Choices and Consequences - Session Recap

Session 2024-06-24

The Sentient journal is a great idea and brings much more vibrancy and background from DM to the campaign setting. However, writing it from the perspective of an uninvolved observer, I am finding it difficult without being the DM and not at the same level of involvement that I prefer to give to my character. So, I have gone back to making the recap more of a personal journal entry and will add the DM's additional comments and backstory information when he shares them. 

DM: Sebastian

Harold: Cain

Alex: Mathandrial

Wes: Verrin

Stanley: Shadow, Garoche, Mauler?

Holden: Donkey

Important NPC’s /Adversaries

Rhakasha - Minion of Phoenix Queen and possibly Dharma?

Ava - Makes Offer to Mathandria

Gabranth Behenny - Destroys Crannog’s veil, but helps Verrin

Session Notes

We start the session in the ship where Mathandrial and Gabranth Behenny were recovering from the spell that the Dharma clone cast and decide to take a short rest before doing anything else. 

Ava's Offer

While we were waiting a spider walks over to Mathandril and starts speaking to him in Elven. While wanting to respect their privacy, I couldn’t help but overhear it talking with Mathandril.

 "Mathandril, you can stay and help me if you'd like, I'm making adjustments to my metallic parts... Yeah I uh.. I'd prefer the company actually.. after all this I'd prefer not to lose anyone else I care about during this little game Varrin decided to put you into you know?.. sigh I um.. wanted to offer something to you, a few things actually. The first is a position on the crew after this is over, Roland's giving me my own division and allowing me to hire a few to join us. You'd be working in my division obviously haha.. I intend to extend the offer of employment to Donkey as well, given he's still looking for a place to call his own when this is over... the second is a bit more personal.. an offer of sorts for being as supportive as you have been.. I don't have anyone else like me out there.. not anymore.. and you seem interested in how this process works. So I'll give you a choice, if you want this, this feeling.. I can make it happen, make you as close to what I am as possible, so long as you don't reject me that is... You'd be closer to me than anyone else could be.. someone I could touch without fear of killing you.. I'm not expecting an answer now.. it's not something you can reverse and I know it's a lot to ask and I know I might be a stranger to you, we've known each other for a very short time.. but.. I’d be there for you to help along the way. Lemme know when you've made your decision. "

Looking back at what I’ve seen between Mathandrial and Ava, I don’t see him saying no, but I wonder what it will mean in the long run to the party? Especially now that he is one of the 4 remaining of the 12 Chosen ones and for now holds a gold rank within the Gradient Company. Also, if she makes this offer to Donkey, how will that affect him being Verrin’s lieutenant? This brings up a lot of questions that will be answered as we go forward.

It is now day 4 of the 5 days of peace between the remaining chosen ones. 

The Queen's Rhakasha

We are talking with Mathandrial about what he saw and how Dharma cast a spell that caused all the devastation we saw and were discussing our next course of action when we hear something going on outside. I go to the door to investigate and see what appears to be a Tabaxi with a Phoenix Crest on its chest (Queen Helena’s crest) with a double-bladed scimitar, stabbing the remaining survivors. I yell at him what does he think he’s doing? He says something back like “What do you care, they are all Gabranth’s allies.” I tell him “No, they are Gradient and Historia too. He just looks at me, cocks his head sideways and chuckles, “Does that make any difference,” and raises his scimitars toward me. He believes that I am alone and seems very confident of being able to take me.

Since I am blocking the door I step forward to let the rest of the party get into position to battle whoever this is. Mathandrial takes a Potion of Healing since he is still badly injured, Verrin moves to gain a superior position, but notices that the Tabaxi can see him and moves back to where he was, Shadow shoots at it with his bow twice and hits once, eliminating the possibility of further conversation. Then the Tabaxi attacks me 6 times and I take a good amount of damage and I attack it similarly and give almost as good as I got hit. Donkey comes out and wails on it really good. The Tabaxi looks surprised and not as confident of his ability to take on the entire party by himself.

Mathandrial then casts a Bloodworm spell and Verrin casts his spell that conjures a small army of allies. Shadow misses on a couple of shots, then the Tabaxi says to himself, but loud enough for us to hear, “This isn’t what I expected,” and buries a blade into himself saying “I will be seeing you all again.” and then disappears into a puff of black smoke smelling of sulfur. Leaving behind the double-bladed scimitar. Which when we got to talking about things, what he did probably meant that this creature wasn’t a Tabaxi, but more likely a Rhakasha. Donkey asks if anyone else wants the scimitar and we all shake our heads and he puts it in his Bag of Holding.

As we are discussing what to do next, Mathandrial contacts the Gradient Company to have a clean-up crew come and pick up the remaining survivors and bodies of the two Companies back to Ennidu. As the team teleports in, he briefs the senior Gold+ rank Gradient Company person on what has happened there and the attack on their surviving comrades by the Rhakasha wearing Queen Helena's sigil. Who tells Mathandrial he will make a complete report back to their superiors at the Gradient Company. Mathandrial tells him that we are needed elsewhere and cannot wait any longer. We make ready to leave. 

Back to the Stargazer

Gabranth is still unconscious and in werebeast form. Donkey goes over and picks him up, calls him his little doggy. Verrin planeshifts us back to the Stargazer, where we get to the infirmary for Mathandrial, Gabranth and myself can get healed back up. Ava is there being experimented on and she just shakes her head when she sees us coming in. The staff there takes care of me and Gabranth, while Ava takes care of Mathandrial.

Once we are in better shape, Ava and Mathandrial are talking quietly off to the side and I see her smile and she takes Mathandrial into another room. I supposed at that point that Mathandrial accepted her offer and she is going to make the changes to him that she offered. Then Donkey went over to the door and just opened it. He quickly closed it and was apologizing up and down. Then I see Ava at the door telling Donkey that if he wants to watch to get in there. I just chuckle to myself about Donkey and wonder what kind of ordeal that Mathandrial will be going through.

When I next see Donkey, he relates what he saw happening to Mathandrial and that Ava offered him the opportunity as well. He turned it down saying it was horrible what she did to Mathandrial, but very interesting. 

We Need to Stabilize the Party

While that was going on the rest of the party and I were able to do a long rest. Somewhere along the way, Shadow disappeared and Garoche was back talking with the party. I don’t know what’s going on there, one minute it’s Shadow in the party and then Garoche is back, then we heard rumors of someone called Mauler wanting to join the party. At some point we need the party to stabilize unless someone is killed off, because we don’t know what everyone is able to do and their place in the party, especially in combat situations, with all the constant shifting of party members in and out that I’ve read about in the Journal. At this point having a stable party is very important as the higher level encounters and battles will test our abilities to the max and if we are unable to work as a team, we all will be killed. Dying is something I have zero interest in doing anytime soon.

Donkey's Extra Arms

After the long rest, we hear Donkey yelling and we all come to investigate what is going on. It seems that because he ate some bits off of Baldur that he is growing two arms on the sides of his stomach. They are greenish-brown and when he attempted to cut them off, it hurt like hell, but they began to grow back. Then we noticed that there is also an eyeball on his back shoulder. He is freaking out more than a little and we calm him down and since we are still in the Infirmary they quickly look him over and there is nothing they can do for him at this time. Sometimes eating and drinking things ain’t such a great idea. Then again if he has some Troll regeneration abilities it might work to his and our advantage in the long run.

Once there, we see Mathandrial who tells us that he feels lighter, but that he feels something moving around inside him, which feels quite strange. Ava tells him that will pass. Through Donkey’s helmet, we see what Donkey saw happening to Mathandrial and understand how different he now is.

Gabranth

Gabranth is still in his were-wolf form and Verrin is talking with Exelon (?). Then suddenly Donkey goes over and hugs Gabranth calling him “My doggie”. Which gets him a glare and a what are you doing and who are you, look from Gabranth. 

As Gabranth and Verrin begin to talk, Gabranth asks if they could talk someplace else, as he can sense the demon (Roland) from here. He asks if we could all go to Unvail and he pledges our safety there as a Behenny. Gabranth tells Verrin that you have a song you need to learn from me and to better understand how the Concerta form works. He asks Verrin if he has seen the “Lady” in the West. If you wish to speak more with her you need to go in that direction with me to Unvail.

Gabranth tells us that he is the heir to the Behenny line and the last Behenny on Crannog. He also tells us that the Embers of Fire Dharma clone is the one that holds the life force of the Rhakasha that we just fought and the only way to kill it is to take care of that clone. Garoche wants to go and be able to talk with other were-wolves to learn more about how they fight and do things.

After some discussion about it, Gabranth, Donkey and Garoche agree to go to Unvail. Mathandrial is still too weak from what Ava did to him to go anywhere yet and I needed time to consider some things that are bothering me.

The Bicorn Plains

Ava looks at me and tells me that Jinorra was last seen in the Bicorn plains area on Crannog and that he probably has many of the answers I’ve been asking about. I thanked her and told her that at some point I’d be returning to Finvarra’s. She asked me to give Kenzo the message she gave me, and I asked if she had anything to say for Fu? She got rather upset with me about that, but at some point she also has to confront what happened and accept what happened between the two of them. Fu is under Finvarra’s protection and I do not want to be forced to make a choice if she attempts to do violence against Fu in the future. I like both of them and consider them both friends of a sort. I have fought by the side of both and respect their abilities in battle. To see them battle against one another at this point in their lives would gain neither one anything further and I would prefer to see them at least be able to tolerate one another, perhaps one day if they can let go of the past, perhaps become friends once more. True friends are a valuable gift and in life you can never have too many of those.

While meditating in my room I get a vision of the Bicorn Plains…

A cloaked figure that I immediately recognized from earlier in my life from the way he walks and holds himself, plus that unmistakable Sun Sword at his side - Master Jinorra, so I know that he is still alive. Now to find him and talk with him plainly.

Suddenly the vision shifts to another place in the Bicorn area and I know that the others are seeing it as well - a cave covered with bones of men, women, and children. The bones of a giant and the ribcage area is covered with a tarp, forming a tent-like structure. There is someone laying in there. At first the vision is hazy, but I can see that it is Moonscar and hear a monstrous cry just out of sight. She lifts herself up and her Changeling mask is off. She presents her true face to me and I see a monstrous form laying off to her side. She says, “Go to sleep my little prince” and a creature appears out of the haze that looks almost deerlike. “It will all be over soon, we’ll see how the family really is.” Then I see chimeras. Moonscar lays back down and stops to look where are looking from and puts a finger to her lips and goes “ssshhhh” and then says, “my little Umbris.” The vision ends.

Mathandrial's Choices

Mathandrial and I speak later and he tells me that when this is over, that he is going back to be with Ava and who warned him not to get killed following Verrin’s orders. That she gave him a book to read more about his new abilities, that she journaled about while going through many of the things that he will be going through and that he found the book and the changes to him fascinating.

Garoche Is Accepted

Garoche shared that he got to talk for a long time with the were-wolves at Unvail and they treated him as one of their own. He is told that the Phoenix Queen has purposely killed many of their kind and is attempting to kill all of the Behenny line. The Queen knows that if she were to die without an heir that Gabranth is next in line for the throne, now that the King’s brother is dead as well. The other were-wolves seem to care for Garoche for who he is and they realize that their kind are facing genocide at the hands of the Queen. They begin to teach him different combat skills and offer him a set of fingerless gloves which he is able to attune to.

Verrin Learning the Concerto Form

Verrin later tells me that he talked to the lady and that the best kinds of songs are about love. She had thought they might have a romantic relationship at some point, but Verrin told her that he wasn’t interested in that at this point in his life. She talked about the seven roles that he could play and asked which one he believes he is playing. Cursed, Monster, Young Hero, Virtuous, Royal, Wicked and one other that I can’t remember. She asked if he will become jaded and that he does have a savior complex. The Lady tells him more of the Concerto form and that he will have to talk with Gabranth to understand more of it.

Verrin walked around Unvail and was directed to where Gabranth was. Gabranth was back in human form, putting on make-up and wearing goth type clothes. Verrin asks if he could listen to his music again. It may hold answers to questions that he had. 

Gabranth asked him why? Verrin tells him upfront that there is an ulterior motive to his request and that he is being upfront about it. The simple answer was that when Gabranth plays his song the Concerta form takes over. 

Gabranth tells Verrin that his mother dreamed of seeing stars, that is why he destroyed the veil and Verrin agreed that it probably wasn’t a bad thing. Gabranth is bound to the Behenny name that attempted to eliminate the Garlands all those centuries ago. That his mother had him out of necessity, not love. That King Garland killed her and a figure had come before with the offer that the world would be better without the veil and offered its assistance. He didn’t know it was Dharma and how its plans were so different from his own, but at the time he didn’t care. Because who would care if he was gone.

Then he began to sing and started to dance with Verrin and the Concerta form took over. Verrin said during that performance that he learned much. To obtain freedom from the instrument.

He and Gabranth continued to talk and he learned that a woman named Penelope stayed behind, when King Behenny had been defeated and the Horned King imprisoned, which might be of interest to Finvarra. Then they talked at length about Moonscar and her purposes in all this. Verrin found out that she created moonscorching and might not be as much of an ally as he had hoped?

The Gradient Company - Urgent Message

Then Mathandrial got a message from the Gradient Company:

ATTENTION ALL GRADIENT COMPANY AND HISTORIA MEMBERS. MEMBERS UPON CRANNOG ARE TO EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY. ALL MEMBERS ENGAGED WITH THE ENEMY ARE TO RETREAT. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. I REPEAT THIS IS NOT A DRILL. TO ALL MEMBERS WHO HAVE RECEIVED A NUMBER WHILST PARTICIPATING IN THE MISSION ARE TO REPORT TO THE NEAREST PALLADIUM MEMBER.

Choices

Yes, it is a lot to unpack and left to figure out the direction we need to go next. Though I am sure that many of the answers to the Witching Hour and the Horned King do lie upon the Plains of Bicorn. No matter their choices, I need to talk with Master Jinorra to get the answers that I need to know about myself, and since he is living on the Bicorn, any knowledge he might have of Moonscar or her plans. I know that is the direction I will go, and hopefully the party understands that this is something that I need to do. Whether the party goes there with me as well, will be their choice.

Difficult decisions lay ahead that will affect more than just us.