Wishful Thinking
| "Wishful Thinking" | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Campaign 1 session | |||
| Session no. | Session 50 | ||
| System | D&D 5th Edition | ||
| Session date | January 21, 2023 | ||
| Timeline | |||
| Start date | February 9, 354 WSK | ||
| End date | February 9, 354 WSK | ||
| Starring | |||
| Bean – Pine 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 | |||
"Wishful Thinking" (1x50) is the 50th session of the first campaign of Itora.
Executing on a plan to rescue their imprisoned ally, F&F make a daring escape from the Feywild.
Synopsis
The Plan
The group weigh a few potential plans.
- Go in Guns-Blazing, take the place by force, and leave with Morris.
- Act as Morris’s Lawyer, and if they lose the case, take the opportunity of her being out of the cell to leave with her.
- Use Gael's Djinn lamp Wish to teleport Morris to you all, then find the Lark’s portal home (while likely being chased by angry fey, but at least you have a head start)
- Use Gael's Djinn lamp Wish to teleport everyone except Gael out of the Feywild, leaving him to make his own way out to the Lark’s portal, alone.
- Prisoner exchange: Sela for Morris.
- Prisoner exchange: Versa for Morris.
- Fake Morris's to get her out of the cell to teleport her out.
In a self-sacrificial gesture, Gael votes for Option 4. Versa endorses Option 3, refusing to let Gael sacrifice himself. She and Pine also push for Option 6, another self-sacrificial gesture. Pine also weighs Option 2. Of the leading Options, 3 and 6, Sela suggests that 3 is the best course of action. After the Wish, Gael would call the Lark to have him open the artificial crossing, after which the party would, at Gael and The Lark's guidance, track down the crossing's Feywild location and travel home.
Execute The Plan
Filled with resolve, Gael rubs the lamp to summon the djinn inside. Pleased at the prospect of finally granting a Wish, the Djinn waits to entertain Gael's request.
| — Gael's Wish to the djinn
|
The djinn materializes in a nebulous cloud, decrees Gael’s wish as selfless, and the cloud explodes, enshrouding the area in sparkly smoke. As it dissipates, they notice the still body of Cynthia Morris, lying on the ground nearby. Checking on her, they find she is breathing but does not stir. Versa goes to wake her gently. Her eyes dart around, she takes one big breath and then keels over, hacking up a lung. Gael provides her with a bit of healing through a Cure Wounds.
As she regains her composure, the group realize that she is unable to speak. Versa questions her as to whether it was something she was forced to sacrifice, but Morris shakes her head, implying that it was simply a result of not speaking for a long while. Versa provides her with some food and drink as Gael contacts The Lark on his Ring of Masks. Excited at the prospect of testing the functionality of his new creation, he gets to work setting it up, and stays on the line with Gael to update him when it is running. Comet offers to help fly the group again, but realizes that he overdid his transformation yesterday, and is unable to do so today. Hearing sirens in the direction of the Summer Citadel, Sela assumes that the government has noticed their missing prisoner.
Mad Dash to the Crossing
Deciding that it's better to be moving than staying put, the party start traveling through the wilds away from the the city. Dodging a few patrols, the group navigates safely through the tall grass awaiting the Lark's instructions.
The moment The Lark confirms the portal is opened, Gael feels a chill on the back of his neck. His worst fear is realized - the crossing is back in the direction of the city. The group turn tail and, dodging more patrols, soon find themselves at the edge of the dense brush. In the distance, they see the Summer Citadel, still floating, but lower than before. To the right, high upon a hill cliff, Gael spots a glimmer - they've found their way home.
Rather than dashing across the open fields, the group keeps to the edge of the forest on their approach. Pine and Morris take the lead, followed by Sela and Comet, with Gael and Versa at the end. This, they decide, is the order the group should enter the crossing. From the back, Gael doesn't do a good enough job scouting which path to take up the hill, and subsequently eats shit on the way. Pine nearly loses his footing but Morris manages to catch him; Versa averts her gaze.
