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• Arhian Vos – Human Monk
  • Pet: Pabu (Young Red Panda)
• Hartmut Helmsworth – Elf Monk
  • Pet: Kalistia (Young Blink Dog)
• Sindri Waggletop – (Forest) Gnome Wizard 
• Rettniss Kulvith – Water Genasi Druid
• Avacyn “Jolyne” Uloth the Merciless – Half-Orc Paladin
• Twilight Skybane – Tiefling Bard
  • Pet: Gem (Sailor Parrot With A Mouth)
  • Pet: C.C. (Copy Cat, Mimic Bag Of Holding)

• Shorkin Eversky, the Inn Keeper, bursts into Sindri and Rettniss’ room, Rettniss having heard the Inn Keeper’s screams from down the hall, quickly sprints out of the room just as the Inn Keeper enters the room – looking straight at Sindri – recognizing him, by his robes – to be a “wizard of some kind” – begins shouting at Sindri
• Rettniss wild shapes into a cat as he enters the hallway
• Hartmut looks at Sindri – unaware that Sindri actually wasn’t responsible for the fire (this time) as the Inn Keeper shouts, “Look at the damage! You will have to pay for this! As if the fire wasn’t enough! There’s dead bodies in here! And water damage all over! Even leaking into the other room? How did you get so much water in the room?”
• Sindri explains it wasn’t him – but the druid. The Inn Keeper looks at Hartmut then back to Sindri, “He does not look like a druid dressed like that! I may not be an adventurer, but I know what those religious monks dress like! And I certainly know what those wild druids dress like! And he,” he jabs a finger at Hartmut, “is no druid.”
• Sindri sighs, “How much?”
• The Inn Keeper shoves past Hartmut and steps over the dead bodies, and looks out the window and screams, “There’s fire and smoke damage up the wall, too! Why, this will be an easy 500 gold! And that’s me being generous!”
• Sindri offers to use some spells to help clean the smoke damage – but the Inn Keeper insists on the beds that had burned, the water damage – and as he is calculating the new potential cost, the three mages from the previous day (See Session 22) step in and hand the Inn Keeper a bag of gold as they see the bodies of the would be assassins and whisper, “We will cover the cost.”
• Shorkin Eversky sees Heima Kipa, the Lore Master of the Mage Tower in High Ridge and bows his head, and is immediately silent and bows out of the room. Heima nods to Sindri and Hartmut and introduces the Chronicler, an Aasimar named Borivian Stormcaller, whom they’d met the previous day; but under the cowl, he’d appeared quite human; the other, one of the Scroll Masters, a human named Delliana Thorne, whom they’d also met yesterday.
• Heima pulls back his hood, and reveals his elven ears, as he kneels down and sees one of the assassins had been burned alive; he steps over the charred body and examines the other, who has only slight wounds (having perished under the belief he’d been crushed due to the Phantasmal Force spell). Heima notes the marking on the assassin’s arm and looks grim. He turns the body over and sees that one of the eyes had been gouged out. Heima looks between Sindri and Hartmut, “That seems excessive for a wizard or a monk to do.”
• “They’d done it to themselves,” Hartmut quickly chimes in. “There’s two more up on the sixth floor in my room. And I suspect, two more in the room where my other two comrades are.”
• Sindri adds, “I believe – with the one eye gouged thing – and that mark you noticed on their arm – it’s the same mark that’s on some weapons we got on an island awhile back. And it turns out that the equipment apparently belonged to some beholder named As’zar’vari’tium.”
• Heima stands, “As’zar’vari’tium, you say? That is not a name I know.” He looks back at Borivian and Delliana who both nod and take note of the name. Heima turns back to Sindri and Hartmut. He takes a deep breath and says, “Perhaps, we could go to the Mage’s Tower and discuss this further.”
