The Buddy System
The mountains and the river
13–15 Summer
Astarael leaves Vanja a note and supplies. Astarael and Talith remember a conversation from days before. Vanja is acting strangely, but none seems to mind, and she tries to flee into the forest when she steps away for some privacy. The party chases her down, before moving on toward the captured ship to rescue the crew.
Roux overhears Vanja using her magic to warn Deren about the approach of the party, but Roux and Talith keep this secret for Vanja as they reunite with the party. They scout the situation, but as they are making preparations Imago Weygarde dumps Easter’s cage into the river and the party springs into action.
The Temptation of Vanja (by Sen Souvannavong)Warbler becomes a giant eagle and drops Ethan into the water near the cage, while others move into position. Roux and Athelia implore the River Serpent for help, and she answers, breathing poison onto The Trident and crushing Deren Lake in her jaws, before tossing him ashore.
Vanja rushes to his dead body in a panic, and Vivian makes Vanja a final offer—not only the power to bring Deren back to life, but to bring back her dead mother, brothers, Madam Lovelace and all the brothel girls executed by Inquisitor Sylas after Deren turned them over to him—but in exchange for Vanja herself. Vanja rejects the offer and Vivian leaves Vanja along with the powers Stronger Alone and River of Blood.
Ethan's Campfire Synopsis
The next morning, as the group made preparations for their long day or travel, Vanja slipped away. Even after Roux assured him she had simply gone to relieve herself, Talith was very concerned. After several attempts to locate her and communicate (efforts both magical and mundane), it became clear that Vanja had indeed run away.
When the group finally caught up with her, Vanja was hiding, having magically transformed herself into a stone. Feeling the minutes slip away, likely imagining each one another moment with his crewmates at the mercy of the vengeful, belligerent drunkard, Avarian spearheaded the efforts to abandon the bizarre situation and resume their travels. Confused, frustrated, bewildered… a mixture of emotions were carried away as a majority of the party followed suit. Sav, Roux, Talith and Warbler remained, refusing to leave Vanja behind.
Sav, for her part, used a powerful magic to transmute the rock, painfully blasting the healer out of her granite form, simultaneously transforming and ejecting her body in an explosion of mud and pain. Shaking her head, Sav then left the others to catch up with the rest of the party.
Vanja revealed to Talith and Roux that she had been communicating with Deren through magic. She told them of her relationship with the Swan and begged each to spare his life. They agreed, offering her promises and reassurance in equal measure.
The party reconvened one mile out from the Swan fort just as Sav finished scouting the area. Her magic eye revealed the positions of the ships and soldiers as well as their prisoners. Easter, York and Garth were trapped inside metal cages dangled precariously over the side of the ship, their hands bound. If the ropes were cut, the men inside would most certainly drown. Imago Weygarde strutted drunkenly around the deck of the Beauty shouting words none of the party could yet hear, a bottle of wine in one hand and a dagger sharp enough to cut the rope in the other.
The party began to formulate a plan of attack. Roux revealed Vanja’s information and pleas without revealing her betrayal, keeping her admission a secret while working to uphold the promise he made her. Ethan and Sav began to question the information, tinged with hints of suspicion, but their efforts were interrupted. Just as the party finished the outlines of their attack strategy, Imago cut the rope of Easter’s cage, plunging the pirate into the dark depths of the night waters.
There was no time to plan or coordinate anything more. The group sprang to action, half circling the fort from the north side, the other around the south. Ethan and Warbler dashed straight towards The Beauty, Warbler flying the two of them over the buildings and dropping Ethan into the water to rescue Easter. He arrived just in time to thrust a potion into the drowning man’s hands; Easter would not drown on this day.
Roux and Athelia rode together on Somersault, sprinting towards the waters. Once she was close enough, Athelia pulled a song from the depths of her heart to sing out for the Great River Snek, beckoning its attention. The Snek heard her song and, having fulfilled their promise, it responded - aiding the heroes with the complete decimation of The Trident and everyone aboard, to include Deren Lake.
Vanja and Talith, chasing behind the impossibly swift Astarael, were stopped in their tracks as Deren’s broken body sailed across the night sky and collapsed lifelessly nearby. Talith was preparing to fight the encroaching enemies but Vanja saw only Deren.
Time slowed as the Vivian appeared, offering aid to Vanja one final time: The Suffering could bring back Deren; it would bring back everyone who Vanja lost - her brothers, her mother, the innocent girls murdered by the inquisitor as he coerced Vanja into submission. But in exchange, Vanja would have to offer herself; Vanja could save them all, at the cost of everything that she was.
Staring at the broken, bloodied body of the man who offered her his hand in marriage, her river magic impotently passing through his lifeless form in a vain attempt to save a soul that was already departed, Vanja made her choice: For all its promises, Vanja decided she trusted Talith more than the Suffering; she would not allow her body to be turned into a vessel to be used to harm others as Talith’s had, she said.
Her decision made, the Suffering departed, taking the gifts of strength it had bestowed upon Vanja with it. As time resumed its natural flow, Vanja stared down at the mutilated form of the only man she had ever loved, the chaos of battle muted by the grief of her loss. With The Suffering’s retreat, even if only for a moment, Vanja once again found herself alone.
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