Session15


 * 4-6-13**
 * Yuki’s revival in Lyrabar and the Spring Celebration Dance**

Somber and mourning our lost priestess, we travel across the sea back to Lyrabar. The pirates way anchor and send us in to the harbor in longboats. Black flags fly around the docks and the city… a sign of mourning. We dock unnoticed.

We carry Yuki toward the Temple of Sune, passing people in the streets. We find out that a week and a half ago there was an attack on the city… horrific undead creatures and red-robed skeletons. They came into the merchant district and marched to the Temple of Lathander, where Magnus Dayus and the paladins along with elves from the north waged a great battle. A beam of light shot up to the sky after they won. Rumors of the ambassador, Annaisaru, perishing in the battle… “I heard her mother came down!” … “I heard she had a powerful witch with her!”

We move on the Temple of Sune. Its once polished courtyard now marred, and it’s walls still blackened with magical burns. We send an acolyte for High Priest Alain. He accepts her body, and warns us of Raven and Horitsu’s presence in the elven embassy, but that Anna had been revived by ‘Priestess’ Raven. He tells us that an investigation into what happened is being headed up by Renata Winterowd. Thank him for everything.

We go down to see Axton. He tells us that after the undead arrived behind them, Ursus stayed back to hold them off, telling him to go on to the magic shop. He then found Samira, who whisked him away, and there was big battle at the Temple of Lathander. We thank him for the information. When he asks about Yuki, we tell him that we left her with High Priest Alain. Erevin tries to get everyone to leave, but Wren feels that it’s right to tell him about Yuki and tries to stay behind to talk to him privately, mildly arguing with Erevin that he should know. Erevin turns to Axton and bluntly informs him that what Wren is trying to say is Yuki is dead. Axton keeps it together with a calm demeanor on the outside, but he is pissed… Wren tells him what happened… that Destiny only temporarily held off the death that Crowe had dealt during the illusion. Everyone leaves, with Wren the last out the door. She looks at him sadly, “You know we care about her too…” He nods, still clearly upset, “She loves you very much, Wren.”

Uther and Posy go to find Uthgart and bring him to meet up with Mali in the search for what happened to Ursus. Mali and Wren run into Willow who is happy to see us alive. She said that Ursus had told her we were out fighting in Thay. You’ve seen him? She takes us through a poor neighborhood to a rather broken home apartment where flowers are growing inside, and Ursus is there still hurt, but recovering. He is very happy to see Mali, who is so relieved to find him alive. He tells us White Fang perished in the battle.

Willow takes Wren aside while Mali, Posy, Uther, and Uthgart visit with Ursus. She tells her she had taken him in and cared for him since all the temples were so busy, and he’s been asking for Mali. Wren hugs her and thanks her. She says she has to go out and sell her flowers for the day, but someone was welcome to stay with Ursus, hinting for Mali and him to private time. Wren pays her 100 gold and takes all of her flowers for the day for Yuki. Wren thanks Willow again and heads back to the Temple of Sune, leaving Mali with Ursus.

Thorn goes to Seri and sells her the blades he got from the Thay treasure, landscapes painted by Szass Tam, and some old Thayan wine. She tries to get him to agree to have wine with her later. “As long as I get paid… I don’t care what you do with it.” –such a romantic, lol! Seri lets him know that she found a buyer for the necklace he sold her last time. She gives him 8k in gems for the pile of stuff he’s selling. She mentions the Spring Celebration Dance… a grand affair for the nobles, taking place in 2 or 3 days. They talk briefly about thieving opportunities there vs the empty homes left behind. He places a custom order with her, and she agrees to talk to her people and get it done.

Erevin goes to The Hidden Bounty, looking for Renata, but she isn’t there. Fetcher, the bartender, gets him a dark glass of wine. He tells him to try the Fetcher estate. Erevin thanks him and finishes his wine and another.

