Session 43
May We Meet Again...
Besides Hachi Borosu, several other familiar figures were present at the Outpost meeting; Captain Mergom Mountbreak, from Abador, and Elder Falco, whom Delbellis knew from Elderwalk. But there was another man, standing tall besides the others: A heavily armed human with an imposing mustache wearing a dark red poncho and a white woolen skullcap who introduced himself as Skander Castro.
They were in the midst of discussing their proceedings regarding the situation in the North when the Four Feathers entered. While Aragir’s attention was drawn to the situation in Diremound, where a great amount of conflict was shown judging from the pawns that were put in place, the others engaged with those who were present.
When the group was asked how they managed to get past the borders of the Oblimora, Aragir mentioned that they had been teleported by a strange artifact. With Mergom to vouch for the group’s credibility they were questioned no further about it.
They then proceeded to discuss current affairs in the North. It appeared the royal family of Elkenvail, Damir Verum, Christina and their daughter Zosia Verum, had been taken hostage, and it was the job of the Four Feathers to try and retrieve them. They were to contact Hachi immediately if they found any of them. To protect themselves against the dark powers of the necromancers, they were to be given pendants from a cleric altar at the outpost.
They also spoke of the occasional beam of light emanating from Elkenveil. Though they had operatives surrounding the area, they had not yet been able to penetrate the inner walls. This kept them from investigating the light and finding the royal family’s whereabouts.
When asked, Skander explained that he was a monster hunter, mostly tracking down Malar worshippers. Though the latter seemed to be less prominent in the Eastern Kingdoms. Cerrule then asked if he knew about the Skullmasters, and why they had puncture holes in their necks. The man confirmed that they had indeed dealt with vampires, and explained that they were not truly gone until their bodies were burned. To allow the group to focus on their newly assigned task, he would return to the site where Frederique and his allies lay defeated to finish the job.
Focusing on Diremound, Hachi explained that a seafaring group called the "Rattler’s Revenge" had been getting involved with the situation and laid siege to the city. They came from the Wavering Isles from across the sea. This piqued Cynic’s interest, and the others wondered if perhaps he was familiar with this group.
The city seemed to be a battleground between several factions. Aragir was informed that the Conquest Chamber had been of great help so far despite low numbers, and more were on the way. So far, they and their allies had managed to keep the Rattler’s Revenge at bay.
After their discussion, Delbellis asked about the Fold member that was supposed to track them. This surprised Hachi, though he seemed to be slightly amused to find it was Cassius who informed them about it. He told them they were indeed being shadowed, though his unit would reveal themselves in due time.
When the group had finished their meeting they were assigned a tent to stay for the night, and they proceeded to visit the cleric’s altar to retrieve their pendants. They were asked to offer their prayers to the deity Saffras, the same goddess that Alenriel once worshiped, though Cerrule seemed somewhat uncomfortable doing so. She instead silently turned her prayers to Enoreth.
After leaving the altar, Cynic went to explore the outpost further and stumbled upon a training quarter where novice wizards were struggling to cast their magic as instructed. Unimpressed by their efforts, he decided to show them some of his own in an attempt to help them through a different approach, much to the dismay of their instructor. When chaos ensued Cynic was promptly escorted off the premises by the nearby guards.
In the meantime Aragir, Delbellis and Cerrule had found the tent where they would be staying. Aragir expressed concern about the Skullmasters’ abilities, and admitted with increasing anxiety that he had seen proof that in their last battle Cynic was as close to death as he had ever been in their time together. In doing so he revealed that he was able to see, and to some extent manipulate, alternative realities. Cerrule asked him why he was with them on this journey if he was this concerned about the dangers, to which he explained that remaining in the Scarlet Academy was no longer an option for him and that not trying would most certainly end badly. In response Cerrule and Delbellis decided to give him a hug and offer their support.
After this Aragir left the tent in search of Cynic, and noticed the sorcerer being escorted by some guards. He confronted him about his attempt to teach wizards the ways of a sorcerer, and then talked with him about his brush with death. Cynic seemed to be less concerned about it however, and the two exchanged opinions about how they should proceed. After some back and forth they instead decided to go and find a bath.
After the group had reconvened at the tent, Cerrule quietly snuck outside to pray to Enoreth. Wanting to know more about herself, about where to go and what her purpose was, she asked for her Goddess to give her a sign. To her surprise, she heard a familiar voice. Her Aaracokra elder Avis, wearing a dark cloak with the symbol of a sun, appeared before her, alongside an old version of herself. They spoke to her, and then Enoreth herself appeared. She held out her hand, and Cerrule, although remembering her promise to Aragir, reluctantly took it.
She was then taken to Enoreth’s realm; A place where time and space collided and intertwined, and every moment of every time was visible in the same space. She was shown the beginning and the end. Through this, she showed that there would always be believers of all kinds and creeds, praying throughout time. As long as they remained, Enoreth would continue to exist.
Aragir felt a shift in reality, and going on a hunch he left the tent to look for Cerrule. To his regret he only found her just as she disappeared from their world.
Following the sound of his voice, the others soon joined him, and Delbellis offered to meditate together in an attempt to find their friend. This allowed them to have a brief reunion, and they exchanged some last words. Though Cynic and Aragir had a hard time accepting Cerrule’s departure, Delbellis seemed less concerned, understanding that this was not the end for their ally.
As they were talking about what had just transpired, a rustling sound was heard in their tent. Delbellis soon went back to investigate, and found a surprisingly small-built dragonborn rummaging through Aragir’s belongings.
When confronted, the dragonborn explained that they were there to learn more about the heroic adventures of the Four Feathers. Aragir and Cynic joined them inside, and were equally surprised to find the little interloper. When the wizard accidentally accused the dragonborn of being a kobold, he was quickly corrected, after which the little paladin introduced herself as Loxen, or Irlycys for those who could speak draconic.
The group decided to reveal more about themselves in return for Loxen’s background. They learned that she came from a warrior tribe in Avalon and travelled to the Eastern Kingdoms to become a hero. She was eager to join the group on their adventures.
To test her strength, Aragir proposed some mock battles, and they went to the training grounds to face off against each other. During the battle, Loxen’s axe seemed to speak, and Loxen increased in size, towering over the rest of the party. It appeared her weapon housed a deity of sorts, calling itself Tempus, the god of war.
After the battle, and before the group turned in for the night, Aragir sculpted the tree nearby in Cerrule’s honour, with a complimentary letter and feathers from Cynic and Loxen. He would spend his time there as they all rested for the night.
The next morning while Cynic retreated for a moment, the rest of the group inquired about Skander’s whereabouts and were informed he had not yet returned. They realised time was running out and decided it would be best to continue to Elderwalk soon.