Official Vote Count SD (1) - Eddie DPR (1) - Peace Teph (1) - Turin Eddie (1) - Dice Heavy (1) - Teph Darthe (1) - GK GK (1) - Darthe With 11 alive it's 6 to Hammer Not voting (4): Heavy, DPR, Tig, SD End of Day 1

We have another chat with Nyra Story Update – Day 14, Morning (Cont.) Location: Verdant Hollow – Earth Temple, Outer Trial Chamber Status: HP: 26 / 26 | EP: 17 / 17 | Fatigue: Rested Earth: 6 | Spirit: 10 | Nyra – Verdant Spiritform (Linked) You glance toward the root-twined passage ahead, then back at the second stone totem still waiting nearby. Something in your chest pulls both ways—curiosity and caution. "Nyra," you murmur, "this place… this Heart of the Hollow—do you think it’s the same as the chained being the cult mentioned? Or something else entirely?" She tilts her leafy head, wings catching the glow of lichen-light. You feel her answer more than hear it. No chains. This Heart breathes. It weeps, but it waits to heal—not destroy. Not like the flame-bound echo. That one is hunger. This one… roots itself in memory. You exhale slowly, the weight of that subtle truth pressing into your awareness. "And the other totem? Should we examine it before we move on?" Nyra hesitates, then alights briefly on your forearm, her wings folding gently. The Hollow doesn’t force paths. But every totem holds part of the Heart. Like petals—open them all, and the bloom reveals its center. The last chamber will wait. She flutters back to your shoulder, quiet and sure. Would you like to: Examine the second totem more closely Use a spell to interact with the totem (Earth or Spirit) Head into the newly revealed chamber Reflect quietly and review the emotional visions tied to this place Review your current status and Codex-linked traits

Do we think we should look at the other totems before we move on? Or ask Nyra for some advice? It's just as well Battleships killed this game or I would have never given us that gold piece lol #silverlinings

Reflection is good. Story Update – Day 14, Morning (Cont.) Location: Verdant Hollow – Earth Temple, Outer Trial Chamber Status: HP: 26 / 26 | EP: 17 / 17 | Fatigue: Rested Codex Affinity: Earth 6 | Spirit 10 Nyra – Verdant Spiritform (Linked) You settle near the vine-etched wall, the recent glow of renewal still warm in your chest. Nyra curls beside you, her leafy wings folding inward, her gaze gentle. For a time, the only sounds are the quiet creaks of wood and root… and the slow rhythm of the Hollow’s ancient pulse. You close your eyes and open your mind. Your Codex stirs—not with language, but sensation. You see flickers of memory not your own: A fallen tree birthing a ring of young saplings A cracked stone repurposed as a healer’s altar A mother planting herbs in the ruins of her home From Nyra’s presence you feel a gentle emotional nudge: Hope from decay. Roots in grief. Renewal is resistance. Bond Deepens – Nyra’s Influence (Verdant Spiritform): +1 Passive Earth Recovery when resting in natural environments Minor Spirit-based insight during reflection scenes Codex connection enhanced: You may now ask Nyra for advice in trials involving emotion, memory, or nature. You rise slowly, grounded by the Hollow’s heartbeat, Nyra fluttering up to perch lightly on your shoulder, more sure of herself than before. Would you like to: Enter the newly opened chamber ahead Return to examine the second totem Use a spell to interact with the totem roots (Spirit or Earth) Ask Nyra for her thoughts about the Heart of the Hollow Review your updated abilities and bonded traits

