chronically pathetic

Part 18: Time and Space

Covering Session Notes 69-71

While her allies were in Castelore, Esmeray had teleported to her adopted father Raghnall on the war front. She bursts into the war tent, and Raghnall asks his allies to wait while he goes out to console her. In his private tent, Esmeray trauma dumps all of her recent angst, crying herself to sleep in his arms before a real talk can begin. Esmeray wakes the next morning, and Raghnal is there to give her a drink and a smile. Raghnall catches her up on the war: Welgirson's puppets seemed to have formed a large part of the Burach army, and with their loss, Ostoya has pushed the battlezone all the way back to edge of the Burach Empire's border. Mina and Drago have both disappeared, and Raghnall suspects it could be for the same reason. In their place, General Dulka and his Order of the Dawn have been brought into the war council after their involvement in undoing the bomb threat in Castelor. As well as a vampiric dragon in human form named Aurelius (an old ally of the party). Leaving Raghnall to reconvene with the council, Esmeray talks to Anna about the possession plot in Morencia before it fell, how Syndra and the entire council were being controlled. She asks Anna if there are precautions her party can take to ensure their allies aren't compromised. Anna shows Esmeray a magic goblet that when filled with holy water, serves as a test for proof of posessesion. Anna will need The Stormbringer's help for some of the construction, if they want their own goblet in the short term. Esmeray works with Anneliese and Edrik to smith the necessary metal at the right temperature, and soon after, Anna gives them their own goblet.

Once the goblet is finished, Esmeray takes it back to Castelor, and catches up her allies what she learned on the war front. Syndra has now successfully opened Doge Lorenzo's demiplane of gold, and so they can begin to implement their plans for a ceasefire. Raghnall had advised Esmeray that the gold's purpose is to grease the wheels with the other kingdoms of Etharis. Mina and Drago both, for separate reasons, wish to end this war with Burach's surrender, so asking this pair to agree to a ceasfire will be almost impossible. By exploiting the gold dependency of the Castinellan Provinces, the Charneut Kingdoms, and select Valikan clans, they will be using the power of these other kingdoms to pressure Ostoyan into backing down. Esmeray and Anneliese facilitate communication between Syndra and the Dragon's Head Merchant Guild (through Anna) to bring the Doge's gold stash back into circulation. This process will take a few days, allowing the party a short break, and then they will begin opening up dialogue with important figures in the Castinellan, Charneutan, and Valikan regions.

***

While Esmeray was with Raghnall, Nerissa took out Paquin's Book of Monsters, an in-depth text she purchased on their first trip to Morencia. Reading through, she happens upon a phenomena known as a Vessel Shard; a being(?) that comes from a lich's failure to ascension. It behaves like an undead virus, spreading from victim to victim, robbing each of their free will to create a hivemind of hateful creatures. Infection does require intimate contact with a physical conduit, but instead of infecting the blood, it infects the soul.

This process sounds very similar to what happened to Syndra, and if that's the case, there is good and bad news. The good is that this process will be hard to replicate, the item used to infect Syndra had to be prepared specially for her, and likely took months to prepare. The bad is that Syndra's very soul may have been damaged beyond repair for the duration she was under the infection's effects. Nerissa decides she will need to ask the party's resident expert on souls, Ostarion, to have a closer look.

***

When the group had first arrived at Castelor after the fall of Morencia, Vendemir took the other politicians they saved with him to stay in accommodation away from the Stormbringers. Ostarion was curious about these loose threads, so after a delay, he followed Vendemir. He soon found the monster hunter standing in a dark alley, a bloodied sword in his hand and a pile of dead politicians at his feet. Vendemir tried explaining to Ostarion that Syndra was the only council member he needed alive, and these others were rotten and needed to be put down. He braced for Ostarion's counter, but the lich druid agreed with him. Ostarion also wanted to cut these loose threads and only regrets that he wasn't able to do the deed himself. Ostarion leaves Vendemir to go to a lonely rock cliff at the coast, where he pulls out his dark ritual dagger once more. The spirits of the mist tell Ostarion that any souls slain by his hand can be absorbed into the mists themselves, and at his word, the dagger can summon the mists to him, in part or in whole, and fight for him as an unstoppable wave of undead spirits. Ostarion accepts this deal and opens his demiplane to free the dozen or so Morencian city guards who he pulled in just before they left Morencia. They look out to him, confused and hopeful, but he raises his dagger, and slays every single one of them in the name of his new dark lord.

Arch Lichen Ostarion and the ritual dagger of the mists.

