15th Sypheros, 998 YK
- BAN IS BACK, BABY!!!
- But not quite yet
- I recap the current adventure, up to last session, at which point Ell does the recap, earning Damien an advance on his least developed theme
- Yashira has just passed out, and Damien examines the dead. He recalls roughly the burial practices of the Wardens of the Wood, ideally they'd be returned to Greenheart but that's not feasible right now. They put them into a more dignified position, and they'll tell someone they're here when they get to Greenheart.
- He also recalls they probably wouldn't be happy with Charlie doing necromancy on them...
- Nerys casts a spell to try and cleanse the bodies of the residual energies left by that. The curse of the 1-2 returns and they fail, they're unable to scrub the evidence
- Damien asks them what they were doing and they explain, but they think Charlie's magic is too strong for them
- Damien appreciates that they tried, but he thinks this may be a situation where they just need to beg for forgiveness.
- What's a little bit of necromancy when the world's at stake?
- Yashira's still down, she's regained consciousness but she's exhausted. She sits up and decides that's as far as she can go. Damien summons Clarence, his unicorn, to carry her.
- Charlie keeps the fuck away from Clarence, he's afraid of horses
- Yashira asks if they're going back to Sharn? Damien remembers the letter from Lhara that told them to meet her in Greenheart
- They decide to head straight there, through the woods. They get away from the Changegate for a bit, and then make camp.
16th Sypheros, 998 YK
- Not long after sunrise the next day, they're met by a pair of druids, who have come to escort them the rest of the way there. They tell them "the Thrane" told them where to find the group
- Yashira is asleep on Clarence, she doesn't hear it, it's all good. Damien's attitude is respesented in Clarence though, who stomps around a bit, stirring her.
- Damien introduces their new friends, doesn't mention "the Thrane".
- They hike through the woods for hours, eventually arriving at Greenheart, where they are met by a crowd of cheering druids, led by Faena Graymorn, Lhara, Banazir d'Ghallanda, and of course, Drego Sarhain
- There are very different reactions to each of them
- Lhara greets them first, pride and relief, and then Drego theatrically announces that he never doubted them
- Damien says "thanks Drego" through gritted teeth
- Yashira dismounts Clarence, hands on her abdomen to stop the wounds from reopening, and ignores Drego entirely and goes to hug Ban!
- Ban is a bit weepy as he asks if they're okay? She seems a little...worn
- She's...fine, but looking forward to eating something
- Faena introduces herself at this point, and announces that Ban has prepared a feast for them!
- There's a very strong reaction to this, it's been too long since they've had a Ban meal. They've been taking it in turns cooking but nobody matches up to their little chef.
- They ask Faena if they can stay in Greenheart for a day while they recover? Of course they can, they can stay in her spare rooms. She can't offer them the comforts they're used to, but it's a roof
- Damien suddenly realises who Faena is, she's a war hero! But...against Aundair. Hmm.
- Faena gives a rough overview of the settlement. No commerce permitted, if they need anything they have to trade for it or it will be provided for them. Food, shelter, and medicine/healing will be provided freely.
- Ban has prepared a mighty feast for them, with a lot of pumpkin stuff and freshly baked bread. It's very crunchy but soft on the inside, the most satisfying bread experience.
- Damien is a bit suspicious of the druids
- Ban has spent a while with Drego now, waiting for the party, and he kinda likes him. He's a chill guy!
- He's spent most of his time with Ban, but at a point relocates to speak to Yashira. He drags his chair over and sits on it backwards, with the back of the chair in front of him, while she's thinking about how to escape.
- He gauges her reaction, she's trying to keep her cool. She's outwardly very composed, even whilst she's inwardly freaking out
- He gives her a subtle smile, and then asks if she still has the anti-baldness potion?
- Yashira.exe has stopped responding.
- She just stares at him, trying to determine where she went wrong in her mental model of this conversation. She actually stammers a bit.
- "Do you...always start conversations like that?"
- "No, not usually"
- Yashira tries to teach him how to start a conversation. "Hi, how are you? Glad you didn't get ripped to shreds"
- Of course! He is glad she didn't die, but he did watch it happen. Anyway, the potion?
