Minds Available

The party found themselves standing within the Lesnina forest after Gambino Marino and his two dragons had made their abrupt appearance. Kilijan Mecha observed the lingering magical residue in the air, which allowed him to conclude that Gambino and his dragons had manifested as mere astral projections. Manasa Kitrinos approached Melcior, who remained tied up and unresponsive, held in a state of complete stasis. Gregorious Windamere had previously extracted a Vecna Coin, still encased within its black orb, from Melcior's abdomen. The scene held an unsettling quiet, broken only by the rustling of leaves in a light breeze. The party did not know what to make of their immediate surroundings or their current predicament. Their collective powers felt depleted, a heavy exhaustion settling over each of them. Their health remained low, a constant reminder of recent events. Manasa, Weneon Emberspirit, Kilijan Mecha, and Sagiatto stood among the surrounding trees, eache of them reflecting on the lives they had led up to this unexpected point. Kilijan Mecha remembered Ratt, who had once told him that the names of things were not important, but rather their essence. Kilijan kept this particular mantra taped to the inside of the lid of his alchemist supplies kit, a constant reminder. As Kilijan traced the words, he realized that the blue color on his hand had smudged, revealing the true color of his own skin beneath it. He remembers then Ratt again: hanging from a tree were he found him during Kilijan’s captivity in Garresh’s base all those years ago.

Weneon experienced a vision, which emerged as a swirling mist after the feyr fell. Within the shifting forms, Weneon saw vague recollections of someone speaking to him when he was a child. The vision then focused on a bookstore, identifiable by its sign, "Books I’ve Read," which was run by a gnome who only sold books he asserted he had personally read. Weneon recalled the exact moment he resolved not to steal from individuals engaged in honest labor. A different scene unfolded, revealing Weneon's father. Weneon then remembered his father’s name, Riley Emberspirit. Riley spoke to Weneon, revealing, "I took my own life because I couldn't bear watching all things die." A dark gift, originating from the Mist Walker, began to try and embed itself within Weneon. A hand, that of Lorilon, appeared and spoke from the Cape of Leaves, preventing Weneon from accepting the offering. The vision then dissipated.

Manasa approached Greg, who stood holding the Vecna Coin he had taken from Melcior. Greg then suggested they burn Melcior’s body, noting it was clearly just a shell, a Sorrowsworn. Manasa considered the suggestion for a moment. He began to reach for Melcior’s body to take it off the tree stump, where Manasa remained tied and in stasis. Manasa heard his patron, Darius, speak to him. Darius warned Manasa not to succumb to seeing Melcior as anything more than a replicant. "It is not her," Darius said. Manasa then entered a vision. He saw himself during the falling of Neverwinter, searching for his brothers Atlas and Kronos. Manasa came across the chasm in Neverwinter while he continued his search. From out of the chasm, monsters began to emerge. A large snake swallowed Manasa. His pin of the Order of the Forgotten God, an order he had joined a few years earlier, began to speak to him. Its mantra reminded Manasa that a man should know only two things: where he is and when he is. The pin then revealed the name of the forgotten god: Dendar. Dendar became Manasa's warlock patron and helped Manasa escape the snake's belly. Manasa then recalled emerging from the belly and meeting Kilijan, Weneon, Lorkhan, and Mycha in the ruins of Neverwinter. During a short rest in these ruins, Manasa found the orphanage where he had once lived. He located his dossier and Even’s notes about his mental state. Manasa read one of the last entries, in which Even stated that he still blamed someone named Kronos and Atlas. This entry revealed to Manasa that the brothers he had known never existed. Manasa’s vision ended. Darius then told Manasa that he could help him get rid of the remaining traces of Dendar. Manasa accepted the offer. Manasa gained more powerful spellcasting abilities from Darius. Manasa then told Greg they would not burn Melcior. Instead, Manasa said they would study the body.

Sagiatto looked at Melcior's body, held in stasis. The sight of it brought a memory to Sagiatto's mind, a memory of Glatio, a blood hunter from Arborea. Both Sagiatto and Glatio had been part of the Order of the Giftgivers. Sagiatto remembered visiting Glatio in his room once, where Glatio was preparing a goat for taxidermy. Glatio explained the art of taxidermy to Sagiatto, detailing the steps. He spoke of removing all remaining living tissue, like bacteria and ulcers, then draining all the blood from the creature, and finally finding something suitable to fill it with again. Sagiatto then spat a trail of blood onto the floor behind Manasa. He followed the fresh crimson droplets, which led him directly to the wounded Apex Predator that had been hunting him. Kilijan noticed Sagiatto speaking to something hidden in the corner of the room. Kilijan walked over to Sagiatto. Sagiatto then informed Kilijan about the predator and told him directly to "finish the job."

Kilijan dragged the apex predator to the rest of the party, dropping the wounded creature in front of them. For a moment, the party considered what to do with it. Greg and Sagiatto struggled for a bit to finish the creature, but Sagiatto managed a cut through its face, killing it. The cut revealed a githyanki underneath the predator mask, an astral plane being. The dark Lesnina forest around them suddenly glowed, revealing its true eclectic nature, composed of a variety of buildings, architectural styles, and different flora. A voice was suddenly heard. The party began to experience nosebleeds and migraines, realizing that the visions they had previously encountered were the result of some probing of their minds. The voice spoke in a sterile and pragmatic tone: "All specimens have been destroyed. Deploying new improved ones. Objective should be updated. New minds have become available."