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The chronicles of Team Big-hearted And Determined (B.A.D.)
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<blockquote data-quote="Echolocation" data-source="post: 8865357" data-attributes="member: 7011911"><p><strong>Session 89</strong></p><p><em>Courtesy of Naomi's player</em></p><p></p><p>Having acquired the Lost Arc of Reida and returned to Sentosa, Team BAD and their bodyguard spent a lazy evening of drinking, sleeping, and handing out cryptic soul-shattering revelations to their resident phantom.</p><p></p><p>Y’know: normal stuff.</p><p></p><p>The morning was just as slow, with John and Naomi chatting over hot drinks about meditation and smutty romance novels. They eventually decided to find Lisandra, but knocking on her door yielded no reply. Likewise yelling and roaring. Undeterred, Naomi picked the lock while John looked the other way.</p><p></p><p>They found Lisandra at the tail end of a spirit communion, gathering details on the weretiger attack at Vigil Longis. Apparently the Clergy were all dead - or soon to be - while the weretigers had only lost a few warriors. Left to their own devices though, it seemed they wouldn't be posing a significant threat to the local eladrin. And on the bright side: the Clergy wouldn’t have received reinforcements from Crisillyir anyway! So we'd just turned their war of attrition into a quick, easy massacre.</p><p></p><p>Nice of us, right?</p><p></p><p>…Consciences unassuaged, we asked one final question: were the visions at Ingatan’s Refuge true? The answer was simple: 'as much as any prophecy'.</p><p></p><p>Which totally means we get to meet Rock Rackus again in the far future! Gosh dang, I can't wait.</p><p></p><p>Curiosity satisfied, we headed for Kasvarina’s cottage. Asrabey was gruff, Kasvarina grateful, and Kieran completely ignored. The Once-lost-now-found Arc hovered peacefully over Kasvarina’s head as she donned it, transmitting the location of a nearby memory. Since it seemed to be in Sentosa itself, Asrabey agreed to accompany us before he left for the Court.</p><p></p><p>Lisandra quizzed him on the way about Kieran the half-elf scholar's fate. Apparently he’d be staying here in Kasvarina’s absence, like an abandoned house pet - although Asrabey offered to let Lisandra take him instead. The oracle graciously declined on grounds of Kieran being “too weaselly” for her taste.</p><p></p><p>The Arc led us to a tall house, owned by an elderly eladrin who refused us entry until Naomi browbeat him into submission with Asrabey’s name. The eladrin’s protests about his “oat soup” burning on the stove were cut off by the Arc transforming his living room: furnishings changing to lavish decor as Kasvarina and Asrabey’s outfits likewise shifted.</p><p></p><p>The married couple strode into position like clockwork puppets: acting out a centuries old conversation as the rest of us watched - including a very confused homeowner.</p><p></p><p>Past Asrabey was uncharacteristically angry, encouraging Kasvarina to return home to Ushanti to rally their forces against the humans - humans who all deserved to die. Kasvarina cut him short to give him a different mission: going to the Unseen Court in Risur to offer his services as a warrior. To serve the fey so that they might someday serve Elfaivar in a time of need. Without a trace of regret, she told him that this mission would take a long time, and they’d likely never see each other again.</p><p></p><p>Asrabey agreed after a moment, but requested one last night in his wife’s arms, only to be rebuffed. Kasvarina noted that she was going to Resal to pay her respects to their daughters, and then left, falling asleep in a separate room as the two spent their last night together in centuries alone.</p><p></p><p>Asrabey was obviously displeased as he regained control of himself, and announced he was leaving, although he took Naomi aside first and promised her certain death if Kasvarina died. Both “in this life and the next”.</p><p></p><p>With the angry enforcer out of the way, we decided to replay the memory for practice, this time trying to keep Kasvarina lucid and aware of herself, rather than being subsumed by her past self's actions. John frogmarched the protesting homeowner outside for a garden tour, and Lisandra and Naomi accompanied Kasvarina back into memory.</p><p></p><p>The eladrin immediately fell into the same puppetlike state as before, but Naomi snapped her out of it by making a lewd remark about Asrabey undressing for bed. Thus aware, Kasvarina managed to relive the rest of the memory with a clearer mind and keener awareness of events. Her newfound clarity left her deeply concerned…</p><p></p><p>She’d been so… cold in the memory. So devoid of love. How could she have married a man she didn’t love?</p><p></p><p>Lisandra assured her that politics and personal gain are just as common reasons for marriage as love, but the eladrin didn’t seem satisfied. She let it slide though, noting that the Arc was indicating another memory nearby. We collected John from his surprisingly pleasant garden conversationand left the homeowner to his burnt porridge.