Session 6: Family Time Report

General Summary

The Claw engages in a bit of haggling over treasure before forming a plan. With enough treasure, they decide to initiate the Drakscendence of Nyxek, turning him into a true dragon. The agreement is to keep the hoard together, and as new treasure is acquired, it will be added to the hoard for the next Claw member's dracomorphosis. Tad takes some arrows, and Vutha chooses a cloak of protection for immediate use. Draxelas reveals that a dragonborn needs the blessing of the Emperor or someone similarly important for the next step. Nyxek believes the Rod of Red Heaven Ruleship will help him obtain this blessing.

Nyxek resurrects Chumly, the giant child, who agrees to return to life for his parents and as thanks for being released from the soul-sucking lich. Upon awakening, he casually mentions increasing his ship collection, claiming it's not piracy, despite the Claw's objections. After some persuasion, including cajoles and threats from Nyxek and Vutha, Chumly agrees to cease piracy and return to his parents. They sail to the port of Argarrack Bay, finding it besieged by a magical storm turning the city into a disaster area. Forced to land in a strange boathouse due to the intense weather, they are approached by a water elemental warrior offering to take the storm giant child to his parents. Nyxek refuses, insisting on delivering Chumly to his parents.

A battle ensues as the water elemental warrior attacks with a water elemental and water weirds in a clever ambush. Despite Chumly vacillating between hiding and "helping," the Claw proves resilient. The water creatures are pushed back, and Vutha's jaws eventually bring down the water elemental warrior, with the turtle shell armor caught in his teeth.

Moving west to find the Master and Mistress of Storms, the Claw discovers them in the bay, causing the storm. Nyxek attempts to calm their emotions with magic, but it's only when they see their child that the giants respond. Nyxek tries to parlay, but the giants only acknowledge Vutha, who remains enlarged by the power of his runes and attempts to converse in the language of his Carvers.

They found that Mistress of Storms is the Storm Princess of Legend, hatched of Harmonic Horizons egg, the hostage who leveraged the peaceful end to the War of the Burning Sky, raised by the emperor himself who has spent over a 100,000 years alternating between a timeless sleep and some passing seasons of wakefulness.

She possessed the Rod of Red Heaven Rulership and gave it to Vutha as a boon for returning her child. He reported the child had been waylayed due to his piracy, but that has been forgiven so long as it did not return. He also acknowledged Chumly's valor in battle even if he lacked proper discipline. She mentioned that she recognized the runes upon Vutha's scales as the handiwork of Khabroth the Rune Carver, her old mentor. Vutha couldn't believe that was the truth and asked for further details, but she mentioned only hearing a rumor of him being turned to stone.

Vutha then ran out of time and shrank, the conversation lulled until Vutha ate an enlarging mushroom and continued with apologies. He asked about the elemental warriors who tried to waylay them, and handed over a piece of turtle armor still wedged in his teeth. The Storm Princess noted that it stank of Gamorranth. Finally, Vutha asked if she could bless Nyxek to begin his Apodracaena.

The Storm Princess showed she still carried fragments of her birth shell and could use them to bless Nyxek, but a price of three favors would need to be paid. She would accept the return of her son as the first favor, and as a second she knew of a beast she would like slain whose whereabouts would be sent to the claw after she returned to her home. Then, she, her family and her court of elementals left.