• “Oh,” Sindri smiles, “I’d love to. Oh,” he adds a moment later, and holds out the pass that Delliana had given him, “I have a pass – but I’ve not paid for it. But he,” Sindri points to Hartmut, “doesn’t have a pass. And neither does the rest of my party. As a matter of fact, if I am being honest here, our druid,” Hartmut nudges Sindri and stops him from continuing the conversation.
• Heima looks between Sindri and Hartmut and raises an eye brow. “I can see to it that we get all of you passes on behalf of the Mage’s Tower.”
• Rettniss in the meantime, has resumed her water genasi form and approaches the Inn Keeper and offers him 50 gold for the trouble the wizard has caused
• Sindri shouts, “That’s her! That’s the druid!”
• The Inn Keeper looks at Rettniss, who smiles flirtatiously at the Inn Keeper. The Inn Keep shouts, “Now it makes sense! You started the fire, wizard, and this beautiful druid, who is clearly of some kind of water type – tried to put out the fire.” He hands the 50 gold back to Rettniss and assures her that the Wizards of the Mage Tower have taken care of everything; but he thanks her and shakes her hand, holding it longer than one normally would
• Hartmut heads up the stairs and gets Arhian, and explains the situation – so they reign in their pets, Pabu and Kalistia
• Meanwhile, a frustrated Sindri heads over to Avacyn and Twilight’s room to see how Twilight is doing
• Twilight looks extremely groggy, explaining that she had a horrible dream of a beholder… Sindri looks alarmed, as he knows that the assassins were hired by the Beholder… Twilight is also somewhat covered in blood from the assassin that Avacyn had cleaved. Twilight goes on to describe the beholder in her dream – about how it had a human skull with a gem embedded in it over it’s main eye…

• Sindri looks at her, “At no point, during the assassin attack, did you wake up?”
• Twilight shakes her head, sees her body covered in blood. “No. But what the Hades happened?”
• Avacyn smiled and shrugged her shoulder, “Just doing what I do best.”
• Sindri explains, “In my room, these one eyed bandits attacked us – and Arihan and Hartmut too. It would seem that As’zar’vari’tium might know where we are and he’s looking to get revenge for us ‘stealing’ his weapons, maybe.”
• “Gouged their eyes out,” Twilight asks. “This one has an eye.”
• “Yeah,” Sindri points to the other half, “see how the other half has no eye.”
• Twilight shakes her head. “And they gouged their own eye out?”
• “Yes,” Sindri explains. “And they were laughing… even when we were stabbing and shooting them. And,” Sindri smiles, “not to change the subject – but I am not great at pranks, but since you’re a bard – I figured you might know some. But we need to hurry. We’re going to High Ridge.”
• “Wait, how long was I asleep?” Twilight asks. “Wasn’t there a month long wait? I have not been asleep for a month have I?”
• Sindri shakes his head. “Oh. No. We got passes from the mages last night.”
• “What mages last night?” Twilight asks.
• Sindri snaps his fingers, “That’s right. You went straight to bed. We met three mages in the tavern.”
• “And they gave you passes to High Ridge last night? What for?” Twilight asks.
• “No, they gave it to us today,” Sindri clarifies. “We met them last night. But they gave it to us today. After Rettniss burned down our room.”
• “They’re giving you passes because Rettniss burned down the room?” Twilight was more confused than ever.
• “Well, not because he burned the room,” Sindri begins, then pauses. “On second thought, had he not burned down the room,” he mutters to himself, “they might not have been aware of the attack. So yeah, maybe because he did burn down the room. But that’s not why we got the passes. The Mages want to talk to us about the Beholder.”
• “Can I at least clean off the blood and rinse off,” Twilight mutters. “Unlike the rest of you, I passed out when we got here. I didn’t get to shower.”
• Sindri runs back over to his room. “Our bard wants to shower. Does she have time?”
• “Yes, she has,” Heima begins and Sindri runs off mid-sentence back to Avacyn and Twilight’s room. “He said you have time,” Sindri explains.
