The Moral Compass and the Unwilling Bait

Kilijan investigated the stone masonry at the spot where the party took their short rest in Lesnina forest. He remembered a time when he was fifteen years old in Thur, doing daily work for a pirate crew. Kilijan spoke to a pandaren male lighthouse keeper named Harugu, who hailed from Kara-Tur. Harugu was a mathematician who claimed he had been saved from a Maztica army by the Arabeska, a pirate ship from the Border Kingdoms. Harugu told Kilijan that he was smarter than hanging around with pirates, and advised him not to "eat their shit." Later that day, Kilijan stumbled into a role as a math teacher in Thur. He found himself fascinated by the six-year-old students, all of whom seemed to be prodigies. Kilijan received an offer to stay and work as a teacher, but he declined. An aracocra girl student named Tashana showed Kilijan her invention prototype, an artificer armor that materialized around one’s body. In the evening, Kilijan went to Harugu’s place and had dinner with him. During dinner, Kilijan learned that Harugu was something of a fraud, a high school teacher who had told everyone he was a university professor. Harugu also admitted to being the only survivor from his village after the attack, because he did not tell anyone that they could be saved by the Arabeska. Kilijan finished dinner with Harugu and then went to his ship. He boarded the ship and left Thur. On the ship, Kilijan began creating his first sketches to construct Tashana’s idea for an armor.

Kilijan emerged from his thoughts, which had drifted to a simpler time. He looked down at his gauntlet and saw Tashana’s name, a memory carved into his armor years ago to remember her inspiration. The rest of the party settled in their hideout in Lesnina, preparing for a short rest. Their peace was broken by the sudden appearance of Aldric, a human male whose head was shaped distinctly like a schoolhouse. Aldric told them he had been trapped in Lesnina for ten days and desperately wanted to leave. Greg and Kilijan exchanged a skeptical glance, not readily believing Aldric’s story. Weneon and Sagiatto, however, began to question him further. Aldric explained he had been returning from the tournament in Gossamer, where the Uninvited had also been fighting. He identified himself as a biology researcher and claimed to have discovered a deep connection between Lunaryn and the forest they currently occupied. He reiterated his hope that the party would assist him in finding a way out of Lesnina. Kilijan then asked Aldric about Elminster. Aldric admitted that as he left Gossamer, he had stumbled across Elminster’s tower and the surrounding harengon camp, attempting to circumvent them before finding himself in Lesnina. The party continued to question Aldric, noting his encyclopedic knowledge of Elminster and historical events in general. He then shows them a blue vial with liquid he claimes comes from the hooves of Lunaryn, the elk guardian of Lesnina. The last time he encountered him, he took a sample to study it. They decided to continue their short rest and agreed to speak more with Aldric afterwards.

Weneon moved to investigate the ballistas positioned in front of the fort. He located two of them; one stood broken down, while the other seemed functional but held a giant ship-breaking bolt stuck within its firing mechanism. Kilijan approached the working ballista and began to repair it. Weneon then loaded the massive bolt into place, visibly ready to test the weapon. Kilijan turned to Weneon and asked if he thought Greg would resurrect Tuggs once they returned to Graviher. Weneon replied that he no longer thought about Tuggs that much. Kilijan then spoke of Zendekai, recounting how she had lost faith in him after he became a paladin. As they talked, Kilijan worked on the ballista, crafting a magical giant bolt that appeared far superior to the one Weneon had found. Sagiatto explored a short distance outside the fort, actively listening for any sounds from the surrounding area. He eventually heard noises emanating from the bushes but chose not to pursue them. Later, Sagiatto spoke with Aldric, sharing his somber perspective on life, which seemed to dishearten Aldric. Aldric advised Sagiatto to cultivate more joy, urging him to embrace his role as a hunter and not disregard the callings he sought. Greg planted an acorn, observing it immediately being pushed back out of the ground. Greg understood this to be a message from his deity, Sylvanus, indicating the forest did not originate from seeds. Kilijan presented Greg with the Scarf of Needed Words.

Kilijan observed his compass. The compass, which always indicated the strongest fey creature, now pointed directly at Aldric. Greg and Kilijan grew suspicious of Aldric, believing he was concealing something sinister. Greg and Kilijan then explained their plan to Aldric. They proposed that Aldric act as bait for the predator. Aldric immediately called their plan illogical and refused to participate. A debate quickly broke out, and Aldric began to shake, clearly unaccustomed to such conflict situations. He again refused, expressing his anger at their suggestion, and firmly reiterated his refusal to play along. Greg offered an apology to Aldric, then offered to teleport him to safety in Revilon. Aldric seemed to consider the offer, but the others then asked Greg if he was thinking of banishing Aldric. Greg laughed in response, which made Aldric grow visibly sad at the implication. Greg dismissed it as a silly idea; Aldric, however, perceived Greg’s reaction as sociopathic. Greg then offered to act as Aldric's bodyguard for 1000 gold pieces, a proposal which further disgusted Aldric. Aldric decided he would separate himself from the party, revealing that he was a thought materialized in the Materia Swamp. He explained he did not know whose dream or thoughts from the material plane had given him birth. Kilijan apologized to Aldric, and Weneon defended Aldric’s decision, stating Aldric was better off not accompanying them. Aldric headed south, hoping to find an exit. Before Aldric fully departed, Kilijan offered another apology. Meanwhile, Sagiatto received a fortune cookie, and the message inside instructed Sagiatto to smile when receiving happiness. Aldric then stated he did not know who had made him this way, but he expressed gratitude for his existence, believing it was witness to that person having been creative, intelligent, and most importantly, good. Aldric then left the group. The party immediately began debating their decision-making style, and a deep analysis of their individual approaches to problems quickly ensued.

The party continued their discussion for some time. Greg then interrupted them, clearly tired of the conversation, and expressed a desire to continue their journey. Weneon commented that they seemed overly mistrusting of the people they encountered. Kilijan countered, stating such caution was necessary given the world's dangers. Greg again cut into their exchange. He appeared bored with the moral dilemma and wanted to resume their travels. A small fey creature, Gaga, a hedgehog, approached them. Gaga indicated a wish to enter the fort and deliver apples to Aldric. Gaga then revealed that Aldric had previously saved Gaga and Gaga's family from predators by drawing the creatures' attention to himself, allowing the others to escape. The party continued their journey north. They soon arrived at a hill covered with harengon skeletons. At the center of the hill stood a tree stump, to which a naked human female had been nailed. The woman called out for Manasa. The rest of the party then recognized her as Melcior. Melcior then spoke, saying, "I knew you would come, Manasa." However, Manasa was not present with the party; he remained missing. A voice then spoke from behind them. Amidor called out to the group, stating, "I knew she would get you to come." Amidor proceeded to inform them that Baba Yaga had murdered his entire village. He then cursed Mycha, who had given him a cursed sword. Amidor explained that he had lured them to this location specifically to ask for their help. He requested their assistance in killing Lunaryn, stating that with Lunaryn's antlers, he could resurrect his village.