Season 2 -Mayarisa
Mayarisa | S2 EP15: When Blossoms Thrive in Moonlight (II)
PARTY
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Standing in the quiet depths beneath Moonwake, the echoes of our last battle still hung heavy in the air. The faint drip of water was the only sound that accompanied our shallow, weary breaths. Ruby crouched near the intersection, her eyes reflecting the dim glow of our lantern as she traced the faint tracks in the dust. “If we go right,” she said, her voice low but certain, “it curves back north. That’s where we came from.” A silence fell over the group as we exchanged tired glances. None of us wanted to waste time circling back into familiar darkness.
“Left it is,” I said, the words firm enough to cut through our uncertainty. One by one, we nodded in agreement, turning to face the unexplored passage. The air from that direction was cooler, carrying the scent of damp stone and something… rancid. Whatever awaited us in the depths, it was down that shadowed corridor. As we made our way to the end of the hall, we noticed some steps to our left leading us further underground.
With torches lit to cut out the darkness that fell upon us and the silence surrounding us. I noticed in the distance, what appeared to be some form of water retention empty but for a few feet of water a spider looking creature with a human torso and many mouths. Nova Cain pointed out that the creature was a Spiderwood Weaver and it was chittering something and moving its legs as if it was performing a dance of sorts. That’s when we noticed a halfling child being wrapped up in its spider silk. We quickly jumped into action to save the child. As I approached the Weaver, the chittering became more audible with the sounds of skittering in the room. As we try to surround the weaver, she keeps chittering with more audible sounds of skittering coming closer. Out of the shadows, humanoid creatures about the size of small children appeared to be crawling down the walls towards the rest of my party.
Aleki, Durg, Rose and I surround the Weaver boxing her in. I was able to stun her for a bit before Aleki, with his powerful arms was able to send the Weaver prone and grapple her. Ruby was quickly surrounded by some of the Spiderlings, but she appeared to be holding her own. The Spiderlings, not knowing her mighty wrath. Graham puh had one Spiderling on his heels trying to nip away at his health. That old man is very quick on his feet. I once heard him from a distance yell out, “Can’t F’k with the Woodhawks!” That wouldn’t be the last time we would hear that old man swears obscenities.
Nova Cain, while engaged in helping us take down the Weaver, was soon approached by a Gnarled Rat that seemed to have it out for him. It was a literal game of cat and mouse as he would try his best to get away from the rat. Nova also noticed spider silk strands from multiple directions that lead from the walls to the child. With some quick-thinking, Nova sent a fireball onto the weaver and some of the strands. The strands melted from the fire, but all we heard was the child screaming in pain. Rose yelling, “Stop, the fire is hurting the child!”
As we continue to land blows on the Weaver, we can hear the child who has been wrapped up to his knees, “Please help me, I don’t want to die!” “We are trying young one”, I yell out as I continue to land more punches on the Weaver. At this point Rose was able to single handedly take out the spiderlings near her and run her way towards the rest of us. Nova was still running and teleporting around trying to get away from the rat. Graham Puh was healing the wounds the child had taken when we hit the silk strands with magic.
After a while I was able to grapple the weaver taking over for Aleki and landing the fatal blow that took her down for good, leaving just the two rats left. Durg quick on his feet helped Aleki surround one of the rats and cutting it down. Rose and Aleki were able to take down the other rat, leaving the last spiderling in which Nova quickly took it down for good and getting it off Graham Puh’s heels. All that remained were the few silk strands that were connected to the child.
After freeing the child and getting him out of the reservoir, Ruby asks him, “are you okay?” “I’m okay, but my back hurts”. Graham Puh, Nova and Aleki look him over, they find some sort of physical change though not permanent, of the spiderlings we cut down. This answered the question of what happened to the missing children. The Spiderwood Weaver must have changed the children into spiderlings. Ruby asked the child how he got down here, but the child was hesitant. “I don’t want to get in trouble”, he said. Ruby being the kindhearted soul she is drops to a knee and says, “I pinky promise that you will not get into trouble”.
The child begins to recant how he ended up here to the best of his knowledge. “Well, I heard my friend Anika’s voice, so when mommy turned around and wasn’t watching, I followed her voice, and I saw her sitting next to a tree playing with some dolls. Her brother was there so I didn’t think I would get into trouble. But then I ended up here all wet and stinky”. While we listened to the child’s story, Graham puh noticed what looked like egg sacs hanging from the ceiling. I was able to shadow step and pluck one and land safely in the water. So, I brought the egg sac over to the others. Nova was able to open the sac, layer after layer of spider silk, until we noticed an un-awakened spiderling. I mention to the others, “We should end it humanly, snap its neck”. The others looked unsure of this act because it was a child once. I look over to Durg, and deceptively say, “It is a right of passage for new recruits to end this child’s life”. “Sure thing”, unfazed by this he did it willingly.
Nova then turned his head towards the ceiling and blasted the rest of the egg sacs with fire. Once that was complete, we moved quickly to get the child to his mother.
::End Of Report:: ::Signed Zephyr Prowlclaw::
Report Ends
Mayarisa | S2 EP14: When Blossoms Thrive in Moonlight
PARTY
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Companions beneath the Glass Moon
Cirrus Seleward
A duelist of sharpened will, cloaked in psionic wind.
He moves like he’s outrunning a memory, or chasing a promise.
Karai
A bard with stormlight in her lungs.
She does not speak, she declares.
Halfling with No Name
Small as a whisper, sharp as a thorn.
More shadow than shape, more grin than threat; until it’s too late.
Ashley
Fists like anchors, eyes like still water.
She moves with the rhythm of waves; calm, then crushing.
Basura Long-Fang
Teeth, laughter, and sudden silence.
They stood alone in the dark, and the dark did not win.
Nyssara Pearlveil
Moon called, saltborne, and reluctant in blood.
I stood where the tide could reach me. I did not step back.
The moon was waning when we set out.
Not gone, just quiet.
Like a mother watching her children choose their own path, even if it leads them into shadow.
We were meant to serve as guards. I think.
That part of the morning has already been eclipsed.
Instead, we followed a voice louder than the commissions board.
Her name was Portia, and her voice trembled like glass caught in wind.
Flour clung to her apron like ash from a hearth gone cold.
Her child, Leander, had vanished, somewhere near the Crystal Gardens.
The guards had said to wait.
She couldn’t.
“Well, he was talking about going to the garden. So I'm guessing he probably ran off with his friend.”
Her lack of individual investigation may have confused us, but it was clear she was desperate. Afraid. We agreed. Quietly, and then all at once.
The Crystal Gardens were beautiful in the way a blade is beautiful;
gleaming, honed, and not to be trusted.
We passed through flower choked paths, warm glass ceilings, and the hush of curated soil.
A gentleman among the orchids greeted us with kind confusion.
He remembered nothing.
But he sent us to Yen, the greenhouse’s manager.
She stood straighter than the trees, her voice clipped like shears.
She remembered more.
Two children playing.
One of them was Anika.
We found her shortly after; shoes muddy, arms tight around a doll.
She was still trembling if looked at closely enough.
And there was something on her skin. Something arcane mixed in the mud on her clothes.
Not cast, but left behind.
A residue. A cast.
“Um, he was, like, talking to the tree. And then I turned around to grab the dolls, to bring them over. And then he disappeared. And I didn't know what to do, so I just kind of sat down and started playing again.”
She told us about the tree.
Then came the slurping sound, and silence.
We circled the tree like priests at an altar.
Its roots pulsed faintly, too slowly for comfort.
The same magical residue coated the ground.
A perpetual waterfall watered the tree,
its flow too steady to be natural.
Beneath it: a drain.
We asked for access.
Yen hesitated;
“Sewer entrance… that is restricted. So not sure if I could let you guys in…”
Then relented. Amazing how a simple promise of monetary compensation can sway someone. Delightful.
We descended.
The tunnels below whispered mildew and memory.
Not quiet. just distant.
Sound did not echo. It simply fell.
There, the rats waited.
Or listened.
Twisted by hunger and magic, they surged forward.
I tried to fight.
Twice, I raised my hand.
Twice, it fell without fury.
The moon does not strike for vengeance.
Only to reveal.
Cirrus fought like he was chasing time, each blade precise.
Karai turned sound into a weapon, her voice full of static and thunder.
The Halfling with No Name vanished behind bodies, only to reappear with mischief.
Ashley struck like the tide; building pressure, sudden release.
And Basura, alone, held the line against a wounded rat, and did not retreat.
When it ended, the blood was warm.
The stone beneath our feet was not.
Leander had not been here.
Or if he had, he had moved on.
The tunnel waits.
The moon watches.
So I will too.
Silver one, ever-turning,
Draw the veil between shadow and self.
Where the lost tread, show us the glint,
Where the silent cry, carry their names.
Let no child fall alone.
Let no light vanish unloved.
— N.P.
Report Ends
Mayarisa | S2 EP13: A Single Star Among the Galaxy
PARTY
Report Start
05:47 Hours Woke in unfamiliar quarters above the Cut Corners tavern. Shared the bed with a few of my fellow adventurers—tight quarters, but good for warmth in a city like Moonwake. Thick snow outside muffled even the street sounds of the capital. Couple of the others were on the floor, curled around what blankets were left. No complaints. We’ve slept in worse.
06:15 Hours Descended to the tavern for food. Interior: rustic, aged wood, dim lighting, heat from a coal-fed stove. Female staffer approached, courteous, but apologized for the lack of “breakfast foods.” No eggs, no porridge. Just tavern fare. It did the job.
Teshi—the gold dragonborn—ordered forty-five pounds of peanuts. No, that’s not a typo. They brought them. He began consuming them immediately, and carried the rest with him when we left. Why? Unknown. I don’t ask anymore.
Cyren, the tavern’s male proprietor, met us mid-meal. Friendly sort, covered the bill himself. Informed us there were open commissions posted at the Parliament building. We took that as our cue to move.
07:00 Hours Parliament building is enormous. Moonwake itself feels more like a fortress than a city. Clockwork gates. Snow-slicked brass railings. Everything built to outlast time.
We were greeted at the main desk by a kind female receptionist who directed us both to the commission board and a waste bin—Teshi had already filled a quarter of his peanut sack with shells. Bin filled fast. Found another. Filled that one, too. Then the genius decided to scatter shells behind the support pillars. Caught immediately by another female staffer who did not find it charming. Called it “frankly, disgusting.” Fair. She pointed him toward the incinerator. Problem resolved.
07:45 Hours Made our way to the commission board. Oversaw by a no-nonsense man with a ledger, a quill, and a clear mandate. Available postings:
Hostile entity elimination in the Malevolent Forest.
Part-time librarian.
Open-mic night at the local pub.
