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Rem’e is stroking the shell ocarina and thinking about trying to play it when Ariza tells him to hold off and wait until there is air to breathe. She eyes him and motions for him to rejoin the group so they can sort out their situation now that they’ve finished looting their enemies.

After a lot of deliberation, we figure out a plan to get the boat back above water — with Ariza using her frog hunter focus and guiding the boat back to the surface and pushing Rem’e up to start bailing. 🚣‍♀️ We get everyone back on the boat and safely get back to shore (Rem’e makes everyone else row and he plays a jaunty sea tune on his ducky 🦆🎶 and Binx is quite happy to see Ariza.

On shore, Rem’e insists that everyone takes a look at the ocarina, but it’s stumping Liadan and Rhun so Rem’e asks Marilielle to take a look 👀.

And we find out that it’s an instrument from the prime: the “Melody of Hei Feng” — a famous flutist (it can make ghost sounds, dancing lights and detect poison — each 3x a day, and it can make freshwater once a day, and you can purify food/water multiple times a day, played underwater it speaks with animals).

We decide to camp for a night on the shore, and Rhun moderates a conversation about what we should do next. We compare notes about what we know about white dragons, we know it’s evil (as all chromatic dragons are) but white dragons are usually the least. They are immune to cold; Older ones can cast spells, they fly and are known for combat expertise, they sense and can’t be snuck up on. Marilielle says his name is Frostjaw.

We organize a watch system and Rhun plans to gather more information about the Efrite from Marilielle, but Marilielle stays playing her cittern and Rhun compliments her ears… Although trying hard Rhun doesn’t make a connection, and Marilielle evades his questions. Rhun and Marilielle agree that Sixabelle is hot. 🔥🔥🔥

Rhun redirects the conversation to see what else can be learned about Sixabelle and how he can help Shareen. Rhun becomes quiet, not sure how to proceed… just replaying thoughts in his mind, and Marilielle offers to help with the dragon. And Rhun asks if she’s all help with the efrite, and she says she doesn’t know and Rhun believes that she hasn’t made up her mind.

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 We all get some rest and reset for the next day, Rem’e makes fun of Rhun while he does his sun salutations but stops him and Marilielle offers to teach Rem’e some melodies for the shell ocarina, and Rem’e seems to pick up a few things while Liadan and Rhun finish their spell preparation. Rem’e feels so good about his progress that he tries out playing underwater. He can tell it works but no animals seem to be affected.

Rem’e loses his dragon fang necklace while making room in his bag for the ocarina, he realizes, but shrugs it off so happy with his new find.

We head back to gate, planning to find out if Habistaw has any insights or additional spells that could help with either Sixabelle or Frostjaw.

We reach the gate without event but Habistaw and Fedor have left, Ariza notices some sand or grit in the catacomb suggesting that they have retreated to the tomb, so we head back into the crypt.

Marilielle says she wants to see Shareen and we ask her to hang for a few minutes so we can head that way together after we check on Habistaw.

Rhun sees that the corner of the bed is turned up and thinks it a sign and says that Habistaw was abducted into the plane, but Ariza corrects him as there is no evidence of that. Rem’e hopes that it’s a beer/wine run, and we decide to proceed to Shareen’s.
After carefully walking across the earth area of the world, while watching out for the crysmals, we reach Shareen’s and Rem’e recounts the details of the pylon placement in the water.

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 After traveling all day, we rest and the next morning we check back in with Shareen about other weaknesses that need pylons.

Shareen tells us that there are three more areas that need attention, one more in the rocks, one in the fire that Sixabelle guards and one in the air that Frostjaw protects. She says Frostjaw is the strongest, and we head north from Shareen’s tower to see her golems and reach a place with no ground. It’s just sky and floating islands of ice. Shareen shows us a jar that shoots air much like the one we handled in her nephew’s home, her two golems reside in the jars and can float for a little bit to fight a dragon or other creatures in flight. We conclude that Frostjaw‘s hoard is on one of the floating ice islands 🥶

We head back to the tower to keep planning, to ensure that we are out of earshot of the dragon’s spies. We run into a dead-end in planning and decide to place the last set of earth plane pylons. So Liadan puts on the glasses and points us to the southeast to close the last weakness.

