The world of Altheria has always held its secrets. For centuries, kingdoms thrived and fell, mighty heroes rose and faded into legend, but whispers of something ancient, something lurking deep below the surface, were easily dismissed as the ramblings of village seers and superstitious elders. Yet now, the sea itself has stirred to life, and those who have heard the echoing calls beneath the waves speak only in fearful, hushed tones.

Our story begins aboard The Wandering Star, a merchant ship ferrying adventurers, traders, and travelers across the deep blue expanse of the Thalassian Sea. Whether drawn by fortune, fate, or a need to escape past shadows, each of you found yourself on this vessel, surrounded by the creak of timbers and the salty tang of the ocean breeze.

But peace is fleeting. On the third night, as the moon cast a silver path across the churning waves, disaster struck. A monstrous Kraken, colossal and vengeful, shattered the ship’s calm passage, dragging it to the depths. Amidst the chaos of splintering wood and desperate cries, fate allowed you to escape, clinging to debris and sheer willpower.

You awake on the shores of Valen’s Hollow, a small, weather-worn village that clings to the edge of the land like a secret waiting to be revealed. The villagers, their eyes wide with terror, speak of monstrous creatures now roaming freely, emerging from forests, swamps, and mountains alike. Whatever force unleashed the Kraken has shattered the boundaries between the realms of man and monster.

Determined not to remain prisoners of fear, you band together, strangers bound by the shared trauma of the sea and the whispers that now haunt the world. With courage, wit, and steel, you resolve to seek the source of the darkness that stirs beneath the surface and put an end to it before all of Altheria succumbs to its shadow.

Who will you become in the face of this rising tide? The path you choose will determine not only your fate but that of a world teetering on the brink of chaos.

The party awoke on a small beach of an unknown land. Looking around they saw that the land seemed dead and desolate, the only area of land they could occupy was the beach they found themselves on, and a short pathway leading them east toward a large wooden structure. 

Confused and unsure of who they can trust the party immediately split up. They did not introduce themselves or interact with one another at the start. Cerium took the first action by investigating a wagon near the beach. After taking just a glimpse inside of the wagon Cerium immediately took the opportunity to steal a golden idol statue of a Kraken. This put him into immediate danger as the owner of the idol, a unnamed Cultist Fanatic attacked Cerium for stealing his idol. Cassian 'The Wise' the Wise was drawn into the fray as the fanatic automatically assumed that he too was in on the plot to steal his idol. The fight was chaotic and unorganized as the group was splintered and unwilling to aid one another. Cerium, headstrong and confident, approached the battle with humor and intent to take no hostage. Right away Cerium tried to subdue the Cultist with a “halo of spores” but this had no effect on the Cultist, so he then tried to freeze the cultist in his tracks. Succeeding this time he dealt a strong blow of cold damage. The Cultist retaliated with his own attempt at a melee attack on Cerium but missed. Cassian, eager to join the fight, cast mage armor increasing his AC. After a short moment of hesitation, Sable, cast a darkness spell encompassing both Cerium and the Cultist. This however, wasn’t as much help as anticipated and after others pointing out that they cannot help if they cannot see the attacker, Rynn tried to help by upsetting Sable's concentration on her darkness spell, but Sable was too focused and Rynn's attempt failed. Cerium, now blinded, haphazardly attempts his poison breath but in the darkness he misses. Feeling that this attempt did not work he then enacted his halo of spores, this was effective as the Cultist felt the sting of thorns in the darkness. Sable tried to push back the darkness but his spell couldn’t overcome Sable's concentration either. Sable then trying to scare the Cultist away uses her booming voice to yell threats, these had no effect on the crazed Cultist. Rynn then tried to make the Cultist ineffectual by casting Tasha’s hideous laughter but it too failed. Kaerra, now confident that Cerium should join the others, cast an arrow into the darkness hoping to hit the Cultist but missed. Cerium, wanting to try his breath attack again attempts but fails. The darkness is just too strong. Cassian, though, was able to land a strong blow of fire damage on the Cultist. Sable, in a seemingly careless fashion, hurls a dagger into the darkness. It narrowly misses Cerium's head but its accuracy towards the Cultist was way off, as it lands far away from where he currently stood. The Cultist wanting to get away from the darkness in order to have a better shot at fighting disengaged from the fight and ran into the light. But as a reaction Cerium was able to land another strike on the fleeing Cultist with his spores. Sable again tried to attack the Cultist from range but missed. Kaerra, far behind the others tries to gain ground and join the fight.  Rynn and Kaerra attempt to move in closer to the Cultist and tried to chat with the other party members. Cerium, then lands a devastating blow on the Cultist as he hits him hard with a cold touch. The Cultist now missing an arm due to the cold freezing it solid is barely standing when Cassian comes in with a merciless killing blow, hitting the Cultist with a fire bolt so hot that it vaporized his partially frozen body, leaving behind only a scorched patch of earth. 

