Session Information

Session Date: 7th Jul 2026
Saga: 8th Saga - Gutenous Guardians
Attendance: Sam Gallon,Rowan Hales,Tom Brothers,Caleb Hamlet

Session Summary

The session opened with the party processing the shocking death of Denola, with Halfbie panicking over their body being used as the instrument of murder. Mordecai secretly felt relief but masked it, while Viktor and Drache shared the guilt of Myst's death during their ill-fated trip to Whitespire. The party split up to break the news to the remaining New Gods: Mordecai and Halfbie found Cas, who accepted the news with unsettling equanimity, revealing her awareness of her own mortality. Halfbie performed a puppet show for Cas that subtly conveyed their own feelings of being manipulated, while Mordecai sang a song emphasizing the party were not villains. Meanwhile, Viktor and Drache found Seer in a pub, drunk and speaking in fragmented sentences, another sign that Myst's death had broken something in him.

That night, Viktor caught Chenris writing on Halfbie's walls again and bargained for information: Chenris revealed that Haldir wanted the New God's body as a vessel to contain his immense magical power, as he maintains the global portal network and Strixhaven's protections. In exchange, Viktor attempted to scry on Ebis Daro using a book Chenris provided, but Ebis detected the spell, sending a piercing glare that filled Viktor with dread. As the party gathered to discuss the situation, warning bells rang out: Ebis's forces were attacking Blackwall, led by a massive aspect and an army of Ash Spawn. Chenris took control of Halfbie's body to coordinate the city's defenses with tactical brilliance, creating a trebuchet and repositioning troops, as the party steeled themselves for what they knew would be an incredibly difficult fight.

Full Session Notes

The group stood motionless in the empty council chambers; the silence was screaming to be broken, but all eyes were vacant as they tried to process what had just happened. That was, all apart from Mordecai, whose mouth couldn't help but flicker to a smirk for just a moment before they realised that those emotions weren't the consensus of the rest of the party. "Thats one less to deal with", they thought with great satisfaction.

Taking a deep breath and putting on their best incredibily-sad-but-we-need-to-move-on voice, they gestured for the rest of the party to get themselves together. Halfbie was the first to escape from the silence of the room. But the breathing became rapid as panic soon took control as the realisation dawned on them that their body was the one to murder an innocent child.

Drache and Viktor soon also broke the silence. This time, not in panic but with quiet contemplation of the actions they had taken. Mordecai initially looked confused at the panicking Halfbie before realising that killing the New Gods wasn't everyone else's goal. They quickly jumped to Halfbie's side, reassuring them that the blame did not lie with Halfbie.

"but it was my hand that physically gave it over!" Halfbie said, their panic pausing for a moment to speak.

"You do not blame the craftsman of a sword for the murder committed by another?" Viktor said with the voice of a kind sage.

Halfbie's breathing slowly returned to normal. Their guilt was still plastered across their face, but they understood the doctor's logic.

"Sometimes we need a degree of separation from the events happening around us; otherwise, we may go insane", remarked Mordecai.

Halfbie nodded with understanding as their eyes flicked up; they were clearly chatting with Chenris. This chat seemed to balloon into an argument as Halfbie began to pace the chambers, clearly annoyed at whatever response they had received. While Halfbie argued with the voice in their head, the others shared a glance and hoped that Halfbie would eventually figure it out.

Mordecai asked how many edges were left, Viktor and Drache said they believed there were only two left. With Drache adding that there were also two alive ones left. Mordecai looked incredibly confused asking what happened to the third, making Drache and Viktor share a guilty glance.

Drache explained that while Mordecai was investigating Greggs, they decided to go to Whitespire as Viktor thought that the barrier created by the towers might help the new gods with their condition. It, in fact, didn't do that and led to Myst having a mental breakdown and them dying in the process of helping an ancient god that party had neglected to mention was their friend.

Halfbie momentarily stopped their argument upon hearing that Myst was dead. The sadness of the news was soon overshadowed when it dawned on them that they should properly tell Cas and Seer. Mordecai suggested that they split up; one group should go and find Seer, and the other should find Cas. Halfbie pointed out that the Seer could probably be found in a pub, and Cas was probably going to bed soon, as it was getting late.

