Session 53
Plunging Through Books
Now that Aragir’s brother Druindar had been saved and most of the refugees were lifted from the water, the next threat was the still hostile Golem that was now almost fully blackened by writings from its battle with the Shadow from before.
Erevan and Taz, warned by Soul, were eager to take the elder brother back to shore and quickly loaded him into the lifeboat that was positioned near the sinking ship.
Loxen, driven by her desire to help save those on shore from the Golem, swiftly jumped in the water to return to land as soon as possible.
Beams of light continued to emanate from the direction of Elkenveil. They seemed to change in colour somewhat as they continued to pulse every few moments.
Aragir and Soul remained on the capsized ship a while longer, but eventually decided to board the Scylla where they thought of a plan to deal with the Golem.
The creature’s connection to the seal on Elrune’s journal seemed weakened, and it was not responding to Aragir’s familiar’s attempt to lure it into the water.
Therefore, the wizard thought of another plan; If the familiar were to put a book close to the Golem, it would instantly transport itself to another book that was positioned near the seal.
Knowing this, Soul figured out a way to capture it in a net and plunge it into the sea, and she and Cynic had the remaining Fold members help them set up the trap while Aragir prepared to draw in the Golem.
The Golem was then drawn into the net and promptly pulled into the sea when the team threw the cannon that was attached to it overboard. Its fall was violent, and as it slammed onto the deck it took a chunk of the hull with it. Not soon after the ship had started to draw water and the more it filled up the more it continued to tilt sideways.
To their luck, there were still some lifeboats on the ship. Cynic swiftly grabbed the map from the captain’s quarters and led the rest of the group to safety.
When Loxen neared the pier she was suddenly fished out of the water by one of the Crimson Dawn members, who told her that she was going to take the armor from her. In response, the Paladin turned to grapple the mage. In their struggle the mage managed to return them both to land, where it turned into an argument.
Barring the other from casting by silencing her, Loxen then jumped to pull them back into the water and waited just long enough so that the mage would lose consciousness.
When she returned to land yet again and finished healing the woman somewhat, the Paladin was confronted by the second member of the Crimson Dawn; Sean. A bolt of fire hit her shoulder after which the Tiefling landed before her. Despite Loxen’s efforts, the man would not listen to her reasoning, and seemed more than prepared to use violence to get what he wanted.
Loxen, in turn, was not convinced that the Scarlet Academy would be able to keep the Vestiges safe like they said they would, and the two found each other at an impasse.
Loxen finally cast Zone of Truth in a last attempt to extract answers from the other mage, and after some back and forth he reluctantly agreed to leave her be for now.
When things had quieted down the Half-Orc commander from the Fold approached Soul, informing her that the mission had failed and telling her to join them and return to report. Soul disagreed, and told her that her own mission was not yet finished. This surprised the other Fold member, and with some surprise she asked whether Soul understood who she was traveling with. Soul reiterated that this was exactly why she could not yet leave. Now understanding the situation at hand, the half-orc handed Soul a small whistle, telling her she would be near. If Soul could find a way to take the armor that Loxen was wearing, she could use the whistle to get her help.
Taz approached the Four Feathers and demanded they replace the ship that had been sunk by the Skullmasters. Though with a few choice words from Aragir and audible disagreement from the other members he decided to let it go for the time being to prioritize resting and aiding the refugees.
Yando, having arrived too late to offer any significant aid in battle, then stood before Loxen and congratulated her on her deeds of heroism; something his troops could certainly use. He offered to take her in and train her in their ways so that she could fight for her kin.
Though Loxen was honoured at first, it soon turned to disappointment. A hero, she found, should be willing to save anyone in the world and not just fight for their own kind. Thus she declined, and despite Yandu’s last attempts to convince her, walked away.
Perhaps now that the enemies had been defeated and the Golem was disposed of, peace would finally return to Diremound…