The Belligerents #24

The Belligerents spoke with Lexxia abot her interest in Dahlia and Lily and discovered the vampire wanted to train them to bring them into their godlike power, a task Phira believed would be better suited to the Kindred Isle where their grandmother had established a tower for just such a purpose

Hukbi offered Lexxia the opportunity to come with them and train the girls, an offer which Lexxia seemed to consider as she left to ostensibly ready herself for the journey

Kreen returned with plenty of diamond dust and food for their journey, and the Belligerents decided to leave Venture Ridge and the tortured Dawn Chasers under the effects of the Everbleed.

Aboard the Gravy Trained once more, Phira communed with nature to make contact with the Raven Queen

• The two discussed the Castle Avernus located in the Kindred Isle and how the tower was being occupied by a terrible woman capable of forbidding Dahlia and Lily access to the tower named Jezria. The Raven Queen claimed she was going to make Jezria's life a living hell, and bade Phira to take care at the tower.

  • Phira asked if she should try to remove Jezria from the tower, and the Raven Queen claimed it would not be wise considering the stipulations of her contract, and did not advise it

Eventually, the group made contact once again with the Chataway's Charm only to find that a series of grisly murders had taken place and were being blamed on the creatures from Ephemeraldion. Arakkis had placed a defensive barricade around the creatures' section of the Underhull city below decks, but the citizens of Chataway's town were getting restless.

Saiorsa and a crewmate named Tiny showed the Belligerents the murder scenes and they soon deduced that a wild animal did not do this, and realized the murders began the night they left Venture Ridge.

Before they could track their supposed stowaway, however, they found the helm of Flapjack lying amidst a pool of blood, indicating Vainya had been the most recent victim.