Be’lakor—our de facto leader—was visibly thrilled about open-mic night. Unfortunately, it was still a few days out. So we shifted focus to the forest job.
Violet, our plantfolk ally, was concerned about deforestation. We assured her that we were cutting down monsters, not trees.
08:00 HoursKarai—our fire goliath—attempted to ask directions to the “Malevolent Forest.” Discovered she couldn’t pronounce Malevolent. It was... an ordeal. We got there.
Job specs:
Target: Hostile creatures in forest vicinity.
Reward: 2,000 gold pieces each.
Noted Threats: Frostfire Salamanders—avoid engagement if possible.
We accepted.
09:15–13:30 Hours Traveled on foot. Moonwake is massive, poorly signed, and snow-covered. Got turned around multiple times. Spotted a familiar magic shop. Finally located the main gate around 13:30 hours and passed into the deep wilderness. Snow deepened. Cold increased. Visibility moderate.
14:00 Hours Navigated into the Malevolent Forest using game trails. Be’lakor spotted fresh humanoid footprints—bare, varied sizes. Identified them as Kalawas. Misnamed by the public as “Koalas.” Approximate number: 7 or 8.
We listened.
Myself and Teshi heard birds and rabbits—nothing major.
Be’lakor, Karai, and Cornelius heard humanoid movements.
Violet heard unknown voices—language unrecognized.
Threat imminent. We prepped for engagement. Violet summoned Clematis—her floral steed. Beautiful creature. Covered in blooming purple flowers.
14:20 Hours Advancing through snow, we found a clearing. Cluster of Kalawas—most average size, one notably larger—surrounded a flaming slime entity.
They hadn’t noticed us. Basura opened fire with a bolt. I followed from behind a log with my short bow. Missed.
I was the first target they saw. They swarmed. I took a bolt to the shoulder early and was targeted relentlessly. Unsure if it was randomness or personal. Didn’t matter. Teshi healed me mid-battle—I owe him. Couldn’t stay standing without it.
Be’lakor and Karai coordinated a two-prong assault on the large Kalawa. Blasts. Fire. Divine fury. Be’lakor even taunted one off me. Violet diverted the flaming slime, taking heavy fire damage herself. I watched her bark-blacken and petals curl. It hurt to watch.
But Violet retaliated with a radiant Divine Smite.
I went all-in. Arrows. Steel. Fury. Brought the slime down myself. The creature crystallized on death—dark, glossy, strange. Never seen anything like it.
14:40 Hours Last Kalawa tried to flee. Violet gave chase on Clematis but missed. Cornelius didn’t. Witch Bolt to the back. Clean.
Inspection of the Kalawas revealed claw and bite marks—wildlife signs. Seemed they were mid-battle before we arrived.
Karai removed one of their "masks"—not a mask at all. The “face” is living tissue. When removed, the exposed area crystallized—just like the slime. Others followed:
Basura took a sample.
Teshi kept one for research.
Violet took one—forcefully.
Each time, the exposed area hardened into that same black crystalline material.
I kept my distance. There’s something wrong in those woods, and I’d rather not find out what happens if you become one of those things.
17:30 Hours Returned to Moonwake. Parliament building. Staff verified completion and disbursed payment: 2,000 gold per member. No complications.
Summary & Recommendations:
Hostiles neutralized.
Crystallization effect post-mortem observed in both Kalawas and elemental slime. Possible contagion or environmental mutation.
Recommend protective gear for future forays.
Violet requires healing attention. She took serious fire damage on my behalf.
Teshi’s peanut situation remains unaddressed. Future missions may require nut-free protocols.
Mission complete.
End of report.
—Rose Talbot Scout, Steelhawks International
Report Ends
Mayarisa | S2 EP12: A Cold Welcome
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Watcher’s Rite: A Cold Welcome (Moonwake) Steelhawk International — Season 02, Episode 12 Filed by Illyria We arrived as seven: Vaeloria , Cybil , Ida , Frakas , Reena , Crazy Earl , and me, Illyria. Too many hearts still beating, perhaps. Too few who know what silence sounds like. The lamps of Moonwake burn with a kind of soft cruelty, each too-bright globe of light casting no shadow deep enough to hide in. Brass and glass, all of it. Carriage wheels ticking like pocket watches, valves hissing faint steam, gears biting down like teeth. It smells of smoke and snow here, and I cannot shake the sense that even the air is polished to a shine. And yet, somewhere beneath it all, the memory of Cold Harbor lingers. A whisper of the grit we left behind and ahead, the Snow Moon Ball already casts its long, cold shadow over us. We arrived at the gate under the eyes of the guards. Brass hinges groaned as they raised a hand to stop us. “Purpose of visit?” I replied plainly to the woman. Cold Harbor still clung to my voice, nerves stil shot as I spoke. “We come from Cold Harbor. We just recently resolved some issues there. We have come here per the ambassador for the Steelhawk International base over there, Cyren.” The guard murmured as we passed through, almost as though to herself.* “You mentioned where you go, trouble follows.”* “That’s because we’re mercenaries.” I caught my reflection in the polished gate metal, startling at the face I barely recognized, and wondered which part of me still believes that. Beyond the gates, Moonwake gleamed like a wound stitched shut too tightly. We passed through without further trouble, though they searched our belongings. Weapons, vials of acid and holy water, packs heavy with potions were all they found amongst us. The guard eyed us curiously but allowed us in. “Alright, you’re free to go in. Don’t cause trouble.” One of us replied, “We’ll try to solve it if we do.” The city beyond was gleaming. Too much so. Motorized carriages clattered past, lights without flame gleamed cold on every corner. It looked safe. Curated, precise. However, I’ve lived long enough to know that places like this crack from the inside. Somewhere behind those perfect panes, the real adventure awaits. The paperboy found us first, small and wide eyed, his fingers clutching a folded newspaper like it could shield him. His gaze lingered on our badges momentarily before taking in all of our faces as if we were worth really noticing. “Oh my goodness, I never thought I’d actually see the Steelhawks.” We quickly discovered that the local paper has spread word of your adventures, painting us in a flattering light. After some pleasantries and autographs, we took a moment to question him about the area. As it seemed to often now, we landed on the forest and the sounds children heard. Naturally, we pressed him about the woods. His voice faltered but did not break. “If you go too far in, you’ll never come out.” There was snow in his hair and fear in his eyes. I refrained from telling him how familiar that felt, given the horrors the children of Cold Harbor had faced. He bore scars just as they did. The Malevolent Woods was written on him already, like a prophecy. I choked back the fear raising in my chest. Luna’s shop rose out of the snow like a glass cathedral, the air inside shimmering faintly as though it too had been enchanted to behave. Reena’s breath fogged the window. “Is it snowing on the inside?” From her counter, Luna did not even glance up. “No. It just looks like snowflakes. But it’s not snow.” We stocked up quietly, gathering potions, cloaks, and bags of holdings. The simple necessities we carry when we know something’s waiting for us in the dark. When I asked her if she was local, she answered with that same gentle, unnerving smile the paperboy had shared when asked about Moonwake. “Oh, yes. I was born and raised here. And I love it here.” That was all, just a few simple words. However, the silence after her words felt like it weighed more than truth. We made our way to the nightlife district at last, a darker and warmer place, where at least the ugliness did not bother to disguise itself so heavily. Cut Corners was alive with music and bass so heavy it shook the ribs. At least they had good taste here, Miu's newest hit ringing clearly through the place. The woman behind the bar eyed us suspiciously. When we showed our badges, she squinted particularly at mine. “Oh, I know who you are. You’re the girl who died twice.” I managed to smile faintly. “It was really only one time. Kind of." My reply only earned me a horribly confused look. "Aren't you a dhampir?” “Yes, but I was born this way. So… yeah. I died and came back. It was a whole thing. Also disappeared for four months?” She stared at me a long moment, as if deciding if I was worthy of her interest, before saying, “Fine. I’ll go get Cyren.” Cyren’s office was almost too warm, which was really saying something considering my perpetually frigid state. Lit by lamps that hissed faintly like steam, the shadows seemed just a little too soft to trust. He leaned back when we entered, his smirk faint but practiced. “Oh, hey guys. You made it. Hopefully nothing too bad happened, right?” Right, nothing too bad. We asked what we were here for. His eyes caught the light then, sharp and pale. He spoke as though already imagining us at his side. “The Snow Moon Ball. It’s an annual ball. All the high ups and dignitaries and whatever attend. Everyone will be there. The Prime Minister, dignitaries from Frostfell, everyone. And you’ll go in Choumi’s stead! So… you’ve got some time to prepare. We’ll make sure you’re ready.” I asked him if the city truly had no ugly quarter as the paperboy had informed us. His answer was a shrug wrapped in words. “I guess you could call this the poor area. But compared to the small villages on the outskirts… we’re still pretty well off. Compared to everyone else in the city though… yeah, we’re ‘poor.’” That did not make me feel better, but what more could I do but accept him and his words. We handed Cherry’s bag back to her and Stacy, the two joining us begrudgingly. A quiet loose end from Cold Harbor finally tied shut. They argued softly over it before disappearing into the crowd. Cyren grinned at us then, something wolfish in his teeth. “If you all are done for the day… I want to test you guys. We could do it now if you’re ready. You up to fight us?” One of us answered for all of us. “Oh yeah. Let’s make something happen.” The underground arena smelled of old stone and iron. The lamps hummed overhead as we stepped into the circle, watched by Cyren’s people. The fight came fast, beautiful in its brutality. Frakas crashed forward like a storm given shape, shield high and laughter rolling from his chest. Reena’s magic coiled around her, wildshaping effortlessly into a lethally large snake full of formidable fury. Cybil hunted through the haze, fangs flashing between shadows, graceful yet feral. Vaeloria was light and command all at once, her voice bright even as her strikes landed. Ida was a ghost of steel and silk, one moment breathless behind you, the next cutting without mercy. Myself? I was strangely quiet this day, measured. A spear slipping between beats in the music, every spell another note in the rhythm of the fight. When Bruce finally hit the ground with a grunt, Cyren called out across the stone from the safety of the doorway. “Nice one. You did good, buddy.” Gloss charged me then, her blade sparking as it missed. Her laugh was sharp, surprised. “Why are you so hard to hit? Oh my god.” I only answered with silence and a shield. At the end, Cyren knelt over Stacy’s unconscious body, his tone soft now, almost proud. “Excuse me,” he murmured, dragging her clear. “You guys… you did good.” And for a moment, * just* a moment, Moonwake felt honest. Beneath all its polish, something cracked . Something real enough to bleed for. I almost smiled at the sound of it. Filed faithfully under Moonwake’s steely stars. The memory of Cold Harbor clings to me still, and the Snow Moon Ball already casts its long shadow ahead. A promise or a warning? I cannot yet say. Beyond that, I feel the Malevolent Woods waiting. Watching. Weaving. Perhaps the city is not the only thing here that hides its teeth behind glass. ~ I. The woman who wears death lightly now.
Report End
Mayarisa | S2 EP10 & 11: Buried in Starfall & Watcher of the Woods | Storyline Arenas
Report Start
The party made their way to Moonwake, after a full days of travel, they came to realize that it would take much longer to get to the capital. With assistance from a travelling merchant, they stopped by Rimeford to get some rest. Their rest would be short lived only to waken to the alarms ringing, a one of the guards was taken in the night. The Steelhawks bravely ventured out to save the guard and was able to get their well deserved sleep. Now, the Steelhawks set off again to continue their travels towards Moonwake. The party set off again towards Moonwake, after encountering some bandits, giants, and spiders, they hoped that this would be the last of it. But the woods are not always kind.
Report End
Mayarisa | S2 EP9 : A Fly on the Wall
PARTY
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Steelhawks Mission Report: Author: Naelen Shadowstrike Region: Mayarisa | Objective: Secure safe passage to Moonwake Entry Point: Border Patrol Flirt Fest Upon reaching the border, our travel plans were promptly delayed… not by enemy forces, weather, or divine intervention, but by cheekbones and charm. Cindella and Illyria apparently spotted a guard worthy of bard ballads and decided small talk was a requirement for travel clearance. I gave them a full sixty seconds before dragging them away like children in a confectioner’s shop. Despite the detour into hormonal diplomacy, we got useful intel Moonwake was about a three-day hike through wilds full of who-knows-what. Journey Through the Canopy Spires About half a day in, with dusk rolling in, we were surrounded by towering trees so tall they practically scraped the stars. Gorgeous? Yes. Safe? Definitely not. As we debated camping spots, Nyx (my ever-capable and occasionally judgy owl familiar) flew ahead and spotted a lone merchant traveling from the direction we were headed. The merchant warned us the woods became a creature buffet at night. Fortunately, he mentioned a fork in the road that led to a nearby town called Rimeford, about 30 minutes off-path. With little hesitation (and the knowledge that our casters would turn into grumpy ghosts without proper rest), we diverted. I also picked up a crate of exotic Zaraviyan fruits from the guy. Seemed like a good investment or bribe, if needed. Arrival at Rimeford Rimeford turned out to be a walled village nestled in snow-draped pines, built like it expected trouble. Tall guard towers, thick wooden gates, and enough watchmen to fill a small militia. The place had charm, if you like the cold and the smell of pine resin and smoke. We were welcomed by Guard Captain Caliope, who clearly did her homework—she recognized us as Steelhawks on sight. She offered free lodging in exchange for help with the town’s nightly monster problem. Apparently, the local beasts were as unpredictable as Illyria’s flirting style...no consistent pattern, no known weaknesses. Bonus problem: local kids kept seeing apparitions adults couldn’t. Sounded like a setup for either a ghost story or a bad musical. Either way, we accepted the deal. Meanwhile, Nokt decided Grandma Hilary was his destined lover and tried to impress her with charm and flexed ego. Unsurprisingly, she shut him down. In a desperation move, he challenged a local watchman named Blythe to an arm-wrestle. It didn’t help much in the romance department but Naeva used the distraction to speak with Blythe’s son, Frankie. The kid described the creature he and his friends had seen: four eyes, vague shape, scary enough to keep them close to home… sometimes. Naeva got a promise from Frankie: no sneaking out tonight. We prepped for a short rest. The Attack Three hours later, the alarm bells rang. Blythe had been taken.Blood. Snow. A clear trail. We followed it into the trees. At the end, we found him surrounded by monsters: A massive white bear-like creature, its roar shaking snow off the trees as it lunged forward with unnatural speed. (This was the one that dragged Blythe.) A haunting dryad-like creature, bark-like skin fused with twisted vine limbs and glowing green eyes. Magic oozed off her like sap. And an eerie, glacially beautiful eladrin-like fey, her skin shimmering like frost and her aura colder than the winters of Mayarisa We jumped into battle. Spells flew, blades flashed, and for once, everyone held their own. The casters were the MVPs here keeping Blythe alive mid-fight while we eliminated the threats. Aftermath Nokt, ever the optimist, dragged the pack leader’s head back to the tavern like a cat bringing home a gift. Grandma Hilary was… not impressed. At all. I might’ve snorted. Loudly. We returned Blythe to his family, got our well-earned rest, and made plans to move on. Next stop: Moonwake. Let’s hope the girls don’t fall for another border guard on the way there.
Report End
Submitted by Naelen Shadowstrike. Still alive. Still sarcastic.
Mayarisa | S2 EP8 : With Love, Lili.
PARTY
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Scribed by Lumi, Spiritfarer of Frostfell
O Queen of Silent Wings, I walked into the hush of a house where the warmth had fled. I followed the prints of a girl who may no longer cast a shadow. I laid my hand on relics not meant for us— and they whispered back. May I carry her echo without shattering. May I not mistake quiet for peace.
Cold Harbor does not howl. It waits.
The frost here does not bite—it numbs. The snow rests heavy as a held breath, and even the wind sounds hesitant, as though afraid of disturbing what lies beneath. I’ve known death in many forms: raw, radiant, or rising like a hymn. But what clung to the timbers of Lilianna’s home was something else. It was too neat. We returned under Choumi’s orders. Not to fight, but to look. She had said, plainly: “There’s still something wrong at Lilianna’s house. Like a thread that never got pulled.” And so we followed it. On the way, frostfire salamanders burst from the drift, breathing blue flame that hissed against my shield of faith. Werewolf ravagers met us next—teeth soaked in something still-warm. The earth remembers violence even when the blood freezes. But it was the house that chilled me deepest. Its outer illusion peeled back under Shino’s magic—just glamour masking rot. The veil didn’t break. It stepped aside. We entered. Inside: stillness. Candle stubs. Dolls shelved like prayer offerings. Walls stripped of their portraits, their paint aged in long sighs. And in the silence—something purposeful. Not dust left behind, but choices. Arranged. Preserved. Grief made into a gallery. In a desk in the basement, we found the diary—its spine cracked, its parchment soaked in dry blood. Her handwriting was sharp, meticulous. Like she needed the page to stay steady so the rest of her could fall apart. “Odessa is still watching. I feel her in the mirrors. Mama made a pact. We’ll be okay.” She underlined that last part twice. As if repeating it made it true. From the back of her journal fell a key. Another secret she held locked away amongst these pages. Nearby, a tiny locked door that yielded with the help of the key we just found. Once more, questions outnumbered answers as we identified the items inside: a mystery key etched with nonsensical geometry that shifted the longer you looked. A prosthetic hand—elegant, carved, with precise metal joints. Velo took it gently, as if the hand might still feel. And then: the doll. Porcelain and perfect. Her face… familiar in an indescribable way. Its eyes flickered open. Its mouth curled too wide. "Do you wanna play?” Even Powder stiffened. The doll sat beside three healing potions—viscous and rose-tinted, sealed with wax and ribbons. Every item in that box was placed. Not stored. Presented. The walls whispered of performance. The mirror, once blank, now showed reflections. We saw ourselves—not warped, not glamoured, but as we were. Powder’s fur dusted in frost. Velo stood just behind him, gauntleted hand on hilt, his posture too stiff to be calm. El’Drain exhaled fog in slow spirals, one finger tracing a druidic sigil on his arm like a tether. Shino’s eyes too wide to blink. My own face pale and quiet, a breath caught between prayer and warning. The mirror gave us back our shapes—but not our ease. Something behind the glass had been watching. And now it had turned away. The dolls that once hummed with residual magic had fallen silent. The paintings once filled with people now portrayed only rooms, landscapes, waiting. I could almost hear the moment they left the canvas. Yordad murmured: “It’s been prepared.” And I, too, felt it. The tension of a house mid-curtain call. Too precise. Too… curated. As though whoever—or whatever—wanted us to think she was gone. Wanted us to marvel. And move on. I did not move on. We carried what we found to the Church of Stars. Father Waver Nycal received us—sleepless, his robes in disarray, as though he too had felt the shift. He brought us to his sanctum. Laid out divination tools across a cloth of spun moonlight. Incense that clung to my tongue like ash. Then he closed his eyes and looked where eyes cannot. “The Tier Two team,” he whispered.* “They’re standing. Not moving. Surrounded by red light. The runes that used to block divination? They’re gone. Cleanly removed.”* He said it as though it scared him. And I think it did. “They wanted to be found,” he murmured. “Or someone wanted them seen.” We followed him down a hall, into a room lined with books and candlelight. There, on velvet couches, lay Celestine and Lyselle—the two vampire spawn we had spared in another season of blood. Once feral, beautiful, brutal. Now they looked like sleeping girls. Paler than parchment. Their expressions soft. “They stopped hungering three days ago,” Waver said. “Just… stopped.” Three days. The same moment the Tier Two team fell still. No one could explain it. Not even him. He watched them for hours, he said, hoping they would stir. Hoping, perhaps, that the stillness would pass. But it only deepened. Their breath was shallow. Their pulses faint. Not undead. Yet not quite alive. I serve the Raven Queen. I ferry the fallen. I close eyes, cleanse wounds, and carry names back to Her wings. This is not death. Lilianna is not resting. She is missing. Maybe not literally, but spiritually. More than that—she has been replaced. The house she left behind is a mausoleum built by liars. A shrine crafted by someone who needed us to stop searching. But I do not stop. The Queen teaches us that death is a promise—not a punishment. That to be witnessed at the end is a form of love. But Lilianna’s death, if it was one, bore no witness. No trace of Her touch. And the pact she wrote of—the thing her mother made—still coils in the corners of that house. I feel it. Like something watching back. I wonder if the red light around our comrades pulses with the same signature. If Odessa is dead… why does her influence grow? I do not fear blood. I do not fear endings. But I fear a story paused and painted over. I fear a girl made into a mystery, her soul cached in porcelain. The mirror returned our reflections. But something else may be using her shape. And the vampire girls, too changed, too peaceful… they are not healed. They are hushed. I light my lantern for the restless. For those denied closure. For those in stillness not of their choosing. If Lilianna walks still, She will find her. If her soul is lost, She will find her. And where She goes, I will follow.
O Queen of Last Embrace, The blood is dry, but the thread still pulls. The mirror reflects, but the truth is dressed in lace and silence. I cannot say if she is dead, or only nearly so. If her name rests on your tongue—speak it gently. And if she walks still, half-shadow and half-wound, grant me the strength to follow.~ Lumi Watcher of the Dead. Witness of the Living.
