Session 24 — 2 August 2026
Morning comes bright and early in the village, and everyone rises in their own time.
Daiki remembers the temple experience and the priestess Nasiri. He asks whether her shrine is nearby. It lies in a neighboring village, deeper in the woods, and Nasiri serves as its high priestess. Daiki decides to take an early fly there while everything is peaceful and quiet. He flies most of the way, then turns invisible as he approaches.
The path takes him about half an hour through the forest. The neighbouring village is small, but its temple is disproportionately large: a substantial complex full of monks, with a main shrine, side buildings for guests and residents, and an alcove at its center meant to hold something important. Snakes appear everywhere. Daiki recognizes that Nasiri worships Sseth.
The ground is not hallowed in the strictest sense, though Daiki feels uncomfortable there, as if remnants of magic linger in the air. He reasons that Nasiri might pray or perform rituals at the central shrine, but it is still early, and she is probably asleep. Her private residence is a large building near the temple complex.
Daiki wants to learn enough about the faith to pose as a divine messenger. Instead, he decides on a subtler sign. Near Nasiri’s quarters, he folds a leaf into a small snake, tears off its head, and places it on a windowsill. It is a beautiful little snake, carefully made. He leans close and hisses, “Stay away,” then flies back toward the village.
Meanwhile, Lana wakes later than Daiki. She expects Sszethik’s mother to have chores ready and offers her help, hoping it will not involve going into the woods. Sszethik’s mother eagerly accepts and has her crush beetles to make dye for paint. The work is physical, the air humid, and the sun already fierce, but Lana enjoys it. Every crushed beetle reminds her of the huge tick that hunted her, and she takes her frustration out on them.
Ruben settles down with Kroak to study the book called The Demon Rises. Ruben is especially interested in its references to group magic. They find a cooler shaded place near the forest boundary, where villagers also gather to escape the heat. The book details occult rituals and magic that is darker and more contrived than Ruben likes, but the underlying methods fascinate him. He sees the difference between abusing mathematics for power and studying the mathematics beneath that abuse. The group-circle magic within the book gives him much to consider.
Kroak spends time examining their items as well. They use every sense available, including smelling and licking things, and identify a ring decorated with a brain motif as a Ring of mind shielding. It remains impossible to tell whether it currently contains a soul.
By the time Daiki returns, the village is active. Lana is working, Ruben is studying, and Kroak is searching through supplies and ingredients. Daiki cheerfully greets them.
“Hello everyone, how is it going here?”
Lana immediately asks, “Hey, Daiki, where the heck have you been?”
“I was on a morning hike,” Daiki replies.
Lana explains that she tried to contact him with their mind link but he had gone too far away. She asks him to let them know next time, or at least tell them before leaving breakfast. Ruben agrees and asks about the hike.
Daiki describes a “really, really, really fast” morning sprint, a lovely shrine, and the message he left for “Nana”—Nasiri, the priestess. He explains that he made a leaf in the shape of her god and tore its head off.
Lana is horrified. “Why would you do that?”
“To make her stay away.”
Nasiri is protecting the village, Ruben points out. If she stays away, something bad might happen. He asks whether Daiki covered his tracks.
“I think no one saw me,” Daiki says. “At least I hope.”
Lana tells him that the gesture could seem intimidating or threatening. Daiki says Nasiri had treated Sszethik as though he were property, and he wanted to send a sign. Lana argues that he could have simply had a conversation instead of leaving an anonymous threat at her door. Daiki protests, “But where’s the fun in that?”
Lana asks him to imagine someone entering his little Strixhaven hoard, making an illusion of a broken coin or stolen stone, and whispering, “Stay away.” Would he think it was a joke? Daiki insists that it is different, calls it a fun adventure, and says he does not know how Nasiri will interpret it.
Lana concludes that it is highly inappropriate and asks him not to do it again. Daiki calls her a spoilsport but agrees, adding that she is “probably right. Just like always.” Lana clarifies that she is not always right, but assumes she is right about this.
As Lana returns to helping Sszethik’s mother, someone taps the back of her leg. She turns and finds a small, squinty girl covered in mud staring up at her.
“You’re so tall,” the girl says. “Can you fly?”
