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Post by Thorn on Jul 5, 2020 15:29:53 GMT -5
Hi friends! Six days now until Session 37. We'll resume the game just outside the room of Spooky Purple Light...:-O
See you then!
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Post by Thorn on Jul 8, 2020 16:54:47 GMT -5
Greetings, adventurers! Less than three days until session 37...spooky purple light, here we come!
What will you discover in this next room? More cultists? Pahra themself? Join me Saturday 7pm BST to find out!
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Post by Thorn on Jul 10, 2020 17:15:03 GMT -5
Under a day now until session 37! Will this be the session the party finally return to glimpse the light of day? Will you learn anything useful from the cultists, or perhaps from Pahra himself?
We'll find out very soon!!
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Post by Thorn on Jul 11, 2020 19:23:33 GMT -5
Session 37: Names Learned!The Goddess Betrayed and The Goddess Deceived- the former refers to the Shadow Queen and the latter to another deity revered by the Circle Enshadowed, presumably the Everqueen.
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Post by Thorn on Jul 17, 2020 5:56:36 GMT -5
Greetings adventurers! With just over a week to go until session 38, here's the recap for 37. What a session! I haven't included every single combat action (I don't remember them all, anyway), but hopefully this is a solid recap. Let me know if anything seems incorrect, out of place, or if any important detail is missing! (Some quotes are taken from my prep notes, while others are written purely from memory, and thus quotes may not be 100% accurate to what was said in the actual session.) Session 37: Key Notes (for people who want to quickly check if a specific thing happened this session, or somewhere else.) *Basil informed the party Hemlock is an assassin who favours poison (not mentioned below.) *A drow stabbed his friend with the god-forger, she was subsequently burned up by brilliant light. *The party broke the circle (enshadowed.) *Basil used his arrow of fiend slaying. *Malka acquired the god-forger. *The names 'Goddess Betrayed' and 'Goddess Deceived' were heard for the first time. *Meallan found a weird eyeball creature in his pocket. Session 37: Briefish RecapBasil notices the entrance is trapped and informs the party of this fact. Some edge around the pressure plate while others step right over it as they enter the room, bathed dimly in the light emanating from sconces of purple flame. When asked, Lyvin confirms that there is an elf watching from the ethereal plane, invisible to the naked eye. The six visible figures in this room- four wood elves, a drow man, and a drow woman he is painting designs onto- don’t acknowledge the party until Basil shoots the man to prevent him from picking up the god-forger dagger. Initiative is rolled and combat begins.
The tall drow woman glares at Basil, who finds himself unable to move. The man snatches up the dagger. Meallan tries to wrest it away with a mage hand, but to no avail. The four wood elves move between the drow and the party, engaging with Tally and Lyvin and quickly knocking Lyvin unconscious. More figures appear, all elven, and Basil too is knocked out. Anthony hurries to stabilise his friend. Tally knocks the drow man to the ground, but he swiftly scrambles back to his feet.
He plunges the dagger into the drow woman’s chest.
She seems serene at first, but this quickly turns to panic. Golden cracks spread across her skin and she is vaporised in a burst of painfully brilliant light, injuring the party and instantly killing several members of the Circle Enshadowed.
As the light clears, the party see Malka standing near the shocked (but still standing) drow man. She seizes the dagger from his grip and flees with it. Meallan tightly embraces the fiend, pleading with his patron and stopping her in her tracks. Basil fires an arrow of fiend slaying, which earns him a glare from Malka as the arrow buries itself in her flesh. Tally punches the fiend, which she wasn't expecting but it definitely doesn't feel good. Khamet runs to smite Malka, while Amani convinces the Circle Enshadowed to target the demon rather than the party- in response, the drow man retrieves a crossbow from a fallen ally and fires at Malka. He misses. The others similarly turn their focus to Malka.
Meallan begs Malka to take him with her. “Not this time, my love,” she says, and disappears.
Meallan collapses to his knees. He reaches out through their bond to ascertain where she is. He gets the sensation that Malka is no longer on the material plane, but is somewhere tied closely to it. He believes she is on the ethereal plane, and so urges the party to revive Lyvin.
