The Vengeful Notes 2026-07-04

Luana, Dreams, and Faltir

Luana Victorique Dubreuil

• Luana Victorique Dubreuil joins the operation as reinforcement.
  • She was one of the Gerta Moon girls.
  • Almost no one outside a trusted circle knows she is tied to Legally Bare as Cinna Moan.
  • Legally Bare is becoming known in Apgar and Senera.
• Luana is a warlock of Mami, Queen Duarend.
  • Queen Duarend was formerly Queen of Spring in the Feywild.
  • She is now Queen of Dreams.
  • The Rozenmaiden previously freed her from an apparently eternal slumber.
  • Queen Duarend has followers on Thera.
• Known dream followers include:
  • Luana as Fairer than a Fairy.
  • Daniel Bouillard as the Paper Knight.
  • Ines Lanessiana Cicero as Princess Lavinia.
• Dream followers help people confront nightmares, fears, dreads, and possibly inner desires.

Arrival Through Castle Malthrek

• Luana arrives through tunnels beneath Castle Malthrek.
  • Hickland for Hicks allies are hiding there while aiding the party.
  • She meets Kelthyr Kulok and the others as reinforcement.
• Luana is surprised that Lime previously used her likeness for a fey spirit.
  • This refers back to the Luana-like young fey spirit from 2026-06-21, not a table-facing disguise reference.
• In dream state, Luana appears as a younger version of herself.
  • This seems tied to the time when she was last close with Benoit Marconne.

Essence of Dream

• Luana has access to Essence of Dream.
  • Dream Brew may describe a prepared use of this substance.
  • Essence of Sleep and Elixir of Dreams are descriptive drift in this context.
  • Essence of Dream remains distinct from Essence of Nymph and Oil of Sleep.
• Working limits:
  • One use takes about one downtime day to brew.
  • Luana can carry or use up to ten uses before replenishing.
  • Full replenishment would take about ten downtime days.
  • The effect can put a target to sleep for up to three days.
  • Once it takes effect, the minimum sleep appears to be about one day.
• Waking and protection:
  • A saving throw occurs when someone tries to wake the target.
  • Dispel MagicDispel MagicLevel 3 · Abjuration1 action · 120 ft. · InstantaneousV, SChoose one creature, object, or magical effect within range. Any spell of 3rd level or lower on the target ends. For each spell of 4th level or higher on the target, make an ability check using your spellcasting ability. The DC equals 10 + the spell's level. On a successful check, the spell ends. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, you automatically end the effects of a spell on the target if the spell's level is equal to or less than the level of the spell slot you used. can end the effect or allow waking.
  • Sleep immunity or sleep protection matters.
  • Treat the effect as sleep-related, not charm-related.
• Queen Duarend has instructed Luana to acquire dream boons.

Astral State

• Kelthyr sees Luana enter a dream-state or astral-projection form when she sleeps.
  • The projection is currently limited to once per day.
  • It may be replenished by a resource or item heard unclearly.
  • The exact mechanism remains unresolved.
• Luana gives Kelthyr instructions so he can direct her astral self while her body sleeps.

Wheelbarrow Inn Operation

• Kelthyr uses Luana’s instructions and a censer to vaporize the dream substance.
  • Targets are Fruit Merchants, Reformists, or their associates at the Wheelbarrow Inn.
  • The operation puts them to sleep and delays them.
• Kelthyr asks Mondrian to manage the sleeping Reformists without waking them.

Faltir, Podron, and the Submarine

Garvind and Alden

• The party travels to Garvind.
  • It is a larger mining community than the previous stop.
  • Alden, owner of Alden’s Smithy and Wheelworks, is the Hicklander contact.
• Alden expected action against Duke and Duchess Malthrek.
  • He assumed the goal was overthrow or execution rather than rescue.
• Equus Rex quietly gnaws through harnesses tying two horses to a carriage yoke.
  • The horses are freed.

Faltir and Agnes

• Faltir is a prosperous walled salt town in the mountains and the seat of Ranlis County.
  • Salt abundance is visible in local food culture.
• Agnes is Kelthyr’s Faltir contact.
  • She is feeding miners thin slop when Kelthyr and Luana arrive.
  • Miners are overworked and offered overtime for more salt.
  • Workers are paid in kind with salt rather than proper coin.
  • To buy anything else, they must sell the salt and pay a 7% salt tax.
  • Local nobles are trying to raise the tax to 10%.
• Northcross-labeled fruits and vegetables are being fed to the miners.
  • Agnes remains mentally sharp.
  • The party suspects her extremely salty preparation may suppress or neutralize parasite eggs.
  • The brining theory is promising but unconfirmed.
  • Reformists remain active in Faltir, so the method may be incomplete or inconsistently used.

Faltir Magic Vendor

• Kelthyr brings Luana to a black-market or semi-legal magic vendor.
• Luana obtains:
  • Bag of Holding.
  • Variable Cock Sheath.
  • Wingwear Glider.
  • +2 crossbow.
  • Two regular potions of healing.
• Luana barters with signed collector copies of Night Shift Nurses and Legally Bare.
  • Complete signatures make the copies valuable.
  • The valuable missing signature may belong to Lollia Skala, also known as Beloved Nurse Lollia.
• Jason McNatt is one of the Dubreuil family lawyers.
  • He has some authority over access to the family fortune, but not necessarily over Luana’s personally earned wealth.
  • He was partly a guardian figure for Luana and later became her first DM.

Comtesse Aveline Ranlis

• Count Godwin Ranlis leaves Faltir with a guard or military escort.
  • He heads toward Castle Malthrek for the first funeral or mourning rites.
  • The rites concern the supposedly dead Duchess and the Duke’s two sons.
• Comtesse Aveline Ranlis remains in Faltir.
  • She is known for a terrible temperament.
  • Luana suggests capturing her may help clear Faltir before returning to Castle Malthrek.
• The party finds Aveline in the Faltir fortress dungeon.
  • The cells face inward toward the fortress.
  • The prisoner side opens onto a drop toward jagged rocks and likely the Havmals Ocean.
  • Prisoners were taken for resistance ranging from minor complaint to active opposition.

Podron

• On the lower level, Aveline torments a pale, haggard man and forces him to transform.
  • While hidden, the party sees him take Count Godwin Ranlis’s face.
  • The prisoner is the changeling Podron.
• Podron has frostbite, exhaustion, and an implanted parasite.
  • The party helps him and promises to remove the parasite.
  • He fears returning home may lead enemies to the shapeshifter sanctuary in Senera.
  • He agrees to try meeting some of the party’s associates.
• Podron impersonates Aveline.
  • He is uncomfortable shapeshifting into a woman.
  • His male anatomy remains present while he takes her appearance.
  • The performance is convincing enough that Faltir staff accept him as their matron.