Marilielle decides to stay with Shareen and the rest of us get the pylons loaded to the sled 🛷and head out, planning the rest along the way before we reach our destination. We set watches and safely rest for the night, when we wake in the morning Liadan tells us we have about a mile to go after we eat breakfast.

The landscape is baron and rocky, as we approach the gate we are keeping aware and looking for anyone who might be unhappy with us working to close the gate. When we arrive we see a house that is crystal and stone and seems to have sprouted from the surroundings. It has crystal windows, and we hear deep, booming laughter resonating from inside, and Rem’e says “we’re not alone.”

We can’t make out the language so Rhun casts a spell so he can comprehend what is being said. He sneaks up and listens closely. He hears a friendly joking conversation (Balachera is a name he hears) and we decide to skirt around the house and head toward the gate first.

We set up the pylons, and Liadan starts attuning them and Rem’e and Ariza set a watch. Not too long later, two Shaitans approach and yell “hold primes, what you be doing.” Rhun steps up and greets them and tells them that Shareen has sent us, and asks them how they are.

Everyone feels musical and breaks out in song, they sing “earth genie” and Rem’e sings particularly well. And the shaitans step forward to attack but Liadan gets a set of magic missiles off before they get a chance to attack.

The first shaitan casts and a pit of mud appears below our feet, and the party gets stuck. The second one cuts Ariza with both of her scimitars Ariza throws some alchemist’s fire, Rem’e fires a shot from his musket and Rhun creates a fireball that engulfs both Shytans but it doesn’t seem to do as much damage as he hoped. And then Liadan casts a beam of light and shocks the male shaitan as the ground around the party solidifies, trapping Binx and Rhun while Ariza and Rem’e scramble to the re-solidified ground. Just as Rem’e find his footing, he is attacked by the female shaitan 🧞‍♀️ and can’t duck out of the way of the scimitar.

🧞‍♀️Ariza quickly steps up with her curve blade and retaliates doing a bit more damage to the female shaitan.

Rem’e steps out of the reach of the shaitans and takes aim at the male shaitan. The bullet makes the shaitan grimace as his stone-fleshed gut bleeds chunks of rock and unknown elements.

Even though Rhun is stuck in the ground up to his thighs he casts searing light at the male shaitan 🧞‍♂️and it falls to the ground. The female shaitan is very angry and screams at Rhun, wishing his death and slashes at him twice with her scimitars. Liadan is able to launch a set of magic missiles and hurts the shaitan but it doesn’t stop the attack. Ariza quickly slices at the shaitan’s leg and sand and gravel leak from the wound.

Reme steps behind Rhun and takes a shot at the female shaitan, taking a chunk out of her shoulder as he cowers behind Rhun who’s still half-burried in the stone. Rem’e coughs and Rhun thinks he hears “heal me” – he channels positive energy and we all feel a little bit better.

Liadan flashes with anger and a bolt of lightning strikes the female shaitan but it doesn’t phase her. She snarls and curses, and Ariza slashes at the empty air as he disappears.

Rem’e immediately calls Rhun short but also investigates how stuck Rhun and Binx are. He doesn’t have any great ideas but takes advantage of the situation, he takes out the shell ocarina and plays a tune that produces water — posing like a fountain with his foot up in the air. 

Ariza is horrified by this treatment of Ruhn. Rem’e better not ever try something like that with her. But she doesn’t dwell on those feelings—she rushes to Binx’s side stroking her ears and ensuring her that we will figure out a way to extract her.

Rhun is annoyed by Rem’e’s antics, but casts shatter on the rock around his legs, and easily climbs out from the rubble.

After sorting through everything we could do, we decide to let Rhun sleep and have him shatter the rock around Binx after he rests. He casts sleep on Binx she doesn’t worry throughout the night.

While Rhun sleeps we examine the shaitan. He has a beautiful large scimitar, and we decide it’s a trophy that we’ll need to hang it the apartment when we finish the mission. He also has a bejeweled steel crown  that we figure is about 1100 gold pieces.

Rem’e reminds the party that we promised we would check out the house after we placed the pylons. He is craving a drink, and he thinks he knows where he can get one.