Session 32

Date: 12 November 2020

Prev: Session 31

Next: Session 33

The party has a bit of time before Moon-sik and Panit are ready to leave. Nergil writes the letter to Iphigenia and has the innkeeper post it. Mino casts speak with animals to talk to Moon-sik's horses. They're old and slow ponies, but when asked about their owner, they only tell Mino that they have "no reason to complain". Raen gives them each a peppermint - they relay to Mino that they find it "spicy and cold".

Once on the road, the party talks about how to keep an eye on their surroundings. There are several options. They can use Nergil's bat, but it requires an hour to summon and he needs the materials. Astrid's owl familiar is available. Corrin and Mino hit upon the idea of combining their magical affinities for nature. Corrin can conjure animals, while Mino can use his ritual spell beast sense to communicate with them. Although the party tables this plan for the moment, the spark is lit for collaboration.

The group arrives at the first campground. After making camp, the Inspektorz sit down with Astrid. They found a strange chime in the cave where they fought the bug bears and wonder if she knows anything about it. Unfortunately she's as baffled as they are. Corrin takes a moment to check in with her - she's been doing her own thing in town for the most part, so they haven't chatted in a moment. Astrid reveals she's worried about leaving Kenzie and Redford alone, and also her future in Swansing as revealed by various predictions and portents. She originally moved to Swansing because a great force of evil was said to converge there. Corrin asks if the convergence has happened yet, and Astrid isn't sure. The timing in the cards is weird - either it hasn't happened yet, or she will need to deal with the consequences. She doesn't know if she needs to intervene or mitigate the fallout, in part because she just doesn't have more specific information. That's cause enough for her concern.

Moon-sik sits down during dinner to chat with the group. He asks everyone where they're from. Mino replies vaguely, "a celestial plane". Corrin explains he's from a halfling town to the south of the Vale. Pretty much everyone except Quill aren't locals, per se. Moon-sik and Panit sing them the Ballad of Robert of Redford, the story of the town's founding. Corrin excitedly concludes that the gold and chime they found buried in the back of that cave was likely the treasure in the song. At the end of the day, Quill casts alarm and goes to sleep; Mino and Raen stay up for a little longer but eventually turn in.

On the road the next day, after a couple of hours of travel Panit unexpectedly goes into labor. Mino takes over driving the cart so Moon-sik can be in the back with his wife. They travel another hour, but the baby is on its way, so they pull over and the party springs into action. Nergil boils some water. Corrin asks how distant the contractions are but doesn't know what to with the answer - he's just heard his family members say that during a birth. Mino offers his hand to Panit to squeeze during contractions, confident that no matter how hard she squeezes he won't feel it. Corrin decides Raen probably has the most experience with births, so he volunteers Raen to direct the situation, but immediately asks how he would actually help with only one usable arm. Raen moves in to help anyway after politely asking Panit's permission, and continues to be very gay but also a knowledgeable farmer. “Can’t be that different from a sheep, right?” he mutters.

Pasky leaps onto the cart to help and Panit freaks out a little at the kobold's unexpected appearance, but Nergil manages to calm her down. Pasky tries to lead her in a breathing exercise, but it is not helpful, although she is more baffled than panicked by it. The baby begins crowning. Nergil tries to get in there to help (as Raen has only one arm), but gets kicked; Corrin also tries to help and is unhelpful. Moon-sik steps up and helps deliver the baby under Raen's direction. Nergil uses prestidigitation to clean the baby. Raen suggests using the hell dagger to cut the umbilical cord, and the party objects loudly, to which Raen replies "Nergil is from hell, and we let him clean the baby!" Corrin suggests using a dagger, and claims it’s also been cleaned with his prestidigitation; Raen objects to that, showing his continued distrust of magic. He instead uses the hell dagger and manages a clean, cauterized cut, although the exact mechanics of the dagger elude him.

The party lets the new parents alone for a little while before Moon-sik invites them back to see the baby. He offers Raen the chance to name the baby boy, and Raen sputters a little over the responsibility. The party discusses other names. Mino tells the party about his mentor and father-figure Salty Jim: he taught Mino the axe and often called Mino a “fucking idiot”; apparently he was called Salty Jim because he sweated a lot and had bad BO. Raen instead suggests "Murray", who was someone "very smart and serious, and didn’t like me much, but was a good guy". Nergil suggests "Abadon", but the new parents politely decline. Panit accepts "Murray". Raen laughingly suggests "Carter" to Moon-sik in private as an alternative, and he mentions he’ll discuss it with Panit when she’s a little more rested.

They get back on the road after a short while, going slowly to let Panit rest, so it's late at night before they arrive at the inn at the midway point. The innkeeper and her wife immediately set aside a room and take everyone in; after checking on Panit and Murray, the inkeeper's wife praises Raen’s work.

They say their farewells to the new family and head out on the road alone. Quill has cast his new spell continual flame on Corrin's jade frog statuette because Corrin often lacks darkvision, and it now gives off a flickering green light. They build a campfire and Quill sets alarm. Raen wakes up suddenly, blinded and in his shock and confusion wakes everyone up. A dark shape rushes in to engage Raen. It attacks and then slips away into the darkness before anyone can react.

A moment later it attacks Quill from the darkness. Corrin attempts to use hunter's mark but misses his shot. Quill reaches out and casts shocking grasp while Pasky and Mino attack. Astrid casts word of radiance, forcing the shadow creature to disengage and hide. Rather than get separated too far, the party switches to ranged attacks: Raen throws the hell dagger, Corrin fires a flaming arrow, and Quill fires magic lightning missiles. Mino pulls out the moon-touched greatsword they got a few weeks back from the sea hags, lighting the area. The creature fades away again from the light, and Quill realizes it has become ethereal, so he casts see invisibility in order to keep track of its whereabouts on both the Material and Ethereal planes. He shouts that it's moved next to Nergil.

Raen realizes that it's keeping to the shadows, so he turns and restarts the fire, which sends the creature fleeing. Mino sheathes the sword, dousing the light, ready to attack it from the darkness if it appears. It shows up further away and tries to cause fear in Nergil, who is unfazed - he's seen worse from his father. Visible again, Raen throws his dagger, distracting it while Corrin uses the unbreakable arrow to hit it. The party sends volleys of ranged attacks after it - magic missiles, Astrid's guiding bolt, and Nergil's eldritch blast - which eventually succeed in repelling it.

Mino can't believe he only realize that the moon-touched greatsword is a magic weapon tonight. He wonders if it's destiny that it’s moon-touched since he's "from the moon" (aka a celestial plane). The party regroups around the campfire and heals Raen. This time, they keep the campfire alight as they sleep.