As the wizard comes to, Meallan insists they send him to the ethereal plane to find Malka. Confused and a little groggy, Lyvin replies that they can’t- they can only send themself there. Besides, by the time Lyvin casts the right spell and glimpses the border ethereal, Malka is already gone.
While his surviving allies have vanished, the drow man alone remains. He looks uncertain, crossbow shifting from target to target. Basil and Khamet attempt to persuade him to back down and speak with them, while Amani reminds the drow that they can dispatch him as easily as they did his allies. The drow discards the crossbow and falls to his knees.
He doesn’t recognise the name ‘Pahra’ and insists that the Circle’s ability to teleport was granted by ‘The Goddess Betrayed’, whom he confirms is the Shadow Queen when asked. The Circle revere two deities: ‘The Goddess Betrayed’ and ‘The Goddess Deceived.’ He seems increasingly distressed as Khamet speaks to him of Malka and Pahra, and the drow laments that he has ‘failed her again’, before disappearing like his companions.
Basil searches the bodies, finding the expected weapons and armour, and acquiring a circular brooch.
While most of the party return to Hemlock (with Khamet distracting her long enough to tie her hands behind her back), and Tally stays right where they are, Meallan opts to investigate the tunnel leading south. He passes under an archway adorned with worn images of dancing figures, indicating the temple’s former entrance. After some time, he inadvertently activates a trap, and is unable to avoid the great jets of flame which erupt towards him.
Badly injured, Meallan heads back to rejoin the others. At first, the two figures walking towards him could be members of his party, but it isn’t long before he recognises one of them in a less welcome fashion: the taller figure is the blonde high elf who attacked and felled Jane inside the palace. The high elf moves gingerly, clearly still hurting, a wood elf at their side.
"Guess that's it then. If you kill us, you win," they say. They ready their whip.
They lash out at Meallan three times, the Everqueen’s blessing absorbing some but not all of the impact. Close to blacking out, Meallan catches the pair in a ball of flame, killing the wood elf. The surviving elf strikes again, grappling Meallan with the chain whip and pulling him in as he loses consciousness.
The party hear the rush of a fireball, and hurry to check on their friend. Khamet gives up on terrifying Hemlock with stories of her impending transformation into an umber hulk, and leaves her in Lyvin’s care for the time being. Amani pauses in the centre of the purple-lit room to cast a quickened chaos bolt into the tunnel containing Meallan and his attacker. While this misses, Amani then catches their adversary with a fire bolt. The high elf is badly injured, but doesn’t release their grip on Meallan.
Basil, Khamet and Anthony arrive to see a figure with their back to the trio, arms around the chain whip in which Meallan is still tightly wound. Basil and Anthony attack, but the figure is still standing. The whip uncoils as they turn, lashing out at Anthony, who drops to the ground as unconscious as Meallan.
Khamet quickly kills the high elf, and Basil claims their chain whip. Khamet quickly revives Anthony and then moves to treat Meallan, who looks on death’s door. The party resolve to return to the surface and plan their next move somewhere a little safer.
However, Tally refuses to leave the temple. They want to stay and hunt for any surviving members of the Circle Enshadowed. Other members of the Disaster Party offer to remain with them, but Tally is determined to linger here alone. At last Khamet convinces them to return to the surface with the rest of the party. Thus the group collect Lyvin, Hemlock and Crystal, locate their umber hulk friends, and return to that rocky outcrop overlooking the ocean as the sun slowly sets.
Khamet admits he knows someone who may be able to help with the party’s fiend problem. He agrees to take Meallan to this source, but insists that the firbolg be quiet and let him do the talking. He is clearly not in a good mood. Meallan, for his part, has to pretend that he hasn't already learned of Will through his own sneaky means. Other members of the party have plans of their own for the evening. But before the Disaster Party part ways Meallan, in full view of the others, withdraws a strange creature from his pocket: a glistening white gelatinous orb pulsing with thick, black inner veins.
