🍃 Attacked by the Marsh

As the party gets the news of the missing procession, they continue to attempt to loosen their cart from the mutated fungi and vines that have seized it. Eventually, they take to try burning the flora off, but anger the vines and spores which they realize too late are sentient, and are thrown into combat with the surrounding vines and trees which attempt to stab and restrain them.

🕷️ The Cart Rises

Amidst the chaos, the party realize that the purple, mutating water has also affected the very cart that they had rode here, as it mutates itself, coming to life and becoming agitated by the party.

🪵 Enter Little Licklittle

As the party fend off the marsh, a small, quick-footed elf child named Little Licklittle suddenly bounces into the fray along a wooden log that he appears to be able to submerge, and resummon from the mud of the marsh.

Little quickly helps fend off the attacking flora, and attempts to settle down the now-sentient cart which appears to just be startled and scared. Xolo throws together some food for the cart, feeding and befriending it before naming it Cartinho.

🛖 The Marsh Way

Little introduces himself to the party, and explains that he comes from the Licklittle clan, an expansive marsh-elf community that has set up in a town called Little Thorn along the Marsh Way. He warns of other enemy factions within the Marsh Way - the Clungwaters and the Albarettas.

As the discuss, the party realize that they route they took into the marsh has become completely strewn with these mutated vines and trees, and decide that cutting through the Marsh Way would be an easier solution.

Following the lead of Little Licklittle, they hop into their new, sentient, spider-fungus cart hybrid and ride off through the waters towards Little Thorn.

🛶 Arriving at Little Thorn

The deeper the party venture into the Marsh Way, the more the sky becomes covered by a thick canopy of trees and leaves, and the less the surrounding flora appears mutated by the purple rift rain. Guided by hanging jars of fireflies, the party continue towards Little Thorn.

🪿 Long-neck Geese

As they move, Xolo attempts to fish with his head and gets entangled by a long-neck goose. The goose begins to drag Xolo beneath the water, and B too once she leaps in to help. Xolo eventually manages to kill and capture his goose, while B is saved by Nicholas Licklittle, a cousin of Little Licklittle.

Nicholas shares a breathing device with B, a stick that allows them to breath and speak beneath the water. While down there, he shows off the bottom of the Marsh Way to B, his isolated spot far beneath Little Thorn.

🛖 Little Thorn

The party eventually dock into Little Thorn, a makeshift town of huts and hovels that float and are connected over the Marsh Way, lit by fireflies and built about a great, hollowed out tree at the centre.

Upon arrival, the pale, sickly, rural marsh elves appear weary of the party, and keep their distance. They are confronted by Melma Licklittle, Little's sister, who confronts them with her stick-wand and questions if they and their freaky cart have anything to do with the influx of glimmer water that's been surrounding the marsh. She instructs the party to discuss with Mama Licklittle about their stay, and leads them to Licklittle Hall for the meeting.

🌲Licklittle Hall

At the hall, the party are confronted by the rest of the Licklittle clan - 'Mama' Mariah Dandelion Licklittle, Dorian Door Licklittle, and John Roos Licklittle.

Mama Licklittle appears to be their leader, and is somewhat hostile towards the party, explaining that they are at war with the Clungwater and Albaretta factions of the Marsh Way. It is also here that the party learn that the Licklittles each have their own mystical stick that empowers them, and that the clan's belief system revolves around finding one's stick.

Mama explains that her child, Blunt Licklittle, had been taken and killed by either the Clungwaters or the Albarettas, hence why they are apprehensive about outsiders in their town. Despite this, Mama is reassured by the party, and allows their temporary stay once they don't cause trouble, and potentially help her children as they ward off the enemy clans at night-time.

🌒 Night at the Marsh

After the meeting, Melma links up with the party to usher them away from town. She explains how everyone is on edge due to Mama's hysterics over Blunt, and suggests they spend the night somewhere near, but not in Little Thorn.

Following her advice, the party drift out into the Marsh Way in hopes of finding some grotto to camp up in for the night.

They find a cosy mound and settle down for the night, until Lyra hears a call out for help across the marsh while keeping watch. She wakes Xolo, who can swim and navigate the marsh with ease, and sends him to investigate.

🪡 The Grafters

As Xolo slinks through the dimly lit marsh, he spots a raft, gliding along through the trees, led by burning firelight. Odd, cloaked figures stand atop it, with strange, patchwork skin and limbs. Xolo overhears them discussing their plans, and how they need to keep searching for something, for their leader Richtor. They mention that directly entering Little Thorn is too risky, and so they must remain on its outskirts.

Xolo gathers the rest of the party then, and they set off towards the strange men, remaining hidden in the darkness of the night. They find where the men were headed, and discover a young Licklittle kid trapped in a cage, being seized by the men.

Combat Start | Grafter Scouts

The party jump to action in an attempt to save the boy from the strange men. Before they have a chance to board the mound, Xolo surprises them from beneath their raft, biting at their legs and submerging them into the water. Meanwhile, Lyra launches B skyward towards the cage to rescue the kid while herself and Ember defend Xolo from their own raft.

The fight gradually slips away from them, as the men appear to have abilities from an array of races that they have stitched and grafted onto themselves. One uses drow-elf shadow stepping to get the jump on Lyra, sinking vampiric fangs into her. Meanwhile, one beneath the water fights Xolo with ease using their triton gills and fins, and another takes to the sky with feral tiefling wings.

After taking enough hits from the party, the men give up on the child, and instead try escape with what members of the party they can - knocking Xolo unconscious, taking Lorna off guard, and fleeing deeper into the marsh both underwater, and in the air between the trees.

🍃 The Marsh Way Chase

The session picks up as the party quickly kick into a chase after the grafted men who took both Xolo and Lorna. The party glide across the waters of the Marsh Way with Cartinho, following the grafters deeper into their territory, finding themselves surrounded by oil lanterns instead of the usual firefly jars.

They manage to rescue Xolo from the swimming grafter, however lose Lorna to the winged one. They gather their wits and head back, intending to interrogate one of the grafters who they managed to subdue with their own tranquilizer needle in the previous fight.

🐦‍⬛ Enter Myron

After picking up the unconscious grafter, and the rescued Licklittle child, the party head back to the mound where they had left Davos and the tortoises. However, Davos is gone, presumed to have sent for help after they never returned.

Before they settle in for the night, a rustling in the trees stirs up as suddenly a black-feathered aarakocra dashes down to greet them. The blunt, stoic bird announces himself as Myron Albaretta, and reveals that he was sent for them by Melma - his lover. The party realize that Melma has been hiding this relationship from her family, and leave the Licklittle child to Myron to fly back to Melma.

🗡️ Grafter Interrogation

As the rest of the party head to sleep for the night, Lyra and Xolo take it upon themselves to wait for the grafter to awaken, and interrogate him for information. After enough time, the grafter awakens, breaking out of his binds and attempting escape. Lyra swiftly apprehends him, tying him up once more and siphoning what information she can out of him.

They learn that the grafters are a faction operating out of a corner of the Marsh Way known as Grafter's Hollow. There are about 120 of them, and they serve an ex-Flammenvielen researcher named Richtor. The group appear to be kidnapping those with inherent magic abilities or racial traits - grafting their appendages onto their own in order to take and use their powers.

The party realize that this was the group who set up the blockade for the procession, and presumably kidnapped those part of the exodus in order to harvest them.

The grafter reveals that Richtor started all this after getting his hands on a Grafting Sickle - an arcane tool invented by the College of Evos, who the party now believe to be behind the racial splicing experiments.

🌲Return to Licklittle Hall

As morning arrives, the party return to Little Thorn in order to convene with Melma, and tell Mama Licklittle of the Grafters. To the party's shock, Mama gets in an argument with Melma over this, berating her, and remaining steadfast that the kidnappings are being carried out by the Clungwaters and the Albarettas.

