Act III, Chapter Sixty Nine "Noice" (23-03-24)

 As his friends take their nap Berrick takes a look at the bodies of the dead cultists. He finds a few spell component pouches, a scroll he can't read alongside the masks made of iron. Berrick gives the scroll to Flynn when the rest of the group wake up and he is able to read "inform the Bellevieve(?) family of the pending transition" the group remember this as the crime family that run Blackbarrow. It's Berrick's turn for a catnap and he takes ten minutes to rest up.

Flynn prestidigitates the group clean and they try to talk to the crew again in a less intimidating way. After persuading a representative to come out from below deck they meet "Bob" who explains the ship, the Eclipse Serpent, was captured by the cultists near Darkwater Bay and they were forced to work running shipments to & from a cove in the frigid sea; they were returning from delivering some stones when the group encountered them. The Ashen Company do their best to give Bob a self esteem boost and cheer him on to be Captain Bob. They give him 100gp and promise 200 more for safe return to land after the cove. Bob isn't keen to go back to the cove, he saw Trolley & Calitrax there previously and there is just a small dock in an otherwise baron landscape.

As Bob sets sail the Ashen Company steal the robes and masks from the cultists and notice they all have the same ritual scarification over their bodies:

- My life for the Legion

- My soul for the worm/wyrm(?)

- My sword for the ascension

- My heart for the harvesting 

As they grapple with the weirdness and extent of these pledges Derrick teleports on the the ship, he's severely wounded and immediately passes out.

Flynn updates Latharial on the Ashen Company's progress and shames Null for not using the sending stone to contact her fiancé and Null reminds Flynn that the Lady specifically asked Null not to use the stones as they may be compromised.

After some fussing Derrick wakes up and explains that he & Vi found Ezra but things didn't go well. When they found Ezra it looked like he had been fighting for days, weeks, months - a long time. They got him out but they were facing a dragon larger than any we'd seen, larger than Nassandrial (ancient). Ezra and Vi were doing their best to keep the dragon occupied using guerrilla tactics in it's hunting ground to give Derrick the chance to escape the lands of desolation and reach the Ashen Company for reinforcement. 

The Ashen Company momentarily hesitate at their course of action and wonder if they should abandon Calitrax to go to Ezra's aid immediately but they are too close to Calitrax and Trolley now to turn back.

Berrick is hit with another vision; he sees a dim room with brilliant glowing blue lights surrounding arcane runes. He see's five prisoners crucified but alive on five necrostones. There are Vikings, undead, cultist and in the middle of a platform of concentric stone circles he sees Calitrax talking to Trolley who is holding Null's mum; bound and chained. They are deep in conversation and Berrick hears Calitrax ask "What do you mean I'm not coming?" Trolley replies that "You have disappointed our master". Calitrax protests that it wasn't her fault but Trolley shuts her down saying "You lost the city, not even to an army, if you wish to regain your position kill the Ashen Company and capture the Vessel alive. I'll take the breeder, we'll start over if we have to". With that Trolley pushes Calitrax back a step and disappears with Nulls mum either teleporting or plane shifting away.

Unable to hide the pain from his visions this time the group finally convince Berrick to share his recent physic visions and accompanying pain. Horrified their friend had been suffering the group question Berrick whilst heals are provided and potions drank. They speculate if Berrick is being targeted with a physic attack and the visions are unintended from his attacker or if Berrick might be receiving divine intervention and the pain is the price he is paying for the help.

Berrick casts Divination to try and ascertain if chasing Calitrax will mean certain doom from Ezra's dragon but the fates have not written that chapter yet and Berrick gets nothing but silence.

Still feeling the pangs of Flynn's guilt trip Null uses the sending stone to message Latharial, she's careful with her choice of words but lets her know Null loves her. It was probably worth being told off for using the stone for Null to hear Latharial's voice tell her she is loved in return.

As they get the the cove Cpt Bob, the crew & Derrick retreat below deck and the Ashen Company don the cultist masks and robes and head ashore. They think they've convinced the guards at the dock they have an appointment with Calitrax and as they head up the planks they see Vikings, necromancers and a zombie frost giant guarding the area. 

Null gets a feeling this is a trap and calls "Applejacks" the Ashen Co spring to the fight and realise most of the figures here are illusions but are quickly set upon by more cultists with lethal strength draining swords who are taking pop shots at the heroes and retreating. They will soon find out the Ashen Company will not stand for those kind of tactics....

Act III Chapter sixty eight "We're pirates now" (06/04/2024)

As Berrick flies towards the ship that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere he notices a golden dragon figurehead at the front of the ship, Viking shields adorn the rest of the ship with a white sail attached to a single mast.  He's also sure he can hear the sound of slow flapping wings above.

