Session 29
In the cold and damp ruins that provide the Terralpi people refuge, The Fated Eight attempt to find some relief following a tumultuous night. Their members, Axton, Azriel, Jin, and SHAI, continue sleeping whilst Aurevald, Lady, Kezark, and Morgyn pause to process the events of the night. Kezark and Lady, feeling overwhelmed with fatigue, immediately turn over to fall asleep.
Aurevald and Morgyn begin to converse about their time in the other space. Aurevald, still reeling from the shock that he witnessed a petrified Graxious Longwood III, and feeling frustrated and confused, looks for some reassurance from his dear friend. Morgyn, looking disheveled, attempts to comfort Aurevald by speaking about hope. They both then attempt to find rest before the big journey the following day.
Morgyn awoke to the rest of the party sleeping. She silently leaves the resting party and traverses the large hallways and corridors of the refugee camp. Seeking some alone time in the cold air outdoors, she begins to reminisce of her time as Sophia Argent - as she recalls a conversation between her ex-husband; Caelum Argent - counselor to the Opalescent Order for the Vaena Kingdom, and herself.
Across the many libraries and and alchemical instruments of her tower within Castle Apexys; the seat of power within the Vaena Kingdom, nothing could prevent the impending coversation between Sophia Argent, and her surely frustrated Husband - Caelum.
Caelum Argent: “Sophia - my dear wife - are you incapable of doing something for someone other than yourself? I am your husband and here I am being made a fool of in front of my colleagues because you refuse to accept your duty.”
Sophia Argent: “You think I am doing this simply because I enjoy it? I may enjoy it, what I am doing here is for the Kingdom. Do you remember why I was made the High Alchemist to begin with?”
Caelum: “I’m not asking you to share my faith in the Archons - my darling. I’m asking you to share my faith in our union; our marriage. I only want the best for you - but I cannot delay this any longer; if we are to work”
Caelum: “I understand that logic provides you comfort - but it’s a crutch my darling. Faith does not make sense; but it has been proven to work even when science could not. Were it not for faith - faith in the Archons above us - civilization would’ve perished during The Cataclysm brought about by Mages who only cared for reason…”
Caelum, angrily: “I am merely asking you to dunk your head into a vat such that your hair turns silver! Is that too much for your Husband to ask?”
Sophia: “Well maybe we were never meant to work”
Morgyn in present time, finally breaks down after the events following the assassination of King Terick II. The words of her husband still in her ears, she continues to wrestle with her background in science and her newfound faith. Morgyn begins to pray her last prayer, and in a moment of apostasy, renounces her faith in The Fate-Cloaked Maiden
Exasperated, she feels a tug on her arm as The Loose String of Fate, her clerical focus given to her by Somnus, loosens and falls to the ground. Morgyn, knowing what this means for her, takes a second to process before kneeling to pick up the magical item, pocketing it for safekeeping.
The Morning After a Restless Night
Section titled “The Morning After a Restless Night”Shai, Axton, Jin and Azriel wake up. Jin, feeling impressed upon himself to speak to his troubled friend, shoves Azriel out of the way to pick SHAI up. They speak briefly about SHAI’s anxiousness as the party travels closer and closer to his civilization. Jin comforts his friend with some motivational words.
Unsure what to make of SHAI’s headspace, Jin implores SHAI to be honest with the struggles he’s been going through. In response, Jin shares stories of the significant loss he has experienced himself.
Jin: “Grief comes in many forms. I think I can say I understand loss. My uncle told me that my family is no longer with us. I also had my two childhood best friends murdered in front of me…”
SHAI: “I am trying to remain hopeful that once we reach my city, my family will be waiting and they will get to meet all the friends I made on my journey outside the wall.”
Jin: “Why grieve the worst possible outcome if you are unsure if it has happened yet…”
Sensing that they are being vulnerable with each other for the first time in a while, they share a moment of bonding over drinking out of Jin’s flask before returning to the group.