Even upon being presented with a grafter by the party, she uses her stick which commands the marsh to bind him with vines and drag him deep beneath the water, ignoring the party's pleas.

🌿 Meeting at Melma's

The party gather with Melma after their failed meeting, and realize that there is no getting through to Mama. Melma explains that herself and Myron had scoped out Grafter's Hollow, and that if they meet at Melma's place later, they can discuss a plan going forward. It's clear that while Melma was suspicious of the party at first, she now finds herself trusting them, and potentially needing them, to deal with this grafter problem.

🌿Meeting at Melma's

The session begins with the party gathering at Melma's place, a cutely decorated cosy shack in the middle of Little Thorn. The party reunite with Davos here, who lets them know he has spoken to both Melma and Myron.

While waiting for the pair, Ember experiments more with the sigil on her hand, and discovers that it allows her to rewind flame, suddenly finding herself able to snuff out the candles lit around Melma's place.

During the wait, B works on some explosives with 'splody sap she bought from one of the townsfolk. The bomb goes wrong, is tossed and detonated in the water outside, and Xolo cooks one of the long-neck geese that died from the blast.

After some time, Melma and Myron return home, and discuss the situation with the party who ultimately decide to go and investigate Grafter's Hollow for themselves.

🪡 Grafter's Hollow Expedition

The party head out towards Grafter's Hollow, taking some wooden rafts with them that they can use as to not lead Cartinho into harms way.

The party head back out to Grafter's territory, sneaking by patrolling rafts between hanging oil lanterns. Eventually, they reach Grafter's Hollow, a rugged, eery outpost built about a giant hollowed tree. Xolo uses Polita to scout the place out, and discovers their settlement built far behind the tree, a body disposal site near where the land meets the water, and a mound that the Grafter's appear to be shipping captives into.

The party sneakily bring their carts through the body disposal riverway, and sneak onto the island. They split up, with Xolo turning invisible and heading for the tree, B burrowing beneath the ground, and Lyra and Ember delving into a trench that leads around the back of the central tree.

🕷️ Richtor and the Grafting Site

While the others explore the island, Xolo finds himself in the central tree. The place appears to be a cultist ritual site of sorts, with a sacrificial alter in the centre surrounded by piles of strange, teal-coloured ash. This is where the party assumes the grafting process takes place.

While scoping it out, Richtor, the leader of the Grafter's, enters. He is a hulking amalgamation of parts - devil arm, tiefling wings, beholder tendrils for hair, spider mandibles etc. He doesn't notice Xolo who is still invisible, and eventually leaves.

🔗The Mound

Meanwhile, after scoping out one of the rooms beneath the tree, B returns to the rest and they devise investigating the mound. Lyra turns B invisible, and she enters through a hatch out behind the mound.

The mound appears to be where the Grafter's are storing their victims - with some being killed outside and led to body disposal, while the rest are escorting inside, presumably where they shall wait before being taken for grafting.

While exploring the chambers, Polita discovers a room where prisoners are being stored, and finds that Douglas and the rest of the party they had talked to in the procession are being held captive here, confirming their suspicion that the Grafter's were responsible for their disappearance.

🔭 Sol

B and Polita explore the rest of the underground chambers beneath the mound, and eventually happen upon a small office of sorts with a human researcher of sorts working away inside - Sol.

Upon entering, Xolo, through Polita, spies that Sol is examining an unconscious Lorna who is laid out across a table. Not before long, Richtor enters, and scolds Sol to work faster, revealing that whatever research Sol is doing, it will allow him to become a 'vessel'.

Sol argues with Richtor, self-proclaiming his morals and revealing that he is being kept their by Richtor forcibly to carry out this research. Richtor threatens to start killing captive children each night that Sol doesn't make an advancement, and leaves.

🚬 Outside the Mound

After extracting what intel they could from observing Sol and the Grafters, the party attempt their escape. B burrows back out to Ember and Lyra who await in the trench, while Xolo awaits Polita's return, hidden beneath a parked cart.