At the top of the hill, the group basks in the glory of this beautiful yet unnatural sight. Nearly 20ft across, the crossing holds steady; to Gael, though, it's obvious it's just clinging on. Pine and Morris are the first to head through, followed by Sela and Comet. Versa and Gael take the moment alone to talk about the recent events, how Versa is still upset for being pulled into this journey against her will. The two reach a relatively positive note, and head towards the portal.
Blink of an Eye
Before they are able to, however, a sudden, precise explosive noise sounds off behind them, and Gael falls to the ground. Moptop and his cadre of guards reveal themselves from the brush. He offers Versa a deal: Come quietly, and both she and Gael will live. A fair trade, he purports, for providing an exit from the realm for not one but two criminals. Versa, looking down at the injured Gael clutching his leg, refuses. Moptop cocks his gun to fire again.
An object floats down into Versa's view - a feather, not unlike her familiar's, though much larger than she remembered. Moptop looks up slightly as something crashes into him. The whole area is engulfed in dust and dirt, but after closer inspection, it's also ash and smoke. Emerging from the cloud are outstretched wings of pure flame. The cloud clears, revealing a massive phoenix standing above the charred body of Moptop - alive but unconscious. The creature roars at the remaining guards, who attempt to shoot it, only to have their bolts pass right through. They flee, leaving their superior behind.
The phoenix turns to Versa and approaches. While smaller than the one she encountered below the Summer Citadel[1], it still towers above her at nearly 10ft tall. The creature lowers its head and nuzzles itself against Versa's. Incredulous, Versa asks the creature whether they are Pyre, to which the bird caws in affirmation. It then combusts, coalescing its flame into a floating singularity, which then unravels and flows to Versa's shoulder. Cautiously looking, she realizes her Familiar tattoo has returned. She resummons Pyre, who then appears as his previous, smaller form.
Versa helps Gael to his feet, and the two limp through the crossing.
Tolltaker
Before materializing back home, the Tolltaker has a final meeting with each traveler. Versa and Pine are returned their respective minor toll offerings. Versa and Gael are independently presented with a problem; Morris is in debt to the tune of one Major Toll, one that could be covered if one of them offered their earned Token on her behalf. While only one needed to agree to the terms, both did despite not knowing the other was presented with this same choice.
Safely Home
Back at the Lark's laboratory, Pine and Morris find their way safely through, followed by Sela and Comet. Several minutes pass and Pine begins to get worried, but shortly after, Versa and Gael come through, with Gael visibly injured.
Versa comments about hating to see the Tolltaker again, leading Morris to become confused. They discover that she had not encountered this entity in her time there, which likely spanned months. Versa and Gael realize they both spent their Tokens on Morris, but before they can lament on the spent currency, Sela remarks that the Tolltaker likely awarded them the Token of Sacrifice for their acts. Horrified at the concept that she is one step closer to legal Feywild citizenship, Versa leave Gael with Sela and Pine. They head to the infirmary, which did not exist prior to asking the Lark whether there was one or not.
Versa talks at length with Morris, who now has pen and paper to communicate. She attempts to recruit Morris to join up and become a pirate, making a genuinely persuasive sell. Morris evades agreeing to it, but falls definitively short of writing it off. Content, Versa leaves to go check on Gael.
Pine calls Azen and Pies to update them about the (former) Captain Morris situation. He then goes to Morris, asking her whether she was interested in any specific jobs. She says she’s probably gonna accept the recent offer considering she’s a pariah who was set to be executed for treason by Rottia. Pine correctly assumes what she's implying, and curses Versa for getting to her first.
Versa enters the infirmary as Sela is finishing up a surgery on Gael to remove the bullet. Gael won't stay still during it, causing Sela much consternation. Versa asks Sela whether she would consider traveling with the party for a while. With very little persuasion, she agrees, citing how she's still actively being pursued by the Sunthorn.
With Comet's teleporting capabilities, the group make plans to travel to the triangulated location of Versa's heart locket.
Featured characters
Friend and Friends
Companions
New
Returning
- Sela
- Comet
- Unnamed Djinn
- Cynthia Morris
- Moptop Lemonhop
- Tolltaker
- The Lark
- Magpie (via Ring of Masks)
Mentioned
Quotations
References
- ↑ See "Die At Anchor" (1x49).
Art:
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