A refreshed Ostarion returns to Raghnall's estate some time later, and hears Nerissa's plea to analyse Syndra's soul. Ostarion finds the soul is pockmarked and rotted in places, like a bread eaten away by mould. The damage is irreversible, but not complete. He returns the soul to Syndra's body and telepathically tells only her his diagnosis. She's had her longer elf lifespan shortened, but only by a portion. Syndra takes Nerissa away privately and confirms that Ostarion's analysis confirms symptoms she had been experiencing for a while now. Her incomplete soul has robbed her body the ability to heal naturally. She has been relying on potions to stifle even the most minor cuts, and relies on stronger tinctures to heal from exhaustion. Nerissa assures her that she will heal Syndra's body when she needs it. After this adventuring is all over, having a cleric as a partner will make her condition easier to manage.

***

At the end of this first day of downtime, Esmeray summons her allies together to try this magic goblet and prove that none of the Stormbringers are compromised. Edrik provides the table with some holy water and they each take a sip. Anna told Esmeray that the signal that someone was possessed is that the creature would find themselves unable to drink, they would be physically repulsed by the liquid and refuse to lift it to their lips. All party manage to down the liquid without issue, even Ostarion heartily accepts the tonic, even if it burns his undead throat. All except Nerissa, who, after retching a little, manages to down the liquid, but with difficulty. Every party member saw Nerissa's revulsion, and she says what they're all thinking. She is the main driver of her body, but there are other forces within her that hold significant sway. Her first instinct is to think of her previous psyche, the Tower Master, whose impulses bleed through her thoughts occasionally, but her second theory is what Esmeray is truly worried about. Typharia has her own hand on Nerissa's fate, and is steering in a direction they don't like.

Nerissa knows that her allies have been discussing a plan for her patron for some time now, but despite her own boundless curiosity to hear it, she knows that her eyes and ears feed directly into her goddess. So she leaves to go talk politics with Syndra. Esmeray lays out the plan for the others. She can't say how yet, but she has been in contact with a force from the outer planes who would be able to block them from Typharia's vision altogether. They will have a time limit, but if they want to truly shut down Typharia, once and for all, this will be their opportunity to do it. Peace between nations is their current priority, but as soon as they have set up the pieces for that process to happen, Esmeray wants their next priority to be Typharia. To save not only Nerissa, but potentially the entire world from the Goddess of Knowledge's master plan.

***

Since they still had a few days before negotiations to begin, Esmeray advises the party to tie up any and all loose ends. When they are finally done making peace with the world, she wants to launch immediately into her next plan. So the party split up and pursue their own plans.

Nerissa decides to spend those free days catching up on her notetaking. She shuts herself in one of Raghnall's private studies, and with Syndra doing her own work next to her, Nerissa records her experiences of the many frightening monsters she'd faced since joining the Stormbringers. After studying the Paquin Book of Monsters, Nerissa discovers it is a book with magical properties, and by using it to research her adversaries, she becomes more proficient with knowledge on magical creatures. While Paquin had left notes on Daemon Oaks and Bonepile Meemeeks, many of the creatures the Stormbringers had encountered were undocumented. Nerissa spends her few days off writing new accounts for the Tyrant Teostra, Truthseeker Angels, the Prima Stregone Ulrich, the Mists of Morencia, even the Archangel of Death, and many more.

Ostarion spends his free time arming himself with powerful gear, an improved arcane focus, new armour. He also spends more time conversing with his evil dagger and making plans on how he will procure more souls.

***

Esmeray elects to spend her time seeing her friends and family in the fey realms. She arrives at the city of Asteria, as the centre of the Celestial Fey Realm, and is immediately taken aback by all the unfamiliar faces around her. She walks through the city streets towards the central palace to find her parents, and all the while, gets looks of confused familiarity by all of these new Celestial fey. As her mother informs her, the restoration efforts within the Celestial Realm has allowed new celestial fey to be born, coming down from the starry sky to help populate the transforming city. Esmeray asks her mother and father to partake in material realm style dinner, and though they do not understand the custom fully, they enjoy the socialising and chilli curry dinner. Ophion and Celeste regale their daughter with stories of their adventures when they were younger, and how they courted each other in secretive and cheesy ways.

Esmeray stays the night, and later goes to find her other allies, including her best friend, Aneira. After being formally inducted into the Celestial Court at its founding, Aneira had since made a new home in Asteria. After catching up Aneira on her party's recent adventures, Aneira shows Esmeray a project she'd been working on: a magic tattoo of a custom constellation. And touching each of the seven stars on the tattoo will summon one of those seven closest allies of hers. As Aneira applies the tattoo to Esmeray, the fey queen admits there was a deeper real reason she wanted to see her closest friend. Esmeray is deeply in love with Aneira. She has felt this way for a long time. Aneira immediately returns those feelings, and they become entangled in each other's arms; fade to black.

