Session 45.5: Main Game Optional Roleplaying Session Recap “Kalrithni, The Figure, and Cassius Learns a Trick” There was a lot of conversations between the party as they progressed. Rurrick, now able to take flying forms, scouted ahead in flying form most days. During that time, Ron had several conversations with the rest of the party as they hiked up treacherous mountainsides, with 2-3 hundred foot drops on a side, while he was casually lounging about on his broom. Sometimes this overweight bearded and pot-bellied man would be lounging on his back on the thing broom while reading a book and studying his spellbook and casually talking to the rest of the party grueling walking up the mountainsides [to avoid Deriel Dree and all its inhabitants]. Ron talk to Kalrithni Kalrithni showed her age more often than not. Talking with Cassius and informing him of his lineage. When Ron was unable to understand their relationship she hastily grabbed quill and paper from him and showed him a family tree to which he was quite interested. Ron floated past Kalrithni, asking about Titus. She said, “He’s a gifted planeswalker. He seemed like a strange man, but good at first. He isn’t. He isn’t evil the way Cassius’s blood mother and our shared mother are evil, but he isn’t good. When he found out about Cassius and his brother Malthus, their mother said she was going to raise them in the City of Brass in the plane of fire as though that was a loving gesture as opposed to the 9 hells. Titus kidnapped them, and brought them to me. I stowed them with my half-sister Theresa. Shortly after, I have a strong reason to believe that Titus engineered this, I was taken by slavers. I think this was his design. Not evil enough to kill me, but evil enough to condemn the woman who took in his children in order to eliminate another link between his children and their mother. Suffice to say, if I meet the man again I’ll have some choice words to say to him.” Ron, knowing the Titus stole a brass dragon egg from Indra and was hunted for it, said, “Well just try to bring him in alive and deliver him to justice.” Looking far away Kalrithini said, “We’ll have to see what happens.” While fondling her sword hilt. When Ron realized it was Titus and not him causing her anger, he was a little relieved. Cassius Talks to Kalrithni When Cassius asked Kalrithni about his mother, her sister. At first she growled, clenching her jaw with flames sparking up from her eyes and hands. Then her mood softened. She said, “I’ve been told it’s not right to speak ill of a child’s parents. At least, back in Indra I was told that.” Cassius encouraged her to continue. Kalrithni did, saying “She’s a pit fiend. There isn’t much more to say. She’s evil, outright evil. Selfish, greedy, cunning, arrogant, hateful, vindictive, vengeful, and a sadist of the worst kind. Your mother is a beast. Any traits she has of humanity are far outweighed by the rest of her. Ailekk Talks to Kalrithni Ailekk, still curious of ethics and ground-walker existence asked her about being a slaver who lets slaves go. She asked, “Let’s say you were a slave, then got your freedom. What would you do?” Ailekk said, “Kill them all.” Kalrithni said, “Well then you would be dead. Or if I had done as much, I would likely be dead.” She explained the math the best she could of being an infiltrator rather than openly fighting, while feeding him with a magically cooled pouch containing some kind of worm. After admitting that she really didn’t focus much on the good or evil of it, she just did what she thought was right, he asked her about an Aarakocra who had escaped slavery and killed his slavers. She responded, “You mean Kaaska?” He nodded. She said, “Are you his brother, cousin, or sister, perhaps?” Ailekk said, “He’s my brother.” She told him that Kaaska had done such. She didn’t know him but had heard tales. At first they sent slavers after him. Then they sent bounty hunters. Then they sent assassins. At some point, people stopped taking the contracts. She stopped and looked at him, “Perhaps I was wrong. If you are truly Kaaska’s brother, perhaps if you went back to kill those who enslaved you perhaps they would be dead and you would still live.” Aillekk’s chest bulged a little bit with this statement, his feathers bristling in pride. The two shared some more worms together. [I’m pretty sure Ailekk likes Kalrithni now.] Kalrithni did advise Ailekk that while he and Kaaska both had active bounties in Dree, it would probably be unwise to advertise that they were brothers. That knowledge could provide useful to Ailekk potentially, but would ultimately be a bad decision (she had to think on that). Ailekk Talks to The Figure Ailekk tried talking to the figure who responded to “Those who are good to me and mine earn a measure of...return on their actions. To whom is this return due?” with “If I turn out to be good to you and deserve that measure of return, then I’ll let you know.” Cassius Learns a Trick Cassius gets approached by Kalrithni who asks him how he’s survived so long, asking about his exploits. He responded vaguely. Kalrithni tells them “I’m old and tired. Not near as good as I once was. But I was once very good.” She told him to remove his gauntlet and he did. She clasped his hand and lit hers in flame [he took 2 points of fire damage]. He winced, and she said, “Hold it there. Hold your hand. Now focus on the flame. It is a part of you.” She removed her hand and the flamed stayed and started to die out. Cassius focused on it, making a DC 10 Charisma check to keep the flame burning, but just barely. She smiled, patted him on the shoulder and told him to keep practicing. Cassius and The Figure Later Ron and Ailekk noticing Cassius behind the group trying to summon flames with his bare hand. Sometimes he would succeed, other times he would fail. Then, at one point, the saw the figure running up to the camp, then slow to a jog and keep moving while he was attempting to follow but then stopped. Ron realized this was not demonic or acquired, but just magic that Cassius had summoned up from himself somewhere inside. Ailekk went to him and began darting his head at weird angles, asking questions. Cassius said “There’s nothing to worry about.” Ron also came along and began to mimic Ailekk, while on his broom. The whole thing was weird. Cassius tried to stow a letter in his hand but did a terrible job and both Ailekk and Ron noticed it. Later the Figure and Cassius met on a cliff top while the party made camp. They talked, held hands, and leaned against each other looking at a glorious moon over Bonehammer. Land of plains, wild folk, orcs, and other crazy creatures. But in that moment they were together again at last, moon rising over the valleys and plains of Bonehammer.