Faltir Sleep Operation

• With Podron impersonating Aveline, the party puts remaining Faltir guards and staff to sleep.
  • Essence of Dream is used.
  • Luana forgets she is not immune to the effect.
  • The operation is sleep-related, not charm-related.
• The party extracts Aveline.
  • They dress her for transport in a comparatively restrained noble outfit from her wardrobe.
  • She is carried out and placed on a horse until better transport can be arranged.
  • A large force is present outside, possibly as large as or larger than the soldiers sent toward Castle Malthrek.

Submarine and Black Powder

• Reformists in Faltir are transmuting salt into black powder.
  • The powder is thrown into the water from the fortress.
  • A strange underwater vessel collects it.
• The vessel carries bags of black powder and a route map toward Maiden’s Field.
  • Rannek forces and local Hicklanders are still fighting there.
  • The party suspects a false-flag operation involving Hicklanders, Reformists, or both.
• The source and ownership of the vessel remain unresolved.
  • It may be Reformist-built, Fruit Merchant-linked, captured, or repurposed.
  • The salt-to-black-powder logic remains unclear because salt is locally valuable.
• Emily recognizes the submarine concept from Flyukishilla and Feywild knowledge.
  • She compares it to more advanced Day Court technology.
  • Feywild vessels may use elementals.
  • This one seems to rely on a small enhancer orb or possible Orb of Enhancement.
  • Possible spell-linked effects include GustGustCantrip · Transmutation1 action · 30 ft. · InstantaneousV, SYou seize the air and compel it to create one of the following effects at a point you can see within range: One Medium or smaller creature that you choose must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be pushed up to 5 feet away from you. You create a small blast of air capable of moving one object that is neither held nor carried and that weighs no more than 5 pounds. The object is pushed up to 10 feet away from you. It isn't pushed with enough force to cause damage. You create a harmless sensory effect using air, such as causing leaves to rustle, wind to slam shutters closed, or your clothing to ripple in a breeze., Gust of WindGust of WindLevel 2 · Evocation1 action · 60 ft. · 1 minuteV, S, M (a legume seed)A line of strong wind 60 feet long and 10 feet wide blasts from you in a direction you choose for the spell's duration. Each creature that starts its turn in the line must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be pushed 15 feet away from you in a direction following the line. Any creature in the line must spend 2 feet of movement for every 1 foot it moves when moving closer to you. The gust disperses gas or vapor, and it extinguishes candles, torches, and similar unprotected flames in the area. It causes protected flames, such as those of lanterns, to dance wildly and has a 50 chance to extinguish them. As a bonus action on each of your turns before the spell ends, you can change the direction in which the line blasts from you., and Create or Destroy WaterCreate or Destroy WaterLevel 1 · Transmutation1 action · 30 ft. · InstantaneousV, S, M (a drop of water if creating water or a few grains of sand if destroying it)You either create or destroy water. You create up to 10 gallons of clean water within range in an open container. Alternatively, the water falls as rain in a 30-foot cube within range, extinguishing exposed flames in the area. You destroy up to 10 gallons of water in an open container within range. Alternatively, you destroy fog in a 30-foot cube within range. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, you create or destroy 10 additional gallons of water, or the size of the cube increases by 5 feet, for each slot level above 1st..
• A charged magical scroll that is blank can be used as soon as a spell is written into it.
  • Copying a spell into such a scroll usually takes one hour per spell level.
  • This explains the blank-scroll and spell-copying discussion around adapting or handling the submarine.
• The group considers parking the submarine somewhere close and tethering it.
• Luana restrains or covers the surfaced vessel with seaweed.
• Kelthyr shrinks the vessel with a low-level shrinking spell.
  • The small vessel fits into the Bag of Holding.
  • The group returns upward from unstable rocks using the Carpet of Flying.

Castle Servant Cover

Castle Timing

• The morning operation is tied to the first meal and mourning proceedings.
• Emily Hazeldine and Mark Malthrek are likely in Mark’s room waiting for the event.
• Emily’s cupbearer cover may be less necessary.
  • Father Dunweather is expected to tell Lady Maribel Veyne that Emily is not who he first believed.
  • Emily is falsely attributed the Greater Archon position.
• John and Rebecca are at headquarters.
  • John coordinates Hicklander refugees, combatants, and other groups.
  • John and Lord Boyle Eastonton are treated as the main people present with military command experience.
• Miya and Lord Boyle plan to search other possible reinforcement routes.
  • Kelthyr and Luana have pursued another direction.

Servant Infiltration

• Mark Malthrek, Lime Schulze, and Justin Pasteur work under servant cover.
• Justin and Lime wait for Mondrian to introduce them into the servant situation.
  • Mondrian is Kelthyr’s Hickland for Hicks contact in the Gralter cell.
  • Lime tells Mondrian the attack is planned for that day.
  • The group is waiting for Emily’s signal or timing.
  • The signal would be some kind of visual magical effect indicating that Guards and WardsGuards and WardsLevel 6 · Abjuration10 minute · Touch · 24 hourV, S, MYou create a ward that protects up to 2,500 square feet of floor space (an area 50 feet square, or one hundred 5-foot squares or twenty-five 10-foot squares). The warded area can be up to 20 feet tall, and shaped as you desire. You can ward several stories of a stronghold by dividing the area among them, as long as you can walk into each contiguous area while you are casting the spell. When you cast this spell, you can specify individuals that are unaffected by any or all of the effects that you choose. You can also specify a password that, when spoken aloud, makes the speaker immune to these effects. Guards and wards creates the following effects within the warded area. Fog fills all the warded corridors, making them Vision and Light. In addition, at each intersection or branching passage offering a choice of direction, there is a 50 chance that a creature other than you will believe it is going in the opposite direction from the one it chooses. All doors in the warded area are magically locked, as if sealed by an arcane lock spell. In addition, you can cover up to ten doors with an illusion (equivalent to the illusory object function of the minor illusion spell) to make them app… is active and the Reformists are contained.
• Mondrian moves them ahead in the servant line as a personal favor.
  • He says he needs to return to the kitchens.
  • The favor is to be kept quiet.

Valerian Draught

• Lime asks whether lower-ranking enemies can be made to sleep.
• Mondrian has herbs but says they are not potent enough.
• Lime uses her labeled seed binder and identifies valerian root.
  • Valerian is valuable and difficult to source locally.
  • It normally requires special order from Maiden’s Field.
  • Lime explains her access through Apgar and pirate connections.
• Lime grows the plant in the cellar because it must be grown in darkness.
  • The plant is beautiful, pink, and dandelion-like.
  • Other plant names remain provisional.
• Lime uses a Feywild-derived, matchbox-sized herbalism toolkit.
  • Magic-assisted preparation concentrates or distills the root.
  • Her result produces a potent preparation in one flask with a dropper.
• The draught is nonmagical herbal or alchemical work.
  • Magical defenses may not help against it.
  • Lime warns it is not habit-forming and can be safe.
  • The concentration might kill someone.
  • Mondrian is told to use gloves.
• The draught is mixed into drinks prepared for service.
  • Allies are warned not to drink them.
  • Antitoxins are considered or distributed.
  • Natural sleep resistance may matter.

