# April 27, 2026 | Noisy Toys > [!Summary]+ meta > **Role Call**: [[Boldran Evans|Boldran]] • [[Cyran Forge-Acolyte Unit 10-D|Tendy]] • [[Kouneli]] • [[Brian d'Orien|Brian]] • [[Cheeto]] • [[Styx]] > **Where We Are**: Dolan's Span → Menthis Plateau → [[Morgrave University]] (Larith Hall) > **Tagline**: "Tell that professor friend of yours that we'll see him soon to take care of these noisy toys." [[E14 - Beautiful Night, Isn't It|↶ Last Session]] | [[The Bleeding Veil| Campaign Home ↝]] ## This Session The session picks up mid-combat on Dolan's Span with [[Styx]]'s rapier on the ground between him and Captain Blinton. [[Styx]] somersaults to retrieve it — the rapier subtly moves toward him. Combat resumes: [[Boldran Evans|Boldran]] delivers a knee-to-spear combo that looks "level," an Emerald Knight critically fails a javelin toss and falls on his own sword hilt, and [[Brian d'Orien|Brian]] continues his streak of not hitting anything. Then [[Brian d'Orien|Brian]] grabs a flaming dagger off his belt and the whole bridge detonates — a resonance cascade that screams every piece of orichalcum on the span, pops every lantern in sequence, and drops half the party. Blinton orders a trust-fall retreat off the sky bridge with a parting threat. The party limps through Menthis, sneaks past revelers with a mage-hand fire distraction, and delivers the Idol to [[Professor Garthen Daela]] at Morgrave. The professor's reaction is a mix of scientific ecstasy and existential horror — especially when he discovers [[Cyran Forge-Acolyte Unit 10-D|Tendy]] is made of the same stuff. ^session-summary ## Session Log ### Styx's Rapier Has Opinions We pick up right where E14 left off — [[Styx]]'s rapier on the ground between the party and Captain Blinton. - [[Styx]] does a somersault to retrieve it. As he approaches, the rapier subtly *moves toward him*. Blinton watches this quizzically but does nothing. - [[Kouneli]] drops his Sleep concentration and tries Mind Sliver on Blinton. Blinton saves. "And he fucking succeeds." "So that's my turn." *(Classic.)* - [[Brian d'Orien|Brian]] arrives "just in time" and immediately misses with an eldritch blast. "You're gonna have to flatter your patron more or something, bro." - [[Styx]] attacks Blinton with the rapier. As he swings, the dark metal inlay pulses white-blue. Blinton's armor pulses back. Same light, same frequency. Can't connect. - The rapier and Blinton's gear are *talking to each other*. ### Emerald Knight Destroys His Own Lineage Blinton lands a solid flail hit on [[Cyran Forge-Acolyte Unit 10-D|Tendy]]. The emerald knights continue to be a problem — one hits [[Cheeto]] hard. - Emerald Knight #2, already half-dead from the previous session, attempts a javelin at [[Boldran Evans|Boldran]]. *Critical fail.* He falls and smashes his balls on the hilt of his own sword. - Mechanically: half movement, negative four to all actions, 1d6+4 rounds. He is functionally useless. - [[Boldran Evans|Boldran]], inspired: "So that's how it's done." Flying knee to the remaining knight, then overhead spear strike. "That's like level right there." - [[Cheeto]] runs in with the same flying knee. Misses completely. Boldran's technique does not transfer. - The gauntlet on [[Cheeto]]'s hand flares — the orichalcum plates glow white-blue for a full six seconds. He tries to punch with the hot glowing hand. It's heavier than expected. "It's like trying to punch underwater." - [[Cyran Forge-Acolyte Unit 10-D|Tendy]] hits Blinton with a warhammer and casts Shield of Faith. "I'm trying to tank for realz." "For real for real." ### Everything Screams [[Brian d'Orien|Brian]] notices one of his daggers has ignited in blue-white fire at his belt. He grabs it. He swings at the nearest agent. He misses. *(Of course.)* - And then the bridge detonates. - Every piece of metal on Dolan's Span erupts into an ear-piercing scream. Constitution saves all around — everyone fails except [[Brian d'Orien|Brian]] and [[Cyran Forge-Acolyte Unit 10-D|Tendy]]. - From the rapier, the dagger, Blinton's flail, [[Styx]]'s pack — lancing white-hot bluish light launches into the air. Brightest polychromatic flash any of them have ever seen. - All the everbright lanterns down the row glow white-hot in sequence. Overheat. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. - Stones on the bridge crack under each artifact. The pack goes supernova bright. [[Styx]] can't touch it. - Blinton drops his flail, clutching his ears. Both emerald knights lose hold of their weapons. Everyone on the bridge is on their knees. - [[Kouneli]], playing a nerd: "Does this remind me of the flashes we've seen around the city?" Arcana check. Yes. Same polychromatic signature. Same phenomenon, bigger scale. - As suddenly as it started — silence. Everything clatters back down. The bridge is dark. ### Trust Fall Both sides pick themselves up. Blinton does the math. - He straightens up, holds his flail gingerly by the chain instead of the handle, looks at his scattered agents, and says slowly: "Time to fall back." - He strolls to the edge of the bridge. Turns around. Zeros in on [[Kouneli]]: "Tell that professor friend of yours that we'll see him soon to take care of these noisy toys." - And does a really casual spin and trust fall off the side of the sky bridge. - Every other agent follows suit. One by one, they walk to the edge and delete themselves from the map. - [[Styx]]: "What the." "Yeah." - [[Brian d'Orien|Brian]]: "You should probably put the toys away, guys. I don't want something like that to happen again." - [[Styx]]: "I don't know what's going on and I don't trust what's going on or who we're working for." He just leaves it at that. ### Loot and a Love Letter from the Emerald Claw The bridge is a mess — blood, shattered lantern glass, scorch marks, debris. - [[Kouneli]] hobbles back with Light on his staff to investigate. Finds three items clustered near where Blinton stood: an emerald claw armband (the same fake one the party counterfeited earlier — Blinton had it on him), a sealed letter, and a mauve sending stone. - "I tried. I just want to say that Brian is never able to hit anything and I am never able to investigate anything and it is hilarious." - [[Brian d'Orien|Brian]] finds a crystal lens in a popped-open leather belt kit — dark metal rim, pocket-watch sized, still warm with residual heat. He pockets it. - The letter, unsigned: *"Intercept at transit. Priority is the Furnia component. Avoid lethal engagement if possible. If not possible, ensure no witnesses. Report via stone."