• After Twilight showers, everyone gathers in the tavern where they see the third mage from last night – the other Scroll Master – an elf mage named Airifar Oakdreamer, calming the citizens of the Inn who were already frightened by the “white light event” – and now hearing about assassins who have someone snuck into Mid-Ridge and got past magical barriers that protected Ridgecrest
• Heima leads the party to the front gates leading to High Ridge and asks the guards for High Ridge passes for the party; the guards give some resistance, explaining that most of the party do not look like members of the Mage Order, that would be going to the Mage Tower; but Heima explains it’s urgent business that has to deal with the “white light event” – and with that, the guards briefly question each of the heroes about the intentions, and validates each of them, granting them passes to High Ridge; asking them to turn in their Mid-Ridge Passes, in exchange. Rettniss explains, after some flustering, and with the help of Twilight, who distracts the guards, that her pass was burned in the fire at The Moon’s Shadow Inn. Heima confirms the event, and the guards provide Rettniss with a pass to High Ridge, although Rettniss not having a Mid-Ridge Pass does catch Heima’s attention – something Heima, notes, to ask about later
• Once inside the Mage’s Tower – the Great Library – it is bustling with Mages of all kinds; including several fey creatures such as Pixies and Sprites and even Faerie Dragons, who move about helping one another, scribing and setting things in order. It’s as if stepping into a realm of its own kind.
• As the party settles inside the Mage Tower, in awe of what they see – Heima’s eyes focus on Hartmut’s necklace. “I noticed your necklace when I first entered the room and saw you and your mage friend. The necklace is familiar to me.” Snapping his fingers, a book several stories up suddenly drifts downward to rest, levitating before Heima – he stares and the book opens and pages turn. “I am from Utsukkuen as well,” he admits, “and there is a story of a man named Baransu… people called him The Balance… as he always seemed to float between dark and light, reason and anger…The story is that the Illithid – the Mind Rippers – came to the surface one night, during the Hollowing to raid the towns as they’d done before, in hopes of gathering more slaves and food. Baransu‘s wife and son had been taken while Baransu had been out on the field fighting the Illithid armies. When Baransu learned this, he forged a cestus – one for light and compassion – Cestus of Seikaku-Sa and one for darkness and fury known as Cestus of Kyoaku-Sei. He had managed to return with his son, but when his daughter saw the state of his mind… his mind was broken. It is said, on his dying bed he gave his son the pendant he wore, which his wife had made for him. She’d said it would always guard his heart. When he passed away, the story is – his daughter took her brother who was barely six months old and dropped him off at some monastery. She then vanished into the night. No one knows what became of her, though the stories say she ventured into the deep realms of the Illithid to seek revenge.”
• Heima looks at Harmot’s fist – and notes the Cestus of Kyoaku-Sei and smiles, “Found your way to the shadow, have you.” Heima’s eyes drift to Arhian and he sees the Cestus of Seikaku-Sa, “And the open hand that welcomes is your path.”
• Heima assigns Airifar to speak with Hartmut about the Illithid. Hartmut shares how they’d all had visions of a brain like creature in their dreams (Session 4) – and the creature continued to plague them until a Sprite noticed a mark on all of their necks (Session 13). Hartmut also discusses how they learned that some Hobgoblins have aligned with the Illithid – and that they’d seen a large brain creature with legs (Session 05).
• Airifar explains that two beings – Slyver and Kalaris have both come to Heima asking him about information about a rise in activity in the Hobgoblins – and how the Hobgoblins had gathered knowledge from the Illithid in regards to channeling the power of the Dark and Light Cestus – and how they’d breached a portal to try and unlock the secrets and discover the burial of an ancient hobgoblin Samurai named Grath Honorbound.
• Hartmut confirms, that they’d gone after the Hobgoblins who’d breached the portal (Session 15) and defeated them (Session 17) and that the Master of the Path of Enlightenment, Shujin Gorudo, had told him and Arhian to keep the Cestuses safe (Session 18).
