Session+94

 **10-29-2016** **Session 94** **An Impromptu Wedding on Lantan, On to Waterdeep and a Return to Lyrabar**

The companions received an exuberant welcome as they returned to the Verdant Grove on Lantan with 5 of the 6 Myth Taryn elves in tow. "You made it! And you're still alive!" Aware embraced Posy happily, "I've heard what happens to those who go off on intrepid adventurers." Nanafoodle and Leenalistle ran up on Posy's either sides, exclaiming excitedly, "Did you rage?! Did you rage?!" They raised their arms with fingers curled like claws and made fierce growls, wrinkling the warpaint on their little faces. The gnome barbarian couldn't help but laugh as she nodded, greeting each with a ruffle of their hair. "Did you whack them with your axe?" Nana asked excitedly swinging his wooden axe, accidentally clobbering Thorn in the head in the process. "Ow!! Those things are heavier than they look!" Thorn immediately put a hand on his head and moved back to a safer distance. "Good job!" Posy nodded proudly, extending her hand out, "High five!" "Mommy said that she enchanted it!" Nana held up his wooden axe proudly, "It's a //magical// axe now!" "I believe it," Thorn nodded, touching his head tenderly, "That left quite the knot on my head." Leena raced over to thorn to slap her hand onto his knot, shouting, "Cure!" "Ow! Oh... I... I feel so much better," Thorn winced as he played along, "You can stop touching it now."

Aware and Kattri urged them toward the estate, "Come, come! This calls for a grand feast. We'll contact Mr Underbittle at once to bring us one of his choicest of pigs." They brought out large pitchers of ice water with various citrus wedges stuck along the top rim to squeeze for flavor into their drinks, and the companions told them the tale of Myth Taryn, dressing it up and talking up Posy's exploits. "You can blow yourself up?!" Leena gasped at her gnome cousin, "Is that a barbarian power?" Posy shook her head, "It's a magic item." "Mommy, mommy! Will you make me a magic item so I can blow up too?" the young girl tugged on Aware's sleeve. Posy giggled, patting Leena on the head, "Maybe we'll find you one when you're older."

A large pig was set up on a spit over a fire pit. Posy raised an eyebrow, "That's going to take hours..." "Oh no it wont," Kattri nudged her, "That's a special gnome fire pit. Fire it up!" He pulled a couple of levers that surrounded the pig in fire! Several other gnomes joined in the celebration, coming from the homes around the neighborhood, including Transfizzer the beekeeper and his family who brought a wagon of honey jars and Underbittle's family who brought the pig. Their children were playing with the Garishthimble kids, arguing over who was going to play the part of Posy... they eventually all came out in costumes representing the companions. One wore a green cloak and carried a bent stick tied with a string like a bow, another wore wizard type robes, and another wore a little witch's hat. Wren smiled at the girl in the hat, "Where is your fox?" She scratched Inali behind the ears. "Oh I don't have a fox," the little girl shook her head, but then brightened as she pulled a stuff bear from her cloak, "But I have a bear though!" Wren nodded with approval, "That will do fine." A little boy dashed through in a black cloak, snatching the stuffed bear from the girl's hands and laughing, "Ha ha! I'm Thorn!" "Hey! Give me back my bear!" the young girl pointed at him, "Hex! Hex! Hex! Evil eye!" The kids all ran around the backyard playing adventures representing all of the companions.

Everyone feasted on honey glazed ham, fruits, and nuts... with various desserts from the citrus fruits. Kattri was beaming as he walked up to Posy with Uther and Aware, "So the young man tells me that he wants to marry you!" "Yeah?" Posy raised an eyebrow a little uncertainly, "Well surely someday it will happen in between all of our adventures." "Someday? How about tomorrow before you leave!" Kattri suggested excitedly. "What? We can't!" Posy shook her head quickly, "We don't have his family here..." "Oh..." Kattri sighed disappointedly. "I could teleport them in," Azarius volunteered happily. "Shhh!" Posy nudged her mage companion to no avail. "Really? You can?" Kattri beamed at Azarius, his excitement renewed. Uther nodded to Azarius, "Well... if you could just get my father... that's really all we need... then we could have a barbarian ceremony later." Uther took Posy's hand, the weight immediately settling into the little gnome's shoulders, "Littlest Bear, you would do me the greatest of honor if you were to become my wife." "I will," she nodded slowly, "but we need to have your father there." "Will you do this for us, Azarius?" Uther turned to their sorcerer friend. Posy's shoulders sagged heavier. "Of course!" Azarius nodded. "Thanks... grrreat..." Posy replied, her feigned enthusiasm dripped in sarcasm. Azarius vanished from the area.

