We open with a worried trio of Whisky, Veiraen and Eridol knocking on Emmi’s door after she ran away from the assembled group outside the keep and spend the night watching Emmi drink her weight in wine and make sure she doesn’t die. Once Emmi passes out because she’s more wine than elf at this point, the group decides best not to waste the remainder and get summarily sloshed between them. Veiraen and Eridol have a deep and meaningful conversation about how mysterious Septima is and Veiraen says Septima probably can’t even do a backflip and you can’t trust someone that can’t do a backflip. Eridol wants people to trust him and not seeing any flaws in the logic,tries to do a backflip in full armor to prove he can. Which goes about as hilariously as expected of a jacked toddler in a tin can. The gnome shaped thwack is loud enough to be heard throughout the keep and the ensuing laughter breaks our dwarven wizard’s concentration from his reading. Tornur comes to ask us to keep it down because he’s trying to do some research.
Eridol promises they won’t make any more noise and immediately casts silence before trying to do another backflip because he is a stubborn tiny man. Somehow he pulls it off. Veiraen, Whisky and Eridol silently celebrate before the silence is dropped and suddenly we’re not so silently celebrating anymore. We hear the telltale sounds of a disgruntled dwarven wizard stomping down the hallway and operation “oh shit, hide” begins. Eridol trips over a rug and unsuccessfully dives under Emmi’s bed, Whisky dives under the now disturbed rug, Veiraen just kind of melts behind a curtain and Emmi remains passed out in bed. Tornur boots the door open and it doesn’t take long for him to see the half of a shiny gnome sticking out from under the bed and casts web on everyone before telling everyone to be quiet and leaving us in our sticky situation. With that, everyone feebly tries to get out before realising that they can’t move and I guess it’s just impromptu nap time.
While everyone is either passed out or studying, Septima decides to go for a walk to talk to some direwolves because we’re all agents of Chaos, but he’s on a different level and wouldn’t you know it, he finds some direwolves. Somehow against all odds he turns a 4v1 combat scenario into the wolves allowing him to lead them back to the keep to meet everyone else and maybe protect the lands surrounding the keep if we agreed to occasionally feed them and protect their den when needed. He asks the wolves to stay put while he brings everyone in the group out so they know what’s going on. After searching all the rooms he finds the majority of the group passed out, covered in wine and decides the best possible way to wake everyone up is by standing in the doorway and using druidcraft to make it smell like smoke and make crackling fire sound effects. Veiraen and Whisky wake up, panic and somehow knock themselves back unconscious. Eridol wakes up, smells smoke, sees the giant in the doorway and decides the best course of action is to jump out the window. After an impromptu second storey pratfall, he heads back inside and freaks out one of the guards with a frankly unnecessary head wound before saying everything’s fine and promptly passing out again.
Septima asks Tornur for some help dragging the remaining members downstairs and they pick up the now bandaged and passed out Eridol on the way and wake everyone up just outside where the wolves are. The wolves take an immediate interest in Whisky and as Eridol ineffectively steps in front of her to act as a barrier, she begins petting the alpha into submission. Septima begins explaining that he’s asked the wolves if they could patrol the outskirts of the keep and in return we occasionally feed them and keep their den safe. With everyone somewhat agreeing to this deal, we all head back to the keep proper and pass out from our night of hard drinking/studying like a nerd/wolf hunting.
Emmi wakes up to a trashed room and a note from Eridol to come to the training grounds just outside the keep if she wants to blow off some steam and help with something. As Emmi makes her way out to the little arena, she sees the rest of the group watching Eridol train several of the keep guards and offer a challenge to them, whichever of the guards can hit him hard enough to drop concentration on a spell will get 10 gold. A few of the guards accept the challenge as Eridol casts 2 spells on himself and beckons the guards to start. It goes on for a while before Septima feeling this is unfairly weighted in Eridols favour dispels the effects and with his magical safety net dropped, Eridol starts having to actually dodge spears and swords now. He recasts one of the spells but it doesn’t stop a guards spear from finding his abdomen. With the spell broken and a new flesh wound to deal with Eridol hands the prize off to the guard and sits on the ground to heal for a bit before asking if anyone in the party wanted to put on a bit of a sparring show for the guards still watching and takes his place in the middle of the small arena.
