session nine

Events:

Augo 20-

The team was separated, Kat was on the brink of death, and the orcs lit the pyre. The orc that shot kat stayed on his ballista as 6 others began to gather to exit the fortress and hunt down the team. Zane prayed to Almani to protect Katrina and asked for healing but Almani said she could not touch her. Luckily vethra could. She made her way over to Katrina while still invisible and healed her wounds, awaking her from her unconscious state. Shadoe climbed into a tree and shot an arrow at the orc on the ballista. Caelen wanted to delay the orcs as much as possible so he ventured off alone up the path that they were coming down and lured them in with illusions before sending a cone of flames at them igniting the flammable forest and causing trees to fall, hitting one of the orcs. As the orcs began moving around the fire to move toward Caelen, Zane came flying through the forest with his boots of speed, ready for a fight. Shadoe invoked her elemental magic in her bow making her arrows magically imbue with fire as she continued a 1v1 against the ballista, proving skill is always more important than the size of the arrow. Vethra and Kat joined Zane and Caelen as they decimated the orcs that were still scattered from Caelens attack. Shadoe finished off the ballista orc, sending his body tumbling down the cliff side before she joined the others. One orc tried to run, but no one can outrun Zane. After decimating the orc forces they approached the gates of the fortress as they saw the last remaining orc terrified by their presence. This orc ran into the inner courtyard and locked the door. Zane began beating down the door as the orc shot across the courtyard, breaking the lock on the cage containing a saber tooth tiger. Caelen took down the door with one final hit as Zane stepped into the courtyard. The orc said “it’s too late, you can’t get to them now.” Zane was curious but first he had to deal with the tiger. He wrestled the beast but it got the upper hand and took off running toward the door. Katrina stepped into the doorway facing down the beast and managed to calm it as she noticed it had been abused. Vethra magically communicated with the tiger, convincing it to trust them. The orc tried to take advantage of the situation by attacking Zane in the cage… and seconds later Zane stepped out of the cage holding the orc in the air by the throat. He called out to the tiger, offering the orc up as a peace offering to the beast. The tiger snatched the orc out of his hands but Caelen wanted to question this orc before the tiger killed it so kat and vethra calmed the beast and distracted her off to the side. Caelen questioned the orc and the team learned the complicated truth of the Bludd Massacre and the New Bludd settlement. Zane told Caelen that if he needed to fulfill his bloodlust, Zane would allow it so long as Caelen made it quick. But Caelen explained that he only kills the guilty and now he isn’t sure how to determine this orcs guilt. Zane preached that this should be his mindset with every kill as Caelen thought to himself that the laws of the kingdom don’t reflect the judgment of his heart. He walked away, letting the orc live, and had an intense discussion with Veyra. Asking for just a little more time to fulfill her desires of death. She eventually agreed but reminded Caelen of what she had made him to be… the apex predator. She needs him to survive, so she needs him to be the strongest there is. She wasn’t happy that he was letting a potential threat live, but her worries were settled as the orc began to run toward the door and the tiger took him down fast. The tiger decided to come along and join the team, looking to Katrina as its equal and vethra as a friend. The team decided to investigate New Bludd, assuming it was abandoned, to determine if there was any way to prove what the orc had said or collect their bounty.

Augo 22-

As the team sailed to the north part of the island, Shadoe conjured her hawk and sent it ahead to scout out the area. She saw that there was only one orc at New Bludd, the leader. He had stayed behind. They docked at the port on the edge of the settlement and approached calmly. Caelen told the leader he wanted to talk about his people, but Agronak said he only stayed behind to delay the enemy if needed, not to betray the trust of his people by giving information to their killers. Argonak attempted to kill himself with his spear but Zane tackled him. Caelen tried to magically force the leader to comply, but his mind was fortified. Agronak made another attempt for the spear as Vethra sent her tattoos extruding from her body as black tendrils of smoke wrapping around his body. Caelen used his dagger to render Agronak unconscious before binding him in chains. The team took shelter in the ruins, planning to question him again in the morning.

Augo 23-

The next morning Caelen was finally able to magically force Agronak to divulge what he knew. Agronak felt utter shame for giving away the new location of his people as he asked Caelen for two things in return. He wanted him to ensure the location remained a secret, and he wanted Caelen to kill him for breaking his oath to his people. Caelen knew he needed the kill but in his eyes this man wasn’t guilty. However Agronak viewed himself as guilty, leaving Caelen with another difficult decision. Caelen agreed to Agronak’s terms as he decided to do this a different way. He asked Agronak about what his home was once like as he gave him a lethal injection of dreamberry poison. Veyra was satisfied, but Caelen didn’t feel good about this one. Zane prayed to Sythe to deliver Agronak’s soul to the lake before he claimed the evidence they needed to cash in the bounty as Caelen gave the fallen leader a proper burial. Sythe responded to Zane’s prayer saying he will watch over Agronak’s soul the way he watches over all souls, and thanked Zane for saving his granddaughter’s life.