Report End
Mayarisa | S2 EP7 : When Day Breaks, The Moon Rests
PARTY
Report Pending
Mayarisa | S2 EP6 : Odessa of the Old Wood
PARTY
Report Begins
We began in the Sister Church, dim and silent, where tension hung thick in the air. Chuin lifted a carpet hanging from the wall, revealing a mirror hidden behind it. That’s when it began.
From the ceiling above, a horrifying monster—the Kavakava—descended from a pillar. Just seeing it threw the entire party into confusion, as if our thoughts were suddenly fogged and unsteady. Only Cindella and I stayed clear-headed. A moment later, we looked up again... and the creature was gone.
Almost immediately after, a hooded figure in white entered the church. She walked forward in silence, turned toward the altar, and began to pray. We quickly realized—it was Odessa.
What was disturbing was how Illyria and even Cindella seemed completely spellbound by her, practically drooling over her presence. I had to step in and remind them who this really was—an evil woman who had been terrorizing the Cold Harbor outpost. Whether it was charm magic or something deeper, I don’t know, but they weren’t acting like themselves.
As she prayed, Odessa launched into a dramatic speech. I tuned most of it out, but the end was unforgettable:
“For years—nay, centuries—I’ve wondered, hoped, prayed, pledged my life to get my revenge on you. For all the people whose lives you’ve ruined... REPENT!”
Then she screamed the word again. We, of course, did not repent—we got ready to fight.
Illyria opened the battle with a brutal Rift on her lute. Chewy and I charged in, hammering Odessa with everything we had. Then, a glass-like duplicate of Chorkva appeared—not attacking Odessa, but turning and blasting Cindella in the face with a Guiding Bolt, hitting her hard.
Crock slipped into the shadows, setting up a strike. Chuin rushed in, trying to stun Odessa, but she resisted. Not stopping there, he swept her legs, grabbed her by the collar, and slammed her down—grappled and prone.
Even on the ground, she fought like a trained killer. We traded blows. I downed a Potion of Growth, swelling in size and power, and rejoined the assault.
Illyria cast Shatter at one point—she claimed it was some kind of mirror reflection, but I never saw a mirror. It didn’t matter. The spell blasted through us anyway.
Then Ezekial landed a Shining Smite, lighting Odessa up like a target. She was glowing like a beacon that said, “Hit me.” And we did—over and over again—until she collapsed.
I turned to Chuin.
“Grab her by the head—I’m taking it off.”
But just as I raised my weapon, a wave of force knocked all of us back. And in her place, standing tall, was something else—a transformed Odessa, monstrous and full of rage.
Round two.
We dove back in. Chorkva summoned a radiant beam of light, guiding our focus as we clashed again. Odessa refused to yield. We didn’t either.
Then things got worse. Porcelain dolls began falling from the ceiling—each one crafted in the likeness of one of us. As they shattered on the ground, a searing wave of psychic pain slammed through the party. I felt it split through my skull.
Despite the pain, I managed to spot Clover’s doll falling and caught it before it broke. I stored it safely in my bag.
The fight dragged on. I landed several more strong hits. Odessa staggered. She was on death’s door.
“Finish her, Ezekial,” I said.
He moved in and struck the final blow with his rapier. She dropped. I stepped in and decapitated her, making sure it was over.
Behind the altar, we discovered a hidden door beneath one of the pews. I tore it off its hinges, and Chorkva dispelled the magic to let us through.
Below, we found Odessa’s workshop, filled with remodeled porcelain dolls, many crafted in the likeness of Steelhawk members. I took a few of the dolls that stood out.
Then Illyria cast Fireball, and the entire room exploded in a wave of heat and shattering glass. The rest of the dolls were destroyed.
We climbed out through the underside of the pew—and found snow falling outside.
“It’s winter now,” Chorkva said.
Somehow, though it felt like minutes to us, we had been down there for four months.
I pulled out the sending stone and contacted Clover.
“We killed Odessa. How long have we been gone?"
“Get home,” she replied.
We began our trek through the caves, heading toward the safe haven where Mius’s family lives. When we arrived, we shared everything and showed Odessa’s severed head.
“You’ve been gone many moons,” one of them said.
“But for us, it was just a few minutes,” Chorkva replied.
They nodded.
“You can rest here,” they told us.
And that’s where this report ends.
REPORT END
Mayarisa | S2 EP5 : The Raven Waits, By Flickering Candlelight
PARTY
Report Begins
Pre-Storyline
After previously bringing the vampires to the Church of the Stars, Figuring out that we were being scried upon, learning and witnessing that we are now “of favor” within the church and then reporting back to Cyren about all these situations, we start off right outside the Steelhawk International Building. If you remember, we saw the creepy ass doll that was laying outside just waiting on us at the end of the previous session. It was broken a bit, not in pieces but "splintered" like a broken window. What are we going to do about this? Which steelhawk does this doll “belong” too? We have a lot of questions and investigating to do before we can answer these questions. We start our session here.
Adventure Start
Le' Oracle recognizes that this doll has runes all over it, and these are the ones getting used by the Church of Stars. It could mean anything but we recognize this is Odessa’s handwriting, the evil vampire lady we are after. We decide to head to the church of stars to see if we can figure if these runes are actually Odessa's (which we believe) or if we can backtrack them to their starting location. Someone mentions the possibility of “our personal dolls” being used to assist in this track, so we all decide to get our dolls as well and head back to the meeting room where Cyren is still there.
As he sees our broken doll, he immediately runs off to see Mizutani Choumi shouting , “Something has happened to Choumi!”. It took us a while to piece it together…The doll being broken might mean that she is hurt!!! Once we figure this out, Halfling with no name makes a b-line for Choumi’s room as well. I mean, after all, she just paid us 500gp less than 30 minutes ago!. As Halfling with no name gets there, Choumi looks thinner than she was 30 min ago. Her wings are still connected but shattered/splintered like a windshield. Halfling returns to the group quickly and reports her news. We decide to hall ass to the Church of Stars and see if we can find someone to repair this doll with the spell “mending” and immediately run into Waver (the head priest of the church).
We explain the situation and a priestess starts mending the doll immediately. We also talk to Waver about backtracking these scrying doll runes at the same time while waiting for the mend to take place. After completing the doll mend, we try to backtrace the dolls runes with the Choumi doll. Before attempting this backtrace, Waver admits to us about leaving out information on Oddessa, knowing that if he is successful, this information might come to light. He explains that she used to go to their sister church "The Old Church", which was a bit more of an expensive church. Halfling with no name questions him about this church, “How pissed are you gonna be when we burn that church down?
Waver answers with a solemn look on his face, “I will be…saddened…but, do what you must.” Halfling with no name retorts inquisitively, “Is this where Oddessa is hiding?” Her sincerity reflects that we would only burn the church if Oddessa makes it so. Waver replies with a hefty amount of certainty, “There is a high possibility she is hiding there.” Again with a quick retort, “Will this save Choumi?” with the obvious implication of killing Oddessa. Waver, not quite as confident, with a shaky teeter totter voice says, “It should most likely…Yes?” We finally make the attempt to see if we can back trace this doll. Waver gets a sense that this backtraces to a known house, to a lady we had some dealings with before, Lilianna Bourdelaine! She was one of the first people we were tasked to find, but only found Oddessa in the basement of her home, with duplicates of all the steelhawks “as dolls”, threatening us, teleporting away. Everyone immediately decides we need to go that way.
Waver warns us the forest will be dangerous still, we thank him and head off. We head off to Choumi’s house first to ensure she has stabilized, and as expected, she seems much better and stabilized. We then hit the local magic shop to see if we can find a way to "hide" us from detection. Arnem secures himself an Amulet of non detection while Tucker negotiates a purchase of plate mail +1.
Once we decide we are done purchasing, we contemplate which way we will go again. Realizing Oddessa has been scrying on us, and may have someone sabotaged our previous backtrace, we decide to go to the church where we originally expected her to be hiding, instead of following the backtrace that led to Lilianna Bourdelaine’s house. So we head off to the church instead! As we are heading out of town. We run into some bandits trying to steal from the local market, if you will. We approached and decided to take care of business. Now these were young bandits and we did not want to create a worse name for ourselves by slaughtering a bunch of young adults that may have relatives close by, so we decided to show them mercy. Except for one mis-hap from the expo leader, we managed to keep all of them alive, and left them to the city scouts/guards.
We finally make it to the city gate and everyone hops on the huge ass snake, including Delores (Tuckers pet cow!). To make things more weird, Halfling with no name jumps on the cow and rides the cow riding the snake! The snake was surprisingly a comfortable ride as we headed through the woods. John Taco Bell (Archer Queen's pet monkey) scouts ahead with Jiggy (Halfling with no name's familiar). He gets a sense that something is watching him. John Taco Bell perceives some snowy owls that fly off as soon as the snowy owls know John Taco Bell see's them, so we continue on, where he runs into another flock of snowy owls. odd. but we move on, this time keeping an eye out for more owls.
We make it to the base of the Attlehon Mountains (from the southwest), and we see a tunnel going west that we would need to pass through to get to the "Old Church". This is the pass of the Harpy Den and we decide to pass through it instead of going around to save time. Pass without trace is used and boy’o’boy are we a stealthy bunch, even with some full plate armor. We head in and walk for a long while, like a mile, where we come across a large open cavern and see some large owl watching us. We hear the throat noises of the owl and some whistles. Then it flies off and we pay it no mind and move on. As we move forward we start seeing a lot of harpies in front of us. Unfortunately the giant snake lost some of its slithery-ness and the harpies saw the snake. As one of the harpies flies up to the snake, Arnem notices that this thing looks just like Miu!
So Arnem says out loud , "Wow, you look like Miu"
The harpy hears and sees Arnem and starts questioning him. The harpy questions about Miu, about “snake being friend”, about what we are doing. Arnem explains all of this and she decides to help us. We end up riding harpies to the outside of the cave! very cool. Someone asked the harpy for her name and she replied, “I am Harpy with no name” confusingly but honestly. Halfling with no name hears this and gets excited about the possibility of another “no name” out there, but the Harpy with no name flies off. “Ahh man…” Halfling with no name pouts as she kicks some snow. Obviously upset that the harpy took off without more interaction.
Anyway, We continue on to "the old church", not sensing anything out of place or following us. A harpy was following us to make sure we were ok. She wasn't trying to be stealthy or anything so when we got far enough, we said our goodbyes as she flew away. We make it to "the old church" and find/remove some magical glyphs guarding this place. We kept an eye out for anything around but saw nothing else. Along the way halfling with no name feels an onset of a small migraine and remembers some other Steelhawks getting small headaches and seeing a creepy figure, she sees this now and advises the rest of the group.
