#Filodaxi

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Kalor session 45

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Kalor session 36

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Kalor session 37

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Kalor session 31-

In which the party enter the ancient temple and fight their way past it's various safeguards to the heart of the structure. There they find a trove of ancient Sessaran knowledge, and a dark portal looming. They question the guardians they defeated and learn the Filodaxi opened the portal, and that the creature held by the leylines, Destroyer, Change-bringer, is a dangerous entity and a threat to the safety of the world.

After a long rest they brave the portal, entering into the ancient Sessaran city of Denodrosa— a temple built in the Shadow plane. Victor hears his father's voice and, sensing he is somewhere in the city, takes Kiaxa and Lillian to track him down. The rest of the party finds a large map of Kalor, different from the land they know now, and realize it is depicting Kalor in the time of the Sessarans. Through careful study they learn the locations of power points on the leyline, and notice that some of them seem to be dark- and once they locate a dark spot over the volcanic temple realize this means that whatever was there has been broken.

Victor meanwhile finds his father Aventius shackled deep in the heart of the temple. Before they can free him a voice speaks into the minds of the party as a face takes shape in the sky. The Change-bringer offers each of them a choice to work with them, that they will make their greatest desires true if they would free them from their prison.

When the party refuses a NightWalker appears in its stead, and as soon as Aventius is freed from his shackles the party realizes it was his power keeping the portal open. They make a mad dash for the closing portal and manage to slip through in the knick of time.

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Kalor session 28-

In which the party wakes in Petrova, Vanth a little worse for wear for all the secrets weighing on her. The decide to head back to Rhew and the Lunari, hoping that the Mother Superior will be safe with the tribe until they learn how she was taken from Soldara. Once on the ship and out at sea a strange earthquake rocks Kalor, sending Soup's magic surging and wave after wave of arcane energy rocks through them. Once stable they tell the party the believe something is messing with the leylines- that there is something dormant beneath them that someone, presumably the filodaxi, is trying to wake. Lillian has a somber discussion with Vanth, who apologizes for not realizing she had been replaced and comforts her about Victor's distance- assuring her it was not her but his own shame that was driving them apart. On Rhew the party splits up, with Soup and Victor heading to the Soldaran camp while Selene guides Lillian, Lumivarax, and Vanth to the Lunari. Soup and Victor encounter a Soldaran paladin named Richard and quickly realize he is hunting the Lunari. They try to lure him from his path but he realizes their deception and a skirmish ensues in which Victor and Soup are able to quickly incapacitate him. They take him back to the camp where Victor is able to speak with his mother. Meanwhile the others reach the Lunari and they are able to heal the Mother Superior in body. Lumivarax asks the matriarch, Selene's grandmother, about his sword and possibly fixing it and his connection to his ancestors and she directs him to the Volcano on the edge of Istiria and herbs that grow there that may restore that connection. With the mother superior healed the group leave the Lunari and bring her to the Soldaran camp. They meet up with Victor and Soup and decide to head to the volcano. Back on the ship Soup realizes Victor is exhausted and confronts him, and with a little touch love knocks him out to rest and tells Lillian of his struggle. Once he is rested him and Lillian speak, and they share their first real kiss.

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Kalor session 19-

In which the party attends the senate meeting and realize the Filodaxi's plan too late as the dredged stone the organization gathered is brought in and activated, leveling the senate and everyone inside. The party manages to escape the blast only to run into Menpharan assassins and are quickly overwhelmed, and as they flee Robert stays behind to slow them at the cost of his own life.

The party returns to the ship and watches from offshore as Philates burns, purple-eyes guild members methodically destroying the city under the Filodaxi's enchantment. After finding Buberry on the ship, asleep but with the same glowing purple eyes, Lydia is able to sense the magic is similar to theirs and reveals their true self to the rest of the party.

After the destruction winds down Vanth and Boba return to the city to search for survivors and find none. Even the body of their friend has been lost, along with any hope of saving him.

