The party wakes to a new day in Quastarte and heads for the Divine Host Library. Brother Nathaniel, the half-elf head librarian and priest of Oghma, is eagerly helpful yet quick to emphasize the inherent limits of printed information when Haerelben wants him to identify the evil dagger that made warlock Allana pass out at Sacred Stone Library. Nathaniel politely demurs by instead observing the dagger’s odeur evil. And as for the moonbow, he suggests Haerelben would be better served consulting the local Sehanine temple resources.
Theren leans in close. Any books on the Elder Evil Element Eye? Nothing in the card catalog specifically about E4, but Nathaniel accompanies Theren to the monsters section where they find a treatise detailing the iterative exposure of slaves to a controlled medusan source. Theren learns that partial visual obscuration through a perforated surface, such as a muslin blindfold, allows subjects to discern well enough for combat while mitigating the effects of a petrifying gaze.
Librarian’s assistant Trelissa enthusiastically accommodates Lefty. Trelissa has never even heard of a tabaxi before. Lefty has never heard of a librarian’s assistant before, but you don’t see her picking up Trelissa’s follicle sheddings. Lefty and Trelissa fail to locate any references to the Elder Evil Elemental Eye, but fortuitously happen upon an unauthorized biography of Ogremoch. Ogremoch, “the mountain that walks”, is depicted as a fifty foot colossus of rock who claims all the precious minerals and dislikes the mortals who quarry them, especially dwarves. He likes nothing better than manifesting to the material plane through an elemental node to wreck mining endeavors as he did 4500 years ago. Cross referencing that time period, Lefty and Trelissa find additional books describing the previous incursion through elemental nodes by four elemental princes: Ogremoch, Imix, Princess Olhydra, and Yan-C-Bin. History is repeating itself, as Ardak warned.
Bromsby researches his new besty, Iron Oath. He finds a generic coffee table book of magic hammers from which he learns that hammers are ideal for applying percussive force to a small area. He finds a more helpful book that describes the forging of Iron Oath by dwarven smith Werandoc Mroranon 4500 years ago. The details regarding Iron Oath’s infusion of magical properties, specifically its effectiveness against earthen construction and curses, and boon of earthen spells, are conspicuously omitted.
Meega looks around for a book on Iron Fang. She runs into Theren who is looking for books on elemental air weapons analogous to Iron Fang, or elemental weapons equal and opposite to Iron Fang. They don’t find anything directly relating to Iron Fang or anything obviously applicable to the current elemental crisis, but do note some DIY information on making elemental weapons that Meega and Theren could use to start the next elemental crisis. Meega, looking over Bromsby’s shoulder, notes with satisfaction that Iron Oath, despite its potent magic, was forged by a martial smith.
Lefty wanders by perusing “Mordenkainen’s Magnificent Emporium”, but drops that famous reference right on the floor when she notices “Yarnby’s Yarn Almanac”.
As Haerelben’s fox’s cunning spell effects unwind from the researchers, and the librarian’s growling tummy hints broadly at the passing time, Theren catches a tantalizing tidbit of information on an ancient primordial traveler of the elemental chaos who sought to provide order in opposition to the elemental princes of evil. And on his way out he gives just a little glance at an encyclopedia of burning weapons by politician-turned-author Burny Cinders.
Haerelben meets with acquaintance Adorellan Heidon, moon elf chief priestess of the local Sehanine temple. She is predictably impressed by the Daughter of the Night Skies Moonbow and is unhesitatingly pleased to take custody of it on behalf of the order. Tetchy first-born Haerelben erupts at the poncy temple bureaucrat getting grabby with the moonbow while he and his cohorts put their lives on the line every day. What’s Haerelben going to do without the moonbow, sprint in endless circles curing his team by touch? As the goblins say, fuhgeddaboudit! Haerelben and Adorellan momentarily set aside their differences to research the potential use of the longbow-shaped focus as an actual longbow, as Meega previously inferred from the prestrung shape and wear marks on the arrow rest. Adorellan leads Haerelben to a chamber perpetually lit by moonlight and tenderly places the moonbow on an altar. She retrieves a tome with a painting of a female elf drawing a regular arrow upon the moonbow with a visible bowstring of moonlight. Encouraged, Adorellan fetches an arrow and attempts to draw it on the moonbow aimed at Haerelben. No bowstring appears. Haerelben takes his turn, reciprocating the moonbow’s aim at Adorellan. The moonlight bowstring appears in Haerelben’s hand ready to send the arrow. The matter of custody is settled, but Haerelben agrees to hang around to test the moonbow versus a martial longbow for Adorellan’s research. The moonbow tests unfavorably, but that says more about Haerelben’s skill than Sehanine’s influence. Besides, if it causes Adorellan disappointment then Haerelben is satisfied to hide the magical precision he’s feeling from the moonbow [+1d4 to hit].
