It takes us one week to get to the island where we first met Kade
We have an additional week before we get to Silvanour
What does the gang do during this week?
NOTE: Cal is still unconscious from getting his ARM RIPPED OFF!!!
Kaya’s downtime
Trying not to “freak the fuck out”
Spends a lot of time standing on the deck of the ship, holding her out to the water and trying to get her “water magic” to happen again
She keeps muttering to herself, asking the voice in her head to speak to her again (she gets no response)
She also drinks 👍
She drinks twice as much as usual in honor of Cal
She looks “visibly off the deep-end”
Quén’s Downtime
They spend a lot of time in their room, apparently writing away on something
Anyone who pauses to listen outside their door hears the scritching of a quill, as fast and frantic as someone who’s trying to write things down before they forget it
They walk down the hallway of the living quarters at some point, and spend an inordinate amount of time paused in front of Cal’s door — they look like they’re thinking very hard about something
They seem to discard the thought and move on
They knock on Cordelia’s door
The first two knocks get no response
They DO get a response when they speak at the door, asking if Cordelia is there and telling her that - if she is - they’re going to ask Kade to teach them how to shoot a gun, and they’d like to extend the invitation to her as well
When Cordelia opens the door, she looks DISHEVELED!!!
This is like, WAY worse than the last time she looked this bad
Cordelia eventually agrees to join, and Quén calls Kade over the sending stone, asking
Cordelia’s Downtime
She spends most of her time alone, reading, and ruminating over what she’s done
She continues doing this for the first few days of our journey before Quén knocks on her door
She ultimately decides to learn how to shoot guns with Quén and Kade
Vallen’s Downtime
He spends the majority of his time by Cal’s side
Quén speaks to Vallen
At the end of the 6 days, there’s a knock on Cal’s door (this is after they go shooting with Cordelia/Kade)
When they approach Cal’s room, they hear the sound of metal quietly clanking
At Cal’s desk is the worst tinkering you’ve ever seen. Bless his heart.
They leave Vallen with food for Cal and a stack of paper, bound in twine
The food is for Cal - he still needs to eat despite being unconscious
The stack of papers is for Vallen
When Vallen looks at it in his own time, it appears to be a series of fairy tales Quén has heard and memorized from travelers passing through their inn
Each story is annotated with commentary and notations from Quén themself
The first page has a small note scrawled in the corner: “Something to keep you busy while we sleep”.
Ozwin speaks with Cordelia
Ozwin knocks on Cordelia’s door!
She’s like “come in” and the door “magically” swings open (there’s string tied to the handle 💀)
Ozwin asks if she still has her magical spell-shooting crossbow — the answer is yes
He’s written down a number of spells that she’ll be able to load into it
Ozwin has also been doing a LOT of research, trying to find anything pertaining to the cards. He hasn’t found anything
Cordelia isn’t surprised by this
He also confesses that he’s reached out to Balthazar looking for answers, but Balthazar is currently occupied
Cordelia ALSO isn’t surprised by this
At this point, she stands up from the chair she’s been sitting in
As she stands, Ozwin can see that her desk is an absolute MESS. It’s VERY different from the way she typically keeps her space/conducts herself (she’s typically very organized)
Cordelia moves to sit on her bed, sitting down and sighing
“Ozwin… You’ve known me much longer than anyone else here has known me. Can I be honest with you about something?” (the answer is yes)
Her fingers trace a scar on her hand that she can’t remember the source of
“When I… went out into the woods to meet with Mystra, my point originally was to ask her ‘what is this all about’. Having the magic she does, she has the foresight to understand what the culmination of this all is going to be. And, I believe, childishly - but perhaps not - the way in which she responded to me, felt to a certain degree is that she is BETTER than me. [muttering about how she understands Mystra IS better than her]”
“I understand that most of this comes from vanity, but the stakes are so much higher than vanity”
Cordelia comments on how Kaya’s been SO BRAVE dealing with everything that’s been happening lately - learning that she has a mother, dead father, an evil uncle, and there are powers beyond her understanding - and still keeping herself safe despite all that weighs on her, and she understands the air of cynicism that hangs over her
She ALSO comments on how Quén carries so much trauma within them, dealing with the death of most of their family, being unable to speak with their mother, and the grief that they constantly deal with is something that she also feels within herself
She also speaks of Cal, calling him the bravest of us and regretting how he still seems to struggle with trusting us with his deepest struggles
Cordelia tells Ozwin that our struggles seem to have been tossed aside by the gods - Mystra specifically - and tells him through gritted teeth that she believes she would make a better god
Ozwin sits on the bed next to Cordelia
He commiserates with her, saying that he’s felt the same way before and admits that maybe she’s right
Cordelia pauses, looking away. When she finally looks back at him, there seems to be a determination in her eyes, as well as relief.