Lime and the Staffer

• Lime frames herself as a druid who communes more with the moon than with general nature.
  • Mondrian says this is somewhat like Circle of the Moon.
  • Lime agrees only loosely.
• Lime later speaks telepathically with a castle staff or recruitment figure.
  • She reveals she is a hag.
  • She says she is not Reformist, not one of the Bearers, and is working with the Crown.
• The staffer fears this may be a test by Reformists, Bearers, or Crispin’s puppets.
  • Privately, the staffer claims loyalty to the duke and to the staff being forced under Reformist control.
• Lime reveals:
  • The Crown is moving to retake Castle Malthrek.
  • Duke Ellington is with them.
  • Duchess Antoinette, Luke, Mark, and John are alive.
  • Matthew is safe.
• Saral, the Castle Malthrek Chief of Staff, agrees to help identify Reformist and non-Reformist servants.
  • Marston is reportedly fine.
  • Most kitchen staff are likely fine.
  • Rendor seemed strange but has already been cleared.
  • Selby may be able to help.

Waiting-Room Security

• A magical presence is sensed through Arcana-like awareness.
  • This is not an active spell.
• An enhancer orb is detected in the separate waiting room.
  • It is disguised as part of a miniature house or display.
  • The display has a strange purple-black sun motif.
• A visible Ward of Magic Detection by the door resembles wards the party has already seen.
  • It acts like a Detect MagicDetect MagicLevel 1 · Divination1 action · Self · 10 minuteV, SFor the duration, you sense the presence of magic within 30 feet of you. If you sense magic in this way, you can use your action to see a faint aura around any visible creature or object in the area that bears magic, and you learn its school of magic, if any. The spell can penetrate most barriers, but it is blocked by 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 3 feet of wood or dirt. effect and normally needs to be recharged with a 3rd-level spell once per day.
  • The nearby enhancer orb negates the daily charge requirement by condensing raw magical energy in the area and providing the charge.
• Luana identifies an orb and enhancer orb in the purple display.
• The group confirms the Orb of Absorption is present and available.
  • Their plan is to get outside the door and disable or neutralize the orbs and wards when action begins.
• The room is spotless and has no rats.
  • Small insects such as wood lice and cockroaches may be useful for scouting.

Marad and Elizabeth

• A male assistant arrives to call the next person.
  • His name is Marad.
  • He is a servant in Castle Malthrek, but not part of the original household staff.
  • He was probably added to the roster during the depths of Duke Ellington and Duchess Antoinette’s corruption.
  • He is parasitized and is a full low-level devout Reformist.
  • He is also generally creepy.
• He says Elizabeth is next.
  • Lime continues using Elizabeth as her alias.
  • This is funny because Elizabeth is also Lime’s birth name.
  • Elizabeth acts nervous and asks whether Marad has alcohol.
  • Marad offers a waterskin.
  • Elizabeth suggests they could have more fun after the interview.
  • Marad extends the invitation to Elizabeth and her companion.
• Elizabeth implies the companion is her brother and makes the lie obvious.
  • A Deception or Performance check is requested.

Servant Network, Luana, and the Road Group

Lime’s Elizabeth Cover

• Lime as Elizabeth continues the Castle Malthrek servant-cover interview.
  • Her story is that Bert is recovering from a heart attack.
  • She is pregnant and needs work.
  • She pushes for guest-facing food service rather than cleaning.
  • She claims prior noble-house experience in Senera.
• The interviewer accepts her usefulness.
  • She is put to work before guests arrive.
  • Marad escorts her toward the dressing area.
  • Uniforms wait for Elizabeth and Paul.
  • Elizabeth’s uniform resembles Selby’s.

Screening and Risk

• A nearby man is quietly checked for Reformist or magical compromise.
  • He does not give off the same wrongness as earlier compromised targets.
  • No piercing is apparent unless concealed.
• The staffer warns against accepting more applicants.
  • Reformists may be posing as servant candidates.
  • Applicants approved by Marad are dangerous because Marad is parasitized and Reformist.
  • Applicants approved by Marston remain uncertain.
• Lime proposes delaying suspicious applicants with hag-style maledictions.
  • Marad and Marston should remain distinct unless later evidence merges them.

Equipment and Changing Area

• Lime identifies a Ward of Magic Detection near or outside the staffer’s office area.
  • An enhancer orb is nearby.
  • The party has already disabled similar devices elsewhere.
• After Marad stops following, Lime finds the locker or changing area.
  • It sits at the end of the hallway.
  • It connects to an office or small residence.
  • Clotheslines and servant clothing in multiple sizes are present.
  • There is a closable door but no separate men’s or women’s changing spaces.
• Luana and Justin change quietly.
  • Their personal clothes are stored in a Bag of Holding.

Luana, Justin, and the Curse

• While changing, Luana asks Justin to promise to keep her and her children safe.
  • Justin promises even at the cost of his life.
  • Luana rejects the idea of him dying and leaving her to raise the children alone.
• They discuss Minfilia’s warning about Justin’s curse.
  • If Justin dies, the curse may pass to next of kin.
  • Pregnancy, death, resurrection, next-of-kin transfer, and undead return all remain dangerous unknowns.
  • Luana and Justin treat the risk as unacceptable.
• Luana and Justin both say they do not regret their intimacy or the pregnancy.

Items and Tokens

• Elizabeth places a coin or coin-like object in the interviewer’s hand.
  • Nail-clipping-like material may be attached.
  • Its function remains unresolved.
• Luana has Oil of Sleep and Essence of Dream.
• A Love Beat is still being worn.
  • Kelthyr’s intimate ring is currently disabled, but still attached.
• Luana also has Dimensional Shackles.
  • They are useful for preventing teleporting enemies from escaping.

Road Group

• Luana, Kelthyr, Agnes, and allied Hicklanders ride quickly through Rannek toward Alden’s people.
  • Luana and Kelthyr ride Equus Rex.
  • The group moves at the pace of the other Hicklander riders.
• Many Hicklander peasants and salt miners now have horses despite limited riding experience.
  • The horses are unusually cooperative.
  • Equus Rex appears to rally, guide, or liberate them.
• The tactical goal is to stop or delay the Count and his forces.
  • The Count’s exact identity remains Count Godwin Ranlis by current notes.
  • Dimensional Shackles are considered but risky because the Count is much larger than Kelthyr.
  • Greater RestorationGreater RestorationLevel 5 · Abjuration1 action · Touch · InstantaneousV, S, MYou imbue a creature you touch with positive energy to undo a debilitating effect. You can reduce the target's exhaustion level by one, or end one of the following effects on the target: One effect that charmed or petrified the target One curse, including the target's attunement to a cursed magic item Any reduction to one of the target's ability scores One effect reducing the target's hit point maximum is mentioned, but its tactical role is unsettled.

Maerwen Hook

• Kelthyr describes himself as coordinator for the Malthrek-area group, not its formal leader.
• Luana plans to accompany Kelthyr when he visits Maerwen Lunartear after the Malthrek and Rannek crises.
  • Maerwen is the Legally Bare charm-maker contributor.
• Kelthyr has sent Maerwen a SendingSendingLevel 3 · Evocation1 action · Unlimited · 1 roundV, S, M (a short piece of fine copper wire)You send a short message of twenty-five words or less to a creature with which you are familiar. The creature hears the message in its mind, recognizes you as the sender if it knows you, and can answer in a like manner immediately. The spell enables creatures with Intelligence scores of at least 1 to understand the meaning of your message. You can send the message across any distance and even to other planes of existence, but if the target is on a different plane than you, there is a 5 chance that the message doesn't arrive. saying he intends to visit.
  • She has not replied.
  • Communication remains unreliable.
  • Physical letters, papers, and gifts are considered.

Dimensional Shackles and Roadside Interception

Dimensional Shackles

• Dimensional Shackles are Sentimental Island magical restraints.
  • They can be linked to a hidden or invisible worn object.
  • Known or likely holders include Sterling, Emily, Luana, and Fina.
• Effects appear to block:
  • Planar departure or return.
  • Shapeshifting.
• They still allow normal travel and spellcasting.
• Escape is extremely difficult.
  • A DC 30 Athletics check is mentioned.
• Fina previously wore one after Alonzo sentenced her for a sacrificial attempt involving a dead doppelganger.
  • The Archfey could not interfere with the sentence.
  • Fina is now in Senera, no longer shackled, and can shapeshift again.

Fina and Changelings

• Fina is a changeling.
  • Cotto knows this.
  • Hedwig and most others may still know her only as an elf.
  • Tiphanie may now know.
• Fina has no stable alternate persona beyond Fina.
  • Her shapeshifting is mostly imitation.
  • Her pregnancy remains visible across assumed forms.
• Fina no longer remembers people in the Feywild.
  • Alonzo remembers because of a deal requiring absolute memory.
  • Headmaster memory protection may help them resist Archfey manipulation.
• In Feywild framing, doppelgangers are treated as absolute evil monstrosities.
  • Jing Shen Jiang is a place where some doppelgangers were raised differently.
  • Sterling, also a changeling, was welcomed there.

Interception Plan

• The group decides against a direct attack.
  • They plan misdirection and delay.
• Enemy forces wear Ranlis colors and sigils.
  • The party also has Ranlis colors.
  • They consider changing colors or sigils to appear connected to Duke Malthrek, Castle Malthrek, Vessel Malford, or Reformists.
• The plan:
  • Ride ahead.
  • Circle back.
  • Approach from another direction.
  • Delay the force.
  • Keep civilians away.
  • Let allied riders encircle the host.
• Agnes, Alden, and a few others may stay with the main disguised group while others form the encirclement.

Duke Malthrek Disguise

• Alden, Agnes, and Podron join a small-circle planning discussion.
• Podron can copy Duke Ellington Malthrek only if he has a face to copy.
• Luana remembers a painting of Duke Malthrek in the mansion.
  • She succeeds on an Intelligence check to remember his appearance.
• Luana summons a fey spirit as a visual model.
  • The spirit first echoes an earlier Ines disguise precedent.
  • It then takes a larger armored Duke-like form.
• Podron’s own shifting tunic was taken by Mother before his imprisonment.
  • The group intends to recover it.
• Luana lends Podron her small elven-styled glamoured studded leather armor.
  • She changes into a white off-shoulder summer dress.
  • She casts Mage ArmorMage ArmorLevel 1 · Abjuration1 action · Touch · 8 hourV, S, M (a piece of cured leather)You touch a willing creature who isn't wearing armor, and a protective magical force surrounds it until the spell ends. The target's base AC becomes 13 + its Dexterity modifier. The spell ends if the target dons armor or if you dismiss the spell as an action. on herself.

Leadership and Stakes

• Kelthyr is anxious because others’ lives now depend on the plan.
  • He sees himself as coordinator rather than leader.
• Luana tells him people follow him because he values their lives.
  • The comparison to Lady Hedwig frames leadership as moral trust.
• The party opposes Reformists because their parasites and mind flayer threat treat others as expendable.
  • Parasites may bloom into mind flayers.
  • Emerging mind flayers see themselves as superior.
• Salt brine may neutralize parasite eggs in vegetables.
  • The theory that Reformists convert salt into black powder to reduce salt supplies remains unconfirmed.
• The Count is the priority target.
  • He must be kept alive and incapacitated, not killed.
  • Killing parasite hosts may alert the parasite network.
  • Removed parasites may explain why enemies believe Antoinette, Mark, and Luke are dead.

Ranlis Procession

• Podron disguises himself as Duke Ellington Malthrek.
  • Luana coaches him to be practical, quiet, stoic, grim, and self-assured.
• The mounted group sees Count Godwin Ranlis’s procession ahead.
  • A figure near the front scatters salt from an oversized bag, possibly a Bag of Holding.
  • Salt is already visible on the road.
• Podron challenges the host in Duke Malthrek’s guise.
  • Guards genuflect.
  • Count Godwin Ranlis and two companions dismount and bow.
  • Later context suggests the companions are lower-ranking Dark Archons, though that is not yet obvious at this point.
  • Count Godwin hides surprise at seeing Duke Malthrek away from Castle Malthrek.

Reformist Countersign

• Podron says there is a situation.
  • Count Godwin asks whether to speak openly or inside the carriage.
  • Podron silently indicates that Kelthyr and Luana may speak on his behalf.
• Luana uses noble etiquette and suggests someone in Ranlis’s party sent word.
• Luana changes appearance with Alter SelfAlter SelfLevel 2 · Transmutation1 action · Self · 1 hourV, SYou assume a different form. When you cast the spell, choose one of the following options, the effects of which last for the duration of the spell. While the spell lasts, you can end one option as an action to gain the benefits of a different one. You adapt your body to an aquatic environment, sprouting gills and growing webbing between your fingers. You can breathe underwater and gain a swimming speed equal to your walking speed. You transform your appearance. You decide what you look like, including your height, weight, facial features, sound of your voice, hair length, coloration, and distinguishing characteristics, if any. You can make yourself appear as a member of another race, though none of your statistics change. You also can't appear as a creature of a different size than you, and your basic shape stays the same; if you're bipedal, you can't use this spell to become quadrupedal, for instance. At any time for the duration of the spell, you can use your action to change your appearance in this way again. You grow claws, fangs, spines, horns, or a different natural weapon of your choice. Your unarmed strikes deal 1d6 bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage, as appropriate… or a similar effect.
  • Black hair with bangs.
  • White off-shoulder dress.
  • Visible yellow eyes.
• Luana approaches Carissa, a druid and Court Wizard in the Ranlis household, and gives a Reformist countersign.
  • The code involves Windham Castle and a drink that sears the throat.
  • The exact countersign needs confirmation.
• Carissa recognizes the code.
  • She is told, “You’re the woman.”
  • Later context suggests Carissa is a Reformist Dark Archon of lower rank than the authority Luana is gambling on being taken for.

