Harmony Session 1: A Fresh Start

General Summary

We last left our heroes having fled the waystation of Valen'taomi when Kogos beseiged the island with a torrential storm. Captain Chu Arkhal was able to escape the storm and safely bring them on their sleepless way to the lost continent of Vardura.
Each of our heroes took a few quiet moments to themselves for the rest of the trip, considering the weight of their task and the forces beset against them. Even the stoic Pilgrim, Faithwrought soldier of the True Soveriegn, began to know fear.
Soon enough though, the steep cliffs of the western edge of Vardura stood before them as the dawning sun made diamonds of the waves. A soothing tone of peace seemed to settle on the ship as Tan'net's Revenge made its way into the bay and Echwink's Landing.

Arrived Exactly When They Meant To

Having left Valen'taomi about 10 hours earlier than intended, no camp personnel were prepared for the ship's arrival. In fact, few were even awake in these early morning hours, as evidenced by the satyr that passed out awkwardly amid half-unpacked crates of cargo and empty bottles of Hee-Haw. Our heroes decided to let the man sleep as they headed up the slope into the modest camp. Canvas tents of various sizes dotted the shore, including a very large one adorned with the markings of The Windblown.
The first resident of the camp came charging around from the back of this tent: a huge auroch, one of the huge beasts of burden native to the Icehost. This creature was not acting very docile and came right at our heroes who, being heroes, leapt into action. Zoran met the beast head on, using his bulk to stop the creature in its tracks. Gorr attempted to calm the auroch's heightened emotions and convinced it to stay still. Pilgrim spotted a goliath following the creature and called out to the caretaker for help. Azarki Kevin-Kevin slopped 'em up with a quick cast of grease to keep the auroch from moving until the goliath managed to calm the creature and bring it back under control.
Intoducing himself as Varu vu Waterwend, the goliath would be responsible for transporting personnel and equipment between the camp and points of interest in Vardura. He informed the crew that they were early, but a proper feast had been planned for later. He then instructed them into the large tent where they could find Walden Echwink, the patriarch of the Expedition. Our heroes made their way in for introductions.
The tent opened up into a dirt-floored guild hall. Two blocks of long benches faced the opposite end of the tent where a bookish man sat at a desk raised on a makeshift stage where he poured over a myriad of documents. The guildhall seemed to serve as the base of operations for the entire camp.
Walden was a bit surprised to see the adventurers and listened intently to their harrowing tale. He apologized for the lack of greeting but thanked them profusely for their involvement in the Expedition. It was clear that this man placed a lot of faith in The Windblown helping him achieve his goals here.
Walden bid our heroes familiarize themselves with the camp and relax before the real work began. He also took Enoch aside and assured him that, despite their home countries being at war, Walden was not interested in playing out those conflicts here and that if anyone gave him any trouble to come to him directly. Hopefully this spirit of peace would continue.

The Planting of Seeds

Starting with a permieter sweep, our heroes acquiainted themselves with Echwink's Landing. Malachai and Gorr found a common interest in plotting out an area for a garden. Gorr was interested in growing a few different strains of berries, while Malachai was interested in planting his armpit kernels to see what happened. Enoch busied himself with parsing through the ruins of the previous expedition, while Azarki attempted to "pray" to his fledgling god Kharlo Chondricht. The cleric found his mind drifting away on the tendrils of barely-heard melodies; Gorr and Malachai seemed to speak in harmonized voices while the beat of their footsteps fell into a syncopated rhythm. As Azarki attempted to focus his mind on the music, it dissapated in the ether, much like waking from a dream.
Zoran had a similar experience when he found a quiet spot to play his flute. Playing his flute for the past 30 years always felt like a desperate bid to connect with the fuzzy memories of his past, but he was always left feeling empty, even more lost. Playing the flute had felt like nothing more than rote memorization and recall... until now. When the alleged former king put the flute to his lips, he immediately felt a momentum push him into the song. The muscle memory of his fingers broke from their mechanical repetition as he felt his heart pulled into a rushing current of emotion. He finally felt a connection to this music, as broken memories of past joy and celebration flashed through his mind. When Zoran began playing a song he did not know, the emotions shifted to a strange anxiety. He quickly snapped back to reality, the odd music running off his body in rivulets of warmth. He felt as if something had been playing through him then... and he didn't know if he liked it.