Lana introduces herself and explains that she cannot fly, though some of her friends can. The girl says her name is Asi and takes Lana’s hand. “Do you want to come fly with us?”
Daiki hovers down and cleans Asi with a bit of magic. “There’s no way for a proper lady—let me clean you up.” Asi is appalled by losing the mud and immediately begins covering herself in it again. She seems entirely serious about flying.
Lana wonders whether the mud has some practical use, perhaps masking scent or protecting against danger, but Asi gives no such indication. Lana tells the others that Asi has invited her to fly with the children. Daiki wants to join and asks whether he needs to be muddy too. Lana decides to smear mud over the exposed parts of her arms, neck, and skin anyway, just in case, then invites anyone else to come along.
Ruben prefers not to use their fly scroll, since he hopes to copy and preserve it. He goes to look for Sszethik and asks whether the girl is known and whether it is safe to go with her. Sszethik is elsewhere in the village, but the children appear to be ordinary village children playing nearby.
Asi leads Lana and Daiki toward laughter in the distance. They find a muddy landslide that drops into a deep pool of mud. Children, completely caked in dirt, race down on their bellies and crash into the pool while laughing. Asi proudly announces, “The Slither Slide. We soar through the sky.”
Lana freezes for a moment. She is not naturally good with children, and she has never imagined herself as a mother. She wonders what her sister Zora would do, and what Daiki would do. Daiki, predictably, is ready to leap in with enthusiasm.
Lana decides, “Fuck it,” gives Asi a wink, and prepares to slide.
Daiki makes it more magical first. He scatters glittering scales from his wings over the mud, turning the Slither Slide into a shimmering, sparkling slope. The children go wild. Glitter is unfamiliar here, and they delight in it, mixing it into the mud and coating themselves in it.
Lana launches herself down the slide. It is steeper and higher than it first appeared. She accelerates, twists through the curve, feels the pull in her chest, and reaches a sudden instant of weightlessness before landing cleanly in the mud pool. The sensation brings her back to childhood: sledding with Zoya, racing over snow, the rush of steep slopes and the pull of momentum. She has denied herself purposeless play since Zoya was taken away, but this moment bypasses all her defenses.
Her eyes glow with an emotion too deep to hide. Daiki adds a little more glitter around her, sensing innocence and joy returning to her for a moment.
Children slide down after her, splashing glittering mud everywhere. Asi lands close by and says, “Oh, you’re so cool.” Soon several children sit around Lana, staring at her as she tries to pull herself out of the thick mud. The attention makes her self-conscious, and she tries to leave it behind, but the children simply cheer, “Again, again!” They drag her back up the slope.
Daiki joins in with an enthusiastic “Morikai! Yatta!” The children repeat the strange sounds because they find them funny. Lana keeps playing, now more for the children than herself. She slides down with them, gives them extra speed, and acts less like a parent than a protective older sister.
Elsewhere, Ruben finds Sszethik near the forest edge. Sszethik sits in stillness with several villagers and elders, sheltered beneath the jungle canopy as the midday heat becomes nearly unbearable. They sit in a quiet semicircle. When someone shifts uncomfortably, one or two others smile, then return to stillness. It is clearly a game, but one without a leader.
Ruben avoids interrupting at first. As he turns to leave, he bumps into a man who introduces himself as Sszethik’s father. He calls it “the game of stillness,” played to avoid overheating. The rule is simple: sit perfectly still, and whoever moves first loses. There are no stakes. “Not every game needs stakes.”
Ruben finds this appealing. He joins without walking, flying silently toward an open place in the circle. He lands with more disturbance than intended, and Sszethik notices him, smiles, and loses that round. Several others smile too.
Ruben takes a stable position, legs tucked beneath him and wings folded around himself. The game is extraordinarily quiet, but he finds a meditative rhythm in it. He thinks about the book he has read, appreciates the companionship of the yuan-ti culture, and enjoys being together without needing to speak. People break, smile, shift, and begin again. Some elders never seem to lose.
After a while, Ruben asks Sszethik’s father whether he may fly overhead and make a breeze for everyone. The father agrees, though he points out that it is still warm air. Ruben rises and beats his wings, giving the whole group a welcome gust. The villagers seem pleased, even as the elders remain almost perfectly motionless.