Yuki, surrounded by roses and at peace… Axton’s strong voice breaks in, “Get up, you idiot!” … “Mmm 5 more minutes” … “You have work to do! …If you don’t get up now, I’ll have to punish you!” Yuki gasps and wakes up in her body. Axton is leaning over her, with Alain and Helena standing off in the doorway. Alain comes over to kiss her forehead, “You’ve come back to us! We were worried.” Axton is turned away from her and brushes his “hair” away from his eyes… Yuki looks at him, “What happened? … I died… but… you brought me back…” Wren walks through the doorway loaded with pretty flowers, but she drops them to the floor seeing the priestess… “Yuki! You’re alive!” Yuki leaps out of the bed and they run to each other and hug! “Oh! You’re alive!!!” They are both so happy. “Oh thank you!” Wren hugs Axton and Alain and Helena, “Thank you! Yuki is alive!”

Azarius wanders by the magic shop and runs into Samira and Argent who are watching a buff young man putting in a new window… Argent takes Azarius into the shop. He sells her the +2 keen rapier from the Thay treasure, haggling with her as she flirts with him. They banter with all of their charisma and charm. 10k gold… he buys a belt of giant strength.

Erevin goes to the Fetcher estate where a young man takes him in to see Renata. A woman wearing a feather plumed hat walks by him, but her skin is green and she looks like a chimera elf. He takes a second look at her, “Pardon me?” … “Yes, elfy person?” … “Have we met? You look familiar…” She sniffs him, “I don’t believe so, but you do smell like Miss Catpaw.” She introduces herself as Petrol, and excuses herself to an important mission. She goes on her way.

Renata waits for him in her room. She offers him a drink, but he declines due to already probably drinking too much. They discuss Petril who does not wish to be cured. She feels she would lose her skill and be worthless to Fetcher if she were to change… but she is civil and social. Fetcher had taken her and another in and taught them to hunt.

They discuss her investigation, tasked by Fetcher through Magnus and the paladins. Erevin tells her that he’s there to answer all of her questions. To which she is interested, flipping her chair around backward, and sitting down all ears, “Let’s hear your tale then.” … “I have no tale. I have the truth.” … “Lay it on me.” He tells her the full story, including exonerating Axton from his responsibility… “And you assure me you’re not just trying to play the noble?” … “I am the noble. No need to play a part.” She agrees to pass his story to the council, but tells him that he may be called again. She tells him that the ladies, Lionspaw and Dreamspinner are looking for their children. “I go to meet my fate.” … “Your destiny one might say.” … “I don’t use that word anymore.”

We all meet at the embassy, and everyone rejoices at Yuki’s revival. Erevin is a little quiet and stand offish. Anna embraces him, happy to see everyone alive. The imposing figures of Horitsu and Raven arrive in the room with Erevin and Wren quickly dropping into bows. The others bow questioningly, but following their lead.

Erevin fills in Horitsu on our tale to Thay. There is lots of bowing. She says that Szass Tam’s actions are his own and not yours… he has attacked Lyrabar before and will do so again. She and Raven are both very nice, polite, and diplomatic meeting the group. “My ranger” comes out several times as Horitsu speaks. Thundering anger is masked with polite talk. We are told to attend the celebration dance. Everyone is invited. Yuki asks how many died, but Horitsu only knows the account of the half dz elves who were killed. No intentional offense meant, Horitsu insults Sune in comparison to the “real” goddess of beauty, the elven goddess. Yuki handles it well. She and Raven take their leave.

Erevin and Anna go off alone to exchange stories… they discuss Erevin’s melancholy attitude and he tells her it’s the first time he’s lost a friend in battle. Ah, so goes the role of the leader and hero, and she lightens his mood discussing their next duel which will remain unplanned until she ambushes him. He asks her of Mari…

Azarius receives a note from Reegan Winterowd inviting Azarius and his man-servant to the estate. They meet with Reegan and his mother, who also invites them to the spring celebration ball. Azarius agrees to go as a guest of the Winterowds. She offers the finest clothes for both of them. Thorn plays his ‘servant’ part very well… almost too well. Reegan gives Azarius an open invitation their noble poker game.