Ascended Authority and Captives

Private Exchange

• Luana gambles that Carissa is a ranked Reformist and speaks as if Comtesse Aveline Ranlis is her “pet.”
  • The exchange points back to Aveline’s handling of captive Podron in the Faltir dungeon.
  • The garbled lines around someone being captured, changed, and made fit for Reformist purposes likely refer to Podron.
• Carissa casts or initiates a privacy effect described as a cone of silence.
  • The exact spell is unconfirmed.
• In private, Luana says she does not work for the Duke.
  • Carissa accepts this answer.
  • The statement supports Luana’s bluff that she is not merely Duke Malthrek’s agent.

Ascension

• Luana explains Reformist Ascension as becoming angels.
  • She says she does not presume herself worthy.
  • She only wishes to be.
• Count Godwin is confused.
  • Others around him are solemn and appear to understand her status.
• Luana orders Count Godwin to get out.
  • Count Godwin and his people treat her as ascended and doctrinally superior.
  • No magic is detected compelling obedience.
  • The authority appears social or doctrinal.

Punishment

• Luana rebukes Count Godwin for employing retainers with weak faith.
  • Count Godwin says they are young or fledgling in faith.
  • He admits he failed to instruct them properly.
• She takes an acorn from her bag.
  • She orders Count Godwin to open his mouth.
  • She places the acorn inside.
  • She orders him to keep his mouth open and remove his armor.
• She orders one person to cut off a hesitant retainer’s head.
  • The soldier hesitates.
  • Count Godwin reinforces the woman’s ascended authority.
  • The attempted beheading is painful and poorly placed.
  • The target cowers and tries to surrender before the woman stops it.
• A player uses DruidcraftDruidcraftCantrip · Transmutation1 action · 30 ft. · InstantaneousV, SWhispering to the spirits of nature, you create one of the following effects within range: You create a tiny, harmless sensory effect that predicts what the weather will be at your location for the next 24 hours. The effect might manifest as a golden orb for clear skies, a cloud for rain, falling snowflakes for snow, and so on. This effect persists for 1 round. You instantly make a flower blossom, a seed pod open, or a leaf bud bloom. You create an instantaneous, harmless sensory effect, such as falling leaves, a puff of wind, the sound of a small animal, or the faint odor of skunk. The effect must fit in a 5-foot cube. You instantly light or snuff out a candle, a torch, or a small campfire. on the acorn in Count Godwin’s mouth.
  • Roots or sapling-like growth push through him.
  • Count Godwin is harmed but not killed.

Salt and Pomona

• Luana objects to salt-scattering as wasteful.
  • Salt is precious to people who cannot afford such resources.
• Pomona is invoked as someone who might punish wastefulness.
  • Pomona is the Kalassarian/Apgarian goddess of nature.

Carissa and Submission

• A subordinate or witness pleads to the authority as Mistress.
  • She argues Ranlis is unworthy of the blessing.
  • The crowd reads the plea as submissive devotion rather than defiance.
• Carissa claims responsibility as the ranking person present.
  • She says Ranlis is flawed but did not know the changeling had escaped.
• Luana, still very convincing in her assumed authority, humiliates Carissa over whether Ranlis matters to her.
  • Control language around Ranlis, Aveline, and possession remains unclear.
  • Do not settle who is “mine” without confirmation.

Castle Malthrek Warning

• Carissa warns the authority to be careful entering Castle Malthrek.
  • Watchers or Whispers are observing everyone.
  • The exact term remains uncertain.
• The authority or addressee may be called Mistress of the Way.
  • The title remains uncertain.
• Carissa may be feeding useful information, bait, or a confidence-building warning.

Reformist Hierarchy

• Reformist speakers discuss:
  • Prepared plans at Castle Malthrek.
  • Other Archons.
  • A possible larger hierarchy including Greater Archons.
• Father Karam Dunweather is not currently the local bishop.
  • He is the local Reformist priest.
  • This scene only suggests he may be considered for future leadership beyond that role.
  • Dunweather is manipulative and capable.
  • His weakness may be strategic or reversible.
• Garward Eastonton is floated as an alternative some might support.
  • A speaker questions his ambition and commitment.
• The Bearer of the Cup dances to their tune.
  • This likely points to Lady Maribel Veyne or the Cupbearer thread.
• Crispin Mallow and likely Oren Bell are expected to provide entertainment.

Ritual and Intervention

• Luana frames the moment as public Reformist faith before the faithless.
• Followers are ordered to strip worldly protections, kneel, and prove faith.
  • Scourging, salt, pain, humiliation, and obedience are central.
  • A magical salt bag or container is used.
  • Participants kneel on salt and self-flagellate with nine-tailed whips.
• Newer adherents are pierced, crying, or overwhelmed.
  • Experienced adherents seem accustomed to the pain.
• While Reformists are absorbed in ritual ecstasy, the party and allies close the circle.
  • An allied woman delivers a sleep-inducing substance with exceptional Sleight of Hand.
  • Observers misread the action as magic or ritual performance.
  • Captives are bound, gagged, pinned, shackled, and knocked unconscious.
• The exact sleep delivery method remains unsettled.
  • Do not fix it as a specific oil, potion, weapon coating, or bottle count.

Captives and Gift

• Count Godwin is bagged and loaded into the procession carriage.
• Bound captives are taken quickly toward Castle Malthrek.
  • They are expected to remain unconscious for roughly three days.
  • The line about “that woman” having Dimensional Shackles refers to Carissa.
  • Luana put the Dimensional Shackles on Carissa.
  • Mondrian helps manage encirclement and transport.
  • Wheelbarrow captives are also to be hauled back.
• An orb is present in or near the carriage.
• A wrapped magical present contains Podron’s shifting tunic.
  • The letter says it was taken from one that shifts as the cloth does.
  • The party interprets the present as evidence Reformists intended to give Podron himself as a gift.
  • The intended recipient remains unclear.

Miya, Boyle, Henson, and the Hag Road

Eastward Road

• Miya and Lord Boyle Eastonton travel eastward with Henson the Golem.
  • Their road is more eastward than Luana and Kelthyr’s northwestern coastal path near Faltir.
  • Henson moves out of sight beside the road when told.
  • The route runs near the opposite cliffside of the mountain range.
• Morning mist lifts as they travel.
  • After about an hour and a half, Miya wants to stop because riding is uncomfortable.
  • They see no settlements or Teleportation Circle.
  • They continue a little farther to find a less precarious stopping place.

Eastonton Plan

• Minfilia wants the captive group brought to Castle Malthrek.
  • From there she can teleport them to Eastonton.
  • Eastonton has “something special,” but the mechanism remains unclear.
• Mondrian agrees to load roughly thirty people onto carriages.
• Noble targets headed toward Castle Malthrek include:
  • Viscount Leighman.
  • Earl Barkres.
  • Count Godwin Ranlis.
  • Viscount Monserrat.