Upon Jin and SHAI’s return, the rest of the party begin to arise from their slumber. Azriel, sensing that he needs to perform a tithing rite, leaves the group to find a beast to kill.
Whilst Axton, seeing his party members go their own way, decides that he needs some time alone and quietly steps out of the sleeping space into the ever expansive hallways of the underground, before making his way outside for some fresh air and open space. He begins to reflect on his time before The Fated Eight, of the consequences and actions that led him and the party to where they are now.
Meanwhile, Jin suggests he brighten the party’s mood with a nice home cooked meal. He offers to heat up his breastplate armour in order to use it as a cooking implement, before being stopped by a concerned Terralpi. He is instead provided with the necessary tools to cook some salted beef sandwiches for the party from the rations they had.
Aurevald, waking up in a good mood, decides to check on his noble steed companion. Upon exiting the ruins, he comes across Axton outside. Axton shares his concerns about the road ahead, and his anxiousness about traversing into the unknown.
Axton: “I think at the moment everything is okay, but I dread what’s going to come later on. You just never know what’s going to come at us…”
Aurevald: “I wouldn’t worry too much about it Axton, I know that when I waver, people like you have my back. We should instead be there for people who need it the most like SHAI. He hasn’t looked good as of late, and he looks like he has a lot on his mind…”
Upon Aurevald and Axton eventually regrouping with the party after smelling food, Aurevald, accompanied by Jin ask Dridge about potential improvement to Fimbul - The Call of Winter, as well as potentially providing Kjott with some armour. Upon pulling out a pouch of gems, they learn that the Terralpi consume gems to gain magical abilities. Jin inquires about learning new blacksmithing abilities from the Terralpi blacksmith, and they come to an agreement regarding the inquiry.
A Heartfelt Encounter
Section titled “A Heartfelt Encounter”The party gathers their belongings before reconvening outside the ruins. Led by SHAI and his magical map, The Fated Eight begin to make their final trek to SHAI’s civilization. During their trek into the marshlands, SHAI begins to recount a story that GRAY once told him. Apparently, The Cavaliers; the warrior group that defend SHAI’s civilization, feared one creature with giant wings and multiple heads. One of the captains, MITCHELL, had stated that it was their civilization’s last line of defence.
The group, trudging through the wet and sticky mud of the marshlands, eventually come to an open field where a singular humanoid figure is standing and waiting.
Timothy Corazón, the former captain of the Blue Jay Pirates, waits with abated breath for a group of travelling companions. It has been hours, maybe days, since he was informed of this fateful encounter by an Old Man named Dell.
What The Fated Eight see before them is a rum-soaked Human Pirate, of approximately 38 years of age. Before clocking his appearance, the first thing that they notice about this gentleman is his smell. He wears leather overalls and a hat with blue feathers, and carries a cutlass and a flintlock pistol.
Aurevald, noticing this gentleman, recalls hearing about a legendary captain who disappeared shortly after he and Morgyn departed the Paradisian Coast. He begins to recite a famous sea shanty that was sung among the pirates that spent their time around the dockyards.
“Oh the tides ran dark by the break of dawn,
And the sirens cried out in fear,
For the Blue Jay Pirates raised their flag,
And Captain Corazón draws near!So lock your chests and hide your gold
As the black hearts sail pass the shore,
For Captain Timothy Corazón
Claims every sea as his home.”
- Aurevald about the Blue Jay Pirates
“I don’t know what happened, my crew left me on an island to fend for myself. My first mate, Tyrese Halingburton, betrayed me. I trusted them all, I loved them, they were all part of my precious crew. My crew committed the grand acts of mutiny against me, I was basically put to walk the plank at the end of the rapier. I was given a dinghy and a week’s worth of rum and was put out to sea. I was sucked into a whirlpool and arrived at a Gate, I passed through the Gate and arrived in a magical land…”
- Timothy Corazón about how he entered the Feywild
The party, after deliberating as to whether they should let this stranger travel with them, decide that they couldn’t just leave this loveable pirate by himself and decide to continue onwards with their new companion.
