Hollow Homecoming
| "Hollow Homecoming" | |||
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| Campaign 1 session | |||
| Session no. | Session 33 | ||
| Session date | July 23, 2022 | ||
| Timeline | |||
| Start date | January 11, 353 WSK | ||
| End date | January 11, 353 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 | |||
"Hollow Homecoming" (1x33) is the 33rd session of the first campaign of Itora.
The party advance to Cleiben to investigate Ricoril's feeling that disaster has affected his family. They find his sister comatose, with her soul simply missing - that is, until they track it down contained inside a powerful magic item to be awarded to the winner of an upcoming tournament.
Synopsis
Early in the morning, Sela gathers the party for Comet to teleport them to Cleiben. The party's mounts seem eager to get back on solid ground.
Before they depart, Gael hands out a trinket to each member of the party - a prototype of The Lark's called a Ring of Masks. This item will allow the party to communicate easier of long distances with each other and select contacts. Versa hands off the expensive statue of her likeness[1] to Magpie as a parting gift.
Arrival at Cleiben
Comet teleports the group to the outskirts northeast of Cleiben, between the river and the highway. Comet, unable to enter the city, hangs out in the nearby forest to await Sela's return. Sela uses Disguise Self to don her human visage and the group make their way to the city gates.
Inside the gates, they encounter a barker advertising an upcoming tournament. The group take some fliers, learning that it will take place in a few days time, but signups begin the next day, and are directed to the main booth in the market square if they have more questions. The party debate whether to check out the booth or visit Ricoril's family, ultimately deciding on the latter.
Casa del Ricoril
Ricoril knocks at the door to his family home, opening it promptly and announcing, simply, "I'm back". To his right, his mother Mirielda sits on the couch, knitting something, and appeared surprised. His brother, Norlamir, enters carrying some firewood, which he drops as he rushes in for a full bear hug. He experiences a range of emotions from surprise to joy to despair. He introduces himself to the rest of the group as Nori, telling them that they are welcome to make themselves as home, as he wishes to show Ricoril something in private.
The two walk down the hall, stopping just outside their sister's room. Nori turns to Ricoril, putting his hands on his shoulders, and tells him to brace himself for what he's going to find inside. He opens the door to reveal their sister, Yllzenya, laying still in her bed. Nori explains that a few days ago, they heard a thud in her room as the sound of her harp abruptly stopped. They found her laying on the floor, unresponsive to their calls but still breathing. They brought in several doctors, all of whom were baffled at her condition, describing it as the strangest coma they had ever encountered. They have not yet called in any priests, as they are wary they may push to read her her last rites and give up.
Nori asks Ricoril if anything in his travels could lend aid or if he had any trustworthy connections. He calls in the aid of Sela, who makes her way to the house. She performs the same ritual she did on Magpie, Pine, and Versa on Yllzenya, confirming that the body simply does not have a soul attached to it at the moment. She explains that it's incredibly difficult to find a soul if you weren't present during the rending, but that it's not too late to give up hope. She suggests visiting locations of great personal value to his sister in the hopes that such a connection would facilitate finding the wayward soul.
Sound of the Soul
Versa travels to the Mytharium to find ways to resolve the situation. Through a variety of scholarly religious texts, she finds that the most viable option is that of a seance.
Ricoril and Pine travel to the market square where Yllzenya spent much of her time busking with her harp. Pine Sends to the Lark.
- Pine: (via Sending) Do you know how to find souls after separation from a body? We think it’s either in a non-sentient object, bound to one, or floating?
The Lark: It’s more possible if you were involved in the separation. Otherwise, such matters are mostly divine.
Ricoril sits by the fountain in the middle of the square and attempts to focus. He allows all his senses to go dark, and manages to hear the voice of his sister calling out to him. As he reaches to make contact, Versa calls on the Ring of Masks, interrupting his focus. Meanwhile, Pine investigates a small crowd on the other side of the square who have amassed around a jester on a small stage. He decides to listen in, discovering that this jester is drumming up interest the upcoming Grand Tournament, revealing one of the grand prizes sitting on a weapon rack behind him - the Sword of Legends. This magical sword, he claims, possesses great latent power which would be granted only to a wielder deemed worthy.
Versa casts Message to the sword, initially receiving no response, but after a few attempts makes contact with someone seemingly trapped inside of it. After a few short exchanges, she confirms that it is in fact Yllzenya, and that she is currently unhurt and unharmed, but would very much like to be freed. Versa attempts to convince the jester to let the group borrow the sword, but is unilaterally rejected. Gael tries to use telekinesis, but is unable to move the sword from its stand, as it is secured with two immovable rods.
The group hatch a new plan - Gael changes masks to look like a random worker, while Versa casts Disguise Self to look like the jester. Gael convinces the Jester to walk off stage to take his lunch break, but he orders the guards to stand watch over the sword. Versa manages to put on a convincing impression of the Jester's voice as to not raise alarm as she approaches the sword. As she attempts to grab it, she encounters an invisible wall blocking her path. From afar, Pine throws a Dispel Magic at the wall to no effect, realizing afterwards that it is a Wall of Force that cannot be dispelled in such a way. A guard questions him on his reckless spellcasting, but he manages to produce some documentation from previous magical permits that satisfies the guard's inquiry. Though unsuccessful in obtaining the sword, the group's skills keep them out of trouble, leaving their only recourse to sign up for the tournament the next day.
Shopping and Downtime
The group begin to search for new gear to aid them in the upcoming tournament. Versa requests a divination cookie from the Bakery of Many, asking “Is there anything that will help us win this competition," and receiving a cookie of various complementary flavors working in harmony to create something greater than the sum of the ingredients.
As Versa works on her poisons in the backyard back at the Yeltsa homestead, she and Nori discuss Ricoril, himself, and their mother. Nori reveals that he knew about Versa's following, and wanted to make sure that his baby brother was following someone that would lead him on a good path.
Featured characters
Player characters
New
- Mirielda Yeltsa
- Norlamir Yeltsa
- Yllzenya Yeltsa
- Tournament Jester
Returning
Mentioned
Quotations
References
Art:
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