Mandra

• Miya calls an eagle using an animal-calling method.
  • The ability name remains uncertain.
  • The eagle accepts dried meat and later a dried snake.
  • Miya speaks with it using Speak with AnimalsSpeak with AnimalsLevel 1 · Divination1 action · Self · 10 minuteV, SYou gain the ability to comprehend and verbally communicate with beasts for the duration. The knowledge and awareness of many beasts is limited by their intelligence, but at minimum, beasts can give you information about nearby locations and monsters, including whatever they can perceive or have perceived within the past day. You might be able to persuade a beast to perform a small favor for you, at the DM's discretion..
  • His name is Mandra of the Eyrie.
• Mandra reports no carriage or horse ahead on the current road.
  • The distance remains unclear.
• Mandra senses a disruption of nature elsewhere.
  • He agrees to guide the group slowly enough for Henson.
  • He says the nearby rocks or landscape are not truly what they appear to be.
  • The false terrain contains a danger he will not approach directly.

Harpy-Like Threat

• Mandra describes winged humanoid predators near the false terrain.
  • Eagle-like wings.
  • Human-like bodies and faces.
  • Mostly female, with males beneath them.
  • Not undead.
  • Voices that can pierce the mind, shake the soul, charm, or lure victims.
• Miya identifies them as harpies or harpy-like creatures.
  • The exact creature identity remains unresolved.
• Mandra calls them harpies.
  • Do not preserve Heartless as local terminology or a species name in this context.
• Miya warns Boyle to use or wear an orb or item of repulsion against their charm.
  • The item later interferes with the glamour path.

Glamour Boundary

• Mandra leads the group to a boundary he will not cross.
• Miya senses the area is magically altered.
  • She prepares to enter.
  • She cuts her palm and drops blood on the ground.
  • She calls on the local forest spirit and asks who owns the territory.
• A small frog emerges.
  • It grows to person-size while remaining frog-shaped.
  • It invites Miya inside.
• The frog says Boyle is wrong.
  • Arcana confirms the issue is the repulsion item he wears.
  • Boyle must remove or lower it.
  • The frog-spirit requires a blood-forged oath: Boyle “shall not wear it until you leave.”
    • The phrase “until you leave” is repeated, making the exact scope important for hag-road oath logic.
  • Miya cuts Boyle’s index finger and places his blood on the ground to seal it.
• The frog permits Boyle, the horse, and Henson to pass.

Hag Territory

• Miya offers gossip to the forest as a price or custom of passage.
  • The gossip concerns Emily and a private nighttime park rumor.
  • Treat this as gossip, not verified fact.
• The group crosses the threshold.
  • An Arcana 18 result shows the path behind them has warped and loops back.
  • The territory can trap visitors unless its powers permit departure.
• The road descends into bog-like territory.
  • Flies.
  • Frogs.
  • Wet ground.
  • Strange moss.
  • Dead or leafless trees.
  • Watching eyes in the trees.
• The terrain resembles the bog of the Hags of Hama, but the Seneran hags are Feywild hags and are canonically distinct from the Hags of Hama.
  • Current location articles use Turbiere de Hubar for the Hags of Hama bog name.
  • Miya warns Boyle not to trust what he sees.

Hag Hut

• The group reaches a dilapidated shack behind short wooden fences.
  • Men’s heads are skewered on fence spikes.
  • Headless chickens cluck nearby.
  • The shack rests on a nest with giant chicken-like legs.
• The occupant is a hag, not one of the harpy-like creatures.
• Lucinda greets them.
  • She complains that Miya has unsettled the forest animals.
  • Miya asks whether she is part of the Children of the Crone.
  • The hag notices Miya’s candies and invites the group inside.

Hag Household, Duel, and Mercy

Hag Household

• The hag household is a coven within the Children of the Crone.
  • Helga is the crone.
  • Lucinda is the mother.
  • Kara is the maiden.
• Kara’s “planted” and “seedling” wording is botanical flavor tied to the reused Lucy / Glass Eyed Hag vibe, not confirmed subversive spy or hostage language.
  • She frames herself as being there to learn under Lucinda and Helga.
• The hags discuss Baba Yaga being within their realm and the place having a new Mother.
  • They expect the new Mother to discipline rebellious hags.
  • Mother is framed as merciful to those who obey.
• The scene distinguishes:
  • Baba Yaga.
  • The Mother.
  • The Crone.
  • Children of the Crone.
  • Children of the Mother.
• Exact faction alignments remain unresolved.

Bargain Breakdown

• Miya invokes a one-on-one duel against Kara.
  • Helga confirms she has the right.
  • The wager appears lethal.
• Lucinda tries to expand the stakes to the man, the mountain, and the horse.
  • The referents likely include Miya’s companions and Henson.
  • Miya objects and negotiates that the horse must leave unharmed.
• Miya offers truth, then mercy.
  • The hags reject or mock the terms.
• Negotiation collapses.
  • The hags imply they will take the visitors by force.

Tiphanie Allusion and Binding

• Miya’s claim about Baba Yaga sending someone into the place alludes to Tiphanie now being in Senera after coming from the Feywild.
  • Do not frame Tiphanie as a hidden agent or spy insertion unless later canon explicitly says so.
  • The hags imply they know the person from the past.
• A bound speaker or spirit says one piece of gossip has already been given.
• Miya infers a hag binding prevents the identity from being revealed.
  • The binding prevents them from revealing “her” while they remain bound by her Mother’s power.
  • The hags suggest they may speak ill of her if the Mother’s power is lost.
• Helga says that day is imminent.
  • This points to the hoped-for day when they will no longer be bound by the rules of the original Baba Yaga.
  • As Children of the Crone, they follow the Crone, who asserts that Baba Yaga is a title rather than a true name and is trying to usurp the position.
  • Nico may have intended the line as fervent hope, but Helga may be trying to frame it as prophecy; preserve that art-taking-on-a-life-of-its-own ambiguity.