The girls go shopping for the dance…

Erevin goes to see Mari Moonsong, who doesn’t know him and still glitches out a bit, disoriented. She has no real memory, only flashes, of her time as a chimera. He tries to fill her in on some of what’s happened since she went missing. She is pleased that the elves have returned to the lands. She remembers feeling a pull to return home across the sea which is why she was hiding in the boat as a chimera. He invites her to attend the dance with him. She feels she would just embarrass herself… so out of date with customs, and still recovering. He tells her that she can sit with him and they can laugh at everyone else. She agrees to go.

With no date… Azarius asks Yuki to accompany him to which she agrees. Everyone dresses in fine formal attire to attend the dance.

We see Vivian and Rhianna Dulsaer, Reegan and Renata Winterowd… Ren is there with a man dressed in darker clothes who looks quite a bit like Dom.

The couples dance elegantly, with the oddly matched doing better than expected. There are noble discussions about Thay and possibly invading, mainly from the young, boisterous from the recent victory.

Bishop Medici introduces himself to Thorn. “Are you here for business or pleasure?” “Pleasure, of course.” He tells him to keep his ‘pleasure’ at a minimum, to keep it within reason… and warns him to keep his hands off of Renata, or she’d likely cut them off.

Posy and Uther disappear early.

Lots of dancing, diplomacy, and mingling. Mari teaches Erevin an old dance from her time. Erevin dances with Horitsu and introduces her to Mari.

The Shard – priestess of Selune, is accompanied by The Harbinger. She greets Yuki and The Harbinger takes her for a dance, leading her elegantly. He asks her on a second date to which she replies she’ll think about it and looks forward to him persuading her.

Erevin asks Yuki to dance and she gives him a hard time about leaving his date on the sidelines. She says she’ll think about it and to come find her later… well hopefully I wont be busy later… mmm that would be a shame… she seems to be a bit miffed that he hadn’t asked her to the dance.

Aspen attends the ball with introduction by Lady Horitsu. She is very happy to see Kale and clings to him quickly, asking him to dance. He seems a little hesitant, but Wren tells him to go ahead and go… with Yuki and Mali rushing over to stop her from killing anyone… and as he goes to dance with Aspen… Wren leaves the building with Mali and Ursus, carrying a bottle of wine and looking rather cold and angry. Mali is able to calm Wren outside with her ever bubbly personality and Yuki grabs Kale after his dance with Aspen and pushes him outside to find Wren, while Azarius sweeps Aspen off for a dance. Kale arrives looking at Wren, “So… How much trouble am I in?” Mali and Ursus go back inside to dance and leave Kale and Wren to their privacy. “No trouble… why would you be in any trouble?” They return to the dance floor together.

3 days after the dance…

Ursus has gotten a new bear companion with Mali’s help. Erevin tries to get Mari to go to Myth Coramanth with Horitsu, but she asks to accompany him on our journey. He says no, so she will wait for him in Lyrabar.

We gather on the Destiny, setting her in motion. With the damage she took on protecting Yuki, we have just a minimum charge to use once… we hope that we can charge her on the side.

There is dim light and a strange antennae brushes up against the boat and lights it up. Things start to change and pop through the ship. The sun comes out in Heroes’ Rest, and the grass is green. Another door rises on the deck, seems like an artifact room with some dim magic. Different culture of stuff… pottery that is kind of elven, but not like ours, and books in foreign languages. There are 20 bags hanging on pegs on a wall. They seem like magic bags of holding.

We take bag #11 to Heroes’ Rest where Thorn reaches in and grabs something furry… a little person comes out, about halfling size, looks like a Scottish terrier in armor with a sword. Sir Reston, an appercitus race from Viracana. He doesn’t know anything about the bag… He was guarding a sorceress named Taniya when they were attacked by ruffians. Everything went black and now he’s here.

Up in the sky, still in Heroes’ Rest, floating down on feathered wings, Destiny joins us. She says she is feeling more restored. Erevin tells her that Yuki is too.