Aneira, the Wintry Portal Fairy, in the arms of Esmeray, Queen of the Celestial Fey.

***

Anneliese wanted to spend her downtime getting stronger. When they were hunting Dr Welgirson, Anneliese had discovered the central housing unit of the Clockwork Orrery, a magic item she had been putting together for some time now. But there were still two parts she needed to complete it. She starts by using Raghnall's library to research the possible whereabouts of those parts, powerful magic items in their own right.

Her first lead points to a mirage island off the western coast of the Burach kingdom. Using her sorcerous and ranger abilities, she quickly pinpoints its probable location and dashes across the choppy waves until she finds a strange portal over the open ocean. Stepping into this portal transports her to the mystery island, a seemingly man-made circular platform of land with a large cylindrical tower in the centre, a cannon barrel the size of a dragon pointing out one side. Right outside the tower's entrance is a humanoid construct, who informs Anneliese she had been expected, and guides her inside.

She walks downstairs to find herself in a massive warehouse, absolutely packed with humanoid constructs, many of them as large as giants, but all seemingly deactivated. She finds another of the smaller helper constructs, who confirms to her that this a meeting place for many of the Thaumaturge, and that a lot of the world's top scientific minds have centralised their projects here, including her father, Casper Drach, and Issac Lorend, the gnome artificer who she'd befriended at Altenheim Palace. Anneliese last saw Issac just before Typharia smited Otis and their other allies, and through talking to the construct, she learns Issac been preparing for her arrival, but he no longer lives. The Goddess of Knowledge did indeed destroy him.

At the basement of this complex, she finds a large magical gear, rotating midair between other machines. This must be the part of the Orrery she was looking for. But Anneliese knows enough about machines and time magic to know that taking this gear would destroy this island. She walks over to find a desk, with a bloodied note from Issac, "I know you'll keep your promise, thankyou Anneliese", and it hits her. This is not just a research lab, this whole island is the Weapon of Mass Destruction Issac had described to her. He did finish it, and hid it here so it would not fall into the wrong hands. The last thing Anneliese and Issac had discussed is her promising him that if he did not get a chance to destroy the super weapon, he wanted her to do it. So she wipes tears from her eyes, whispers "For Issac", and grabs the gear. The gear transports Anneliese across time and space so that she wakes up in Raghnall's library. She now has her second last piece of the Orrery, and Issac's lab had been erased from reality, now existing only in her memory.

Anneliese, master of time, in possession of the complete Clockwork Orrery.

Anneliese's last piece is easier to find, but again presents a tough moral quandry. This time piece is suspended in space in the bowels of a volcano at the edge of the Burach Empire. When she reaches the edge of the volcano's crater, she finds a rising column of lava, but just before it tips over the rim, the lava reverses its course until it dips low enough to reveal a set of rotating rings. Then the lava rises again. The Orrery piece has put this volcano, mid-eruption, in a timeloop! Anneliese does not have the elemental expertise to control a volcano, but she does have just the right ally for the job, a powerful primordial named Ataeshia.

Ataeshia comes with Anneliese back to the volcano, and demonstrates her mastery by reshaping the lava like clay, pushing and pulling until there is an opening long enough for Anneliese to fly down into the magma chamber and retrieve the orbital rings. After, Anneliese asks Ataeshia if anything can be done about the looming eruption, and Ataeshia weaves her elemental magic to hold the volcano in a state of slumber for 100 years. The volcano will eventually blow violently, but they have time to plan.

***

While their allies are off doing their own quests, Edrik and Misha spend their time at Raghnall's base. Other than the worlds leaders he contacted earlier, Edrik wanted to specifically contact his adopted mother Marusya, and talk over his concerns with the war and what it meant for Gormadraugh. Marusya is a serial late replier, so when Edrik didn't get a reply the first day, he resigned himself to training with his weapons, and shopping for Misha's upcoming birthday. Misha spends her time alone, not as worried about Marusya's absence. In the days to come, Misha and Edrik saw little of each other, instead, checking in with Anneliese when was there, querying Ostarion on his definitely not evil plans, and helping Nerissa with her monster notes. Edrik was becoming more and more worried.

Then finally comes a reply. "Sorry I don't have time to chat. I found him and I'm going to put an end to this. Love you."

Edrik Trumannson, with the Red Dragon Mask of Power, looking over Marusya's sacred tree.

After Misha, Anneliese, and Nerissa do their best to calm Edrik down, the entire party are summoned to the war front, courtesy of Esmeray's new magic tattoo. The meaning of the letter is unmistakable: Marusya had been hunting Coltan (possessed by Gitta Sauber), and wished to destroy him. Partially because of his world domination ambitions, but mostly because Gitta had destroyed her family, and she wanted personal revenge. Now, it seems, she found him.