[emotigonecreative]

Kalor session 33-

In which the party continues to search for a way to save Victor from the shadow plane and their search leads them to Soldara minor, one of the locations marked on the map they found in the temple. Once there they find an ancient serpent mound- and a not so ancient purple worm. Meanwhile Victor's health is waning as the shadow plane takes its toll on him. Despite his condition he continues to investigate, and his inquisitive nature leads him to battle with the FIlodaxi's Fire Genasi, Histara. On the verge of death the Smiling Lord comes to him once more, and Victor— refusing to die in this desolate place— accepts the Smiling Lord's offer.

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Kalor session 30-

In which Lumivarax finishes communing with his ancestors and is able to restore and empower his sword. On their way down the mountain they come across the small village of Ti'aire and Vanth is contacted by Corvus with a new mission- steal a child for the court to prove her loyalty. Vanth, fearing for her family should she refuse, convinces the party to stay the night in the village to heal from their battle. Buberry returns and informs them of what he saw in his travels, including possible sightings of the Filodaxi in the desert. Once night falls and the party is asleep Vanth sneaks out, successfully stealing the child- Ursa, a tabaxi girl no older than seven- and meeting with Corvus on the outskirts of the village without detection. She senses something off about Corvus and her fears are realized when he attack's her, claiming that despite her success in this mission her will and loyalty to the court is weak and he will destroy her for the sake of the Court. Vanth fights fiercely but is at a disadvantage in close combat and is near death when Corvus is suddenly stabbed through the neck and killed, her savior revealed to be a dark feathered owlin in an Eagles mask. He reveals himself as her grandfather and one of the leaders of the court, stating Corvus was out of line and let his ambition consume him. He takes the child and leaves, telling Vanth he will be her contact and he expects great things from her. Vanth, ashamed of her deeds and cowed by the strength of the Court, returns to the village. The child is discovered missing the next morning and the party investigates, Vanth pretending to sense the child and coming up empty. They leave the village in low spirits and return to their ship to sail towards the desert. On the voyage over Victor and Selene realize that their Grandmother's were sisters and they are cousins. Buberry reveals he is an astral elf that came to this plane following Soup and implies he would harm them if it kept Soup safe Vanth successfully intimidates him in an attempt to make him think twice about it. When they arrive in the desert they find the Golden Suns waiting for them with instructions from Victor's grandmother to assist them. With the addition of a golden sun's scribe named Lucas, the party descends into the ruins.

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Kalor session 29-

In which the party heads south towards Mt. Vazor in hopes the great volcano can help Lumivarax fix his ancestral sword. The volcano yields what looks like an ancient dragonborn temple, but as the party ventures deeper in Lillian is plagued with strange voices that soon overwhelm her, rendering her unconcious. The party continues on and finds the lair of the great red dragon Kelvagor, who confronts the party- rising from the lava of the caldera covered in what looks like recent wounds. Any change of diplomacy quickly falls through, and the party is forced to battle. The dragons wounds give the party the edge, and through trial (including a notable moment when Soup's wild magic turns them into a potted plant mid-combat) they are able to defeat the great beast, with Kiaxa and Victor dealing the finishing blows by cleaving the beast's head from his shoulders.

Investigation of the area following the battle uncovers traces of the Filodaxi, and the remains of a strange altar presumably destroyed by their hands. Lumivarax is able to find the herbs he was searching for,and using the herbs and pieces of the dragon they slew is able to commune with his ancestors.

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Kalor session 26

In which a new ally comes to their aid when Reynard's experiments are unleashed upon his death and the prison is flooded with Zombies, and takes them to a family owned hot spring where they are able to heal their wounds. Victor studies Reynards corpse for any insight into the mad mage, and Lillian gains brilliant new armor under the light of Sol.

Victor and Lillian discuss her capture, and Victor wonders if he has the right to claim love for Lillian when the imposter fooled him so thoroughly, had fooled them all since the night of the party in Tor. Lillian, traumatized from her time imprisoned and heartbroken to learn they hadn't even known she was gone, distances herself to sort through her hurt.