He realizes his immediate mistake of not saying it was a one on one match when Septima, Veiraen, Whisky and Emmi all take points surrounding him and Eridol hunkers down to the inevitable arse beating he’s about to receive. Which does not come. After several rounds of almost everyone silently agreeing to stomp Veiraen, the impromptu battle ends with Emmi and Veiraen unconscious, Whisky forfeiting and Septima a very fast giant ape thanks to some meddling from an amused Tornur in the stands. Eridol gets to healing everyone as the very fast giant ape with the brain of a not very smart but very fast ape decides play time’s not over just yet and starts beating on Veiraen and things go to far before anyone can do anything to stop him. With the sight of Veiraen dying again and the necklace around his neck turning that horrifying shade of red because of it, Eridol slips back into himself, completely unresponsive.
With Eridol out of commission, Tornur drops haste on Septima while Whisky and Emmi start tackling the now exhausted ape before he anything else can happen. A flurry or blows and crossbow bolts knocks our druids concentration enough to come back to himself and drop the spell as Tornur is trying to get Eridol back into reality with a thunderous slap. With the cleric being forced to act but without the materials on hand to bring Veiraen back, Eridol casts gentle repose as he yells for someone to get the bag of holding. Tornur casts haste on Whisky as she speeds back up to the keep to get the components and makes it back faster than is legally possible. Eridol shakily casts revivify to bring his friend back from the dead for a second time, the collar around Veiraen’s neck flaring back to life seconds later, immoblising the rogue long enough for the protective collar to seep back into his mind and quell the murderous intent he’s had since coming through the portal and massacring several people. Everyone except Whisky and Emmi wordlessly makes their way back to the keep as the two decide a nice stiff drink is required and set off to the nearest town to get shitfaced.
After too much ale and many unsuccessful attempts to dodge Whiskys questions about why Emmi was so focused on drinking herself into an early grave, Emmi opens up about the memories she recently rediscovered. The life she thought she had was all a lie, her family, her relationships, her reasons for becoming a sailor. Everything. She thinks back on how Sharona took such an active approach to her sailing education, everything shifting under the realization that this was her mother. A mother who loved her family so much she would rather live without Emmi than see them both lost to time and the ocean in pursuit of their husband. But some things just can’t be helped as Emmi unknowingly had spent her life continuing to learn from her mother. Whisky stating that at least she has the full picture now, so at least theres that silver lining and asks if Emmi would like to go confront her mother about it which is met with the universal facial expression of that being a hard pass. They continue drinking the night away and talking until words lose meaning and have to let the horses lead them back to the keep to face the overwhelming hangover that awaits in the morning.
Back with the rest of the group just after leaving the training grounds, Veiraen trails back and pins Eridol to the door frame of the building, asking for the remote to the inhibition collar around his neck. After receiving no answer from the still traumatised gnome he lets him go and Veiraen goes to sit in front of the fireplace and Eridol fights losing himself until he gets into his room. Ending up in a small crate in the corner to shut out the world. It’s about an hour later when Veiraen comes to ask Eridol for the remote again, slipping into the room and finding the hyperventilating, disassociating mess of a cleric in his panic box. Still not getting the information he wants, Veiraen decides he needs to snap Eridol out of whatever this is as gently as possible, not like Tornur slapping him back to reality.
Veiraen pours a vial of oil over the shuddering gnome and retrieves his tinderbox. Fire obviously the way to get what he wants in this delicate situation. It takes a few seconds for recognition of the situation to violently rip Eridol out of his own head, with survival instincts kicking in, he puts himself out and punches Veiraen while Veiraen tries to pin him and ask about the remote again. Veiraen leaves without a word and Eridol thrown out of his episode locks the door and sets in to read and to think about where he stands with Veiraen for the remainder of the day. An hour later Veiraen tries to ask again, but finds the door locked and barricaded from the inside and not knowing when to quit he starts climbing the wall of the keep to Eridols window. A few feet from his prize, the window opens. Eridol having heard the pitons being hammered into the stonework, comes to find his traveling companion hanging from a rope. They exchange a glance before Eridol quietly gives an ultimatum. Drop whatever this is or Eridol will have to stop it and he doesn’t have the energy available to bring Veiraen back if it comes to that. Veiraen asks for the remote again and Eridol mentions he doesn’t have it anymore. Ask Septima. Eridol doesn’t wait for a response and closes the window, back to standing guard for a fight he prays doesn’t come sneaking through the window.
