So, this week on the Anduwin Chronicles…

We begin by searching the bodies of the slavers who attacked us. Sivaras finds some gold, Journee discovers the tiefling mages all have scarred V shapes from their foreheads to their eyes. Journee recognizes these as signs of a necromancy cult. Granuelle inspects the Goliath, Rachel, and finds a powerful maul and a note written a cannot decipher. Granuelle also finds 27 exotic daggers in the goblins body. 428 and Brant inspect the door at the end of courtyard. Brant discovers a magical trap, and 428 begins to swing his axe at the door. When it hits, 428 is thrown across the courtyard in a flash of lightning. Eventually 428 is able to break the door into a small torture chamber with a long rack and bloody rags and a selection of implements. 428 immediately freezes and backs out of the room, having flashbacks to his youth. Brant moves into the room to investigate. Brant finds several vials of blood but is unable to read them. He begins to cast comprehend languages as a ritual, but before it can take effect Sivaras enters the room and is able to read the vials. They are written in abyssal. There is a range of vials labelled Orcs, Humans, half elves and lots of other common and exotic races. Sivaras checks that there are none of her race here, before pocketing a vial of displacer beast blood.

They leave the area and Brant is uncomfortable leaving the blood for anyone to find. Journee barters for information about a way off this plane. They are told to ask Beth at the Watering Hole. Brant heads back to the blood vials and destroys them all. Heading into the tavern we are told that tonight there is a culling to deal with overpopulation. Mathias volunteers to fight in the culling as a plan to get items. Granuelle hands the grand maul to 428, after 428 plays the piano in the bar. Brant catches up and works out from the situation what is happening. There is a large queue of people paying the bar keep bribes to not be included in the culling list. Mathias arranges with the bar keep that Journee will also not be included in the culling. Brant pays a bribe for keep himself and 428 out of the culling. Not realizing the bribes have been paid, 428 asks to spar with the Goliath barman. In the back room of the tavern is a surprisingly large proving arena, with room to seat 1000 spectators. Most of the party follows to observe and keep 428 alive, but Brant remains in the bar weighing up options. Lady Granuelle meet an old blind woman called Beth who seems to know a lot about her, as 428 enters the arena. His Goliath opponent wields a large log, but 428 gets the first strike and swings true with a powerful opening strike using his ted storm axe. Magical sparks seem to ignite from 428, and he harms the foe again. Beth taps her staff on the ground and the enemy Goliath grows to a larger size. The pair exchange blows but 428 misses and starts to swing recklessly, but learns this isn’t effective. He is struck by the log again and again. 48 grabs the giant Goliath and tosses him onto the floor. The giant stands and recklessly strikes at 428 leaving him winded. Granuelle asks Beth to stop the fight but Beth says they are all safe. Seeing the giant using two hands to wield the log, 428 uses tactics to cut off the enemy’s hand. Which shrinks to its original size when it is cut off. The giant swings but misses, and 428 pushes the attack. Sivaras tried to heal 428 subtly. Recognizing the healing effect, 428 drops his guard and lets the attack hit him. The swing knocks 428 from his feet and throws him across the ring. Beth calls an end to th fight and loudly declares that someone interfered. Sivaras reminds quiet, but Granuelle and Journee encourage her to speak with 428. Beth glares at Sivaras and marks her with a T.

After the fight, 428 goes to speak with Beth. He apologizes for the fight being interfered with. Beth tells him that they have an important purpose to control the population and that they need soldiers and fighters with skill who have soul. Beth reveals she has spoken to the entity whom 428 is bound and that he means 428 no harm. 428 asks her for help in getting home to the material plane. Beth says she will do this in a trade. She wishes to studying something that 428 has. He is reluctant and Beth tells him that this patron entity is within the room. 428 calls out “Nezaar, are you here?”. Beth steps aside and her shadow remains and two small rippling eyes appear. The shadow shifts around Beth’s open hand, and 428 takes out a pouch and hands over a single acorn to Beth. She agrees to send 428s friends home. He ensures that the acorn will be returned to him when she has finished studying. 428 asks Beth to return us to the material plane, near to the Temple of Vollabuke (one of the Anduwin gods).

Meanwhile, Granuelle goes back to the barman and gambles for being taken out of the culling list by playing dice. She wins against the barkeep. At this time, 428 returns with Beth and tells the party that he has arranged for a way home. Beth takes the party back into the arena. She tells them she needs her minds, and several individuals walk into the room. She also warns that there may be a discrepancy in time – a few days before or after they left. Journee and Sivaras are encouraged to return within a month to address their Marks. They are told there is a gate back here in a “land of sand”. Brant tries to confirm that Beth will be sending us back to Bukka Mortaine. Mathias asks to be sent back home rather than with the party. Mathias is sent home in a pop. Brant is nervous we will not be sent to the city and he threatens Beth’s life if we don’t get sent to the right place. Beth stretches her hand and tells 428 he will forget what he gave her. The party hears this just before they are teleported. We arrive on a cliff edge at night in the middle of a rain storm. Sivaras looks at the sky and works out we have either arrived just before the blood moon, or at the same time as we left. Brant works out we are on the cliffs outside the temple of Vollabuke. This is shared with the party. Brant heads toward the temple.

Mathias lands in a lake in the Últrek Federation. He walks into the township and sees his son. He calls out as the family is joyfully reunited. His son is injured in his jump down from the roof he is working on. Taking him to the local nurse, Mathias is shown a flute that washed up recently. She is keen to keen it and tells Mathias templar’s are coming to look at it, as it may possess ancient properties. Mathias takes the flute from the ruse who is reacting irrationally. And he throws it into the water.

And that’s where we left off…