“I honestly thought that everyone thought me a bit crazy for what I’ve done.”
Ozwin says that he DOES think she’s a little insane, but admits that “there’s a sense of tenacity to it”
He doesn’t agree with her LITERALLY, but he agrees in a metaphorical sense that we should kill the gods. He also admits that there are some gods that lay outside of the realm of “good and evil” that “probably should be taken care of”
Ozwin asks Cordelia: “How do you plan to do that, with the state that we’re in?”
Cordelia nods, leaning back in her bed
Some of the conviction on her face stems from the confidence that comes when someone else believes in your own harebrained scheme
She doesn’t want Ozwin to think that she’s experiencing psychosis — he interrupts her
He doesn’t think anything of the sort
Ozwin reaches into his bag, pulling out a worn book bound in black leather. In the center of the cover is the symbol of an open eye. The book is bound in rope, and EXTREMELY dusty. He blows/brushes the dust off.
He says that he’s willing to give Cordelia the book, and that he wants her to read it, on one condition: she NEVER tells anyone where she got it from
Cordelia stands up, walking over to Ozwin. She inspects the book before hugging him 🥺
“Ozwin, I don’t think I need to tell you how absent my father had been during pivotal points in my life… I will always have love for him, but for the way my magic has developed, I will always have love for you. Your support means a lot to me, and while you think that I may not have a plan in this, I actually do.”
HE HUGS HER BACK. IT’S VERY SWEET!!!
He asks her if she can make the deal. She tells him that he has her word.
Ozwin warns her that the title might scare her, but he asks her to just read it
Cordelia tries to read it, but cannot comprehend the language on the cover
Ozwin tells her that it’s a documented journal of Karsus, based off of his diaries
He once again asks her to never tell anyone where she got it from
Cordelia tells him “okay”, and goes to hug him again (it’s a squeezy hug 🥺💕)
They leave her room together (Cordelia also leaves with the book)
Kaya goes to the bar
Kaya invites the gang to the bar!! (she wants us to leave our rooms and socialize)
VALLEN IS ALSO THERE!!
Vallen brings us our drinks!
He sits down and leans against his side of the wall
Vallen asks Kaya if she’s heard anything about Cal
She has not — while he’s still asleep, he asks her (and by virtue, the rest of the group) what color arm she thinks he would prefer: gold, black, or silver
The general consensus is to make it black with gold embellishments
We joke about “fisting our bumps” (fistbumping)
Quén tells Kaya - when she shows concern over us saying “fist bumps” wrong - that he told Kade to “fist their bump” (apparently he’s still embarrassed about that)
The MOMENT someone finishes their drink and set the cup down, Foo shows UP
He offers to refill the person’s drink, and IMMEDIATELY asks them to clear the table (we do)
He THROWS a tablecloth over it, and from beneath the table, PULLS CAL OUT????? AND PUTS HIM ON THE TABLE???????
HE STABS CAL’S CHEST WITH A SYRINGE FILLED WITH BLUE AND GLOWING LIQUID
CAL WAKES UP!!!!!
HE’S ALSO MISSING HIS ORIGINAL PROSTHETIC ARM
HE DOWNS DRINKS THAT FOO PASSES TO HIM
FOO SAYS THAT HE HAS PLANS FOR CAL’S ARM, BUT TO GIVE HIM A DAY. Then he shuffles off.
