08 - 02/13/23 : Many Meetings

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  As the group laid down camp and the hours passed into nightfall, Connie apologized to Vesper about the tone he had taken with her. He had been riding off the adrenaline of the encounter, and had not chosen his words carefully. He shared his concern over Urstul's condition and what his being a revenant meant; things Vesper knew all too well given her background.   During these talks, she revealed that her blade Menzotelasan ("The Exile's Guided Wish" in the Drow language) had been given to her by Veszaltyrr himself as a gift for her service; the curse that compelled her to seek vengeance on those who had harmed her worked well with her personality.   Vesper determined that she wanted Urstul to find the peace he could not find in life by putting him out of his misery, but knew this would be an incredibly difficult task given the scope of his vengeance. She also knew he would likely not leave her or those who traveled with her alone, given the strong bond they had shared in life, quoting his promise to "burn down the world" for her. She shared more about his past as a street urchin and as a war deserter, a man who had to constantly struggle just to be put down time and time again. Contrast also offered helping Vesper get access to the Sundever library if she needed it to research ways to put Urstul to rest. It's probably also worth touching on Makoto's path in the bathhouse in more detail since this is the first time she's talked about her past.   The party finally drifted to sleep, with Makoto resting especially hard after her injuries from earlier. Connie, unable to sleep well, awoke during Vesper's turn at watch to find her packing to leave. He informed her that he didn't judge her for this and that he respected her freedom to do so; this struck Vesper with a touch of guilt, as her plan was not very well-prepared and essentially amounted to just 'getting away'. After talking a bit more, she decided to stay with her companions for the time being.   Makoto's dreams brought her to a dilapidated throne room inhabited by none other than Halaster. What started off as playful banter soon turned to Halaster madly rambling and sharing his lust for godlike control over that which he observed, and his jealousy of the unmatched power of the mages of ancient Hyperborea. He also voiced will for Makoto to seize all of the power she could find in the lands once inhabited by the ancient empire, and Makoto woke up afterwards in a cold sweat.   The party continued on their way, eventually reaching the city of Apothasalos. The city claimed to be the direct continuation of ancient Hyperborean culture, and this was reflected in their marble architecture. There the Moonlighters parted from the caravan they had escorted, and rested before their next leg of the journey.   They eventually elected to stay at one of the finer inns in the city, and in their private bathhouse they again spoke to Vesper about her past. They asked about her tattoo, which she confirmed to be a mark of her previous status as a Priestess of Lolth; the mark was of unholy origin, strong enough to cause constant pain to her due to her defiance of her abandoned deity, and was even capable of harming those that touched it.   Vesper was convinced to share the circumstances of her life in her birth city of Menzoberranzan. She stated that her birth name was Xalyth DeVir and that she was the fourth-born daughter of the noble House DeVir; however, her status as a Szarkai fast-tracked her on the path to ruling her house as a future matron mother, as was the destiny of one blessed by Lolth. Xalyth constantly avoided the wrath of her older sisters who were jealous of her favor, and endured horrific rituals that harmed both herself and others. In particular she recalled presiding over the ceremony in which every third-born noble male child was sacrificed in infancy to appease Lolth.   The final straw, however, was her being commanded to slay her one younger sister and closest friend, Llevana, who had defied the scorpion queen and failed in her duties as a young acolyte. After committing the deed, Xalyth fell into a deep depression and soon realized the futility of her life in Menzoberranzan, and escaped as soon as she could.   After wandering for some time and fleeing the persecution she sometimes faced as a drow, Xalyth found herself in Revelmoore and in the company of Veszaltyrr and his scions. She took the name "Vesper", meaning "Evening Star" in the High Boros tongue, from an affectionate nickname given to her by Urstul. Connie and Makoto remarked on their similarities with Vesper's experiences with the world, though they noted that theirs perhaps did not share quite the same intensity. Still, a moment of bonding was had.   The party departed north the next day, slipping through the Bent Wood and narrowly avoiding gnoll hunting parties as they did, thanks to Connie's clever illusory magics. Eventually they made it to the desert regions, and followed the signs of civilization to their ultimate destination; Irrastin, the Hidden House.   The desert settlement was full of drow villagers as expected, but the party was surprised to see them suppressing fires and aiding wounded. The Moonlighters rushed to the assistance of the villagers, who saw the arrival of strangers as quite unexpected. One villager, spoken to by Connie through the tongues spell, asked if they were one of their attackers, and urged the party to join the "other outsider" at the local tavern; the Silent Swan.   There the party met Marvyllaste, a drow scholar from lands afar who had come to Irrastin seeking similar knowledge as the party; his focus was on documenting the history of his people who had fled from the Underdark and Lolth's rule, and religion played a part in this. However, he was surprised to hear of the party's discovery of the depiction of Desna as a drow, and suggested they seek a nearby abandoned temple to see if it contained any relevant, ancient lore.   There was an unfortunate catch, however; the temple was currently occupied by the recent attackers that had pillaged Irrastin. The Cult of the Empty God was a marauding order of fanatics who defied the gods of mortal men in favor of a great old one from beyond the stars, and commanded horrific aberrations that aided them in ransacking undefended villages for supplies.   Marvyllaste remarked that the cult liked to pillage old temples to destroy religious artifacts as offerings to the being they served, and that the local leader of the village would surely be thankful for any assistance. The party reluctantly agreed to the role of exterminators and made their way to speak to Ulzryth, the village's leader. Marvyllaste wished them well, and asked them to let him know if there was anything to find in the temple, as such was of interest to him as a scholar.   Ulzryth, a very large drow man, cautiously welcomed the party, as they were a welcome sight in their dire situation. He spoke on the origins of Irrastin, and why it was settled where it was in the forboding desert; it was a good place to hide from the agents of Lolth, and was also near where drow in the past ages had also chosen to settle to escape the Scorpion Queen. He revealed that the occupied temple was one such structure of the ancient drow escapees; however, he knew not what deity it was dedicated to, as his people had long forgone binding themselves to gods and held no interest in exploring the temple.   Although the village could afford little in return for the party clearing the place out, Ulzryth did guarantee them the right of plunder in the temple, and would consider them friends of Irrastin for their part in helping defend them. He gave the party the directions to the old temple, and they set off, arriving mid-day the following day. Cultists were already there, standing watch for intruders, and raised their arms to fight the Moonlighters.