Cleansing Rituals

Manasa and Atlas are in a jail cell in Neverwinter Castle after attempting to hijack a shipment of goods in the city. Atlas is critizicing Manasa's lack of indiferrence. He blames him for the both of them getting caught, because he is too empathetic. Manasa defends himself by saying that he thought that there was a better way with less collateral damage. Their conversation is interrupted by Even, who gets them out of jail. We find out that Even was their caretaker in the orphanage. Atlas walks past her, seemingly being too proud to thank her. Manasa is taken aback by her words when she tells him that she is expecting such behavior from Atlas and Chronos, but not from him. Manasa tells her to ask her husband to take it a bit easier on them in the future, to which Even responds: "You know how he is regarding his oath..."

The party is about to fight the marut with their bare hands, when suddenly s foot from out of the portal behind the marut kicks him over. Out of the portal, a silhouette steps out. Only Manasa recognizes it as being Darius. Darius grants them their equipment in spectral form, and together they fight off the marut.

After the fight, Darius realizes the patron Manasa is harboring in his chest. The party realizes that Darius is not remembering anything past the 100 years. He has been trying to bring balance in the planes, and was frustrated by the inefficiency of Mechanus in bringing order to the world. He offers Manasa the chance to rid him of his evil patron. Manasa accepts, knowing that he will die with it. As Darius slays the snake, he projects part of himself into Manasa, becoming his new patron instead. Before he leaves, he revives Lorkhan, who decides to come back to life. When Kilijan sees this, he is astonished by Darius's commitment to his oath and to order. Darius comes up to him and, as if something from subconsciously told him to do so, slaps Kilijan into becoming a paladin.

Darius leaves and the portal to mechanus closes. The villagers unfreeze, and Taylor suspects that a fight has broken out. Trusting the party having acted in a way he would have approved of, he does not question them and provides cover about what happened, telling the rest of the guests that one of the oni's wraiths escaped and came to take vengeance on the party. Due to the happenings the past few days, the auction for the ships is delayed for 10 days, and the party decides to take part in some downtime activities. Manasa is contemplating about his new-found patron and how he projects onto his powers. He has a conversation with Serge, who tells him about his lost childhood friend at sea and how he hopes that Manasa will have the strength to overcome his grievances as well over time. Mycha has been training Kilijan in the art of sword fighting, while he himself found a suitable sparing partner in Tristan in the evenings. Lorkhan follows Kaito, the samurai guard of Maiko, to the eastern village of Graviheer. He is spotted by him. The exchange a few back and forths, before Kaito inviting him to join him for a drink at his favorite spot at the beach. They sit down at a beach bar where Amitopea, a female vedalkin, is serving them drinks. Lorkhan notices that Kaito is in love with her. While talking to Kaito, he finds out that he was in the royal guard when Maiko's caravan was attacked a few years back. He was defeated by the bandits and had to watch Maiko getting assaulted by a group of them. He vowed to revenge her and killed a few months later every single one of them. Now he travels with her wherever she goes. Weneon is trying to find Hamlet's hideout near the old mines. While returning home after the third unsuccessful night of trying to find Hamlet, Weneon notices that he is being followed by someone. It turns out that Tuggs, a 14-year-old member of Aster's crew, was following him. When caught by one of Weneon's traps, Tuggs starts babbling about all kinds of things, trying to get out of the trouble he found himself in. Weneon, thinking he could have some fun and get some useful intel out of the boy, decides to pour a bottle of delirium into his mouth. The kid starts suffocating and Weneon freezes in place, unable to react as he watches the kids die a painful death in front of him in the woods near West Graviheer.