The veins expand, bulging against the surface, and then break free with a soft sucking sound, unfurling from the orb as feathery spider’s legs. The legs find purchase against his palm, and the whole thing turns. A single eyeball looks up at Meallan from a cradle of spidery limbs. The pupil dilates and a voice resonates in his mind, unheard by anyone besides the firbolg:
“Don’t hurt me. Please hear me out.” Tagging Breakingchains - since you missed the bit right at the end, wanted to give you a chance to find out before next session!
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Post by Breakingchains on Jul 18, 2020 8:28:54 GMT -5
Well that's a heck of a thing to miss o.o Kinda wondering if Meallan knew he had a baby Old One in his pocket or did it hitch a ride at some point. "I carry baby Old Ones in my pockets " would not be his weirdest secret so far after all
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Post by Celestial on Jul 18, 2020 8:30:34 GMT -5
Well that's a heck of a thing to miss o.o Did Meallan know he had a baby Old One in his pocket or did it hitch a ride at some point. Believe me, this was as much of a surprise to me as to you. xD I have no idea what it is, but I am guessing it hitched a ride.
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Post by Thorn on Jul 18, 2020 19:03:03 GMT -5
Given the party already travels with: a) a fey sable b) a fey jaguar c) a celestial horse d) a regular ol' goat
...a baby Old One would fit right in!! xD
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Post by Thorn on Jul 20, 2020 5:25:18 GMT -5
Hi friends! Under five and a half days now until session 38!!!! =O What's next for our heroes? Well, hopefully some well deserved rest! But first things first: a weird spider-eyeball-creature is speaking to Meallan, and Khamet and Meallan plan to go and visit another 'friend' that Meallan...totally did not already know about, noooooooooo not at all.
Besides this, who knows what other plans members of this party might have for the evening? It is sunset, after all. The night is young! Whoever let numerous injuries and near-death experiences prevent them from having a good time?
Join me Saturday to see what's next for our band of worthy adventurers!
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Post by Thorn on Jul 21, 2020 16:19:27 GMT -5
Under four days now until session 38!! A quick reminder that you'll be leveling up partway through the session, so if you want to create a level 8 duplicate of your character sheet in advance, feel free to do so. Just let me know if you need any help with leveling stuff. :-)
Tally, Amani, Khamet and Basil are leveling as normal, Anthony is taking his first dragon sorcerer level, and things with Meallan are a bit less certain but we'll work that out during the session!
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Post by Thorn on Jul 23, 2020 1:52:37 GMT -5
Two and a half days (well, minus fifty minutes) until session 38! Should be a good time, I look forward to seeing you all there!! =)
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Post by Thorn on Jul 24, 2020 16:20:29 GMT -5
Greetings fellow adventurers! Under 24 hours until session 38!!!
What does the strange 'baby old one' want to tell Meallan? Will Anthony be able to debut his promised new dragon magic at last? Can Lyvin convince the party to try and get some kind of reward, so Lyvin can just...go home and forget about all the spooky stuff? Join me to find out!
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Post by Thorn on Jul 25, 2020 18:45:35 GMT -5
Session 38: Names Learned!Koach, the Queen of Conquerors (she/her)- AKA 'Malka'. One of the strongest known 'evils'.
Wisp (unspecified)- a small fiend whom Meallan made a pact with, who will help Meallan continue growing his power in exchange for its own safety.
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Post by Thorn on Jul 26, 2020 17:17:05 GMT -5
Session 38: Key Notes!*The party hit level eight!
*Hemlock is handed over to the palace guards.
*Lyrelle grants the whole party permanent access to the city.
*Will promises to seek out information for the party (specifically Khamet and Meallan) on how to break a pact, how to defeat Malka and how to get the god-forger away from her, as well as anything else that seems relevant to the general topic.
*Meallan makes a deal with the young fiend Wisp: he will let Wisp stay with him so it can grow its power, and in exchange Wisp will grant Meallan more strength so that he can defeat Malka. Once Malka is defeated, Wisp will leave right away and not come back.
*Anthony gains more scales, and can now charge his phone more effectively as well! =0
*Basil gains the ability to manifest wings at will.