Upon entering the main doors halfling dives behind a booth and disappears, our "holy" types get a massive feeling come over them. They can tell that from the decor that this place is no longer a church of the stars. It is now a Church of the Raven Queen! wtf! With a final investigation around the room, we notice that there are multiple "tapestry like things" on the wall that are covered. Halfling with no name is so invisible from her hide check, she decides to check out behind one of the tapestries and again, that overwhelming headache hits her, but this time...the evil creature that everyone has been seeing (kids in the woods, previous steelhawks, and now Halfling with no name) crawls out of the ceiling and screeches something fierce as all the Steelhawks take a quick gasp at the wretched sight of this thing!
We end the session here
Conclusion/Follow ups
What is this creature doing here? Can we face such a terrifying evil being and survive? We had a choice to go to Lilianna Bourdelaine's house, did we choose wrong here? There are so many things that flash through our minds as we prepare ourselves for an onslaught and what we are going to do after this onslaught!
Report Ends
Mayarisa | S2 EP4 : Church of the Stars
PARTY
Report Begins
I find myself writing this from one of the bunk rooms at the Cold Harbour Steelhawk base. The candle’s low. Naeva’s breathing is low in the bed next to mine, hardly even there. Strange. I wonder if she taught herself to do it, or if she is simply completely under the illusion that she is something she could never wish to be.
There’s still blood on my hands that I haven’t managed to wash off. Let the stars see it. Let the moon weep.
------------------- (Vampire spawn that looked to be the girl on the missing posters around town, additional knocked out vampire spawn, gate leading to forest outside of Cold Harbour)
I carried them in just before dawn. One over each shoulder—too light, too still. The fog pressed low against the treetops, and the forest made no sound. Not even the birds watched me pass.
They were young. Hollowed. Their skin held no color but ash and bruise. One wore the tattered threads of a Church sister. Her face... it was familiar. A missing poster, perhaps. A name no one had said in weeks.
We didn’t know who they were. Only what they’d become.
Behind me, the others moved through the mist like myths—Maebe sharp-eyed, Naeva silent, Iona steady as stone. Archer Queen walked in quiet watch, his shadow pierced only by the blink of John Taco Bell, who clung to his shoulder like a question unanswered. The Halfling with No Name lit a torch. For a moment, their faces were carved from starlight.
We brought the girls to the steps of the Church.
No one spoke.
The Church of Mayari rose like a promise wrapped in marble. Its spires shimmered beneath a sky too soft to be holy. They said the stars whispered here. But I’ve heard whispers before. They don’t always come from heaven. We weren’t pilgrims. We were knives in our sheaths, sent to chase a trembling light.
Maebe cracked the first joke. The halfling with No Name darted ahead, chasing the echo of her own footsteps. Iona stalked beside us like gravity. Naeva moved like a psalm. Archer Queen trailed with dusk in his eyes, John Taco Bell unmoving. And I? I listened—for something that might not want to be found.
Waver Nycal greeted us with robes spun from starlight and hands too clean to trust. "Steelhawks," he said, with a bow that bent like dry wood, "Mayarisa honors your arrival. But the stars... are not what they were." He led us down. Beneath sanctified walls, into the Sanctum of Reclamation. A place that remembered being sacred. The dust here whispered. Books sighed as we passed.
The halfling vanished and returned with a gleam in her grin. Iona found a blade half-eaten by time. Maebe lifted a scroll and murmured, "If the truth is holy, why hide it?"
Waver’s silence was heavier than the device, a Labe, that waited for us. It stood like a wound. Old. Silent. Listening.
We circled it, breath caught in our throats. The Halfling with No Name reached out—always first, always brave—and laid her hand upon its surface.
The world didn’t break. It bent.
I saw Naeva—her crown forged in quiet flame. Archer Queen beneath a dark canopy, petals dying in his arms. John Taco Bell lay still at his feet. And me? A throne of ribs. A star in my chest. A voice beneath my ribs that said, “You already know how this ends.”
Then the Labe spoke. Not in sound. In certainty.
"Would you still follow, if the light turned its face?"
No one answered. But the stillness was louder than any truth. Waver trembled. “Some truths,” he breathed, “should remain as distant as the stars themselves.”
We left with relics. A star-chart, singed at the corners. A shard of painted glass. A silence that didn’t stop at the temple doors. And then we remembered-the girls. Bound. Breathing. Changed.
One, confirmed—a Church sister, stripped of her name. The other, still unknown. Another missing girl from town, maybe. People once called her a* problem child*. Now no one came running to claim her.
That night, we dined beneath amber lanterns and velvet lies.
Serenti Provane was a woman sculpted from shadows and silk, eyes like wine that remembered its vineyard.
"The Church has always feared darkness," she said, "but what happens when the stars start speaking back?"
The Halfling with No Name ordered a Cosmic Slap and said it tasted like regret with bubbles. Maebe asked if Serenti had ever kissed a god. Iona just watched her plate. Archer Queen fed John Taco Bell a crumb he did not eat.
"The constellations have shifted," Serenti told us.* "And not all of them moved by choice."*
She gave us a name. A burned page. A map with no direction.
"What you saw," she said, "was not future. It was reflection. A god’s memory of what you might become."
She smiled like she’d already buried us.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We had learned the bitter truth. They had hated us, the girls. Us being Steelhawk International. That hate had been used. Twisted. Sharpened.
And me? I believe Odessa had turned them. Not corpses—no. She fed on rage. On girls the world had cast hurt, broken, or worn down beyond relief. Now they bore fangs not of choice, but of purpose.
The Church looked away. So did the city.
And I? I saw Selene again. My mother. My curse. My beginning. We had been in Cold Harbour through it all. The Church. The questions. The silence after.
Later, we returned to the Steelhawk base—stone walls too tall for comfort, the glass pressing close from every side. Inside, we met with Cyren Enrie, and handed him the porcelain dolls we found in the woods.
They didn’t look dangerous. But Cyren didn’t blink when he took them—just studied the glaze like it might crack again, this time inward. "Thank you," he said, and nothing more. That was enough.
And as if the day had not been enough. Choumi was still there. Fading.
We saw her before we left. Her breath was soft, the kind you listen for twice. She smiled at us—barely. The room felt heavy, like it knew what we didn't want to say. I stood by the door too long.
I couldn’t manage to find the right words. Fuck. All I could manage was to give her a stupid shiny rock I had found on a previous mission, promising her that the moment of strength I had found it in would transfer strength onto her.
With a few more kind words and sorrowful glances, we left for the day. And then—outside.
A thud. Not loud. But sharp enough to stop all motion. We turned.
A porcelain doll, carved in Choumi’s likeness, had fallen from the roof.
No wind. No one there.
Seemingly on its own, it hit the stone and shattered clean through.
We didn’t touch the pieces.
We didn’t sprint into action.
We stood there. Lost. Failures. Defeated.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We ended the day with dissatisfying full bellies and disturbingly empty silence.
No one spoke of the Labe.
No one spoke of the girls.
No one spoke of even Choumi.
I walked beside Naeva. Close enough to hear her think.
She didn’t look at me.
I didn’t deserve it.
That night, I dreamed of my mother beneath a sky bleeding light. She held out her arms and whispered, “You were born from the stars they buried.”
I don’t know if what we saw was prophecy, or ruin, or a reflection warped by want. But the stars above Mayarisa have shifted. And I think they know our names.
—
A whisper of hunger in a holy place.
A blade hidden in a prayer.
A song in the bones.
Report Ends
Mayarisa | S2 EP3 : A Reflection, Not Our Own
PARTY
Report Begins
It has been a while since I was in Cold Harbour. I blame Gloomhollow. The chill isn’t pleasant, but the air is clean and fresh, is a bit sharp. When word came of children traumatized in the woods, my first thought was of young Melody, who I’ve been lax in checking up on. Fortunately it was neither her, not those who teased her, but a younger group. Also, from what I glean off the Steelhawks on the ground, none were missing, they’d just been a mix of inconsolably upset and non-responsive. Which, while not good, is much better than what fully missing would likely imply. Either way, something scared them, and the town wants it checked out. So, we’re into the woods, following a trail of chalk marks left by those who first found them. Apparently some game they played out there gave them a fright.
Good mix for tracking, on first glance, even with the snow starting down to fill in the tracks. We made easy time to about 10 minutes out, and once the trail in the snow started getting sketchy, there was wild life, which, Archer Queen claimed about to ask about directions. The abundance of approachable fauna is a good sign that nothing too unnatural is about, and also speaks well of the town being well run and balanced with its surroundings. So, Queen approaches a few rabbits we spotted, grazing the leaves still poking up through the snow. My first though was they’d somehow offended her, because the exchange ended up with her punting the one she seemed to be ‘speaking’ too, for quite a distance. But she did come back with directions and not upset, so I didn’t question it. When she had a similar response to questioning a deer, resulting in her trying to tackle and restrain it, I grew a bit concerned, and was happy that the last set of directions we needed, a small pack of winter wolves, did not result in a similar bout of animistic fisticuffs. Once we did get into combat, her preferred method seemed to be transforming into a giant constrictor, and crushing things, quite effectively, so I suppose that is just her style of combat? Not what I’d have expected from someone monikered ‘Archer Queen’, but maybe its just a name and family line. But I get ahead of myself.
After the wolves, happily non-violent, we found what appeared to be the site of the childrens game. A small clearing, heavy tracks, many child sized, and a shattered mirror, the frame ruptured, and the glass fractured across the snow. The mirror, despite being broken, retained some magical energies, though we were unable to discern the purpose. Exploring the area, we saw little. I believe it was Ida who recommend replicating the game, to see if we could trigger whatever event or enchantment that frightened the children so. It took a bit of figuring, but between us, we managed to reconstruct the mirror, freezing the shards in place enough for a mend to get it back to what we hoped was close enough condition.
Desmond remembered the rhythm for the old wives tale they were playing, and instructed us to circle around the mirror, chanting the sing song rhythm about some Kava Kava being in the woods.
“Kava Kava dont you hide, kava kava come outside, kava kava through the shadow, under the tree, come and play a game with me.”
Well, on the third cycle, sure enough, something appeared in the mirrors reflection behind Desmond, its booming laughter echoed through the forest and the mirror exploded again. Seconds later, a swarm of what turned out, as best we could tell, to be vampire spawn, swarmed down the trees from above, and attacked us. The dark was enough for my eyes to be working well, and I am quite certain that they had not be there on our arrival, nor do I think they tracked us through the line and sparce trees. They did identify us as Steelhawks on site. So intel leak or ambush? Perhaps they were invisible, but an odd trigger to wait on, to start the attack. Speculative. I’ve leave that to people with more expertise. The whole situation was extremely odd, and well beyond my limited arcane knowledge. As the team engaged, I identified one as a girl the church had marked missing, and instructed the team to aim for capture if possible. That one at least.