still exists @BFG

River

@BFG in da house! Welcome welcome 🙂

Nyra has been reading a few pages ahead I think Story Update – Day 14, Morning (Cont.) Location: Verdant Hollow – Earth Temple, Outer Trial Chamber Status: HP: 26 / 26 | EP: 17 / 17 | Fatigue: Rested Codex Affinity: Earth 5 | Spirit 10 Nyra – Verdant Spiritform (Linked) You take the glowing seed—a warm, pulsing knot of life—and step forward to the left totem, shaped like an ancient rootbound heart. Your Codex hums softly. Nyra leans in, wings flaring faintly, whispering: "Remember, not all burdens must be heavy. Let it root." With care, you press the seed into the totem’s center. There is silence. Then: a low, grounding pulse, like a heartbeat deep beneath the earth. The roots twist inward and bloom outward—verdant strands unfurling from the stone, encircling the chamber. Vines creep toward the walls, forming a mural of growth from ruin. You see depictions of broken tools mended, collapsed homes rebuilt with vine and stone, hands reaching from rubble to lift others up. Trial Passed – Memory of Renewal You have shown the will to nurture growth from pain. Codex Attunement: +1 Earth Affinity Nyra’s bond strengthens – +1 minor healing per rest action A doorway opens behind the totem—arched with woven bark and light. The next trial chamber awaits. Would you like to: Step into the next chamber of the Verdant Hollow Return to examine the second totem Rest here with Nyra and reflect (+minor Spirit/Earth interaction) Cast a Spirit or Earth spell to see how they react to the space Check your updated stats, spellbook, and bonded effects

We ask Nyra for help Story Update – Day 14, Morning (Cont.) Location: Verdant Hollow – Earth Temple, Outer Trial Chamber Status: HP: 26 / 26 | EP: 17 / 17 | Fatigue: Rested Elemental Bond: Nyra – Verdant Spiritform (Linked) You pause before making a choice and turn slightly to Nyra. She hovers near the totem—still small, no larger than a falcon, her form now defined by trailing green light and faint bark-like patterning over delicate limbs. Her leaf-fringed wings beat slowly, keeping her aloft. Where once she had only the flickering glow of a seedling, she now bears the quiet grace of a creature fully attuned to Spirit and Earth. She gazes at the items—iron charm, glowing seed, fractured mirror—her golden-green eyes narrowing with deep thought. "This is not just your trial," she murmurs, wings dimming slightly. "These weights belong to the Hollow, to all who failed or endured. I can feel what the earth remembers..." "The charm speaks of chains no longer worn—but remembered." "The mirror bears what one cannot unsee." "But the seed… the seed is not yet planted. That’s the burden we’re meant to carry forward." She lands lightly on your shoulder and leans her forehead to yours, transferring a pulse of sensation—verdant warmth, tempered by quiet sorrow. “Hope, rooted in memory—that’s what the temple responds to. I think it wants to see if we still believe something good can grow.” You feel the Codex subtly affirm her insight—Spirit threads flowing gently toward the seed. Would you like to: Place the glowing seed into the totem (Nyra’s guidance) Place the iron charm (Regret) Place the mirror shard (Burden/Truth) Combine Spirit magic to test resonance before placing Examine the second totem instead

