Session 72a: Far Out

Talsil 6th
Headed south over the Dormuds

On a gray, rainy morning, Tyvis summoned yet a third iteration of the great eagles, these as solemn and gloomy as the weather. Mounting up on their cold, damp bodies, the three continued toward Edmark, along the way Anita again getting herself into the trouble with her loner sensibilities. She more or less insulted the Archdruid and the bard whilst they struggled with their grief, perhaps unable to relate to the loss of someone close. Gens wanted to dump the Liscari off at the nearest peak, but Tyvis managed to keep the peace.

After a dreary day's flight, cold and wet and wind-whipped, they eventually settled down on a wooded slope in the heart of the red-brown mountain range, near a small lake. The wilderness seemed fairly safe (but of course there were owlbears in these hills). The last of the storm was clearing up by then, and the moon and stars were out. Tyvis made a mundane camp, while Gens, rank from nightmare sweats and travel, wandered off to the water.

Surrounded by new spring and velvet darkness, with a warm breeze and the songs of night birds, the camp felt quite serene. Anita and Tyvis talked across the fire, sharing small details here and there about their pasts. Neither claimed to trust the other, but each shared a little more than they might have intended. Who owned handcuffs. Who was the worst spy. Who'd done a little jail time. Whether or not the cover story would work. And so on...

Meanwhile, Gens was stripping and entering the COLD mountain lake, his body aching as it tried to acclimate. A funny smell caught his attention and a slow, orange burn on the far beach. Curious, he swam closer, eventually discovering a young woman with a joint. He introduced himself, quite naked, which hardly bothered her at all. In fact, she supported his freedom and offered him a hit. In the small light he recognized the girl was Kaylan!

She claimed to be someone else entirely, but as soon as Gens saw the phoenix brand on her back, he was certain. Yet before he could try to appeal to her, another familiar face showed, Thamior, or rather Miggie, Buttercup's free-loving partner (who seemed very open to new experiences). Together they shared a blunt, oblivious as to who they really were. Though the bard's very presence had stirred something in them (they knew his name, and got a few small glimpses of the past, and realized they were wearing wedding bands), it wasn't until Gens played his best friend's wedding song that she began to remember.

Back at camp, Tyvis noticed they were being watched from the bushes. His casual nodding masked small glimpses, and he determined it some sort of small humanoid. Standing unceremoniously, he demanded the creature show itself. It, of course, ran, and he snagged it by the scruff. To both the rogue and the Archdruid's shock, Tina was torn from the bush kicking and shouting. Anita started to panic at the impossibility of it, while Tyvis stammered. She didn't recognize either of them, introducing herself as Soliel. Their instance she was someone else led to the obvious conclusion they were on something, that is until Tyvis mentioned the names Kaylan and Thamior. They sounded so familiar to her. As Tyvis and Anita reminded her of her foster parents, suddenly memories of her first family came crashing back, specifically their murders. She screamed and flew into Tyvis's arms as she relived the horror, and then the terrors of the 'shadow man'. The Archdruid did what he could to calm her, reminding her also of the good and the joy. But remembering was painful, and living hurt. He rocked her until she was back again, jolted for the second coming, but alive. Anita fainted from the scope of it all, and the two went to find the others.

At the lake, Buttercup relived her walk down the aisle, seeing faces she knew but couldn't name, Miggie among them, as well as a motherly bird woman and a baby girl with the most beautiful eyes. She grasped for answers, slowly losing herself, or rather finding herself, and when she grasped at the shiny, winged symbol around her neck a great light shone and everything came rushing back, all the hope and love, all the pain and memory, the duty and responsibility, all of it. She fell back and sobbed, having been, in essence, reborn.

Miggie watched on dumbfounded, not liking what became of his babe, but Gens had a plan for him, too, and began to provoke Vilthanos. The second personality could not long ignore the bait, and began to break through. Still, Miggie was confused more than anything, blaming bad stuff and Gens' influence. It wasn't until Kaylan, back to her old self and helped into her favorite gown, with Kalinda's symbol proudly on her breast, reminded him of their lives up until this point that he broke through. They embraced, together again.

Tyvis and Tina came onto the scene, and after Gens put some clothes on, he and his niece were reunited. She apologized for his failure, but Tina couldn't hold a grudge if she tried. They embraced, and found it a fitting time for some music. Happiness lifted everyone, along with some masterful flute playing on the part of the nine-year-old and a truly epic lute accompaniment by Gens. They began to dance, as did Kaylan and Thamior, though in the midst of theirs came some heartfelt words and a sincerity no amount of bouncy music could lighten.

Tyvis slipped back to the other camp, only to find Anita had woken and, even better, gotten drunk to cope with her first witnessed resurrection. He resigned to watch over her, and eventually lead her by the arm when she heard the merrymaking and wanted to join in. At the small bacchanal, he steered her to the edge of the lake. Inevitably, the Liscari wanted to take a swim, and ended up bounding out into the water. Tina ran out to join her, and in the moment Tyvis was pulled in as well. It was COLD! And many were unappreciative...

Kaylan called the girl back in, wrapped her, while Gens shifted into a small firebird and landing in the kindling, igniting a camp fire and warming the little one. In the soft mane, Tina soon fell asleep, after having crawled into the arms of the drowsy cleric. Gens eventually turned back, and smiled on the scene, having gotten his family back like some miracle he didn't even know he could pray for. Yet even though his family was back with him, the mystery of the locket, of his birth, still gave cause to wonder.

Tyvis, a wet and unamused wolf, padded out of the lake, followed by the chuckling rogue, who revealed during her swim strange markings across her back, brilliant blue which seeped the essence of winter. The Archdruid meant to ask her about them after she slept the tequila off, but Thamior in his 'stern' voice wanted to speak with her now. He winced and agreed to come along, just knowing this would be counterproductive, and so it was, as the feladrin snatched her by the arm and then shoved her head under the water.

He said it was to get her attention, though Vilthanos's influence was plain. The Liscari snarled and produced a dagger, and the two might have had it out then and there, apparently over being a bad role model for Tina (and certainly touching on some heavily-ingrained prejudices on both sides). Tyvis intervened, seeing the fault in each of them, though largely siding with Anita for the sudden and harsh way in which the swordmage handled things. Thamior insisted she should think before she acts around his daughter, while the rogue claimed no blame in her sudden charge of the lake. Things deteriorated from there, and Anita accused him of all a Nors would, certainly more inclined toward imperial edict given the circumstances. Eventually Thamior stalked off, having failed to get his point across, or perhaps getting it across too well, leaving the Archdruid to escort Anita back to the other camp.

There Anita let off steam, entirely sobered from the night's events.


Experience: 240 each (34, 278 total)
Lakeside RP, 600
+ Gens Clever Solutions, 600
Magic: n/a
Money: -100 gp (Anita), +100 gp (Tyvis)
Loot: n/a

New NPCs
Buttercup (delusion): Kaylan's figment self, an weed-smoking hippie, encompassing what she might have become without any hardship or responsibility in her life. She was born of forgetfulness, after having emerged from the after-light. Gens was able to dispel her after playing Kaylan's wedding song, though the remembering was painful.

Miggie (delusion): Thamior's figment self, a free-loving hippie, encompassing what he might have become without loss or oaths in his life. He was born of forgetfulness, after having emerged from the after-light. Gens was able to provoke Vilthanos to trigger his dispelling, and Kaylan pulled him back the rest of the way with memories of their life together.

Soliel (delusion): Christina's figment self, a free-spirited flowerchild, encompassing what she might have become had she only ever known love and laughter. Tyvis was able to bring her back to reality with just the reminder of her adopted parents, which dragged her through a reliving of her real family's murder and ultimately a return to her former self.