Maybes divine support quick dominates the fight, locking half the attackers out of the fight, letting us focus, but aside from that, the coordination shows as a bit green. Rurin charged in, and did great work locking one down, as did Archer Queen with another, but in spliting our attention in efforts of grapples and capture, against foes who quickly proved a preference for grappling techniques themselves, in addition to bite attacks in clinches that healed and rejuvenated them to our teams significant detriment, a change of tactic quickly proved needed, and we upgrade our effort to lethal, until the fight turned back our way at least. Two of them were killed, though we did ko out and bind the one from the church missing person bulletin, and one other, and bound them carefully.
While doing so, in the after math and recovery from the assault, we noticed a cabin. Not in the distance, but right there, on the edge of the clearing. I mentioned odd, and this is where thing leap out of my wheel house. It had not been there, before the whole thing with the mirror. The entire building, the trees, the frame, the foundation, the flattening of the land, it simply had not been there when we’d arrived. I’m not aware of an illusion magic that broad and comprehensive. The implication seemed to be the rhyme and the mirror somehow breached or collapse, perhaps a pocket dimension of some kind? I know such magic does exists. Could explain the sudden appearance of the attackers, and the building. The large laughing figure that appeared only in the mirror just as it shattered could have been some guardian, or perhaps creator, who fled when we bypassed the defenses? We did not see any further sign of it.
Further more with the strangeness, within the run down cottage, we found a set porcelain dolls, one matched in appearance to each of us, laying as though quickly abandoned on the floor. This apparently ties back to other strange happenings in the town, referenced in prior reports. The longer stationed Hawks immediately tested their dolls, and the things seemed to be somehow curse bound to each of us, like a damage or sensation echo. Very disturbing. We agreed to carefully pack and secure the dolls, bring them back to base for safeguarding and examination for a way to break the bind. But as we exited, we noticed disrupted brush behind the cabin, holding a much large collection of similar dolls, looking discarded or cast away, that the group found mimics of multiple other townsfolk and leaders in the area. We collected all of them, as well as the 2 secured vampires for further investigation and questioning, and I recommend experts on curse magic to see about breaking the bond with the curse dolls. Whatever it is, it is magic far beyond my ken or study. The whole thing felt more like a fairy tale to scare children, than something that should have been a real experience. If not for the dolls being evidence to the contrary, I’d have likely tried to argue some kind of mind magic, forced illusion covered a tricksters escape. Maybe a fae-like prank, though, I’m not aware of any who’s humor is quite that dark.
Anyway, in summary, 2 captive secured for questioning, include a missing persons apparently turned by a higher vampire, an unspecified number of cursed dolls, added to an apparent growing collection we have of the things, all the children are secured but need monitoring for vampiric influence or manipulation. Recommend the team, myself included, undergo similar testing, and anti curse purification before being allowed access to any secured areas on base. The local church is alerted to the overall situation.
Report Ends
Mayarisa | S2 EP2 : Mirror, Shattered
PARTY
Report Begins
⸻
IVE
Investigate a series of disturbances linked to an enchanted mirror, rumored manifestations, and their impact on local children in and around Mayarisa, particularly within the Cold Harbour region.
⸻
INITIAL BRIEFING
Location: Steelhawk Cold Harbour Division
Contact: Cryen Ernie, “High” Elf
• Meeting facilitated by Cryen; Choumi reported ill and unable to join.
• Iona introduced herself as a new recruit.
• HWNN confirmed lack of a proper name.
• Cryen questioned the party about Jiggy (HWNN’s green familiar), noted its strange appearance.
• Dhamphyer spoke of his family’s adventuring legacy and smithing and jeweler skills.
• Rurin noted as a heavy drinker and enthusiastic singer.
• Tucker introduced himself and referenced Deloris, his familiar.
Assessment:
Cryen warned that Odessa and her minions should not be capable of city entry but suggested our mission be to investigate the mirror and its disturbances. The team was advised to follow leads at the Silver Stag tavern.
⸻
KEY EVENTS & FINDINGS
Silver Stag Tavern
• Arrival: ~2:00 PM
• Met by Calista; several locals present.
• Rurin bought drinks for patrons to gain trust. “Sang” a song about his mother. Tucker gave emotional support after a failed social interaction.
• Calista acknowledged the Steelhawks’ growing reputation and provided rumors regarding a strange mirror game known as Kava-Kava.
Rumored Chant (Partial):
“Kava Kava, don’t you hide.
Kava Kava, come outside…”
HWNN investigated the mirror: identified strong enchantment.
Cryen provided the Expo with a sending stone (obsidian orb with activation tap).
⸻
INVESTIGATION – LEADS
The Dusty Loom (Shop)
Owner: Veronica
• Maebe secured a 300gp diamond for emergency use.
• Veronica confirmed knowledge of the Kava-Kava game:
• Children dance around a mirror in the forest, chanting.
• Supposedly summons a creature or entity.
• Full chant (as recalled later):
“Kava Kava, don’t you hide.
Kava Kava, come outside.
Kava Kava, through the shadow,
Under the tree,
Come and play a game with me.”
⸻
KRYSTAL’S CURIOS
• Krystal currently absent; shop managed by her Tabaxi niece.
• Limited stock available.
• Further confirmation of the Kava-Kava chant and its use as a mirror-based “tag” game.
⸻
MAYARISA ACADEMY – INTERVIEWS
Contact: Professor Seigh Dell
• Cooperative but secretive.
• Confirmed children affected after playing the mirror game in Attlehon Forest.
• Symptoms included:
• Terrifying reflections
• Screaming fits
• Injuries
• Reflective surfaces removed from quarantined rooms.
Child Interviews:
Serene & Ode’Kosha:
• Reported seeing and hearing disturbing things in the mirror.
Felix & Nox:
• Claimed the mirror was located 10 minutes north of the academy.
• Felix marked trees with chalk.
• Nox described the creature as a pale, eyeless, smiling entity—emotionally disturbing and soul-piercing.
Quote from Nox:
“Looked like. Just a tree. Blending in and then when serene when she stopped in front of the mirror. I heard it shatter. The mirror. And then like I can see in the dark. But this was different. It felt like I couldn’t see to well. I heard her scream. Like she was dying. I booked it. Shit I couldn’t even spare a glance. She was coming back with a bleeding leg. Like she was attacked. And looked almost pale. We got past the gate and got back to our rooms as fast as we could. Without getting caught.”
“It wasn’t me in the reflection. It was something twisted… like the Kava-Kava… but wrong Gouged out eyes, a sinister smile, and pale dry skin.”
• Serene was reportedly injured and bleeding when she returned.
⸻
ACTIONS TAKEN
• Left a discreet note for Professor Dell to restrict student access to the forest.
• Planned route:
Revisit Krystal’s shop upon her return.
Investigate forest location as described by the children.,
Determine the origin and nature of the mirror.,
⸻
CURRENT STATUS
• Party en route to Attlehon Forest to locate the mirror.
• Further analysis pending Krystal’s return.
• Threat level: Moderate (Potential extraplanar entity involvement).
⸻
Report Compiled By:
Desmond Von Draven
Report Ends
Mayarisa | S2 EP1 : Mending Bridges
PARTY
Report Begins
Mayarisa: S2 Ep 1: “Mending Bridges”
Choumi, not feeling too well, sent Cyren Enrie, a kind of high high elf to watch over the base while she recovers.
Tucker D.W.- A dairy farmer, nice guy
Dagon- Looks at floor-kind
Rurin- A dwarf from the hills
Puckelnob- sent by the fey possibly, looks like a gnome
Desmond von Draven- recently woke up from a long slumber, finding his way in the world
Erebus- just here
Cyren tells us to show the public we are capable of doing good work, but I’m not too certain that he really cares. But hey, we all have our vices. So I asked for a bit of the substance he gave Puckelnob and in return shared some of my homebrew wine with the table while Puckelnob went invisible under the table.
The crisp breeze as we go towards the tavern wakes me up completely, but in a good way. Everyone is in high spirits as the snow swirls around us. Tucker’s cow seems to be frightening the townsfolk but I don’t really understand why, I mean cows are very cute beasts. The sign says The Silver Stag, and the wood hitting the door makes a satisfying thonk sound as we enter. The tavern is cozy and warm with many deer’s heads on the wall. Oh, wait the cow is coming inside with us. Great, I was trying to have a nice drink, no one here seems to like us anyways. Ok so he’s sending the cow outside, maybe the bartender will actually serve me. (or give us a quest, or hopefully both).
“Puckelnob come back down here.” I say
I just know he’s up at the top of the bar because a girl just screamed. Well now he’s stolen a bottle. Things are really looking up for the Steelhawks in this town.
Calista is worried because her pots haven’t come in yet, they shouldn’t have taken this long. I usually don’t like orcs but this one is kindof my type, if you hear where I’m coming from. We assure her we’ll go to the blacksmith and handle it. As we’re walking, we enter a part of the town that’s not quite as lively as the area with the tavern. Something is eerily quiet about this area, and my hand instinctively reaches for my axe. Tucker seems to feel it the most, as his face turns whiter than usual as he reaches the blacksmith shop. Erebus rushed into the shop!
There’s a halfling child, standing over her dead father. Why does this happen? She’s so young. Her name is Niamh Hill, and father was Edward Hill. Desmond is doing a good job questioning the girl about if she’s seen anything. She says that the workshop is a little messier than usual.
After consulting the group, Tucker finds what seems to be two bite marks on Edward’s neck. All of sudden Erebus grabs a stake and tries to stab Edward. As he lunges at this poor girl’s father, I grabbed his wrist to stop him. All of a sudden I went still, I think he cast a spell on me. Luckily Tucker was able to get the child away before he brutalized the corpse. I don’t think I much like this Erebus.
A mirror on the ground wasn’t showing anyone except for Edward’s body, only objects. Curious piece of glass, or whatever it is. It certainly isn’t a normal silver or aluminum reflection. Oh Silvanus, something is happening. The anvil has teeth! It tried to bite Erebus (I wish it would have). We’re fighting this thing now. There is a lady vampire in the rafters! She must have done this to poor Edward. Fuck this evil beast! A rigorous battle ensues, of which of course, we are victorious.
Tucker really pulled out all of the stops with his mace. As we are trying to match her teeth to the body Pucklenob is entertaining the girl with card tricks. (I can’t believe we’ve left him with the child but it’s important that we figure this out). The mirror seems to show the vampire spawn as well, and we’re seeing a theme here. Dagon attempting to cure me but my wrist where she bit me still showed on the mirror. I’ll need to keep a watch on that. It looks like we’re just letting Puckelnob and Dribblehex take care of the kid? Ok then.