Augo 27-

The team eventually arrived back in Willendale where they realized stories have begun to circulate about them. Ex Umbra had gathered fame, and the people rejoiced knowing the orcs were killed and the trade route was freed. The team had mixed feelings about this response after feeling so uncertain about what they had done. They claimed the bounty and decided it was time to leave Raeshidan. Pathe arrived and saw Zane talking to Caelen. She asked shadow what happened but Shadoe simply said “a lot”. Zane and Caelen talked about what guilty truly means, especially in war. Zane was trying to offer Caelen peace with what had happened because Zane is a veteran. He had faced his fair share of tough decisions, but this was a first for Caelen. Their brotherhood began to strengthen once more. Caelen also spoke with vethra after she reunited with her creatures she had left behind. Vethra said she was trying not to dwell on what they had to do, but Caelen couldn’t stop thinking about it. He brought up her tattoos and asked if she wanted to solve the mystery of this shared magic. She said she doesn’t want a connection to the darkness yet she feels like it would be justice to use the tools that were forced upon her to find her revenge against those who had hurt her. She told Caelen that she was actually a normal gnome who was experimented on and forcefully mutated into what she is now. Caelen offered to help her find those responsible but she said she already knows where they are, she just isn’t sure if she’s ready to go back there yet. Caelen told her about the earliest memories he had with this magic as well. He told her of the day he was stabbed and how he found vengeance against The Loyal One. He also offered to help her find her original home again but vethra said she wants nothing to do with her family and that if they ever found her old home she would want it and anyone inside to burn. Caelen didn’t ask questions, he simply offered he his dagger and conjured fire in his hand saying that he would be her weapon if she needed and he would burn it all down with her. Their magic reconnected in this moment as they both held opposite ends of the dagger. Vethra remembered her parents names and a vague memory of there being another person apart from her parents around during her childhood. She also remembered more details about her mother’s coma. Meanwhile, Caelen remembered for the first time vivid details about the day he was stabbed and what his parents looked like. He remembered how they died, and that Lord Severin was already there outside the home. They gathered their things reflecting on these visions as Pathe opened a doorway and brought the team to the docks of Seaside where she gave Zane a special stone to track him before they boarded a ship to set sail for Mosphire.

Augo 28-

During their journey to Mosphire, Caelen decided to finally reach out using the sending stone he acquired all those years ago. He always kept it with him but he viewed it as potential evidence or maybe a source of information. Now that he has grown as a person he decided to it was worth the risk to see who was on the other side. He realized the stone was connected to three others as he heard the voices of Gilman Rook, Ted Wildgrass, and Magus Cane. Gilman identified him as the slayer, saying he knew the slayer had taken the stone many years ago. The wizards of Tanalor kept the stones in case they ever needed to reach out to the slayer. They warned him that people had begun to believe the slayer was dead and that the drug known as Nightmare was on the rise once again causing multiple deaths. They said they are awaiting his return home as the sending spell ended. Zane overheard this and Caelen decided he was done keeping secrets. He told Zane who the wizards were and how he acquired the stone. During the night everyone but Zane began having strange dreams, but Zane wasn’t fooled. He awoke to the sound of a sirens song, realizing all of his friends and some of the other passengers were no longer in control of their actions…

The Vibes:

Vethra-

Vethra is vindicated. We once knew her as pure chaos and entertainment, but now we see a deeper layer beneath the mask. She harbors pain, and feels detached from the world around her. This team and her bond with Caelen is the only thing grounding her. She doesn’t feel much remorse for what they had to do on the island, but with every passing day she begins to question the memories she once thought were long gone. Now she wants only to press on and prove that she can be more than what they made her.

Caelen-

Caelen is lost for the first time. He questions the point of his ledger. It was always so black and white when he was killing murderers and dangerous criminals, but now the lines have blurred. What defines guilty? The laws of a kingdom? His own perspective? The perspective of others? He sees Veyra as an individual entity. He has come to realize that she is more than just a dark conscious, but he doesn’t truly understand what this magic is or even what she is. On top of it all he is faced with memories that cloud even his perspective of the day he was reborn. There is much he isn’t sure of now, but he has trust in Zane and faith in Vethra. He also knows he can count on Shadoe and Kat to get the job done. Maybe this team is the one thing he can truly believe in right now.

Zane-

Zane has come to accept Caelen, and he proud of the way Caelen handled himself on the island. He showed strength in letting go as he accepted that he cannot control the fate of others. He defended Katrina and provided council for Caelen. He even managed to form a bond with the tiger he went toe to toe with. Zane proves every day that he is ready to be a father, and as the day approaches he anxiously awaits Pathe to retrieve him so he may see the birth of his children and his wife and family again.

Shadoe-

Shadoe is no stranger to how blurred the line between guilty and innocent can get. She isn’t proud of what happened, but she has seen darker days. She didn’t have the will to tell Pathe the details of it all. Maybe she was still processing it, or maybe it was all just too heavy. Either way she remains quiet, but her silence speaks volumes. In the beginning she was quiet with a sense of superiority, as if the others were amateurs and she was used to working alone. But now her silence is due to reflection and the emotional weight of this quest. It’s been a long time since she cared so much about a mission.

Katrina-

Coming back from the brink of death didn’t phase her one bit. In fact she fought like a champion. She killed like a hunter. But then she saw a beast that didn’t feel like the others she had hunted, a saber tooth that had been abused. It was just as dangerous, but she felt compelled to befriend the beast rather than fight it. She showed dominance and strength to the creature, forming a bond that reflected herself as the alpha. It is a new experience for Katrina, having a beast by her side rather than in her sights, but it feels right. Something about forming this connection with the beast has awoken a sense of primal magic within her. What is it? Where did it come from? So much is changing for our dear beast hunter.