Mordecai rolled their eyes at the fact that one of the new gods was already an alcoholic. Mordecai and Halfbie decided to talk with Cas, while the other two found Seer. before leaving Mordecai asked if everything had been sorted with Chenris.

Halfbie shook their head in dismay, "No, and I'm losing... Stupid Chenris with stupid logic" Mordecai and Drache shared a knowing glance before the party split.

### Mordecai & Halfbie's POV
Mordecai and Halfbie quickly found Cas in their room with a guard who had deep under-eye bags, trying their best to get the child to go to sleep. Halfbie politely opened the door and greeted Cas, "Good evening, Cas, Bringer of Comedy, Destroyer of Worlds, Destroyer of Soup, Bringer of Perfect, Bringer of Ye Olde Pub Down The Road, Destroyer of Drinks, Destroyer of You Two, Destroyer of Croissants, Destroyer of Cough. I hope you're well this evening," finishing their greeting with a polite bow.

Mordecai rolled their eyes before giving Cas a regular greeting and friendly wave. Cas was beaming as they waved back, commenting on how much they liked Halfbie using their full title.

"how have you been, Cas, did you have a good afternoon?" asked Halfbie

"Cas has had a good afternoon. Cas has run around, Cas has seen Drache, Cas has seen Viktor"

"Ah you've hung out with Uncle Fuuldrusch and Uncle Malkovich, how fun!" Halfbie replied.

"Cas also stole uh some sweets from the kitchen, and Cas ate all the sweets. Cas did have a bad stomach, but Cas is okay now."

"Did Cas get caught?"

"Cas did get caught, but the guard very quickly forgot when I told him to", she said proudly.

"That's a mighty convenient ability", said Mordecai

Mordecai caught the guard's eye and looked exhausted. They mouthed that they do remember, but it's too much effort to fight them on this. Mordecai mouthed a thank you back to the guard as their conversation continued with Cas.

The room suddenly got quite heavy as Mordecai looked to Cas and explained that when Myst left with Drache and Viktor, they would not be coming home as they had 'moved somewhere else'. Cas looked confused, but they said they were happy Myst found somewhere nice to live.

Mordecai let out a sad exhale and asked Cas if they knew what they meant, and Cas nodded, explaining that they knew Myst no longer existed, just like how they would someday cease to exist. Mordecai asked how Cas felt.

Cas was initially confused by the question, stating that they were an 'Eldritch abomination' and were beyond everyone's comprehension. Mordecai explained that they wanted to check in, as this was often what people did when they knew someone had just received difficult news. Mordecai was shocked by Cas's reaction, saying that today had felt quite overwhelming and they wanted to go to bed.

It was now Mordecai's turn to be confused, as they were unsure why someone wouldn't want to think about the day and process everything they had done and learnt during it. They thought it was a foolish thing to reject reflecting on one's actions.

Mordecai was unable to answer Cas's questions. Seeing the weight on Mordecai's shoulders, Cas offered them a small half eaten sweet. Mordecai thanked them putting it in their pocket. Halfbie however ate their sweet thanking Cas for thinking of them.

Mordecai suggests a bedtime story; Cas is happy for them to do so, but they announce that they won't be listening and will instead go to bed.

Mordecai glances at Halfbie before taking a seat and opening their journal, which was more a collection of songs and poems Mordecai had been working on than any journal.

Mordecai got out their Lyre and began softly performing a song. The song retold the story of the party's adventures in Lost Haven and the Golden Fort. The song painted them in a very positive light, with the upbeat music contrasting with the sad, heartfelt lyrics. It was clear from the lyrics that the point of the song was to emphasise that the party, and especially halfbie, were not the villains.

Halfbie clearly understood the message before stating it was their turn. They held out their hands, palms facing down. Using minor illusion, Halfbie conjured a small stage and a collection of puppets modelled after The Party. The puppet show recounted a few of the highlights from their latest adventures. However, as the story went on, the strings controlling two of the puppets (Halfbie and Mordecai) grew thicker. The ones manipulating Halfbie began to glow slightly while Mordecai's turned red.