Dawn comes and hoping to avoid Veiraen for as long as possible, Eridol takes Tornur to the main city to find some additional spells and protective measures from their new ally and sometimes adult bronze dragon, deciding to spend the night in town while Tornur copied his new spells to his book, that was definitely the only reason to stay there for now. Back at the keep, Veiraen had been having issues finding our green friend because without an actual bedroom or the need to sleep, Septima had taken to shutting down in the most inconvenient places around the keep in an attempt to scare whoever finds him, you know, for fun. Veiraen finds him early in the morning hidden in a darkened corner of the larder after a scream and string of curses from one of the kitchen workers alerts the rogue to his current hiding spot. Veiraen asks Septima for the remote and is summarily refused, Septima saying he was instructed by everyone, but by Core especially to not give it to him. Veiraen states that he just wants to find a way to disable it for a while so he can figure out how to handle the urges it suppresses for himself so he doesn’t end up hurting anyone around him and argues that it was Core that put the collar on him in the first place after he came through the portal and shouldn’t be trusted. Septima realizes that Veiraen genuinely believes this, but he won’t hand over the remote. But maybe Fulgür the sometimes dragon can help them with momentarily blocking the necklace while Veiraen does what he needs to. With that, Septima and Veiraen start meandering towards Principium, unknowingly arriving several hours after Eridol and Tornur at Fulgür’s magic shop where the dragon was still in the form of the Halfling wizard that also came through the portals with them and Septima so long ago.
Before explaining why they need help, Veiraen offers up all the remaining gems that he had taken from Fulgür’s cave system unknowingly with an apology. Veiraen goes into how he knows the collar is dampening a harmful intent, when he came through the portal he felt a need to inflict violence on everyone around him, he killed so many people and felt good about. The collar held the urge in place but he needs to be able to explore it and what it means for him. After a careful inspection from Fulgür, the dragon recognizes an inkling of the same type of fey energy that hid his true self and Emmi’s memories affecting Veiraen. Fulgür agrees to help him with his experimentation and an agreement is made to head out to the cave Septima and Eridol found him digging in originally to be away from anyone.
Fulgür casts fly on the two non dragons and they fly out of the city, far to the south away from prying eyes and possible victims should this go poorly. They reach the cave system and Veiraen asks that he be restrained and disarmed before they start, both Septima and Fulgür agree and through a combination of hold person and entanglement he is restrained and his weapons but under Fulgür’s foot for added security and dispel magic is cast in an effort to suppress the collar but the collar shatters from the force of the dispelling enchantment, the small bead of murderous intent flares to life as Veiraen begins trying to fight off his new urges. As Fulgür and Septima can only watch, Veiraen, as restrained as he is seems to be fighting a losing battle against the fey curse affecting his mind and causing the want to rip and tear those around him. In his mind he hears a voice, the voice of his sword cricket pleading to let her help, he just needs to hold her and she can help.
Veiraen begins begging for his sword, whispered under the strain of the efforts he is taking to fight off his urges. Fulgür unsheathes it and offers it without hesitation. With sword in hand, Veiraen redoubles his efforts to fight the curse on him and sensing his control slipping under it’s fog he pins himself through his foot to the ground. With Veiraen pinned and slowly losing this mental battle a decision is made. They need divine intervention to break this like the last ones encountered. Septima shifts into a giant constrictor snake to help restrain Veiraen while Fulgür uses his mighty draconic speed to make it back to Principium to find Eridol as fast as he can. When Fulgür finds the gnome and mentions Veiraen needing help with a curse, it overwhelms whatever negative feelings the healer has for the rogue and they depart as fast as is dragonly possible.
Shortly after Fulgür departs the cave, Veiraen hears the calming voice of cricket in his mind over the pulsing of blood in his ears. “This is not a fight you can win, oh bearer mine, there is something I can do that will end this. Will you accept?” With no other options Veiraen accepts this incredibly vague offer from a sword he can’t tell anyone about and for the first time since breaking the collar his mind goes quiet, the murderous intent still there but momentarily contained. Feeling him stop tensing, Septima releases him and in one smooth motion, Veiraen removes the sword from his foot, spins it around and as if by it’s own will Cricket is driven into Veiraen’s heart. As it completely disappears into his chest, Veiraen can feel the fey curse wither into nothing and for the first time since coming through the portal, with neither good or bad influencing his actions or a collar to inhibit him, Veiraen is completely himself.
