114 — Care

Quick Summary

The team celebrates their victory and reconnects with a series of conversations. Chicory and Arye reconnect and take comfort in each other, while Solstice and Ellsee consider the question of Laetus’ soul and have a difficult but necessary dialogue with Lewis. The team makes good use of their downtime, and make a plan to talk to “Rin” over Cherishanna.

Session Recap

In explaining to Arye how the team escaped, Solstice realised that her hand was altered by her exposure to the voidpoison and close proximity to the Four-in-One, but she said it didn’t hurt in the moment and let the subject of discussion change. The team assessed the situation and how much heat they had attracted, and Ellsee figured that as long as they proceeded carefully with Laetus and Rin, they likely had a few days before danger was imminent.

After thanking Ellsee and Solstice again, Arye scooped up Chicory for some private time in the guest bedroom. She helped them finally remove all their armour and weaponry, and the two had a heartfelt and tender moment of reconnection. As they held each other, Arye assured Chicory that she loved them, and had kept loving them in death. In return, Chicory promised Arye that she would have their love forever.

Meanwhile, Ellsee gently brought up Solstice’s hand again and offered their help with restoration magic. Solstice said it wasn’t that bad, and that if it was the cost of getting what they needed and rescuing our people, then she could live with it. Ellsee expressed her admiration of Solstice and everything, and reminded her that she doesn’t have to use her strength as a shield all the time. Solstice assured Ellsee it would be fine, and the two bantered about their formidable combined abilities before deciding to check in on Laetus.

Ellsee admitted that they were unsure if returning Laetus’ soul to the rest of him was the right thing to do. Solstice said that they needed to do so, and Ellsee responded that they feel guilt over ending Lewis’ existence, and also a selfish desire to make him into someone more agreeable than Laetus was. Solstice pointed out that was a form of control, but so was making the soul cage choice for him, but that she still believed the latter was the best course of action for everyone. Ellsee determined that even if they had to make Lewis into Laetus again, they could try to support him and provide the care he never received. Solstice agreed that even if she was still angry with him, no one deserved what he had endured in the lair. Ellsee admitted that Laetus isn’t easy to care about, to which Solstice rhetorically asked who is.

After a brief interruption in which Laetus was simultaneously described to Cozy as “a new friend” and “Ellsee’s brother”, Lewis made his presence known and congratulated the team on the successful reincarnation. Solstice pointed out they wouldn’t have been able to do it without him, and Ellsee affirmed his bravery. At Solstice’s urging, Ellsee admitted that part of the Four-in-One is their mother. Lewis expressed remorse that he was Ellsee’s brother and they hated him, and yet determined that the best thing for the team was to make him Laetus again. Ellsee assured him that they didn’t hate him and that he wasn’t a monster, and Solstice agreed that perception was more complicated than that.

Lewis wondered if he would remember his time as Lewis after being returned to wholeness, and expressed worry that Laetus would try to hurt the team again. Ellsee spoke of the union of Elius and Laehath and the potential for growth in the future with Lewis as a foundation, and assured him that he has a place with Gunnars.

Ellsee thanked Solstice for her support and told her what a light she is for them, and promised that they would plan an incredible wedding once the chaos was past them. The two shared their dreams and discussed plans as everyone gathered for dinner. Ellsee introduced Lewis as her brother to Cozy and shared some of their adventure, without going too deeply into the horror.

After dinner, a series of conversations took place. While washing dishes, Cozy and Arye had a quiet moment in which Arye comforted Cozy about the peace in death, and Cozy expressed her relief that Arye was okay.

Solstice cornered Lewis to tell him that she wasn’t going to hold the past against him, and Lewis expressed the hope that a restored Laetus would apologise to her. Solstice pointed out that she already got a shot in, prompting Lewis’ outburst about her getting his arm cut off, but also a moment of connection between them as they bonded over their matching claws. Solstice offered to find him a magical disguise.

Ellsee approached Chicory to tell them about their plan to use the speak with departed incantation to speak with their father, and asked Chicory for their help in translating. Chicory agreed, and Ellsee mused about the chance to get closure about her early life and be emotionally prepared for whatever comes. Ellsee thanked Chicory and offered their support in doing the same if Chicory wanted to talk to Valera one last time.

Before everyone parted ways to finally rest for the night, Arye pulled Ellsee aside to ask how they were doing after escaping the lair and having the weight of the reincarnation ritual on their shoulders. Ellsee insisted they were fine but did share her thoughts about Dyana, and Arye suggested that they could talk about evil parents with each other. The two also bonded over Arye’s plane-touched nature, kalashtar to aasimar, and Arye gently teased Ellsee about Rin with her newfound self-assurance.

Over the following days, the team used their downtime to its fullest. Chicory and Arye spent a couple of days at a mental wellness retreat in the Sunfields, and talked over the emotional and practical aspects of their future together. On returning to Soltura, Chicory took the next step in their development of an incantation ritual to cure discarnation and managed to get together a meeting of minds to explain their incredible progress so far and seek aid. They caught lightning in a bottle with that meeting, and now have a small team of passionate arcane and medical specialists working on the ritual.

Solstice spent her time at Inglenomé, thoroughly researching the soul cage spell in anticipation of the undertaking, and shopping for the perfect Cherishanna gifts. Ellsee located the necessary components for speak with departed with Cozy’s help, including a live raven on loan from the witchcraft academy, and made the most of the time they had with Lewis while preparing for Cherishanna.

On the evening of Narquelie 29, the team reconvened at the shop. When the topic of “Rin” came up, the team considered how they hadn’t seen them for a few days and went back and forth on how best to approach them. While wondering why they hadn’t heard anything from the kaliesh’erai despite their attention-grabbing return to Soltura, Solstice’s intuition niggled at her. In going back and forth with Ellsee and Chicory, she realised that her recent prophetic dream contained a clue: “And if there’s one thing we both can agree on, I think it’s freedom.”

Realising that they might have an ally in the quori spirit, the team decided to invite “Rin” to Cherishanna and use it as an opportunity to see what they have already told the kaliesh’erai and if an alliance could be made. Ellsee suggested that they try subtlety first, and just be blunt if necessary, and session ended with Solstice composing an invitation via palistone.