Before he has any chance to assess his approach to the ship Berrick is met by an arrow straight to his chest; as it hits the head of the arrow embeds a black crystal in to his chest. As Berrick's oasis drops, the carpet falls out from underneath him and he hits the frigid water he realises the gem is an anti-magic stone. He quickly throws the urn as far as he can (which is only about 10ft for the cold, wet Berrick but he manages to keep his friends outside the anti-magic field).

Appearing at the port bow are a row of cultists wearing black robes and blank-faced brass human masks. Berrick tries to send a message to Lotty in the urn but the anti-magic gem stops the message and he is peppered with arrows before he has a chance to do anything else. Thanks to Flynn's book and a twist of fate Berrick narrowly manages to stay alive to slowly swim towards the ship as he tries to start digging the gem from his chest.

Hearing the commotion from inside the urn Flynn ejects everyone out, Null & Flynn take to the sky straight away to avoid the cold water and Lotty quickly follows suit after a quick, cold dip and downs a flying potion. 

With most of the group in the air they are joined by four gloomstalkers who fly in and start to surround the ship (thankfully two of the gloomstalkers seem to have beef and start to fight each other for a short time) Flynn & Null start laying in to the cultists and gloomstalkers whilst Lotty flies closer to ship to detract attention from Berrick who is still bobbing in the water clawing the gem out of his chest.

Flynn starts a counterspell battle with the cultists and drains their resources, Null starts on the gloomstalkers before heading to the ship to join in on the cultists. Once in melee range the cultists start to take swipes at Null & Lotty with swords that suck away their strength, Null starts to feel the weight of her armour slowing her down. Lotty doesn't feel the effects due to her breastplate imbibing her with strength - which is just as well as already weakened from the wish spell she'd be dead if it weren't for the breastplate.

After some back and forth fighting Null decides enough is enough; she activates her new kick-ass ghostly armour, flies in to a frenzy and in a flash of spectral movement she lays in to each and every enemy on the battlefield leaving them dead or wounded. It's the inspiration the Ashen Company need to turn this fight around, Flynn eldritch blasts a couple more gloomstalkers out of the sky and a cold wet Berrick finally pries the gem from his chest and as it sinks to the bottom of the ocean he misty steps on board and his frustrations are felt by an unsuspecting cultist who is immediately disintegrated.

Still feeding off of Null's frenzy Lotty takes out the last remaining cultist before aggressively called out anyone else on the ship that wants a fight. 

As battle tensions fade the Ashen Company realise that the air on the boat doesn't feel quite as cold as it did previously and there is a crew who appear to have been chained up below deck. Whilst the Ashen Company ooze with their usual charm, they are covered in blood and still just a little aggressive. They assure the prisoners/crew/slaves that the threat is over but may have just scared them instead and they retreat back below deck locking the hatch behind them!

Lotty manages to use a greater restoration scroll to restore Null's strength but insists she feels fine, demonstrating her strength by dropping the anchor after Null struggled to shift the weight. Berrick insists on a catnap however and sends Null, Flynn & Lotty off for a 10 minute sleep.

As he stand on deck along, surrounded by pools of blood, his friends unconscious and covered in blood he can't help but think of his vision of everyone he knows dead and floating in the ocean. He his hit hard with a psychic pain ringing through his head with nobody conscious to see or help him.

Act 3, Chapter 67: "Frigid Deep" (2024/03/30)

 The Ashen Company (Berrik, Lotty and Flynn in the urn, carried by a flying Null) are heading north, giving chase after a fleeing Calitrax. It isn't long before they arrive at the empty docks at the edge of the frozen water. A ship (or ships) recently launched from here. A quick scan of the sea ice reveals significant breakage in a Northeastern direction - she had to have gone that way. Flynn asks Null to measure how much snow has fallen in the footprints surrounding the docks to see how much of a head start Sally has. The Ashen Company are all avid meteorologists, so it's super easy for us to figure out that our quarry is hours ahead of us. As Team Urn discusses the wisdom of giving chase in circumstances like this, Null quietly starts flying Northeast. First impressions of the Frigid Deep are that it's fuckin' cold and it’s fuckin' desolate. The sea ice spreads in every direction, interrupted only by the presence of dozens of barren scattered islands and the occasional frozen corpse. Inside, Flynn wonders if they shouldn't seek guidance from a higher power about their predicament. Dang, what was that spell again? Mordecai butts in, reminding Flynn that Limited Wish can give him access to the Commune spell. THAT was it. The Ashen Company hasn't felt very devout lately, especially with the absence of Silas and Cade, but we need answers even if the vibes are off. 

Flynn settles in to commune with Lelliana, Goddess of Sea and Storms, whose wheelhouse seems to be the most relevant to our situation. The rest of the Ashen Company silently wonders how Flynn will process the experience of talking to a god. Will it go to his head? The rest of the world falls out of sight for Flynn as he begins the ritual. All he perceives is darkness now, interrupted only by the rolling growl of thunder and the sound of crashing waves. He may ask three questions.