As he breathes, a figure appears in his mind. A humanoid woman clad in gleaming platinum armor with a shield as large as herself, she smiles and bows at her wielder before fading away, a duty willingly fulfilled. The silence that follows only broken by his raspy breathing and the pulse of his blood in his ears as an emotionally drained and slightly holey Veiraen collapses into a fitful sleep. Septima shifting into a dire wolf to help keep him warm until he wakes.
It is a few hours later when Fulgür arrives with his tiny gnome shaped ball of fury who is ready to kick someones arse. Their arrival loud enough to wake the exhausted Veiraen and his wolf buddy. Veiraen starts making a heartfelt explanation of what happened and how he needed to feel like himself and how everything worked out in the end and that he’s sorry as he draws the gnome in for a hug and for the first time since they’ve known each other Eridol refuses to accept this justification. All the conflicting emotions that he has about Veiraen come boiling to the surface and Eridol yells at the rogue for his stupidity at not thinking of the possible consequences all the time, for dying, for setting him on fire, for not telling anyone his plans and for putting himself and Septima in potential harms way if this went poorly. The gnome turns and begins wordlessly making his way down the mountain rather than spend another second with his companions.
With Eridols sudden outburst and departure, the remaining trio discuss what happens now, Core needs to be told obviously and the others will learn eventually. Considering the weirdness between Fulgür and Core after their last meeting, he’s out and Veiraen quietly asks if he can spend the night at Fulgür’s cave rather than go after his friend. This leaves Septima to Terminator run his way to principium because without usable lungs he can’t get exhausted.
After several hours of walking silently with a death grip on his hammer, Eridol ends up in a clearing and the realization of how alone he is sets in as every emotion he was trying to push down explodes at once. He leaves a trail of destruction in his wake. Every spell and strike used as an outlet for his anger and frustration as he tries to beat the forest into submission, trees splinter as divine energy flares, rocks shatter with every hammer strike and Eridol finally comes to grips with things as tears stream down his face. It’s past dawn when he makes it back to the keep, two days of emotional exhaustion and no sleep take their toll as he oozes into bed and Eridols justifiably worried dog lies down on his gnome, because he’s a good boy like that.
As Septima Forest Gumps his way across the countryside, he eventually makes it to our sorcerer companion’s home in the capital city and his internal snitch programming activates and in his calm, emotionless monotone Septima lays out exactly what happened with Veiraen and the collar and Eridol walking away and also the country is probably going to shatter in like 9 months, to the increasingly panicked caster and they begin making their way back to the keep to yell at two people specifically and everyone generally. The two slip into the keep in the early morning light and with no Veiraen in sight decide Eridol is the next best one to talk to and make their way up to his room. They discuss what happened and try not to notice the near death grip Eridol has on his hammer while clearly lying about how fine he is.
Septima mentions how you shouldn’t let death scar you which is enough to trigger the saddest gnome to mention it’s a bit late for that and sheds his armor to show off more scar tissue than is legally allowed. His torso a patchwork of almost surgical scars, abrasions and a series of newer burns wrapping around his right side in a haphazard attempt to cover something. Septima just quietly looks the gnome over and begins unwinding his wrappings to show his own scarred body. Core and Eridol are faced with old husks of wood showing deep gouges and burned to char in places, whatever essence granting him life pulses and dissipates through the joints and cracks in the surface. Obviously in this sad boys body club, Septima takes the crown.
Having seen enough of the body horror, Core asks if someone knows how to get in touch with Veiraen, we need to discuss what happens next with the portal and possible destruction of the country in several months. Eridol quietly mentions that he can and sends a mental text to the rogue to come and to bring Fulgur as well.
Core leaves and runs into Emmi in the hallway outside, who had been woken by the noise. Seeing her still seemingly drunk from the night before, Core asks if she’s doing alright and gets a pretty hefty no before Emmi drops the equivalent of a bomb and accusingly says “How long have you known Sharona was my mother?” The silence afterwards is deafening as Core tries to process that and we end the session there