Before they can slink away, the three in the trench suddenly hear Grafter's approaching, and conceal themselves with a silent image before realizing it's two Grafters who have come down into the trenches to slack off and smoke. Lyra attempts to slink off first, but trips, stumbling into them, and startling them to combat.

Combat Start | Escaping the Hollow

The two Grafter's quickly shout and begin alerting others guards that there are interlopers. The party attempt to flee, clashing with the two Grafters in their way as others begin to rush to the mound.

Xolo eventually catches up, but not before Grafters begin to surround the trench, tossing snares and sleeping mist to try and subdue the party.

🕷️ Enter Richtor

The party make a good effort fighting through the first wave of Grafters that attempt to subdue them, but are quickly met with more resistance as Richtor returns, flying from above and landing to discover what is causing the commotion.

He attempts to cut through the party using the grafting sickle, which makes quick work of Lyra's seemingly impenetrable armour, and blasting them with beholder rays. His power is immense, but the party and quick and nimble - Ember somehow managing to slip out of his grasp as he desperately slashes at her with the sickle, revealing how he is particularly interested in her because of her mark similar to Lyra's.

🐦‍⬛ Myron's Sacrifice

Eventually, Myron flies in to provide support, fighting off some of the Grafters from the air, displaying his unique fighting style that allows him to elongate and harden his limbs into tree bark as he throws flying kicks and sweeps. It is barely enough however, and Richtor manages to clip his wings, capturing him as the party barely escapes.

The party shake off the few Grafters who pursue them, and link back up with Davos and Cartinho who escort them back to Little Thorn safely. They are distraught at how overwhelming the Grafters are, and decide that if they have any hope to get Lorna, and now Myron back, they are going to have to bargain with the Clungwaters and the Albarettas, and negotiate some sort of peace between the marsh factions.

🌿Regroup at Melma's

After the Grafter's Hollow infiltration, the party heads back to Melma's to explain about Myron, and everything else they discovered. Melma is of course distraught, as is the party, and they decide to get high with Melma off some of her herbal marsh moss once they've finished discussions.

While they're all smoking, Mama Licklittle suddenly arrives to scold Melma. The others manage to hide before she enters, and watch on from the corners of the room as Mama gives Melma abuse and slaps her. Davos intervenes, and checks on how Melma is after Mama leaves

🤝 Recruiting the Marsh Factions

The party spend the rest of the night and following morning preparing for their respective expeditions. They decide to split up, sending Lyra, Ember, and Melma to seek out the Albarettas in the Narrow Valley, while B, Xolo and Nicholas, who Melma advised them to seek out for help, journey to the Clungwaters above the waterfall that streams into Little Thorn.

🐦 The Albarettas

Upon reaching the Narrow Valley, the team realize that the path is littered with ditches, collapsed trees and thorns - unable to be traversed on foot or raft. Instead, they must scale the trees, heading into the perilously tall valley in search of the Albarettas.

They struggle at first, with Lyra and Ember falling over one another into the debris before eventually getting footholds up the trunks. After sometime, they find themselves in Albaretta territory, and realize they are being spied on by Albarettas who have taken on their tree forms.

Eventually, they are swarmed by Albarettas who knock them into a web trap, weaved by one of their apparent leaders. Lyra speaks out, and exclaims how they come in peace in order to help Myron, and they decide to escort them to the High Tops - the part of the Narrow Valley where they have set up flying zones, nests, and walkable paths and platforms high above the marsh.

🐦‍⬛ Meeting with Caross and Nila

The team are granted audience with the leaders of the Albarettas - the web-weaving bird from before, Nila, and an incredibly tall and imposing heron looking bird who leads them - Caross.

It is during this audience that they come to the realization that the Albarettas aren't even aware there is a feud between themselves and the Licklittles.