As we walk back to the tavern we stop at a few residences to show that we have Niamh and tell them what took place. When we get to The Silver Stag Calista is saddened to hear of the blacksmith Edward’s death. Pucklenob turns himself and the girl invisible and all chaos ensues. Someone casts darkness and everyone is knocking over tables and chairs until Calista yells “No more spells in my pub! I’m fine with the cow and everything but this is just too much, I need to see!” She thanks us with the money she was going to give Edward for the pots. She also said that we’re welcome to come back and help her with what she knows is going on in the town. We may earn their trust yet!
I think Pucklenob succeeded in taking this poor child back with us to our base. Welp, I’ll see to it that she is taken care of and not just by this weird little gnome.
Report Ends
Mayarisa - Pilot | S2 E0 : Snowfall & Silence
PARTY
Report Begins
Operation: Snowfall & Silence One Shot:
Mission Level: Tier 1
Location: Cold Harbour
We were summoned by Emissary Choumi to the meeting hall. She has commissioned us to investigate a caravan attacks caused by Frost Giants. She She mentioned a young girl who likes to explore the woods from time to time.
After leaving the guild we came across two Elven youths who were speaking ill of someone that fit the description of the young Mapach girl we were looking for. They directed us to Cold Harbor Academy were we found the young Mapach girl sitting by her lonesome. We asked her about what she saw and where she last saw the Giants, and she told us that the giants were accompanied by Winter Wolves.
She also told us that she wanted to join the Steelhawks we gave her some words of encouragement, and even gave her some money and tools to get her started. Expo gave her 4gp and I gave her my old Hand Crossbow that my master gave me long ago. after walking for a few hours, we encountered few peculiar things.
A broken bridge that at first glance, seem to have been collateral damage on the Giants' path. But I could not shake the feeling, that something was suspicious. After heading North East, we found one of the caravan carriages, and found a trail that lead us to an Old Warehouse guarded by 3 Winter Wolves in the front and 3 more inside.
After failing to sneak inside, we were force to engage the wolves, the fight woke up the Giant the was sleeping inside. We managed to defeated it, and started investigating the Warehouse and found that the giants were storing the food, which is odd behavior for their kind. My suspicions of them being controlled in some way seems plausible the more we find. I shared my concerns with the Emissary, and she also seems to concord my theory.
That is all I have to report. Malakai Black signing out.
Report Ends
Mayarisa - Pilot | S2 E0 : Painted Lady
PARTY
Report Begins
Field Report
Agent: Cybil
Assignment: Retrieval of Lilliana Bourdeliane
Location: Attlehon Forest
Date: [04/06/REDACTED]
Mission Code: [AR-447]
Mission Briefing:
Tier One Adventurer Cybil reporting. I specialize in mounted gunplay and swordsmanship, focusing on extermination and retrieval operations.
Emissary Choumi has once again requested assistance from the main base due to ongoing staff shortages within the Steelhawks Coldharbour division. Our mission directive is to re-enter Attlehon Forest to locate Lilliana Bourdeliane, a local herbalist contracted by Choumi to create specialized potions. Bourdeliane has missed her scheduled check-ins, prompting concerns regarding her status and the status of her commission.
Party Composition:
Calla Lili — Kenku, Circle of the Stars Druid.
Today's party consists primarily of spellcasters, led by Calla Lili — a Kenku druid of the Circle of the Stars. While short in stature and childlike at heart, she appears to be quite knowledgeable in the arcane arts and very perceptive.
Medvroth — Life Domain Cleric.
Next, we have Medvroth, a fairly strong cleric with a tendency to work the frontline. I'll admit that I have very little knowledge of warriors of his type. I expected a cleric to be, well, pious. In the few times I've worked with him, I've never actually seen him pray. Then again, I tend to stay out of people's business — unless I have a reason not to.
The Great Bardock Bold — Bard/Warlock.
Following Medvroth is the Great Bardock Bold. I can't say I know the man personally. However, in every battle we've fought together so far, I've watched him charge straight toward the biggest opponent he can find. That kind of tenacity, I can't help but admire. I didn't even know a bard — or any spellcaster, really — could fight so aggressively at such a range.
Lira Flux — Rogue thief
There's also the rogue, Lira Flux. I can't say I recall her from past assignments. I noticed, as a changeling, she has a tendency to morph and embody other members of the guild. It's a strange quirk; however, I realize when she does, it's often to imitate their best traits. I think it's a compliment — one I'd like to receive someday. I just hope she doesn’t openly declare her trade. I'm afraid Delilah's distrust for rogues might make her too skeptical — or worse, encourage misbehavior. We'll just have to hope for the best.
Frakas Kragstone — Paladin oath of devotion
Finally, the tank himself, Frakas Kragstone. While I can't say I know him well, I've been on multiple jobs with this man, and I must say he's a powerhouse. "Protection" might as well be his catchphrase. I can't say I'm religious — or even open to the idea — but if there's one thing I will always have faith in, it's the strength of a paladin.'
Operation Notes:
Upon arrival at Coldharbour, Mayarisa, the party met with Emissary Choumi. She appeared pensive yet friendly, wasting little time before explaining the situation: the local herbalist Lilliana Bourdeliane, recently commissioned to create specialized potions for Coldharbour’s needs, had gone missing.
During the initial briefing, Bold inquired whether any potions had been completed and were available for immediate use. Calla Lili suggested a more direct solution — traveling to the source and locating Lilliana herself. When Bold asked for precise directions, Emissary Choumi indicated Attlehon Forest, approximately two hours' travel northwest of the town. Choumi described Lilliana as a recluse, not particularly fond of visitors, which could complicate initial contact.
Bold pressed Choumi with a flurry of further questions regarding Lilliana's habits and any recent activity. Choumi informed us that contact with Lilliana had gone cold approximately three days prior to our arrival. It was also made clear, albeit tactfully, that our team had not been the first option for this assignment. Sensing the urgency, Bold suggested we move quickly to avoid further delays. At Calla’s and Bold’s request, Choumi provided a basic map of the area. The party expressed their thanks, though it became clear that fully detailed maps are scarce — the region is still in the early stages of formal development.
Lira took the lead in searching for traps, but reported nothing unusual. Frakas followed suit, his imposing figure methodical in his checks; nothing appeared out of place. Meanwhile, Calla seemed to have a particular affinity for the flora in the area, noting the distinct plant life. At this point, it was decided that the group would proceed cautiously, laying low and attempting to stealth along the path. The majority of the party did fairly well in this regard.
However, as the forest grew progressively more silent, an eerie feeling settled over us. The lack of any visible wildlife struck me as odd. While not necessarily a sign of imminent danger, it certainly left a strange tension in the air. It wasn’t long before Calla and I both heard wolves — their distant howls just around 100 feet away.
Lira, ever vigilant, spotted them first and sent a silent communication to Bold. In a moment of absolute confusion, I watched as Bold suddenly bent over and — quite inexplicably — bent over and pulled down his pants. When I asked what was said she said she merely asked him to "assume postion" and thats what he came up with perhaps a visit to guiding light is in order for our resident bardock
The party braced for combat as the eerie silence of the forest was broken by the distant growls of wolves. The first of the beasts, a dire wolf, leaped into the fray. It was swiftly felled, with Medvroth delivering the final blow.
However, the battle was far from over. Two more wolves appeared from behind and launched themselves at me and Delilah, knocking us both off balance. We quickly regained our footing, fighting back as best we could. Before we could fully recover, another wolf appeared behind Bold and attacked. Frakas, ever the protector, stepped in and felled one of the wolves with ease, his power undeniable.
Delilah and I took care of the last wolf together, bringing it down with precision. But something felt off. The battle had been too easy, almost calculated. The last wolf’s corpse began to twitch unnaturally, and from it, a humanoid wolf figure began to form, seemingly conjured through dark magic.
I began to suspect that the herbalist, Lilliana, might be somehow connected to the wolves — perhaps even in league with them. But Medvroth suggested that she may already be dead, and our investigation was turning darker by the minute
Eventually, we reached the cottage that had been Lilliana’s residence.
It was clear that no one had lived there for several days — the place was abandoned and overrun with mildew. Among the abandoned items, we found moldy bread and some unfinished wine, a sign of the abruptness of her disappearance.
While inspecting the area, I noticed a loose floorboard, which, with Frakas’s assistance, revealed an underground cellar.
After opening one of the cabinets, we were met with an unsettling sight: several porcelain doll replicas of the entire party. Each one was meticulously crafted, their expressions eerily lifelike.
As we continued to investigate, the painting of Lilliana in the cellar began to speak. It was then that we learned the truth: Lilliana had been trapped in the painting by her rival, Odessa. Apparently, Lilliana had been spreading heresy about Odessa, which led to her being imprisoned in the painting as punishment. Odessa had left her there, but with a clue hidden in a chest nearby.
We quickly found the chest, which contained four bottles, each filled with liquid of varying colors. Attached was a riddle that seemed to hold the key to freeing Lilliana. Here's what it said,
"Four bright vials, a fateful sip,
One shall free, the rest shall grip.
Look around, for clues remain,
Echoes trapped in glass and frame."
"A crimson kiss, a hunger deep,
Drink, and flesh is yours to keep.
Night will claim your waking breath,
A life unchained, a fate worse than death."
"The forest hums, a whispered tune,
A twisted path beneath the moon.
A sip will change what once was true—
Your heart shifts shape, and so do you."
"And twilight burns, a wicked thrill,
A violet fire bends your will.
Your mind dissolves, your reason fades—
Drink, and madness calls with blades."
"The ocean’s depths, a boundless blue,
A mirror's truth reflects in you.
A silver thread, a tether tight—
Drink, and step into the light."
"So choose, poor soul, but choose with care,
Or waste away inside my snare."
One shall free, the rest shall grip.
Look around, for clues remain,
Echoes trapped in glass and frame."
"A crimson kiss, a hunger deep,
Drink, and flesh is yours to keep.
Night will claim your waking breath,
A life unchained, a fate worse than death."
"The forest hums, a whispered tune,
A twisted path beneath the moon.
A sip will change what once was true—
Your heart shifts shape, and so do you."
"And twilight burns, a wicked thrill,
A violet fire bends your will.
Your mind dissolves, your reason fades—
Drink, and madness calls with blades."
"The ocean’s depths, a boundless blue,
A mirror's truth reflects in you.
A silver thread, a tether tight—
Drink, and step into the light."
"So choose, poor soul, but choose with care,
Or waste away inside my snare."
In our search for further clues, we found even more porcelain dolls, and it became clear that these dolls were not merely decorations. They were connected to each member of the Steelhawks, further deepening the mystery surrounding Lilliana's disappearance.
