In Port Nyanzaru, Taenae told Alice that she wanted a serious relationship and was gently refused, and Alice gave her a wooden whistle. Inete received the journal of Grandfather Zitembe and saw him in a scrying, fighting a losing battle inside the Sunken Temple. A message from Taban called the party to the temple, and Takhesis was tested in a nightmare by Acererak. On the way through the jungle the party came into the glade of Lady Sansa, who offered them a bargain, and Vonara traded her darkest memories for immediate transport to the doorstep of the Sunken Temple.
Recap
The rejection
It is the twenty-sixth of Flamerule, 1492 DR. The party is in Port Nyanzaru. They mean to regroup after the warehouse raid and to prepare for the journey to the Sunken Temple, the site where Taban is rumored to be.
Taenae is overcome with emotion after her temporary death and the apparent rejection from Ricardo. She takes the form of a quetzalcoatlus and flies to Critters, Creepers & Crawlers.
Alice is cleaning the ruins of her shop. Taenae confesses her desire for a serious relationship, believing that the two of them have something special.
Alice gently rejects her. She admits that she is too damaged by everyone leaving her, her parents and her suppliers, to open up again so soon. She wants to remain friends but cannot offer more.
Before Taenae leaves, Alice gives her a Feywild wooden whistle carved with paw prints. She says, “Blow it if you need a reminder that someone’s here.” The whistle hums faintly near death magic, and it can summon spectral forms of Alice’s battle companions.
The legacy of Savras
An adventuring druid delivers a package to Inete. It contains Grandfather Zitembe’s journal. The last entry reads “Taban was right. The Balance demands sacrifice. Forgive me.”
Using the Goggles of the Diviner, Inete scries on Zitembe. She sees him deep inside the Sunken Temple, fighting a losing battle with a gaping hole in his chest. He smiles at her through the sensor before the vision ends.
Investigating the Temple of Savras, the party finds a map that highlights Vorn and Yellyark.
Dreams of ice and fire
A bloodroot vine delivers a scroll to the party’s lodgings. It is a message from Taban: “Zitembe is dead. The Eye of Ubtao is mine. Come to the Temple.”
Takhesis is pulled into a geometric void by Acererak, the Architect. He is forced to watch Rani Calva die repeatedly. Then he is ordered to kill a Yuan-ti child that morphs into Adani. Acererak commands him: “Emotion is inefficiency… Fulfill your purpose, little Aasimar.” Takhesis wakes with frost on his breath and fractal shadows.
The tea party
The party travels into the jungle toward the Sunken Temple. They stumble into a surreal, twilight glade hosted by Lady Sansa, a fey noble of the Summer Court. Most of the party falls under a charm and happily joins the tea party despite the danger.
Her court is there. Ser Jian is a Tortle bard who sings of rot. The Hollow Knight is a suit of armor filled with bees. Chwingas serve ink-black tea.
Lady Sansa offers a bargain. The party is to bring her cold iron from the Dwarves of Hrakhmar to fight the “Rot,” which is the Soulmonger. The reward is a powerful artifact of their choosing. The cost is “A memory, a shadow, or a name.”
The party does not accept the bargain. Vonara proposes a separate one: her darkest memories in exchange for immediate transport to the Sunken Temple. That deal is struck, and the party is transported en masse to the doorstep of the Sunken Temple. The quest for the cold iron is given to them all the same.
Aftermath
- Alice had rejected Taenae romantically and remained her friend. Taenae had Alice’s whistle.
- Inete had Zitembe’s journal.
- Zitembe had been seen dying in the Sunken Temple, and Taban’s message said that he was dead. His death was not confirmed.
- Taban claimed to have the Eye of Ubtao.
- Lady Sansa wanted cold iron from Hrakhmar. The party had not accepted her bargain. The quest was given to them all the same, with a fey compass that pointed to Hrakhmar, and they never acted on it.
- Vonara had given her darkest memories to Lady Sansa.
- The party stood at the entrance of the Sunken Temple.
Appendix
Present
Taenae · Vogal · Takhesis Calva · Vonara · Glade · Inete.
References
People: Alice · Ricardo · Grandfather Zitembe · Taban · Acererak · Rani Calva · Adani · Lady Sansa
Places: Port Nyanzaru · Critters, Creepers & Crawlers · Temple of Savras · Sunken Temple · Yellyark
Other: Goggles of the Diviner · Eye of Ubtao · Yuan-ti · Soulmonger