Kattri leapt up onto one of the tables shouting out to all of the people, "Attention, everyone! I have great news! Our little Posy is getting married tomorrow!" The companions applauded with the crowd, and Erevin raised his mug, "To the Littlest Bear!" "Yep... I'm happy," Posy nodded with the smallest fake smile. "Who are you trying to convince?" Erevin asked with a chuckle. "Oh, Posy," Wren laid a steadying hand on the little gnome's back, "Are you alright?" Their barbarian friend stood frozen, overwhelmed by all of the pressure and attention of the family she had just met. Girls surrounded her, ooohing and ahhing and braiding flowers into her hair.

Azarius returned a short hour later with Uthgarte from the northern mountains, "We've returned none too soon!" He leaned closer to the barbarian leader, whispering in his ear, "I think she's probably pregnant." "This is a great day," Uthgarte clasped arms with Uther, "I would be happy to watch over the ceremony of my youngest son." "There will be another celebration tomorrow!" Azarius cheered. "Yes!" Kattri shouted, "Tomorrow we shall have a breakfast of eggs and ham! Then in the evening more ham!" Wren leaned wearily against Kale, "Please tell me that we'll have rabbits or something when we get back to the mainland." "We'll go deer hunting as soon as we get there," Erevin assured her.

As evening fell and people were wandering off to sleep, Uther took Posy aside holding both of her hands, "Are you sure you're alright with this? You look a little nervous." "Yep," she answered quickly, glancing over both of her shoulders, "I'm just not use to this whole... family... shindig." She sighed, "I mean... look how long it took me to warm up to your dad." "Your aunt and uncle seem like very nice people," he did his best to assure her, "It will be fine... and then we'll be leaving and you'll feel better." "We'll have to come back for visits, of course," she sighed heavily. "Of course," he smiled and leaned in to kiss her, pushing her gently back toward the bed. A clattering of banging came quickly on the bedroom door, Kattri's voice yelling, "No funny stuff until after you're married!" Azarius's voice fluttered from behind her uncle, chattering on about the things they were probably up to and how he should probably separate them right now. "Okay... we wont," Posy answered, winking back at Uther. Another clatter of banging came from the door. The two eventually gave up... Posy staying with her family and Uther going out to join the companions in Azarius's pocket dimension mansion.

Wren woke from a strange dream, muttering about Ghaundahar, several women, dragons, and harrow cards. Kale did his best to reassure her. The group joined together for breakfast. Flower covered arches, tables, and chairs had already been set up in the backyard. The whole town must have shown up before the sunrise to get it all done. Posy stared at the yard in shock, "They didn't have to do all that! We could've just gone into the forest." "No! You're not going to be married in a forest!" Kattri shook his head, appalled at the very idea. "What's wrong with getting married in the forest?" Posy tilted her head. "See!" Wren nudged Kale beside her, agreeing with her gnome friend. "That's not how we do things here in Verdant Grove," Kattri explained. "Okay... we'll do it your way," Posy agreed, sighing, "This time."

Aware took Posy up to her room, opening the closet door as she commanded, "Wedding dress!" She pulled a frilly white dress from the closet, laying it out for her niece. The companions all cleaned up and got dressed in their best. A hundred gnomes showed up for the ceremony and celebration. A bespectacled elder gnome came dressed in the priest robes of Gond the Wondermaker... the gnomish God of Invention. A gaggle of young gnome girls followed behind Posy, holding her 50 foot train. The young gnome agreed not to wear her armor under her dress. A gnome boy hurried to the ceremony with a grand gnome pipe organ in a wagon, pulled by a team of boars. The ghostly form of Jerome escorted Posy on one side as Kattri escorted her from the other. Posy breathed a little easier having the familiarity of her uncle Jerome at her side.