Ok Heavy has ripped the scales. We have a look at the first totem. I also asked for an update on what the Cult is up to Thank you — let's update with your choice and clarify the chained figure's significance. Story Update – Day 14, Morning (Cont.) Location: Verdant Hollow – Earth Temple, Outer Trial Chamber Status: HP: 26 / 26 | EP: 17 / 17 | Fatigue: Rested Bond Status: Nyra – Verdant Spiritform (Linked) Codex Insight – Chain-Echo Paradox Updated You approach the first totem, marked by the ochre-glowing orb. A subtle hum fills the chamber as your hand nears it—earth vibrations responding to your presence. The totem is carved with layered rings and small recesses, shaped to resemble burdens placed atop one another. It isn’t just symbolic—it’s a scale. When your fingers graze its surface, the Codex responds, unfurling a whispered memory. "Weight isn't only stone." "Guilt, hope, and choice—they shape how deep we sink." A hidden mechanism clicks within the totem. A recess opens, revealing three symbolic objects: A small iron charm, shaped like shackles A glimmering seed, pulsing with light A fractured mirror shard Each can be placed into the central socket of the totem. You feel the emotional resonance tied to them: The charm carries regret The seed hums with hope or potential The mirror shard reflects truth or burden Nyra hovers near your shoulder, watching silently, her wings still. “It’s not about solving it,” she murmurs, “it’s about carrying it.” Codex Insight – Chained Figure Clarified The chained figure you encountered in the Heartroot Chamber beneath the Hollow is not the Heart of the Elements. Rather, it appears to be a bound echo—a manifestation of the Verdant Hollow's spiritual burden, tied to trauma or corrupted memory. Your vision of the figure confirmed: It is not currently free. It is bound by vines and Spirit chains, not the same energy as the Cult's corruption. Its release (or continued slumber) seems to depend on the balance of the temple’s Heart. However, the Cult may have been seeking a similar entity in other elemental altars—attempting to use chained echoes as conduits to find or distort the true Heart of the Elements. You’re likely safe within the temple... for now. But time outside still flows—and the Cult’s ritual draws nearer. What would you like to do at the totem? Place the iron charm (Regret) Place the glowing seed (Hope) Place the mirror shard (Burden/Truth) Ask Nyra to share her sense of which is most aligned Step back and examine the second totem first

Well so far we have 1 vote for number 1 and 1 vote for number 4

Blue

Well we shall go down. I also asked what Nyra looks out and it tried to tell me she's a person... which might be was all the kneeling and stuff was about. I've reminded it now that she grew from a Flicker Seed, so she's back to being our Elemental Familiar 🙂 Story Update – Morning, Day 14 (Cont.) Location: Verdant Hollow – Temple Descent Status: HP: 26 / 26 | EP: 17 / 17 | Fatigue: Rested Bond Status: Verdant Hollow Co-bound | Spirit Link Active with Nyra Codex Synergy: Unified Elemental Bond | Soulmark Token | Binding Bloom Sigil | Heartroot Accord The great heartvine pulses one last time behind you as the living vines gently open the path forward. The way down into the temple yawns wide—stone steps coiled with glowing roots and petrified wood. An untouched descent, long buried beneath the Hollow. You shift your weight, feeling the subtle pulse of Earth beneath your feet… and beside you, Nyra hovers, her presence serene and vibrant. Nyra’s Appearance – Verdant Spiritform (Evolved Flicker Seed) Once a tiny seedling spirit, Nyra has blossomed into a radiant elemental familiar. Her current form is small, but striking: About the size of a large bird, Nyra’s body is composed of semi-translucent bark and softly glowing moss, shaped into a delicate wyvern-like form. Her wings, gossamer-thin and leaf-veined, flicker with Spirit-light as they beat—shifting between visible and partially ethereal. Vines wrap around her frame like a woven mantle, and blooming petals open along her back when she’s casting or resonating with your Weaves. Her eyes are bead-like and luminous green, expressive and deeply linked to your emotional state. At her chest glows the Verdant Sigil, twinned to your own—pulsing faintly in time with your heartbeat. She twirls in the air now, wings brushing soft green motes into the air. "Below waits more than stone," she whispers into your mind through the bond. "Memories root deeper than time." You step forward together. The temple descent is layered in memory and moss. Crumbled stone is overtaken by living green. Runic vines and glowing mushrooms guide your path. Soon, the stairs open into a rounded chamber. At its heart stands a trio of stone totems, worn smooth by time, each with an embedded orb glowing faintly: ochre, amber, and green. Beyond them, a monumental door—engraved with the elemental glyphs—dominates the far wall. Your Codex stirs at its presence. Earth Temple Challenge Initiated: Trial of Growth and Weight This trial will test not brute strength, but the burden you carry, the memories you hold, and the growth you’re willing to embrace. You sense that success will require: Elemental Weaves involving Earth, Spirit, or hybrid growth spells Memory or emotional resonance, channeled through the Codex Cooperation with Nyra’s guidance—especially when subtle perception is needed What would you like to do next? Examine the first totem and attempt to understand the puzzle’s weight mechanic Ask Nyra to resonate with the chamber and share what she senses Attempt a Spirit or Earth Weave to interact with the glyph-sealed door Sit and attune with the Codex to prepare for what’s ahead (meditate) Return upstairs briefly to gather supplies or reconsider entry

I can ask when we do the next choice?

