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Wed 20th Jan 2021 02:08

Session 31: Returning North

by Kepharel

After finishing the vault and healing from some major dragon burns, we made our way back to Fiddletown. Did a small bit of shopping. Mostly to get Glark armed and ready to go up against more difficult enemies. We traveled for only a day and a half to the crawdad cove. Spent the evening with the guild there. From there, went north towards the grove. We spent a lot of time at the grove, which I felt was very peaceful. We haven't had much time to breathe, so taking a morning to just exist was rather serene.
While there I made one final call out to Ava. Just to see if she was listening, if she cared, or if I was truly alone. What I saw next I didn't expect, but also requires a bit of back story.
Part of my survival and psychic training was building a mind palace. At a very young age Ava taught me that it was a place I go run away to when things appeared down and out. There were days spent physically starving while locked away inside my own head building a mental feast (so to speak). As I got older and Ava taught me more, my mind palace grew into a large orchard; blooming with variety of different fruits. This was also the only place Ava ever made an appearance, "physically." Ava and I spent weeks building that space in my head up, she would teach me important life lessons, new languages, and ancient lore while I, a child, just soaked it all up. As I got older my mind palace grew with me. The orchard grew into a large estate.
It is interesting reflecting on it now, because I think about it as a place of peace and solitude, but it was also the place where Ava would torment me when I did not obey. She knew that's where I went to remove myself from the pains of daily life, and ensured that my mind wouldn't be perfectly freed. The most recent being Ava showing me my entire life with Siona. I think what was a mistake on Ava's part was not realizing I could find duality between the adventurer she wanted me to be and "common man" she attempted to impose into me had I decided to continue chasing Siona.
 
Why do I bring up all this history? Simply put, it is all gone. So, I hope that anyone reading it can appreciate the delicate details and importance of it. Like always it seemed that Ava had to have the final say. In her fury and divine retribution, she laid waste to the orchard. Only leaving a wasteland. Years of work, of building, of documenting, of careful placing all left in ruin. It's not a void, because a void is described as nothingness, but rather a meticulous shredding. It was done to prove a point, even as I and the group gain more and more strength, Ava will always be able to go after what I hold dear.
 
This wasteland is what I have left to ponder on, but also what I have left to start anew.
 
We left the grove and made our way back to the grove, spending the night there again. From there we traveled north by way of the river. Near where we expected to find the trial Glark noticed some kind of disturbance. He found a glyph of warding which upon triggering caused a large explosion. A shock to be sure, and I have to say really glad Glark caught it. Upon moving into the trial, Crestin triggered a second glyph. This time not on purpose and took a large hit from it. From the triggered glyph a message "Ceasefire is over, bitches." Looks like we have a lot of decisions to make on what is next. I worry we may go charging either into a trap, or into an unwinnable scenario with Volsaid. A lot of things to ponder over this evening. I need to reach out to Siona to make sure she is safe in case Volsaid had other plans with the ceasefire being over.

Continue reading...

