Chapter 6 - Sunnyvale Acres

"With its energy and hate depleted, the spirit fades and a mysterious stone falls in its place. Twyla stashes the stone..." - Malzara Ayj-Iarud, Master Historian

Crossing the fields while calling for help, the party trapses through one of many crop fields at this expansive and well-maintained estate. An older, muscled half orc wearing a green shirt, trousers, suspenders, and a leather toolbelt holding an iron rod, emerges from the ranch-style house and runs to greet the party. With strange mechanical farming constructs resting in the fields beyond, Lokgan leads the party to a spare room where Janna can rest. Daphinia administers treatment to stabilize the dwarf, and the party retreats to the veranda. The group sips cool lemonade and Tsip tells Lokgan they are a family. Charmed by the group, Lokgan grants Maja access to his library and takes the others out to his workshop for some magical and mechanical fun. He teaches Daphinia a little about how to harness lightning magic and gives Tsip a gun.

Hawley arrives shortly after in a fantastic achievement of artificery and engineering, Luxphoen, a beautiful metallic horseless cart. Hopping out of the cart moments after Hawley is a tall, thin elf wearing a hooded cloak and carrying a satchel. Hawley and Twyla get busy in the kitchen preparing for dinner while Lokgan oversees an uncomfortable set of introductions. The elf says his name is Rhaelyn and that he had been attacked and waylaid on the road where Hawley found him walking by himself. He attributes the attack to the widespread anti-elf sentiment in the region. Lokgan is somewhat evasive about his past with the Brightmind Corps, but does speak highly of a friend of his in the Arcane Archivists. He writes a letter of introduction for this friend Kwa’il, who can be found in Gwyllipelta. He also writes two writs of transportation for Zalowe, the Harbormaster in Vendt, and Griplo, the Station Chief at the train station in Brayhlm. Rhaelyn says he will join the journey to the capital, and Lokgan gives him the three sealed documents. The hosts and party retire to their rooms for the night, and Rhaelyn heads outside to sleep under the stars.

The party wakes shortly after dawn to a strange smell. Looking further up into the forest, a billowing trail of smoke is making its way towards Sunnyvale Acres. The party helps Lokgan make some rapid preparations to fire-proof the house and workshop until the fire reaches the clearing. A towering, gargantuan ram made entirely of fire with a runic symbol on its forehead. The creature’s white hot flames seethe hatred and rage. It stops its charge for a fleeting second to recognize the party before charging across the fields, setting them ablaze as it continued burning its path to Forcoil. The ram’s flaming footsteps give birth to writing vengeful living flames, and the party fights the spirits while trying to help Lokgan and Rhaelyn douse the flames. Although the party is successful against the living flames, the inferno continues to devastate Lokgan’s farmland and machinery. He calls for them to take Luxphoen and warn the citizens of Forcoil about the impending attack. The party makes for Luxphoen, the one-of-a-kind horseless carriage and manages to get it moving after some experimentation. The party makes impressive immediate progress working Luxphone until it runs out of momentum on a flat stretch of road. Simultaneously, Janna had attempted to capitalize on the chaos of the moment by trying to interrogate Rhaelyn. He makes a run for it as the carriage comes to a halt – Janna gives chase as best she can with her shorter dwarven legs. Daphinia, seeing this, joins the chase and catches up with an expeditious retreat. She convinces Rhaelyn to get back in the cart and continue the journey with them. He agrees, and the party again picks up speed as it approaches Forcoil. The road is still clogged with carts because of the cut bridge, and Rhaelyn offers a quick shortcut following a small creek. At the last minute, Maja takes Rhaelyn’s suggestion and the cart careens downstream and bursts into a large clearing. The flame ram enters the clearing moments after the party, who turns south and manages to careen through the woods arriving at Forcoil before the flame ram. The ram, intent on destroying Forcoil, is defeated by the party. Janna revealed her identity as a werelizard, and Rhaelyn healed the party. With its energy and hate depleted, the spirit fades and a mysterious stone falls in its place. Twyla stashes the stone, and Rhaelyn poses a question to the group with some urgency. Holding the documents Lokgan prepared for them, he says he will make his own way to Gwyllipelta and offers to take whichever route the party does not take. The party agrees and takes the writ of transportation through Vendt and the introduction letter for Kwa’il, and Rhaelyn swiftly departs through the trees with the writ of transportation through Brayhlm.