The priest of Gond performed the ceremony with vows of not to steal each other's inventions or to take credit for them. Wren stared, a little stunned, as she watched the gnome ceremony unfold. "We will need to do a proper wedding for her at home," Erevin whispered to her. The young witch nodded her agreement, giggling. "Do you promise to love and to cherish him despite any cockamamie ideas that he comes up with?" the priest asked Posy. Trying hard not to laugh, the young barbarian nodded, "Of course." When Uther was asked the same question, he smiled and replied, "Always." Ursus handed a small box to his brother. Uther removed a bear carved bone ring with ruby eyes and slipped it onto Posy's finger. "You may now kiss the bride," the priest announced. Posy evoked her righteous might, growing in size to match Uther as the two of them kissed.

Rice and bacon bits were thrown over the couple as they walked back through the crowd. Kattri gestured to mages on the sides who cast fireworks in beautiful colors and shapes in the sky! "It's been a while since you all have had a wedding, huh?" Erevin asked him. "14 years," Kattri nodded, "We don't get a lot of passers by." The celebration continued on with a feast and dancing. Some of the gnomes engaged tall boots to dance with the elves and humans. Ursus gave Mali the eye several times.

Kale danced with Wren, pulling her close, "Are you feeling better? You seemed very out of it this morning..." She nodded, "It was a very strange dream... too much gnome ham. What about you? How is your back?" "It's better... I think the dancing is helping to work the kinks out," he nodded to her, "Perhaps it's just the small gnome beds." "We'll stay in our own fairy ring tonight," she laid her head on his shoulder as they danced. "Sleep?" he asked with a soft growl in his throat. She winked at him, "I said 'stay'... I don't recall mentioning sleep."

Erevin was sure to brace the Myth Taryn elves for the appearance of a drow, assuring them that Shri was not going to try and kill them. The beautiful drow priestess joined him for the ceremony and wedding celebration. While the elven women were nervous at first, all went well as they were never threatened.

 The companions discussed where to go next... There was still the start of the dungeon world.... it had hitched a ride back on magic items from the dungeon sphere ( sessions 27, 28, and 29 ) where Marigold and Falco had been rescued from. There were the 5 Myth Taryn elves to take somewhere. Wren had to go to Waterdeep to speak with Vivienne, the sister of earth, about finding the sister of water. Erevin was going to need to plane hop to deal with the battle against Grumish. Mali would also have to planar hop to help Mielikki with her forest. Thorn needed to go to Lyrabar to enter the Den of Sin, find the door to Mask's realm... pick locks and deliver the soulstone. Posy needed to go north to join the Clan and possibly plane hop to deal with yet another battle with the chaos demons of Ghandahaur.

They decided to go to Waterdeep first to see Eliath and Vivian as it was a perfect stepping stone toward home anyway. Posy and Uther were given several gifts for their wedding... blankets, baskets of ham, jars of honey, and fruits... and small gnomish gadgets.

Leaving the slow paced island of Lantan to arrive in the way overcrowded human city of Waterdeep was an instant culture shock. People were packed in, alleys were dirty, and there was a distinct smell of filth wafting in the air. Thorn kept his eyes sharp on the jostling crowds, keeping thieves at bay from his companions. They quickly made their way to the elven embassy where a walled off park of trees made the air cleaner as they were immediately taken in to see Eliath. Elven music wafted inside. "Thorn! You've returned!" Bambi was running down the hall with her oversized bosom heaving! She lifted him in a bear hug embrace, smooshing his face into her chest, "I missed you so much!" "I missed both of... I mean I missed you too," Thorn grinned, enjoying her pillowy embrace. "You have to tell me all about your adventures!" she exclaimed excitedly. "As soon as I have time to do so... I will tell you all about it," he agreed. The group filtered into a meeting room of tables loaded with a feast of roasted venison. Thorn beamed, "It's not ham! It's so gamy! I love it!"

"Erevin," Eliath arrived shortly after to greet everyone, "and Lady Dreamspinner... as lovely as ever." "It's always a pleasure to see you, Eliath," the young witch smiled and nodded her greeting. Erevin clasped his arm and embraced him, "Eliath... just who we want to see." "I see that you've brought me more elves," Eliath glanced at the 5 women from Myth Taryn, "They are so strangely dressed... wearing things that I've only seen in history books." Erevin sat down with him with some elven wine, telling him the full tale. "Myth Taryn... that's only been legend... You have solved one of the great mysteries of our people. It's so sad that so much was lost," Eliath turned to the 5 women, "I would like to speak to each of you if you have time... there's such a difference of what you can read in a book vs a live account of what things were like back in those days." "We would also like to learn more about the things happening now," Echo nodded to him, "Erevin has told us much about your knowledge and your connections to the various elven realms here... Many kingdoms have appeared since our time. Humans were very different in our day... and I'd never heard of a halfling until I met Thorn and Mali... I'd like to meet more of their brave and stalwart people." "Yes, he's so brave and stalwart!" Bambi hugged onto Thorn.

