Daughter of the Vine – Recap episodes 196-201

The group tries to decide how to move forward after their encounter with Shankise and his grim warning. Zechs suggests rushing through to widen the gap between the party and their overseers. The idea being that if they can widen the gap, it would give them time to reach Glad’s boon and go the long way around the treants to avoid it without raising too much suspicion. It’s not an impossible idea, though it wouldn’t be easy by any means, as the group will be running at full speed with Zechs leading the way and the group following closely. While it happened as planned, they encountered minor difficulties that could have become major hurdles without the group’s teamwork.

Upon finishing their trek, they find a camp and ask Hoshino to provide a haven for the night so they can rest in peace, given the environment and their previous encounters. It’s not quite as lavish as their last stay in the Magnificent Mansion, but it’s far better than the alternative, and for that, they’re grateful. After some food, conversation, and rest, Glad is shown the location of The Daughter of the Vine. The morning comes, and with a full night of stressless sleep, the party feels a wave of exhaustion lifted for them. 

With everyone but Shanks downstairs for breakfast, Zechs takes it upon himself to check in on him. To no one’s surprise, he’s been burning the midnight oil and has been tinkering with some of the tools in his kit. First showing Zechs the dismantled “bombs away” and tells Duo he’s made him a frag grenade he can take into combat in the future. This gets Zechs’ wheels turning, and he informs Shanks that he’ll work with him and Salix on some new toys moving forward. After a brief discussion on death, morality, and the judgment of the many for the sins of some, they move forward with the plan to have Shanks scout. 

While the next leg of the journey isn’t a sprint, as it was the previous day, it is still quite the trek, and the land is showing its feywild nature with every step. There are some combined efforts of stealth and utilizing everyone’s kits to help them traverse the terrain, and it shows just how far the group has come, not only individually but as a team as well. All this gets them through the treants’ area and to the supposed location of the temple. Eventually coming up to a lake with water that almost looks like glass, still and serene. The group takes the time to rest and gather themselves. 

Rested and relieved in the Magnificent Mansion, the group breaks into different conversations. Arguile helps Turk with his Thieves’ Cant; Zechs fiddles with the multitool, prompting him to tell Shanks about the tools at his disposal and ask if any can help; and he later goes to Hoshino’s room to check in on him, as he knows that he’s feeling the results of weeks and months of reconnaissance with the Journeyman, after which Zechs shares his experience meeting Tumra.

Before starting the day’s journey, Shanks goes out to scout and informs the group that there are more trees there than there were the previous day. After leaving the mansion, the party is contacted mentally by the Queen, displeased that the group passed their intended destination. A tense exchange occurs primarily between Hoshino and the Queen, and the former convinces the latter that the group will indeed retrieve the Song Bloom on the way back from taking care of their other business, retrieving Glad’s boon. The Queen, very obviously impatient and suspicious, tells the party to wrap up what they’re doing quickly and retrieve the Song Bloom by day’s end. 

Slightly relieved to have the conversation over, the group looks to Glad for guidance on where to go next and what to do. Looking out over the lake, Glad meditates briefly, then informs everyone that they will have to trust her, but they will need to wait until high noon before they can go anywhere. They understand her and reassure her that they trust her. They kill some time having a bit of a beach day before Glad slowly heads into the lake and suddenly disappears.

The group, concerned, tries to follow her in her wake and succeeds in catching up, where they seem to be standing on the underside of the lake’s surface and can breathe normally. Once inside, Hoshino asks the group to gather for a spirit session to gather the magical energy needed for the Commune spell. Calling upon the Daughter of the Vine, he asks about their task at hand and what they should do. He gets answers, but not necessarily the ones he was at the very least expecting. 

Those who were with Hoshino follow the party into the lake. Glad and the party traverse deeper into this strange upside-down forest and eventually reach the temple, where they find an orb that transports Glad away from the party. Mildly concerned, they try to follow her, but to no avail. With nothing to do but wait, the party discusses their exit strategy and whether they will continue being pawns in the Queen’s plans or suffer the wrath of defying her and heeding Shankise’s warning.

While the party waits, Glad comes face to face with the Daughter of the Vine. It is here that she is told the circumstances of her birth, or rather, how she came to be. It’s not an easy tale to tell, nor is it easy to receive. The Daughter speaks of Corellon and his making of what would become her siblings, or the ones who came before her. Sharing in great detail their purpose and their intention. Finally ending with Glad’s story.

Glad, very torn between distraught and trying to wrap her head around what she has just heard, continues to listen and take in what the Daughter tells her. Feeling uncertain about what she’s to do and watching the world crumble beneath her feet, Glad tells the Daughter that, while she’s been on this journey, she’s slowly discovered who she was and is now conflicted by the truth that clashes with her identity. The Daughter assures her that she is who she chooses to be and not where she came from. She has made conscious decisions to be who she is, and she has not done so out of obedience or command. Glad feels a relief that she hasn’t felt in quite some time, as well as recognition that she was doing well. The Daughter informs her that there is no trial for her to endure for her blessing, as this entire journey has been her trial. With that, they embrace in a much-needed hug. 

On the outside, the party, still waiting for Glad, is discussing their next steps. Some feel as though they shouldn’t incur the scorn of the Fey by disregarding the Queen’s request for the Song Bloom, and on the other side, some wish to heed the warning of Shankise and be instruments in starting a war. This all happens as Glad is speaking with the Daughter and continues upon her exit. Eventually, the party leaves it to speak with the Treants, hoping to reach a peaceful third option. 

Exiting the lake, the group heads back the way they came, and upon entering Treant territory, they decide the bards should speak with them to reach a peaceful resolution to their predicament. The Treants receive the party and invite them to speak with the elders about what was asked of them and by whom. The party is then informed of the ramifications of what would occur if they got the Song Bloom and began to question the nuances of THE Song Bloom and A Song Bloom, hoping that by not taking THE Song Bloom, they can avert the Queen’s intention of starting a war while not incurring her wrath for finding a loophole.

The party glances at the true Song Bloom and chooses one that they think will please the Queen. It, however, takes some time and teamwork to figure out how to properly remove it and keep it intact and healthy for travel. Zechs manages to uproot the Song Bloom and, with the aid of Galahad, makes a makeshift pot for it to travel with. 

Before heading to the Queen straightaway, the group, using Arguile’s Rope Trick spell, devises a plan for what they should do if things inevitably go sideways. Taking all possible scenarios into account, they agree to try to avoid fighting at all costs, but if it comes down to it, so be it. 

The party presents the Song Bloom to the Queen for approval, but after getting what she wanted, she promptly leaves, and a fight breaks out between her guards and the party. The twist? A familiar halberd wielder joins the fray as The Executioner makes her attack as well. The fight is intense as each side pulls out its big guns, trying to overwhelm its opposition. Ultimately, through a lot of teamwork, grit, and heavy swings of their weapons, the party manages to shift the tide.

While the party does manage to gain the advantage, the opposition has the numbers on their side and spell resistances. Arguile is dominated by the Briar Envoy and told to take out the healer, who is, circumstantially, