Corrected the error... and without further ado...
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Homecoming
As the swirling mists of teleportation spun the party about, for the first time, there was no comment, no demand on Pyrion that his machine work properly. Instead, all voices were silent, as all minds were focused on the simple fact that they had survived.
They had gone through the Noisesome Vale, and taken on a powerful demon and a purple worm. They had stepped into the realm of the undead itself, and confronted Shaun’s vengeful brother. Then, they had survived being stuck between two enormous demonic armies bent on destroying each other (and consequently, the poor, unaffiliated party). Finally, they had managed to escape before Graz’zt, restored to his full power, could grab them.
True, Tess’ ‘issues’ with the infernal forces of the Nine Hells had yet to be resolved... the bard had realized that for most of her life she would likely be pursued by devils bent on vengeance. But none cared. They’d survived a close, entirely too personal encounter with a demon lord... and survived where likely millions before had not.
As the mists swirled into oblivion, the party, unsurprisingly, found themselves not in the hallowed halls of the Iskeldrun Palace... but in the midst of rolling fields, a dirt road stretching off in the distance. Above, there was a yellow sun... a hopeful sign that they were on the right world... possibly.
“Dammit!” Orion growled, “Not again!”
Siabrey gave an annoyed sigh. It seemed everything conspired that her reunion with Luke would be postponed... which annoyed her now especially. Her headache had already returned. “Where are we... anyone?”
“I got us out of Graz’zt’s grasp! Ok!” Pyrion snapped annoyed, “And I didn’t get a single demon head for my collection! Gah!” The gnome waved his arms around wildly in anger.
“Well, we should at least expect some accuracy!” Orion snapped in annoyance.
“How about we follow this road? We’ll run into someone eventually... and then we’ll find out where we are... or at least if we’re in the right world,” Shaun sighed. Yet more time away from Elenya... and the babies...
“Fine... though Pyrion, spend some time checking your machine over... please?” Siabrey asked as the party walked to the road. The fighter’s eyes were almost shut, and she stumbled slightly. Instinctively, she started counting days... and her pained mind came to a realization.
“Siabrey, you alright?” Tess asked, coming beside her friend worriedly. “Do you need any of the headache stuff I have? Its not much, but it’ll help some.”
“I... I’m fine,” the fighter gave a strange grin through the pounding of the headache, “though I will take you up on the medicine offer.”
Tess waited till they were a little further along, and hung back with the fighter, slightly away from the others, before hissing a question to her.
“Siabrey? Are you?”
“Umhm,” the fighter, feeling a little better now, gave a nod. “Keep it quiet though... I sorta want to surprise people...”
The bard nodded.
A rainstorm came overhead, and the party found themselves quickly slogging through a mud pit rather than a dirt road. After several hours, through the deepening gloom, they spotted an arrow, written in Common.
Vindercary it read, with the arrow pointing ahead.
“Well... someone here speaks Common at least,” Tess observed, with something of relief. “Let’s head there... at the very least, we can get a room for the night.”
The place called Vindecary turned out to be little more than a hamlet... ten houses, a granary, and a small tavern/inn. As the party trudged through the muddy streets, they noticed stares... many directed at Siabrey. A few men, dressed as farmer’s looked at them hard from the side. The party could hear them muttering words to each other as they saw Siabrey, before an audible, “nah!” came from their mouths.
When they walked into the tavern, the innkeeper, behind the bar, immediately stopped what he was doing, his eyes very wide.
“Ah...good man,” Tess motioned for him to come over, “how many spare rooms do you have this night?”
“I... ah... well... have... t...two,” he stammered, staring at Siabrey. “P...pardon me, miss... but are you the Sipner girl?” he said nervously.
“Yes...” Siabrey said slowly. This is good... means we’re in our home world. Its bad too... he’s going to blurt out in two seconds that the Empress is here, and all hell is going to break out... five... four... three... two... Siabrey winced.
“I KNEW it was you, m’lady!” the man shouted. At Siabrey’s wincing, he gave a smile. “I rode with your mother, to the Valley! That’s where I got this, from an orc!” he yanked his tunic to free one of his shoulders, were a large gash stared at them angrily. “They said you fought many things up there, m’lady, and I’d consider it an honor if a warrior of your renown would eat here! On the house! Ladies and gentlemen!” he called, pulling everyone’s attention to the front, “I present to you one of the finest warriors ever seen! Countess Sipner!” he bellowed. At the last part, it was Tess and Shaun that winced, while Siabrey gave a sigh of relief.
“Um.. no actually, her real title and rank-“ Shaun started before a sharp elbow from Siabrey caught him full in the belly.
“Thank you, friend innkeeper, you are too kind!” Siabrey forced a grin, even as Shaun gripped his stomach in pain. Thank Hieroneous... they don’t know yet! If he served in my mother’s ranks, we’re far from Iskeldrun... word likely hasn’t arrived yet, at least not to this tiny hamlet! But if he served in mom’s unit...
“We’re close to my home!” Siabrey suddenly jumped up in the air, and clasped the closest person – once again Shaun.
“What’d I do to get assaulted like this?” the rogue asked as she hugged him, jumping up and down.
“We’re close to home! I can take you there, and show you my old room, where I practice with swords!” Siabrey giddily announced. “And... and...” she raised a hand in added ecstasy, “mom has a very small but working teleporting chamber!”
“Don’t make her too happy... she suddenly becomes a fourteen year old,” Orion leaned towards the innkeeper with a grin. Just as he finished, the monk’s hand lashed out, and grabbed the scrambling Geoffrey. “Don’t let the halfling touch your stocks, he’ll drain them,” the monk added as Geoffrey began to whine.
The party discovered that night that the Sipner family manor was barely three days march to the south... one simply had to follow the road onward. At Siabrey’s insistence, the fact she was now Empress was kept quiet. “Otherwise I’ll be mobbed,” she groaned that night.
The next day, the party set out by foot, trudging through the now hardening roads. Despite knowing now where they were, their paranoid instincts remained, and they camped far off-road. The second night of their journey, Shaun spotted something on first watch.
“Hey... I think there are three wolves eyeing us,” the rogue elbowed Tess slightly as the bard went about waking people.
“Wolves? That’s odd. They normally don’t attack people,” Tess said matter of factly, as a downright hostile Geoffrey was awoken from his fitful sleep.
“Well, they’re coming towards the camp. They look very thin, Tess... I can see the bones on one almost,” the rogue said, arrows already fitted into his bow. With a grunt, Siabrey was now up, by their side.
“What is it?” the fighter slurred as her mind pushed the last webs of sleep away. When Tess and Shaun pointed out the two wolves, she looked confused as well till Shaun pointed to their boniness as they edged up, now only thirty feet away.
“They’re merely hungry, don’t kill them,” Siabrey said. “That’s the only reason they’re so close to us.” Just as she finished her analysis, the three leapt into the camp, charging directly for Tess, Shaun and Siabrey.
Without thinking, Tess sent sonic screeches towards the wolf headed towards her, and it exploded into pieces that drenched the party yet again. A single shot from Shaun dropped the wolf headed towards him, while Siabrey, with the flat of her blades, knocked the last wolf unconscious.
“You killed them!?” the fighter complained at seeing the two other wolfish corpses. “They didn’t need to die!” I spent the last 7 years of my life before this mess taking care of people’s wolf, sandhog, and other vermin problems! They were merely hungry, and smelled our food!
“Like you said, they were hungry... and if we let them go,” Tess walked over, and slashed the throat of the remaining wolf, “they would likely attack some other, less prepared travelers along this road.”
“Hey, Pyrion,” Shaun nudged the gnome, who was still looking in shock at the wolves dropped before he could even draw a pistol, “you could get a wolf head to get stuffed. I think I’m going to get a pelt and have a coat made out of it.”
“Eww,” Tess announced everyone else’s opinion.
At midday the next day, the party, covered in blood, dirt, grime and grit, walked up through the village of Fairhaven, towards the large stone structure beyond.
Their destination wasn’t a castle... or a keep even. A massive stone house... perhaps thirty rooms on two floors, was the dominating feature. A single, three story tower rose from one corner of the house. Merging with the house on two sides was a long wall, about eight feet high. The wall formed to the house’s front a large courtyard, which had stables, an armory, small chapel, and other noble amenities along its inside. The gate to get in itself was a small gatehouse, about two stories tall.
As they approached, Siabrey recognized the two men standing on either side of the gate, their grey hairs wisping in the wind over their crimson Sipner House armor. They were the same pair that had guarded the gate since Siabrey’s childhood.
“Elgar, Mystral!” she called as she approached, and immediately the two men were walking forward, squinting.
“Elgar, who is that?” one muttered, fumbling in his pouch. To the party’s mirth, he pulled out a pair of spectacles and fumbled around till they were perched precariously on his nose.
“I don’t know, but the whole lot of them look dirty,” the other man croaked in his elderly voice. “Halt, who goes there!” he called, trying to sound menacing, but failing miserably.
“Hey, that’s my line,” the other old man complained, and a low, muttering war of words erupted between the two.
“You mean you don’t recognize your own Siabrey?” the fighter stepped forward. Both men stopped muttering and cursing lowly at each other, and squinted again. The one with spectacles then let an enormous grin fill his face.