"So you were able to reach Evermeet then?" Eliath nodded to the companions, "I'd like to hear that story as well." The group filled him on the beauty of the island and the attack during the night of the demonfae-like masked people. Eliath frowned, "I would have no proof of this, of course... but I suspect that the Durothil family was involved... they've always been very against the elves return to the continent. They are most of all against involving themselves with the ... 'lesser races'." "So I represent everything that they hate," Erevin nodded. "I have thought her venom confined... but if she is consorting with the faerie... I will have to investigate this further," Eliath nodded. "If you find anything that we can act upon, don't hesitate to let us know," Erevin assured him.

"And you met my grandfather?!" Bambi squished Thorn again against her chest. "Yes... I did," Thorn nodded. "He's very nice, but kind of an old fuddy duddy," she giggled. "He thinks the world of you," Erevin nodded to her. "Yes, he loves you so much," Thorn agreed. "Aww! I bet you made a good impression on him... that'll come in handy in the future!" she beamed. Thorn's eyes went wide, "Why?" "Oh nothing," she hummed to herself. "No, no... Bambi... why?" he asked her again, more demanding with fear in his tone. She distracted him with another embrace into her pillowy bosom.

Eliath agreed to give the Myth Taryn elves rooms until they decided where to go much to the gratitude of Echo and her companions. Echo took a knee, taking Thorn's hand into hers, "I can not thank you enough, Thorn, for what you did for me. I know that I tried to kill you once before... but that bad man made me do those evil things... I'm not really a freak. We have seen more of each other than either of us deserves." "What does she mean, Thorny?" Bambi blinked her doe-like eyes down at gruff short man beside her. "Nothing... just business," the young halfling tried to reassure her. "Aww... Thorny..." Erevin chuckled with Kale. "Thorn saved my life," Echo nodded to the less intelligent young Olithir woman. "Aww you're such a hero!" Bambi squeezed him again. "Thorny..." Posy giggled, joining the group near them. "I don't know exactly where I will end up. I would like to see much of the world," Echo nodded to Thorn, "but if you need anything... I will help you however I can." Thorn patted her hand, "I think you've done more than enough fighting to last most of your life..." Erevin scripted off a letter of recommendation for Echo and her companions to each of the elven cities, and Azarius wrote them off letters of mark for Sarshel as well.

Wren nodded to the others, "I need to go see Vivienne Hawkwinter. Does anyone else want to go?" Erevin and Posy both quickly nodded. Thorn looked ready to escape the large bosom of the elven woman beside him, "Umm yes, I would like to go." "Shouldn't you take your beloved out on a date while you're here?" Eliath suggested, eyeballing the halfling. "Oh! That would be so nice!" Bambi nodded excitedly, "Some private time together." "Don't worry, Thorny... we go it," Erevin patted him on his shoulder. Thorn's glared at Eliath with daggers in his eyes as his shoulders sagged heavily. "You know that High Mage Olithir and I are old friends... he sent me a letter," Eliath continued on. "Really?" Thorn's voice was rather monotone as he tried to hold back his frustration... it was obvious that it was Eliath's letter that had led the high mage to put the strange magic items in his room in Evermeet, "Filled with nice things?" "Nothing but the nicest of things," Eliath nodded, "I sent him a return message that said if you should return that I would see to it that you treated his granddaughter with the utmost of respect and care... so I'm watching you. Don't try anything." "I would never do anything towards her," Thorn shook his head. Bambi put her arm around the young halfling, jostling him with her bouncy chest, "Hey! I'm a big girl and I can make my own decisions!"

Thorn patted Bambi's hand as the others were grouping up to go, "I really should go." Wren nodded to him, trying to help him out, "I need you to go." "Wren needs me," Thorn patted Bambi again, "I do apologize." "Okay... we could do the date later today then?" Bambi looked at him with big hopeful eyes. Posy nudged the elven woman off with a handful of gold, "Go pretty yourself up." "Why thank you," the bubble headed woman accepted the gold and began walking to the door. "I'll make some reservations at some very nice places," Eliath nodded, "Don't worry... it's on me." Azarius joined the group to visit the Hawkwinter estate as well. The last time they had been there was when the Hawkwinters through a party where Wren was able to meet Glacierwind and someone had attacked them with a dragon blood poison.