</p><p></p><p>The second memory proved to be at Sentosa's central pyramid, where Matriarch Athrylla and her advisors were holding court. The matriarch's guards were alarmed to see Kasvarina's surroundings warping as she climbed the pyramid, but Athrylla recognised what was happening and told them to stand down. Once again, Kasvarina fell into the clockwork mechanics of the past, but this time Lisandra snapped her back to awareness with a shout.</p><p></p><p>Memories of eladrin soldiers and a famous war hero followed the eladrin as she strode toward the summit, greeting Athrylla and a memory-matriarch sat there.</p><p></p><p>Their welcome was warm enough, but when Kasvarina explained that her daughter had been abducted by a dragon and she sought their aid, Athrylla abruptly broke script by trying to yank the Arc off Kasvarina’s head. Kasvarina tumbled to the ground, screaming as the memory shattered around her and broke a little of her mind too.</p><p></p><p>Athrylla apologised but was adamant that Kasvarina shouldn't see what had happened next, and it was only with careful diplomacy that Team BAD convinced her otherwise.</p><p></p><p>The memory restarted - this time with Kasvarina managing to maintain lucidity all on her own - and played out uninterrupted. Kasvarina greeted the matriarchs, explained her daughter’s abduction, and asked for aid. The third matriarch promised to help personally, but Athrylla hesitated before simply offering troops in her stead, and though Kasvarina accepted, the betrayal was clear on her face after the memory ended.</p><p></p><p>“Athrylla, why did you not join me?”</p><p></p><p>“I… thought something was amiss, but I did not speak up.”</p><p></p><p>Athrylla explained that she’d suspected a trap, and had been proven right when the matriarch who agreed to go with Kasvarina betrayed her, instigating the death of Kasvarina’s daughter and very nearly Kasvarina herself.</p><p></p><p>After some painful consideration, Kasvarina informed Athrylla that she didn’t blame her, and the Sentosan matriarch let out a long-held sigh of relief.</p><p></p><p>In the wake of those emotions, Athrylla offered us any information she might offer on locations we were considering taking Kasvarina, as well as the use of Sentosa’s teleportation circles. We thanked her and retired to consider our options.</p><p></p><p>Which is where we find ourselves now: with a list of possible locations Kasvarina could have been, and a tentative plan to explore her personal memories first before working up to Obscurati related things. Hopefully that way she can build some mental fortitude before facing the worst of what she's done.</p><p></p><p>But when chased by a world-spanning organisation of murderous philanthropists, is anywhere truly safe? And even if the Obscurati don't intercept us as we drag Kasvarina all over the world, can we keep her safe from herself?</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Echolocation, post: 8865357, member: 7011911"] [B]Session 89[/B] [I]Courtesy of Naomi's player[/I] Having acquired the Lost Arc of Reida and returned to Sentosa, Team BAD and their bodyguard spent a lazy evening of drinking, sleeping, and handing out cryptic soul-shattering revelations to their resident phantom. Y’know: normal stuff. The morning was just as slow, with John and Naomi chatting over hot drinks about meditation and smutty romance novels. They eventually decided to find Lisandra, but knocking on her door yielded no reply. Likewise yelling and roaring. Undeterred, Naomi picked the lock while John looked the other way. They found Lisandra at the tail end of a spirit communion, gathering details on the weretiger attack at Vigil Longis. Apparently the Clergy were all dead - or soon to be - while the weretigers had only lost a few warriors. Left to their own devices though, it seemed they wouldn't be posing a significant threat to the local eladrin. And on the bright side: the Clergy wouldn’t have received reinforcements from Crisillyir anyway! So we'd just turned their war of attrition into a quick, easy massacre. Nice of us, right? …Consciences unassuaged, we asked one final question: were the visions at Ingatan’s Refuge true? The answer was simple: 'as much as any prophecy'. Which totally means we get to meet Rock Rackus again in the far future! Gosh dang, I can't wait. Curiosity satisfied, we headed for Kasvarina’s cottage. Asrabey was gruff, Kasvarina grateful, and Kieran completely ignored. The Once-lost-now-found Arc hovered peacefully over Kasvarina’s head as she donned it, transmitting the location of a nearby memory. Since it seemed to be in Sentosa itself, Asrabey agreed to accompany us before he left for the Court. Lisandra quizzed him on the way about Kieran the half-elf scholar's fate. Apparently he’d be staying here in Kasvarina’s absence, like an abandoned house pet - although Asrabey offered to let Lisandra take him instead. The oracle graciously declined on grounds of Kieran being “too weaselly” for her taste. The Arc led us to a tall house, owned by an elderly eladrin who refused us entry until Naomi browbeat him into submission with Asrabey’s name. The eladrin’s protests about his “oat soup” burning on the stove were cut off by the