  1. Background
  2. Session 1: Oozing Excitement
  3. Session Two: One Flew Over The Kruthics' Nest
  4. Session Three: Maybe Someday, I Gotta Go See About a Girl.
  5. Session 4: Toads?! Where We Are Going We Don't Need Toads!
  6. Session 5: Sabertooth Tigers, and Dinasours, and Merfolk! (Oh My!)
  7. Session 6: Is that Superman? No, just Glark Kent.
  8. Session 8: I can Finally Tell You that Hanging Out with This Group is a Blast.
  9. Session 8 Part 2: The Binds that Tie Us
  10. Session 9 Part 1: The Sweet Smell of Gun Powder and Cocoa Beans
  11. Session 10: I Came in like a Fireball
  12. Session 11: We Went and Built an Outpost
  13. Session 12: The Harrowing Tale of Rhinoman and T-Rex-Boy
  14. Session 13: The Demise of King Less-Talko-More-Leave-o
  15. Session 14: Our First Glimpse of the Mountains
  16. Session 15: A Roc and a Hard Place
  17. Session 16: Symbolic Confusion
  18. Session 17: Our Return Home
  19. Session 18, Venturing to the Falls
  20. Session 19: Traveling Through Merfolk Land
  21. Session 20: Risen from the Earth
  22. Session 21: The Ancients
  23. Session 22: Venturing into the Volcano
  24. Session 23: Completing The First Trial
  25. Session 24: Second Trial, Mossglimmer Valley
  26. Session 25: Mossglimmer Valley Part 2
  27. Session 25: Mossglimmer Valley Part 3
  28. Session 27: The Near End of Baron Maltrix
  29. Session 28: Rooth Upper Vault Part One
  30. Session 29: Rooth Upper Vault Part 2
  31. Session 30: Rooth Upper Vault Part 3 (Dragons Hurt, Man)
  32. Session 31: Returning North
  33. Session 32: Valeun Upper Vault Part 1
  34. Session 33: Valeun Upper Vault Part 2
  35. Session 34: Valeun Upper Vault Part 3
  36. Session 35: Valeun Upper Vault Part 4 and Next Steps
  37. Session 36: Our Adventures into Unknown Lands
  38. Session 37: Enemies from Above
  39. Session 38: Enemies? From Above
  40. Session 39: The Golden City
  41. Session 40: Fuck this Jungle and the Shitty People in It.
  42. Session 41: Onto Our Next Trial
  43. Session 42: Tempestan Upper Vault Part 2
  44. Session 43: An Interesting Offer
  45. Session 44: Aquos Upper Vault Part 1
  46. Session 45: Aquos Upper Vault Part 2
  47. Session 46: Aquos Upper Vault Part 3
  48. Session 47: The Welcoming Committee
  49. Session 48: Tectan Upper Vault Part 1
  50. Session 49: Tectan Upper Vault Part 2
  51. Session 50: Tectan Upper Vault Part 3
  52. Session 51: Tectan Upper Vault Part 4 and Returning Home
  53. Session 52: Head Out of the Clouds
  54. Session 53: Removing the Mining Camp
  55. Session 54: Meeting My Future Father-in-Law
  56. Session 55: Heading East
  57. Session 56: Overstaying Our Welcome
  58. Session: 57 Boglun Lower Vault Part 1
  59. Session 58: Boglun Lower Vault Part 2
  60. Session 59: Mapping Lake Bart
  61. Session 60: Death of a Merfolk and Our Return to Fiddletown
  62. Session 61: Trade Routes Open
  63. Session 62: Norhm's Second Miracle and Tectan Lower Vault Part 1
  64. Session 63: Tectan Lower Vault Part 2
  65. Session 64: Tectan Lower Vault Part 3
  66. Session 65: Next Steps and Holy Shit We (Norhm) Got a Dragon
  67. Session 66: Killings Some Kobolds
  68. Session 67: More Kobold Fun
  69. Session 68: The Archimedies Conflict Part 1
  70. Session 69: The Archimedies Conflict Part 2
  71. Session 70: Tempestan Lower Vault Part 1
  72. Session 71: Tempestan Lower Vault Part 2
  73. Session 72: Bag-o-Beans and Traveling Further East
  74. Session 73: Dealing with the Xorn
  75. Session 74: Traveling Towards the Magmos Lower Vault
  76. Session 75: Magmos Lower Vault Part 1
  77. Session 76: Magmos Lower Vault Part 2
  78. Session 77: Magmos Lower Vault Part 3 and the Return Home
  79. Session 78: Magic Swords are Dumb
  80. Session 79: Rooth Lower Vault Part 1
  81. Session 80: Rooth Lower Vault Part 2
  82. Session 81: Rooth Lower Vault Part 3
  83. Session 82: Rooth Lower Vault Part 4
  84. Session 83: Where to Next?
  85. Session 84: Down By the River
  86. Session 85: Drastically Changing an Ecosystem
  87. Session 86: Bright Light in the Darkness
  88. Session 87: Outside Our Next Trial
  89. Session 88: Valeun Lower Vault Part 1
  90. Session 89: Valeun Lower Vault Part 2
  91. Session 90: Valeun Lower Vault Part 3
  92. Session 91: Valeun Lower Vault Part 4
  93. Session 92: Returning Home
  94. Session 93: Finding a Potential Cure
  95. Session 94: Aqous Lower Vault Part 1
  96. Session 95: Aqous Lower Vault Part 2
  97. Session 96: Aqous Lower Vault Part 3
  98. Session 97: Aqous Lower Vault Part 4
  99. Session 98: Aquos Lower Vault Part 5
  100. Session 99: Back Home for a Minute
  101. Session 100: Tectan Deep Vault Part 1
  102. Session 101: Tectan Deep Vault Part 2
  103. Session 102: Tectan Deep Vault Part 3
  104. Session 103: Tectan Deep Vault Part 4
  105. Session 104: Tectan Deep Vault Part 5
  106. Session 105: Tectan Deep Vault Part 6
  107. Session 106: Saturday Knight Live
  108. Session 107: Fright Knight
  109. Session 108: Knighty Knight Time
  110. Session 109: Next Stop Crimes Against the State
  111. Session 110: The Not so Great Heist
  112. Session 111: HE'S GOT A SISTER?!?
  113. Session 112: A Fight for a Holy Book
  114. Session 113: More Minor God Fun
  115. Session 114: Magmos Deep Vault Part 1
  116. Session 115: Magmos Deep Vault Part 2
  117. Session 116: An Evening with Some Vampires
  118. Session 117: Getting to Know Our Vampire Selves
  119. Session 118: The Fall of Knight Volsaid, Long May She Reign
  120. Session 119: The Fall of Lord Crestin?, Long May He Reign?
  121. Session 120: The Fall of Queen Velshava?, Long May She Reign?
  122. Session 121: End 0f The Vampire Era
  123. Session 122: A Rose Without a Thorn, or Something Like That
  124. Session 123: From The Ash
  125. Session 124: Starting Over
  126. Session 125: The Forge
  127. Session 126: Onward to Our Next Trial
  128. Session 127: Aquos Deep Vault Part 1
  129. Session 128: Aquos Deep Vault Part 2
  130. Session 129: Aquos Deep Vault Part 3
  131. Session 130: Tempestan Deep Vault Part 1
  132. Session 131: Tempestan Deep Vault Part 2
  133. Session 132: Tempestan Deep Vault Part 3
  134. Session 133: Tempestan Deep Vault Part 4
  135. Session 134: Tempestan Deep Vault Part 5
  136. Session 135: Dealing with Political Bullshit
  137. Session 136: Next Deep Vault New Problems
  138. Session 137: Rooth Deep Vault Part 1
  139. Session 138: Rooth Deep Vault Part 2
  140. Session 139: Rooth Deep Vault Part 3
  141. Session 140: Rooth Deep Vault Part 4
  142. Session 141: Rooth Deep Vault Part 5
  143. Session 142: Going After the Chalice

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by 3 Armored Kittens · Prodromos v.1.1 - World Anvil 0.9.15.050 © 2017-2025 [en] | Anvil Time: 00:28, Jul 13 2026