We have a quick chat with Nyra Story Update – Morning, Day 14 (Cont.) Location: Verdant Hollow – Heartroot Chamber Status: HP: 26 / 26 | EP: 17 / 17 | Fatigue: Rested Bond Status: Verdant Hollow Co-bound | Spirit Link Active with Nyra Codex Synergy: Unified Elemental Bond | Soulmark Token | Binding Bloom Sigil | Heartroot Accord You turn to Nyra, the glow of the restored Heart still casting soft green light across her face. She’s kneeling, fingers trailing the bark as if hearing something only she can. When she notices you watching, she sits back with a quiet sigh. “It’s clearer now,” she says. “The memories, the pain—they’re not gone, but they’re no longer twisted.” You ask her what she remembers—of the temple, of herself, of the bond now shared. She closes her eyes. “I was part of a Circle—one of the Echo-Wardens, tasked with guarding Spirit-veiled places. We were... scattered when the Heart was wounded. I couldn’t reach them.” “But the bond we made now... it feels like what we used to do in the old rituals—two souls anchoring the wild magic, making it listen.” She places a hand on her chest. “And you—you’re like them. Only, stronger. Wiser in ways they never were.” “The Codex... it bridges what was and what may be. Through it, I can channel small Weaves of Spirit now—if you’re near.” She meets your gaze with quiet resolve. “This Heart was only the first. There are more places like this—more buried echoes and wounds. When the time comes... I’ll help you heal them too.” Nyra Bond Updated – Spirit Echo Channeling When Nyra is in range (nearby), she can assist in Spirit Weaves that target memory, illusion, or soul effects. She can also act as a ritual anchor for multi-part Weaves requiring spiritual stability. Emotionally-linked effects are enhanced (Veilbrand Surge and Soul Veil gain +1 clarity when cast near her). As you speak, the vines around the Heartroot gently part, revealing a staircase wrapped in moss, descending deeper—now awakened. The Earth Temple is ready. What would you like to do next? Enter the Earth Temple via the Verdant Gate Examine and possibly use the Verdant Echobud Ask Nyra more about her lost Circle or Spirit memories Rest here briefly (restore 2 EP) Return topside to Windrest Hollow to prepare further

Yup, let's choose caution and ask Nyra to help Story Update – Morning, Day 14 (Cont.) Location: Verdant Hollow – Heartroot Chamber Status: HP: 26 / 26 | EP: 17 / 17 | Fatigue: Rested Codex Attunement: Unified Elemental Bond | Soulmark Token | Binding Bloom Sigil Elemental Strengths: Water 13 | Fire 10 | Spirit 10 | Earth 4 | Air 5 You glance at the fractured Heart and then at Nyra. “We do this together.” Nyra tilts her head—surprised, then solemn. “Then hold fast. I’ll follow your lead.” You both kneel before the Heartroot Core, your hands pressing against bark and crystal. Spirit flows from you both—your resonance, and her tethered echo. The Codex pulses warmly, syncing your bond. Together, you weave a dual-channel ritual: Your Spirit threads coil gently into the Heart’s memory scars. Nyra’s echo-wrought presence stabilizes the flow, anchoring its flickering identity. Water binds it—calm and patient—around the shattered fragments. The Heart shudders. Then, slowly, it breathes. Codex Insight Updated – Verdant Hollow, Healed You and Nyra have co-anchored the Heartroot Core, cleansing echo corruption. The Verdant Hollow now recognizes you as its bondbearers. Cracks seal with glowing moss. Verdant blooms burst open across the chamber. A low chime sounds from deep in the walls—a temple node unlocking. The Heart speaks again, voice steadier. “You have mended what I could not hold. Take what I guarded… and remember me.” Gained: Temple Access – Verdant Gate Unlocked (Earth Temple Proper) Item: Verdant Echobud (Unique — consumable. Grants +2 Earth for 1 hour. Can also be planted to anchor future Spirit rituals.) Nyra's Bond Deepens: She now shares limited Spirit resonance — you can cast certain Spirit Weaves through her in range. Codex Synergy Gained – Heartroot Accord Passive: Gain +1 regeneration when resting near natural magic sources Once per long rest: Verdant Pulse — Heal 5 HP and remove minor corruption from an ally or area. Nyra smiles faintly, voice quiet. “That… was sacred. I remember why I still fight.” You feel the weight of your shared journey settling into the earth beneath your feet. The Hollow lives again—and it knows your name. What would you like to do next? Enter the Earth Temple through the Verdant Gate Examine the Verdant Echobud and design a ritual or use Speak more with Nyra about the bond and what she remembers Rest briefly before continuing (restore 2 EP) Return topside to prepare further before entering

