A Soul Returned
| "A Soul Returned" | |||
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| Campaign 1 session | |||
| Session no. | Session 42 | ||
| Session date | October 15, 2022 | ||
| Timeline | |||
| Start date | January 16, 354 WSK | ||
| End date | January 16, 354 WSK | ||
| Starring | |||
| Bean – Pine DMarty – Ricoril GuardianAngel – Gael Nixup – Versa and Bunnies as the Dungeon Master | |||
| Narrative chronology | |||
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| Session order | |||
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| List of Campaign 1 sessions | |||
"A Soul Returned" (1x42) is the 42th session of the first campaign of Itora.
The party decide they've had enough of this tournament and set their eyes on "borrowing" the sword to free Ricoril's sister's soul, then fucking off out of the city.
Synopsis
Fresh off their defeat, the members of Friend and Friends come to consciousness on the battlefield of the arena. Gael, panicked, changes to a mask to conceal their true form and races to the exit. Tallulah attempts to apologize but Gael gives the impression that now isn't the best time for that.
Favor for a Favor
With a few hours before the end-of-day tournament gathering, the group split up. Versa and Ricoril head to the library to aimlessly search for useful information. Versa steps out to contact Magpie about the situation, realizing that she had been trying to reach Versa for half an hour and she was not responding. Versa then decides to go straight to the Deserted to talk with The Clerk. Ricoril goes to follow her once he realizes she left the library, but upon seeing her enter a laundromat, decides to leave her to do her chores, heading back to the arena.
Entering the office, Versa announces that she needs help procuring the Sword of Legends. The Clerk replies that she's in luck and that they have obtained tip that may help her. The two barter over the terms of this exchange for a while, as Versa argues the party's actions at the warehouse benefited The Shrew, so the organization owe her a favor. Versa also argues that she should be able to keep the sword or the Deserted will owe her a favor. The Clerk refutes this, claiming that she and her group would not be able to stand up to the heat of a government pursuing them for theft of a legendary item.
In the end, the two come to an agreement. The Clerk presents the primary objective of stealing the sword, with a secondary objective to do so in a way that most humiliates the government and its guards. After the hit, Versa is allowed to use the sword as she sees fit, so long as it is returned to the Deserted. In exchange, Versa would to be given the entire file the Deserted have on her, as well as a meeting with The Shrew. Versa agrees to the terms.
Tree Talk
Gael heads out in search of a nice tree to hideaway in. Once perched, he tries to meditate and seek Cordelia for guidance. He hears a voice speak out to him, but quickly realizes that it is in fact Friend, who he left behind in the arena. The two spend time breaking down Gael's fears about the consequences of having their true face revealed on such a public stage. Eventually they also begin to gossip about the other members of the party and their assorted familiars and companions.
Dad Search
Pine sets out to find his dad's whereabouts, eventually finding himself at a bar to ask if anyone had seen someone of his description. He has a mildly therapeutic conversation with the human barkeep and a half orc patron, who both recognize him as a tournament participant. The barkeep had seen Pine's father, but early that morning, recalling that he came in, spoke to few, paid his tab and left. Pine also partakes of a 'Friend and Friends'-themed mixed drink called Furry Explosion.
End of Day Gathering
Pine and Ricoril are the first to arrive to the gathering. Tallulah, distraught, expresses her deep regret to Ricoril regarding the Moon Beam that forced Gael into his changeling form. She claims that in the heat of the moment of protecting Encyea, she didn't notice the effect it had before it was too late. He reminds her that Gael might be at a park, if she wanted to talk in person. She thanks him and goes to shake his hand, leaving a flower.
Versa arrives later and talks to Encyea about how she and Tallulah reconcile a relationship when their respective lifespans are so different. She tells Versa that it took years of coming to terms with it, but ultimately that life is worth living and that the decisions about what to do when someone is gone need not be decided when they are decades away.
Kal approaches Versa, saying that while it hasn't come to pass the way he expected, he's glad that there will finally be a match between her group and the Gloryseekers.
The group leave the gathering, with Tallulah in tow, to track down Gael, who they find in a tree. Tallulah finally gets her opportunity to apologize and offers her and her friends' assistance in the event Gael is targeted or in danger because of her careless actions. The party, in turn, reveal to Tallulah the true reason they entered the tournament - that Ricoril's sister's soul is trapped inside - and she offers to lend them the sword if the Devil Slayers win. Tallulah gives Gael a flower and takes her leave.
