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Session 157: Day 20 of Saedan (1/3)

The Hooligans stand in a sticky, ever spreading and rotting signs of spring, surrounded by mushrooms and collapsed vines and trees. Everything is raw and damp as though from snow and melted ice, without any dregs of life poking through. Instead it’s the presentation of decay, of things that died in winter that were frozen and now rotting anew with the snow melt.

This tremendous bone and stick figure is furious. There is a pulsating energy surrounding them all, this sense of something pulling at their magic and trying to consume it with every spell they cast. It’s a tugging sensation in their stomachs.

Beside Az and before the rest of them, Galowen lies still and unmoving. His gingery face is stark with lifelessness and the ashy color of death.

Now two beams burst from Spring’s outstretched hand and strike Hava. She manages to hold onto the Circle of Power spell with the help of the Summer Prince. They look at Az as they do and say that they don’t have to do this even as another two beams strike out at Yolov. One strikes one of his duplicates but the other one hits him.

Both Hava and Yolov are thrown backwards by the attacks.

Hava steadies herself and goes towards Galowen, looking up at Audacity, whose face is calm but whose tail is thrashing wildly. She reaches into her pocket and pulls out the diamond and casts Revivify. She can feel the pull at her magic again attempting to slice away her ability to resurrect Galowen.

It looks like smoke trying to dissipate, but sunlight from the Summer Prince centers it down and she can feel the magic sink into his body as she looks at the patron and tells them to get their filthy fucking magic away from her.

Galowen could feel that burst of magic from Spring. When he opens his eyes he is on the ground. He can see grass and the forest. Beside him is an enormous cloven hoof and then another. He can see in the distance a creature much larger than any elk or creature he’s ever seen.

After a few moments, he sees a set of leather boots and hears a voice tell him to get up.

He obeys.

The woman in front of him is taller than him but he can’t quite tell why. She doesn’t look like a goliath or firbolg, but rather a very tall wood elf. He recognizes almost immediately the antlered headdress that is sat just above her head, the artful paint on her face, and the layers of leather and buckskin and feathers.

Caletras is standing next to an inhumanely large stag.

She crosses her arms and appraises him for a long moment. She then remarks that that clearly isn’t going to plan.

Galowen says no. He needs to get back.

She says if it was so easy, she would have taken his hand and led him from here to there, but they are both beholden to his friends. They will rip him from the abyss whenever they see fit.

He says it doesn’t feel like an abyss.

She says it isn’t. She gestures around at the clearing which looks like the camp of a hunter, someone who’s trying to disturb nature as little as possible, using materials from the forest and with a well-doused fire pit.

Caletras explains that this is the waiting area. Galowen is dead but it’s not his time. Though of course some go before their time and others much, much after.

Galowen starts to say something and she tells him to go on, she has much more time than he does. He says he forgot what he was going to say and Caletras murmurs mortals before she says that there are a tremendous amount of things in the world she wishes were different and countless things she wishes she could change.

This is normally when people in her position, gods like her, tell the mortals they have an option. Mortals are given a choice. His friends are fighting to bring him back. The sea elf has a diamond pressed to his chest with her hands on it.

Galowen can feel Hava’s hands as Caletras says this and the soft dirt underneath him.

Caletras says she regrets to inform him that he isn’t being given a choice. She needs him to continue what he’s been doing. He is her champion and she regrets that this was a decision made for him. She regrets that he doesn’t know peace. He is so painfully important to her.

Galowen is quiet for a moment. When she urges him to speak, he says he thought she made that choice. She says she did. Galowen says that she was in the temple and he never knew. She says part of her will always be there and part of her is here.

Galowen asks if that’s why she chose him.

Caletras says she chose him over his mother or his father because he was curious and brave. He was always consumed by an energy when he was little, something inside of him that sang of a power to know and a desire to protect things. He is what this world needs. She saw that and she made a choice knowing that this world would need him.

He is her greatest gift and her greatest shame.

She cups the side of his face with one hand and says that she would never choose any other way. When he goes back home, there are two people he needs to meet. They will know him immediately upon seeing him and he will know them. When he sees them she hopes he will understand why she chose him and why his heart was too beautiful for her to ignore.

Caletras says it’s traditional for their followers to ask a question or for advice before they return to the living.

Galowen says when he was growing up at the temple, he never really learned of her. He just wants to ask how he can get to know her.

Caletras says he will know her by the world around him. She needs no huge temples. She’s made of the first forests and first trees that burst from the ground. Each living thing he finds in nature is part of her spirit, her siblings, her children. He can find her in the shadows of the trees, in Glyn’s eyes, in his own heart whenever he chooses to look. If he wants to know more scholarly, when he goes back to Kelfemma, tell them that she has given him permission to enter the deepest parts of the woods. He can sit there and know her in the place of her birth, just as he met her at the place of her death.

Galowen thanks her. He says he has one more question if that’s allowed. She says she will allow it. Galowen asks her how she wants him to kill Elathias.

Caletras smooths a hand over his fur and then puts her hands on both of his shoulders and says that she wants it to hurt. She wants him to feel the pain he’s made Galowen feel. He deserves no mercy in life or death.

Galowen says he’s glad they’re on the same page.

Caletras says always and kisses his forehead.

Galowen jerks awake, opening his eyes to Hava and Audacity standing over him. He asks what they’re staring at and Hava says he’s tits out. Galowen says he doesn’t feel great. She says they’ll all process this later.

As she says this, Spring attacks her again and Galowen watches her get knocked backwards.

Diana coats the Purple Worm poison on her blade again and attempts to stab Spring with her shortsword. She swings and there’s a burst of cold on her blade and a complaint from the Winter Prince that she’s aiming too high. She says she’s angry as the blow connects.

Her blade strikes true where bone meets wood. Diana hits them again, cursing in Draconic.

As Winter Prince whistles at her profanity, Spring cracks their neck and looks down at her before they strike Yolov and send him flying backwards as well.

Galowen straightens up, his sword in hand. Az, looking stricken, hands Galowen Collie’s figurine from his pocket and presses it into Galowen’s free hand, murmuring apologies. Galowen asks for what and then draws on the power of Collie’s healing. Then he activates the fire aspect of his blade as he moves closer to Az’s patron.

Audacity hands Az his figurine as Az looks between Galowen and his patron. Az holds it close and heals himself as well.

Even as many of his wounds heal, Spring teleports behind Hava.

Audacity turns and rushes towards Spring. He gives Galowen a little tap in the side with his tail as he darts off and swings at Spring with his stick. The quarterstaff connects hard, and he feels bone and wood start to splinter and crack. Beneath the carapace there is some visible flesh.

Audacity breathes fire on them as well. It laps around the carapace and scorches the wood like firewood.

Yolov attempts to cast Thunder Step. He feels Spring attempt to drag the magic from him and tries to Counterspell, and feels that fail too as his magic sizzles out. He watches as Spring strikes Hava and knocks her unconscious to the ground.

Diana runs over and uses Collie’s coin on Hava. She pours the magic into her before she hits Spring with her offhand attack.

Spring spreads a hand out and there is an array of dizzying array of vines that everyone squints against and manages to fight against the hypnotizing spell. Audacity tries to hit them in retaliation and fails.

Galowen strides over, hefting his longsword. Both of his sword strikes slash into Spring, flame and radiant light blazing on the metal as it breaks away parts of the carapace. Underneath the rags is rotting wood fused with flesh, the skin of some Fey creature.

Spring takes in a ragged breath, clutching at the blood bleeding out of them. They look up at Az, past his friends, and ask if he really doesn’t want anything from them. They try to scold him and Az says he wanted to help them, they were too impatient.

The rest of the party interrupt Spring’s hissed insults, reminding Az that Spring is a liar who killed his mother.

Az is quiet for a moment before he weaves his magic between his friends and casts Witch Bolt at his patron. He almost misses but Winter Prince hisses at him to stop aiming high and to focus. Lighting arcs over everyone’s heads, striking the carapace and making Spring sink to their knees and hurls more insults at Az.

Az flinches back and tells Spring that he doesn’t regret this. Do one reasonable thing and die.

Spring says they didn’t die in the war or their prison, none of Az’s pathetic friends will ever bring them to heel.

Az tells Sabara to sic them. Sabara bounds over. She lunges at Spring and sinks her teeth into them. With the first attack, Sabara’s paws land on Spring’s shoulders and she tears at the bone and wood and flesh of Spring’s throat.

His patron sinks to their knees, getting smaller and smaller until they are the shape of a tall humanoid creature. Sabara lunges back in and bites the soft, supple throat of the Archfey.

The only thing that can come from the mouth that has spent a lifetime guiding and lying to Az is an almost pathetic gurgling sound as Sabara’s teeth puncture the column of their throat and tear. There’s no space for final quips from their patron or parting insult.

Behind Az, Medrash lands on his shoulder, hissing in the direction of his fallen patron.

The corpse lies there, gangly and thin, covered in rags, unmoving.

When they don’t move, Az feels something inside of him shift, the feeling of something that’s been on too tight now loosened and fallen away from him. In a way it feels empty but it also feels like relief too.

The shackle on his wrist loosens. He unhooks it and drops it on the ground. Then he goes and kneels by his patron. They’re still wearing the mask, but it’s very obviously a mask now. He takes it off, revealing underneath is the ashen lifeless face of a figure who looks like they used to be a white, conventionally attractive individual, now dirtier and grimier.

On their face are three long healed scars in the same place Az’s is.

Az mutters a curse before a cool hand and a warm hand land on both of his shoulders. The Summer Prince whistles and says that it was a very good fight, all things considered, but what Az did could not have been easy. He apologizes that it came to this.

Beside him, Winter Prince says he doesn’t. He is sorry that it was this. For what it’s worth, Az fought well and has clearly trained Medrash and Sabara well.

Az asks what happens now that he’s no longer bound to Spring.

Winter Prince says that unbound, Medrash and Sabara would not be able to come back to the material plane with him. Medrash whines sadly and Winter Prince says if it were up to him, he would give Az permission to take them with him. Granted, Spring didn’t have permission either.

Winter Prince says that he just has to pretend not to see Az leave, especially since they have to leave as well. Summer Prince winces at the reminder.

Audacity grins at Az and says they’re already stealing two criminals, why not two more pets. As Winter Prince agrees and Summer Prince complains he’s not a pet, Az takes his patron’s mask and tucks it away in his backpack. There is a pulsing energy from it, and it’s clearly magical. He looks at Yolov, seeing Yolov’s exhaustion, and says they’ll look at it later.

As Yolov checks on the ice pseudodragon that peeks out from his hat, Audacity offers to burn Spring’s body to ensure they can’t come back. Yolov also offers to do a spell to ensure there’s no body left/

Az says he would like to have a bonfire before he goes home to his dad.

As Summer Prince enthusiastically helps cremate Spring’s corpse, Winter Prince takes Az aside. He tells him that the war for the Winds of Change was a very long time ago. He thinks it was even before what Yolov told them of the Sunken Ones. He explains that Spring had always been good at finding where people were weakest, what hurts and what doesn’t, and that’s why they recruited them in the war.

Medrash and Sabara trust Az, which is more important to Winter than any other act of bravery or heroism. When he bullied Summer into joining him and recruiting Spring and Fall, he thought changing the Feywild was his destiny, but several possible thousand years of retrospection led him to the realization that that was bullshit. Much as everything Spring said to Az was bullshit. His destiny is whatever he makes of it, as terrifying as it is.

He can save the world or succeed, or he could be with his friends. Destiny is whatever Az makes of it. It is nothing more than a series of events and how hard he tries to make his dream come true.

Az says he thinks that’s the exact opposite of what destinies are but he takes Winter’s point.

Winter Prince says that perhaps his destiny is being the best parent to Medrash. Then he says that Spring lied for sport and to get what they want. That he could withstand them was a show of great strength on Az’s part. Winter Prince adds that he has already made an agreement with one of Az’s friends so he won’t now.

As Az’s shoulders droop a little, Winter explains that he doesn't believe in pacts. He believes in teamwork, as does Summer. Az has time to make his decisions, though Winter Prince doesn’t want to be a babysitter.

Az says he does need some time. He will take Sabara and Medrash with him, but he wonders about his powers now that Spring is dead.

Winter says that Az’s pact is broken for better or worse. He’ll lose the gifts they gave him, which leads Az to mutter under his breath he knew that would happen. But there are others who can help him. He should take time to decide. And for all seasons, he and his friends and Winter and Summer are filthy. This is a terrible time to make an important decision.

Winter says there are a number of people who would help Az, but Az has gone through something traumatic. Az says he supposes, turning to eye Galowen, and Winter says they should all rest once they get out of here.

Az agrees.

Winter joins Summer, who is warming his hands over Spring’s corpse.

The Hooligans watch the body burn. The rot around them also begins to burn away. Instead of char and ash, spreading out like ink pooling over a page is instead a bright green as grass and clover begin to overtake the ichor and rot. The mushroom, unkempt air becomes a warm spring afternoon.

Watching all this, Audacity studies Galowen. At the right angle, against his hairline and underneath the peach fuzz of hair, there is a green mark upon the skin. He leans carefully against Galowen and brushes his hands against Galowen’s.

Galowen gets a sensation of cold water as Audacity uses Lay on Hands to heal him for his first act as a paladin.