Harmony Session 26: Homecomings

Home at last, The Suckhole Six made it back to Echwink's Landing in the late morning. Where once a quiet camp sat, a growing settlement now buzzed. Dozens of unknown faces passed by on their business until Dockmaster Pyotr stopped to greet our heroes. He agreed to inform Echwink Expeditions of their return and agreed to take Fingol Leadbelly along to check in with Walden and start unpacking his 30-year capitivity. The dwarf thanked the Six profusely, knowing that he could never really justify the loss they suffered, but that he would do what he could to make it worth something. With that, our heroes proceeded to the new-and-improved Windblown Guildhall to report in.  

To Friends Old And New

  Entering the brick-and-mortar Windblown guildhall was unreal for the wilderness-bound adventurers. Rugs, tables, chairs, and even a fully hee-haw stocked bar decorated the main chamber as several doors hid other rooms beyond. At a table near the back, Minty worked on guild paperwork while talking with a very cool looking dragonborn adventurer. After the Six reported their "success" and subsequent loss of Pilgrim, Minty immediately assigned the newcomer to the Suckhole Six.   This was Ennosigaeus (Enno to his friends), student of Rieta's and agent of the mapmakers of Deneir's Refuge. The barbarian had made a spiritual connection with Ferrous Forest and communed with the megafoots, though he had not known that was what they were at the time. With Volthen's map recovered, his insight would be invaluable for what was next to come. After all, as illustrated by Dr. Malachai's toast and Zoran's improvised jig, Enno had some big shoes to fill.   The Rebuilt Six's next stop was the Echwink Tabernacle, now much bigger with its attached barracks (for the all-Alerki Windblown squad now known as His Masons). The resident adventurers were not at home, but that was all the better, for Azarki had some depressing news to deliver. When the Six found Whisper Darren, he was in quiet conversation with a haggard looking man in burnt red robes. Under the Whisper's care, the First Expedition survivor recovered from the cockatrice cave had finally awoke from his weeks-long coma. Initially excited to share the news with his returning friends, Darren soon dismissed the man when he noticed Pilgrim's absence. The boy took the news of Pilgrim's death with a stoic reservation. He did not lash out at the Six but quietly excused himself to go compose a message to send home. The incense-soaked air of the temple suddenly seemed claustrophobic in the boy's absence and the Six took their leave.   Outside, the formerly comatose suspected cultist was staring longingly at the smoking volcano in the distance. Happy for the distraction, the ever-inquisitive Malachai asked the man if he was planning a trip. He slowly turned his head toward the maizegrown as a massive grin split across his face. With realization, his eyes lit up and he gleefully responded: "A PILGRIMAGE!" That was more than enough to massively creep everyone out, but Gorr still managed to ask the man his name. "Jhohn" he replied, but before he could speak more, Whisper Darren came out of the temple to escort him back inside.  

