Thanks to Faith for providing this week's recap.
Quick Summary
Ellsee and Laetus have a conversation, and the arcane duo investigate The Lila to determine the best course of action. Adrift in the astral, the team has a series of prophetic dreams. On returning home via planeshift, the team draws attention with their new ship and hurries to acquire supplies. A powerful ritual leads to a heartfelt reunion as the team successfully resurrects Arye, who returns with a message.
Session Recap
Session began with the remaining members of Gunnar’s adrift on The Lila after their recent loss, resolving to stall the ship to avoid the surrounding colour pools while waiting out the clock on the recharge for the bracelets.
Solstice started this sombre downtime by investigating the control panel of the ship, accompanied along with Ellsee. They discover more about the ship’s organic and shifting nature, as well as it’s ability to detect the surrounding phenomena. Sun and Stars decide to seek out Chicory’s help with investigating the ship’s system, and discover them still shell shocked from the loss of Arye.
Ellsee takes Chicory’s place guarding Arye’s body on the top of the deck while Chicory and Solstice return down below to investigate. The arcane duo decide to attune the ship to surrounding energy signatures, discovering that silver energy signatures are associated with the material plane but that using them might not be any more of a help than their current plans.
Meanwhile, Ellsee calls over Laetus in an attempt to seek connection in the face of horrors. Ellsee attempts to thank Laetus and apologise for his first day re-experiencing life being so terrifying, but Laetus responds that on some level, he already knew the world was terrible. He asks Ellsee if Arye, when she is revived, will remember herself. Ellsee confirms yes but it brings up the question if Laetus wants to remember who he was as well. Laetus finds himself conflicted with who he used to be, and what obligations he possibly has to these people who hurt and can’t remember.
This line of conversation is then interrupted by Solstice and Chicory who reconvene with Ellsee to share what they’ve learned about the ship and the nature of the energy in the astral. The team discusses how to approach disguising Arye and Laetus once they get back to city, and discuss using teleportation.
The team also discuss how to address the situation with Rin when they return, and when the subject of quori comes up, Laetus remarks feeling an emptiness in his chest, confirming the team’s suspicions that Laehath is no longer part of the equation. Without any real plans, just concern in their hearts, the group gets ready to rest.
Ellsee has the realisation that a prophetic dream had in the astral sea will likely be supercharged, and brings this to the party to discuss potential topics. Ellsee also takes this conversation as an opportunity to share how The Four-In-One used their brief encounter to search Ellsee’s mind and find the image of Atropus. Unsettled but determined to continue focusing on the present, the group goes to sleep.
Ellsee’s prophetic dream starts, focussed on the topic of what will be waiting for the team when they return to Soltura. The dream comes into focus as a large stained glass tapestry filled with individual lives and stories being told within it. A shadow comes over the stained glass, the shadow of sleep, and a voice comes to have a short conversation with Ellsee that is as follows:
What do you know?
What I can.
What would you know?
How to preserve those I love.
What can you do?
Try.
After the conversation, Ellsee feels a hand come to reach out to her and experiences many voices and sense memories within the city of Soltura. When she thinks about what is to come, she hears the cracking of glass and shouts. Within the sea, Ellsee combs through for familiar voices and comes to hear three voices that are as follows:
Glitter: I fear for us. We are so new. We need someone to lead us, but I fear for us because… The Marshall… Something is wrong and they do not listen. I will speak with her myself. I will seek her out. Surely she will understand.
Clarion: And then, then I think what we’re gonna do is, we’re gonna build a giant outdoor theatre! And it’ll be shaped like one of those big shells, you know? And anybody can come and you don’t have to pay. Anybody can come and see beautiful stories, and it’ll make them feel like anything is possible and like they can be heroes too! Right, Rastaban?
Belladonna: Everything I’ve strived for, everything I’ve worked for? You want me to give it up? You don’t even know what it is you hold. But I have to say… You have a point. I love this world, too.