• Airifar pulls out some tomes of history and flips through them – and begins reading a passage how Hobgoblin Clerics had somehow managed to capture the soul of a powerful Samurai named Bishmani (DM Note – Anyone get the feeling a mini boss is in the near future? Anyone know who the name might be referencing? Anyone?), after he’d been slain – used the same magic that first gave birth to the Hobgoblins to raise him as the leader of the current Hobgoblins that are looking for the body or bloodline of Grath Honorbound.
• Meanwhile, Heima approaches Rettniss and looks at her. “We don’t see a lot of Genasi around here,” he says after a moment of studying her. “Even here in the tower,” he gestures around him, where fey of all kind roam about freely, “are Genasi seen. So you can imagine my surprise when I saw you at the inn. You bare a striking resemblance to another Genasi I met several years ago now… A Water Genasi also, which is why I wanted to talk to you. Because your kind is so rarely seen – and to see… how you looked so similar to her… just younger. Would you happened to know of a Water Genasi named Karliah?”
• Rettniss’ eyes go wide, “She would be my grandmother,” Rettniss explains
• “That,” Heima says, sitting down, “would explain the uncanny resemblance. You look as if you could be her daughter. I met her about ten years or so now,” Heima recalls. “She’d come to the Mage’s Tower seeking information about the Ilyx Woods.” Heima smiles at the memory, “It’s no surprise that she wouldn’t have known.”
• Rettniss titles her head, “Known? Know what?”
• Heima shakes himself from the memory, “Of course, you would not know as well. The area once known as Ilyx was destroyed – laid to waste, and became a barren wasteland that’s now known as The Broken Lands by people outside of the area. The natives of the area refer to it often as The Gold Coast, because of the endless golden sands that look like waves of sand. Depends on who you listen to, but many believe that it was Nifika, the goddess of the elves who punished the people because of the foolishness of the Elven leader of the lands, when it was the Ilyx woods – an elf by the name of Porlen Hollowroot.
• “So where did she go then?” Rettniss asked. “If the woods she was looking for was destroyed?”
• Heima shrugged his shoulders. “After I told her about what had happened to the Ilyx woods, it did not seem to deter her. I’d mentioned how the entire land now seemed to be ‘leaking’ magic for lack of a better word – and she seemed more determine than ever to go there.”
• Rettniss recalls what Prama Seersight had told her (see Session 19) – “Three Lights… The Twin Moons… And The Sun… Crashing down… The Darkness… the Hollowing, only it doesn’t end, does it? The Shadow. The Dark. Magic gone wild. A war in the Planes that spills into this world, like it did thousands of years ago – that led to the destruction of the lush lands of Ilyx… that’s where she went… seeking an ancient grimoire…“
• Now it made more sense; the lands of Ilyx was the former home of the Elves; and the ancient war of the planes that spilled here… if her grandmother was still alive… she was somewhere in the Broken Lands… but what was the grimoire she’d so desperately sought?
• “Do you know anything about the grimoire she sought?” Rettniss asked nervously
• Heima’s face darkens, “I believe so. Some adventurers had found a tome – or scripture somewhere in the Broken Lands – and it allowed for the ability to soul transfer. It’s dark magic, similar to what the Hobgoblins had been known to use. I’ve heard stories that the Drow acquired a copy of these writings from some adventurers they’d captured during the Hollowing event.” (DM Note – The parchment would be found on the corpse of a Drow in The Adventures Session 38 – that parchment would be used in The Adventurers Session 66 to ) save someone’s soul – but since these are parchments… where is the original tome from which these were copied?)
• Rettniss thought for a moment – had her mother found the grimoire she sought? Had she provided those copies to others to see if the soul transfer worked? It would not surprise Rettniss if she’d done just that. But why would she need magic that required something so dark as soul transferring?
• Meanwhile, Borivian Stormcaller is assigned to tend to Sindri. Sindri mentions how they’d fought an undead hag – and that he’s heard stories of hags – but certainly not heard any stories of an undead hag (Session 12). He adds that a small library at the Ivory Coast, that he was able to find out some information (Session 13) – that the runes he’d recorded on this house that vanished supposedly traced back to a coven known as the Coven of Blackmore. Sindri explains that he recognized the lore behind “Blackmore” – which, according to legend was a grand city that even the gods would visit in humanoid disguises – the kingdom prospered greatly – until one day, it simply vanished – as if there was never a city there – there was no evidence of buildings, people – nothing – just barren land where a city once stood proud. Through history – the exact location of where this city once stood has now changed hundreds of times – but from what Sindri was able to uncover is that this Coven of Hags seems to have originated from this fabled city.
• Borivian takes Sindri up a few flight of stairs and strolls through several rows of books before coming to a halt. “I may have more information,” he says as he pulls out a large tome and opens it. The smell of ancient pages fills the air. He flips through several pages, and pauses finally. “According to our records, Blackmore was an island to the east of the Ivory Coast. According to the legends and records we have, this supposed island was a paradise where the gods often took their favored souls and angels – and took on mortal guises. Five mortal sisters, chosen by the gods, were brought to the island to tend to the island’s needs; believed to be three sisters, whom the gods blessed with the ability to manipulate time – they called the three sisters “The Sisters of Fate” – each gifted to see and manipulate past, present and future. The Sisters foresaw the return the dragons – and the dragons were furious that the gods had not freed them from the prison that the Mad Elf had banished them to. Realizing their mortal forms were susceptible to death should the dragons come, the gods abandoned the paradise; and over time, the Sisters of Fate, who were left there to die when the dragons came; turned vile, furious at the gods, and were changed by the fury and envy that boiled in their veins. Supposedly these three sisters were once beautiful fey who turned into hags because of the darkened hearts. According to the legend, their coven has grown as they’ve manipulated men to breed with and bare daughters to bring into the Coven. If this island truly exists, the three original sisters are the only one who knows where it is.
• Borivian adds that if Sindri saw a house that was capable of traveling through time and space, then it could have indeed been the home of one of the sisters; or they’ve passed down their magic down to their daughters.
• Sindri looks at Borivian, “I have one more question. Have you ever heard of Edinna Pleasantleaf?”
• Borivian looks at Heima then back to Sindri. “There was someone by that name,” he walks down a flight of stairs, pulls out a green book and walks back to Sindri. “I show she signed in – many years ago. Heima was here, but he was younger – even as an elf, I don’t know if he would have had any memory of her. But there’s a note from one of the other Scroll Masters, who notes she’d inquired about ‘the forest with no trees’ – and we searched, believing it was a riddle of some kind that she sought an answer to. Unfortunately, we did not have the answer for her, from what it says here in the notes. But,” Borivian looks hesitant, “I believe I know what she was looking for, reading these notes. The forest with no trees – I wonder if somehow she’d gotten some clue – or that’d been the riddle she’d been given – because, Heima has told us all the story of the Ilyx Wood – how at one time, it’d been a massive lush forest – many Elves believed it was the first home of elves – and that some elf, in his madness, called upon forbidden magic – and Nifika punished him and the people who so blindly followed him, and wiped the forest from the map – turning it into a barren wasteland – Ilyx Wood became what many now call The Gold Coast or the Broken Lands. Natives call it the Gold Coast, visitors call it the Broken Lands – though the natives consider the name an offensive term.”
• Heima approaches Arhian and looked at her cestus. “So are you from Utsukkuen as well?”
• Arhian nodded, to which Heima said. “It’s nice to meet a human from Utsukkuen. Not many humans hail from Utsukkuen. Where abouts in the islands of Utsukkuen were you from?”
• “A small village named Meriddian,” Arhian explained.