Later the party confront Dross, a guild member of the Pactkeepers- a mostly Drajaran guild of warlocks- they had freed from Reynards prison. They discretely decipher his journal and learn he knows about the Filodaxi, and gain an ally in the guilds when he shares his knowledge that the pactkeepers are aware and seeminly unaffected by the guild pact due to their patrons.

[emotigonecreative]

Kalor session 20 -

In which the party sets sail towards Soldara on the trail of the Filodaxi but encounter strife on the open water- Soup's magic surges once more and sets off a host of strange magic, including bringing Gwain AND Charlise the unicorns to their aid (who are VERY confused to meet on the material plane), teleporting themselves briefly to space, conjuring extra eyes (an unsettling look on a plasmoid), and a repeat performance of the boatside wild magic light-show.

Afterwards, when single-handedly running the ship after the loss of their captain begins to take its toll they decide to make a stop in the port city of Il’thir to hire a crew; whereupon they cross trails with Brog and meet Kiaxa of clan Frostmane, a barbarian looking for adventure.

Crew acquired they head toward Soldara, but begin to be plagued by strange dreams that leave them restless, exhausted, and high strung- sowing paranoia between the party. Hopefully they will be able to get some answers when they finally reach the shores from whence Victor and Lillian hail....

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Kalor session 10- In which Lydia's unpredictable magic forces the party to flee Augustine, Vanth has a covert meeting with Corvus, Half the party realizes they vastly prefer solid ground to the ocean, Lydia asks for guidance from Sol but recieves no answer- the stars and their magic delivering them a familiar instead, an assassin shows up and casts Buberry in a suspicious light, and Victor vows to protect Lillian in a brilliant ceremony.

Full story under the cut:

On the Easternmost side of City Lumivarax and Bo Berry manage to sell their goods for a decent price— after signing a contract in blood with Kaz, the head of the Black Market. Meanwhile in the Central Market Lydia, Lillian, and Vanth attempt to evade the guards and their nets.

The guards try to grapple them but they escape, splitting up in the process. Lydia is able to hide for a moment, but a highly perceptive guard spots them in their strange childlike disguise and Lydia is forced to continue fleeing. Vanth spots Corvus in the chaos and he motions at her to join him, so she bids lillian to wait, casting a disguise spell over her and a stealth spell over herself as she dips away. Corvus slips through a  dimension door with Vanth to talk to her in the chaos.

Lumivarax and Booberry hear the chaos erupt and — guessing they might find their friends at the center— they make their way over to the central market.

In the western district near the Guild Halls Victor sneaks into the library to do some research of his own on the Filodaxi. With his studious nature he is able to uncover information about a disbanded guild bearing a similar symbol that was active in the years before the great meteor struck the islands that came to be known as the Dragon Isles, their last known mission before dissolution in a place known as the ‘Isle of Gren’.

While Victor studies Corvus and Vanth talk, Vanth informing him of Aknadin and his betrayal to them and the throne, and what little she knows of the Filodaxi and its connection to the murder in Dito. Corvus warns her about a possible traitor in the court. 

Corvus leaves, sending Vanth back to where she found him. She meets up with Lillian and together they find Lydia and head to the port on the western edge of the city. Buberry and Lumivarax join them shortly followed by Victor, and Robert is able to swiftly and inconspicuously get them onto the river and out of Augustine.

Safely on the boat Lillian and Vanth advance on Lydia, asking what possessed them to murder the shopkeeper in broad daylight when they were trying to stay under the radar. Lydia explains that their magic is wrong, has been wrong for some time, and that these sudden surges are not something they can control. They begrudgingly accept the explanation but remain distrustful, especially seeing firsthand the destruction the ‘half-elf’s’ strange magic had wrought.

Lydia, spurned and frustrated, speaks to Robert as he navigates the ship out of port and down the wide river towards sea. They speak about the nature of magic, and Robert explains how magic works for him. They stop speaking when Victor arrives to ask Robert about the place he had found in his research, but Robert had never heard of it, and their conversation is cut short as they come across a blockade set up by the port city of Moldine, the second largest city in Istiria.

With Robert’s exceptional skills at sea they are able to sail around, making their way safely out to sea.

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On the open ocean and away from the now multiple nations on the lookout for them, the party is able to relax a bit. Lillian, still shook up after the incident in the market, seeks out Victor for comfort— informing him of what happened in the market, and the volatile nature of this strange magic user and what their course of action should be as good Soldarans that regard magic outside the will of Sol as heretical.

Vanth takes to the birds nest of the ship, not overly fond of sea travel, and Lumivarax similarly has a meeting with the ship’s railing as seasickness hits him— bringing back memories of his perilous escape from Dragon Maw Island as a child.

As the sun sets Lydia seeks out Lillian, trying to reconcile after the confrontation earlier. They ask Lillian if she can help them, knowing the Soldaran has excellent control over her own divine  magic, and they speak of Sol and the gods they worship. Lillian, the conversation with Victor fresh in her mind, reluctantly prays over Lydia- asking Sol for guidance for this wayward adventurer.

The first watch passes uneventfully, Robert steering the ship while Lumivarax keeps an eye out for danger, but things take a turn as Lumivarax is relieved of his watch— only to be struck by an assassin’s poison arrow and downed. The party is alerted and takes aim, whittling down the stealthy assassin until Lydia is able to get their hands on her,dragging her into the ocean and rendering her unconscious. After picking her pockets they reappear, handing her over to Buberry for a strip search and onto Victor to lock her up. Victor is able to find a capsule of poison in her tooth, removing it so the prisoner cannot take herself out before they get their answers to her motives.

Burberry, a master of poison in his own right and not needing as much sleep as the rest of the party, takes it upon himself to keep an eye on her thought the rest of the night. He uses his power to connect to her mind, waiting for a sign of her regaining consciousness.

When she does, she is quick to taunt him, goading him into attack with his bow. She uses the opportunity to conjure poison- turning his non lethal strike into a lethal one before he is able to get any answers. When he informs Victor of her demise the inquisitor is suspicious, the poison gone from her system with only the arrow wound to blame for her death. He resolves to keep a closer eye on Lydia’s strange, murderous friend.

Buberry helps Victor bring the body to the deck and cast it out to sea, staying on deck to meditate through the third watch. Visitor speaks with Robert about Buberry and Lydia, and they bond over being people of faith, despite Victor not knowing Robert is a follower of a very different sort of God.

Lydia prays to Sol but their prayers remain unanswered. However as they gaze upon the moon and past it, to where their true home lies, a surge of magic splits a chunk of their plasma from their body, creating a small blob like creature that is a part of them and yet not. They name this new familiar Boba and stick it in a jar for safekeeping, going off to show Buberry.

As the dawn comes around and begins to rouse the earliest of risers Lillian steps out of her room on the ship, placing the cloak of protection they purchased at the market and hand-embroidered at Victors door. She greets him to watch the sunrise and worship So, and Robert sends prayers to his own goddess thanking her as he spots the tower of Rize marking the entrance to the desert in the distance, realizing the sea sped up their journey considerably.

They pull up to port and disembark, with Victor, Lillian, Buberry, and Lydia splitting off from the group to investigate the Golden Sands Monastery that is housed within the tower— filled with worshipers of Sol that have made the desert town their home. They meet the priest Gils’nor who shows them around, and as they reach the library Lillian splits off with Lydia to teach the curious ‘half-elf’ about Sol.

Victor, realizing his need to be stronger to protect Lillian from evildoers like Aknadin, decides to speak with the Head priest about renewing his vows to Sol, calling upon his god to swear an oath of vengeance against the evils of this world.

Robert stays with the ship to watch the comings and goings of the locals, using his merchant instincts to hone in on any odd happenings in the area. He spots a wagon going off into the desert with supplies, and he has his crow familiar, Shiver, follow. He is suspicious when they leave the supplies at  rocky outcropping in the middle of the desert and resolves to come back at night to learn where those supplies may be going.

Vanth, with her knowledge of the seedier going-ons in towns such as this, decides to start with the local bar— a small establishment called the Thirsty Seeker that plays host to a myriad of travelers that come to the desert seeking treasure and adventure. She speaks to the bartender, Jessamine, and learns that Jace’s party was seen in the area, but she doesn’t recall seeing them ever leave Rize.

