When I stepped through the portal to Moon Camp, Malice was waiting for me. She was already taking in her new surroundings, soaking up every bit she could. To my surprise, Caithe was by her side. She explained that she was joining us on Dagonet's order; a diplomatic gesture, I'm sure. Part of me suspects she needed an adventure, especially after Aurene went to sleep. I don't know that anyone from Destiny's Edge could be comfortable with a desk job.
The two of them were chatting with Vanak, a representative from the Astral Ward I briefly fought beside in Amnytas. Before getting acclimated, they told me Frode wanted to speak with me alone. I found him in his temporary office, tired and hunched over a desk, manning the Tyrian acclimation efforts.
Since everything came to fruition—the Tyrian Alliance and this sudden mission to enter Janthir under the guise of diplomacy —I'd been waiting for the other boot to drop. Everything lined up a little too well. Frode asked if I'd heard of Waiting Sorrow while I was helping the Astral Ward fight the Kryptis. The name sounded familiar, and he reminded me that she was the one who had crafted the Heart of the Obscure. Former leader of the Bastion of the Celestial, as I recall. She's been missing for two centuries and supposedly hiding among the kodan in Janthir.
Isgarren dubbed her a "villain," but Frode warned me that Isgarren's assumptions were contested by Dagda. He also stressed that even with our newly revealed ulterior motive, the lowlanders would still make for ample allies to the alliance. It would be a productive mission regardless of whether we find our target.
Before turning me away, he gave me what intel he could: These kodan are nomadic, building for a hundred or so years and then moving elsewhere in the region when the time suits them. And they're suspicious of magic. Good to know.
After my enlightening chat with Frode, I returned to the others. Before setting out into the wilds to get our first real taste of Janthir, Vanak showed us around Moon Camp and shared what details about the region they could. Rumors of an abandoned mursaat city somewhere on the isles and remnants of the White Mantle; beasts of the wild and thick, dense forest. I had a feeling that Janthir would be dangerous, and the ward's intel confirms it.
When we were done with the tour, Malice, Caithe, and I departed Moon Camp and made our way into the thick of the woods. Ancient. A little frightening. Peaceful.
And then we were ambushed by a pack of wolves and valravn—regional pests. A warm welcome.
***