1) If we continue Northeast will we find Calitrax? 

The thunder grows louder as flashes of lightning strike. Flynn interprets this as "Yes" or "Likely".

2) Is Calitrax heading towards land?

More thunder and lightning for another "Yes".

3) Can we trust Vi?

The crashing of waves and the low thunder get louder and clearer. The absence of an answer is Lelliana's reply. She is unsure - Trust is a choice, not an attributable trait. The gods are real sticklers for semantics.

The Commune spell ends and Flynn tells Berrik and Lotty what Lelliana relayed to him. We are on the right track and Calitrax is heading towards land. He adds that we maybe shouldn't trust Vi. Null isn't there to defend her sister, she's busy trying not to freeze to death outside as they continue their pursuit.

Yep, for hours now Null has been flying through the windy, icy seascape of the Frigid Deep. This is a different kind of cold, more biting than any they have ever experienced. She flies for a long time, making hourly CON saves with DC's that increase by 5 as the journey continues. Null thinks about the stories told of adventurers that have travelled the frigid deep and never returned, these are relatively unexplored lands and she can understand why as the cold and exhaustion settles in. Despite her determination Null physically can't continue any longer, which kinda works out as Flynn messages her to tell her time was starting to run out on the urn. She scans her surroundings for an island but finds only ice. Flying down, she tests the ice to see if it's safe to land. As soon as she touches the ice it's painfully cold and Null hovers above the ice to let Team Urn know the situation. She is too exhausted and cold to speak, so she taps the urn until Flynn gets in touch.

As they pop out of the urn Berrick casts Oasis but the frozen ice immediately dispells his efforts. He quickly casts his Magnificent Mansion instead and hurries Null inside. Unable to take his urn in to the mansion, Flynn stoneshapes a secure box just outside the door - much to Mordecai's chagrin.

As Null, surrounded by every hot beverage imaginable, warms by the fire the Ashen Co decide to give Null a break on the next leg of the journey. They decide to use the mat of welcoming to nip home for some rugs to make a flying carpet for Berrick - the following day he can fly the urn and still concentrate on keeping Oasis active. Lotty jumps through the door and grabs a couple of old rugs from the villa (insensitively picking the ugliest ones she can find but includes one of Null's favourite rugs in the process). Lotty checks the painting just to see what it says about the location of her friends and spots a carved wooden bird on the kitchen table. She's hit with a pang of sadness and hope as it reminds her of Cade.

Back in the mansion, Lotty drops the rugs and tells her friends about what she found. Berrick sends a message to Cade "I hope you're ok, we found a bird that reminded us of you, sorry we missed you". He receives a reply "Hi Berrick, I took down some necromancers in the area and passed by to say hello".

Once Null has stopped shivering Flynn approaches her, he's unsure about all of her many siblings and how compromised she may be. Null tries to explain that she only has one sibling, the person we know as Vi, and she had a brother who was killed when they were young. Flynn is concerned that Null's memory issues may lead her to imagine more siblings or be vulnerable to the suggestion. Null gets defensive and exasperated with her agency being questioned yet again, but does her best to reassure Flynn. No one is convinced she got through to him this time.

After a night's rest Berrick notices his unseen servants aren't as attentive as normal and finds them bailing out the front door. It seems the sea levels have risen at least 300ft overnight. Immediately thinking of Mordecai, Flynn rushes out the door of the mansion to find the urn and quickly learns reason this body of water is called the frigid deep. If they thought the air was cold and the ice hurt it is nothing compared to the water. Flynn spots the urn but can't swim to it quick enough, so he quickly dimension doors twice in quick succession - once to grab the jar and then again straight up above the water to let the others know what has happened. Berrick manages to do the same taking Null with him above water level where he holds on tight to Null to keep in the air. Lotty is the last to leave and grabs the flying carpet, casts alter self and swims to the surface using the carpet to balance her and Berrick once she's out of the water. 

Even though they've only been awake ten minutes the Ashen Company are already cold and exhausted, Lotty, Null & Flynn head inside the jar to rest (once they make an effort to mop up the water Mordecai has created to make a point), realising just a moment too late they're unable to message Berrick as his name is not in the book - oh well, Berrick knows this and will surely be able to find a genius way to communicate.

Berrick sits down, crossed legged, on the flying carpet and casts Oasis on himself and, despite the treacherous circumstances, does his best to relax and make the most of the peace and quiet. As he continues in the direction of the broken ice the Oasis starts to crack, it seems this colder than usual air is effecting the normal durability of the spell. As he casts the spell again, estimating he'll get another hour of use out of the spell. He then spots a vessel in the distance, it's still around 1,000 ft away but they will cross paths soon enough.