Kara’s Duel

• Kara fights through shifting eye-shape states.
  • Clover eyes tie to luck or aura-draining magic.
  • Heart eyes tie to a mind-affecting reaction.
  • Flower eyes tie to a wrapping or candy-like transformation attack.
  • Diamond eyes remain background context.
  • Its D&D Beyond source was Nico’s older homebrew creature Lucy, but Lucy is not Kara’s in-world name, species, or identity.
• Miya uses:
  • DaylightDaylightLevel 3 · Evocation1 action · 60 ft. · 1 hourV, SA 60-foot-radius sphere of light spreads out from a point you choose within range. The sphere is bright light and sheds dim light for an additional 60 feet. If you chose a point on an object you are holding or one that isn't being worn or carried, the light shines from the object and moves with it. Completely covering the affected object with an opaque object, such as a bowl or a helm, blocks the light. If any of this spell's area overlaps with an area of darkness created by a spell of 3rd level or lower, the spell that created the darkness is dispelled..
  • HexHexLevel 1 · Enchantment1 bonus · 90 ft. · 1 hourV, S, M (the petrified eye of a newt)You place a curse on a creature that you can see within range. Until the spell ends, you deal an extra 1d6 necrotic damage to the target whenever you hit it with an attack. Also, choose one ability when you cast the spell. The target has disadvantage on ability checks made with the chosen ability. If the target drops to 0 hit points before this spell ends, you can use a bonus action on a subsequent turn of yours to curse a new creature. A remove curse cast on the target ends this spell early. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd or 4th level, you can maintain your concentration on the spell for up to 8 hours. When you use a spell slot of 5th level or higher, you can maintain your concentration on the spell for up to 24 hours..
  • A major fire spell heard as a twinned Fireball.
  • CounterspellCounterspellLevel 3 · Abjuration1 reaction · 60 ft. · InstantaneousSYou attempt to interrupt a creature in the process of casting a spell. If the creature is casting a spell of 3rd level or lower, its spell fails and has no effect. If it is casting a spell of 4th level or higher, make an ability check using your spellcasting ability. The DC equals 10 + the spell's level. On a success, the creature's spell fails and has no effect. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the interrupted spell has no effect if its level is less than or equal to the level of the spell slot you used..
  • Bend Luck.
  • ShatterShatterLevel 2 · Evocation1 action · 60 ft. · InstantaneousV, S, M (a chip of mica)A sudden loud ringing noise, painfully intense, erupts from a point of your choice within range. Each creature in a 10-foot-radius sphere centered on that point must make a Constitution saving throw. A creature takes 3d8 thunder damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. A creature made of inorganic material such as stone, crystal, or metal has disadvantage on this saving throw. A nonmagical object that isn't being worn or carried also takes the damage if it's in the spell's area. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, the damage increases by 3d8 for each slot level above 2nd..
• DaylightDaylightLevel 3 · Evocation1 action · 60 ft. · 1 hourV, SA 60-foot-radius sphere of light spreads out from a point you choose within range. The sphere is bright light and sheds dim light for an additional 60 feet. If you chose a point on an object you are holding or one that isn't being worn or carried, the light shines from the object and moves with it. Completely covering the affected object with an opaque object, such as a bowl or a helm, blocks the light. If any of this spell's area overlaps with an area of darkness created by a spell of 3rd level or lower, the spell that created the darkness is dispelled. causes bright-light impairment.
  • It should not be treated as a confirmed stun.
• Kara is badly burned.
  • A mind-affecting reaction is countered.
  • A blinding eye effect is resisted.
  • The flower-eye attack nearly catches Miya.
  • Bend Luck prevents a critical hit but not the hit.
• Miya notices Kara’s glass-like eyes and casts ShatterShatterLevel 2 · Evocation1 action · 60 ft. · InstantaneousV, S, M (a chip of mica)A sudden loud ringing noise, painfully intense, erupts from a point of your choice within range. Each creature in a 10-foot-radius sphere centered on that point must make a Constitution saving throw. A creature takes 3d8 thunder damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. A creature made of inorganic material such as stone, crystal, or metal has disadvantage on this saving throw. A nonmagical object that isn't being worn or carried also takes the damage if it's in the spell's area. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, the damage increases by 3d8 for each slot level above 2nd..
  • Kara fails the Constitution save with disadvantage.
  • Her eyes shatter.
  • She is disabled, unconscious, and initially not dead.
  • The duel aura releases Boyle and Henson from cold restraint.

Duel Law

• Helga and Lucinda hate the outcome.
  • Baba Yaga’s forms or duel law bind them from interfering.
• The duel remains incomplete until Miya claims Kara or delivers a final act.
  • Kara is treated as belonging to Miya during the interval.
• Once Kara is taken into the Orb of Absorption and later described as fully dead, the duel protection ends.
  • The remaining hags can threaten Boyle and the others again.

Orb of Absorption

• The Orb of Absorption is the yellow orb in the hag scene.
  • It is distinct from the Orb of Repulsion.
• Miya orders Boyle to remove the parasite from Kara.
  • No parasite emerges.
  • Kara herself begins to be drawn into the Orb of Absorption.
  • Local reality or the surrounding plane is drawn with her.
• Boyle forces the orb back into or against its box.
  • The metal bends because it will not close normally.
  • A massive black void-like effect remains where he had begun being pulled in.
• “Box the orb” means contain or cover it.

Binding and Mercy Killing

• After Kara’s death, Helga and Lucinda try to speak.
  • Their mouths fill with tar- or gum-like material.
  • Their mouths seal shut.
  • They become unable to move.
• Miya/Dorothy reaches toward Deep Lore.
  • The answer comes in Deep Speech.
  • Their intentions are good, but the only release is death before true death.
  • Dorothy is told to take a piece of them so they may live on with her.
• Crying, Dorothy uses Helga’s blood.
  • She dips her dagger in it.
  • She cuts their fingers.
  • She strikes their hearts.
  • No roll is required.
• Helga cries blood-like tears, which Dorothy collects in a flask.
• Lucinda expels eye-like objects and hair.
• Helga and Lucinda die.
  • Their souls entwine with organ vials.
  • Helga’s blood and the Bezoar of Lucinda glow.
  • Dorothy now carries their souls.

Aftermath, Legal Status, and Return

Leaving Hag Territory

• Miya is shaken by her first hag killing.
  • Boyle comforts her and gets her away.
• Boyle mounts the horse with Miya.
  • The horse seems to know the way.
• Harpies circle overhead.
  • They appear to be waiting to take the dead hag bodies.
• The familiar road returns.
  • The hag-controlled forest or bog plane dissipates from the current road or plane.
  • The place itself may still exist.
• Miya prays for peace.
  • Boyle frames her act as mercy.

Miya’s Reflection

• Miya concludes the Reformist Church exploited the hags’ longing for their true mother.
  • She compares that longing to a void in the heart.
  • She connects it especially to women harmed by husbands or others among the Hags of Hama.
• Miya says mothers cannot truly be replaced.
  • Boyle suggests Helga and Lucinda may now be reunited with their mother.
• Miya is unsure how the Hags of Hama relate to Deep Lore.
  • Tiphanie’s next move may matter.
  • This should not become doctrine yet.
• Miya says it feels like her blood is guiding her.
  • Boyle compares it to being drawn back east despite not wanting to go.

Legally Bare Hook

• Miya says they can pass by now but still need to deal with those guys.
  • She brings up Luana and Count Godwin Ranlis.
• Miya tells Boyle that Luana is Cinna Moan.
  • Boyle comments that Luana is pretty.
  • Miya kicks him.
• Legally Bare contracts can refer to a DM as a Dick Model.
  • The contract language can involve Detect Poison and DiseaseDetect Poison and DiseaseLevel 1 · Divination1 action · Self · 10 minuteV, S, M (a yew leaf)For the duration, you can sense the presence and location of poisons, poisonous creatures, and diseases within 30 feet of you. You also identify the kind of poison, poisonous creature, or disease in each case. The spell can penetrate most barriers, but it is blocked by 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 3 feet of wood or dirt..
  • In this context, the spell use functions like sexually transmitted or infectious disease screening for prospective Dick Models.

