The Wandering Isles: Session 42
The day began with a clash of blades and feathers.
Amaedrianna Blüdfist, ever eager to test her limits, challenged her teacher, Gig Schniezek, to a formal duel. The training grounds echoed with the sound of steel as the two circled one another, a storm of confidence and tradition meeting raw determination. Gig met her challenge with his usual bravado, clearly expecting a swift and elegant victory. But the tide turned faster than he anticipated. With precise strikes and a flurry of aerial maneuvers, Amaedrianna overwhelmed him, forcing the seasoned warrior into a rare and humbling defeat. She stood victorious—not just in combat, but in proving how far she had come.
Elsewhere, Dash Heidmann lent a helping hand to Eldrin Drosk, aiding him with unpacking and then offering an unconventional cure for his lingering hangover: a cold swim. As they made their way to the water, they were interrupted—briefly—by Hatsu Toshitsugu, who descended silently from a window above, catching them off-guard. He questioned Eldrin about figures seen in the woods, but Eldrin, confused, insisted it had been Hatsu himself he saw.
With the mystery unresolved, Hatsu departed just as quietly as he arrived.
Dash then led Eldrin to the water and, without ceremony, shoved him in. The shock was immediate, but as the cold wrapped around him, Eldrin emerged refreshed. The two floated in silence for a time before their conversation deepened—sharing thoughts on life in the Arcanum, on their respective homes of Palperroth and Bricksunder, and on what might lie ahead. It was a rare, quiet moment of bonding, far from the battles and secrets that usually surrounded them.
Meanwhile, Slate drifted into a dream—a memory perhaps—standing once more in the company of Vathros, The Shadowed. The walls around them pulsed with familiarity, a perfect recreation of a room within Scorchwood Correctional Facility. A place not just remembered, but etched into his bones. Slate admitted the strange truth: he knew this place so well it might have been made by him. Instead, he feared it had made him. He spoke of mimicry, of learning voices and gestures so perfectly that he had escaped his captivity by becoming someone else entirely.
Hatsu, reflecting on his own past, visited his brother Boreal Paleclaw. Since the events of the blood moon, Boreal had grown quiet, subdued—perhaps shamed by his actions, perhaps simply changed. He shared that he would accompany Remington Maleficum on the journey to Saigo no Toshi, but not with the group. A part of the journey, but still apart from them.
Back in the quiet halls of the Arcanum, Eldrin wandered the dormitories and stumbled upon Dash’s journal. Curious, he opened it—only to find it filled not with secrets or strategy, but with stunning sketches of birds. Page after page, a delicate record of the winged creatures Dash so clearly admired. Before he could read more, Lysa Sablewood entered. Her tone was gentle as she addressed him, suggesting he keep the journal. Eldrin refused. Respect was wordless in that moment, but understood.
Later, the group gathered in the library, sharing stories of their day, speaking of books and small discoveries in a rare and comforting lull. It wasn’t long, however, before they were summoned to Remington’s office.
The conversation that followed was layered, full of revelation and restraint. Dash asked first—about his father. He believed him alive and imprisoned within Scorchwood Correctional Facility. Remington didn’t deny it, but cautioned him about the road that belief might lead him down. There was something unspoken in his tone. Something left unsaid.
Then, Remington brought forth something else. An artifact. A device. A tool.
The Seal.
Once a protective creation—meant to contain a willing creature and carry them to safety—it had since been corrupted. In the hands of Simul Decker, its use had turned cruel. Forced containment, fractured minds, psychosis. What was once a mercy had become a prison. And worse still, it may have already been used to harm those taken to Scorchwood.
Eos, ever mindful of her companion, asked if it could be used to bring Duckie with them. But she would not condemn another soul to its magic without first experiencing it herself. As she closed her eyes to feel what the Seal could do, Hatsu stepped forward and silently took her place.
The moment hung suspended in the air.
And with that, the session came to a close.
