====== Open Road ======

**Session Date**: 05/03/2025 \\
**Game Master**: Rew

===== Player Characters =====

  * **Caiel**, Teifling Warlock (Nat)
  * **Dane Shadowstrike**, Tabaxi Shadow Monk (John)
  * **Elydra “Ellie” Illixalim**, Eladrin Shadow Magic Sorceror  (Nicholle)
  * **Kip Cescorna**, Human Chronomancer Wizard (Jian)
  * **Klast Ronison**, Rock-Man Peace Cleric (Jim W)
  * **Yuna Keen**, Human Cleric of Isva (Jenny Beth)

===== Named People and Places =====

  * Wildare of Flaygallows - A stoic Shadar-Kai merchant
  * Chaddrus - Caiel's infernal father and owner/operator of [[Chads-R-Us Voidships]] in [[Welmet]]
  * [[welmet#isva_s_hand_orphanage|Isva’s Hand Orphanage]] - The orphanage served by Yuna and Dane
    * Mother Omay Westerly - The matron of the orphanage
    * Brother Moses Voidshard - The secondary helper at the orphanage; a retired adventurer
  * [[Nixheim]] - One of the shards that make up The Road
  * [[Flaygallows]] - A [[shards#shadow_shards|Shadow Shard]] that makes up the "capitol" of The Road, home to a large population of Shadar-Kai
  * [[Graeae]] - A great hag who holds powerful sway over the lesser monsters of the entire province of [[The Road]]
  * Martha - A lesser hag, the seditious servitor of Graeae
  * [[Isva]] - a deitiy worshiped by Yuna
  * [[Letharr]] - A deity worshiped by Klast, also known as the veiled lady
  * [[wellmet_heroes|Eilac]] - A lesser deity in the pantheon of WelL Met Heroes who defeated the Matron of Ravens, clearing the way for Ariyah the Reborn, a ruler of Flaygallows back from the earliest times of the Sundering
  * Hydra Band - A group of [[Malmyrdons]] associated with a ten-headed pyrohydra who operates on Nixheim
  * Cussquirt Band - A warband of [[Wyrmslugs]] who will do dirty deeds for cash and flesh on Nixheim



===== Major Plot Points =====


  * Wildare offers to start buying items from the orphanage in exchange for help getting his bag of "delicate goods" back to [[Flaygallows]].
  * Wildare describes the deal he made with the hag Graeae to travel unharmed across the wilds of [[Nixheim]], inferring that he lost a very important organ in the deal.
  * Wildare explains to Caiel that Flaygallows has a nascent voidship business. To get on his father Chaddus's good side, Caiel joins the expedition.
  * Wildare convinces Klast to join his expedition to get his secretive bag of "delicate goods" to his home of Flaygallows.
  * Wildare convinces Kip and Elydra to join him. Elydra finds Kip familiar, but doesn't share why.
  * The Homeshard Heroes emerge from the voidspan gate from Welmet into a cave complex on [[Nixheim]], but find their way blocked by Martha the hag and a dozen [[Malmyrdons]].
  * The heroes learn that Graeae Rules Nixheim.
  * Martha tells Wildare //"I’ve decided to change the terms of the deal. Give me the location of the orphans and you can proceed unharmed.”// 
  * Martha has plans to double-cross Graeae and take "the orphans" for herself.
  * The heroes defeat the Malmyrdons, but Martha escapes.
  * The Homeshard Heroes see the Hydra Gang torturing members of a village for information about Wildare.
  * Once again the heroes are attacked by demons made flesh led by Martha. In this case, [[Wyrmslugs]] buried themselves in the snow to make a surprise attack. Once again, Martha escapes with her life as the monsters are destroyed.   
  * The heroes challenge Martha, and learn that by "orphans" she means she is looking for "The Orphans of Ariyah." 
  * The Homeshard Heroes fight a final battle against Martha and a half-dozen demonic soldiers on a mind-numbing, gravity-changing staircase between Nixheim and Flaygallows. 
  * Once the expedition reaches the city of Flaygallows, it is revealed that Wildare carried a bag of bright red tomatoes to market to his monochromatic countrymen. The Homeshard Heroes stay for a little bit, and are welcomed as special guests by the stoic Shadar-Kai.