Legal Status

• Dorothy Marie Campbell works through the implications of being Dorothy Highbury while still using Miya Campbell as a practical identity.
  • She is legally tied to Baron Dunum Highbury.
  • Miya Campbell and Dorothy Highbury are aliases or legal-facing identities for the same person, not separate people.
• Highbury is nearby.
  • The group cannot detour because Castle Malthrek takes priority.
• Miya worries her grandfather may have had Dorothy Highbury declared dead.
  • This may have happened while he was under outside influence.
  • Fagus Malthrek or another actor may have controlled the area.
• Her lineage could likely be proven through:
  • Memory.
  • Her living grandfather.
  • Proper spellcasting.
  • Connection to the Crown Prince.

Adoption and Property

• A proposed workaround is for Baron Dunum Highbury to adopt Dorothy Marie Campbell.
  • This could let her take Miya as a legal name while preserving her Highbury blood identity.
• Marriage to Boyle is floated partly for property handling.
  • Boyle says he would need a competent estate manager.
• Alexander Surrata-Spellvig is suggested as a legal or property-minded assistant.
• If the Crown Prince intervenes directly, the peerage may object.
  • Baron Highbury’s liege and the Duke handling approval may be cleaner.
• Miya wants Fagus Malthrek to admit something.
  • The object of the admission remains unclear.

Returning to Castle Malthrek

• Legal and property plans remain secondary to the Castle Malthrek operation.
• The Duke’s cooperation may become important if Castle Malthrek is secured.
• Miya asks Boyle to carry her after recent action.
  • She has removed a blood-stained suit and is left in a white shirt.
  • She jokes that a sex worker covered in blood would look suspicious.
• Miya and Boyle decide to run back toward Castle Malthrek rather than teleport.
  • Henson the Golem is told to keep up.

Loyalty Concerns

• Dorothy Marie Campbell worries about what the girls were discussing.
  • She wonders whether their loyalty is to her as Miya Campbell, to her as Dorothy Marie Campbell, or to Luana Victorique Dubreuil.
  • She fears they may be plotting to replace her.
• Emily Hazeldine is mentioned separately.
  • Her loyalty or role remains uncertain.
• Luana is in the same grade as Miya, in the same school.
  • Their clearest connection is through Gerta Moon.

Luana’s Nature

• Dorothy Marie Campbell says Luana is not a hexblood.
  • Luana is a normal human girl.
  • Her magic comes from a contract with Mommy, Queen of Dreams.
  • Mommy is a strange being in Apgar, not Luana’s biological mother.

Open Hooks

Podron’s Sanctuary

• Confirm whether Podron’s shapeshifter sanctuary can be safely contacted.
  • It is unsettled whether safe contact is true at this point.

Reformist Authority Hooks

• Mistress of the Way is a Reformist position or title referenced in the Castle Malthrek warning.
  • Its rank, responsibilities, and relationship to Archons remain unresolved.
• Carissa is above the local Reformist hierarchy, perhaps as a Dark Archon.
  • Her relationship to Mistress of the Way and Greater Archon authority remains unresolved.
• Greater Archon is the Reformist position Dunweather thought Emily held or represented.
  • Its exact hierarchy and relationship to other Reformist ranks remain unresolved.
• The Windham Castle countersign remains important.
  • The exact wording and meaning of the throat-searing drink phrase still need confirmation.

Media and Collector Hooks

• Lollia Skala, also known as Beloved Nurse Lollia, may be the missing or difficult-to-obtain signature that makes complete Nightshift Nurses collector copies more valuable.
  • Her disappearance, publication role, and connection to the signed copies remain unresolved.

Submarine Handling and Technology

• Confirm the submarine’s exact operating mechanism.
  • The magic items found in it, including effects resembling Create or Destroy WaterCreate or Destroy WaterLevel 1 · Transmutation1 action · 30 ft. · InstantaneousV, S, M (a drop of water if creating water or a few grains of sand if destroying it)You either create or destroy water. You create up to 10 gallons of clean water within range in an open container. Alternatively, the water falls as rain in a 30-foot cube within range, extinguishing exposed flames in the area. You destroy up to 10 gallons of water in an open container within range. Alternatively, you destroy fog in a 30-foot cube within range. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, you create or destroy 10 additional gallons of water, or the size of the cube increases by 5 feet, for each slot level above 1st. and Gust of WindGust of WindLevel 2 · Evocation1 action · 60 ft. · 1 minuteV, S, M (a legume seed)A line of strong wind 60 feet long and 10 feet wide blasts from you in a direction you choose for the spell's duration. Each creature that starts its turn in the line must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be pushed 15 feet away from you in a direction following the line. Any creature in the line must spend 2 feet of movement for every 1 foot it moves when moving closer to you. The gust disperses gas or vapor, and it extinguishes candles, torches, and similar unprotected flames in the area. It causes protected flames, such as those of lanterns, to dance wildly and has a 50 chance to extinguish them. As a bonus action on each of your turns before the spell ends, you can change the direction in which the line blasts from you., are clues to how it works.
  • Confirm whether the orb is the known Orb of Enhancement.

Parasites and Food

• Confirm whether salt preparation truly counters parasite eggs.
• Confirm whether brining alone is enough and whether plain sea salt works.
• Confirm whether the line heard as not infected should be corrected to not dead.
• Confirm whether killing parasite hosts alerts the parasite network.
• Confirm whether the brining discovery can help Eastonton, Surrey, Port Surrey, or Surrey-on-the-Brams.

Castle Malthrek

• Confirm Stacy Cartwright’s return and morning duties.
  • Stacy is one of the Malthrek Court Wizards sent to fetch nobles for the funeral.
  • Three other Malthrek Court Wizards should also still be unaccounted for.

Hag and Fey Threads

• Keep the duel terms and what “bound by the forms” means as an Open Hook.
  • This is a Feywild-side question, and that portion may be DM’d by one of the players rather than Nico.
  • Do not settle the mechanics, authority, or exact legal consequences of the forms until that Feywild adjudication exists.
• Preserve the ambiguity in Helga’s imminent-day line.
  • In-world, she may be framing the Children of the Crone’s hope as prophecy.
  • Out-of-world, Nico may have intended it as fervent hope rather than settled prophecy.
  • The underlying claim is that the day is imminent when they will no longer be bound by the rules of the original Baba Yaga, while the Crone asserts that Baba Yaga is a title and tries to usurp the position.

Boundaries

• Keep the Seneran Feywild hag coven distinct from the Hags of Hama.
• Keep Baba Yaga, Mother, the Crone, new Mother, and possible new Baba Yaga separate until later canon clarifies their relationships.
• Treat hag-road oaths, duel forms, and prophecy wording as scope-sensitive; small wording changes may alter who is bound, what is owed, or when protection ends.
• Do not settle unclear possession or control language around Ranlis, Aveline, and Carissa without stronger confirmation.