The butler welcomed the companions into the garden room where many plants and flowers from different regions were thriving together in a lush and vibrant array. Lady Vivienne was snipping away at some of the flowers, smiling up at them as she recognized most of the group from before. She greeted each by name and paused with a smile on the gnome barbarian, "Oh, Posy, you have a glow." "Yeah..." Posy blushed with a little pink on her cheeks as she extended her hand, "And a ring." "Oh, congratulations!" the Sister of Earth beamed at her. She wove a few flowers into the hair of each of the women, "What brings you all back to Waterdeep? The last rumor I heard was that you were traveling to Evermeet." "Two things bring us here specifically actually," Wren nodded to her, "The first is when we last seen Silvermane, he requested that if we were to see you to please send on his hello." "Oh, it has been too long since he and his wife have traveled here," Vivienne sighed softly as she nodded. "None regret it more than he," Erevin assured her. "The powerful do have many responsibilities," the lady Hawkwinter nodded, "It is a sad thing. I'm glad that my husband takes care of most of that for me... leaving me with plenty of time for my gardens." "You lead a fortunate life," Erevin smiled.

Wren nodded, "The second thing... I heard that on occasion the Sister of Water stops here to speak with you. Samira told me that she would let me know when she heard anything, but I thought I would stop by personally to speak with you to see if you have seen her." "It is odd that you mention Lisha... She was here about a week and a half ago. She said that she had business to the east, and she needed to use Silvermane's gate to go to Sanctuary where she would travel on to Lyrabar," Vivienne replied. "Excellent!" Wren beamed, "Hopefully I will be able to catch her in Lyrabar then." "She will be glad to see you... I don't think she has ever met you. She is a bit of a wanderer," Vivienne explained. Wren nodded, "Yes, I'm looking forward to meeting her."

The Lady Hawkwinter was an excellent hostess, bringing in a light snack and wine for everyone as they chatted and the group told her tales of their adventures. "I'm certain my husband would like to speak with you this evening when he returns home, Lord Chaat," Vivienne nodded to the charismatic sorcerer, "There is a road that goes to Westgate on the Sea of Fallen Stars... I'm certain he would like to arrange for passage from Westgate to Lyrabar and perhaps Lyrabar back to Westgate on some of your family vessels." "That is quite the long road to travel," Azarius nodded, "How do you keep your goods safe?" "We have caravan guards that we hire and safe passage in the cities we pass through," she answered, "It is not easy, but there are many things made only here in Waterdeep that travel all over the world." He nodded to her, imagining how many things he could teleport with him in an instant vs months of travel, and he nodded, agreeing to meet with them for dinner to discuss business further.

Tesper Hawkwinter, a fierce looking nobleman with a hooked nose, met with Azarius. They discussed rumors about who was under the magical masks of the 13 secret lords of the Waterdeep Council. "I heard rumors that your parents were lost at sea?" Tesper asked the Sarshel nobleman. "Yes," Azarius nodded, "Thankfully we were able to find them and return them home." The two of them chuckled over brandy, and chatted about noble things and business... trade routes from Waterdeep to Lyrabar and Sarshel... as well as some possible personal trading by Azarius through teleporting for goods that wouldn't survive the months long travel.

Bambi was wearing a slinky red silken dress with an embroidered serpent around her, "I can't wait! Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!" "Okay, okay," Thorn tried to calm her as she bounced excitedly. He took her to an enchanting restaurant on the cliffside where they could hear the waves crashing below. She provocatively ate a noodle dish and made bubbly conversation. Thorn took advantage of the array of available dishes on the menu since it was all on Eliath. Bambi linked her arm into Thorn's, "Maybe we can go for a nice walk under the moonlight?" "I'm so sorry..." Thorn feigned a bad case of food poisoning. "Oh! Should I get a cleric?!" the bubble headed elven beauty fretted. "No, no. I'll be alright... I'm so sorry. It really was such a fun time," Thorn assured her, "I'll be sure to thank Eliath for everything." "He's so nice! He even paid for a room at the inn," she agreed. "You should go on and enjoy it," Thorn nodded to her, "I'm sure there's plenty of amenities included in that." "Are you sure?" she looked at him sad and pleading. "Definitely, I don't want to ruin your evening. You go on and have fun," he nodded. She wrote down directions to get there, "In case you change your mind... I hope you feel better." "I hope to feel better by the morning," he nodded, parting ways with her as he continued to feign his illness until out of sight enough to become invisible and run.