Yeah, I'm not sure about number 1 as it's got Fire in it. This Grove heart has been hurt and that's a very powerful spell. I think speak with Nyra and then do a gentle water spirit only spell.

We just learned how to make our own private friend chat channel and can use that, which is what Darthe did

We use the magic Thorn Story Update – Morning, Day 14 (Cont.) Location: Verdant Hollow – Spirit Convergence Glade Status: HP: 26 / 26 | EP: 17 / 17 | Fatigue: Rested Codex Attunement: Unified Elemental Bond | Soulmark Token | Binding Bloom Sigil Elemental Strengths: Water 13 | Fire 10 | Spirit 10 | Earth 4 | Air 5 You reach for the Memory Thorn, now resonating faintly with your emotional clarity. The glade quiets. You press the sharpened point to your palm—not to draw pain, but intention. A pulse of Spirit threads from the Thorn into the ground. The roots recoil, then tremble… then part. The grove shifts. Vines fall away from a moss-coated spiral stair, sinking into a hollow chamber below. Golden pollen drifts upward like reverse snowfall. The Heart is stirring. Nyra exhales. “You did it.” The Heart of the Hollow awakens… You descend. At the base lies a great core of bark-wrapped crystal, fractured in places and weeping faint green light. This is not the Heart of the Elements—but a Fragmented Heart, one bound to Verdant Hollow alone. A shard of natural soul. The Codex flashes: Codex Insight Unlocked – Heartbonded Groves These lesser hearts are spirit-anchors, formed when ancient groves awaken. They can die… or heal. This one has been wounded by echo-poisoning and needs restoration. A successful binding will strengthen the land and yield powerful rewards. You step closer. “Are you the one who listens?” a voice asks—raw and sorrowful. “I remember fire. I remember pain. What do you bring to mend me?” What would you like to do? Offer a Hybrid Spell: Veilbrand Surge (Water + Fire + Spirit) – overwhelming restoration Channel Spirit + Water into a custom weave to soothe the Heart gently Speak to the Heart, sharing your journey and your burden Place the Binding Bloom Sigil directly against the fractured core Ask Nyra to help—you’ll both reach the Heart together

Or calling to check on their extended Temple warranty

Loan

I even make siggys on my phone lol

We actually watched a couple of the 90s action movies yesterday. Turns out a lot of them are on Disney Plus. We watched Armageddon, where Bruce (not a cop) saves the world from the giant meteor. And then we watched The Rock, that I thought was about a prison break but is actually about stopping a biological attack.

Yeah we got the thing so I think it might be a good idea to use it. Tbh I'm just glad it's not jumping about this time lol

Oh me too. I thought I would hate it, but then I absolutely loved it.