After defeating the Cultist, the party, now livened from the fight, begin to take notice of one each other’s prominence. Their curiosity wins and Rynn begins to talk to the group, introducing herself, and asking copious amounts of questions. Sable, irritated with the Elf’s talkative nature, begins to withdraw from the group slowly. And Cassian tries to leave in more of a dramatic way, seeing this Rynn shows she isnt just a talkative Elf; but she is someone who can see the potential in the group and is willing to put in the effort to test just how much; yelling at Cassian to stay here and let everyone at least finish introducing themselves. Others seeing something in Rynn's passion persuades them to finish their introductions and begin to work together to figure a way out of here. 

The group tries to inspect their unknown surroundings. Sable, hoping to find an animal friend, looks to the sky but comes to the chilling realization that there was no animal life around her. The air stood still and stagnant. Something evil is at work here. She decided its best not to share this with the group, this choice not to share seems to be rooted in her character. Others took note of the sounds of people behind the wall. 

Cerium, confident as ever, attempted to climb the wooden barrier. Despite his small stature he made record time up most of the wall but just as the top of the wall came within reach his hold slipped and fell to the ground with a  loud smack. Kaerra, using her immense strength, showed the dwarf how to scale a wall. From on top of the wall she could see what made those sounds. She saw poor, starving, and terrified people barely clinging to life. And a way in! 

If the ascent was graceful then her descent was majestic, despite her massive bulk she appeared to float to the ground as if she had somehow conjured a gravity spell. In a second she was on the lever that controlled the gate. Springing the door open the group enter the quay, now seeing everything inside of the camp for themselves they all recognize that this is not a place they want to be and begin to try to find a way out in any other direction besides behind. But their movement is cut short as they are spotted by the gruff guard, Lance. Lance approached the group and attempted to interrogate them. The group, still not familiar with each other, step over one another’s intention and this makes Lance distrust the group even more. Cerium using his silver tongue ends up getting Lance to calm down a little. Not sure what to do Lance fetched for the mayor. And in an instant the group was approached by a man grey with age and an apparently timid nature. He spoke softy and with a stutter and seemed to shy away from aggression. He introduced himself as “Aastella, the town’s mayor”. Their talks reveal that the village has been under constant terror for the past several months. And their current closest threat is their own starvation. The villagers' farmland was now covered in vines, preventing the farmers from returning to their homes or to safety elsewhere. They are trapped, cut off from food and fresh water. Then the group comes to learn that there is a local witch and she may know what’s the secret to the vines' appearance and how to rid the village of their plight. 

Before setting off they meet the mayor’s daughter, Cassandra (named such because the DM forgot what her name was and had to make one up on the spot :) ….). They discuss Thelea, the witch the mayor set them out to find. The group's interest in Thelea initially sets Cassandra on the defensive, but the group assures her that they have no interest in harming the witch. They just want to help rid the village of the vines. Putting her trust in the group she leads them to Thelea’s house. 

With Cassandra leading the way, Thelea allowed the group to enter her home. Once inside, Cassian lost interest in the groups discussions and couldnt help himself to the tombs on the desk and to study every inch of the witch’s study for some bit of knowledge. Only to come up with nothing that he didnt already know. The witch didnt seem to possess any sort of secret hidden power that would allow her to conjure such a spell as the vines that enshrined the small village. But there was something powerful about her. The group could tell that she was not someone to trifle with and that she did in fact seem to have the villagers interest at heart despite having been responsible for their current state. But the witch was at her wits end, she had run out of options to protect the villagers, this was her last hail merry, hoping to buy some time to figure out why the monsters are being drawn to this village. The group knew that getting the vines down was the only way to get out of this village. Not seeming to care so much about the villagers but more about themselves getting out alive they hastily bargain a deal with the witch that if she drops the vine curtain protecting the village that they will in exchange keep the villagers safe from any monster attacks. 