Despite this, Caross is hesitant to help, explaining that they are a clan of stoic warriors, and that Myron must prove himself without help. Lyra however convinces the clan that sending their soldiers to war with the Grafters would be an opportunity to reveal who of them are worthy warriors. Nila and Caross agree, however on the stipulation that they don't directly help Myron once he is freed.

🐸 The Clungwaters

Meanwhile, Xolo, B, and Nicholas venture up the waterfall into Clungwater territory. By casting an air bubble helmet on themselves, B allows herself to traverse the water, and is able to swim alongside Xolo and Nicholas who are already capable.

They climb up the branches and vines behind the waterfall, and eventually drag themselves into the stream above. The three of them journey down the main river, and decide to head into a thicket of leaves and trees that the river runs through in hopes of finding them there.

This leads them into a raising grounds for baby Clungwaters, and they are quickly surrounded by little frog people, and are confronted by Slin and Luna - two Clungwaters who are able to shift using the waters, Slin able to inflate himself to float, and Luna able to shrink. Xolo magically communicates with them, and convinces them to lead them to their leader - Tarkus.

👑 Meeting Tarkus

The team are led further upstream by the pair to the Lily Estate, a grand open mound of streams filled with Clungwaters, and moreover, one gigantic Clungwater who sits above them all, their supposed leader. Atop the mounds, appear a series of industrial pipes that is flooding water into the marsh. Tarkus is sat in the largest of these, and the party consider if the water from these pipes is the reason the marsh creatures have such unique, magical biological augmentations.

The team learn that Tarkus is only interested in consuming, and they fear that they will be eaten by him too. Xolo cooks up food, and barters with Tarkus, explaining that there will be loads to eat at Grafter's Hollow if they come and help. The Clungwaters seem thrilled at the idea of Tarkus growing larger, and so he agrees to join their assault, looking forward to eating all he can in the process.

🌱 Reconvening at Little Thorn

After their respective expeditions, the teams regroup at Melma's and share their findings. They begin to prepare for the next days raid, when Little arrives at the door and lets them know that Mama is looking for them, and demands their audience at Licklittle Hall immediately.

🌳Confrontation with Mama

The party come to the hall as instructed, where much of the town is onlooking in uncertain curiosity. They are led inside, where Mama is waiting with the rest of the Licklittles, and begins to lash out at the party, and Melma, announcing to the rest of the Licklittles of Little Thorn that they are conspiring with their enemies behind their backs.

Ember speaks up to the people of Little Thorn, revealing what they have learned - about the Grafters, about the seeming 'enemy' factions of the marsh not even being aware of the supposed feud that Mama keeps peddling. She manages to gain momentum as the onlookers listen attentively, finally giving into their concerns and doubts about Mama, eventually turning to her for a response or an explanation.

This causes Mama to crack, as she starts to berate the party and the town about their lack of loyalty and respect. She roars, exclaiming how had she not acted, the town would have been done for - that she has seen the Grafters and what they are capable of, and that she had no other choice to do what she did. This dawns a revelation upon the procession - that Mama had given up her son Blunt to them as a bartering chip, and has been allowing the Grafters to steal away the occasional child from Little Thorn for their research and grafting, under the condition that Little Thorn remains safe for the rest of the Licklittles who reside there.

The party are astounded, as is Melma and the rest of the clan, but before there is time to settle with what they have all just learned - Mama lashes out, and commands her sons to take down the party alongside her, as she whips the vines of the hall into motion, locking them all inside.

⚔️ Battle at Licklittle Hall

The session kicks off as Mama Licklittle traps the party and onlookers inside Licklittle Hall - instructing her sons and husband to deal with the party alongside her.

The battle swings into motion, with Mama using her whip-stick to shift the tree to her liking, embalming it in fog, healing from drinking it's waters, and loosing the lily pad flooring to trap the party in the viny waters beneath.

Meanwhile, Door uses his pencil-stick to animated wooden structures to life to distract and interrupt the party, Little darts around attacking widely with his log-stick, and John Roos lunges onto them violently with his duel wielded sickle-shovel-stick. Melma desperately fights alongside the party, dancing about on her floating lily pads and casting through her wand-stick to hold back her family best she can.