It’s a Bird! It’s a Plane! It’s a.. Bird?
Section titled “It’s a Bird! It’s a Plane! It’s a.. Bird?”The Fated Eight continue through the marshlands, before they are interrupted by a large shadow appearing overhead. The party, mostly unable to react in time, suffer a large sweeping attack by an avian-like creature with 5 heads. Enter: The Honkdra.
During the course of the battle, multiple party members inflicted large amounts of damage and supporting spells. Lady Snowblood, wielding the primordial elemental of Air - Aeris, inflicted a significant amount of damage to the Honkdra whilst SHAI flung a powerful Chromatic Orb to damage The Honkdra’s kin. The other members constantly chipped away at the creatures and destroyed the heads ofThe Honkdra before Timothy Corazón was knocked unconscious. Jin, getting too close to The Honkdra, suffered from being swallowed by one of the heads, and wrestled the creature from within. After reviving Timothy, it was Axton who landed the final blow on the creature before it began to dissolve, allowing Jin to escape relatively unscathed.
The party, questioning the insanity of the Feywild, presses onwards to SHAI’s civilization once more.
A Brief Momentary Pause.. To Dance!
Section titled “A Brief Momentary Pause.. To Dance!”Upon defeating The Honkdra, Timothy Corazón seems to receive a telepathic message from his guide referred to as Dell, and advises the party to travel northwards. Taking this advice, The Fated Eight, make their way to what seems to be a perfectly manicured circular clearing with a barrier naked that is naked to the eye. It is at this time that they decide to take a moment to rest and gather their thoughts.
Azriel, taking a moment of his time to perform his Esoteric Rite, quietly meditates as a wave of energy seems to rush through his eyes. Aurevald, noticing what is transpiring, questions Azriel on their Warlock Pact and what the source of his power is.
Being so close to home, SHAI begins to feel an arcanic connection to his civilization’s portal and performs the strange signage of “6-7”, encouraging the party to perform dances with him in order to traverse through the magical barrier. The party in turn, mostly participates in this bizarre ritual that has them all laughing and enjoying their friendship. Aurevald, Axton, Kezark, Lady, SHAI, Timothy, and Kjott all traverse the barrier, whilst Morgyn and Azriel are unable to.
Aurevald, noticing that Morgyn is unable to pass through the barrier, notices that she looks particularly dejected. He walks back to her and notices that the Loose String of Fate previously wrapped around her arm is no longer there. Morgyn then informs him of her recent renouncing of her faith regarding the Fate Cloaked Maiden earlier in the morning.
Morgyn: “As I said I thought this power would help me protect you all, and protect the King. The King especially was one of my life’s greatest purposes. I was supposed to protect him, and I still failed even with the power of a god helping me.”
Aurevald: “I also lost someone that I was powerless to protect, but you were always at my back… There are things in life that we cannot control, we are here now, together. That counts for something. Now, may I have this dance?”
Aurevald and Morgyn waltz towards the edge of the barrier, before Aurevald in a moment of passion confesses his love for her. Morgyn sheds a tear as they cross the barrier.
Azriel, frustrated with his inability to pass through the barrier, attempts to Misty Step and Eldritch Blast, the barrier, to little effect. Timothy, realizing that the barrier must only be crossed by those that have experienced the warmth of friendship, elects to cast Command on Azriel and forces him to dance. He is able to finally pass through, and with that, the whole party has officially crossed through.
“Start Spreading the News…”
Section titled ““Start Spreading the News…””Passing the barrier of friendship, the party continues to journey downhill. SHAI, realising that they inch towards the final stages of their journey before reaching his civilization, confesses to the party that this may be the last chance they get to rest before their journey is completed. Anxiousness washes over SHAI, as he anticipates what has transpired in his home since his departure.
Azriel, frustrated with his removal of free will through the Command spell, lets out his frustration by firing off an Eldritch Blast at Timothy, who was trying to eat a Cookie of Long Rest, provided to Aurevald by Evie.