At Least A Feast

After a few hours, the sleepy camp began to wake and preparations for the evening's welcome feast began. The long benches from the guildhall were pulled out around a huge fire and everyone ate a filling, if not exactly the fanciest, ration- and Hee-Haw-based feast. Walden Echwink gave some kind opening remarks again thanking everyone for their participation and offering an opportunity for anyone who wishes to invest more of themselves in the Expedition. For many, this might be a job, but for some, this could be a future.
To complete the toast, Malachai promptly dumped his drink into the dirt, shocking everyone. Only when the maizegrown dipped his weird feet in the Hee-Haw mud to drink did everyone realize it was a sign of respect. Gorr followed suit in what may be a new camp tradition. Walden also passed out the Echwink Expedition corporate swag bags, complete with both golf tees and golf T's.
The rest of the evening was spent mingling:

• Pilgrim successfully intimidated the bullies Byzix Flintclaw and Pestus, who spent the evening getting sloshed.
• Malachai made arrangements with Curator Quyora of the BHS to discuss their goals.
• Azarki managed to connect with the fellow adventurer Kit Portirsdottir, who did not hide her brooding contempt (or suspicion) for any agents of the Alerki Ascendency.
• Gorr spoke with Rieta about the mapmaking efforts of Deneir's Mission, sparking an increasingly urgent demand for all the maps they have on everything in the known world right now.

After some traditional merrymaking, many campers soon passed out in random spots around the camp. Our six heroes remained mostly awake and mostly sober, already bonding over their shared experiences. Another bonding opportunity presented itself when some a commotion was heard down by the docks. Remembering overhearing some information about missing or stolen supplies, our heroes proceeded down to the shore to investigate. There, a pack of nocturnal wharflings were ransacking the poorly-secured cargo and attempting to steal away with it into the bay. Having to leave several packages and crates behind in their hasty escape from Valen'taomi, our heroes intervened to protect the precious cargo. The wharflings were vicious little naked molerats, and managed to even overwhelm the brave Zoran as he waded into the think of it, but soon the creatures were bested. Zoran was healed and the party helped Pyotr recover what they could before heading to their tents for a well-deserved rest. And with sleep, came dream.

Songs of Memory

Each of our heroes experienced a very vivid dream their first night here on Vardura, the echoes of which followed them into waking.

• Pilgrim dreamt of the Alerkian chanters of the Tabernacle back home. The exacting power and gravitas of the monks sonorous croaking felt like a heavy weight pressing down on Pilgrim's chest, both comforting and smothering at once.
• Zoran dreamt of a dark and fateful night from his broken past, where the rising music of celebration and joy pouring in through the castle windows drowned out the brutal violence of the assassins that struck at him and his family.
• Gorr dreamt of a garden that was his but not, full of a hollow reed-like plant that turned the gentle wind into a melodic flute-like humming and filled the air with a comforting warmth.
• Malachai also dreamt of plants, but as a chorus of voices that called out to him from the depths of the forest through which he walked. Some whispered, some screamed, some sang, some pleaded with him, but none could he understand.
• Enoch dreamt of the brassy national anthem of Sernovia as blaring from a military procession marching through the streets of Sernovia. The escalation soon became too intense to endure, and Enoch crumpled under the garish nationalism made noise, a force that seemed to thrust him back into the waking world.
• Azarki dreamt of the sounds of the Vast as they washed a frothy percussion onto a nameless beach. The swaying beat soon mirrored that felt in the belly of a ship as it sailed the seas, and the smell of "food" filled Azarki's nose. He turned to see a huge figure with his back to him standing on the beach seemingly cooking at a disembodied ship's galley. The figure turned and laid a pair of discerning dark black eyes on Azarki and grinned a mouthful of razor sharp teeth. "Oh... it's you. I've heard of you," Kharlo the Catalyst said, continuing, "We're gonna have some fun."

In the morning, as the dreams faded from their memories, our heroes joined a gaggle of adventurers outside the entrance to The Windblown's tent. There, a quest board had been assembled that bore missions from Expedition stakeholders and a map of the immediate area marking their location. This day would prove to be very fateful as each of the adventuring parties would be officially assembled and finally sent out into the Varduran wilderness.

Rewards Granted

• A feeling of mortality
• Level 2
• Friendship

Missions/Quests Completed

• Protect the Cargo!

Character(s) interacted with

• Walden Echwink 
• Pyotr, the Dockmaster
• Pestus & Byzix Flintclaw 
• Varu vu Waterwend
• Curator Quyora 
• Rieta 
• Shogo vu Chullat
• Kit Portirsdottir
• Ivin Ivinson 
• Captain Chu Arkhal 

Created Content

Dr. Malachai Husk created a new tradition when he poured his drink on the ground during a toast only to consume the Hee-Haw through his feet.

Related Reports

As far as the fresh water goes, none of it seems spooky.

Report Date

18 Apr 2024

Primary Location

Vardura