Astvanor Session 106 (3/24)

[cinaed]

Session 106: 3/24 (Day 20 of Veksdan)

Hava looks around anxiously as the coin burns in her hand. She sees trees looming on either side of her, the mountains and rocks nearby. There are small pathways, one left and right, the howl coming from the right.

Diana looks around as well, spotting footprints going to the right. She sees as she drops down low to the ground that there is an increasing amount of specks of congealed blood the further up the right path. She looks up towards Hava and says, “Well, given that these are footprints and your sister has feet, that’s probably your sister, but there’s also dried blood.”

Everyone begins to run in the direction of the howl, Yolov sending Es back into his spellbook to go as fast as possible. All of them are alert and hear the first howl, then the second howl, closer and closer. They realize the howls aren’t coming after the party, but instead remain in the same spot. They hear what sounds at first like a thud, something hitting the ground, and then another.

As they get closer and closer, they hear a quick bitten-off cry of pain. For nearly everyone, it’s almost eerie because it sounds like Hava, who’s running with them.

Hava knows her sister’s voice anywhere as they break through the clearing in time to see a beaten, wounded sea elven woman, her jacket torn as blood soaks and seeps through the blue fabric, her hair bluish towards the ends and pink towards the scalp and darkened by sweat. Her rapier is buried in the shoulder of a bipedal, wolfish creature that looks like it might’ve been human once but is now half beast, half shadow.

She draws her rapier out just as the creature claws her and another slashes down her back.

The entire party begins to rush forward as one of the shadow werewolves misses Maeve with its claws. Another turns, sniffing the air and scenting fresh prey, and rushes with incredible speed at Audacity.

Audacity can smell that rotting, sickly sweet smell of the shadowfell as he dodges a claw.

Hava summons her Twilight Sanctuary, the familiar soothing twilight falling over the group as she flanks the shadow werewolf and casts Healing Word on Diana. Then she turns and screams her sister’s name.

She remembers a moment of being very young with Maeve, doing something they shouldn’t have, playing around in the closet where their father keeps his weapons. She remembers getting in trouble, and how Maeve froze when their father snapped their names, like if she didn’t move she wouldn’t get in trouble. In this current moment, Hava can see Maeve lock up now, emotion going from confusion to shock to confusion before Maeve turns and says, “Hava? You’re not supposed to be here.”

Hava asks what else is new.

Maeve starts to speak, then deflects another attack from a shadow werewolf and snaps, “You’re really not supposed to be here!”

Diana casts Zephyr Strike and rushes into the thick of the wolves attacking Maeve. She stabs into the closest one, the shortsword impaling deep into its shoulder. Maeve looks at Diana and tilts her head and says, “Of course Hava would have her own crew. And clever ones.”

Diana says it’s good to meet her too before trying to stab another shadow werewolf and missing.

Audacity runs to join Diana and Maeve, attacking one with two quick, hard hits. When his staff connects with it, it feels like he goes through a cushiony mist before he hits something solid beneath it.

Galowen steps towards to flank the shadow werewolf by Hava. His sword flashes with radiant light as he strikes twice, the wolf looking very bloody and injured from the blows. Again there is that layer of shadowy mist before solid flesh as the shadow wolf snarls.

One of the wolves lunges at Diana, slashing her with its claw. She feels her wound immediately start to rot. Another one misses Audacity as a third lunges for Maeve. Diana grabs Maeve and moves her behind her and takes the slash claws on her face instead.

Maeve shouts, “No! Not for me!” as Diana groans in pain. Maeve reaches out and puts her hand flat on Diana’s back and heals her. It feels like being dunked into a frozen river, revigorating, solid and bolstered like Diana can handle anything.

Diana thanks her, and Maeve says, “Of course, anything for my sister’s friend.” Then Maeve turns and then holds her rapier and calls out, “Hava, I can see you. You’re real, right?” When Hava says she is, Maeve speaks in Elvish and says, “I’ve missed you so much, like the tide misses the shore.”

Hava says she’s here now, and agrees when Maeve says her friends are nice.

Az realizes the safest place is behind Galowen, so he stays where he is and attempts to knock a few of the werewolves away from Maeve and the others with Eldritch Blasts. His first one misses, but the second one hits one of the wolves, knocking it ten feet backwards into another wolf.

Yolov manifests Es beside Audacity, nodding towards Hava and says they’ve got Maeve. Then he casts Wither and Bloom on Maeve, the grass withering under her feet as her wounds begin to heal and the three shadow werewolves closest to her snarl in pain.