(The DM forgot to describe what it looked like when the witch recalled the vines from existence. It was supposed to be something like, “The witch threw up her arms in a quick motion, her fingers outstretched like they were pressed against an invisible barrier. Appearing possessed she mouthed words of a frightening language at speeds too fast for a human. Loud rustling noises draw you to the windows of her hut and outside you witness the vines shake, then expand doubling in size, then violently deflate, as if it were living its natural life cycle out in only a couple seconds. And just as quickly the vines turned to dust and drifted away.” but yea…) 

For part of the group their new access to the town evoked too much interest in possible personal gain. They split up in the town. Sable and Cassian went off looking for supplies, and things of value in gold and knowledge. Sable acquired some supplies and Cassian did not stumble onto anything of value. Meanwhile Rynn looked in the mayors house. Eventually stumbling across his dead body. Cassian having followed his obsession to the mayors house ended up being the only person Rynn could show the body to but he seemed to take no interest in a dead body. And carried on with his own interests. Meanwhile Kaerra searched the windmill and discovered the Cup of Nagarooth, it was left on a table in the center of the mill with a note that read, “Best ye be careful, what libations ye partake from this cursed container!”. Its placement in the mill seemed unusual as the mill appeared abandoned. Next to the table was a trap door, Kaerra tried her best to open the door but she could not succeed. 

Sable took stock of the general store and stowed away some simple hand tools that he thinks may come in handy in a fight and a artisans tool pack. Cerium tried to search the land for viable food to take back to the villagers but came up with nothing. 

Scattered across the village the group seemed unaware of the impending danger. Cerium caught a glimpse as he flew back to the Quay. Monsters are coming. Informing the witch and Cassandra of the approaching danger and of the suspicious body in the mayors house he returns to the quay to join Cerium who, may be a little too confident has tried to encourage Lance to join the fight and has vowed to protect the villagers. Encouraging them to stay behind him even though the site of a hill dwarf standing in front of a group of humans as their protector is a humorous sight he was still able to encourage Lance to stand by his side. 

The group now divided get ominous warnings from the witch. As if things werent already weird enough. What is going on in this village? And will everyone survive whats coming? 

During the game, Madison, Matt, and Dom showed exceptional devotion to playing true to their character and have gained inspiration!

After the events of the last session and with the thorn veil now removed by Thelea the party is scattered across the village but they quickly regroup near the entrance of the Quay - in an attempt to protect the villagers huddled inside as the hoard of monsters come crashing down onto the village.
Before the fight the party was hastily introduced to Inigo 'The Brave' - a Tabaxi Sorcerer who recently came under tutelage of Thelea. He seems to be an eager and brave wizard, and at this time the party will take whomever they can to help fight the oncoming army of monster. No one is really sure where he was hiding this whole time but they were happy to have more than a simple farmer with a rusty sword to help.
Still not sure what's at play the party was thrust into battle.
First going up against Swarm of Bats and Cult Fanatics, feeling confident the party laid into the first round heavy. But this was only the start as Skeletons and more Swarm of Bats broke the tree line. Followed by Succubus and Incubus demons.
Just as the party felt they had a handle on the challenge so far a low growl was heard thundering through the forest. Crashing through the trees a monstrous Abominable Yeti and Nycaloth joined the fray.
While focusing forward the group tried to hold their ground but were surprised by the apperance of Aestella behind them. But now smart to the trickery they called out the Doppleganger who had taken the form of the deceased Mayor and the group now had to manage attacks on both fronts.
Becoming more and more overwhelmed the party put up a gallant effort.
As the party slayed a monster a new one would appear to take its place.
The party now completely overwhelmed, Sable Darkheart narrowly avoided the death's icy grip.
The battle raged on for what felt like ages as the group defended the villagers. Losing their trusted local ally Lance and Inigo's familiar Hawke.
But just as quickly as the battle started it was halted as a booming voice commanded the demons and monsters to halt their attack.
Looking up the party saw a evil none of them had expected. A demon, who introduced himself as Th'Klask revealed that he was the one behind the attack. He offered to stop his army and spare the villagers if the party agreed to find and return to him an artifact that he is in search of. He was not forthcoming with much detail besides that the artifact her seeks lies somewhere in or below this village. The demon was very clear that he is willing to do whatever it takes to obtain this artifact. Hints were made about the well at the center of the village.
A deal was struck between the demon and the party and Th'Klask's army withdrew back into the forest leaving the party to lick its wounds and try to figure out what is happening.
The party spent their evening being celebrated by the villager's and were put up in the village's finest lodgings to recover.