Thorn was in an extra hurry to leave for Lyrabar in the morning as he caught Wren in the hallway, "I'll just eat breakfast in Lyrabar. I'll be invisible in my room until we're ready to leave. Knock four times when you're ready." "Okay... I like the bake shop there anyway," the young witch nodded her agreement, "I'll come and get you in a few minutes. I should at least say goodbye." The rest of the companions gathered to say farewell to the Myth Taryn elves and Eliath. "Please give my regards to Thorn... Apparently the restaurant I selected for him last night gave him some bad oysters and he became terribly ill," Eliath nodded to Erevin. The elven prince frowned, "I haven't seen him yet this morning... but I'll be sure to tell him." "When you see him again, make sure that you give him this," Eliath handed him a letter. He also gave him several gifts to send on to Anna, Erevin's sister.

The group gathered and teleported on to Lyrabar, taking a few trips to get everyone there. Leaving early in the morning from Waterdeep, it was nearly noon in Lyrabar. The sun was shining and the temperature was immediately warmer. Gulls called from the shoreline in the distance. Gondolas traveled through the canals of incredibly blue clear water with brightly colored fish. Thorn accepted the envelope from Erevin with suspicion, looking it over carefully for traps before opening it. Inside was a simple handwritten line, 'The Serpent never forgets.' "What did you do to that girl?" Erevin raised an eyebrow. "Nothing! We had a nice dinner and I left afterward," Thorn answered defensively.

The Den of Sin only appeared at night in Lyrabar according to Erevin, so everyone had some time. Erevin went off to see the construction on his home with Shri and Mali. There was a mix of elven and dwarven construction crews. One of the dwarves from Clan Eisenhammer met him with a clasp of his arm, "Erevin! Things go well. We have stone from our own halls laid into the foundation." "I am indebted to you," Erevin thanked him, returning the clasp. "No, no. King Mogrim sent it along as a gift because you have done so much for our halls," the dwarf assured him, "We have some wood from your elven woods to bring some taste of home... though it's much cheaper to work with local wood for the main construction." Erevin nodded, and the three of them followed the dwarf on the tour. "Eventually there will be a stairway here to go down to the water," the dwarf showed him the cliffside that led down to the bay. He went on to introduce him to several of the crew who were eager to meet him from all of the stories they'd heard. Erevin discussed with the halfling druid about moving the earth to open a cavern where they could keep the submarine from Crucible below his home. They all had lunch together.

Wren and Kale headed to the Sokolov bakery. A tinkling chime sounded as they opened the door, and the smell of baking breads and sweets wafted out. Sergei was filling the front case with fresh baked delights, his apron splashed with flour. He smiled, recognizing the couple from previous visits, "Lady Dreamspinner, isn't it?" Wren nodded, "It is good to see you again, Mr. Sokolov." "I would say that I'm surprised to see you, but my wife said that she was expecting you sooner rather than later," he smiled. "Indeed," Wren nodded, "Has Lisha arrived yet?" He nodded, "She and Samira are currently in the baby's room if you'd like to go up and visit." He handed her a small tray of pastries to take with her. She thanked him and pointed to the cases, "I'll be placing my normal to-go order." She grinned and headed up the stairs with Kale. She could feel eyes watching her though no one seemed to be around. "Ladies? There's no need to hide. You've already seen me before," Wren paused her steps, looking again for any sign of the three fairies she had met before, "I'm going up to see the baby now..." "Oh!" a squeak came from the corner as Ruby flew up toward the young witch, "I want to see the baby! Let's go." She settled onto Wren's head, "The other two are on perimeter duty. That cat could come back at any moment. It's evil! I know it!"

