Summary author: Malum (Boaz)

Tonight the ritual to cure Gearspen of the boiling plague takes place. Thunderwing moves out of Caillte's place to a temporary adventurer's home, before leaving, Thunderwing asks Caillte about his aunt and his parents. Caillte's parents aren't present in his life and haven't been since he was young, he doesn't know what happened to them but assumes the boiling plague got them. His aunt has taken care of him since then. Malum abducts a young aspiring Astradyne follower with help of Rascal. He brings him to a random spot in the desert, and starts telling him what's going on. Malum tells Dave his real name is Josephaiah, and that he belongs to a secret coven that is trying to bring Astradyne back among her people. In the trial his healing skills and his ability to navigate by the stars will be tested. Malum then takes Daves water, food and compass, and then promptly breaks his legs before scurrying off into the desert. Upon his return to the city he tells Rascal that if Dave does make it back she should kill him and make it look like an accident. Thunderwing spends the day turning the hallucigenic cactae into drinkable drugs juice. In the evening, when the party is collected at Caillte's, Catherine, a high priestess of Astradyne, shows up to fetch the group. Malum shortly discusses the ritual with her. The group then travels into the desert towards the ritual site by sandbending apparatus. Thunderwing shoots a short prayer to Kaelen and then takes a nap. At the ritual site the group is offered magically enhanced medicinal chamomile tea. Caillte notices a flame in the distance and has Aisling keep an eye on it whilst the ritual starts. Vesryn Herxisys, a young up-and-coming priest following Astradyne, is also present at the ritual, for archival purposes. Aisling notifies Caillte after the ritual starts, and he prepares for the coming of enemies. The party fights off the Barbazu and his rats in hopes of letting the ritual continue undisturbed.

Vesryn and Catherine manage to step out of the way, and Thunderwing and Strike blow up the Barbazu and his rats with an excellently placed Horizon Thunder Sphere, afterwards it was easy to pick the enemies off. Malum collects the corpses of the 4 flaming rats to do spooky experiments on later.