VALLEN HUGS CAL!!!! 🥺
He asks Cal what preference he has about what color of prosthetic arm he wants (black and gold)
Quén asks Cal what he remembers
He remembers Thraxxus ripping his arm out, him setting Thraxxus on fire, and going unconscious
He also remembers that Erin Thorne was talking about plans with Thraxxus and other people
Erin Thorne needs to visit the Blood Hunters
Thraxxus needs to go “visit his family” to prepare for his niece’s awakening
Kaya messages her mom, letting her know that we encountered Thraxxus and asking her about the “awakening” (and also warning her that Thraxxus will try to visit her soon)
The response is “FUCK” and “SHIT” and that she will need a day to collect the information
Quén asks Vallen if he read the book they gave him — he has! He’s halfway through it :]
Vallen confesses that he doesn’t want to be a vampire anymore, and that he wants to go back outside without needing a shadowbox again
Last time this happened, he just waited it out for 50 years (too long for us tbh)
We muse over potential cures to vampirism: Quén says they can meditate over it (last time they did that, they learned about Axio Steel), but the general consensus is that Dr. Pope might have an answer
Vallen is reluctant to trust Dr. Pope with his wellbeing
Kaya says that if she can just torture Dr. Pope, and Vallen comments on how she’s capable of doing so, based on her performance with Burt Maclyn
Kaya comments on how she has a few questions about our interactions with Burt
He was looking for “innocent souls” for the ritual, but she sure as hell isn’t innocent
We agree that that’s strange, but also that we don’t have much that we can do about it at the moment
Vallen asks what the “main denominator” between an “innocent soul” and Kaya
Kaya rolls to “figure things out” (gets a 22) and pieces everything together
The one thing that she, the kids, and the orb had in common, is the blood of paracausality
We discuss the Underdark, Amadeus, and how everything is connected
Kaya pulls out the crystal she got from the Underdark. It’s the first time she’s pulled it out since we left Eldoria
The gem glows. Beams of light emit from it, pointing at the table
Even if Kaya moves the crystal, the lights stay static
Moving the crystal away from the table makes the lights dim down
We realize that the lights likely correspond to places in Solmara, and pull out a map of the world
We all realize - at the same time - that we need to rotate the crystal in a certain direction. As we do, the lights fall on the map in a particular manner
One shines the brightest at the island we’re currently at
The others point:
To Langston
Silvanour
The large island right off of Eldoria (Nexus)
Off the coast of Umbravael
North of Braldurak
Another off the coast of Braldurak
There are seven beams in total
We presume they are leading to the shapes; specifically one of them is in the Underdark by by the statue of Amadeus
Izzie Note: This likely means that the seventh and final beam points to Eldoria itself.
Ozwin comes downstairs
He states that he’s been doing more research
“they essentially told him to break his spirit that they already knew where one of the pieces was.‘”
Izzie Note: I handed off note-taking responsibility to someone else for this section, so I have no idea what this means :(
Quén asks Kade to come downstairs, they have an [notes cut off here]
What Ozwin Finds
When he casts Legend Lore, Ozwin determines that Kaya’s crystal is called the “Crystal of Seeking”
It was used to seek the shapes “back in the day”
Ozwin is like “why would we need to seek out the shapes in the past?”
Quén is like “well the cube showed up and we need to look for it NOW, so perhaps it was the same case in the past as well” and Ozwin is like THE CUBE???????
We explain the basic theory behind the Cube and the other shapes
Quén calls Kade over, and asks him to explain what the island is where we think the cube/crown are
The island is called Nexus, and it’s where the Blood Hunters are
It’s EXTREMELY RELIGIOUS and EVIL on that island — anyone who goes there never comes back, and that includes the strongest Solmaran soldiers
Nexus has ports around it that blocks trade routes to other locations
Kade shares an old tale about how there was a crown that was used to control/seal the Eldorians away I think??? (false history)
South Nexus is super dangerous (filled with dragons AND monsters), but the elves of Silvanour have a back-entrance there that they’ve been using
Any hope of entering Nexus would be through there
Kade explains to us what dragons are LMAO (we didn’t have any in Eldoria): “Super big ole’ lizard dudes who breathe fire, ice, and necrotic things.”
Dragons live in south Nexus, and are VERY dangerous
We agree to go to Silvanour first to find Dr. Pope, then swing around to enter Nexus through the back way and fetch the additional shape
SIDE NOTE: We learn that Kade is level 7
Ozwin’s Musings
Ozwin asks if the gods are paracausality — since they operate outside of reality. If WE (i.e. Eldorians) have the blood of paracausality, does that mean that we’re godkin?