Wren laughed softly, continuing up the stairs. The trio went into the baby's room where the pink haired sorceress, Samira, was ooohing and ahhhing with a sea elven woman over the elaborately magical armored crib. "Wren, it's good to see you!" Samira embraced the young witch, "You're here much sooner than I expected! Last I heard you were on your way to Evermeet." "Oh, yes," Wren returned her hug, "We've been there, Lantan, Myth Taryn, back to Lantan, back to Waterdeep... and now we're back in Lyrabar." "Oh my! Your Azarius really must have grown in power... I assume you teleported?" Samira asked. "Yes, we work him very hard," Wren nodded, "How have you been? How is the baby? and this must be Lisha?" The sea-elven woman extended her hand in greeting, "Yes. You must be the one who seeks the blessing of the water." "Indeed. I'm so very grateful that you came all this way," Wren nodded to her. "I was guided by a vision, and I wanted to meet the little Queen of Rivers here," she cooed at the baby, "I don't normally like cities very much." "I don't blame you," Wren shook her head. "Then you're here to take the water's test?" Lisha asked. Test? Wren blinked. No one had said anything about a test... "I suppose I am," Wren nodded, smiling with outward confidence, "I don't suppose there's prep for this test?" "You may want to gather your companions," Lisha nodded. "Oh! They get to go too? Excellent! I will gather my companions," she nodded, almost a little relieved she wouldn't be alone. "Excellent! Then we will gather what we need to open Istishia's realm," Lisha nodded.

"Istishia?" Wren asked. "The elemental goddess of water," the young sea elf nodded. "I don't believe I've heard her name before," Wren pondered. "She took over after Mystryl's daughter passed. She. Kossuth, Grumbar, and Akadi... the new order of elemental lords and ladies," Lisha explained further, "I do not know who the spirit is who gives you your power... though I believe you will meet her in Istishia's realm... if it is not Istishia herself." "Alright," Wren nodded, "I will look forward to that." "We will open the gate in the ocean," Lisha nodded, "Be certain that any companions that go with you are able to survive under the water... for where you are to be going there is no air." Wren nodded, "I'll be sure to keep that in mind. Do you know how long we will be under?" "That is your spirit guardian's question to answer... not mine," Lisha shook her head. Wren nodded, "Very well... Tomorrow then? Or perhaps the next day?" "It will only take a few hours to open the gate... tomorrow will be fine," Lisha nodded.

(*note- Erevin and Posy each have a pearl helm, Thorn has slippers of the triton, Azarius and Wren can breathe under water, and Mali can shapeshift) Posy, Uther, and Ursus had a great time at the Inn of the Unexpected Monkey. The three of them drinking well through the afternoon. Fritz, the monkey, leapt and swung through chandeliers to set mugs of ale on their table without spilling a drop. Posy gave him slices of bananas, limes, and oranges. He happily ate up them up, spitting the seeds into copper pot with the occasional loud, DING! The halfling proprietor was happy to see them all again. His daughter gushed over Posy's ring, listening to the tale. "You have customers!" Hoppy Keenwhistle called up to his daughter. "Shut it!" she shouted back, far too enthralled in Posy's tale to work.

Thorn arrived the House of Wonders where the massive silent golem still loomed protectively close. Shandra was dressed in her witch's hat inside, spectral dragons weaving through the shop, "Thorn! So good to see you again! You look wealth... well." "I am wealth... well," the young halfling grinned, "Thank you for noticing." "Please come in. How can I help you today?" she smiled, "Are you here to see Boots and Salem?" "Actually that's exactly why I'm here," he nodded, "Well... and to see you too, of course." She laughed softly, "They've been curious about your travels. Come on back." She led him to a back room. "I've been curious about their studies," he agreed, following her.