The Hit
With the group, Versa goes over the intel given to her by The Clerk. The notes detail the path that an envoy of carts will be traveling later that night. There will be several decoy carts, but each have distinct markings allowing them to target the one carrying the sword. The party walk the route, deciding that Versa will make the hit alone in the open square where dozens of people and other carts would be milling about.
After a short wait, the group eyes the covered wagon's approach. Versa slips into the back, alerting a guard sitting there. She immediately deploys an inhaled poison, afflicting him with Phantasmal Force. She tells him she needs help and there's something dangerous outside, lifting the curtain a bit. He runs out the back of the wagon to attack the threat, as Versa hears the faint sounds of clanging of metal on stone.
Searching through the cart, Versa discovers a decoy before finding the real sword, held in place by immovable rods. She deactivates them, but not before the wagon driver calls back to ask what the noise was all about. With great speed and agility, Versa nabs the sword and darts out the back before the driver gets there. She then decides to take up the reigns and attempt to drive the cart towards the river. She spooks the horses as they race forward. She uses her dagger to unhitch the horses, allowing them to veer off, and sending the wagon careening into the water. Versa deftly sticks the landing and races off into the night as the wagon sinks.
Versa races back to the Yeltsa household, casting Message to Yllzenya within the sword saying "Gotcha."
A Soul Returned
Versa presents the sword to Nori as the rest of the party catch up to her. With the rest of his party waiting outside, Ricoril gathers with his family in his sister's room. Laying the sword by her side, Yllzenya awakens with a start, and then promptly lays back down, exhausted and relieved, and grabs Ricoril's hand.
Outside, Versa, Gael, and Pine make food and discuss the merits of selling one's soul, as well as their next course of action with the sword. The debate whether it would be better to hand it back to the government or the Deserted, and ultimately decide that the Deserted are the better choice.
The rest of the group gives Ricoril the plate of food to bring to Yllzenya, who devours it without hesitation. The family debrief each other on what has happened in the last week. Nori attributes Ricoril's appearance and aid in their hour of need to an act of providence from the gods themselves. Ricoril sits alongside his silently crying mother, comforting her.
Dumping the Goods
Versa gently knocks on the door, which Ricoril opens, and asks for the sword back. Gael calculates how long it would take her to travel to, make the exchange, and return, claiming that he will come looking for her if she takes too long.
Versa dashes off into the night, immediately catching the attention of a guard who asks her to disclose the weapon she is carrying. He explains that there was a burglary and he is doing his due diligence and investigating any suspicious goings on. Versa refuses and runs away. Another guard catches her tail but she manages to lose them in an alley and find her way to the The Clerk.
She dumps the sword on the table unceremoniously and asks for her payment. The Clerk orders the guards to handle the sword and take it away. He then hands over the file to Versa and assures her that it was the only copy that was purchased between a couple hundred and a couple thousand gold. She leaves as quickly as she arrived and finds her way to an abandoned building to read the file.
Skimming, Versa finds the file to be incredibly comprehensive, detailing her life nearly in its entirety, including events both before her assumed death and since the formation of Friend and Friends. It describes several connected individuals, including members of the Vices and the Cult of Ire and the orphans in Safe Harbour. The notable information she finds is that the file only estimates her age within the range Versa already assumed, that her father's whereabouts and identity are unknown, and that her mother's identity is unknown but her whereabouts are traced to Blancgarten. She sets aside the papers containing new information.
Panicked by the idea of this information being known by unknown individuals, she contacts Magpie, alerting her that they may need to move the orphans for their own safety. Magpie offers to set course for Ockburn to help as Versa ends the call assuming that the noise she hears outside is a guard approaching. The door opens and Gael enters, seeing a fire-silhouetted Versa instinctively setting the rest of her file ablaze. The two discuss Afiqa's apparent betrayal, her deep ties to Versa, and how Versa plans to leave the city ahead of the rest of the group. She asks Gael to purchase the Versa statue she had eyed earlier in the tournament.
An Earned Rest
Returning to the Yeltsa household, the family are all asleep in Yllzenya's room together. Versa leaves a note for her, saying that she's sorry that this happened but she's happy she could help. She then packs her bags and leaves the city. The rest of the party rest soundly through the night. At the end of this rest, the party level up to Level 11.
Featured characters
Friend and Friends
Companions
New
Returning
Mentioned
Quotations
References
Art:
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