Potions are distributed as the group returns to town. There, Vera casts Locate Object and tracks the potions to the stables of the guild hall. Vinter is in the stables as well, apparently standing guard over two stalls worth of crates being pinged by the spell. Vera reports back to the party, and they debate whether to ask Vinter about the job and the crates or not. They ultiamtely decide to report back to Cecily and question Hobbs and Vinter about their job once they are underway.

The party retrieves some cloth from the costume department for the gift for Talthis while Dorean speaks with Cecily. She explains the situation, and they discuss options. Cecily observes that they never figured out who was backing the Lab, and finding these vials is the first break in that search that they've had in a while. Cecily asks what Dorean wants from the situation, revenge or answers or both; Dorean is ultimately uncertain.

The next day, Hobbs and Vinter arrive with their cargo to be shipped. They are secured on the top deck as the ship lacks a proper cargo hold. Dorean assists in moving the two dozen crates, identifying the same logo and recognizing the weight and heft of the crates as the one in her room. Vera asks Hobbs and Vinter about their job. Hobbs explains that they were approached at the guild hall and hired to move the shipment. The cargo is apparently potion ingredients of some sort being sent to a wizard in Kitheroc. They seem to be generally unaware of who it was who sent the shipment and are likely uninvolved directly. Cecily is informed about the conversation.

They give Talthis the snowglobe. He observes that thinking of the party is probably better than Moghra. He also has a collection of snowglobes, but is okay with not getting any more.

The party discusses whether to try to hunt down the place in Moghra acting as the supplier, assuming the vials weren't shipped to Moghra in their current condition. They decide that they likely wouldn't actually be able to find that without significant luck.

That evening, Invicta arrives at the Velvet Amphithere and gives Dorean a gift. It is a gold and silver cloak pin shaped like a flower similar to an orchid and a rose, petals scattering down and outwards to form a triangle. Dorean requests that she pin it on for her. Invicta does so and wishes her safe travels.

Ward goes to Vera and Sapphire's room to retrieve Vera, finding nobody there but the door open. The porthole window is open, and a large raven is sitting on the back of Vera's chair, a raven which Ward remembers Vera has occasionally interacted with. The raven greets Ward and, when asked, says that Vera has left, unable to say where exactly she went. Ward recognizes that the raven is intelligent. Once he leaves the room, he forgets the encounter and raven entirely.

Vera "happens" to run into the orc with the hat from the train on the way to dinner. He introduces himself as Solicitor Gilgrim. He explains that he acts as a mediator between parties, generally hired by one side to represent them. Eventually Vera realizes that he's a contract lawyer. He travels around

Luna receives a call from Salassae. A shard in the area around Moghra has vanished, and she wants to know if Luna can look into it. She gives her the coordinates in hopes that she can do something. She had received a batch of rumors of a group of adventurers defeating a corpsewillow and Luna's description is noteworthy. Luna informs Ward, and the two debate what to do about it. The vanished shard is two days out of their way, so they aren't sure it is worth it to go after it themselves. They tell Cecily, who instantly decides that they're going. Luna and Ward then update the party, and they discuss what they think might have happened.

Vera discovers the raven in her room, excited to see her friend again. He has nothing to report for either of their searches. The strongest adventurers in the area are Hobbs and Vinter, longtime adventurers and reportedly rather powerful. He gives her some advice on staying safe in Kitheroc and cautions her to stay out of the air if possible while there. She offers her assistance, which he declines for now. He will be staying on the airship until they reach Kitheroc though. She asks if he misses home; he doesn't know where home is, but is quite happy "here."

Eck is visted by a post tortle delivering a letter from Snowcap. The paper is blank, and they are unable to figure out what to do with it for a long time. Eventually, they sigh, then remember that when Snowcap received letters, she would blow on the paper. They attempt this, then attempt their ice breath; letters begin to form on the paper in the cold.

Everyone sort of does their own thing for the next day or so. Sapphire requests a hang-out with Vera the night of the 25th. The day of the 26th, the ship is somewhat somber. Ward aquires drugs, then, at Luna's request, gives a lecture on a topic. Eck, trying to cheer people up by being silly, spends a fair amount of time with Alibi, then when visiting Ward and Luna, is placed in Ward's lap as a sort of teddy bear. Dorean spends the day locked away in her room writing a letter. Vera offers to hang out with anyone who wants, and Cecily takes her up on her offer. Cecily laments that she left home at a young age to see the world, realizing that it was so much larger than she had known, then when she went home, the world she knew was gone. They are both glad to have become friends, despite

The 18th they arrive in the general vicinity of where the shard had been. They locate a large square body of water, a decent-sized island with a tower in the middle of it. The party is assigned with scouting out the lake to discover if there is anything in the lake or surrounding area. The ship sets down an hour's walk from the former shard's location. The contents of the shard that had been transplanted here are still there, but the barrier marking the separation is gone. There is a shipwreck on the shore of the island. They spot what appears to be a campsite on another shore of the shard, prompting the party to stealth. On investigation, the camp appears to have been abandoned for a couple of weeks, potentially abandoned when the walls vanished. In the abandoned bedroll they find a book missing its front cover and back half of the journal. In poor handwriting the text rants "the doctor said" over and over. "I can take the shards and use them. She can't, she can't, only I can. Me. Merely. Merely. Merely the failure. I'm going to try again." Elsewhere in the camp they find the other half of the journal, partially burnt. It only contains the words "I did it" repeated many, many times; it is speckled with blood with a rainbow metallic sheen to it. Dorean is immediately the most on edge. She remembers a lab, a woman fused with shard material, her escape accompanied by broken glass and explosions. She sits.

Ward is able to identify that someone had been standing on the edge of the shard when the barrier vanished, the ground scorched by the powers there. The tower is relatively short, only a few stories in height, built from stone. The surrounding land is very sparsely vegitated. He also notes that there is a single page in the notebook that says, "I'm going to kill them all." While they are regathering, the large raven arrives and informs them that something ancient and powerful is in the tower. The party quickly decides to go find out what's in the tower. They locate a boat, new and grown from a solid piece of wood; Ward notes that the boat has never touched the water, is newer than the campsite is old, and big enough for exactly the whole party, while Vera notes that it was made from druid magic. Heedless of the danger, the party gets in the boat and heads across the water to the tower.

Introduced

• Suspicious as Heck Raven
• Salassae
• Solicitor Gilgrim

Returning

• Vinter
• Cecily Cardew
• Hobbs
• Talthis Vim
• Invicta

Mentioned

• Walter
• Merely

• Merely's journal (obtained by the party, held by Ward)