Sapphire:Sessions:20190713
The group travels in a northerly direction, Flit scouting to the northeast, Danal and Jeb to the northwest. Some hours later Danal reports finding a vacant orc village. It seems to have been evacuated in an orderly fashion rather than suddenly abandoned. A couple of shrines, those to Agar and Gauder, had been destroyed. There are tracks of "wandering monsters" of a type created by Charesoon, including giant leopards.
The group decides to pass the night here. Kieran takes the tigers to hunt their dinner. Three watches are set: Chalker, Kieran, Cal; Intrinsius, Danal, Jeb; Shawna, Alastor, Flit.
Towards the end of his watch, Intrinsius sees above the treetops a green "searchlight" sweeping across the sky. It completes seven sweeps in a half-hour. Suddenly a panicked Jeb is shaking his shoulder and crying loudly, "Wake up! Wake up!" Intrinsius realizes he had fallen into a trance. Danal is also stunned.
Jeb's racket awakens Shawna and Chalker. Intrinsius describes the "green searchlight," which to Shawna suggests a apiritual/mental Locate spell intended to find a specific group of people. The spell, an inefficient use of mana, dates back to the previous age, has not been used in thousands of years, and was generally used by Aaoo or Aup.
Jeb relates repeatedly, "Something touched my mind... I grabbed it and yanked it and threw it out." Chalker checks Jeb's Aura and it is now "more robust" [he had a critical success on his resistance roll]. Danal's Aura is "swirled like a pool of colored water." Chalker concludes that something had planned to take out the guards and then attack the group.
Shawna realizes the group cannot go on with their sleep interrupted and under the threat of constant mental attack. She prays to Yasseph, Santash, and Solash to shield and ward the group. Chalker prays to Cor regarding "your old enemies, the Xanthyppians." Shawna remarks, "Their hand is over you tonight." Chalker: "Oh, really. There's also a hand over you." Intrinsius senses spiritual energies moving around him and feels his blessing from Santash renewed. Impulsively, he gets up and gives Shawna a big hug.
Midway through the third watch, Shawna observes that a strong probe has been "easily" deflected. As the sun rises she prays to several of the First Chosen, including Agar, Gauder, and Aakbarath. Intrinsius prays to Santash and then to Phor; to the latter he invokes "pain to your wife's lover" drawing approving exclamations from Shawna and Chalker.
During this day the group's prayers ward off most "instances." However, Kieran, Danal, Jeb, and Cal tend to veer away from the path, with Cal even insisting that the diversion is the straight path. Shawna orders them all to follow Chalker; no one is to stray from the group or scout ahead, save for Flit who is to remain within sight.
Alastor concocts a substance to improve a fighter's grip on their weapon's hilt, which he gives to Intrinsius to try.
The group stops at an old orc hunting camp. Chalker has declared that he will check everyone's auras every morning and evening
During his prayers, Intrinsius feels a "fiery" impulse to "do something to the one trying to find you." Intrinsius replies, "I'm trying to get to where I can. I will try it in my dreams, or maybe in a trance." Recalling lessons from his training, Intrinsius tries "meditation in prayer" to Phor. (Jeb, staring at him, makes a sign of Solash.) Intrinsius hurls a streak of fire into the north and "feels" a scream and a curse. A fiery smile lights his consciousness and he knows Phor is pleased. Intrinsius prays, "I wish I could see what just happened" and receives a vision of a structure in flames.
Chalker prays to Venyeraphet "that your return will soothe the one you love." He sees an image like a mural depicting an entrance leading into a hillside. Beside the entrance is a monument shaped like an anvil and a broken sword. Several holy signs are carved into the monument's pedestal. Chalker is given to know that this site is located in mountains a thousand miles to the west, and "it has something to do with Ven."
Chalker lies down beside Shawna and whispers softly in her ear, "I think I know where Ven is buried. If we survive this, you and I will go find him." Shawna replies, "When we survive this, you and I will find Ven."
In the morning, Intrinsius describes his vision. Jeb adds, "I saw an aura of fire around him."