55 - Home sweet home

The smoke dissipates, revealing Persy protecting Melody, Nesvalyn protecting Paildreo and Gemini agonizing and burning a bit.

Nesvalyn uses the Boon Stick to heal Gemini for 9 HP.

Persy puts out the fire on Gemini.

Gemini casts [Locate Creature], but doesn't find him.
Persy goes to check and search for Sprigg and Sabine.
[DEX Save - Pass ✔] He starts to fly and dodges a black shape out of the way, moving so fast and circles around us. Then another black shapes shoos in, and they're circling and stop.
Hovering above us are two 12ft tall humanoids wearing heavy silver armor with these big black wings.
One of them removes their helmet, revealing a pale face, white blond hair, and looking down to us.

A spear and shield appears in her hands, then she points her spear menacingly towards us.

She pushes the Valkyrie off with a push of her wings and pushes the party away, as she's flying over the cliff and the water.
However, the wind accompagnes us until the far shore, where we realize it's the cliff of the mountain, and we're starting to fall to our end.
Gemini casts [Feather Fall], and we all fully land safely.
We overhear the battle between the Valkyries is intensifying, where the roars are getting more frequent.

[Nature - Pass ✔] Persy looks back where the screaming comes from, and realizes we just came of the slope of the Alderakh. It's safe to assume that once all the snow melted, a lake was formed in the canyon of the mountain.

We're starting to walk away, going the furthest possible from the Valkyries.

Gemini casts [Sending] towards Hosta.

Persy is taking a look at the sun. It's in a constant state of twilight. We assume that whatever it was, it just stopped.

While we're going though the mountain, there isn't much animals around.
We're looking for a cave and we find a safe place to rest.

✒Wait, if Hosta is now a Valkyrie, that means she died... that means that Graath...
What happened while we were away? And what happened back there... what should I do?..

Persy knows the location. But it's also where he was converted to a Warforged.

Nesvalyn looks away, avoiding looking in the eyes any other party member.

Paildreo looks at Nesvalyn.

Paildreo puts the Diamond Tiara of Teleportation, while having this military carrure, but Nesvalyn reads they're actually liking it, which makes him smile since we arrived back on Wundera. They're leaving on the side, as we keep an eye around us, with some heavy silent, until suddenly.

Gemini grabs some elements of the area (to ease the [Teleport] if we need to get back here).
The party then banters about the hole and the content, and confirming what's next, lightening up the mood.
Paildreo comes out of the cave after a moment.

Paildreo has a beautiful styled hair who grew behind the Tiara, which seems to be a side effect of the item.

Paildreo let go a grumble, but Nesvalyn senses they love it, and laughs about it.
✒That's an interesting side effect that I'll add on my notes. Also it confirms my theory: Anything goes perfectly on them.

We're being transported, and we're standing in a forest, and the sun is high as in midday.

We hear some bird chipping, and the opening of a cave.
Nesvalyn recognizes the cave leading to the region of Subterranean to his home clan, known as Vizerrik.

Melody is already appearing as a dragonborn, putting some emphasis on some elements to improve her natural charm.

We approach near the cave, and Nesvalyn and Paildreo spots something wrong: There is no guard.

We enter the cave and light a torch to ready ourselves for the exploration. We're going down for a dozen of minutes and we see the tunnel has a cave-in.

Nesvalyn touches the cave-in, revealing it's real.

[Investigation - Pass ✔] Nesvalyn determines it's been there for a few years at least, but not a long time. But also it seems to be loose and unsure how deep it goes, but looking around, and it seems that the structure as if it stops before the stone arches, implying that this cave in was caused not to do damage, like it was calculated cave-in.

✒No way that... there's no way they would do that, something else happened, right?

Paildreo starts to pick the rocks, then Nesvalyn points how it would be easier to remove the cave-in, which starts the initiative of this collective effort.
Melody plays the violin and casts [Enhance Ability (Bull's Strength)] on Persy.
It takes a few hours to dig through the rubble, and we finally make a hole which we can crawl in, and after getting through, we resume our way in the tunnel.

[Insight - Pass ✔] Nesvalyn gets a weird feeling.
✒No way... not that feeling, not here.

As we're getting further in the tunnel, this feeling intensifies.
[Perception - Pass ✔] We see a Minero Morphoid crystal growing on the side.

Nesvalyn starts to run towards the city, followed by Persy then the group.
After running towards the village, when we're arriving at an intersection, we hear a scream, and Nesvalyn heads towards the screaming woman.
We see a young silver dragonborn girl, dressed in a rugged travel wear, surrounded by three small morphoids.

[Insight - Pass ✔] Nesvalyn has a cold fear sweat, feeling power over them.
✒ What if... they back down and deactivate?

[Persuasion - Pass ✔] Nesvalyn feels a pressure from them, then they are moving back and crouch down on their hunches.

Nesvalyn goes to check the dragonborn.

The rest of the group arrives.

✒Wait, a few years ago? That's not me, I didn't contaminated them!..
But it happened after the Apocalypse and before we get back, and a creature appearing suddenly... could it be that... fucking Balnorin, that Minero Hybrid Dragonborn was also from Vizerrik...

We're closing the cave-in again, and we're making our way to Vizerrik. Nesvalyn puts his hood to avoid too many suspicions.
We go up to the gates, the girl calls out the guards.

Some guards are getting out and pointing their weapons at the party.

After a while, we are allowed to speak to the Chieftess of the clan.
It's the sadden state Nesvalyn noticed, making a line for the rations. People are still holding on.
We're led into the Chieftess tent, an older big silver dragonborn, broaded with scars.

Nesvalyn removes his hood and hold his hands visible. She walks up and stands in front of Nesvalyn.

Nesvalyn looks at Paildreo hoping they would explain better.

And they start talking about disporal temporancy about the Astral Sea, resuming their life so far in a complicated, yet clear way, as the clan members understood mostly what happened.

Paildreo puts their arm around Nesvalyn.

They're explaining that Nesvalyn had the crystal curse, but Paildreo mentions that we returned to find a cure, and they're displaying their resolve with a dose of vaccine, and if it can replicate that, it would be a start. But it will need time and access to equipment. And closing their conclusion with one of our main objectives:

The Chieftess sits back, thinking.

We're all led to the guest villa.

We decide to hunt a few Minero to prove Nesvalyn can control them.

Next session: 56 - The Minero's Hunt