Edrik is frustrated that Marusya won't trust him, won't rely on them for help. So he tries rousing his allies into using all magical means to track her down. But Esmeray is not having it. All of them have had to push back their personal quests in order to pursue larger quests for the greater good. She had to delay finding Aneira in Morencia for their main quest, and again she had to delay removing Thaelkinei from her head, for weeks. Anneliese has a different rebuttal. Marusya is very capable. She is likely more powerful than all of the Stormbringers combined, and she probably went off alone so that Edrik wouldn't die at her side.

Nerissa suggests they could look to the tree Marusya had left in Edrik's draconic lair for some hint. As Edrik prepares for that, Esmeray promises to ask Raghnall if he knows anything, but to be prepared they can't help. Misha stops Edrik in his tracks. Misha DID have to experience her family's death. Her Ruby Dragon heritage preserves the souls of all of her ancestors inside her, yet she has to live with the understanding that she is the last of her kind, and she doesn't have anyone else to look after her. Edrik was supposed to be her caretaker, but if he decides to abandon their current quest to chase Marusya, Misha will not be coming with him.

***

The group splits up. Nerissa and Edrik try to get any help out of Marusya's tree, Ostarion, Esmeray and Anneliese look over Marusya's things, and Misha leaves the camp, flying off into the mountains.

With Raghnall's help, they determine Marusya has travelled to the City Below, using necromantic talismans to bypass the worst effects of that demiplane. Esmeray is frustrated that they do not have time for this, and Raghnall reiterates that with Mina and Drago still missing, he will need their help making deals with the other nations of Etharis. She and Anneliese decide that they will try to bring the party back together, and fly off to chase Misha. Ostarion will wait for Edrik and Nerissa to get back.

Nerissa sits Edrik down next to Marusya's tree and casts Dream on him. Instead of finding himself in Marusya's dreams, he finds himself in a realm between worlds, confronted by someone calling themself a "Dreamer". The Dreamer tells Edrik that Marusya is in a place that cannot be tracked so easily, and if he wants her to be safe, he should stop using the tree like this. He awakens from the dream, panicked, and sees that Marusya's tree is discoloured and a bit withered. He casts healing magic on it and admits to Nerissa that he can be ok with Marusya going off without him. But if she dies and he's not there, he would still like a body to bury.

***

Esmeray and Anneliese fly many miles until they find Misha, in human form, standing on a mountainous plateau. Misha quietly tells them she didn't want them to come after her. Misha is very disappointed in Edrik, that he was supposed to be there for her but even he could not understand the torment that she endures. She tells her allies that her experience as the last ruby dragon is something nobody could comprehend. The memories, the emotions, centuries of legacy, all live through her. And it is not just that she remembers what her ancestors know, those ancestors provide ongoing commentary to every adventure she's had. She worries when they worry, she cries when they cry, and when they are angry with her decisions, she feels that same wrath. This burden has worn away at Misha's mind, and she thinks that eventually she will lose her own sense of self, instead becoming a vessel. While she is terrified of losing her very personhood, she also can't cut herself off from the ruby dragon song. They aren't just a memory, they are alive.

Misha Edriksdottir holding the White Dragon Mask of Power, last of the Ruby Dragons and keeper of their song.

She set out to adventure with Edrik to calm Gormadraugh and find peace. But after this next adventure, she has made up her mind to leave the Stormbringers, and retire in some outer plane. Misha explains that she had also talked to Marusya, and knows exactly what she is doing. Marusya knows the risks, and left the magic tree in Edrik's lair as a contingency, a piece of her life force so she may return later. But she doesn't need to tell Edrik that, he needs to find peace himself.

Misha assures the pair that she will cooperate with the party, but she needs time alone to find peace. So Anneliese and Esmeray fly back to the base of the mountain and start walking back. As they walk back, Anneliese reflects on how their time in the party has changed all of them. And while she agrees with Esmeray's assessment that they need to push their personal issues aside to make world peace, she's worried that the group as a whole is drifting apart and relationships are becoming cold. Esmeray retorts that she doesn't want to be that bad guy that has to keep pulling her allies back from the brink, but the party is full of powder kegs always ready to blow. Edrik struggles with his emotions, Anneliese touches magic devices she shouldn't, Nerissa cannot help but ask questions that put them in the crosshairs, and Ostarion is, well… very concerning. Esmeray does not mean to call out her allies at their worst because she doesn't care for them. It is because she cares too much, and wants her friends to survive this.

Death will be an inevitable part of their pursuit of Marusya, Coltan, Mina, Gormadraugh, Typharia… But they can't control those powerful figures. They just have to be ready to react to whatever may happen.

***