Kroak spends the hottest hours gathering ingredients. They find unusually useful materials and return to the village exhausted and dirty. Near Sszethik’s mother, a man cuts bamboo into narrow lengths for spears and fishing tools.
Kroak asks where people cool down. The village sits beside a river, and Kroak takes off their shoes and puts their bare feet into the water. Dirt and sweat wash away in a dark little trail downstream. They consider borrowing a fishing net, but the heat makes that sound like too much effort. Instead, they sit with their feet in the river, watch the fishermen, and glimpse Lana, Daiki, and the children playing on the distant slide.
As evening approaches, the temperature drops slightly, darkness falls quickly, and the village gathers around its fires. A nimble teenage girl approaches Lana almost silently and sits beside her.
“Who are you?” she asks.
“I am Lana. Who are you?”
“That’s not too important. I wanted to know who you are. Are you from the city?”
Lana insists on proper introductions first. The girl relents. “My name’s Vissa.”
Lana tells Vissa that she comes from Ten-Towns in Icewind Dale, far to the north. Vissa does not know the place and asks whether it is near Port Nyanzaru. Lana explains that it is so far north that Vissa probably would not survive in her current clothes. It is very cold there, and Lana grew up surrounded by animal hides, warm clothing, and fire—nothing like this humid heat.
Daiki cleans the mud from Lana with magic. Vissa then notices him and asks, “And you are Daiki?”
Daiki introduces himself as “just a fairy, just a small boy,” and Vissa immediately asks where he got his wings.
“I was born with them, I think,” Daiki says. “How did you get your scales?”
Vissa says she would rather have wings. Daiki points out that he has wings, scales, and a tail. Vissa accuses him of flexing. He introduces Lana as a good friend—though he is not fully certain she sees him that way. Lana gives him a dry look, then winks.
Daiki gestures toward Ruben, Kroak, Sszethik, and the children. Vissa glances toward Sszethik and Ruben, who sit together near the fire and speak quietly. “I’m also going to meet him,” she says, then walks away with the same nearly soundless grace.
Lana calls after her, annoyed that she has walked away in the middle of a conversation. Vissa says there is no need to apologize and keeps going. Lana sends a brief mind-linked complaint about her conversational manners, then cuts the connection immediately. Vissa is thrilled by the experience, asking, “What’s happening? This is so cool. What else is going on? What do I hear? Is that you?” The connection ends, leaving her baffled.
Vissa reaches Sszethik and hugs him tightly from behind. “Oh, Siki, so nice to have you back! How are you?”
Sszethik smiles and hugs her back. They exchange a few words before Vissa turns to Ruben.
“So who are you?”
Ruben introduces himself as one of Sszethik’s guests and study friends. Vissa remarks that she will not make things weird, then gives Sszethik a knowing wink. Ruben asks why she calls him “Siki.” Sszethik hides his face and protests, “Stop calling me Siki. You know I hate it.”
Vissa says she cannot help it. Their mother calls him that, so she will too.
Ruben explains that he is from Strixhaven now but originally comes from Daggerford on the Sword Coast. He shows Vissa a map, pointing out their location, Port Nyanzaru, and the distant city of Daggerford. Vissa stares at the map in awe. “Wow. It’s so big. I never realized it was so big.”
“One day,” she says, “I’m going to travel the world as well.”
Ruben asks whether she is one of Sszethik’s siblings. Vissa proudly replies that she is “the best sibling.” She studies Ruben’s feathers and clothing with barely perceptible touches. Ruben compliments how quietly she moves, comparing it to his own silent flight. Vissa agrees that she likes to be quiet.
She appears young—perhaps no older than sixteen—but her graceful, soundless movement suggests real skill. She moves like a young assassin or half-trained ninja, though her clothes are ordinary and she carries only a net over her shoulder.
Vissa admires Sszethik’s talent and asks what it takes to get into Strixhaven. “Do you have a rich family?”
Ruben says he was chosen for magical talent. Vissa briefly looks sad, then perks up and complains that she has no magic. She wonders whether Sszethik entered because of money or talent. Ruben confirms it was talent.