The puppet show ended, and Mordecai understood the message that Halfbie was trying to convey, but they refused to believe it, choosing their own understanding instead. They both sat in silence. Before Halfbie leaned forward, "Hey, could you undo my dress? I would normally but it's hard to control the mage hand without seeing what you want it to do"

"Of course, babe, turn around, and I'll undo the zipper for you."

Halfbie took off their cloak and turned so Mordecai could help. With the zipper lowered, they quickly grabbed their robe, uncovering Terence's name tag, and hurried back to their room. Mordecai paused for a moment, wondering if it was worth asking why halfbie was in a dress and Terence's robe, but decided that could come later.

Before going to bed, Halfbie prayed to anything that would listen that, when they awoke, there would be no more new writings on their walls.

### Drache & Viktor's POV
The two soon found themselves in the Ye Olde Pub down the road. Inside, the pub was quite sombre with only a couple of murmurs here and there. In one corner was Seer, whose head was buried in their hands, surrounded by numerous empty tankards. The two approached and roused Seer from their drunken slumber. Seer looks up and says, "If you've come to lecture I don't need it"

"I am a very smart man you see but i hate riddles", said Viktor

Viktor tried to have a look at the boy to see if there was anything wrong. There was definitely something wrong with Seer, but Viktor wasn't sure what the prognosis was, as it seemed to be much more magical in nature. As they spoke with Seer more, they came to realise that Seer wasn't speaking in riddles; they were missing every other word. Viktor assumed this might have something to do with the death of Myst, but they wouldn't know for sure until Halfbie could have a look.

They decided it would be best to take Seer back to the black tower, as their emotions were erratic, flitting from anger to sadness to helplessness to pain as they tried to explain that they did not want or need any help from The Party. Eventually, all three got back to the black tower, where they found Mordecai in their room, unable to sleep.

They filled Mordecai in on what was happening to the seer and said that it would be for the best to talk to Halfbie in the morning when they woke up. Mordecai suggested that they all go to bed or at least try not to wake up Halfbie, as they had had a very long day. Viktor looked at Seer before deciding that maybe this could wait and marched to Halfbie's room. They quickly opened the door to find Halfbie writing on the walls of their room in the dark. They slowly turned to face the door mid-sentence. Their stance immediately correct as Chenris greeted the doctor asking how they could help.

Viktor walked in, closed the door behind him, and sat on the edge of the bed. Chenris explained that sometimes he liked to mess with the boy.

"He keeps praying to those stupid gods to stop the writing from appearing. Although I am running out of... canvas, I rather enjoy writing things out in person."

"What do you even get out of tormenting halfbie?"

"Not much, but there's also not a huge amount to do while acting as a conscious thought without a body to use. So, this has quickly become my best source of amusement apart from just reading the books i had memorised before my passing"

"Couldn't you just ask halfbie to get you some new books?"

"I could... but Halfbie seems to dislike talking to me, especially after the events of today." Chenris said, completely unaware of the irony.

"Hmmm, anyway, I have a question for you, Lord Tallfellow"

"and what would that be Dr Malkovich?"

"What did Haldir want with the body? Now I know how things work with you. This is purely transactional; What can be given in exchange for this information?"

"I'm not sure there's much you can give me as a non-corporeal being apart from knowledge."

After a brief discussion, Viktor offered to give Chenris access to his scrying spell to spy on one person of his choosing. Chenris explained that his first choice would be Ebis Daro, but unfortunately, he had no idea whether that was the man's real name or if the face he knew was the correct one. Viktor asked if there were any accounts or books Chenris could use. Chenris explained there was a book he suspected was about him that he could rewrite for Viktor's use as an anchor. They agreed that this was fair and Chenris summoned his quill.