- "Why do you want it?"
- "It's a courtesy"
- O...kay. She produces the potion with a flourish and gives it to him. He stands up, dragging the chair away, pats her on the shoulder and says "good work, detective" before walking away
- She rises from the chair and reaches out to try and stop him, but hesitates and loses the moment. She's rattled. She goes to get a drink, away from the noise, to try and clear her head.
- Charlie and Damien are sat together, having a wee chat. Charlie asks if Damien's okay? He's not his usual self.
- Damien tries to explain, he should be having fun! But it's a bit uncomfortable here, as an Aundairian.
- Charlie's a smart cookie, he knows what's up.
- Damien explains that their host, Faena, was a big part of the secession. Passage is close to the border, there were incidents. He grew up on stories of children being taken by wild animals in the night.
- But his travels have given him perspective, and called into question the validity of those stories. Charlie says that sometimes the best way to challenge his prejudices is to confront it.
- Charlie grew up with tons of stories about the other nations and the atrocities they committed. Everybody did, it's how they kept the war going.
- Damien tells a story from his childhood, of his brother Cédric teaching him how to use a sword, but he didn't want to fight. He was naive.
- Charlie doesn't think so, his dad wanted him to be a soldier too but it just...wasn't for him.
- Damien thankfully didn't have that as an worry really, House members were supposed to be neutral. Cédric is the only one of them to see combat.
- It's a touching little conversation, I love my boys
- "I just wanted to make sure you were okay, you're not yourself, and I miss that. Uhh, not that I- you know what I mean"
- Damien says he's thankful to have Charlie, he's a good man
- They have a little half-hug.
- Charlie.exe has stopped responding.
- Drego crashes the party at this point. "Charlie, Damien, nice to see you, glad you weren't ripped to shreds"
- "Hi Drego, you could've started that in so many worse ways"
- Drego congratulates them both, and compliments Damien on his teleporting. He then singles out Charlie and comments that he did some interesting magic there. Drego thinks Charlie is going to be one of the greatest mages, but he should perhaps be a bit more exacting in the magic he practices.
- He pats Charlie on the shoulder and says "it's safe with me"
- Drego tells them both to contact him if they're ever in Thrane, he'd love to catch up with them!
- "Have fun tonight, right, where's that goblin?" he says as he wanders off
- "I've never been so fucking flaccid in my life" says Damien
- Charlie and Damien go to get a drink together, arm in arm
- THE SHIP BE SAILING
- Ban, Nerys and Ruckus are catching up. Ban's father twisted his ankle so Ban was working in the tavern. Everyone seems to want to travel during the Autumn, so it was super busy. He's not got anything too noteworthy to share, there was a wedding party at one point that they weren't expecting. They couldn't just say no, that's bad business!
- He's been missing the adventuring though, even the worst days at the tavern were quiet compared to what they get up to
- Ruckus says that the group has sorely missed Ban's presence. This last adventure was a...bit of a journey.
- Ban asks "oh, why?"
- Nerys is being pretty quiet, there's clearly something off.
- They say "we're just unbalanced without you"
- Ruckus agrees
- Ban blushes and is like "oh staaawp"
- Ruckus says he's been working on something for him, he'll give it to him when they get back to Sharn! (It's an air fryer)
- Nerys excuses themselves to go to the bathroom
- Ruckus then mentions about the orphanage, as Ban wasn't present for that revelation. He donates most of his earnings from their adventures to an orphanage down in the Cogs.
- Ban asks how he can help, and Ruckus seems visibly uncomfortable. He explains that the orphanage is going through a rough patch. Some of the others have also been donating. He doesn't say it was his fault, but Ban can read between the lines. He doesn't press though.
- Ruckus suggests that Ban could help fund raise? Ban is well up for this, and he's always up for feeding orphans.
- He considers the possibility of convincing House Ghallanda to sponsor the orphanage, but he's not sure he has enough pull. Maybe the tavern could help, though!
- Ban asks Ruckus what kind of fundraising event he has in mind? He's still thinking about it, he wants to know who he has on board.
