Session Date: 04/13/2026
Session Begin
We are in the Radiant Demesne, which will eventually become the Dark Demesne. We go to the surface and we notice that what they call the Sun is an enormous eye that has just closed. Bion comments that this is so exciting and Faylen says that this is certainly a word to describe it, to which Bion says that it is the perfect word to describe it! We look around and see the Temple where we had appeared. Bion asks if we were on the surface before and Mary points to the temple. Tabby explains that things are fuzzy as to how we got there.
He admits that we cannot assume that us surviving through the sun being “on” is not a permanent state of being - we have to assume that the next time the sun is on we might suffer for it. Bion pulls out his map and studies it and then starts off in a direction.
The colors here are strange - the grass is purple. As we walk closer to the trees we realize that the trees almost look unfinished up until we approach, in which case they take on the form of something we recognize more - leaves are still purple, but an unfinished tree sudden shifts into an oak. It’s almost like they were decorations in the distance because the people were not supposed to come this close. Mary approaches the tree and investigates it, wondering to herself how it changed. She realizes that this is a facsimile of nature: it’s decoration.
Faylen thinks of birds and birdsong begins, and Mary can tell that there’s nothing behind it, it’s just gibberish.
Boschclimbs one of the trees and takes some leaves and they tear like paper.
Edeis looks around and she’s extremely creeped out. Faylen ultimately pulls her aside and voices his concerns: the creature that is responsible for the eye in the sky seems to be creating this place and holding the people here perhaps stuck? The creature is likely working to collect power and will eventually turn this place into the Dark Demesne. Edeis agrees that lacking other theories, that’s entirely possible. She asks if we should contact the creature, and Faylen says he imagines that siphoning magic from the creature is what we’ll need to do, but contacting the creature likely isn’t a good idea either. She agrees and then suggests we continue to gather data and look around at this point. Faylen doesn’t love it but agrees, as there’s nothing else we can do.
We continue moving on, with Bosch giving detailed but inaccurate descriptions of the workings of nature. As we walk, Mary is looking for animals. We see a river of green liquid that we assume might be some approximation of water: Mary touches it and it’s very viscous with a strange jell-o like consistency and dense and it tastes like cigarette butts. There are two creatures near the banks of the river that haven’t seen us yet.
Mary sneaks to look at them and the smaller creature hovers above the ground that seems to have tentacles. The larger creature seems to be partially connected to the water, but it displaces the water? It seems to be like the water almost hardened. The creatures kind of mill about, taking the same amount of steps to and fro mechanically. Mary asks what they smell like and Talitha says they smell very wrong.
Mary slips back to describe the creatures to Tabby and Faylen and nods toward them. Faylen looks over at them and watches them for a moment. He doesn’t know what they are, but he thinks that the smaller flying creature is more dangerous. The larger one almost seems more in pain, but they don’t seem to be particularly related to each other other than just being next to them. Faylen knows that the creatures from the Dark Demesne are based on our world, but these seem to have no real logic, no inspiration.
Edeis wants to approach, but she recognizes it may not be a good idea given nothing here is likely friendly. Faylen comments he’s nervous about having to protect Bion, and that his magic is harder to cast here. Tabby sneaks closer to get a look and when he comes back, he concurs that it would be difficult to fight them.
Bion suddenly tunes in and asks what we are talking about and Mary suggests a direction away from the creatures and Bion isn’t sure, getting wishy washy. Keleios says he doesn’t feel good and he would like to go back under ground. Bion asks Bosch what he thinks and Bosch asks why ask him, to which Bion admits that he thinks Bosch will enable him. Mary, Faylen, and Keleios wind up agreeing to turn back while Tabby opts to go with Bion and Bosch should the party wind up split. Bion sighs and everyone winds up turning to go back. We go down underground.
Back Underground
Bion asks if we remember anything more and we say no, and Bosch says the adults were who went out you know. Bion excitedly runs off to go make more notes while Keleios calms down from his near panic attack and goes to go eat something.
Edeis speaks and says she isn’t sure what to do because the entire place is just wrong. The party discusses what to do and we all agree that we don’t want Keleios to keep going and we don’t necessarily want Bion to come along with us because he might get himself into trouble. Fyalen isn’t a fan of going just because we don’t know when the sun will wake up again and he ultimately meets the group halfway by saying that perhaps we can go up as long as we stay closer to the area.
Back Above Ground
As we surface, Faylen notices that in the middle distance is someone that seems to be going back to where we were before - it seems to be Bion. Faylen sighs and rolls his eyes and says we ought to head toward him and make sure he doesn’t get hurt. We run to catch up with him, with Bosch making it to him first.
Bion greets Bosch and asks that he couldn’t wait as well? Bosch agrees because there’s so much stuff up here, and Bosch agrees he’s here to see rather than know (which Bion needs to know). Bion finds this all so fascinating and he can’t understand how people just stay under ground.
The rest of us catch up and Faylen stops to catch his breath. Tabby says that his curiosity is generally a fine thing, but this place is so dangerous. Bion asks if we’re interested and Tabby says yes, but we’re also interested in not dying!
Bion listens to this and he agrees to go back, so we turn around and start to go back. As we head back, Bosch feels the crystal starting to grow warmer. It seems to be changing color relatively slowly. Bosch assumes that the eye must be starting to open. We realize that we need to start running to make it back to the underground and the sun begins to rise as we make it there.
The eye looks straight at Bosch as we make it and Bosch pauses briefly to look up at the eye. Bosch remembers and speaks to it saying that it never answered his question, and the voice says, “You’re still here,” in a way that everyone can hear. The voice comments that we aren’t supposed to be here.
Bosch gets us moving and we go back downstairs. Bion asks what that was and we say we aren’t sure, but he starts questioning why it spoke to us and why it’s coming for us. We reiterate that we do not know, and then Bion asks if it’s the reason they were underground and they’re like this. Faylen admits that this is his specific theory, but he doesn’t know for sure. Bion says that he will get ready for it, then, and we have been volunteered to deal with this thing along with them.