The group makes their way into the cavern to discover snake-like creatures. Undeterred from Forsythe's mission from Shallow, they proceed through and kill these creatures, along with some giant snakes. As they travel deeper, they find a stone golem protecting the main cavern where Euryale was found. 

Seeing several humanoid statues, the group averted their eyes from Euryale, preventing her from creating the same fate for them.  Amid the battle, one of the stone snakes was awakened and later possessed by an entity that Ordeith recognized as the Corruption. However, the group dispatched the stone snake and Euryale before being effected by it.

Forsythe restores three of the five that still emanated magic, and the group meet for the first time Hemelk, Mira Koz, and Xandra Fernfist.  Forsythe also aids in releasing some prisoners who quickly leave the cave. After clearing any treasures, the group settles down into the main cavern to rest, planning to restore the other two humanoids in the morning.

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The group find themselves in a strange world that Forsythe does confirm is the Feywild. Unknown to the group, Ordeith takes a closer look using the skeletal hand familiar. He watches as the group is ambushed by an air elemental who is working with a cacerian ranger. Realizing the ranger seems focused on Kadath, who looks strikingly similar to himself, he decides to aid them.

After the air elemental is dispersed, Forsythe proceeds to question the ranger about Euryale. It is disclosed that she is a gatekeeper in the caves, but he gives up no further information before being dehorned and killed. Ordeith, however, recognizes what the ranger was referring to and offers to lead them to the caves.

The group asks some questions and discover that Ordeith’s patron is a lych, but that he does not directly serve it. He assures the group he is not evil, but it is his mission to rid the planes of the cacerian rangers. On a passing note, he does mention that he had escaped their captivity in the void.

They travel for some time until the group begins to tire. Ordeith stops and finds a decent place to make camp, sharing that he is not used to running around with those who need sleep, or food, or breathing. Ordeith keeps watch throughout the night with other members of the group and hears a traveling entertainment troop. He warns the group that they entertain themselves and they are best to be avoided.

After resting, they continue to the caves, realizing the troop is matching their pace, but not getting any closer. Showing a bit of concern about going into this cave, Ordeith asks if they want to move forward. Forsythe reveals that this mission was given by Shallow, a familiar name to those of the Feywild, also known as the Archfey who never aged.

Once they reach the cave, they move quietly into the entrance. They see at least three snakelike creatures. Ordeith summons a fey creature to take the form of a young white dragon, and draws their attention. They begin to move closer to the place where a few tunnels seem to converge.

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Before heading out, Kadath uses his crystal to see if the placement worked. He scrys into the throne room of Castle Aventur and watches for 10 minutes. Nothing of importance takes place as he watches a servant go about cleaning. Knowing they now have a means to possibly spy on Gaera, they head out to the Order of Balance in Qi where they will be teleported to Thriest.

Once in Thriest, they find Kadath's master, Erwin, to ask some questions. Kadath asks about the ritual found in a book from Qi's temple. Erwin explains that it is a blood ritual to call upon the power of the gods. He also warns that most do not survive such a ritual and that Kadath's mother and brother both died in her performing it. With that knowledge, Evangeline shows her drawing of what looks like a variation of Kadath. Erwin, in disbelief, admits that it has a very close resemblance to Kadath, yet is not him.

As the others head to their provided rooms, Kadath visits the blood pool beneath the temple. He enters to speak directly to the Raven Queen. He learns of the thread that is split, half of which is only woven into the back of life's tapestry. She shares with Kadath that his brother is Judgement.

The next morning they resupply and head out to the area northeast of Hidden Naresh, where Erwin had disclosed the location of the ritual Kadath's mother had attempted. Along the way, there is much discussion about Kadath's brother and whether or not he could be trusted. As they arrive at the gate, and as they enter the city, they notice the area is cleaner than when they previously visited. With less of the black ichor running through the town, more of the villagers are moving about. Many of them are mutated in some manner due to the exposure of the ichor. Although curious about the town, the group moves on following Kadath toward the ritual site.

As they travel up the mountain, they follow a trickle of the ichor toward what may be its source. Eventually they come upon a round clearing, ruins of a possible building of ages past. On a raised platform are markings of the ritual circle with the obsidian blade laying in its center. Evangeline and Forsythe check out the area she had seen in a vision as the burial site for Kadath's kin. They found only the bones of an adult female goliath, no young one.