*Tally attains one of the arrows which can swiftly knock people out (specifically, Meallan), courtesy of Basil.
*Asariel tells Khamet that Amani is surrounded by an air of enchantment magic. In return, Khamet tells Asariel...all of the weird stuff Amani has got up to in-game, really.
*Amani learns that there is a substance in Lustross ('aetherlium'), which could be used to prevent creatures from entering the ethereal plane.
*The Everqueen informs Meallan that it's possible a strong enough Wish spell could bring his village back. She cautions that there would be consequences, and that Vinistra would not be happy with this course of action.
*The Everqueen also rewards the party with 'what they need': mechanically, a bonus ASI.
*The government (via Usavias) reward the party with a selection of magic items- as well as some jewels, which Anthony plans to give Ruhnny. Session 38: A Not-so-brief RecapThe little spider-creature introduces itself as ‘Wisp.’ It offers to give information on the god-forger, the Circle Enshadowed, and some specific demons (but not Malka) in exchange for protection. It further suggests that it can offer Meallan more power if he desires, since it sounds like Malka will grant him no more. Meallan says he needs time to think, and puts Wisp back inside his pocket.
Anthony, Meallan and Khamet go to speak with Lyrelle, taking Hemlock with them while Basil and Amani take Crystal back to the Party House. At the palace gate, Anthony plays up how close he came to being Actually Dead. Seeing the condition he and Meallan are in, a guard gives Meallan and Anthony some brightmint, and they are brought inside to wait with Jane in the entrance hall until Lyrelle can join them.
Khamet informs Lyrelle of everything that happened, minus Malka. He cautions Lyrelle that a few members of the Circle got away, and suggests that they should have guards remain with Usavias as a precaution. The lord flinches when he hears what happened to Hemlock, and sees her lamprey-like features, but rewards the party with permanent access to the city and asks for them to talk to Usavias the following day for a greater reward. Hemlock is taken away by the guards.
Afterwards, while Anthony goes home to crash at the Party House, Khamet and Meallan continue north to find Will on Peninsula West. They try to look inconspicuous, but they also have Hatar- a large red-eyed warhorse- with them, so they still get quite a few strange looks. The incubus lets them in, and the pair proceed to ask him about Malka. Will says that, from the description Meallan gives him, Malka sounds a lot like the Queen of Conquerors- one of the most powerful ‘evils’ to ever be active on the material plane, and one that feeds on others’ lust for power. Meallan seems to recognise this name, additionally referring to her as ‘Koach.’ He wants to know if his pact with Malka can be broken, how that can be achieved and, if he does manage to break free of Malka, if the damage to his soul can be repaired.
Will tells Meallan that, to him, the firbolg’s soul is almost a blind spot in his vision. But he can still see a few glimmers of something and believes that, yes, Meallan’s soul will recover if he manages to break free of Malka. How to do this- short of killing the archfiend- the incubus does not immediately know. He cautions that it will take more than just the Disaster Party to bring her down. He also promises to do research into ways of breaking pacts, how to defeat the Queen of Conquerors, and ways the party might be able to get the god-forger away from her. He arranges to share anything he learns with them the day after next, on the 7th of Stone.
During this meeting, Khamet questions Meallan with growing intensity. Among other things, he demands to know how Meallan knew Will would understand Infernal. Meallan insists that Will had inferred enough for him to conclude that he is some kind of fiend, but Khamet is unconvinced and accuses Meallan of using Aytal to spy on him.
As Meallan expresses confusion and hurt at his behaviour, Khamet becomes increasingly agitated, until he yells that he refuses to let people die because he can't protect them. Again.
Khamet calms down just enough to arrange for Will to make cookies for Anthony’s wedding. They discuss their different feelings on marriage, with Khamet expressing that he thinks it’s super duper nice! Will is less enthused, but is happy to make some cookies for Anthony and Tyzol’s big day.
In spite of Will offering to look after Wisp, whom he considers ‘adorable’, ultimately Meallan leaves with the small fiend still tucked away inside his pocket. The two of them, along with Khamet and Hatar, return to the Party House for the night.