- Nerys returned at some point and just listened, nodding at appropriate moments to support Ruckus. When it seems to be dying down, they provide some verbal support too
- Yashira, in the quiet, processes and replays the conversation she just had, and previous conversations. Why would he ask for the potion back?
- It clicks for her that the bottle of anti-baldness potion! She threw it at him, he caught it with magic, and threw it back and she put it back in her pocket! An object that he had seen up close, and that his magic has touched, and she had it on her person the whole time.
- That's how he knew what had happened! And she felt it in the moment too, those weird bouts of paranoia when they were in the woods
- She locks in, she's gonna kill him. She starts looking for him, she goes to Charlie and Damien and asks "where did he go? I know he spoke to you, where did he go?"
- "I don't fucking know, or care"
- "I care! So much! Where did he go!?"
- Charlie says that he mentioned something about Ruckus.
- Yashira tells them to enjoy their night!
- "What's got her all wound up?"
- Charlie tells Damien that he thought something was going on between Yashira and Drego. "Like what?"
- Charlie shrugs, he's not the best at reading women. Damien asks if they should go after her? She seemed pretty upset.
- Charlie doesn't want another diplomatic incident, and Damien doesn't wanna be near Drego. Charlie asks what his problem with him is?
- Damien tries to explain. Drego is just so...he's good, and he knows he's good, and that rubs Damien the wrong way.
- He just can't stand men like that. Charlie thinks he seems nice enough, even if he did chew Charlie out for using necromancy.
- A lightbulb goes off in Damien's head. "Wait, holy shit, he was spying on us!"
- Yes, Damien
- "Son of a bitch"
- This also clicks for Charlie. "Wait...are you saying he can Scry?"
- It's the only thing that makes sense, how else would he know about the necromancy?
- "Holy shit he can scry...that's so cool!"
- No Charlie you're missing the point!
- Charlie grabs Damien's shoulder and goes "no you don't understand, that's high level magic, and he doesn't need the words!"
- "Well, that's why Yashira is pissed off. Siberys help that man, he is so screwed"
- They down their drinks and decide to go back Yashira up, at least so they don't get kicked out
- Yashira finds Drego at the druidic punch bowl, drink in hand, surveying and watching Ban, Nerys, and Ruckus. Yashira approaches, and in a low voice, says "outside. now."
- He raises an eyebrow, says "okay" and puts the drink down. He doesn't misread this, he can tell she's pissed off. He follows.
- Once they're out of earshot of the party, she paces for a bit trying to find her words, and then spins on him and tears into him. "You're so full of shit, you know that!?"
- "You're four steps ahead of me at all times and you just lord it over me. You're the most infuriating individual I've ever had the displeasure of knowing, and you make me feel so incompetent just by existing, and I hate how it makes me feel! I've known you for all of four days and you're like a spectre I cannot shake, I just have to go about my life with the haunting of you hanging over my head."
- The above is paraphased, but it's the most romantic thing I've ever heard
- For the first time in his life, Drego is speechless. He doesn't know what to say. After some silence, he says as much, and says he thinks she's a competent detective. She solved the crime!
- "Four days after you did! I'm lagging behind! My older brother is marvelous and wonderful and perfect and I want to live up to that and you...I don't know. You're perfect and it's aggravating and I want to be like you, as good as you, and yet...I don't know how. How did you become you!? How did you get so good at figuring this all out and making it look so easy."
- She's getting red in the face at her outburst as Drego seems to process what she's said. The embarassment sets in as he stares at her, and then he makes a decision. He takes her hand and stammers a bit, as he explains that this is all a facade, that facilitates his job. Part of that is to unbalance people, and he admits he maybe did that too well with her. But she did solve the crime, he solved different parts, but without her, they'd all be drowning in lycanthropes.
- Yashira takes this all in, apologises for the outburst, and asks if they can start again?
- She asks if he could teach her some things? She would appreciate it greatly. She hates this feeling of incompetence.
- She's learned so many lessons recently, and when to ask for help is one of these.