* - [[Styx]] pockets the sending stone and the letter. Does not share with the professor later. ### Sneaking Past the Party (With Arson) The party navigates Menthis Plateau at night. Marching order finally gets formal: [[Boldran Evans|Boldran]] and [[Cyran Forge-Acolyte Unit 10-D|Tendy]] up front, [[Styx]] and [[Kouneli]] in the middle, [[Brian d'Orien|Brian]] and [[Cheeto]] in the back. The Zelda sword formation. - They round a corner into a plaza with fifty-odd revelers. Acrobats, drinking, a fire dancer doing the steampunk version of the thing. - Stealth check. Everyone passes. [[Cyran Forge-Acolyte Unit 10-D|Tendy]] — the six-foot-six warforged — rolls a nat 20. "That's never happened for Tendy." - [[Kouneli]], riding the nat-20 energy, mage-hands the fire dancer in the throat mid-performance. He spews his arcane fluids onto a tapestry. The entire party of revelers becomes a volunteer fire brigade. - "Walking disaster in this town." - [[Cyran Forge-Acolyte Unit 10-D|Tendy]], having worked with laboring warforged, bundles all his gear in his cloak and carries it like a worker's load. Nobody looks twice. - On the far side, the Idol starts *pulling* [[Styx]] forward. Gentle at first, then more insistent. [[Cyran Forge-Acolyte Unit 10-D|Tendy]] grabs his belt to keep him from getting dragged away. Everbright lanterns explode as they pass. ### Your Friend Is a Convergence-Rated Artifact [[Professor Garthen Daela]] is waiting outside Larith Hall. Not waiting for them — he didn't know they were coming. He's sitting on the stone step, coat over his shoulders, hands wrapped around cold tea. He looks up, sees the glowing pack, says nothing, turns, and motions over his shoulder: "Come on." - He leads them past the great library, past the Moorland relics, past the World Dragon, into a cramped personal study. Star charts pinned everywhere. Dicani rubbings on the table. A cot in the corner. He's been sleeping on campus. - In a glass case on the central table: the skimmer, pulsing in white-blue light. When [[Styx]] enters the room, both the Idol and the skimmer flare — then settle. The hum jumps an octave, then resolves into unison. The professor lets out a very long exhale. He'd been holding his breath. - [[Styx]], setting the Idol down: "What the fuck is going on?" *(The universal question of this campaign.)* - The professor starts scribbling, examining, muttering about conduit structures and ambient energy absorption. Then [[Styx]] describes the bridge. The professor puts down his quill. - "I'm sorry. You say it did *what* on the bridge?" - [[Styx]] pulls the rapier out and sets it down. [[Cheeto]] shows the gauntlet. The professor's glasses come down. He looks at the rapier. At the Idol. At the skimmer. At the gauntlet. - "That's curious." "What's curious?" "This is all the same alloy." - [[Kouneli]] describes the warforged colossus in the Cogs, the artificer's lab, the strange fields. The professor's face drains of color. - "I've heard it theorized. I've heard it considered. But I never thought anyone would be able to *build* anything." - He flicks the rapier. It hums. Blue-white pulse. The skimmer pulses back. The Idol answers. And then, weirdly, [[Cyran Forge-Acolyte Unit 10-D|Tendy]] starts pulsing too. - The professor sees the repair seams on [[Cyran Forge-Acolyte Unit 10-D|Tendy]]'s chest. Stands up like he's been hit by lightning. Runs a finger along the seams the way you trace a crack in a vase. - "Never seen anyone make a convergence-rated bonding agent. Grade high enough to be integrated with a warforged. This should be impossible." - "Your friend is a convergence-rated artifact." - [[Cyran Forge-Acolyte Unit 10-D|Tendy]]: "I am 10-D." - [[Styx]], hand on the professor's shoulder: "Are you okay?" Insight check. Deeply, profoundly, he is not okay. - "I have so much work to do." ### Library Cards and Loose Threads The professor gives them the pitch: the university is safe, the provost has security covered, and the artifacts should stay with the party — "they are rare indeed." - [[Brian d'Orien|Brian]]: "If we loan you this short sword, I assume we'll get favors as far as library fees go?" The professor: "Young man, you are welcome to these facilities of learning." - [[Kouneli]] cannot hide his excitement. Does not try. - The professor advises on the artifacts: next time the sensation comes, lean into it. "Feel them. And if you believe in them, I believe they will grant unto you a great boon." - [[Cyran Forge-Acolyte Unit 10-D|Tendy]]'s next system diagnostic reveals full awareness of the convergence properties integrated into his frame. - All artifact-bearers can now identify and attune to their items. But you gotta feel it. And if you don't feel it, you don't get it. - The professor: "I simply must brief the provost. This is most irregular." - [[Styx]], quietly: "[[Arthemis d'Cannith|Artemis]], the Emerald Claw, and a rogue faction of House Cannith — they may be coming for you at this point. Be careful." - "I survived. I did not think that was gonna happen." - The party long rests at Morgrave. Next week: downtime.