She tells us that the stuff was collected from the world where the people had fled, she was trying to preserve as much of the culture as she could. She says that there were people who wanted to control the world for their own means. People with great destinies were kidnapped and must’ve been left in these bags, so they couldn’t fulfill their destiny. That world doesn’t exist anymore.

Reston belches fire… whoa! Hey! Be careful! – he tells us that he swallowed a powerful artifact called the drake key. He said it doesn’t always come out as fire. He has no idea how long he has been in the bag.

If there are actually people in all of the bags, we are not currently equipped for the additional needs of 20 people, so we decide to pull a total of 5 bags.

Bag #13 reveals an 8’ tall troll! He’s startled, yelling, and wounded. Very ugly, likely the ugliest troll we’ve ever seen. He’s swinging and flailing until he realizes that we’re not attacking… “what the hell is going on?” … “You were imprisoned in a magic bag.” … “You’re shitting me! I wouldn’t fit in that .” … “Like I said… magic. Where are you from?” … “I’m from the Rubble. I went there to trade, and woke up here. Name is Ugly.” He’s a worshipper of Agonnarker, the same world as Reston, but a different place in it. “What are you?” … Thorn - “I’m a halfling.” … “I’ve heard of a half-elf, but… what’s a ling?” … Thorn and Mali chime in together, “No, no – halfling, one word. Doesn’t mean we’re half of anything.” Erevin tells him that his world doesn’t exist anymore, but we’ll be doing some traveling and if he finds a world that he feels connected to, that we’ll set him there to make a new life.

Bag #17 has a human wearing black leathers. He draws 2 daggers quickly, but sheathes them when he sees all of us looking at him… he raises his hands in surrender. His name is Jalen. Just “a simple traveler”. He’s from another place within the same world. He’s a merchant who sells rugs. He closes his eyes and concentrates, seems unhappy that he can’t feel his God… My lord, Naveigh.

Bag #20 has an elf dressed in a silk shirt, sash, and light pants. He has a wicked bruise on his head. He starts to cast, but stops as we calm him. Sea elf? Elcos Ravendart – he was sailing on a ship in a battle with human ships. Pillar of Fire. He was dueling and hit over the head. Yuki heals him, though he seems pretty distrustful of humans. He tells us the Sidh was a group of female warriors and mages who were powerful and ancient. Erevin asks him to keep an eye on Jalen from bag #17. Naveigh… Elcos tells us he is the human god of shadows, thieves, and assassins.

Bag #2 has a young human woman with red hair. She’s startled, frightened, and not armed. She says her name is Saben. She’s from a different place, but still the same world as the others.

Up on deck we see a silvery sky with light going through it. There’s a force by the rails to keep us in. Gregori and Whitestrake seem more lively and energetic. It’s good to pilot the ship.

Everyone brings out personal items of their missing friends… red lines form out to different spheres. The closes sphere follows a line to Erevin. Shri… we move to that sphere. Destiny moves to take the front face of the ship.

Its an uneventful trip, we avoid spheres and strange ribbons of light. It’s quiet and eery. The bottom of the ship lights up silver. As we approach, the sphere gets larger and larger. Mountains with lightning and winged forms flying around it. Destiny’s voice, “Prepare for sphere entry” We fly through a crackle of energy into the air of the sphere.

There are people frightened in a village below by our sudden presence. The ribbon from Erevin fades toward the mountain. We hover by the village. Downtrodden, poor, hopeless people. Erevin calls down to one of them, “You there!” … “What is it, my Godly Lord?” … “What is that place?” … “The Mountain of Xian Torres – Mage King. Are you to follow after Lord Glinset?” … “Who is this Glinset?” … “An elf like you, my lord. He is off to rid the world of Xian Torres.” … “Then yes! We are with him.” … “Then we wish you luck, my lord.” … “I seek a woman… an elf with dark skin.” … “Yes, my lord. Xian Torres took her as a concubine a week ago… Glinset left on horse a few days ago. He seemed most upset that she had been taken.” We quickly head toward the mountain.