The party wakes up to the sound of a busy village in work to repair their homes and lives after being sequestered to The Quay for many weeks.
After waking Inigo revives his fallen familiar Hawke and sets out to the tavern to find a refreshing drink.
Cerium makes some goodberries hoping to use them to bribe the hungry villagers into providing more information about the well in the center of town. But he was not prepared for just how hungry the villagers were and had to make a quick escape into an old cottage. Inside he met an elderly woman named Marda Wicklow who grew up in the village. She provided some insight into the mechanisms that may help with the well. Including that it appears to be powered by moonlight.
Meanwhile Sable bored and not interested in the villagers or the rest of the party goes out looking for a fight but was only able to find one willing combatant. A Squirrel that left Sable bruised and scratched and his ego slightly damaged.
Kaerra visited Thelea to find out more about the Cup of Nagarooth - although upset that her cup was stolen Thelea still provided the little information she knows about the Cup of Nagarooth. Annoyed Kaerra handed the cup over to Inigo hoping he could help her to discover more about it.
Cassian went straight to the well trying to uncover its mysteries. Joined shortly after by Inigo 'The Brave' and Cerium Stonebloom they discover how to unlock its entrance.
The party descended down its long spiral staircase.
At the bottom of they are presented with statues of their likeness. A voice echoes through the hall hinting that the adventurers must go forth without aid. Inigo 'The Brave' living up to his name was the first to approach his statue. As he did the voice became louder and more clear. The party came to realize that they must disrobe and place his belongings on their respective statue.
Cerium was the first to disrobe, proudly displaying his dwarfness to the part. After which a large stone door opened behind his statue. The passage would only allow the relevant party member to enter through their own door. Above each door was a symbol representing their challenge.

Cerium, after stepping through his door, found himself in a forest clearing. In the center of the clearing was a large mushroom growing out of an upturned hollow turtle shell which was itself on a pile of dry and cracked earth. Near the pile of dirt is a bucket. And at the base of the shell is a small vial. Cerium approached the mushroom it withered and died. He inspected the plant and vial closely. Seeing that on the vial was a label that read, "To support a life, a lift must end." After some time contemplating the purpose he decides that to drink the vial. He is suddenly stricken with disease and dies falling forward into the shell. Where his body is consumed by the earth. It springs back to life and a giant plant bursts forth. In the center a newly reborn and confused Cerium lays. He hears Kowloon's voice congratulating him on succeeding his trial so swiftly. The theme of this challenge is rebirth, one synonymous with Cerium's own path in life. After coming back from death Cerium passes through the door exiting his chamber but first he grabbed two large leaves from the plant that birthed him moments before.

Inigo 'The Brave' is up next and he presses forward as brave as ever. As he steps into the room, the air is heavy and still. The walls are a shimmering dark grey, pulsating faintly, as though they are alive. The room itself feels like a transition between worlds, a liminal space where past and future converge. There are no clear exits, and the air tastes of salt and ozone. At the center of the room is a pool of water, dark and reflective, surrounded by four floating, glowing orbs—each representing a different facet of uncertainty in Inigo’s life.

A soft voice, ethereal and omnipresent, resonates through the room, its words gentle yet unsettling:

"Inigo, the brave and the curious, come closer. You stand at the crossroads of uncertainty, caught between what you have fled and what you fear to face. To move forward, you must learn to confront the unknowns within yourself, to accept that some paths do not have clear answers. Will you run, or will you stand your ground?"