Timothy, shocked by this turn of events, fires off vicious words at Azriel;
Timothy Corazón: “Cheap shots like that reminds me of a slum rat”
Azriel Ashblossom: “I should slit your throat where you stand. We don’t need 9 here.”
Timothy: “I’ve not known you for long, but I believe you to be a better person than this”
Azriel: “I’ve known you long enough, and I know what type of man you are. A coward.” Jin, growing frustrated, interjects by slamming his sword down in front of them both Ryujin Cheon: “Enough with your bogus!”
Aurevald, sensing the ever growing tension between his companions, also steps in to talk them both down. He reminds them that SHAI is extremely on edge right now, and that the party needs to support him as best as they can.
Lady, sensing that SHAI has gone quiet since the arguments started, approaches him to bring him some comfort.
“Well you know, after all this is said and done, perhaps we could find the time to finally see this Garfield you speak of”
- Lady to SHAI
A small smile breaks through on SHAI’s face. He begins to recount the story of Garfield before stopping himself, saying that they would indeed come across the perplexing creature before long.
“If You Can Make It There”
Section titled ““If You Can Make It There””The party finally makes their way down the hill, and at the end of the path, they come to the outermost point of SHAI’s village. At the edge of this large cliff, they finally come to see the civilization dubbed The Hidden Leaf. The first thing that the party notices is the expansive landscape, a civilization that would make Zenytha and Roan combined feel small. The Fated Eight make their way down a windy path across the face of the mountain. From this position, they see a large outer wall. They see several ornate spires and towers, they jut upwards from the wall and are scattered throughout the more central regions of the civilization. They are able to make out various homes and buildings atop a large central spire known as New York. The party also notices that the civilization rests atop a crystal clear lake, almost as if it’s hovering above the large body of water. There are bridges that connect to the surrounding walls of this cliffside at four points.
After being amazed and perplexed by this revelation, a few of the party members’ attention is drawn towards a vaguely humanoid figure floating above the tallest spire. Aurevald attempts to view this creature through his spyglass, but as soon as visualization is attempted, the creature seems to have vanished. Upon further inspection, Lady comes to the realization that the large body of land the civilization inhabits looks like it was impacted by a large circular object. The party, not knowing what to make of this, turn their attention to SHAI. SHAI’s attention however, is drawn to the cityscape. What was once a bustling and loud city has all seemed to be reduced to silence. Azriel, seeing what has transpired, calls on his Patron to see if they knew anything about what had happened. Zarkadyne The Thorn cheekily brushes Azriel off, stating that he can only see what Azriel sees.
The party traverses across the bridge, and through the gateway into The Hidden Leaf, where they come across a horrifying sight. A faint shimmering veil has surrounded the city up to the outer walls. Everything within the veil appears to be lifeless, still, and frozen in stasis. They make their wall to the edge of the veil, only to come across a large, well dressed man in mages robes, standing 6”7 with an outstretched hand and a panicked expression on his face. His hand, outstretched to touch the boundary between the veil over the city and the party. SHAI, recognizing this man as PIERCE, one of The Big Three. SHAI, panicked, looks to the party in horror and disbelief.
“You Can Make It Anywhere”
Section titled ““You Can Make It Anywhere””Somewhere, and somewhen else…
Panic courses through an ancient civilisation. What was supposed to be a treasured gleeful day has suddenly become twisted and corrupted. There were contingencies for an event like this, but only one of them is eligible. It’s a long shot, but he has to do it. He has to be the one.
He rushes through the street at a speed like never before, he passes people panicking and taking ornate daggers, stabbing themselves in the stomach, their intestines pouring out over the stone and blood spilling everywhere. From Boston to New York, from Cleveland, Los Angeles. He continued dashing, faster and faster, his magical power was unlimited at this time, but even with unlimited power, he was unable to stop what was coming. Just as he thought he was free, all he could do was outstretch his hand, before everything as he knew it ended abruptly.