The party are forced to meet the Licklittle's onslaught with force, focusing all their efforts on taking down Mama while attempting to sway the others to stop fighting, who are clearly hesitant. John Roos however, is completely on Mama's side, and slashes at the party relentlessly until he is finally scorched down by Ember.

In a moment which revealed to all Mama's true colours, while John Roos was down and dying, she instead continued to lash at the party and heal herself, allowing her son to fall. The incident shot through the Licklittle family, and acted as a turning point which saw Door and Little shifting sides, now working with the party to put Mama down at last, who is now gone manic with rage.

She struggles to a final breath on her knees, but is eventually smited by Lyra, who surrounds herself in a spirit shroud of lost Licklittle spirits, and disintegrates Mama with a blast of concentrated necromantic energy, wilting her away to a blighted, fungal carcass.

🌿 The New Head of the Licklittles

The onlookers rejoice desperately, released from the fear that Mama had bestowed onto them, now fully realized as they watched her descent into madness unfold. The party stand tall after their victory, turning to confront the clan alongside Melma, who delivers a speech to finally unite the Licklittle clan, and inspire them to come together to liberate the Marsh Way and find peace once more. She is raised as new head of the clan, approved by her father Door, and the Licklittles delve into the night in preparation for the battle that is to come the following day.

🔨Preparations at Little Thorn

The morning starts off as the party meet with the Licklittle amidst Little Thorn who have been preparing through the night for the battle.

They are immediately met with the sight of Door and Davos, who have collaborated to build a ship named the S.S. Dandelion, named after Mama, for them to sail into Grafter's Hollow to bring the Licklittle's who come to fight. In the meantime, B makes some special bombs out of the sap previously acquired, and cinnamon granted from Xolo. Xolo spends time identifying (eating) the grafting ash that they acquired in the first expedition, and Ember gets swimming lessons from Nicholas.

Everyone gathers at Licklittle Hall for a final briefing, and then set out aboard the S.S. Dandelion.

🪡 The Battle for Grafter's Hollow

After bringing the boat into position, the Licklittles begin their assault on the island, charging the S.S. Dandelion to the docking port and crashing it onto the short beach that leads up towards the hollowed out tree.

Overhead, the Albarettas soar in, dropping bombs and artillery made by B and Door, bringing absolute ruin down on the Grafter's estate that spreads out past the tree. They descend upon the hollow then, some clashing with those Grafter's who fly, and others aiding the Licklittles on the ground assault. Meanwhile, Tarkus from the Clungwaters slowly crashes through the waters of the forest, looming over the hollow and latching onto and eating what stray Grafter's fly by as if they were flies.

Amidst the chaos, the party water-walk into the hollow and sneak into the mound through a tunnel burrowed by B. This leads into the armoury that B had wound up in previously, and they gather Lorna and Douglas' gear before moving onward. Here, they first break the prisoners out of the mound, sending them up to join in on the fight, and then head into the room where Sol was examining Lorna

❗ Sol's Revelation and Lyra's Hex

Holding him at gunpoint, the party confront Sol and demand he release Lorna. Strangely, Sol appears to be ecstatic that the party have appeared, and hearing the battle overhead, exclaims that he cannot believe his theory has proven right.

Upon questioning what he means by this, Sol asks the party if they have ever felt or followed the sensation of a pull? Upon uttering the words, Lyra's arm seizes, and just like Lorna and Ember, watches as a sigil becomes branded onto her forearm.

Realizing they must join the fight above, the party dismiss Sol for the moment once he releases Lorna from her magic shackles. Upon rising, Lorna nearly cries in appreciation for the party, and assures them that Sol protected her as best he could. They then gather themselves and ready up, heading out of the mound and into the battle that has been cascading overhead.

