You've Got a Friend in Tamias

The nine adventurers settled into the ship's dome for the night, still reeling from Kristoff's tirade, and began piecing together a plan to strike Scarbosa's crew while keeping the House of Five's dragons from ever suspecting a thing — a night that would end with Gris literally exploding, a spider confession, and Marnok discovering he'd been carrying a pseudo-dragon companion all along.

Grudging Plans Take Shape

With Kristoff gone and the tension of the chateau confrontation still lingering, the party regrouped in the dome to digest what they'd learned: Kasara's fury at Scarbosa's failures, Cyndradell's readying army, and the fragile promise that Kristoff would distract Scarbosa if the crew and dragonborn could be dealt with first. Marnok noted grimly that at least they now had a plan to work from, even if their patron dragon remained old and grumpy.

Bald Ambitions and Fake Plagues

Mervyn slipped away to brew potions belowdecks and, on a whim, downed one of his own concoctions — losing every hair on his body in the process, to Marnok's baffled amusement. Meanwhile Litton and Karl settled by the dome's fire with drinks in hand, and the group debated how to clear the western docks without tipping off Scarbosa. Ideas ranged from bribing guards to staging a fake plague, with Viktorin dryly shutting down any talk of raising zombies to scare off civilians. The night ended with watches assigned and the party bedding down in the dome.

Silver and Bronze Awaken

While testing the dome's strange properties, Marnok grew increasingly aware of a warmth pulsing from his bracer. Following Kithri's suggestion, he drew out his glowing blade and summoned Tamias, his pseudo-dragon, learning through halting yes-or-no exchanges that the glow meant "friend." Bringing Tamias before Gris triggered an immediate, startled standoff as her own pseudo-dragon, Ringworm, locked eyes with Tamias and the two tiny dragons scuffled before settling. Later, Marnok and Gris performed a joint commune ritual, incense and dragon statue in hand, and found themselves transported to a cliffside vision where two ancient dragons — Thallethar and Tamieth — confirmed there was more potential for the pair yet to unlock before returning them to the deck.

A Spider Named Spindle

Watches passed with banter and budding camaraderie, first between Litton and Karl, then Marnok and Mervyn. During the final watch, Kithri and Kaelan discovered an uninvited house spider had crept into the supposedly sealed dome. Kithri, ever curious, spoke with it directly and learned its name was Spindle, who was fascinated by Kaelan's dark elf heritage and evasiveness about his past. Kaelan, unnerved, later used illusion magic to make Kithri feel phantom legs crawling up her back in retaliation — while Kithri idly decorated Mervyn's bald head with flowers and leaves as the sun rose.

The Night Gris Exploded

Morning brought Nova's magical berries to stave off hunger, and a stranger revelation: Gris's hair and eyes had shifted to vivid green, her freckles following suit, marking her as an Eladrin whose appearance shifted with her emotions. Mervyn, eager to test another Potion of Invisibility, drank one and lost strength outright. Gris followed suit — and erupted violently, showering the entire dome in blood and bone that pelted everyone with bruising force, only to reform completely unharmed moments later as her body knit itself back together like nothing had happened. The stunned party cleaned themselves off, Nova quietly grateful he hadn't needed to attempt anything drastic, before the dome dissipated with the coming day.

Cousins and Chemicals

The party split to tackle the day's errands. Mervyn led Gris and Nova to the apothecary of Delilah, who greeted him warmly and revealed she was cousin to Qimella from Port Damali. She sold Mervyn a bug repellent for his spider troubles and a fresh Potion of Invisibility, listening with amusement as he recounted the explosion and his own hair loss. Nova inquired about anything to bolster his divine magic, but Delilah had nothing to offer beyond her usual wares, and the group departed after pleasantries.

Guards, Spies, and a Tower Summons

Marnok, Viktorin, Litton, and Kaelan sought out Nyriss and Thedan at the barracks, laying out the danger posed by the House of Five and naming Scarbosa and his ship, the Poison Jewel, as the sea-based threat. Both men balked at the idea of guards fighting dragons but agreed to quietly clear civilians from the western docks and alert the Targanas to the situation. Thedan urged the party to seek out the reclusive Master Yussa at Tide Peak Tower for further aid, prompting Viktorin to send word ahead — Yussa agreed to receive them urgently.

Scouting the Poison Jewel

Kithri and Karl found the boisterous wharf master Ignis and asked him to seal off the western docks by dusk under the guise of safety hazards; he agreed readily, already having guessed their target was the Poison Jewel. Disguised as a dock worker with Kithri perched as a parrot on his shoulder, Karl scouted the ship's approach, noting its single gangplank, a young man barking orders with a trident, and a fleeting glimpse of Scarbosa himself stepping out from his quarters before withdrawing. With the layout mapped and allies quietly falling into place, the party stood poised for the night's coming confrontation.