Moving Day

  Next stop was Deneir's Mission so they could check in with Rieta and Enno could grab his belongings. Rieta regarded Volthen's map with a strange sadness, remarking that she new the man's father who had shared a similar obsession. She waxed poetic for a moment about the map not even being truthful yet claiming so many lives, hinting at a more profound consideration of her role here on Vardura. She encouraged the group turn the map in through official channels and that she looked forward to spending more time with it. She then dismissed Enno to his new charge and returned to her work.   With that, the Six went about some personal camp business.   Enoch headed over to the Woodsman where Fran Zetlevik was hard at work. Scattered about the area were new crates filled to the brim with tools, supplies, and materiel. All were being unpacked by purple-and-silver clad workers and overseen by a very imposing man who regarded Enoch with a curious eye. The wizard could plainly see that Fran had received some support from her homeland of Gatt, the country Enoch's Sernovia had been at war with for 30 years. Fran greeted Enoch with a hug and immediately bombarded him with details on her progress. As an afterthought, she introduced Enoch to the newcomer: Zigourney Zetlevik, her uncle and owner of the very well-appointed ship moored in the bay. The two shook hands without offering anything else before Fran pulled Enoch away to work on the Woodsman.   Azarki took the opportunity for some self-reflection, heading up to the hill overlooking the Singing Bay where a new shrine to Xun stood. He knew that tomorrow morning, his friends would be here holding services for Pilgrim. Azarki couldn't help but wonder if he had failed not only to save his friend, but in his service as a cleric of exigency. Shouldn't he have been the one to sacrifice himself for everyone else? How could he have let Pilgrim do that?   He reached out to Kharlo the Catalyst, feeling a surge of power fill himself and explode out across the bay. A low rumble of thunder answered as a bank of dark clouds began to quickly form on the horizon. A rough voice muttered from the other side of the shrine as Kharlo stepped out onto the hill clad in a dirty apron and smoking a terrible smelling cigar. "It ain't about sacrifice, mate," Kharlo offered, trying to help Azarki understand that his role was to see opportunity, identify power, understand the consequences, and see. What happens after, the means of the exigent solution, is Azarki's to own. There was no failure here, and Pilgrim certainly would have no need of Azarki's guilt. What Kharlo did express was that the cleric held a great responsibility in holding knowledge of the potential and the power in using it to whatever advantage he saw fit.   For example, what would Azarki do knowing that the storm growing on the horizon came for him? The God of Exigency promised his acolyte that it would be a wild night.   Further inland, Zoran and Enno got acquainted with the newly built barracks. Enno staked out his preferred bunk while Zoran essentially conducted a job interview. In the end, the resident beat-stick of the adventuring crew welcomed his new companion with a rousing handshake fight, which Zoran won handily. Enno took the gesture not as a threat, but as a challenge to live up to the man he was replacing. Satisfied he delivered the message, Zoran excused himself to the training yard. There, he found Kit Portirsdottir, an adventurer from Skint Republic who was very vocally suspicious of His Masons led by Captain Njord Baldwin. The two had a pleasant exchange, with Kit challenging Zoran to a friendly sparring match later in the week.   Just north of the barracks on the edge of the wood, Gorr visited his local garden. Shogo vu Chullat had constructed a modest druid's hut here and helped cultivate and tend to the growth. Among the swangoes and bluefruits was a curiously pearlescent berry no larger than a pea. Gorr sampled some of these (yum!), pocketed a few more, then proceeded inside to check in with Shogo. The druid was working over a bubbling cauldron when the swampkin entered. Shogo asked Gorr to deliver a "tale of the land," directly into the cauldron. Upon doing so, his words became animated in the swirling liquid and illustrated his story with supposed accuracy. Curious details appeared in the animations that Gorr did not know. He saw the megafoot enslaved by the Vardurans as beasts of burden and war, forced to battle with giants. He saw the detailed cycle of death and rebirth of The Ashlands, and knew that many souls from the First Expedition were trapped there, fueled by a great forge burning beneath the earth. He saw the 1,000-Legged Queen trapped again in the darkness below the world, raging and resplendant as she hovered over her teeming centipedinal brood, her giant instectoid wings beating a song of revenge. And he saw the eastern edge of Ferrous Forest where it suddenly broke to a vast and barren desert that stretched for miles.   When Gorr came out of his storytelling trance, Shogo explained that he was able to produce this affect by channeling The Evervoice. He said you could find hidden messages in those melodies, secrets within the harmonies... should one learn to listen. Gorr left Shogo then with a trio of swampbreath swangoes and a warning about the psychadelic effects of the starberry he ate from the garden.   Dr. Malachai touched base with the Bari Historical Society. Their new construction had mimicked the BHS building in Awa City, with even several artifiacts displayed on plinths in the lobby. Malachai was greeted by Olga Featherstream before being ushered in to see Curator Quyora and deliver his report. She was very interested to hear about the map, especially if there were any denoted cities or palaces on it. They spoke briefly about what Malachai had learned about the Evervoice and the Forest before Quyora informed Malachai he had made the "Director's List". This esteemed club of adventurers were published in the BHS' newsletter as notable scholars hand-picked by Director Marvon Mosswater himself. Additionally, she gave him more bullets for his revolver and an automatic reloading clip. With the promise of further instruction later in the week, the Curator bid Malachai good evening and he left for dinner.  