🕷️ The Pullovers Vs Dr Richtor Mauer

The party run out into the chaos, as Licklittles clash against Grafters in groups, Albarettas soar overhead fighting relentlessly, guided by their leaders who too fight, the S.S. Dandelion shifts and convulses, awakening into a sentient moving ship directed by Door's magic, and Tarkus bounds overhead, looming over the whole battle. Lorna thanks the party again, and mounts Cartinho, taking Sol to safety.

Then, Richtor appears, flying in to witness the downfall of his empire. He spies the party, who he knows has orchestrated this, and descends upon them alongside his grafted guard dog, and attempts his revenge upon them for their meddling.

The fights brutally, cutting through them with his grafting sickle, seizing them with an array of magics that he wields from the countless appendages he has grafted onto himself, and directing his men and and creations to assist all the while. The party duck and dodge, combining their efforts with support from the surrounding leaders of the Marsh Way to overwhelm and overpower the malicious leader of the grafted faction. They fight on, and back Richtor up into the grafting chamber. However, in a last ditch act of spite, Richtor seizes Lyra and attempts to graft her with the haunted sickle. She barely escapes, and in a wreckless moment, B launces a bomb made from a Rolkenheim chaos gem previously acquired into the grafting chamber, and detonates it above the alter.

The bomb malfunctions, setting off a chain reaction with the piles of grafting ash in the sanctum. Thankfully, the malfunction lessens what would have otherwise been a devastating explosion, and instead is contained to in and around the tree itself, eviscerating everything inside, leaving a crater in its wake, and a deeply wounded party, and Richtor.

In the moments after, amidst the smoke, strings rise from the clamber of noise around as Lorna dashes back into the fight, bolstering the party with inspiration as she now uses her dissipating arm to form and play a violin. Alongside her, Melma darts into the fray with a now wingless Myron, who dashes in next to the party and seizes Richtor with a series of blows and slashes. Overwhelmed, Richtor is beat down until he has nothing left to give, and B finishes him off with a shot through the head, finally putting his reign across the Marsh Way to rest.

🙌 The Liberation of the Marsh Way

Desperate celebrations are cried out as the last of the Grafters are dealt with, and the standing Licklittles and Albarettas cheer out both in relief and joy for their victory, but also in anguish of their fallen friends.

Amidst the crater where the tree once stood, Melma turns to Myron and gets down on one knee, proposing to him, both a proposal of love and marriage, and of peace and allegiance between the clans. He accepts, and the place grows quiet as Caross of the Albarettas struts forward to confront him, but in a surprise to all, announces that Myron is 'adequate', and worthy of fostering the allegiance.

Joy and celebration breaks out, but not before attention is directed once again to Tarkus, the hulking frog that still looms above them all. Tensions rise for a moment, until he announces that he is finally full, as Tarkus explodes, causing hundreds of baby Clungwater toadlings to rain from the sky, revealing to all that his intent to consume was to birth forth a new generation of Clungwater spawn into the Marsh Way.

There is an immense sense of relief in the air, as the Licklittles, Albarettas, and Clungwaters all find themselves united with the scourge of the Marsh Way, be it the Grafters, or Mama, now finally put to rest. They gather themselves, and their dead, and head back towards Licklittle Hall - where they prepare for a wedding, and a funeral.

🔎 Sol's Explanation

The session picks up in the aftermath of the battle, as the factions gather themselves and prepare for the day ahead. Here, Sol reunites with the party, who have many, many questions.

He explains how he was adopted in Avantus, the city if invention, and that despite his apparent age, due to Avantus' magical, time-altering clock, he has lived double that of his actual age.

🔮 Hexes

He explains that the sigils that have been appearing on the party, are Hexes, a new type of magical brand that has been appearing on people since the Fall of Flammenvielen. They grant new magical powers, unlike the magic that already exists through the manipulation of essence in the world.

He explains his theory, that those with Hexes are converging on one another, drawn to one another, or similar paths. That the pull that the party is following, is their fates being interweaved with one another, and others with Hexes. He calls this the Convergence Contingency - a principle that suggests that fate unfolds based on a series of convergences between those with Hexes.

