Session 23

First Night

The group shares a moment inside Lavarr's cabin and decides to engage in some conversation. The forest being rather scary, is an obvious conversation piece. Delbellis remembers an old story they used to tell to scare the younglings. The Siren Woods are supposedly haunted by a witch that abducts young Aaracokra for their bones, which have the best potency for her spells. Cerrule however, remembers the story differently and tells them the witch lives in the mountains instead and has claimed the forest as an elder sorcerer to keep it safe. There was never any proof for any version to be true, but druids tend to fear magic that goes against nature and they believe this witch was once a druid who has corrupted herself and her surroundings by using necromancy spells. They both agree the witch is called 'Siren', and the forest was named after her. A spooked Aragir asks to stop telling ghost stories and reassures everyone, but especially himself that such things could never be true.

Cerrule starts prying into the other member's motivations and origins, they decide to indulge her and start talking. Starting with Cynic because of his brief retreat outside, he tells about his dealings with pirates in his past, working for them against his will after they had raided his homeland. Managed to escape from them and wound up in the Adventurer's Guild, hating the pirates ever since. He'd been looking for someone, a parent or a father figure, to perhaps answer some of his questions or doubts but has not managed to do so yet. The party agrees to help him, when they are able to. Learning Cynic's story, Cerrule asks if the others are looking for certain people too. Aragir tells the team he is looking for his old mentor who disappeared some 40 years ago, the one who was conducting the 9 realms research with him at the Academy. Even Cassius eventually gives in a little and tells them about his initial mission at the Fold and the fact that the Weylin mission is highly confidential. However, there is some dissatisfaction within the Fold for the decision that Eldgran made to change Cassius' recon mission, and keeping his re-assignment on the down low. He mentions Lord Belkin as one of the dissatisfied higher-ups. After that was Kaimos' turn, to his futile protest. He was asked about his sword, why he's so protective over it. He explains that it is not his but a friend's. This friend had a dream for the world and he'd made a promise to better it but, Kaimos would not say why, could not see to it. Kaimos inherited the weapon and the promise with it. He embedded a personal token of his, a ruby gem that he'd got from his father as a birthday gift, into the weapon's hilt and now uses the sword as his arcane focus. And so, he titled the weapon the Promise.

Cerrule finally confesses her 'dreams' are actually memories, and elaborates on what happened in them. In her world of chaos. And her journey through a light to wake up once again in a different world, without the chaos. Years, maybe decades earlier. Delbellis suggests to Cerrule that they should take a special drink, it would trigger an hallicunation to bring out these memories or visions out to seek more answers. And without further ado, she begins crafting them immediately, using up all the ingredients readily available in the kitchen of Lavarr. After a short while Delbellis has finished the drinks and in the meantime Aragir stepped outside to have some peace to write his notes. Delbellis decides to be the first to drink the potion, and starts her spiritual journey. Kaimos and Cynic are almost nodding off but try to keep a close eye nonetheless.

When Delbellis enters her vision she sees a sea of stars. And beautiful whisps or flames inside herself, and the people around her. Are these their souls? An ethereal tether connects her soul to a distant place. She tries to follow it.

Meanwhile Cynic has called Aragir back inside on Cerrule's command and casts Detect Thoughts to see Delbellis' vision. At first he is confronted with just the sea of stars, but digging deeper he can see memories of plains, forests, a direction, ruins. He recognises them as the Redfox Fields. Above him, a big green chaotic turmoil of swirling energy, and in his head sound deep but unintelligible voices. The very same they had seen in Abador, during the Warden attacks.

An outline of a person appears. "You've come back," a woman's voice says. Delbellis recognises the entity as Solis. But Aragir asks who they are. Her answers are rather cryptic, saying "I am everywhere, I am the beginning, not the end... I am life, all but death".
Aragir asks her what to do with the Illumus Lux, upon which Solis opens countless bright lit doors to what seem to be other dimensions. "Help me find the right door," she says. She seems lost, entering one door and coming back through another. Delbellis tries to follow the white line further but notices the cabin's wall as she dreamwalks. She attempts to separate her spirit from her body, but fails and in doing so casts Aragir out of her mind and when the vision ends, collapses herself.

They talk about the vision, discussing who could be this Solis figure Delbellis mentioned. After some consideration, Cerrule decides now's the best time to step into her visions/memories as well and chugs the potion. It takes her back to a distant memory, blurry and hard to grasp. She's young, sitting in a wagon with a woman who seems to be close to her, and some other what seem to be refugees. "We are almost at the coast," the woman says. They exchange some words about the hope, and about how Avalon will be their safe haven. They are almost there.

Everything turns white and a cloaked figure is visible in the distance. Cerrule recognises them as the elder Aaracokra from her memories. "Why are you here?" He asks. "You do not need the guidance, you are too early... too late... " It almost seems as if he's not merely a dream figure. "Enoreth will... Follow your path.. Find us once more.... Follow the light" He continues. "Not in the wrong hands... Know where to go?...You are not alone...This is the way... Help... as they help you" He seems to be aware of both Cerrule's and Aragir's presence, as if he was expecting them. "How to find Enoreth... passage... find...." Cerrule doesn't understand. "What musn't fall in the wrong hands? What does it have to do with me? What do I have to do?" The cloaked figure stays cryptic and refers back to Enoreth's will before drifting away into the background. Cerrule decides to follow him and briefly enters a very cold and snowy area, before being pulled away further and further, catches a glimpse of the frozen island/continent before she violently gets thrown out of the vision and off her chair. Aragir later admits that he recognised the frozen island as Istros Borealis

After a brief respite and talking over the visions, the party and an exhausted Cerrule and Delbellis decide it's time for a nice and long sleep...

However, their sleep was quickly interrupted by some ghastly figures crossing the forest, seemingly looking for something. Some try to spy on the figures watching through the window but Cerrule, Cassius and Kaimos are still sound asleep. As soon as the creatures notice their gaze, they stop and turn to the cabin followed by attacks!

The group prevails over them, after a fierce battle. Lavarr, woken up by now, asks everyone if they're okay and tells them this usually doesn't happen. Did something, or someone, send these creatures? Is their mission comprimised? Are Lavarr and Jules in danger, too? Could Gustav be behind all the undead attacks so far?

More and more questions arise, but before answering any of them the party decides to rest up once more and save their energy for the next, probably long day ahead.

March 12th, 2022

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