Kadath investigates the platform and picks up the obsidian blade, triggering displaced creatures. Realizing these are the distransits, Evangeline collects some blood from one being levitated by Fix. The distransits manage to injure Kadath, causing him to bleed onto the ritual circle, activating it. A flash of light bursts out blinding the group and knocking them prone. When they open their eyes and adjust to the light, they realize they are no longer in the material plane.

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Fix and Kadath watch closely as the scarab begins to come out of Gidna. It extends its antenna to Forsythe (who looks like Gaera), but once it is able to make contact, it retracts. Darling flips over, catching Fix and pulling him down to pin him to the ground.  In the struggle, Kadath grabs her and Fix is able to force feed her the poison. The scarab leaves Gidna and Forsythe gathers it into a vial. After some healing, Gidna wakes. After being given an antidote, she is taken to the Crown’s Tavern where it is emptied of all other patrons. Forsythe stays in the inn to post a watch. Fix also makes connections with the Jagged Dream to post additional guards outside.

At the time, there were only two other patrons. Both of them Forsythe recognizes from White Lake as messengers of the court. They are directed to the Oily Quill with expenses paid. Neither show concern about the change, and with duties to Gidna first, Forsythe lets them leave.

When Evangeline finishes with Giselle, she returns to the Trentson estate. She decides to focus on her crystal ball and discovers that certain pulses become more prominent as people come nearer to her. She focuses on one and saw Arais, much younger, holding a baby drake. She seemed to be running from something. Evangeline then turns her focus to Fix and sees the large Trentson family at the beach. She watched Gidna save a very young Fix from his brothers’ prank. Evangeline finally takes her focus to Ederic. She watches him, along with another man, book passage on a ship at the docks of Qi.

Evangeline later learns that the other man with her brother is Mercen Shargo, one of the men who had been watching the Forge family since the Durkhal. That evening, she tracks down Ederic and, not being able to convince him to stay in Qi, she gives him a few items for his travels. She also learns that Mercen is familiar with Beyond the Steadfast as he is an elf. 

Kadath takes the scarab to the Order of Balance and speaks with Cedric. He confirms much of what the group already discovered about the scarabs. Kadath also mentions the possibility of blood magic being used against Gidna. Cedric lets Kadath know that a message will be sent to the High Priest Ralet, and he could arrive in Qi as early as the next day. Meanwhile, Cedric allows Kadath to use the temple’s library where two books about blood rituals are pulled. Kadath takes those back to the estate for the others to look into as well.

One book is more directly related to the order, while the other contains more about other blood rituals. One of the rituals listed had handwritten notes that Kadath recognized as Erwin’s. This ritual is one for gaining god-like power with a blood sacrifice. There are other rituals listed, but one that stood out was one for domination. The group now awaits Ralet’s arrival.

**There are two parts to this episode as we experienced some technical difficulties during the stream.
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At the tavern, Fix spots someone watching a member of the Jagged Dream. Forsythe leaves and finds a perch on a nearby temple for the Order of Truth to watch if they leave. Following the spy, they discover that Lucus was asked to watch him by Fanny, though he was unsure why. The group imposed upon Lucus to stay the night as Fix wanted a conversation with Fanny. Early the next morning, they find her in the bedroom with Lucus and reveal her true identity as Funae. After a brief discussion, Funae leaves in a cloud of shadow leaving Lucus much to think about. 

Shortly thereafter, they visit George, the Jagged Dream member that Lucus had been following, and fill him in. When asked about poisons, they find out that he is the herbalist that many of the underground visit for such a thing. He provides a swift acting poison that has to be ingested then puts together an antidote as well. Giving them both to Fix, he bids them farewell. 

They then travel to Corini’s to pick up Kadath’s crystals. After testing them, Kadath thanks Corini for his service and Joyve teleports them back to Qi. When they arrive, Evangeline takes time to look into her picture. Not gaining much additional knowledge, she turns her attention to her crystal ball. She focuses on Gavyn and finds him traveling by foot. However, she is soon seeing visions of his past. Confused, she heads out to seek Giselle’s wisdom. She gives some guidance on the pulses and encourages her to continue to practice. 

