The Wandering Isles: Session 100
Dash Heidmann returns to his childhood home and finds something waiting for him: a black card hidden specifically for him, marked only with "9". Whatever it means, the message is deliberate. He takes it in, then returns to the others as the group brings the boat in, parks it, and locks it into place.
Once docked, the practicalities begin. They discuss paperwork, covers, and names. Hatsu Toshitsugu takes the alias "Donatello" the monk. Eos becomes "Francesca". Eldrin Drosk goes by "Gerald", while Boreal Paleclaw takes the name "John". Lysa Sablewood warns them all to be extremely careful while they are here. Respect for the King is not optional in Palperroth; disrespect, open defiance, or the wrong mistake could get someone killed. Eldrin asks whether there is any issue with him being from Bricksunder, or whether an alliance makes that safe enough. Dash assures him there should be no problem. Hatsu then asks whether the boat can safely be left unattended or whether someone needs to stay behind, but Dash explains that here it matters less than expected. No one can simply leave without the proper slip.
Despite Lysa’s reservations, the group heads to a warehouse to meet Bastor Vale. The move works, though the city’s attention is already pressing in. People stare at Eos, and especially at her new mask. Eldrin notices the resemblance between that mask and something from the history of Bricksunder: a group that hunted and killed people using gas. From there, he connects it uneasily to the people who may have kidnapped him only a few months before. While that concern settles over him, Hatsu overhears merchants speaking about Saigo no Toshi. Since the city fell into horror under Thrakgar, the Sun King has condemned it from afar. Publicly, Saigo has been framed as beyond saving, beyond reclamation, with talk of a “Solar Cleansing” tied to the royal response. From a distance, the Crown appears to be presenting this as decisive leadership. When Hatsu asks Dash what "Solar Cleansing" means, Dash explains it plainly: total annihilation.
When they finally meet Bastor, he first speaks with a rougher accent, maintaining a certain outward performance until they enter a hidden office. There, his tone shifts into something more familiar and controlled. He tells Dash that his mother is safe, and offers practical help: he will guard the ship and create the papers they need. With that secured, the group leaves to find another ally, Milo Chalk. Lysa creates a scene to draw him out, and Milo appears. He tells them where they need to go, but warns Dash not to arrive empty-handed. Hatsu gives Dash a diamond, and from there the group descends into the sewers. The smell is fierce, but only for a moment before they adjust and press onward.
The route takes them through a false wall in the sewer system. Dash pays his outstanding debt, then heads upstairs to see his mother. When he reaches Elara Heidmann, they embrace. The reunion comes with an avalanche of questions: how, where, why, and what has happened since they last saw each other. Dash tells her about her grandchildren, his children, and that news sends her rushing down to see Lysa.
Once the first shock of reunion passes, the conversation turns to what should happen next. They discuss whether Elara should remain where she is or go to Elandor on the Pearl, where she would be safer. Dash then asks about his father, Marcus Heidmann, telling her about the note he received claiming Marcus was still alive. Elara explains that Marcus was taken long ago because he helped and aided magic users. She reveals that she has kept his legacy alive by continuing that work herself, hiding magical users when she could. As recently as a few weeks ago, she had hidden a small green friend with a leather jacket. When Dash asks why she never told him, her answer is blunt: he could not keep a secret.
Elara wants to leave immediately, but Dash urges her to wait a week. They argue over it, and she eventually agrees, though not without conditions. If she is going to go, he needs to retrieve her things from the house, including whatever is stored in a vault. He must also push a button that will likely destroy the place. Dash, already stretched between personal fear and practical obligation, points out that he still needs to make contact with Mirelle Vaudrelle, arrange shipments to cement their merchant cover in the city, and sort proper lodgings.
They secure rooms, paying a few moons in silver to cover four of them. Eos and Eldrin take one room, Hatsu and Boreal another, Dash and Lysa a third, and Weslyn Theiwyse and Elara the fourth. Dash gets sandwiches for Eos and Elara while Elara explains the tunnels to the others, making sure Dash does not accidentally give away secrets he should not. Dash also reminds Lysa that she still owes Ilyra Senn for her "take."
After that, Hatsu, Boreal, Dash, Eos, and Eldrin head back through the sewers. Hatsu and Boreal lead the way using the directions Elara gave them. They reach the house and gather the things Elara asked for. Then Dash opens both safes, one of which he has to break into. Inside each safe is a button. He hesitates, remembering Elara’s warning that the buttons should be pushed before she leaves.
Eventually, Dash presses them both. The room trembles, and he begins to move away, only to realise that the vault has opened. Inside are two doors, one marked E and one marked M. Beyond them, he finds 150 aurems, photographs of Marcus standing with entities who look unsettlingly similar to Eos and Boreal, and a vanta-black stealth suit made of slick silk with blue trim. There are also two daggers and a journal discussing time spent on a boat helping people, with references to Gomgalor, Ashrest, and The Arcanum.
With no more time to linger, Dash presses the final button. They flee. In a flash, the house is gone. There is no sound, no shockwave, no dramatic explosion. One moment it exists. The next, it is nothing but a hole in the ground.
And that is where the session ends.