Vissa calls across to Lana and asks how she got into Strixhaven, because Lana does not look magical. Lana explains that she attends on a scholarship. Vissa asks what that means.
Lana says it means being exceptionally good at something. Vissa says she is good at sneaking, snatching things, and many other things—just not spells.
“That’s what Sszethik is for,” Vissa says.
Daiki suggests there could be a school for sneaking and snatching, perhaps Witherbloom. Vissa rejects the swamp immediately. Silverquill sounds better to her.
Ruben gently explains that different schools suit different people, and perhaps Strixhaven is not necessarily the right school for her. Lana tells Vissa not to take them too seriously: she had not even known she had applied when her mentor did it for her, and did not know she had received a scholarship. But Lana also points out that Vissa is describing herself as a “sneaky lovely little bastard” who steals things.
“I didn’t say stealing,” Vissa says. “I said snatching.”
“What do you mostly snatch or sneak for?” Lana asks.
“I snatch what I need. It could be berries from a bush. It could be anything.”
Lana says that kind of individualistic mindset would be a poor fit for Silverquill. Vissa says she does not know what they do; it simply sounds nice. Lana says she wants Silverquill too, though for a different reason, and tells Vissa to learn what each school actually stands for. Vissa interrupts, delighted by the idea that they might become “sisters of the campus.”
Daiki quietly flies beside Vissa and asks whether she can snatch gold or shiny stones for his hoard so his “heart can grow.” Vissa smiles and says she could, but that it would be easier in a city where people have gold.
Lana notices enough to challenge them. Daiki tries to claim he was only talking about how pretty gold and shiny things are. Lana warns him that if he lies to her, he is not her friend. Daiki admits that he asked Vissa for help making his hoard grow.
Lana says it is fine as long as they do not steal or take what belongs to someone else.
“That is why we are not calling it stealing, but snatching,” Daiki says.
Vissa agrees. “Ownership is just a social contract, right? It’s a natural resource which belongs to everyone.”
Ruben asks Sszethik what the village’s views on ownership and theft are. Sszethik says everyone’s moral compass differs. He personally believes people own things and does not agree with stealing, though others think differently.
Ruben says it is better to work for shinies, earn them through service, or gain them through adventuring. Daiki asks where his reward is for getting out of the temple.
Vissa insists that she works for things by sneaking around and grabbing them. Lana says she will not debate the matter then and there, but warns Daiki that stealing may not get him into Silverquill—or Strixhaven at all.
Daiki misunderstands and asks why anyone would steal shit, since it is “smelly and brown.” Lana tells him, “Daiki, love you, but not the point.”
Vissa immediately pounces on that. “Oh, what do I sense here? Is this a sudden romance?”
Ruben is amused by Vissa’s awareness of interpersonal dynamics. Vissa says she likes to think she can read people. Lana replies that they may share that specialty, but Vissa is not very delicate about it. Vissa says she prefers the truth plainly spoken. Lana explains that she wants to enter politics, and people do not always like or trust excessive directness.
Ruben asks Sszethik whether there is anything else he had wanted them to experience. Sszethik seems briefly flustered; he has been enjoying showing them village life and assumes they are having fun. He says he had not planned anything else, then looks thoughtful.
Vissa asks where Kroak is. Lana explains that Kroak is nearby gathering ingredients for potions and is very knowledgeable and kind. Lana reaches Kroak with a brief mind link, exasperated that Kroak says strange things whenever she tries to introduce them normally.
When Kroak joins them, Vissa watches them with interest and says they carry a strange energy. Kroak offers her a potato.
“Would you like a potato? I have a potato.”
Vissa accepts it, lightly touching Kroak’s hand as she does. Kroak shivers and says, “Your touch is light. It tickles.”
“Your potato is heavy,” Vissa replies.
Kroak explains that it has a bite missing because Harold likes potatoes. Vissa asks who Harold is. Kroak searches through their robes and produces Harold, a slimy pet. Vissa finds Harold interesting and says Kroak is a very interesting person.
Kroak replies, “I would say the same about you, but I don’t know anything about you, so I don’t know if you’re interesting.”
Vissa studies Kroak’s skin, asks whether they shed, and seems fascinated by them. Kroak asks how often Vissa sheds. Vissa calls that a very personal question.