Inigo at first confused tries to drown the orbs in the water but they are un-moving, he tries many things but all fail. He begins to confront each orb individually learning to accept their messaging through each individually. Passing Kowloon's challenge.

The Orbs
The Orb of the Potion’s Consequences:
- The first orb pulses with an unsettling green light, casting long shadows on the walls. This orb represents the potion disaster in the town, the mistake that caused others to suffer, and the guilt Inigo feels about his role in it.
As Inigo approaches, the orb swells, and the water in the pool begins to ripple. The voice whispers: "You acted out of trust, but you were complicit. Will you accept your role, or continue to hide from your mistake?"
As Inigo reaches for the orb, his reflection in the pool changes, showing him as a scapegoat, surrounded by angry villagers. He feels the weight of their accusations and the shame of his failure.
- The Orb of Running from Ziggy's Fear:
The second orb glows with a deep, almost black light, representing the fear Inigo felt when Ziggy, his close friend, pushed him to flee. This orb reflects the uncertainty of whether he made the right choice, whether fleeing was out of cowardice or self-preservation.
As Inigo gazes into the orb, he sees a vision of himself walking away from Ziggy, hearing the voice of his friend calling out, “Go! Run! It’s not safe!” The orb begins to pulse, and the voice becomes louder, mocking Inigo for abandoning his friend, as well as questioning whether Ziggy truly cared for him.
- The Orb of Uncertainty About the Unknown Pursuers:
The third orb is a cold, white light that flickers and shifts, representing Inigo’s fear of the unknown threat that pursued him after his flight from the village. He has no idea what it is, or how far it will follow him, and this fear is constantly gnawing at him, feeding his anxiety.
As Inigo approaches this orb, the pool’s surface ripples violently. His reflection begins to warp, showing fleeting shadows of monstrous figures that move swiftly behind him. The voice whispers: "What pursues you is unknown, but will you let that uncertainty control you? Or will you face it?"
The orb pulses with a chaotic energy, and Inigo can feel the fear creeping back into his heart, the instinct to flee rising.
- The Orb of Self-Doubt:
The fourth orb shines with a soft but flickering orange glow. This orb represents Inigo’s own doubts and insecurities about his path forward. As a Tabaxi who fled his home, he is constantly torn between his own potential and the feeling that he does not belong.
As Inigo reaches the orb, he is faced with his own reflection, showing a Tabaxi who never finds a place to truly call home, a wanderer who will always be alone. The voice asks: "Do you trust in yourself, or are you running from the truth of who you are? Your path is uncertain, but that does not mean you are without power."

Cassian 'The Wise' is next through the challenge. His room is a tesseract of infinite halls of books, ethereal and unreachable. In his challenge he is faced with the option of what could have been. This challenge is to confront him and his past and offer the temptation of a life with his family. A loving life, filled with acceptance. Not the one he was forced into. An angel like being presents themselves to Cassian showing him this alternative life. But Cassian was quick to dismiss this illusion and quickly chose to live the life he was given not this fairy tell. And with that he passed Kowloon's trial.

Sable Darkheart annoyed and not interested in being tested failed at his challenge. He started to accept his challenge near its end but ultimately failed three times to make it across the clearing. All that he needed to do was realize that depending on others is not something to ashamed of. He was challenged by spirits of his former friends showing their assistance of guiding him across a seemingly bottomless fissure.

Rynn Liadon entered a silent, wide, twilight-lit glade inside the dungeon — an unnatural clearing surrounded by towering, ghostly trees whose leaves fall upward into the sky. Everything seems still, but heavy with emotion. In the center of the clearing, floating slightly off the ground, is Elise’s spectral form, warm and familiar but translucent, holding a delicate silver bow. Her face is kind but sorrowful. At the far end of the glade is a great crystal barrier, shimmering with scenes of Rynn and Elise’s past adventures together — laughing, fighting side by side, comforting each other through storms. Behind the barrier, faintly visible, is the exit from the room.

At Rynn’s feet lies a single bow and a single shimmering arrow — the Letting Arrow.