“By golly molly it is!” he grinned, showing only three teeth. “Mystral! Its young Lady Sipner!”
“Give me your spectacles, you old fool!” the other one snapped, and for several more minutes there was fumbling around. Once the spectacles were perched on Mystral’s head, he too grinned.
“By golly you’re right for once! Lady Sipner!” he shouted.
Siabrey immediately launched herself at the two, grabbing them in a joint bearhug. As a window from the upper floor of the manor opened, and a familiar head of multi-colored hair peeked out, the one named Elgar muttered quietly, “You are so dirty... your mother will be so mad! We told you to stop playing in mud pits, young lady!”
“These were no mud pits,” she smiled back at the senile old men.
“So... you fought all of this, and evaded Graz’zt HIMSELF?” Stodiana Sipner said, her eyes wide. As the party ravenously ate from the fresh fruit and cooked boar the noblelady had ordered set up for them, they all nodded eagerly.
“Yeth, mutha,” Siabrey spoke around a piece of boar... far better than the trail rations she’d been forced to subsist on for most of the previous six weeks. She wanted to say more, but her food conspired against her, and she held up her hand.
“I have to say, that’s quite... I can’t pick a word...” Stodiana said in a hushed awe.
“Now, mom? I have a question,” Siabrey said, her mouth now more clear of food, “Can I give everyone a tour of the place... show them where I grew up and stuff?” I wish Lucius was here... he can just get the tour later on, I suppose.
“Yes... but you all look like, and act like, you’ve been starving! Eat!” Stodiana commanded as she rose, “Drink! You all deserve it!”
Siabrey alone caught the momentary look of mischief in Stodiana’s eyes as Lady Sipner rose and started to leave the room. Her stomach was growling too much to let her get up and protest whatever her mother was going to do... so she grabbed a fistful of strawberries and cantelope.
Siabrey’s mother returned an hour later, as the party sat, happily full and now sleepy. Dully, Siabrey noted the look in her mother’s eyes, but when the elder woman’s face broke into a snickering grin, the fighter’s curiosity got the best of her.
“Mom,” Siabrey said the all knowing tone, “what did you do?” she crossed her arms.
“Oh, nothing,” Stodiana said in a tone of innocence, “save teleport really quick to Iskeldrun and let a few people know you’ve returned.”
“Oh,” Siabrey said, surprised that her mother was worked up over something so mundane. “Good. We’ll probably head there tomorrow. Luke is probably worried sick,” the Empress said, her voice drifting off.
“He was. He should be here in about five minutes,” Stodiana giggled.
“WHAT?!” Siabrey rocketed up out of her chair. I’m covered in mud, dirty, blood, grime! I’m not in any condition to see him! I need to wash! I need to get perfumed!
“He and one Elenya Dice are going to teleport here in... about four minutes now,” Stodiana laughed. Shaun was now out of his seat. Unlike the worry in Siabrey’s eyes, his were full of joy.
“Here!? Elenya’s coming here!?” he asked hopefully, before pumping his fist.
“Mom! I need to get washed! Four minutes! It’s not enough time!” Siabrey complained. Stodiana frowned for a second, and Tess suddenly jumped in.
“Here... let’s kick out the boys, and get you cleaned up. Madame Sipner, are there some sponges and a bucket? We can work together and get her a rough sponge-bath to clean her up some.” The bard then winked at Siabrey. “Wouldn’t want you too clean... after all, you need another trip to the bathhouse.”
“Quiet, Tess,” Siabrey blushed a shade of deep red and grinned.
“Aww!? I get denied again?” Shaun issued a loud, mock complaint as he found himself pushed out of the dining room and into the hallway beyond. With a whump the door closed...
...and the males could now here three sets of footfalls from the hall around the corner. Quick footfalls... hurried footfalls.
Before anything could really be said, Elenya, Luke and a Pell in elven form burst around the corner. Elenya, her belly now distinctly protruding, gave a shriek and ran up to Shaun, grabbing him in a massive hug, before delivering a deep kiss on his lips.
“Mmm... you smell wonderful,” the rogue smiled at his bride.
“Despite the fact you smell like a pig, I suppose you smell decent,” she grinned, running a hand along her face. “My nose is offended, but my eyes and my heart are overjoyed,” she smirked.
That’s my gal, witty as ever, Shaun grinned, kissing her again, before a hand grabbed his shoulder. He turned, slightly annoyed, to see Luke looking at him.
“Where’s Siabrey?” he asked, his voice worried. “She’s not hurt, is she?”