Arc transforming his living room: furnishings changing to lavish decor as Kasvarina and Asrabey’s outfits likewise shifted. The married couple strode into position like clockwork puppets: acting out a centuries old conversation as the rest of us watched - including a very confused homeowner. Past Asrabey was uncharacteristically angry, encouraging Kasvarina to return home to Ushanti to rally their forces against the humans - humans who all deserved to die. Kasvarina cut him short to give him a different mission: going to the Unseen Court in Risur to offer his services as a warrior. To serve the fey so that they might someday serve Elfaivar in a time of need. Without a trace of regret, she told him that this mission would take a long time, and they’d likely never see each other again. Asrabey agreed after a moment, but requested one last night in his wife’s arms, only to be rebuffed. Kasvarina noted that she was going to Resal to pay her respects to their daughters, and then left, falling asleep in a separate room as the two spent their last night together in centuries alone. Asrabey was obviously displeased as he regained control of himself, and announced he was leaving, although he took Naomi aside first and promised her certain death if Kasvarina died. Both “in this life and the next”. With the angry enforcer out of the way, we decided to replay the memory for practice, this time trying to keep Kasvarina lucid and aware of herself, rather than being subsumed by her past self's actions. John frogmarched the protesting homeowner outside for a garden tour, and Lisandra and Naomi accompanied Kasvarina back into memory. The eladrin immediately fell into the same puppetlike state as before, but Naomi snapped her out of it by making a lewd remark about Asrabey undressing for bed. Thus aware, Kasvarina managed to relive the rest of the memory with a clearer mind and keener awareness of events. Her newfound clarity left her deeply concerned… She’d been so… cold in the memory. So devoid of love. How could she have married a man she didn’t love? Lisandra assured her that politics and personal gain are just as common reasons for marriage as love, but the eladrin didn’t seem satisfied. She let it slide though, noting that the Arc was indicating another memory nearby. We collected John from his surprisingly pleasant garden conversationand left the homeowner to his burnt porridge. The second memory proved to be at Sentosa's central pyramid, where Matriarch Athrylla and her advisors were holding court. The matriarch's guards were alarmed to see Kasvarina's surroundings warping as she climbed the pyramid, but Athrylla recognised what was happening and told them to stand down. Once again, Kasvarina fell into the clockwork mechanics of the past, but this time Lisandra snapped her back to awareness with a shout. Memories of eladrin soldiers and a famous war hero followed the eladrin as she strode toward the summit, greeting Athrylla and a memory-matriarch sat there. Their welcome was warm enough, but when Kasvarina explained that her daughter had been abducted by a dragon and she sought their aid, Athrylla abruptly broke script by trying to yank the Arc off Kasvarina’s head. Kasvarina tumbled to the ground, screaming as the memory shattered around her and broke a little of her mind too. Athrylla apologised but was adamant that Kasvarina shouldn't see what had happened next, and it was only with careful diplomacy that Team BAD convinced her otherwise. The memory restarted - this time with Kasvarina managing to maintain lucidity all on her own - and played out uninterrupted. Kasvarina greeted the matriarchs, explained her daughter’s abduction, and asked for aid. The third matriarch promised to help personally, but Athrylla hesitated before simply offering troops in her stead, and though Kasvarina accepted, the betrayal was clear on her face after the memory ended. “Athrylla, why did you not join me?” “I… thought something was amiss, but I did not speak up.” Athrylla explained that she’d suspected a trap, and had been proven right when the matriarch who agreed to go with Kasvarina betrayed her, instigating the death of Kasvarina’s daughter and very nearly Kasvarina herself. After some painful consideration, Kasvarina informed Athrylla that she didn’t blame her, and the Sentosan matriarch let out a long-held sigh of relief. In the wake of those emotions, Athrylla offered us any information she might offer on locations we were considering taking Kasvarina, as well as the use of Sentosa’s teleportation circles. We thanked her and retired to consider our options. Which is where we find ourselves now: with a list of possible locations Kasvarina could have been, and a tentative plan to explore her personal memories first before working up to Obscurati related things. Hopefully that way she can build some mental fortitude before facing the worst of what she's done. But when chased by a world-spanning organisation of murderous philanthropists, is anywhere truly safe? And even if the Obscurati don't intercept us as we drag Kasvarina all over the world, can we keep her safe from herself? [/QUOTE]
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