The party reunites for lunch and some quick reprovisioning of arrows, ball bearings, and potions. They encounter Ardalia at Ardak’s cottage and she equips them with a bandoleer of four “backup” canisters and instructions to throw a canister on the ground when things seem bad. Ardalia does not elaborate on the results of executing said instructions so no one contends when Lefty volunteers to wear that fashionable array of surprises. Eager to return to the thrills of interminable danger, the refreshed party takes Ardak’s elf gate to Lance Rock.
From Lance Rock, it is difficult to not perceive the columns of smoke rising from Red Larch. The commingled sounds of screaming and rocky grinding suggest the forces of Black Earth are already in town. The party hastens for Red Larch while maintaining situational awareness, following along Kheldell path until they can see cultists marching civilians toward Mellikho’s quarry, source of the grinding and the screaming. The party skirts the town and sneaks up a hill overlooking the quarry.
The scene in the quarry is unsettling to behold. Eight townies are shackled by stone cuffs. An indeterminate number of victims have already been “juiced” by a large earth elemental, their pulpy blood pooling in the quarry. Four guards bring one of the prisoners up to a priest, seemingly for an interrogation or some other process that will inevitably end in juicing.
Lefty snaps into action, sending magic missiles to the priest and the pair of guards hauling up the next victim to interrupt the proceedings as the cultists turn their attention to the hilltop source. Bromsby sneaks around to study whether the prisoners might be liberated during the distraction, but the guards take shelter against the quarry wall using the prisoners as shields. Haerelben blesses the bow wielders hoping to quickly take out the priest. The priest magically shields himself making that a difficult proposition, but not before he catches a couple of Theren’s crossbow bolts in his face. The earth elemental drops into the rocky floor of the quarry, portending some melee action for Meega as she plants arrows into the priest with her shortbow.
Lefty’s magic missiles are useless against the priest’s shield, so she dashes to keep the guards from overwhelming Bromsby while he draws them away from the prisoners with rays of frost. The priest notices Bromsby’s approach and shatters him, drawing an offsetting bolster from Haerelben.
The earth elemental pops up in front of Meega and gets ironically erupted by earth at Bromsby’s command through Iron Oath. Theren puts a killing crossbow bolt into the priest and calls the elemental as his new mark. Meega’s axe knocks the elemental onto its backside and smacks it again. The elemental recovers its composure by dropping into the rock and popping up out of her reach behind her with a couple of rocky punches to her back. Meega embarasses the elemental by tripping him a second time with a follow up overhead smash. The elemental stands and turns his punching attention to Theren who has closed to melee range, trading the heavy crossbow for a hand crossbow and shortsword combo and promising the elemental some brought pain. Theren’s shortsword catches in the elemental as Meega trips it for a humiliating three times in a row. The elemental stands to continue punishing Theren for Meega’s dominance. Theren is getting a little wobbly despite Haerelben’s efforts, but draws his backup shortsword and strikes the elemental into rubble.
Bromsby and Lefty have troubles of their own as the four guards abandon the quarry to flank them with spiked clubs. Bromsby erupts earth under them once they clear the prisoners. Nimble Lefty focuses her ki and dishes out the pain while deftly avoiding most of the swings at her. She scratches out the first guard. Bromsby lashes out with thorn whip. Meega scrambles across the erupted earth and viciously finishes the second guard who’s already limping from erupted earth. One guard is beating on Lefty, but she has the clarity to recognize the other guard is running to get help so she lights him up with magic missiles. Haerelben takes Lefty’s cue, moonbowing an arrow into the fleeing guard. Not bad, but Theren does his usual impossible bucket of damage with a couple of spot-on crossbow bolts as the guard reaches the far side of the quarry. Meega nods approvingly before turning and casually dropping the fleeing guard with her borrowed shortbow at the limit of its effective range. Whateva.
While the archers mutually congratulate each other, the last guard continues to enthusiastically pound the life from Lefty with a spike club. Fine, she’ll do it herself. She makes a critical claw strike and ends the guard.
The party’s not in great shape, but the scourge of Red Larch continues in the distance and there’s no time for rest.