Meallan goes to his room alone and takes Wisp out of his pocket. He questions Wisp once more on its motives and it reiterates that it is weak and alone, that it does not want to die, and that it would like to travel with Meallan until it is strong enough to fend for itself. Meallan adopts a specific manner of speech in the Infernal language which can be used to create a binding verbal pact and, over a period of time and with great care, comes to an agreement with Wisp. Rather than allow Wisp to travel with him until it deems itself strong enough, he agrees to let Wisp travel with him so that it can gain some strength but, more importantly, improve his own powers. Which he will use to destroy Malka. As soon as the archfiend is dead, Wisp must leave and never return. In addition, Meallan requests that Wisp not lie to or manipulate him. Wisp agrees to these terms, and Meallan eventually falls asleep.
Meallan dreams once more of the Everqueen. She explains that the remaining members of the Circle have been scattered, and that she can again see into the temple ruins. As thanks for their efforts, she tells Meallan that if he and his companions- and Lyvin- visit her temple, she has something for them all to show her gratitude. He asks her if there’s a way to bring his village back. She says that this would be easier to discuss in person, at her temple the following day.
Anthony’s dreams are less intense. He dreams of flying over the ocean as a golden dragon, the sun warming his scales. When he wakes, there are new patches of scales- now covering both arms and part of his chest. He realises that he can charge his iphone much more easily than usual!
Basil dreams of food. This is a fairly common occurrence for the young halfling. Less common, however, is the food talking to him. A hamburger asks him to help it, in the voice of the Fey Knight.
“You, sir, are a hamburger,” Basil informs them.
When he wakes, Basil picks up the Ball Jail and tells the little fey about his dream. The two of them move on to discuss the general situation. The creature is thankful he is trying to help them, although disappointed that this hasn’t come to anything so far. After hearing about Basil’s now foiled plan to turn someone into a god and have the god free the fey, the Fey Knight offers Basil wings. He accepts, of course! Now he can manifest wonderful blue-and-white, magpie-like wings at will. The Fey Knight goes silent afterward, and Basil reassures his ‘little buddy’ that they can rest.
Khamet’s dream is the least intense of all. He imagines the scent of the botanic gardens back home, and feels a presence nearby, as if his ‘number-one best friend’ is thinking of him ‘in whatever way he still can.’ With this sensation, Khamet sleeps peacefully through the night.
Tally does not sleep. They wander the city, eventually coming to the Everqueen’s temple long after dark. A familiar acolyte named Anzi checks in with them, but besides this they are left to do their own thing. They make it clear to the Everqueen that they do not intend to worship her in any way, but that they want to clarify some things about the Circle Enshadowed, and about Malka. The Everqueen tells Tally how many of the Circle are left alive (she can’t sense the drow who fled the Purple Room), and says that she strongly doubts Malka will have already become a god. The 'evil' will need more power for that- which she had previously been gaining from Meallan- and to find someone who fully believes in that power to transform her using the god-forger dagger. Finally, she grants Tally a little something extra as thanks for freeing the temple ruins from the Shadow Queen’s influence (mechanically, Tally gains an additional ability score increase.)
Tally eventually returns to the Party House, but does not sleep or trance. Instead, they wait for Meallan to wake.
In the morning, Meallan heads out to the market to get some fresh produce so that he can make breakfast for the party. Tally joins him, but instead of going to the market redirects him towards the beach, away from prying eyes. Tally lets Meallan know in no uncertain terms that they will kill him if he slips up again. They’re plenty serious, as a little later they go to Basil and, after being a little #concerned by his new birdlike wings, ask him for one of the arrows which had previously knocked Meallan out in a single hit. Basil grants the request, although cautions them not to stab Anthony with it...unless it’s really funny.
Meanwhile, Khamet is off to visit Naila and get a proper chain for his...unique...necklace. Isra is behind the counter. She looks like she’s been crying. Isra goes to get Naila for him, who...also seems to have been recently crying. As does Asariel, when they join her. Khamet informs Naila of some of the amazing escapades the party have lately enjoyed! Apparently, Amani almost injured themself with fire magic. Definitely what their mother wants to hear right now!!! She replaces the worn rope on Khamet's necklace with a nice gold chain.