Elise’s spirit speaks softly to Rynn, asking her to shoot the Letting Arrow through her spirit and into the crystal barrier behind her.
Elise says:
"You must let me go, Rynn. You must be brave again — for both of us."
The bow feels heavy in Rynn's hands — unnaturally so. As if her grief itself weighs it down.
The challenge is not to hit Elise out of anger, sadness, or guilt, but with acceptance and love.
Only when Rynn fully accepts the loss, honors Elise’s memory without clinging to her, and lets go with love, will the arrow pierce Elise’s form gently — causing her spirit to smile — and break the crystal barrier, allowing Rynn to move forward.
Unfortunately for Rynn - they were unable to land the arrow after three attempts and as a result failed Kowloon's challenge.

Kaerra Thrusk entered a dimly lit room, the air thick with the smell of aged stone and dampness. At the far end of the room is a large, ornate mirror framed in silver, though its surface is not clear—it shimmers with swirling, foggy light. Around the room are several smaller mirrors, each reflecting strange and distorted versions of Kaerra. The mirrors are set in a circle, with the central large mirror seeming to beckon her closer.

A voice, deep and resonant, echoes through the chamber: "Here, warrior, is the heart of your challenge. To find your true strength, you must confront your reflections. Not the reflections of others' expectations, but your own. In every mirror, you will see a version of yourself shaped by a choice, a path you have taken or one that you fear to walk."

The Mirrors
The Mirror of Perfection:
This mirror shows Kaerra as a flawless warrior, with no imperfections, perfectly balanced and poised, easily winning battles.
The Mirror of Rage:
This mirror reflects a Kaerra consumed by anger and wrath, using fury as a tool in combat, a berserker that overwhelms all in her path.
The Mirror of Doubt:
Here, Kaerra sees herself hesitant and weak, questioning her decisions, unsure of her path, and constantly doubting her place in the world.
The Mirror of Strength:
This mirror shows Kaerra standing tall and confident, holding a massive two-handed axe, with scars from battles past marking her skin. This is the version of herself that represents the culmination of her journey: strong, not because of others’ expectations, but because of the strength she has forged through her own choices.

Challenge: The voice will encourage Kaerra to accept this version of herself fully. It feels right, but there is hesitation—this version of her has walked a difficult path, earned every scar and hardship. The mirror will test Kaerra's conviction to embrace her own individuality, her strength, and her path forward. She chose the mirror of strength - the correct choice aligning with her inner self. Passing Kowloon's challenge.

Summary of Challenges
Cassian 'The Wise' - theme: Acceptance
Cerium Stonebloom - theme: Rebirth
Inigo 'The Brave' - theme: Uncertainty
Kaerra Thrusk - theme: Being true to yourself
Rynn Liadon - theme: Letting go
Sable Darkheart - theme: Trusting in others

After making it through Kowloon's trials Cerium, Inigo, Kaerra, and Cassian are met with a statue of the great Kowloon. It is revealed that the voice they have been hearing is of the great wizard himself. Before proceeding he awards them each with a pendant of rebirth. A sacred artifact that allows its possessor to realign their strengths and weaknesses to their liking - only once though. After which it will becomes a useless gold pendant... or does it???
Kowloon's spirit allowed the adventurers an opportunity to ask of him three questions before proceeding.
The party asked:

After exhausting their questions the party pressed forward into the last hall. Where they witness a large skull across a deep crevasse. Cassian attempted to fly over but was pushed back by a powerful magical wind that he could not overcome. Before taking their rest Cerium decided that he wanted some of the stone flooring as it appeared to have a magical essence to it. He was able to make way with 3 small rocks after a few attempts.

Meanwhile Rynn and Sable grab their gear from the statues at the entrance to the challenge and return to the village for their long rest.

At the end of this session all adventurers were awarded Inspiration and gained a level.