Rainsongs

  That evening's meal was a quiet affair in the Windblown Guildhall. Few of the adventurers were in camp at the moment, so it was mostly the Suckhole Six and some stragglers. Zoran played some pleasant dinner music while Ivin Ivinson delivered a heartfelt, if brief, toast to Pilgrim. Azarki popped in for a moment, but only to grab some grub and return to his post on the hill. It wasn't long until that vigil was proven necessary, as the encroaching storm brought more with it than rain and lightning. During an extended flash, Azarki saw something strange. It appeared that six small figures, nothing more than silhouettes, were slowly approaching across the Singing Bay. None swam, each strode confidently and impossibly across the surface and straight toward Echwink's Landing.   Azarki leapt into action and cast find steed to quickly run back to town. The cleric cried, "Fuckery's Afoot!" as he ran through the camp, garnering the attention of the diners in the Guildhall. Azarki then headed toward the shoreline to face the coming threat.   Sat atop his spectral steed and facing the coming storm, Azarki felt strange. Like he had been here before. When Kharlo appeared next to him, he was quietly humming. He told Azarki that he could, exigently, find power with the Evervoice. That all he had to do was reach out. Azarki considered for a second before joining Kharlo in his wandering hum. The power hit him suddenly and the incoming storm stopped dead in its tracks before... shifting. Azarki was all of a sudden no longer himself. He was clad in golden armor adorned with the symbol of the Evervoice. He still held a shield in one hand, but it was no longer his own. In the other hand, however, he held an incarnation of divine power itself. He held Instrument, the ancient-old mythical weapon recovered and reassembled by the Vastblasters to defeat the titan Vo'ku'a and save the Drembari Isles. The act had claimed Kharlo's life but destroyed both the weapon and Vo'ku'a for good, but this vision of the past showed that at some point in its storied history, Instrument was possessed by a Varduran hero.   In the replayed vision, Azarki felt the hero open his mouth and scream a challenge into the tumult of black cloud and thunder:     In the vision, the storm paused as if in consideration before a voice of thunder rumbled a response: I ACCEPT and a massive winged beast of storm and thunder emerged from the clouds to face the challenger on the beach.   Echwink's Landing snapped back into reality with a crash of real thunder. Azarki looked around and saw Kharlo gone, but the storm still fast approaching. He had been given another moment of holy exigency and discovered a snippet of information forgotten to the ages that, if invoked, could very well cause Kogos to stop dead in his tracks. Without another thought, Azarki spread his arms and recited the rite as the Varduran of the past had done.   The advancing figures stopped immediately, the rain froze in the air, the wind ceased... but the clouds still roiled in anger. The lead figure let out what sounded like a frustrated grunt and responded with a voice that boomed like thunder, "Hmph. We nearly forgot that rite. Very well, Azarki Choicemaker. Kogos accepts. I am Uul Vaststepper. Name the number of champions."   Azarki turned and saw his companions rushing to their friend's aid against unknown dangers. Even the brave Enno was there. Azarki turned back toward the beast and said, "6."   "Very well," said Uul through an obvious grin. Lightning arced across the sky and Azarki returned briefly to the Varduran vision on the beach. The hero raised Instrument, the massively powerful relic known to kill titans, in a brave challenge. With a flash, the beast of the clouds rushed toward him, a giant scythe of boiling black clouds snapping down into the sand at the hero's feet. The thunder of the creature's attack rushed to catch up, and the body of the Varduran hero fell to the ground with the crash, split in twain. Kogos finished the vision the Evervoice shared with Azarki with a boom of thunder, making sure he knew the failure of the heroic in the face of a God's will.