Meanwhile, Fix, Forsythe, and Kadath head to the city jail to attempt to trick the scarab into coming out of Gidna by having Forsythe change into Gaera’s form. However, when they arrive, they find Funae trying to get Gidna out. After a quick battle, Funae flees. Fix quickly turns his attention back to the plan, convincing the scarab to leave Gidna and switch over to Forsythe, who looks like Gaera at the moment.
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Arias checked in with Fix letting him know Gaera and Davakri were at the morning's meal. Discussions around the table and afterward were of weather, commerce, security, and even a little about the attack on the Durkhal. However, they were all kept brief and non-committal of any blame or aid. Afterwards, Gov. Iam Sunderman, Capt. Pif Sernosk, Gaera, Davakri, and Arias met in a courtroom where they encountered Eshuto holding Gidna (Funea lingered in a back corner). Accusations were brought forth of Gidna's involvement in various activities, which Arias did confirm the attempt on her own life.

Fix gathered the group quickly and had Joyve teleport them to the city hall. Fix borrowed the tiara from Forsythe and once they arrived, had Iam and Pif take time to look with its magic at the back of Gidna's neck. There they discovered the golden scarab that was believed to have been extinct. As more questions began to arise, and Gaera pressed for truth, she and her group disappeared from the courtroom. Without the immediate threat of attack, the group discusses options for getting the scarab out of Gidna, but come to the conclusion that this would take more research. Pif agrees to keep Gidna detained in the city jail in the interim. 

Later, Kadath does a scrying on Eshuto and discovers they returned to Castle Aventur, however, he does not spot Funea. Watching Eshuto for some time, he gathers information on the fortification of the castle and the patrol routes that are implemented. Tucking this knowledge away for future endeavors. He communes with the Matron and learns that Funea has great power and is loyal to Gaera. Forsythe sees to the safe return of Arias and Morgim to the Trentson estate, and eventually the whole group also returns.

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As the group awaits further information or a possible attack on the estate, they find some things to occupy their time. Forsythe continues to keep watch from the roof for anyone to approach the house. Fix stays connected with Arias, checking in every so often for updates, and spending time with Zybella. Kadath roams the estate pitching in to help the servants or siblings as needed. Evangeline stays with Gavyn continuing to monitor his recovery.

Evangeline does take some time to gaze into her crystal ball focusing on Gaera’s past. She watches as a thirteen year old Gaera stands idly by watching the surface of the water in a hole of a frozen pond calm. The child then turns to the large estate, running for help. Shortly after this, Gaera, still thirteen, stood over a bassinet watching her parents dote over her three day old sister. While standing there, a storm moved in. Thunder clapped loudly and the ground shook. Chaos erupted around them. The vision blurred into another image. Gaera stands over old graves, those of her parents, and a girl of about eight years old takes Gaera’s hand. Evaneline took note of the dates on the graves being centuries old.

Evangeline then decides to draw another image within her book. She takes a moment to enter into a meditative state then she begins to draw. Thirty minutes later she takes a look. A spherical machine floats in the center of a room with sporadic porthole windows across its surface. A shadow passes by the window indicating a creature lived within. Along the walls are panels of buttons, levers, and lights occasionally moving or flashing. Through some research, it is believed this was once part of Ciamum.

Arias and Morgrim arrive at the council’s event and quickly inform Fix that Gaera and Davakri are at the reception. She shares the conversations about the table are typical: weather, travel, economy, though there were some mentions of the attack at the Durkhal. After the meal, Governor Iam Sunderman, Captain Pif Sernosk, Gaera and Davakri ask Arias to join them in a courtroom. There, she sees Eshuto holding a bound Gidna and Funae standing in a darker corner.

Gaera brings up accusations of Gidna’s involvement in various events throughout the Steadfast. After Arias shares this information with Fix, he goes to the courthouse to confront Gaera and uncover the secret of the golden scarab. Iam uses Forsythe’s tiara to see the scarab and begins asking questions. Feeling the tide turn, Funae disappears, followed quickly by Gaera, Davakri, and Eshuto. Kadath scrys on Eshuto and discovers that all but Funae had returned to Castle Aventur. 

Iam disappears to locate High Priest Rokdif and the group discuss possible options to remove the scarab from Gidna. Kadath takes a moment to commune and discovers that if Gidna was killed there is no guarantee of her revival. He then switches to questions about Funae and learns of her loyalty to Gaera and that she has great powers. Eventually, they decide Gidna would have to remain in jail until they could find a way to remove the scarab and Pif takes her out of the room. They all then make their way back to the estate.

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