Shandra led him through a storage room of strange runed crates, "Don't touch that... or that... or... don't touch anything." Eventually they made their way to a small class room with 3 desks and bookshelves. Boots and Salem were in arcane student robes, long and black. Argent, the silver-haired large bosomed woman, was at the front of the room dressed in very scandalous black robes. "Mr. Thorn," the silver-haired sorceress lowered a pair of spectacles down on her nose to look at the approaching halfling. "I do apologize. I didn't mean to interrupt," he greeted her with a nod. "That's quite alright. Your two students here are like sponges and they just soak it up," Argent replied. "Very good to hear it," he nodded his approval. Both Salem and Boots were barely keeping their squirming to a minimum and Argent finally nodded to them, "Alright you can go and hug him now." The girls sprang up, cheering, and charged the halfling to quickly entangle him in their embraces, "Yay!!" The two had grown, Salem was filling out more and more into a beautiful woman. Boots pulled while Salem pushed Thorn over to a large map with several pins and strings in it, labeled Thorn Sightings! Salem pointed to the big gold pin in the aisle of Evermeet, "We heard you were going to Evermeet, but we haven't heard anything after that!" "Tell us stories!" Boots echoed excitedly, "Where have you been since then?" "Ah yes, Evermeet was such a delight," Thorn groaned inwardly recalling the lack of privacy from magic items and the attack on Erevin during the night. "We've heard all about the land of the elves," Boots nodded, "It's full of rainbow bridges, unicorns, and butterflies!" "Flowers!" Salem added, "And beautiful elves dancing!" "Where exactly did you get all of this information?" Thorn raised an eyebrow. "That's what the elves tell us," Boots answered, nodding. "Oh, of course... then it's all completely... true," Thorn nodded to them. "Talk about the butterflies and unicorns! We want to hear!" Salem tugged on him gently. "Yes," Argent smiled, leaning against the wall, "Tell them about the butterflies and unicorns." Thorn told them a very embellished tale of the isle, subtly telling them that not everything was all nice, but leaving out the details. "Where did you go next?" Salem asked. "Lantan," he answered. Salem put a pin in the map on the island of gnomes, wrapping a string from Evermeet to the new pin. "Where are you getting all of this information from? Who is your source?" Thorn stepped back to examine the accuracy of the map, "Hey! I've never been to Sembia!" He noted a few obscure sightings, but a lot of them were correct. Looking closer he noticed the name Seri next to Lyrabar and 'elf girl' with question marks in Waterdeep. "Okay... a better question for you, ladies... Why are you tracking where I'm going?" he asked, "Me of all people?" "Because we want to know where our Uncle Thorn is! You're out having great adventures!" Salem answered. "And we want to go adventuring like you someday!" Boots continued. "But I'm not the only one having adventures," Thorn shook his head. "But you are our only uncle," the two girls responded at once. Thorn sighed, he couldn't argue that... "So how are Erevin and Azarius doing?" Salem asked, the two girls were giggling. "Oh they're doing very well," Thorn answered, giving them a wink, "They've been wondering how you two were doing." Salem gasped and Boots asked in awe, "They know about us?" "I've told them all about you," Thorn nodded, managing to keep a straight face, "They're very glad that you are doing well with your studies... You are doing well, aren't you?" Argent nodded, "They are." "Do you want to see?" Boots asked excitedly. "Sure," Thorn nodded. "Shocking grasp!" Boots threw her hands on Thorn making the hair on his feet stand on end! "Ahhhh! Don't you have practice dummies for that?!" he jumped back quickly. "Well yes... but it's so much different on live targets," Salem nodded, "That's nothing... I'm a little older, so I know some better magic." She wove a spell over herself, and leapt onto the wall spider climbing up to the ceiling. "Nice," he nodded his approval. The little group told tales back and forth, enjoying each other's company for a couple of hours. Argent took him aside, "They are generally pretty diligent, but they do have somewhat of an obsession of keeping track of where you are." "I see," he nodded, "It's a little disturbing... but it's okay." "Their parents take good care of them, but they were orphans... so they're a little touchy about people who are important in their lives," she explained further. "Thanks," he smiled a little bashfully, a hint of pink on his cheeks, "Speaking of people important in their lives... What about Knives?" "He makes sure they get home safely everyday," she assured him, "He's a little quiet, but I know that he loves his sisters." Thorn nodded, "He better be doing a good job." "They certainly haven't had any trouble since you were here last," Argent pondered for a moment, "And I've hardly ever had to punish them." She put one leg up on her desk, emphasizing the word punish. Thorn shook his head in great attempt to keep his thoughts pure.

Boots and Salem brought a piece of paper to Thorn with hearts and sparkles all over it, "Would you give this to Erevin or Azarius?" "Or?" Thorn raised an eyebrow, "How about a letter to each of them?" "Okay," the two agreed. Thorn smiled, "I'll be sure to deliver it... but I have to go for now." "Okay, but come back to see us before you go if you can," Salem nodded. "I will certainly try to," Thorn agreed. He made sure their studies were still well funded, "Do you girls need any books or anything?" Argent assured him that he had already paid for what they needed. Salem twirled a strand of hair around her finger, "I could use some perfume... and some makeup." Thorn laughed, "I'm going to get a list, aren't I?" He took a few notes.

The group gathered at the elven embassy, reuniting over dinner and discussing the preliminary entry to the Den of Sin and delving into the elemental plane of water.