As Khamet thanks Naila and goes to leave, Asariel takes the paladin aside. They tell Khamet they they’ve noticed an aura of enchantment magic around Amani, and that this concerns them. They suspect the party’s ‘wizard’, Meallan, might have created it- perhaps with good intentions, but Asariel insists that suppressing your emotions with enchantment magic is never a good idea in the long-term! Khamet is pretty sure Meallan isn’t responsible, but that there is some other force at work- he mentions that Amani used to be very “ARGHH, SCREW THOSE GUYS!!!” in combat, but now they’re all about ‘inner peace.’ He places a lot of emphasis on the time they wandered off into the forest, returned with a new cloak, but refused to clearly explain where they got said cloak.
Asariel says they’ll try talking to Amani again, and let their child know what they spoke about with Khamet, although the archmage doesn’t think they’ll get anywhere. The two part ways, and Khamet returns to the Party House.
Amani, for their part, has returned to the city- but not to rejoin the party or check in with their family. Instead, they head to the Institute to do some research. They learn that there is a metal, aetherlium, which has been found in certain astroliths in Lustross, and which can be used to prevent someone moving between the material and ethereal planes.
When Amani finally returns to the Party House, the disasters notice that their half-elf friend is...different. A greater amount of silver filigree than before adorns their skin. Basil points out that he is now a bird, and Anthony is a dragon...does Amani have anything they want to share?
They do not.
Once reunited, the party set out for the trade offices, via the Everqueen’s temple, to receive assorted rewards. At the temple, each of them (besides Tally, who has already received this gift) feels just that bit more powerful as, mechanically, they gain an extra ability score increase.
Before they leave, Meallan asks the Everqueen if it would be possible to revive everyone from his village. She mentions that there is magic- not clerical, but arcane- that would allow him to wish his village back into existence. But this would not come without cost, and Vinistra would be far from pleased with the endeavour. Meallan thanks the goddess and the party head away towards the waterfront.
At the trade offices, the party are taken to Usavias. They’re fine, and definitely not dead, they’ve just...been better! But most importantly for our adventurers: Usavias has rewards for them. Lyvin is happy with a handful of shiny gemstones, which they quickly scuttle away with, while Anthony claims the remaining gems for Ruhnzolarr. Meanwhile, on a nearby table lie a selection of cool magic items! All for the Disaster Party!
Amani claims an unusual robe, which looks like it is made of roots or vines and can help them evade enemies more easily in combat. It was probably made by illithids, which they are surprised to learn are more than a myth! Meallan acquires a belt which improves his constitution and, more importantly, will make his beard more lustrous! Basil snatches up some bracers which will improve his archery skills, while Anthony holds onto a healing potion (a stronger one than usual!) and Khamet acquires a magic boomerang.
When we resume next session: it will be late morning on the 6th of Stone, with the party having just collected these rewards from Usavias.
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Post by Thorn on Jul 27, 2020 6:49:09 GMT -5
Celestial Liou Gelquie Moni Breakingchains Thundy Hi friends! At some point we'll be having a little break from this campaign. I was thinking maybe 6-8 weeks duration, but haven't settled on when, so...here's a poll! Please let me know which you prefer. A longer explanation, since you can only fit so much into the poll itself: Septemberish/Octoberish: if we start the break when the Disaster Party leave for Lustross, that should be in September some time. A Good Thing about this option is that we would have a Very Good Point to leave off with, as the party sail off to explore new lands! November/December: we tend to take a break around Christmas anyway, so we could just do that again this year and extend it. A good thing about this option is that we'll get to see a bit of Lustross, maybe get pretty close to dealing with Malka, before taking a break. So more plotstuff to mull over. Feel free to post here, or PM me, with any alternate timing suggestions; or any questions, comments or concerns! EDIT (based on some confusion): the party are not guaranteed to go to Lustross. I was just writing points in favour of the different options, based on where the party seem to be headed right now. If you were hoping to take things in a different direction, that's still fine. What the party does next is up to the players, after all!
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