The party meets back up in the late afternoon, exchanging information about what they have learned. Robert tells them about the strange shipment into the desert and Vanth, Lydia, and Buberry decide to follow and aid with their various skills of stealth and espionage. They set out as the sun sets, Vanth shielding their approach with her shadow magic and Robert scouts ahead through Shiver’s eyes.

Meanwhile Victor, Lillian, and Lumivarax stay at the monastery. Lumivarax goes back to the Library to study their maps, piecing together the maps he had found in Augustine with the ones held here and comparing the two.

Victor, finally alone with Lillian, takes hold of her purity ribbons and repeats his paladin oath to her, swearing to keep her safe. The moment is broken when Lillian’s eyes shine gold, sending her into a vision of a strange golden building nested in the desert sands.

As the rest of the group nears the drop off point Vanth senses the presence of four humanoids, pinpointing their location to approximately the area Robert had mentioned. They get as close as they are able, making out the forms of four seemingly elven men, before one of them spots Shiver— motioning for one of the other men to take it out.

With Shiver incapacitated the party decides to cut their losses, returning to Rize to plan.

[emotigonecreative]

Kalor Session 7

The party prepares for their teleportation to Dito, spending the night at the Augustine inn. In the morning, Robert checks on his ship, the Annamarie, when a strange purple-skinned elf sneaks into Lydia's room trying to snare them. Lydia, recognizing Buberry, reveals themself to him, and when asked how he found them Buberry reveals he tracked them via a blood stone artifact. Vanth notices this interaction, and though suspicious- misinterprets their secrecy as a tryst of some sort. Lillian prays and has a vision of a city, a village she doesn't recognize, a celebration, a shovel, and a shadow that makes her feel uneasy.

At breakfast, Buberry is introduced as a childhood friend, and Robert rejoins the group. Lillian takes flowers from her hair to give to Dane and Mother Superior before they depart. The party teleports to Dito, where they meet Marcus, the city’s Guard Captain, and ferry into the city. Lumivarax reveals himself as the "true" heir of the dragon isles, which draws unwanted attention. Lorenzo, a gondola driver and- unknown to anyone but Vanth- informant for the Court of the Moon, helps them navigate the city, revealing Aknadin is under house arrest.

Robert, Lydia, and Buberry explore the middle ring, while the others head to the embassy to meet up with Aknadin. Vanth later meets with the Court of the Moon, answering questions about guild conflicts, the King’s condition, and Trost’s ruins, while deciding to keep Lydia’s true origins as a plasmoid from the Astral plane a secret.

Lillian enjoys a spa day and a nice meal, while Robert gathers information about rumors of war from pirate players. Lillian sketches her visions and shares them with Victor, who investigates his strange key but learns little. He does, however, discover the name of the leader of the Sons of Cor'Silva, and learns Jace was a rising star in the guild and that his death would severely hurt the Swift Shields. Buberry trains his displacer kittens.

The party arrives at Leonardo Medici's estate for a meeting, only to find him freshly murdered. His throat was slit, with a smooth start but jagged finish, suggesting he was poisoned before being killed, and a Drajaran blade was found at the scene. Guards confirm that the Drajaran ambassador was the last to leave after their meeting, and Leonardo managed to draw the symbol of Filodaxi in his own blood before dying.

Upon further investigation, the party detects pseudodragon poison in the wound and uncovers a secret room containing a keyhole, a fish-shaped mask, a dark robe, and a stone staircase. Victor stays behind to try and plead their innocence and is arrested. The others venture into the tunnels, emerging in the courtyard where they are accosted by the guards. They briefly spot the invisible pseudodragon as it casts fireball, killing several guards- tricking the surviving guards into believing it was cast by the party. Vanth and the party work to rescue Victor, who manages to detect and dispel the pseudodragon familiar. Buberry lands a deadly hit on one guard, counteracting the party's claim of innocence, and the party escapes into the tunnels pursued by the remaining force.