• “Meriddian,” Heima nodded. “I know it well. Did you know that the Councilors of Meriddian actually hired a thief – or, rogue – if you will, to steal a book from this very tower? It was about eighteen years ago – someone named Vasquinn was hired to sneak into Ridgecrest, which they had successfully done – and even managed to disguise themselves as one of the Mages that they’d tricked and captured to impersonate. As that mage, Vasquinn was able to get inside the tower – and he was wise enough to use make up, rather than magic – to disguise himself or else he would have been discovered moments after entering the Tower. He stole a tome called ‘Kurai Himitsu‘ – which, as you know, in our tongue is ‘the dark secrets.’ This tome explained how there had been a magic item that – if corrupted – could reveal the secret burial of Grath Honorbound. The book discussed how one must ascend the Path of Enlightenment – and surpass the test – and beyond, a portal – with challenges – and the Corruption of Light and Dark shall ignite the path.“
• Arhian realizes that the corruption, from what she’d heard Heima tell Hartmut, was the Cestuses.
• Heima continued, “Apparently, the Councilors were fearful that this book was the only known recording of the process to bring back this Hobgoblin chief – and had hoped to destroy it. However, it would seem someone among the Councilors may have betrayed them – because as Vasquinn returned – he discovered the was being pursued by an army of Hobgoblins led by a new, dreadful general named Bishmani (DM Note – Oh, oh – this name has come up again! What could it mean?). Vasquinn had tried to make it to the Monastery to deliver the tome; however, the Hobgoblins breached the city walls and murdered the city guards, cutting through all who stood in their way. Vasquinn was captured, tortured and killed and the tome was recovered. And it would seem,” he looked between Arhian and Hartmut, “it seems we should make a footnote in our own tomes, that the Cestuses have been recovered and now in safe hands.”
• Meanwhile, Delliana Thorne approached Avacyn and came to stand next to her, placing her own hands on the railing that Avacyn was leaning against. “I have a question for you, half-orc,” Delliana started. “That symbol on your weapon – it’s the mark of Grumthak, the Orc God. Do you know that the runes on it… are meant to hurt elves further? I am sure you know your history between the Nifika and Grumthak.”
• Avacyn slowly looked over at the frail, female human mage standing next to her. “I’ve been told,” Avacyn sighed, waiting to smash something.
• “According to history and legend,” Delliana said to no one in particular. “When the gods created the races of the world and placed them around – Dwarves in the mountain, Halflings – or Halfmen – in the Hills, Elves in the Woods, Humans – everywhere – when it’d come to Grumthank he realized he had nowhere to create his people – so, in a fit of fury – he cut his palm and dripped his blood over the world. The blood tainted the people; some humans became orcs; some dwarves became duergar; some elves became Drow; only the purity of heart of the Halflings seemed untouched by the blood and corruption. But Grumthak’s blood not only corrupted the people of the world; it changed animals, it changed magic; and introduced chaotic evil into the world. Nifika, goddess of the elves, was so furious, she broke the pact the gods shared and attempted to kill Grumthak by shooting one of her arrows into his eyes. He survived the attack, and it’s said his eye fell to the world and reeked more havoc. This pleased Grumthak, but he was furious at Nifika – and despited her Elven beauty – and from there, the hatred that was born between the gods was bestowed upon the mortals who looked to their deities.”
• “It’s what I heard too,” Avacyn muttered.
• “Is that how the orcs tell it,” Delliana asked, curiously.
• “Close to it,” Avacyn shrugged. “Always a variation, depending on what orc tribe shaman is telling the story.”
• “Were you a part of the Broken Hand tribe?” Delliana asks, nudging again towards the great axe slung over Avacyn’s back. “Because the base hilt bares their symbol of the hand with the lightning through it.”
• Avacyn shakes her head, “I belong to no tribe. I broke free of that long ago.”
• “Where did you pick up the weapon then,” Delliana persists, “if I may ask.”
