The party awoke Wodag morning after a mostly uneventful night, to discover that Levani had undergone significant changes as a result of Anansus, the Trickster God using his divine influence to return her soul to her physical body. No longer ruddy tan of skin, gold of eye and serious of expression, Levani was now the color of ash and dying embers, her eyes a cold and distant blue. And she seemed amused by even the most gruesome of circumstance. Perhaps most interesting of all, her magical control of flame, indeed the very essence of her connection to fire had been transformed, her spells now all inflicting psychic damage on her opponents.

Levani related to her companions her experience with Anansus after beseeching him for aid in closing the portal to Dis the previous day. A deal was struck: Anansus would return her to her body, and would hide her flame from Rashtek, the lich of the Trajte ur Flaschz. But he would no longer be able to influence events as he had done; the party was on their own. The meaning of this was not clear, but suggested darker days to come. When she asked how to find the pieces of Bahamut’s body, Anansus told her to “seek madness.”

As Levani told the tale, the party noticed that the early morning dawn had vanished and it was once more as dark as night.

Keen, Levani and Ara bickered about the Dragonhead, as the mysterious coin still exerted a strange force on all who handled it. Magnus, frustrated, stomped off into the woods to investigate a cry for help Keen had heard while on watch during the night but for which he had failed to wake them.

Magnus soon discovered Adeptus Banu, lately of the El Astrum Public Library and who had assisted them in entering Dis to retrieve Levani’s physical form, and to whom they were attempting to return when passing through the planeshift portal out of the Nine Hells. Banu had taken up residence in the cave hideout of a gang of bandits who had harried him on the road out of Whitebridge. Banu was conducting experiments on the bandits with the sliver of residium he extracted from a hobgoblin some days earlier, and seemed obsessed. He instructed Magnus to find all the residium he could and deliver it to his home in Long Drop where he could research it more exhaustively.

Magnus, still under the geas of the Public Library and thus beholden to directions given him by an Adeptus Practicus such as Banu, immediately left the cave and began walking towards the Stone Forest, where he believed a deposit of residium could be found dozens of miles away.

The party went with Magnus, who soon mastered himself and while still unable to resist the geas could move and act freely so long as he continued to work to accomplish his task. As the party discussed how to get to the Stone Forest, they were set upon by a Displacer Beast. The party made short work of it and Levani, Ara and Magnus attempted to harvest useful material from the carcass.

Ara had several positive interactions with Aleh Xa Akiir, the ancestor spirit inhabiting his walking stick.

Yuna was once again overcome by exhaustion following the battle, and seeing the concern from her companions finally related to them the details of her spell sickness and the warning given her by Masym, Holy Mother of the Whitebridge Temple of Syf, that she would suffer body and mind unless she could find a guide to help her master her twinned mortal and divine natures. The party agreed to help Yuna seek out this guide however they could.

Yuna also read the letter given to her from her mother before she left home, which claimed to be from her father, Drahni. The letter detailed a war amongst the gods, and a warning that the war would spill over to the Material Plane. It entreated Yuna to safeguard the peoples of Telisar, and be their protector.

Levani recalled a childhood tale about Dranus, a minor trickster figure from Tiefling folklore, and found the similarity of names suspicious given her recent encounters with Anansus.

Taking Banu’s horses, the party set out for the Stone Forest, on a path that would lead them once again back through the town of Whitebridge on their way north. After a half-day’s riding they stopped at the Fool’s Errand. Inside they found a grandmotherly innkeeper serving a tavern full of local farmers and peasants a midday meal. The innkeeper ushered them into the busy dining room where the party quickly noticed the patrons were all wearing the same forced rictus smile and held fear in their wide eyes.

Displacer Beasts Displaced: 1

Twisted Sisters Misplaced: 1

Punishments Dealt: 2

Absent Father Missive Rating: Heartfelt

RP Rating: Awesome!