Session Date: 3/4/2024
The Verdant Core in the Hollow World have five different creatures: arboreals, leshys, dryads, goran (human shaped human sized plant folk), and the wood giants. The jury is composed of a mix of all of these types of creatures. There is a female arboreal, a dryad, a small flower leshy, a goran man, and a wood giant woman. These are who we will be introducing ourselves to as they are the ones choosing the fate of Axamonar. What we have to do is convince at least three of these people.
When we requested for Axamonar’s apprentice to come Roscoe explains that he managed to get a letter to Jewel but nobody can locate his apprentice, though someone will be showing up, he just doesn’t know who. Mary contacts Joe the druid to let him know what is going on and the status of things here. Joe is explaining that the union is doing really well and everyone is excited about it, but next to the Murky Dragonfruit is a new soup kitchen/restaurant called Clapperclaw’s Chow.
We all introduce ourselves to the court and members thereof for the opening statements. The prosecutor has experts with him and Faylen recognizes and human male as one of the specialists, and he recognizes that the man is another Sage, like how Axamonar is. Izoraxx is his name. His energy is very different than Axamonar. He’s bald and looks like an upset vulture, and is dressed in a black that is due to not caring rather than trying to be stylish. He definitely resides in Jewel and is basically very brutally efficient. When people cast spells there’s a flourish with it, so like with Faylen who casts arcane magic there is formulae and his spells are different from even his sister; Izoraxx casts the most bare bones versions of spells. He learned the spell formulae and that’s it. He had to travel here, though it’s hard to say when he did. He introduces himself as Sage Izoraxx and that he will provide expertise, and no other elaboration.
Faylen tries to recall how this sort of transference works and over his travels he has thought of this and the idea is that creating a soulstone is very difficult and expensive and not ever sage can actually manage this: for some it’s a philosophical issue where you cannot create a 1:1 recreation of your original body so they do not bother or they feel they will not be comfortable with being in not their body, but there is absolutely a soul and the exact copy of the memory at the exact moment of death. This is what is encased in a stone and what happened with Axamonar was that the body was created and then the stone was cracked over the body to transfer into it. If he has not created a new soulstone then he will actually die this time. At no point was there two sets of memories. This is a continuous flow from the original body, into the rock, and into the new body: at no time do two souls exist, or two sets of memories.
Faylen asks Mary if there’s anything like this for plantkin or fungus-kin and there is something similar to it for fungal leshies and fungal type creatures. It is similar to reincarnation but different. There is also a plant-specific reincarnation spell that allows for growing a body from the corpse of another.
The Jury:
Arboreal: Artemisia Pontica
Dryad: Eilonwy
Leshy: Lewkoniusz
Ghoran: Melahalt
Voadkyn (Wood Giant): Gudrun
We have two of the jurors on our side at the start of this, so we need to convince one more to our side.
Izoraxx calls Faylen over by calling him boy, and says that he never forgets a face of an A in his class. Izoraxx asks why Faylen is here, and why he is on the side of Axamonar. Faylen explains he is on a sabbatical and he is here to visit and explore the situation above ground here. Izoraxx is less than thrilled that Faylen is there on the side of Axamonar and basically threatens to get him kicked out of school, and Faylen responds that he was taught to be honest and uphold the truth. Izoraxx is not super thrilled with this, but fine. Faylen can tell that Izoraxx cannot recall his name at this time.
We go down to the jail to speak with Axamonar, and he is nervous — stressed, but not afraid. Faylen explains that he was threatened by Izoraxx to be kicked out of school and Axamonar reassures him that he will not be kicked out, and Tabby points out Izoraxx means that he will likely kill Faylen. Axamonar tells Tabby not to scare Faylen, and starts to reassure Faylen.
When asked why the Arboreals: Izoraxx has had dealings with beings in the Hollow World and works with them in the past. Axamonar explains that he no longer recalls who the Sage of the Ministry Divination is, he doesn’t particularly care for managing the spy network and all of that so it’s possible Izoraxx may be it because they are typically opposites. Axamonar explains that every Sage knows the state of the Seal of Infinity, so Izoraxx knows, but he doesn’t know that we are part of the deal that has a part of the Seal of Infinity. Axamonar admits that it’s possible Izoraxx has part of the Seal, possibly.
We review the plan for the arguments and Axamonar is pleased with what he is hearing. Afterwards, we speak to Montego, and he explains we need a bloodstone. Faylen offers to look for it after court today, and Montego agrees.
We go back to court and work with Roscoe and build the defense, then continue through the case. We manage to convince 4/5 of the jury and Axamonar is exonerated of his crimes. Izoraxx is heavily displeased and hates Faylen now, but Axamonar is going to protect him at least so that he doesn’t get expelled.