• “My sister,” Avacyn says matter-of-factly. “I had to kill her for it.”
• Dellianan’s face pales. “You killed her for it?”
• “Well,” Avacyn shrugs. “Not like I sought her out to kill her for it. But she was still deep in my mother and father’s tribe. We were after my mother. My sister got in the way. She refused to acknowledge I was superior. So I had to kill her. I took her weapon as a reminder. Also, because it was better than my own. Yeah, it has those symbols – but I don’t mind it.”
• “You mentioned you were after your mother,” Delliana urged. “Why? Who was she?”
• “Jacqueline,” Avacyn replied. “That’s what she went by. I don’t know if she ever had a surname. If she did I never heard it mentioned. I guess she probably hated her family or was running away from them – so she never mentioned it so she couldn’t be tracked back to it.”
• Dellianan’s face paled again. “Jacqueline, you say? Human woman, brown hair, curly?”
• Avacyn nodded, “That’s her. We were chasing her and my father, Olith – who was the chief of his band of orcs. My father believes that my mother has the ability to raise a great orc chief and I guess they dug up his coffin and now looking for the means of doing some kind of soul transfer.”
• Again, the Soul Transfer has surfaced, Dellianan noted.
• Avacyn noted that she saw her mother in the Ivory Coast (Session 06) where they’d found a note from her mother; and they’d given chase, into The Great Hills (Session 07) and managed to try and confront her mother and father, but they escaped with a coffin (Session 09), but there’d been no sign of her since.
• Dellianan seems as if she wants to share something but keeps quiet
• Twilight, seeing Heima seems to be the most well versed in the tower waits for the elf to finish speaking to Arhian before approaching him. Taking a seat next to the mage, she smiles, her demonic Tiefling appearance, somehow still dangerously attractive
• “You need not flirt with me,” Heima smiled. “Just tell me what you’re looking for.”
• Twilight laughs, “I had a dream. A nightmare really. I saw a beholder – and I think it’s the same one who may be after us, As’zar’vari’tium. But he had a skull – with a gem embedded in it over his center eye.”
• Heima leans forward, “Like a mask?”
• Twilight shrugs, “I suppose it’s like a mask. A mask that doesn’t fit over the Beholder’s head.”
• “It’s known as the Skull Gem of Whispering Secrets,” Heima explains. “According to the legend, Drakenfiel – the god of Wisdom had a cleric that was so devote to him; that when Drakenfiel, among other gods perished when the Spider-Goddess ascended (See The Adventurers Session 41), the cleric could not bare not feeling Drakenfiel’s light in his soul – and shoved his scepter into his own eye and perished. However, being so devote to Drakenfiel – when the god perished, apparently all the knowledge of Drakenfiel poured into the skull. It is said there is no question that Drakenfiel can not answer. However, anyone who adorns the skull – if they are mortal – can not comprehend all the knowledge – and if they’re mages they become Allips – and if they’re anything else, they become raving lunatics. I can’t imagine the effect it might have on a beholder that is wearing it… that sounds… dire…”
• Heima explains that, as far as their research has revealed, there’s no way to physically destroy the cursed skull now that it’s empowered by the essence of a god (if the stories are to be believed), but that the Mages have been looking for it, so that they can banish it into a secret realm, so that it can do no damage
• Heima adds, “If you hear anything more of it, please let us know.”
• Twilight nods, “While I have your attention,” she leans close; while Heima leans back.
• “Again,” he smiles, “you need not flirt. Just tell me.”
• Twilight sighs and sits back, “So I came across a cursed Lyre… and as a bard, I would like to find a way to remove the curse, and perhaps reuse the strings to be entwined within my own instrument.”
• Heima nods, “We can do that. It may take a few days. First we need to examine the item to understand its curse; then like an onion, peel away the effects so we get to the purity of the magic without the curse.”
• Twilight smiles, “That would be greatly appreciated.”

TO BE CONTINUED.