Then, once everyone is present, Vissa announces that she has a plan.
“How do you feel about stealing?” she asks.
Kroak says it depends on what it is.
“What if it is some religious artifact that is super important to the protection of our valley?”
Lana asks for more context. Ruben says he is uncomfortable taking an artifact if it truly protects a village. Kroak asks what is in it for them, then admits that seeing a real artifact up close would be exciting.
Vissa says the best part is that the artifact has already been stolen. She pulls out a glowing object shaped like two coiling snakes. It radiates a fading magical force.
“It keeps the Undead away,” Vissa explains. “It turns out it is actually important for our valley. I cannot return it myself, as it is very, very difficult to do. It was quite difficult to steal, and I need to put it back. Can I count on your help, please?”
Sszethik is horrified. “Vissa, what did you do? This could ruin our family. Why would you take such risks?”
Vissa says she expected him to come home and thought they could do it together as a family. She wanted to meet his friends.
Kroak feels the artifact’s magic as a distinct pressure against their skin, pushing them away. It is not painful, but it is uncomfortable. The power seems ritual-driven and weakened, as though its magic is leaking away. Kroak takes a step back.
Ruben asks where Vissa got it and suggests that she could simply return it, explain what happened, and ask them to guard the valley better. Vissa says Nasiri is vindictive, and she is not sure what handing it back would cause.
Ruben points out that consequences are exactly why people should not snatch things. He suggests turning Vissa in to restore the family’s honor. Lana agrees that it is worth considering.
Sszethik panics at the idea. He fears Nasiri might kill the entire family over the artifact. Lana responds to the crisis by commanding him, “Calm down.” Sszethik obeys and steadies himself.
Daiki points out that now that they know, they are already involved. “Aren’t we already kind of… partaking in this now?” He suggests returning the artifact as a useful exercise—good “summer vacation practice.”
Vissa keeps holding the artifact closer to Kroak, probing their reaction. Kroak tells her to stop. Lana steps between them. Kroak leans into the pressure briefly, then recoils. “No, that’s uncomfortable.”
Ruben clarifies that the artifact was guarded by Nasiri, the high priestess—not necessarily that she is guarding it now. Kroak wonders whether reporting it stolen would cause Nasiri to be punished, perhaps even solve the situation between Sszethik and Ruben. Ruben blushes and says he does not know what Kroak is talking about.
Lana explains that Kroak is considering whether Nasiri could be blamed for the artifact’s disappearance, especially after Daiki’s anonymous threat earlier that morning. Lana does not approve. Daiki quietly casts an illusion over the artifact, making it look like an apple so it is not exposed in the open.
Sszethik, calmer now, looks at the apple and says, “Okay. It’s not so bad. We can bring it back. We can bring it back before anyone dies. You guys will help me, won’t you?”
“Of course we will,” Ruben says.
Lana agrees, though she notes that Vissa has already made them accomplices. Vissa dislikes that word and suggests “companions” instead. Lana calls them the “Chult Companions.” Vissa likes “the heroes of Chult,” but Lana says heroes sounds pretentious. Ruben points out that they are already heroes of Chult and Strixhaven, so Chult Companions seems appropriate.
Vissa explains that the artifact must be returned before dawn, when the ritual begins to recharge it and drive back the undead. Vissa points out the place on Ruben’s map: behind Nasiri’s house, through a temple door and into a cave-like chamber in the mountain. Daiki recognizes the landmarks. He saw the temple, the shrine, and the recessed alcove where the artifact belongs during his morning visit. He did not see Vissa there, and she did not see him.
Kroak again suggests reporting the artifact stolen, but Vissa asks who would punish the high priestess, since she is the highest priestess. Kroak muses that perhaps the gods could smite her, then gets distracted by whether the past tense is “smote,” “smitten,” or “smited.”
Vissa puts the artifact away, ending the pressure Kroak feels. Daiki realizes that the natural slot Vissa described matches the empty recess he saw in the shrine.
He worries aloud that Nasiri may connect his mutilated leaf-snake prank with the theft. Vissa assures him, “No, it will be fine. We’ll fix everything. It’s good. It’s reverse stealing, so it’s all good.”