One of the wolves lunges at Hava and misses before two others claw Maeve, one down her back and another into her stomach, making her grunt in pain. Hava summons her tentacle and attacks the closest werewolf, realizing that it is immune to the cold.

As she rushes in the direction of Maeve, the werewolf slashes into her. She ignores the pain and gets closer to Maeve and the others. There she casts Guardian of Faith, the spectral form of their father appearing beside the werewolves. Hava watches Maeve’s warm, open expression go blank and unreadable.

Diana reaches out and pats Maeve’s cheek, healing her as Maeve sinks her cheek against Diana’s hand and thanks her. Diana says you’re welcome and calls for Adrin to come help them. Adrin rushes forward.

Maeve tells her, “May the mother of winter bless you.” Diana doesn’t recognize the title, remarking that that sounds cold, but Audacity recognizes it as a moniker of Arayla. He sees a holy symbol dangling at Maeve’s hip, half a sword blade connected to the rest of it via two chains.

Audacity attempts to knock the closest shadow werewolf away from him with a burst of wind, but it withstands the pressure. He goes for another punch instead, this blow knocking some teeth out. When the werewolf snarls, he snarls back in Infernal.

Galowen pivots around the shadow werewolf, with Az staring in alarm as it looms over him, and strikes out with his sword again. The first one misses, but the next one strikes home, again with that brilliant flash of radiant damage as the sword pieces through its chest and sends the werewolf’s corpse sprawling at Yolov and Az’s feet.

Galowen turns and moves towards the rest of the shadow werewolves.

One of the werewolves snarls furiously and rushes towards Audacity, the Guardian’s radiant energy slamming into it and peeling away shadow and rotting fur. The werewolf slashes twice into Audacity, who feels his wounds also fester. Another wolf swings and misses Diana.

Maeve sinks her rapier into the belly of the nearest wolf. With a flick of her other hand, brushing a hand down the chains of her holy symbol, she summons a point of frost that appears and flashes across the blade. She stabs it a second time, and everyone sees a ripple of holy, divine light where the blade meets the ice buried in the creature’s chest.

Everyone realizes that was a divine smite and that she is a paladin like Galowen.

Az stays where he is, sending his two Eldritch Blasts at the werewolves from a distance. One hits a werewolf in its face, killing it and sending its corpse flying. Maeve turns, raising her hand, and thanks him before telling Hava she likes her friends and that she’s put a very good crew together.

Yolov casts Psychic Lance at the werewolf that was just injured by Hava’s Guardian and incapacitates it as it staggers under the psychic damage.

The werewolves attack Maeve again, but Maeve is bolstered by Hava’s twilight healing and only takes a little damage as Hava steps closer and casts Spirit Guardians, spectral, slightly unsettling water spirits appearing around her.

Diana stabs the closest werewolf, killing it, before turning to the next and missing with her next attack. Adrin lunges forward, biting the werewolf.

Audacity continues to attack the same werewolf from before, his staff slamming into it twice. He cracks it right between its eyes and it crumples, dead, before he turns and punches the one that Yolov incapacitated.

Galowen rushes forward and stabs that werewolf as well, dropping its corpse, which leaves just one werewolf in the midst of Hava’s Spirit Guardians. It snarls weakly and swings wildly at Diana.

Maeve grabs the hilt of the sword, her holy symbol, and casts something magical that paralyzes the werewolf and tells the group to finish it.

Az sends two Eldritch Blast. Both miss. One goes long and the other goes overhead as Maeve clicks her tongue and says, “Aw, just like Trav.” Az swears in Gnomish.

Yolov casts a thunderous Chromatic Orb. It slams into the wolf’s chest, which sends blood streaming out of its mouth and eyes before it sinks to the ground at Diana’s feet.

Maeve holds her hand to her bleeding side. She stares at Hava for a moment, then asks her to remove the Guardian that looks like their father. Hava does before Maeve drags her into a hug and asks her why she left the island.

Hava tells her she came looking for her. Maeve asks why and Hava says why wouldn’t she. Maeve tells her she wasn’t supposed to. Hava says that doesn’t make sense. She was gone, so Hava went looking for her. She waited for years, they all waited and searched for her.

Maeve says she believes her, but they should go to Hava’s camp. When Hava says they don’t have a camp, Maeve says she has people here, they can go there instead. Hava says she knows, that they met, and then asks why she isn’t happy to see her.

Maeve says she is, and kisses her head.

Hava says she isn’t a baby and asks her to explain what she’s doing. Maeve summarizes what’s been going on with Aria and Kresh, and explains that she has to go up the mountain to this dragon’s lair and get enough gold to help Aria and figure out how to heal Kresh.

Hava tells her to stop and explains that they are here to help her and also need to get to the dragon’s lair. Maeve tells her that she’s the smart one, and Hava says not really. She introduces her friends, and Maeve says to call her M, which Hava interjects and tells them to call her Maeve.

Hava says they should all rest, while Yolov passes along Cassone’s message that she’ll meet Maeve at sunset and that she loves her. Maeve sighs fondly and says that means Cassone is about to do something stupid, and the group agrees.

Yolov tells Maeve that they’re here to help her, but also they have their own reasons to get to the dragon’s lair and close off access to the shadowfell. Maeve says that she’ll help as much as she can. Hava tries to read her expression, and realizes she cannot. It has been too long.

Maeve says they should get back to Travesty and says that she is certain he’s in trouble. The group tells her that he was fine a few hours ago, and she reminisces about her first meeting with Travesty, watching him pickpocket with his tail as he performed as a bard.

Maeve talks so much as she leads them to a safe spot for Hava to cast Tiny Hut that no one has a chance to get a word in edgewise. Once Hava is finished with the spell, Maeve comes over to her and says that Hava asked her to stay in sight. When Hava confirms she did, Maeve explains she needs to step outside for her evening prayers, which she can’t do in comfort.

Audacity goes outside, watching Maeve as she takes off her belt and sword and coat, stripping down to her undershirt and thin linen trousers. It is snowing again and freezing cold as she kneels on the cold ground to meditate and pray. Audacity recognizes some of this.

Asalor is said to be the twin brother of Arayla, so Asalorians know about Araylan customs. Arayla is known for demanding much more of her followers than the other deities. The act of putting oneself in discomfort to meditate while enduring something is a sign of extremely devout followers of Arayla. They go through a trial when they first pledge themselves to Arayla, sometimes staying in below freezing weather or trials like tempest clerics who stand at the cliff’s edge in a raging storm for hours.

To be chosen by Arayla means to endure to earn her approval. Maeve performs her meditation with dutiful endurance.

Once she settles in, Audacity walks around in the snow, experimenting with the new sensation now that they’re not racing anywhere and fighting, before he also sits down in the snow and begins to meditate as well.

Inside the hut, Yolov goes to Hava and squeezes her hand. She squeezes it back as he says after all this, when Maeve isn’t so focused on saving her crew, there will be time for her and Hava to catch up. Her eyes are distant as she quietly agrees.

Audacity has never tried to talk to Asalor outside of his temporary death, but seeing Maeve has brought back his worry about his sister. He speaks silently, saying that while Teoshi and Mikos say she’s fine and wouldn’t lie to him, he’s still worried, and just wants to know if she’s okay since the world feels like it’s ending sometimes.

He feels cold air against his skin that could be just the mountain air, but doesn’t hear anything or feel anything else. One of Maeve’s eyes opens and looks sideways at him before she closes her eyes and resumes her meditation.

Galowen goes outside briefly to see how his fey sword likes the cold, remembering that Yolov told him it was wielded by the winter prince. He sticks it into the snow and feels the sword warm in his hand without melting the snow.

Maeve redresses, casting Audacity a look and asks, “Redeemer?” He smiles and nods. She tells him if he ever wishes to spar, she’s up for it, and his smile and nod becomes a grin and he says noted. She says she’s very good and he agrees, reminding her that she was still alive when they reached her.

She adds that she’s good at staying alive – ask anyone on her crew – as Hava comes outside and asks if she can talk to her in private. When Maeve says sure and Audacity heads into the Tiny Hut, Hava asks if she can stop acting like they just saw each other a week ago and tell her who took her or if she wasn’t taken, why she didn’t….

Maeve tells her no one took her, she wanted to leave, so she left with a couple people who came to trade and ended up first at Port Sciathan. She got on boat after boat after boat, she explains, and would go on with that explanation except Hava yells at her to stop.

Maeve says she wanted to know. Hava asks her why she left her. Maeve says she didn’t want to be there anymore, and Hava asks again why she left. When Hava says she would have gone with her, Maeve says she didn’t ask her to because there were two things that would have happened. Either Hava would’ve said no and convinced her to stay and she didn’t want to, or if Hava had come with her, their family would have come after them to get Hava.

Hava says they would have found them both, and Maeve says they didn’t even look. Maeve was in Port Sci for months, and no one ever came. They only cared about Hava. Hava asks her what she thought would happen when she left.

Maeve says she knew Hava would be in charge like she always should have been, and Hava tells her she’s stupid and tells her about their sister, who was an accident. Maeve calls their sister a blessing from the fishes between the waves. When Hava says she’s very special, Maeve says of course she is, she and Hava are always very special.

Maeve says she’s sure that their parents told Hava they searched the entire ocean and every shore for her. However, she’s certain that their mother quietly prayed that her body was down at the bottom of the ocean. She adds that she’s doing fine now, she has a great crew and she’s been married to Cassone a half-dozen times.

She invites Hava to the next wedding, and Hava says she’s happy that Maeve has been so very happy. Maeve agrees that she’s been happy, and Hava repeats, voice thick, that she’s very happy.

When Maeve starts to speak, Hava repeats a third time that she is happy. She thought someone had taken Maeve away, but now she knows that she spent all this time being lonely while Maeve was out here being very happy.

Maeve tells her she left her note. Hava says she didn’t find it, but she doesn’t think it would have mattered. Hava says this isn’t how she wanted this to go. Maeve asks if she thought it would be a story of her being kidnapped and trying to get home and buy her way out of crime, that Hava would be the hero and rescue her and take her home.

Hava is quiet for a moment and then says no. She says she thought Maeve might feel different, more like her. Maeve starts to ask if she thought Maeve didn’t miss her, and Hava says that’s not what she’s talking about. She’s talking about the worst pain she’s ever felt. Her whole life. But it doesn’t matter now. At least Maeve is safe.

Maeve is also quiet for a moment. She says softly, “No, you’re right.”

Hava says she supposes it’s better this way, that no one hurt her and that she has a nice family that she’s made. Maeve tells her that she’s made a nice family too. Hava says this is all very new, and Maeve says they’re a good group, especially that elf who saved her, they seem to get along and everyone is useful, besides that warlock.

Hava says to give Az another chance. He’s very good at many things, he just misses the mark a lot. Maeve reminds her that she understands being attached to useless people, she has a crewmate who calls himself Travesty.

Maeve looks around and says she enjoys the snow. Hava says she doesn’t, but at least her wraps keep her feet warm. Maeve asks if they were a gift from someone, wiggling her eyebrows, and Hava explains she saved a man’s husband from dying. Maeve agrees that will get you a nice reward. Then Hava tells Maeve to go inside, she’ll be inside in a minute.

Inside, Yolov is quietly cutting five feet of rope off of his longer rope and asks Az if he knows sailing knots that would be sturdy but also easy to untie in an emergency. Az says he can, and Yolov hands him the five-foot piece of rope and a spell scroll and asks him if he can tie the rope around the scroll.

Az does it, asking why Yolov wants this, and Yolov explains about the Rope Trick scroll, how he bought it for Tessvar and then it wasn’t needed, but it might be useful now. He doesn’t know what state Dailiir will be in, and if she cannot escape immediately, then she can potentially use the scroll to get somewhere safe while they fight Marion.

Az sighs that they don’t have maps of the Shadowell or know what they’re walking into with Iceclaw’s lair.

Yolov suggests that they can potentially send Medrash as an invisible scout.

Maeve goes inside and looks at Az and asks if he needs her to make a target practice for him. She promises that she can make one that will help him with his aim. Diana sleepily remarks that won’t help. Az sighs.

Hava buries her face in her wrap and screams for a moment before she takes out her Sending Stone and says to Taion, “It’s very cold up here in the mountains. I miss you. I have a…really crazy story to tell you later.”

Taion says he can’t wait to hear it. He wishes he were there with her. They say they love each other before Hava goes back inside the hut.

Audacity has wandered over to where Diana is half-asleep and started to comb the wolf blood out of her hair. They all settle in for the night, no one sleeping comfortably but at least all getting a full night’s rest.

When they wake up, Yolov is twitchy, knowing that this is another day in which they haven’t reached the lair and rescued Dailiir. Maeve also seems to be avoiding Hava, quickly going outside for her morning meditations.

Diana whispers to Galowen, wondering what’s up with that, and Galowen says he isn’t sure.

Hava follows Maeve once everyone has finished eating and squeezes her hand and tells her it’s okay. Maeve squeezes her hand back and says she has to do her meditation, the tempered sword waits for no one. Hava asks her not to leave and Maeve says she won’t, she just had to strip down and pray on rocks.

Yolov watches all of this before he hears a familiar voice in the back of his head. “It should be another day here. We’re good here. Don’t do anything foolish. And if you must be foolish, be brave.” Yolov says that his friends are brave and promises Dailiir that they’ll be there soon.

Another voice speaks a moment later, a belated return Sending, sharp and empathic. “Tell him to leave me the fuck alone.” Yolov realizes it must be Arevik.