He exclaims how what happened at Grafter's Hollow was a convergence, and that by holding onto Lorna here as long as he could, he hoped it would draw in other Hex users, and in that theory he was correct.

He tells how amidst the history of Rivelium, it has always been the important people who changed the world, and that now with the fore coming of Hexes and convergences, this might be shifting, as suddenly those not important are becoming intwined with important events - paradoxes.

🔥 Richtor and the Everflame

Sol explains how Richtor was a Flammenvielen researcher who was exiled for the extremity of his ambitions. He acquired the grafting sickle from the College of Evos - a branch of researchers who attempt to manipulate the essence of beings through science and experimentation - and used it to enhance his form and gather followers desperate for power like himself.

Sol was a travelling researcher when he was found and kidnapped by Richtor in order to advance his research, appearing desperate to become powerful enough to become a vessel that could harness the Everflame.

The party eventually leave Sol at the hollow where he wishes to continue his research into convergences, and leave him with a sending stone to contact them. He advises them that one of his ex-associates, Daniels, too researches Hexes, convergences, and paradoxes, and will possibly seek them out if they do continue onwards to Wallrun.

🌳 Back at Little Thorn

Afterwards, the party return to Little Thorn alongside all the others as they gather the dead and the fallen. Everyone has a much needed rest, divides up the loot acquired from the hollow, and decides where they shall head next.

Lyra in the meantime spends time to study her Hex, and discovers that it allows her to see the threads of fate - thin, golden threads that connect people to the things and actions that they are immediately engaged with. Using her Hex, Lyra is also able to move and manipulate these.

💒 Melma and Myron's Wedding

There is a buzz and excitement in the air as everyone gathers for the wedding of Melma and Myron. Xolo magically gives himself luscious hair, B wears a flower girl dress, and the party gift Myron a potion from the hollow that allows him to regrow his wings.

Together, the party assist in throwing a beautiful celebration. Little and B are the flower children, and toss petals about the place that light up the place with glittering fire as Lyra casts dancing constellations about the hall and Xolo and Ember gust a mystical wind about Melma and dazzle the place in sparks.

Lyra weds them, casting a marriage ceremony as B casts fireworks into the sky that spell 'Just married, Melma & Myron 4eva 💗'. Lyra delivers, as Caross puts it, a most adequate speech, and the hall breaks out into celebrations.

Lorna plays music for the ceremony as the Licklittles, Albarettas and the party break out into festivities and dances. Xolo teaches Caross and Lyra to dance, B breakdances while Ember beatboxes, and Little slap dances with B.

Soon, the festivities spiral as the Licklittles share their alcoholic marsh liquor with the procession, and everyone gets incredibly drunk and jolly. Melma whips out her marsh moss once again, and the party all get high together as the festival slips into night. Myron takes B flying through the sky, causing her to pee with fear over the celebrations, while Ember gets sick from drink and Lyra tries and fails to confiscate drink from Little.

Xolo gets Cartinho high by feeding him a joint, and he soon falls asleep.

As the night stretches on, and the town folk find themselves exceedingly merry, Ember decides to toast the Licklittle's fallen brother, who fell fighting alongside Mama. However, she mistakenly calls him Jim Goose, thus reinforcing his legacy as the Licklittle whose name was forever forgotten.

The party eventually leads out to the S.S. Dandelion, which has now returned to being simply a boat, where Davos and Door are having some late night drinks, discussing if Davos might stay at the Marsh Way and help them rebuild. Melma, Myron and the party join them on the boat, alongside one of the long-neck geese, Marvin, who Xolo befriends. The night ends as the party lay wasted in the birds nest with the newly wedded Melma and Myron, and they share a final toast to the liberation and celebrations that they have brought forth. They each pass out in the birds nest, and rest easy knowing that at least for tonight, they have done a great thing, and that fate clearly has something instore for them.

The Marsh Way Convergence - Fin