Ozwin asks if we can summon the Curator
Quén mentions that they tried to reach out before, but that was when they were in Eldoria — they hope that things will be different this time
When they pull out the Sending Phone, they reach out to the Curator and ask him if he can hear them. They start off their message with the classic “Heeeeeyyyyy…”
Vallen smiles a little and comments on how they haven’t done that since they were Camille. I LOVE FRIENDSHIPPPPPP 😭😭😭😭😭😭
The setting is the same, except the sky is all dark: swirling with nebulas and thick with stars
The church is in pieces, with the columns floating in the air
We (except for Cal) see someone sitting in the grass next to us. His hair is a little longer than before, his beard a little scruffier. He’s wearing the same clothes as he was when he was a royal in Eldoria, but they’re more tattered now
IT’S JULIAN
IT’S SO AWKWARD LMAO
Quén says that they’re glad he’s alive, and Kaya says it’s good to see him again. Julian doesn’t seem to share the same sentiment :(
Julian powers on ahead. Every so often, he stumbles with a slight limp, but keeps going
Speaking to The Curator
When we pull up, we see the same breakfast spread as before 🥺 The Curator greets us warmly and comments on how Cal has changed
While we talk, Julian is sitting at the other end of the table (away from us) but listening intently
Quén asks him if the gods are paracausal (yes)
They ask that - if Eldorians have the blood of paracausality - are we related to the gods?
Kinda but not really? We have the blood if Ihys
The story goes that - after the material plane was created - Asmodeus kills Ihys. This is the known history of the world
THE REAL STORY is that Asmodeus killed Ihys but 10-20 thousand years ago
The Curator wanted to tell us sooner, but couldn’t — we wouldn’t have known what to do with this information
The Curator reveals that he is the voice of the Cube
Part of him is manifested in the material plane
He doesn’t always get to choose where he manifests — his physical form also gets a say, and it’s not exactly a cooperative relationship
The Curator tells us that our current plan is to get the crown in Nexus. He warns us to be prepared when we go
He recommends having both of the shapes in full before we pull up to Nexus
The Crown an control Eldorians - and the other two shapes - because it is purely paracausal
We need to have someone who can wield the shapes - a Keeper - with us as well
Only a Keeper can handle the shapes
FAFO can do this, but there could be someone else too 👀
Julian fucking huffs and puffs
He’s like “can we wake up soon? I got shit to do”
Quén tells him that he will wake up in the morning and no time will have passed. He says he knows.
They tell him that they hope he rests well, and he says he hopes so too
Julian gets up and walks outside
Quén asks The Curator if he has a preference for how the crown is stored and transported (knowing that he is not the physical body of the crown, but rather his voice)
He doesn’t, but he also warns us that
The Curator asks why we haven’t disappeared yet
INSIGHT CHECK: we realize that we usually subconsciously acknowledge that the conversation is over, but Julian still hasn’t.
The Curator excuses himself (it gets awkward when we realize we have to talk to Julian) and blips out of existence
Cal speaks to Julian
Cal goes outside and sits next to Julian
He pulls out a drug of some kind (cigar?) and starts puffing on it
He hands it to Julian to share (JULIAN COUGHS)
Julian asks Cal how he’s been
Cal counters, and asks if Julian “wants to talk about it or not”
Julian found his sister. She’s dead.
Julian says that he knows the Curator told us not to go to Nexus, but he is currently stuck there
Cal asks him if he can wait. He says that he MIGHT be able to
Julian has heard word from an old friend back in the Capital that he might be able to meet up with. He comments on how they’ve both been “captured”
He and the ally he hopes to meet up with will probably try to make a break for it at some point
Cal says that we won’t be able to avoid Nexus forever
Julian says he feels the pull of the crown from across the island
Cal says that we’re facing a pretty big task, and that we could use the help
Julian asks where we are. Cal tells him we’re on a boat
Julian asks if everyone else is okay
Cal responds that “okay is relative”
Cal tells Julian that we have to get back out there, and Julian is like ???
Julian asks Cal to “keep an eye on them, for me”, and confesses that he doesn’t really hate us (although he hates Cal the least)
Cal tells Julian that - when we wake up - maybe we’ll see him out there