Cerium Stonebloom, Inigo 'The Brave', Cassian 'The Wise', and Kaerra Thrusk are visited by Shiv, the sly older brother of Th'Klask, during their long rest. Shiv offered to recharge their Pendant's of Rebirth if they so choose in order to grant their party members that did not make it through Kowloon's challenge an opportunity to reach their full potential as he thinks the group will need all the help they can get if they are defeat his brother.
After some back and forth with Cerium Stonebloom Shiv agreed to fashion a wreath our of the large leaves that Cerium collected during his trial. Lucky for Cerium Shiv likes to do arts & crafts in his spare time.
The next morning the four awaken in the Black Obsidian cave. Determined to get the artifact they haphazardly cross the chasm to the dead dragon's skull. Searching their memory they are able to identify the skull to its previous owner Ubud (deceased). While grappling with the artifact they notice that mortals should not come into contact with it. So Inigo 'The Brave' wraps it in cloth and stashes it away.
Unsure of where to go now the party look for an exit only to realize that they can hear the ocean below them. Cautiously they lower themselves down into the chasm and find it to be actually be a fun ride out of the black cave. Now stranded in a cave opening near the sea they ponder their next move.
Meanwhile Rynn Liadon and Sable Darkheart start their day in a more mundane fashion. Being guided by their new acquaintance Ol' Greg and Chance (the Doppleganger) in disguise. They board Ol' Greg's boat, "Love's Anchor" and head out to the ocean to see if they can find their lost party members.
By luck the divided party find each other while Cerium, Inigo, Cassian, and Kaerra attempt to swim back to the beach from the cave.
After everyone was safely on board "Love's Anchor" the Doppleganger revealed himself to the party. It revealed to the party that Th'Klask has one more task he would like the group to perform. Fetch for him a metal crate from the wreck of The Wandering Star. The Doppleganger warned the party that letting his master down would be a mistake then vanished.
On the boat the party talked over what they have discovered and by some guidance and a little too much information from Ol' Greg they head out to The Wandering Star Wreck to search for the the crucible crate. Ol' Greg helps them out by providing a potion that will grant them underwater breath for one hour.
The group dive in and search the wreck. They are able to locate the crucible. Using the crane on Ol' Greg's boat they hoist it up.
But before they can complete this task the sharks circling the wreck attack the party. Initial fear is quickly squashed as Inigo's frenzied bolt makes quick work of the underwater skirmish.
During their dive they happen upon shark meat from their battle, a ship ledger, 10 gp, an old boot with a foot inside, a broken compass, and Stormcleaver, a powerful two-handed sword. Rynn Liadon makes off with the sword, Inigo 'The Brave' took the shark meat, and Cerium Stonebloom has the ledger, 10 gp, and two human femur bones.
While ascending to the boat the party notice figures off in the distance watching them. After getting back on board the boat they are confronted by a group of Merefolk - the same tribe that Ol' Greg used to an in-law to. Ossari (the tribe leader) attempts to question the party and offer his assistance and suggests to use the crucible to entrap Th'Klask before he can free Caeruleus Mors. The party seems indifferent to their suggestions and after some awkward back and forth return to Valen's Hollow and settle in for the night to rest after a long day.

