to Professor Ayasha, a professor of archaeology at the Kalraka School of the Weave. Bronte was very appreciative of Zana’s help. He bid farewell and then returned to his room in The Groggy Hive. 

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