Ellsee’s dream ends with her returning to her body, but at that time another prophetic dream begins thanks to the super effective quality of the prophetic dream spell in the astral. Solstice’s dream starts at the top of Inglenome’s clocktower, with Rin together with her and seeing through Rin’s eyes. Rin’s words carry a heavy and ominous quality that are detailed as follows:
You saved me, and Ellsee carried my soul, however briefly, inside their body. But I carry you. You are my friends, and I carry you with me always, and everywhere I go. There are some bonds that can’t be broken, so don’t be afraid. And I’m in there. I’m in there and I’m resisting. I think you understand—I’m going to do it my way. And if there’s one thing we both can agree on, I think it’s freedom.
The conversation ends with Rin throwing themself off the clocktower, but lifting to fly at the very last moment. The next dream starts with Chicory, alone in the dark and calling out for Arye, but instead feeling another presence scooping them up: Soltura itself. Mourning Arye just the same as Chicory, a conversation takes place:
What has happened? Where did she go?
She was killed.
What does that mean?
She’s dead… I don’t understand your question.
What changes when a thing dies?They’re no longer here.
Then where did she go?
I don’t know. Somewhere else.
Somewhere else… And yet, I found her right where she always is.
[Chicory’s heart begins to glow]
Where she’ll always be.
That’s right. Nothing is ever destroyed, only transformed. Energy is organised, orderly, and then it’s not. But it hasn’t gone anywhere.
I just want to have her back.
For you, time is linear. For you, though you always have her—though you have always had her—you miss her still. That’s the way.
Of course.
That’s the way. If anybody can untangle those threads, reorganise that energy, see her again in a place where you can touch and feel and know, you can. You… Ellsee… Solstice. I hope you do. I think you might.
I think I have to. I’m not ready to say goodbye yet.
Then you need to come home.
With their respective dreams and it’s crypticness still in their minds, the group feels their bracelets recharge at long last. Before they go through with their journey back home, Ellsee has a conversation with Laetus about his rest that shifts into his feelings of his own impending “death” or at least the ceasing of him being who he is now. Ellsee responds by telling him not to count himself out yet, and that if a sacrifice needs to be made, then Ellsee will make it not as a pragmatist, but as herself and with the things, people, and values she holds tight.
Solstice, Chicory, and Ellsee regroup together to cast plane shift, and manage to figure out how to take The Lila with them through Solstice’s sorcerer magic. As they planeshift to the material plane, the ship is in full free-fall before all three of Gunnar’s think quickly to save the ship as well as themselves.
After dealing with a small crowd and where to put The Lila, the team immediately goes to work trying to get the components for Reincarnation. Ellsee and Chicory go to Part & Parcel, working together to craft the fine oil mixture for the ritual and Chicory finds great importance in using Valera’s inheritance to pay for the materials.
Meanwhile, Jerem comes to visit Solstice and the two have a very excited artificer conversation about The Lila. Jerem senses something is up with Solstice and even though she couldn’t share the details, he provides some much needed comfort including an amazing hug.
The team reconverges together with a strong determination to complete the Reincarnation ritual. Ellsee starts the ritual and is the first to make an offering, painting Arye’s birth constellation on her forehead and speaking to how Arye was a consistent inspiration and friend to Ellsee, a symbol to the strength and love of the city that brought Gunnar’s together.
Solstice is the next to make an offering, speaking to how valuable Arye’s voice is and how important she is to the group but even more so to Solstice, offering her ring of Incredible Hotness as part of the ritual. The ring melts into Arye’s skin in the same shape of the constellation Ellsee drew, which leaves one last contribution to the ritual remaining.
Chicory’s contribution starts with them thanking Arye for saving them, and for all the small moments of life they’ve had with each other up until now; Chicory’s want to ride the tram together again, to have breakfast, to live together until their ready to say a proper goodbye. Their final contribution to this calling is a kiss to Arye’s cheek and it’s in that moment that Chicory sees the great flash of their memories together, slowly and intentionally making space in their lives for each other.
Arye raises back up, the outline of wings behind, drawing on the power of her friends and her own inspiration to bring her back. Her wings materialise as she fully solidifies, and immediately pulls Chicory in for a hug, fully enveloping them in her wings before pulling in Ellsee and Solstice to join the hug.
In their emotional reunion together, Arye thanks her team before remembering how her death felt like being trapped in a lattice, unable to pass on along with the other souls of discarnation. However there was one last person who contributed to sending Arye back, in one last act of love: Valera.