- Drego says...okay, he's sure they could both learn a lot from each other. Despite how she feels, she is a better detective than him, he just cheats.
- Oh, she knows
- She pulls him close and grabs the pocket with the vial and says if he ever scries on her again, she'll kill him. He says "Flame you're close to my face"
- "Is it bothering you? I could get closer"
- At this point, Damien storms in yelling "I can't believe you- oh"
- Yashira spins, her victory shattered, letting go of his hand and stammers "what are you doing here? Weren't you enjoying-"
- "I was but I just figured out this bastard had been spying on us"
- "Oh...yeah, water under the bridge I think."
- "WHAT!?"
- Oh my godddd
- "Why aren't you mad anymore?"
- "I am! See!?" as she gestures to how close they are
- Drego stammers and says, "but I thought you knew? You definitely knew, Yashira, you reacted"
- ugh
- Damien goes on the attack, of course she knew! She's smart!
- Drego goes fully into diplomatic mode. "I'm sorry for the invasion of privacy, but this was a matter of national security. If you failed, the world would have ended."
- Yashira says he should've told them. He agrees, fair enough, but he can't do it anymore!
- Right, cos he no longer has any of their things!
- "Oh, I never did, you had something of mine"
- "No, it was-"
- "Intended for me, you thought about me when I wasn't there"
- It's back to being on sight, he has ragebaited again
- She grabs his coat, flustered, and pushes him back
- "Okay fine, we're all on the same page, let's go back to the party. All of the bugbears are out, we've aired everything that needed to be said" as she glances at Drego
- Damien stammers "can you say that? Yashira they have a whole nation now!"
- (In relation to the bugbears, was a fun instance of OOC terms gaining new meaning)
- Yashira, red in the face, storms off. She's lost this one, bois
- Damien turns to Charlie and says "I think I put my foot in it"
- Drego agrees, says it was funny, and tells them to enjoy the party
- "Goodbye, Mr Sarhain..."
- They leave, and Damien and Charlie talk about it for a bit. "I just didn't think he'd be her type, you know?"
- Charlie just thought the energy was weird, but he did clock it immediately!
- Yashira goes and sits next to Ban, and asks him to explain how he made the drinks. Please, all of the detail, leave nothing out.
- Ban puts a gentle hand on her shoulder and says sure, in the morning. For now, just focus on drinking them.
- They link arms and neck the drink, Yashira has decided they're all getting white girl wasted.
- And they're all so happy Ban is back. He's being celebrated more than the people who actually saved the world
- Ruckus is going feral at the food. A nearby awakened animal sees this and scoffs, "what an animal"
- Nerys is still being a bit weird, drinking too much and not really engaging in conversation. Ban picks up on this, again.
- Ban checks in with them privately, dragging them onto the dancefloor. Nerys tries to refuse, they've just been in a big fight and-
- No, Nerys. It is time to dance.
- And it works, it cheers them up a bit! They have some fun!
- Nerys thanks Ban, they needed that. It's really good to have him back, they missed him.
- They have a small big hug. Nerys does not address the bugbear in the room yet though, they want to be sad a bit longer.
- All of them except for Nerys and Ruckus get absolutely wasted. Oh and Drego, who always seems to have a drink in his hand but doesn't seem to actually drink.
- It occurs to us that nobody has spoken to Lhara :( they all got distracted by gay
- Drego does have a tendency to overshadow other NPCs a theme
- We assume people did talk to her, but other things were more dramatic
- They party, and then sleep
17th Sypheros, 998 YK
- In the morning, Lhara asks them for the Duskgate Crucible, and Ruckus hands it over.
- She then asks if they're all heading back to Sharn? Damien says he'd like to visit Passage, see some of his family, and then make their way to Sharn from there.
- Okay fair enough, she'll take the Crucible back and get it secured. Oh, and since they "up and saved the world", they're authorised to give a bonus 100gp on top of their original payment (which was 400gp).
- Nerys thinks this isn't a lot of money for saving the world...
- Turns out Nerys has been getting scammed by their potion dealer
- Charlie says when they get back to Sharn, he's taking them shopping.
- We end the session here, next time: Passage!