The next day the party are ready to advance on their mission to open the metal crucible crate. Only to discover that Ol' Greg has been trying to do this very thing all night. Even going on to enlist the town blacksmith Nimzy Forgeflicker.
Nimzy admits that this crate is impossible to open through conventional means but has a plan. She is going to use thermite to open the crate but she needs some materials first. She tells the party of an abandoned mine named Durkhaz Thol at the base of the mountain ridge. In there the party should be able to collect corundum crystals which she will refine into Aluminum to create the thermite.
Before heading off to collect the crystals Cerium Stonebloom talks with Nimzy about the black obsidian stone that he was able to grab from the cave. Nimzy remarks that this material is indeed rare and although she is unsure she would love an opportunity to fashion it into a weapon or some sort of item for Cerium. Cerium agrees and asks if she can incorporate the human femurs that he collected on his dive. She reluctantly agrees as she is more interested in trying her hand at forging the stone than anything.
The party waste no more time and head off to Durkhaz Thol. Right away they can tell this mine may be abandoned but it is not uninhabited as there are signs of monsters and recent movement.
In the second room they disturb some bats by trying to talk with them. The wrong time for a diplomatic approach. They fought of ten bats and Inigo 'The Brave' collected one pint of blood and twenty bat fangs.
In the next room, having learned from the previous, they ambush a Giant Spider by burning it where it rests. Killing it instantly. Cerium Stonebloom collected an old belt buckle and boot from the spider nest.
They choose their path carefully, avoiding a large room that was giving off some bad vibes.
Passing by a mine shaft deep within the mine they investigate some over turned mine carts for loot. Falling into two traps, first is a Black Pudding that they are able to defeat quickly.
Without hesitation Sable Darkheart touched one of the treasure chests to see if it was locked only to nearly get her hand bitten off as the chest came to life. It was a Mimic in disguise. Sable has turned to improvisation with his weapon choices and attempts to impale the mimic with some old wood. But the mimic was defeated by 'toll of the dead' from Inigo.
Now more cautious than ever the group throw stones at the second chest from a distance. But this time it is a normal chest. They open it and collect their bounty. Sable collects the items, a magical torch of cold flame, a pocket watch that she winds up, and a miner's headlamp.
They choose to return to the deep mine shaft and see if they can collect the corundum crystals. Inigo and Cerium each collected 3 handfuls of the crystals and everything was going fine until a Gem Eater Roper decided that they look like a good snack. The group battle the roper and with coordinated efforts slay the monster relatively easily.
After defeating the roper, Cerium took an extra 3 handfuls from the Roper's mouth that no one in the party noticed. The group are now collecting themselves at the top of the shaft. They know more monsters lie in its dark caverns. What will they do now? Continued in chapter 6...

Moving on from the mine shaft area the party made their way back to the room that they avoided at the start in hunt of treasure. After entering Sable Darkheart sent Crab to investigate some crates in the corner of the room, weary of their last encounter with a mimic. But before Crab could scourer the boxes for loot Cerium Stonebloom wandered over and triggered the three Carrion Crawler's that were hiding and watching the group from a distance. Immediately Cerium reacted with a spore cloud but it missed the first Carrion Crawler. The party see Cerium and Crab facing down the three monsters and dont hesitate to join the battle to assist their comrades.
Crab landed the first hit on a Carrion Crawler but then missed all of its following opportunities to land a strike, but he tried his best.
During the battle Cerium Stonebloom was paralyzed by one of the Carrion Crawlers and during one their turns took some damage while being unable to defend himself. The party made quick work of their surprise encounter with Rynn Liadon making MVP by landing the final blow to two of the creatures and Kaerra Thrusk taking second place on the other.
After the battle Sable and Kaerra took 2 handfuls of Carrion Crawler meat, planning to cook it as a celebratory feast later in the evening. Cerium finished his search through the crates and trying to hide the loot from his comrades triggers Rynn's kleptomania. She uses mage hand and successfully pockets 10 gold pieces from his pocket and got a good look at what other items he was holding, including the 3 handfuls of corundum crystals that Cerium had secretly pocketed after the fight with the Gem Eater Roper. Cassian found an old Dwarven cookbook, five owl bear claws, and ten red rubies hidden away in a stash in the wall that he happened upon when playing with the Torch of Cold Flame. Seeing an opportunity to score more items for herself, Rynn Liadon attempted her mage hand a second time but the perceptive Inigo took notice and telepathically confronted Rynn and suggested that now is not the time. She agreed to stop for now. Cassian 'The Wise' somehow recognized that Inigo helped him to stave off some shady behavior and as a token of thanks shared five of the rubies with Inigo. Sable found an Owl Bear beak. Rynn deciding that the Stormcleaver sword will probably be better utilized by someone with proficiency in the weapon handed it over to Kaerra. After the party finished looting everything that they could they made their way back to the village.
On their trek through the woods they were confronted by Oogway. Cerium completely caught off guard and for once showing a little fear tried to talk up his reputation - his party did not back his words of self adulation. Only when Inigo stepped in and provided the full details of the happenings to Oogway did tensions calm. Oogway has settled into the Inn ready to stand by and assist the party as needed but he has made it clear that he and Cerium have unfinished business to attend to when this is all over.
The party visited Nimzy Forgeflicker to give her the corundum crystals and load her up with more work when they found out that she was a surprisingly capable blacksmith for a backwater village.
Their tasks to her are: