Astvanor Session 179 (1/9)

[cinaed]

Session 179: Day 33 of Saedan (1/9)

There is a remarkable sensation of freedom and lightness that comes with riding on the back of a dragon. Jax keeps the pace a little slower than he would on his own, out of concern some of them might fall off.

There are no saddles or ropes to hold onto, but his back is so wide and his spines so plentiful as handholds that it’s unlikely anyone will fall off unless he actively tries to knock them off. It doesn’t take long for Dragon Spine Village to become a distant speck and desert to appear underneath them and then sky and river and land and perfect fleeting moments and glances.

The land falls away, replaced by the sea. The distance between the western-most island of Kastvar and the middle island is such that it’s impossible to see both islands at once. It’s as though they’re caught in an endless sky, nothing but blue as the water reflects the sky until the tawny sand breaks the horizon.

The horizon stretches until it becomes an island. They watch small towns spread out and grow until they can see in the distance this very large towering and tall city starting to take shape. Bridge Cross City is a thriving market village. It’s not the capital of Kastvar but it is the trading center of Kastvar. The city is the only way to get to the main island by land, and so most trade routes from other countries go through Bridge Cross City.

It’s a tourist destination with trade goods from all over the world. There are goods from Valnore and Previdian and the northern tip of Avisrune. Anything on this earth, supposedly you can find it here.

The place is also known for its crime, due to its transitory nature and trade port importance. There are scams and fleeces and people who are down on their luck who have become pickpockets.

Jax doesn’t land in the city itself. Instead he lands an hour and a half’s walk away from the city. He allows them all to disembark before he transforms himself back into his elven form with an almost poof of sand.

He says that he’s unfortunately been tasked with taking them anywhere they need before they meet with Abrisolm, but he cannot take them directly into the city, since he doesn’t want to be noticed. No one does except for Kiva. They don’t want to attract adventurers.

Yolov thanks him and says they’re certain they all want to get to Port Sciathan sooner rather than later, but they appreciate his time and hope they’ll get through Bridge Cross City quickly.

Jax says that they can take all the time they need. The Council was supposed to start yesterday but the last member is running late as they always do. When the party tries to ask about this person, Jax says he’s not allowed to name the other Councilors or Abrisolm will eat him.

As Galowen tries to poke at him about the dragons letting Abrisolm boss them around, Audacity looks up from basking in the sun and says that the Col’Far could eat people and Jax in one bite. He didn’t think he had to say anything, but the Col’Far only doesn’t rule more of the world because he doesn’t want to, so Jax and the Hooligans should do what he says.

Jax says he likes this one, pointing at Audacity.

The Hooligans and Jax walk towards the city, with Jax complaining about the sand. They finally arrive at a major through road, with caravans lining up to enter the city. Something the whole group notices that is unusual: one of the carts is being drawn by camels, filled with market goods, someone obviously planning to sell their wares.

They join the line of people entering the city. There is no gate or guards, nothing more than a wide street composed of packed earth from hundreds of people who have walked this path. The street opens to market stalls both temporary and others built out of wood and stone and clay.

The noise and smell strikes them all first. Vegetables and meat are cooking nearby, the sounds of people hawking their wares fill their ears, the place bustling in the same way that’s familiar to Az for the Striogian Night Market. It’s new in other ways.

Jax asks what they want to do first.

Hava wants to find her sister, but first she wants to get herself bathed and cleaned up after flying and trudging through sand. Audacity hasn’t been to Bridge Cross City before, but he navigates their way around tourist traps from non-Kastvarians to an actual Kastvarian bathhouse. It’s not the most local, but it’s better than the rest they’ve seen.

They all settle in with drinks and food to relax for an hour.

The relaxation is derailed by everyone seeing Audacity’s scar from Aralya for the first time. He describes trying to commune with Asalor and instead finding himself in a snowy field fighting Arayla, who talked to him about sharing him with her brother.

Az asks if that’s normal and Audacity says he doesn’t think so. Az asks if that means he can’t die either, flicking a look at Galowen, who frowns. Audacity says he thinks it was mostly about him being able to fight a little harder.

Audacity takes Az’s hand and presses it to the scar, showing him that it’s cold and making Az briefly panic before Hava says she can see his hubris attracting two gods.

Audacity thanks her in amusement and says he thinks that after he didn’t chill out after Asalor told him to, Arayla decided to take him on as well. He wasn’t very good at giving Elathias a chance to change his ways after all.

Yolov says that Elathias wouldn’t have changed his ways and Audacity says that he wouldn’t but Audacity still should have tried to give him the chance. Yolov points out that they let Adraetha try.

Audacity finishes his story by saying that Arayla also told him not to kneel to anyone.

Hava giggles and says except to Galowen, which makes Audacity grin and Yolov blink and turn lavender as he realizes what she means and that Galowen and Audacity are a couple.

Audacity says that this place is the right temperature, looking at Galowen and Yolov who come from the colder parts of Avisrune. When Az asks if he’s been in Bridge Cross City before, Audacity says no, but he knows enough to keep them all from getting fleeced.

Hava asks what the name of the city is and Audacity says he’s certain there’s something official on a document somewhere but the locals mostly just use the opposite of whatever the tourists have just used.

The group then derails into a conversation about Audacity kneeling for blowjobs versus kneeling to gods and the way the height difference impacts that, Az goes off to get a drink and Yolov sinks underneath the water and stays there to avoid the rest of the conversation, using his vedalken ability to breathe under water.

Once the hour is over, they go in search of Maeve. They all feel a little cleaner and put together. Maeve has been handling some business here. There’s not a port, but a little inlet with a little beach that’s advertised in the city. They go in search of Maeve’s ship there, spying a bunch of fishing boats and people who are on a fishing expedition from further inland.

It’s a beautiful day, with the beach littered with people. Hava searches the crowd. She doesn’t spy Maeve, but she does see a familiar figure darting between some of the reclining bodies, fairly low to the ground, movement flickering here and there as she sees the shape grind to a halt with something clutched in the claws of a little green hand.

Hava has spotted Captain Cassone, Maeve’s wife, or at least her partner since they might be divorced at the moment, as she dives between the legs of a couple trying to walk their kid to the water. Cassone doesn’t seem to be moving in any direction except away from the beach.

Hava calls out her name and waves.

Cassone grinds to a halt, whipping around. As soon as she spies Hava, she makes a beeline for her. Audacity is trying to gauge where she was coming from and if someone was chasing after her as Cassone knocks Hava over in a hug.

Cassone demands to know what she’s doing and Hava says she’s looking for her sister. Cassone says Maeve is on another beach and that she needs to hide her. Hava sighs a little as Yolov reaches out and touches Cassone’s shoulder and casts Invisibility on her.

Not very far away, there’s a little throat clearing. A group of tabaxi who are debating entering the water shift to the side to reveal a very tall, willowy half-orc. She’s well-dressed, clearly not intended to be at the beach, as she asks if Captain Cassone is here.

Hava says no, and the half-orc says she thought she just saw her running over here. Hava says she kept running. As the half-orc crosses her arms, her mermaid tattoo flexing, she asks if she’s Havasaul, adding she knows she is. She’s Aria by the way.

Yolov recognizes the name and says this is one of Maeve’s people, the one who Maeve was working to get resurrected. He’s glad to see that Maeve succeeded.

When Aria explains that she’s after Cassone because Cassone stole Travesty’s stone and she wants it back, Hava says that she thought it was serious.

Yolov drops the spell as Cassone earnestly says it is serious. Travesty keeps making fun of her about the last time she and Maeve split up, and he needs to apologize and make it up to her.

Hava asks where Maeve is, and Aria says she’s at a nearby bar off the beach.

Aria leads them all from the beach to a shabby beach shack of a dive bar. It doesn’t have a name outside of it or identifying features. It just seems to be a dingy hole in the wall that tourists avoid.

They do recognize a few of the Stormriders, Travesty having recovered from his injuries on the mountains and Kresh the dragonborn they found in the tree. Kresh is holding Travesty back from going to fight with Cassone. It’s easy enough with his paladin strength.

It takes Hava a moment before she sees her sister sitting at a little side table outside the dive bar where the Stormriders seem to be part of the reason the tourists avoid this place. Maeve is drinking and watching her people causing a ruckus, but tips back her large hat to smile at Hava and say hello.

Hava steals her drink and drains it and then tells her that her friends are causing trouble.

Maeve tells her that they’re always causing trouble and Hava owes her a drink.

Hava orders everyone a round of drinks. These are cheap, watery drinks from a cheap, watery bar. Maeve hugs her and asks her how things have been. Hava says really bad and asks where they can talk for a really serious conversation.

Maeve starts to laugh it off and says there’s no serious conversation between them, before she looks closely at Hava and asks what happened. When Hava sits down and gets her to sit down, Travesty and Cassone both stop with their bickering, alerted by the change in mood.

Kresh puts a hand on Aria’s shoulder and says that they’ll go get some food for the table and maneuvers everyone into the bar for privacy.

Maeve asks what happened.

Hava says that she went home and Maeve asks if someone said something. She knows they say things all the time, and their mother says things that will hurt on purpose. Hava tells her that it wasn’t their mother. She tells her that Elathias attacked the island with his soul steel constructs.

Maeve asks why he would do that, and Hava says to hurt them.

Hava pauses, gathering her thoughts, and tells her that Elathias is dead. She should know that first. Maeve asks how many they lost. Hava says they lost a few, but Maeve, one of them was their father.

Maeve asks one of what. When Hava says that he was killed in the attack, Maeve says that wasn’t funny. That’s impossible. He could fight anything, do anything.

Hava takes their father’s bow off of her back.

All at once the protests go out of Maeve. She quietly whispers why.

Hava says he was doing what he thought he should do. He was defending their home.