The Lost City of Drose – Recaps episodes 136-141

We pick back up with Shanks trying to figure out how to connect with Zechs and struggling in the process. With the aid of Galahad, Hoshino, and Arguile, they conclude that speaking to him and not at him would be best. Zechs is family, so Shanks should try to empathize with him. Later that evening, Arguile has a strange dream that has him in the point of view of a man named Yurik, who is actively interacting with Arguile’s mother. There seems to be, at the very least, a friendship between the two. What is even stranger is that his mother appears to be in Nakoroa on Iwi. Meanwhile, Galahad receives a vision of an Unillum warrior he is to seek out in Drose from Bahamut. Shanks eventually finds himself with Zechs and they have a heart-to-heart. This leaves Zechs feeling like he has connected more with Shanks in these past few weeks than he has in the rest of the time with the sharpshooting elf. Another few days pass, and the group sees something unbelievable in the distance. Upon closer inspection, and with some caution, they find that this is a giant stone face floating in the sky. The ship keeps a wide berth, and after a pass from Duo, they decide it is safe enough to bring the ship in closer. They begin to confer with themselves about what to do when the face says, “Ask your questions three.” They confer once more and realize that they each can ask three questions. After carefully considering and choosing, they begin to ask and learn answers that have been on the group’s mind for what feels like eons now. They are given some prophecies of what will come with mythical beings called sky giants, insight on how to separate Zechs from Malar in a poem, and some other cryptic information they will take some time to piece together. That night, Shanks receives a vision from Solonor of an orcish figure. He is led through a familiar forest to this figure and the Elven God seems to insist on having Shanks seek him out. The following night, Glad has an encounter with her alternate. A powerful Circle of Dreams Druid, and their conversation gets intense rather quickly. They speak about her faith, the god she follows, and the death of her husband. Glad brings this up to Shanks, Salix, and Hoshino the following day, over an out-of-character stiff drink. The next evening, Hoshino has visions of a woman he feels is closely connected to his past that he doesn’t recognize. A human woman with an ashen complexion, with a large grimoire in the city of Dragons. He writes down all of the details he can recall. Finally, Salix speaks to Gerrvis, the Void Dragon from “Bound to the Void,” a night later. Gerrvis extends his aid to give them full control over their promised gifts. There is tension between the two but an understanding is reached as he informs the Elf that they have arrived. Coming to, Salix and the rest of the party realizes that they are on a descent. The had finally made it to the lost city of Drose, and their arrival was expected by those who received them. A Unillum with a salamander fire spirit tells the ship to begin their descent. Once on the ground, they are met by Chantico, The Sentinel/Protector of the Eternal Flame, they are greeted and told to go with Hagen, her aid, while Zechs and Galahad follow her. Galahad and Zechs go on to meet Xoco, the woman Galahad was told to meet, and they find that she was told to meet him as well. Galahad is tasked with aiding her in finding her paladin oath. The pair also rundown what has been happening with the party and ask if Drose can offer anything to help Zechs with his Malar situation. In concurrent fashion, the others meet with the Heart of the Eternal Flame, Tozi, and get a brief history lesson about Drose and the Guardian’s Rapier, the blade that Arguile wields. Xoco is told to watch Zechs as they trust their party but not what he harbors. Galahad finds out about the trial and that he is to help Xoco become the Guardian of the Drose. Upon escorting Galahad and Zechs back to the waiting party, introductions are made to the Champion to be. There is a recognition of Arguile’s Guardian’s Rapier blade, and Xoco expresses that the more she learns of the party, the more odd and incredible they seem. Arguile sneaks away for a moment and tests out some information given to him by Tozi. He casts Burning Hands on the blade and feels a resonance, like a tuning fork. Galahad clarifies his role with Xoco in helping her find her oath through prayer and meditation. Zechs has another dream with what he now recognizes as the Pantheran pantheon of Nymora and gains insight into their connection with Malar. The next morning, the group informs Xoco about some of their shared history, realizing that each time they tell a story, it needs context, and that context is another long story. Arguile has a conversation with Arioch that leaves Arguile feeling like he’s not getting the full scope of what Arioch has in store for him. He’s informed that, eventually, the time will come when he will have to decide whether or not to leave the party and get to his mother before the creatures that are inevitably inbound to take over Nakoroa do so. Shanks confirms with Xoco about the orc ranger he will meet for his training as a ranger, named Jrehg. Zechs is directed to a Tielfing woman named Isolde, who is in the Scholar’s Enclave and could help him answer his questions about Malar and the pantheon and what to do next. We cut to after the party disperses throughout the city. Arguile and Shanks are gathering materials for alchemy when they stumble upon a blue cat. As they continue to walk, they find a concerned-looking gentleman searching for the cat, and the two help the older gentleman reunite with his companion. Only a few moments later, they realize that Shanks’ bag of supplies and Arguile’s haversack are missing. The old man and his cat pickpocketed them. The two split up alongside Scyra, Arguile’s familiar, to track down the man and their stolen goods. Elsewhere, Zechs meets Isolde in the Scholar’s Ward, who is expecting him. She greets him and Duo and asks him to discuss with her what’s been happening to him, sparing no detail as she is in no rush, and the more information she has, the easier it is for her to aid him, if possible. Zechs indulges her and goes on, over some tea and snacks, everything, including Malar. She clarifies what he knows about Malar and the Pantheran Patheon, as well as about his origin and part in all this. The Pantheon are not his siblings but his creation. Zechs is grateful for all the information and thanks her for her time and generosity. Before leaving, she hands him a pendant, tells him to seek out the group that carries the symbol upon it, and gives him a tarot card reading that is appreciated but leaves him much more to ponder. We pick back up to Shanks and Arguile, tracking down the abode of the thief and his cat. Arguile uses Scyra to look at the abode above, and the gentleman suddenly appears in view. There is a pincer move into the abode, and they are left with a ring and no man. Upon examining the item and their surroundings, they take the ring to a magic shop to confirm Shanks’ suspicion that it is a ring of storage, a sort of extraplanar space that allows someone to go within and be hidden from the world temporarily. Meanwhile, Glad and Salix are catching up and are uncharacteristically enjoying a stiff drink versus tea. Salix asks if she wants to go out and blow off some steam, shop, walk around, and look around the city, and a surprise for her. Glad agrees, and the two bamf across the city thanks to the Daughter of the Void’s blessing bestowed upon Salix. After some shopping, the two continue talking about what’s been going on recently with Glad and her encounter with her alternate, and Salix sets up some training dummies via the spell mold earth. Glad and Salix display incredible gifts of athleticism and magic and draw themselves quite a crowd unintentionally. Back to the rogues, we find them at a magic shop, and their suspicions are confirmed. It is a ring that belongs to someone with a pact to an Ifritti. They plead with the old man and eventually find him and his familiar exiting the ring. There is a tense exchange that does see their items returned to them, but there’s also a request that Arguile come to see him again that evening. While Shanks invites himself, there’s a correction: because of Arguile’s Guardian’s Rapier and its soul, there is only a need for him. Finally, we cut to Galahad and Xoco on the latters morning rounds across the city, getting a feel for what her job entails. Being frank, Galahad asks Xoco to come clean with what he needs to help her with for her trial. She reveals that she is supposed to have a mentor and guide. She believes it is the higher powers intentions for Galahad to fill that role. He accepts this job and suggests that they do a bit of sparring. Their match becomes a bit of a spectacle of athletics and combat prowess. Eventually, the group returns to their lodgings, catching each other up on their doings for the day and discussing the next steps for their time in Drose.