Halbard gets Coratana’s attention after the combat has ended, and the two of them step aside to clear the air between them. After a brief pause to ask the Sanctum for a private location (and if there is anything in particular that the Sanctum would like to show them, resulting in a new crystal in their pendants, glowing with a clear golden light.) They discuss teamwork, leadership, and the nature of the group that they’re now a part of. Coratana reveals part of his history, that he has traveled for some time and - at least part of that time - he had not always been alone. He has seen what happened when nobody was willing to take risks or make a personal sacrifice: the group suffered for it. Halbard opens up a little bit and relates that in similar situations, he has seen the opposite to be true: that when the group did not stick together and function as a unit, the group suffered. The communication helps them to understand each other and resolve to do their best by the group they are both a part of now.
Dorrin spends his morning continuing to work in the forge, completing the scabbard for Coratana’s hexblade before beginning to work on his own personal project: dismantling his pickaxe and reassembling it into pieces suitable for a Greataxe.
Sulyex and Audir take the opportunity to train some more in the arena. The arena provides a Black Dragon Wyrmling for the two to fight. Sulyex makes the killing blow on the dragon, redeeming himself after being knocked unconscious so quickly in the previous dragon fight.
Quaesitor is led by the Sanctum into a heavily disorganized room, where items are piled on tables and shelves with little or no discernable organization. Quaesitor spends most of his morning in the room, putting together a very rough, off-key harmonica with a makeshift set of tinker’s tools he locates. He takes the instrument to Dorrin who helps him fine-tune it, seating the pieces together more securely and positioning the internal workings to play on-key. Quaesitor then makes a brief stop by Luka’s workshop, offering his services to the taken-back enchanter, who takes him up on his offer.
Coratana and Halbard use the new golden crystals that appeared in their Sanctum pendants, and the Sanctum directs them through the void into the Map Room, where Owen is inspecting the maps and conversing with the Sanctum. He tersely asks the two of them how they got to this room, and when they reveal that the Sanctum led them there, he relaxes a bit and answers some of their questions. He claims to have been partnered with the Sanctum for around 200 years (impressive for a human who looks to be in his mid-twenties!), and describes the process as a mutually-beneficial choosing… That she chose him and he chose her. And yes, he refers to the Sanctum as a female! The Sanctum’s goal is to grow, to thrive, and to do so by establishing and strengthening the pathways between worlds by promoting positive interactions and relationships with the denizens of those worlds. The three briefly discuss - in a hypothetical sense - Coratana’s pact with the Traveler, and how he may be freed of it. Owen is concerned that Cora may not have the power to break the pact, as it was Tana who agreed to it initially. Owen also advises Coratana to treat the Traveler’s gift - little Kaira - with caution and care, but not fear. He suggests training Kaira like any other young animal.
After lunch, which the group takes mostly separately at their leisure, Sulyex locates Tyrik and Lyran in the Healing Hall and questions the siblings about their experience with dragons.
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