🔨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