The effects were almost immediate. The target, who we had assumed to be Lilliana, was freed from the painting’s grip. But what we didn’t expect was the revelation of her true identity: Odessa, a vampire with a clear disdain for the Steelhawks.
Odessa
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have some strange feelings about that. Despite the insult, I couldn’t help but find Odessa... oddly attractive. There was something about her presence — the way she carried herself — that drew me in, even as she mocked us. But just as quickly as she appeared, Odessa transformed into a flock of bats, vanishing into the night.
As she disappeared, I shouted after her, “Actually, I’m a Tier One adventurer — there’s a difference!!” But of course, the vampire was long gone by the time my words reached her.
In the end, we had no choice but to gather the evidence we could and report our failure to Emissary Choumi. It wasn’t a victory, but at least we learned the truth about Odessa’s involvement — and the true nature of the threat we were facing.
Final notes some personal suggestions: Education on Curses:
It’s become increasingly clear that Tier 1 adventurers would benefit from formal education regarding curses, particularly how they are transferred and how to counteract them. During this mission, we encountered several instances of dark magic and curses, and a better understanding of how they spread could have saved us valuable time. A course or seminar on curses should be implemented, especially for those working in regions prone to magical anomalies like Attlehon Forest.
Staffing Concerns:
The Cold Harbor chapter is severely understaffed. With the growing number of threats in the area, it’s become evident that the region requires more personnel to maintain a proper foothold. I recommend an emergency dispatch of several adventurers to thoroughly survey the area. The personnel should include at least a few clerics and paladins, some of whom should be equipped with silver weapons. This is a region where supernatural threats require a specialized response.
Support for Bold’s Wellbeing:
While Bold’s bravery in combat is undeniable, his behavior during the mission — particularly his impulsive and seemingly out-of-place actions — suggests there may be underlying stress or pressure affecting his decision-making. I believe that some kind of mental health support or therapy could help him process and manage any personal issues that might be manifesting in these moments. His actions, though not malicious, could potentially harm his own wellbeing and the team’s cohesion if left unaddressed. As someone who has struggled with personal revelations and the weight they carry, I strongly encourage this for Bold, not as criticism of his character, but out of genuine concern for his mental and emotional health. This concludes my report
Report Ends
Supplementary Report | Ethan
Report Begins
Their arrival was met not by soldiers or fanfare, but by a delicate figure barely three feet tall—a fairy of striking presence, her wings shimmering like moonlit frost. This was Emissary Choumi, the steward of this distant division. Her voice, though soft, carried the weight of desperation.
Emissry Choumi
“There are only two of us here now,” she confessed, her expression grim. “My husband and I… and he’s often away on missions. We’re spread too thin.” She led them through polished halls of whitewood and crystal to a meeting chamber fit for kings—a pristine throne room carved into the side of a cliff, with windows that overlooked the ocean’s endless sprawl.
There, Choumi laid out the matter at hand.
“Liliana Bourdelaine,” she said, “a master alchemist, witch of rare brew and rarer spirit—has vanished. No word in five days. She lives alone in the Attlehon Forest, a two-hour ride northwest. A delivery was due three days past. We fear she’s met a grim fate.”
Choumi warned them: “Liliana is a recluse. She doesn’t care for towns or people. She keeps to the shadows of the forest.”
As thanks and preparation, she gifted them a rough, hand-sketched map, its lines shaking from memory rather than measurement. Before they departed, Calla offered Choumi a gift from Clover—a box of Poki sticks, a simple snack of warmth and goodwill. Choumi, eyes moist, accepted the treat with a grateful smile.
Cybil Hugh
Then came the howls.
Distant at first, haunting. Then nearer. Too near.
The wolves struck.
The first fell quickly, Medvroth’s blade cleaving through it like thunder. But more came, and Delilah and Calla were knocked back, claws tearing at cloaks and armor. Then a monstrous form—larger, stronger, faster—rushed into the clearing. The fourth wolf, its eyes burning with unnatural light.
The forest erupted in chaos. Frakas roared into the fray, axe swinging. Calla whispered healing to keep her allies standing. Lira’s bolts struck from above, each one finding its mark. Bold sang defiant tunes mid-combat, slapping wolves with rhythm and rage.
One of the fallen wolves began to twitch, then rose on two legs, reshaping, becoming a werewolf. It launched itself at Cybil, raking furrows into his side. Lira and Calla exchanged worried glances. Would he turn?
When the battle ended, breathless and bloodstained, they searched the area. No human remains. A good sign… maybe.
They pressed onward.
After another hour, the trees parted, revealing a cottage nestled in the roots of a hill—small, vine-wrapped, quiet. Too quiet. It was abandoned, long before five days had passed.
Inside, the floor was scuffed, the air thick with the scent of old wine and faded incense. Crimson stains marred the wood. As they scouted, Bold swore he saw a shadow flicker behind a window. It vanished before he could call out.
Then came the discovery.
A fireplace. Strange. Too clean. Frakas and Cibyl pried at it, finding loose boards beneath. A hidden hatch revealed a cold, cobwebbed staircase descending into the earth.
Below, the Steelhawks found a room full of old crates and an easel with a strange painting. A table blocked a door—moved recently, intentionally. They forced their way inside.
Porcelain dolls.
Dozens of them, arranged in glass cabinets, each one with eyes too knowing. They found more. Too many. And all of them… bore resemblance to the Steelhawks themselves. Lira recoiled. Calla muttered a prayer. Bold nearly threw one across the room.
A mirror stood against the wall. But when they looked, their reflections did not look back.
That’s when it began to whisper.
The painting of Liliana… spoke.
She was trapped. Imprisoned in the painting by a rival, a vampire named Odessa, for spreading “heresy.” Odessa left a chest behind—a puzzle, a riddle, a test.
After debate and consideration, Medroth took the blue. As the liquid touched the painting, smoke curled from the canvas. The woman within stepped forward, flesh and breath restored.
After debate and consideration, Medroth took the blue. As the liquid touched the painting, smoke curled from the canvas. The woman within stepped forward, flesh and breath restored.
But it was not Liliana.
It was Odessa.
Odessa
Her smile was cruel, fangs glinting in the lamplight.
“You really thought you could outwit me?” she hissed. “Do you truly think rank one adventurers could stop me?”
The chamber darkened. Her form split into dozens of bats, screeching and swirling through the air. A gust shattered the cellar’s window. In a flash of wings and cold wind, she was gone.
The Steelhawks stood in stunned silence.
Was Liliana ever real?
How many dolls had their faces?
What nightmare had they awakened in the woods?
One thing was certain—the hunt was not over.
Perhaps in their next mission, they'll find out the true whereabouts of Odessa, why she has so many dolls of the Steelhawks, who the spy amongst the organization is... and most importantly, stop her before she puts the Steelhawks into the ground.
Report Ends
SELFIE
Mayarisa - Pilot | Tier 1 Arena : Edge of Night
PARTY
Report Begins
Sunlight filtered gently through the thick canopy of the Mayarisa Forest, illuminating a strange procession winding through the dense underbrush. At its head rode Tachanka, the cleric of light, astride his armored sabertooth tiger, Rassvet. Behind them, a colossal serpent hauled wagons teeming with undead warriors, their hollow gazes fixed resolutely forward.
Beside Tachanka strode Captain Karagatan, a monk renowned for his grappling prowess, muscles rippling with anticipation. Shaq, the charismatic bard, hummed softly, tuning his lute, while Malakai Black checked the edges of his short sword and scimitar, eyes alert. Baron Von Trump, the sorcerer, trailed slightly behind, robes billowing dramatically. Ezekial, the paladin/warlock, marched with purpose, his gleaming rapier at his side and a burning conviction in his gaze.
Their task was clear: Choumi, the gentle yet assertive fairy healer of SteelHawk International, had guided them urgently to address a dark disturbance sensed by the High Druid. But the forest's welcome proved less than warm.
A sudden rustling preceded the ambush. From the trees burst two rogue druids, twisted with malice, their eyes wild. A Woad Woad lunged forward, accompanied by two towering awakened trees, branches creaking ominously.
"Stand fast!" Tachanka roared, lifting his holy symbol high. Blinding radiance surged forth, briefly illuminating the gloom. Malakai darted forward, blades flashing as he deftly maneuvered around the thrashing branches, slicing through bark and limb with grim efficiency. Captain Karagatan grappled fiercely, muscles straining as he wrestled the enraged Woad Woad into submission, its strength finally failing beneath his iron grip.
Baron Von Trump conjured blazing arcs of fire, incinerating the rogue druids in a tempest of flame, while Shaq's music fortified his companions, imbuing them with renewed vigor.
Victorious but wary, they pressed onward only to soon be beset again, this time by a fierce Grog warrior commanding a massive crocodile, accompanied by a formidable Lizardfolk king and his cunning shaman advisor.
Malakai and Karagatan surged forward to meet the enemy head-on, steel and flesh colliding in ferocious melee. The monstrous crocodile snapped at Malakai, narrowly missing his agile form as Shaq's invigorating melodies spurred the warriors onward. Baron Von Trump unleashed fiery blasts, engulfing their foes in searing heat, while Tachanka channeled his divine energies, guiding the undead archers to rain precise volleys upon their attackers. Rassvet pounced and tore through enemy lines with unstoppable ferocity.
With their enemies defeated and bodies scattered, the party paused to catch their breath. Tachanka meticulously healed their wounds, murmuring quiet prayers to the Light.
Their respite was short-lived. The vile stench heralded their next adversary—a grotesque corpseflower shambled forth, attended by a malevolent warlock and a horde of chittering vegepygmy warriors.
"Prepare yourselves!" Tachanka's eyes shone with fierce anticipation.
The ensuing battle was brutal and chaotic. Baron Von Trump summoned torrents of fire, incinerating vegepygmy in droves, while Malakai's swift strikes dismantled the creatures with lethal precision. Shaq's inspiring songs echoed heroically amid the turmoil, and Captain Karagatan wrestled the warlock into submission, ending his threat decisively. Ezekial carved his way through the battlefield, divine light and eldritch power intertwining with every thrust of his rapier.
Finally, Ezekial surged forward, blade blazing with holy energy, and delivered a devastating strike that pierced the heart of the corpseflower. The abomination emitted one final, sickening shudder and released a grotesque explosion of corpses onto the forest floor.
With triumph glistening in his eyes, Tachanka turned enthusiastically to his companions. "The Light provides! These fallen shall rise again as holy warriors in our noble cause!"
Exhausted yet victorious, the group stood in quiet satisfaction. The disturbance was cleared, and peace returned to Mayarisa Forest, protected once more by SteelHawk International's unlikely band of heroes.