Unlike Halfbie's, Chenris's was a black raven's feather and appeared with a black and green flash in his hand. He began writing The Unbroken Coin - A Tale of Two Brothers

Once finished, he began explaining that Haldir wanted the body of the New God because it would be the only vessel strong enough to contain his magical powers. In terms of magic, he is second only to the powers of the dragons. The reason he needs to keep existing is that he is responsible for maintaining the global portal network, which is vital for many people and factions to operate and remain in existence. Without it, many places would collapse. Additionally, Chenris explained that without Haldir, there would be no one to operate the complex magics of Strixhaven and to protect the tower housed there.

Viktor thanked Chenris for their information, but was confused about how a tower could exist on an island that was not anchored to one place. Chenris admitted that he had no idea, but he knew that one definitely existed there.

Chenris then handed Viktor the book while the doctor prepared the spell. And after confirming that this book was all they had, he began casting. The spell found its mark after a short search; however, Ebis Daro flicked his head in the direction of Blackwall and returned the spell with a piercing glare that Viktor felt in his bones. Viktor's face suddenly went even more pale as his intuition was screaming that something was dreadfully wrong.

Viktor ran to the door and threw it open in a panic; Chenris chased after, asking what had happened. Viktor turned in a panic saying that Chenris had to wake up Halfbie.

"You want me to wake up Gi- the boy?!" questioned Chenris.

Viktor explained that the spell worked, but he now had an incredibly bad feeling that something was going to go wrong. Chenris nodded knowingly but did not transfer control; instead, he grabbed a cloak from the room and dramatically threw it on. The Arithmancy etched into it glowed for a moment as his cloak of billowing activated, recognising its master.

"Dr Malkovich, where do you suppose we are going?" he asked.

The two joined the rest of The Party as Viktor hurriedly explained what had happened. All of them gave him disapproving looks, but before they could say anything, the warning bell began ringing out from the centre of town.

"Okay, okay. So we're currently about to be under attack by the thing that absolutely thoroughly fucked us last time and also has the firesoul greatsword." exclaimed Mordecai.

"Ah i did not know that. it has been truly nice knowing you all. I don't think I can cheat death for a third time."

In Mordecai's head, Seifer spoke up, "Have a bad feeling about this..."

"Ah, okay, great. And do you want to reiterate what the bad feeling is, or is it just a bad feeling?"

"How much do you know about The Sundering?"

"Um, a decent amount. I've read a book well; I listened to Chenris talk about a book. I was only half listening."

"You know the army we had? the Ash Spawn Army" Mordecai nodded. "I think they're on their way."

Mordecai relayed this information to the The Party. Chenris asked if the army had any weaknesses that they could exploit, but unfortunately she didn't think there were. And looking out the window, there were quite a few gathering outside, along with a huge, hulking behemoth of a monster that could only be an aspect of Ebis Daro. The city guards were already jumping into action as the ground beneath them shook violently, as the aspect marched closer.

The party began preparing for a fight even though they knew that their main healer hadn't fully recovered from his attempt to interrogate Chenris (Session 63). Chenris made his way to the council chambers to find Kase, who was already poring over maps and organising the troops to defend the city. Chenris marched over to the maps and quickly pointed out better troop positions and defensive lines based on research during the war for the OFC's freedom. At first, Kase was taken aback at the normally irresponsible Halfbie taking charge and showing incredibly tactical brilliance, but he knew better than to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Once the troops had been better mobilised Chenris joined the others as they quickly made their way through the town for the fight. Many of the citizens had already been evacuated to the tunnels beneath. While the others prepared by casting spells and honing weapons, Chenris looked to some nearby construction materials that were meant for repairs and cast Fabricate on them to create a trebuchet. He then ordered nearby guards to operate the trebuchet to support The Party and to take out as many of the Ash spawn as possible.

With all of their preparations made, they faced the aspect, took a deep breath, and charged forward.

Trivia & Notes

• Sam Gallon managed to actually work out the average D&D damage of the trebuchet by finding a reference for 9ft on online that said it would be able throw a 90kg mass 150ft long with 300ft arc. They then used the fall damage rules (1D6/10ft) to say that each shot would deal 15D6 bludgeoning damage.