“Not unless you count being dirty, no,” Shaun grinned. “She’s on the other side of that door. The girls are getting-“ the rogue stopped when Luke began knocking hard on the door, demanding to be let in. Seeing that the distraction of the Emperor had been dealt with, Shaun returned his attention to holding Elenya close. Only a few minutes later, the two had snuck off to be alone. After all... Shaun had been on ‘rations’ the better part of two months, and with the story Elenya had heard of what had happened, Elenya thought he deserved a little more than her company...
“What was that?” Siabrey looked up nervously at the shriek of joy that came from the hallway.
“I think Elenya found Shaun,” Tess remarked dryly.
“If Elenya’s there...” Siabrey started, just as the door echoed from someone pounding on the other side. Luke’s voice came through, asking to be let in. “Quick! Trousers!” Siabrey shouted again, putting them on when they were handed to her. Another set of pounding echoed from the door, and Siabrey halted her grab for her tunic top.
“Nah... he’s seen this!” she said, leaping up from her chair and dashing to the door. As another set of pounding came through, she yanked it open.
And a shocked looking Luke stared back at her.
“Love!” she screeched, leaping forward and knocking him down. The water from her bath also made his clothes wet... which she considering momentarily as rather sad. The clothes looked like Imperial finery... he’d probably cut short a meeting of some kind. Oh well... just means he’ll have to change she wanted to grin as she started kissing him.
“Room! Get a room!” she heard Tess’ voice call, and Siabrey sat up.
“Sit up, Luke,” she said, and after he’d done so, she took the outermost layer of his shirts and finery, wrapping it in herself. Luke laughed... it was clearly far too large for her, the sleeves hung some six inches past her hands.
“It doesn’t fit,” he hugged her tight, “and it still looks good on you!” He started to kiss her again, and was surprised to find her quickly breaking it off.
“Luke, I want you to do something for me, love.”
“Hm?”
“I want you to stand up... I have some news for you,” Siabrey grinned. She said it in the same teasing tone she’d told him many other things before... such as the need for heirs.
“Oh boy...” Luke stood up, “this should be interesting,” he rolled his eyes mockingly, before grinning at her.
“Fine! I won’t tell you the news!” Siabrey folded her arms in seeming anger, “Rations, Luke?” she brought up the old joke, and old threat. At the last statement, his face suddenly changed from mocking to very concerned. That alone was enough to make her start laughing... and Luke to grunt at her joke on him.
“What’s the news then, pranking one?” he raised an eyebrow.
“Well... there’s two pieces of news. The first,” she kissed him again, “has to do with us. I want you, later on, to take me upstairs, and I’ll give you a very personal tour of my bedroom.” She giggled when his smile became huge at the offer, and she pulled away from him slightly more.
“The other piece of news, love, is something I want you to take well,” she held his shoulder. “Okay?” Luke nodded, and with a sigh, Siabrey continued.
“Luke. I’m pregnant... about a month along,” she smiled.
Luke, for his part, rolled his eyes into the back of his head, and collapsed in a faint. Siabrey caught him halfway into his fall, and sat beside him, stroking his head until he awoke.
“W...what?”
“You’re going to be a daddy, Luke,” she smiled at him gently, kissing him on the forehead. “For a boy, I think Valaron would be a good name. For a girl... something like... Vintressa...” Siabrey looked off in the distance. When she looked back down, Luke still had a look of confused shock on his face. Siabrey laughed.
Tess watched as Pell pushed by the happy Imperial couple, and started walking towards her. A warmth grew in the bard’s heart at seeing him, and an enormous smile broke through her lips... a smile the former paladin echoed.
The two ran forward, and hugged. There were no passionate kisses, no near groping.... simple, yet strong hugs were all they needed. They knew how they felt, and they held each other for several minutes. Both of their hearts were joyous... and even happier that both Shaun and Siabrey were too busy greeting their own loved ones to start the teasing again.
“I’m so glad you’re safe,” Pell said quietly. “I went to Iskeldrun and waited along with Luke and Elenya... and well all waited, nervously...”
“I’m glad I’m back,” the bard said quietly, “and I’m glad you were among those waiting for me,” she grinned. The ex-paladin laughed, nuzzling her face gently.
“Well of course. Everyone else had a greeting party, and I thought the pretty bard deserved one as much as anyone else!” he chuckled. “I recieved word I head out on assignment again in two days. Until then, we have plenty of time to talk,” the angel smiled.
“And we have much to talk about,” Tess smiled back, “and I know I’ll enjoy your company.” She leaned forward, and the two hugged again... a bond neither wanted to break for a long time.
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And that is where the regular campaign ended. The next weekend was the last session... we ran a small "10 years later" game... which I shall post next. Many things happened in the succeeding ten years...
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