The Wandering Isles: Session 81
Hatsu Toshitsugu begins by retrieving the Book of Vathros from Dash Heidmann. Within its pages exists a pocket dimension that holds countless displaced souls. Once the book is in his hands, Hatsu reaches inward, forming a mental link with Vathros, the Shadowed. Vathros explains that he is doing everything he can to guide people safely out of the book and back into the world. Hatsu listens, grateful for the effort and the care being shown, and openly expresses his appreciation for Vathros’ guidance.
Understanding the weight of what the book contains, Hatsu entrusts it to his mother, Kokoro Toshitsugu. He explains the history of the artifact and how it functions, making sure she understands the responsibility it carries. Kokoro accepts without hesitation, vowing to protect it as if every soul inside were her own.
While this is happening, Ekdíkisi Tintreach takes a rowboat out to the ship Amaedrianna arrived on, The Resolute. The wind fights her as she struggles to bring down the flag, but through persistence she manages it. Amaedrianna soon flies over to assist and immediately puts an end to the mockery coming from the workers from Vurduar aboard the ship. She orders them to stop laughing and get to work. The crew scatters, lowering the main sail, which bears a military insignia. Eos makes it clear that this is no longer appropriate. It is time for change, and the crew listens.
As they work, Amaedrianna admits something personal. She hates the sea. It has never felt like her place. The sky, the open air, the space above the clouds, that is where she belongs.
Back on land, Dash takes time to allow people to see his children. One bears devil-like traits, the other looks almost angelic. The moment is quiet but meaningful, a reminder of what is being protected.
Hatsu finds a moment to meditate. His consciousness drifts beyond the physical world, into a vast cosmic expanse. He sees people as stars, slowly forming constellations, lines connecting lives across space and time. Faces emerge. Family, friends, chosen family, acquaintances, ancestors stretching back through his lineage to the very beginning. At the center stands one figure, a man holding a sword, cosmic energy blazing around it. Hatsu awakens abruptly, his own sword in hand, now aflame. He nods once, understanding something unspoken, and leaves without a word.
Later, Eos voices her concern about the ship’s flag. A military symbol will draw attention they cannot afford. She suggests a neutral banner instead, something that allows them to sail unnoticed. Hatsu questions whether any symbol at all is necessary, while Dash suggests that a non-profit symbol might discourage opportunistic attacks.
Amaedrianna offers a solution. She draws a new design: a red moon cradled by white wings, faintly traced with patterns reminiscent of Weslyn’s tattoos, surrounded by a subtle red and gold glow. Every member of the group is reflected in the symbol, quietly and intentionally.
Weslyn Theiwyse then shares his plans. He needs to meet Delphini Urging, and time is tight. He must also venture into the woods of Arbores, and winter is approaching faster than he would like. He proposes traveling to Anbudon, explaining that it is a place filled with boats, buildings, and people. Everything they might need can be found there.
Weslyn believes the journey will bring good fortune. Dash agrees, saying they are due for some. Amaedrianna counters that good fortune is usually something you make for yourself.
When Amaedrianna asks where Anbudon is, Weslyn explains that it lies along the far shores of Arbores, somewhere they have already come close to before. The decision is made. They will set sail tomorrow. Dash will speak with Lysa Sablewood. Eldrin Drosk will provide last-minute healing. Eos asks if anyone knows a seamstress, but Dash only knows his mother, who lives in Palperroth.
As Dash goes to help cover the flag, he slips into a hole and accidentally tears it. The mishap does little to dampen the momentum of their plans.
Weslyn returns to contemplating the symbol and jokingly asks why they do not simply put Amaedrianna’s face on the banner, since she brought them the ship. Amaedrianna immediately shuts the idea down. Doing so would make them a target, given who her father is.
Attention then turns to the logistics of sailing. They determine the journey will be roughly 150 miles. Amaedrianna begins preparing the ship in earnest. While she works, Weslyn watches Dash’s children, allowing Dash to swim out and retrieve the rowboat Eos left behind.
Eldrin heads to the medical tent, tending to some of the last survivors of the Siege of Saigo no Toshi. Each act of healing feels like closing a wound that never should have been opened.
Amaedrianna continues planning ahead. She considers what will be needed if they are raided in Anbudon and decides to prepare hidden storage. While exploring the ship, she discovers a small smuggler’s nook concealed within a faux armoury. The ship has no weapons, which only makes the presence of an armoury more suspicious. Beneath it, she finds a hidden space within the hull, perfect for securing valuable or dangerous items.
Elsewhere, Weslyn sits alone in the woods, studying a deck he received through a bargain with a dealmaker. He probes it with magic, trying to understand its nature. The truth reveals itself slowly. This is not merely a deck, but a Deck of Many Things. A collection of boundless potential. It holds the power to grant knowledge or erase it, to lift someone into greatness or strip everything away, to build worlds or reduce them to nothing. It is chance, consequence, hope, ruin, and temptation all bound together in painted cards.
Weslyn asks Chicken the Fox what he would do. Hide the deck, or take it along on the journey. Chicken offers no answer, choosing instead to keep his distance from the cards entirely.
Weslyn makes his decision. He summons an elemental being of air, entrusting it with a small box containing the deck, along with a leaf from an unusual plant found in the western forest. He sends it to Delphini, ensuring it reaches her safely.
That night, Dash sits on his bed, watching his children sleep. His thoughts churn. He has lived this moment before. His father once left without a word. Now Dash finds himself doing the same. He realizes his father was trapped in a cycle of protection, and while Dash fears repeating those mistakes, he believes he can change the outcome and come back.
Lysa reaches out to him through sleep, asking if he is okay. Dash admits his fear. He worries that he is being selfish, asking her and the children to stay behind. What he wants and what he needs are pulling him in opposite directions. They share a quiet, painful moment that lays bare just how hard it is for him to leave his family.
At last, they board The Resolute and sail into the sunset. Dash climbs into the crow’s nest, watching the island slowly fade from view. Eos joins him, and they talk about the journey ahead and where it might lead. She tells him she does not envy his responsibilities, but reminds him that the burden is shared. They will all carry it together.
Below deck, Hatsu sits with Amaedrianna and tells her that Slate is safe within the book. He explains that this is where Slate wants to be, at least for now. He is burdened, and Hatsu does not know how long he will remain there, but he knows he is protected. Together, they offer a quiet goodbye to their troubled friend, hoping that when he returns, they will be able to help him through whatever path he walks.
Hatsu tells Amaedrianna he will have her back. She replies honestly that no one can truly promise that, but that this group means more to her than her own family ever did. She will give everything she has for them. Hatsu tells her that one day she will learn why she was chosen, and by whom. He draws his sword just enough to make his meaning clear. A Toshitsugu promise cannot be broken. He cuts his bare hand, pale and almost alabaster, letting blood bead at the surface. He offers his hand to her.
Amaedrianna agrees, but only if she is allowed to cut herself with the same blade. She does, holding out her bloodied hand, and they clasp together. Hatsu speaks the oath.
“In the name of the Toshitsugu, I here swear to protect my ally with my life, and so will my family on my behalf.”
Amaedrianna swears in return, though she can only speak for herself and her mother. Hatsu then offers her a place within the Toshitsugu clan, should she ever choose to accept it.
The journey to Anbudon will take three to four days. Their voyage begins now. The future stretches wide before them, filled with risk, hope, and endless potential. What awaits them beyond the horizon remains to be seen.
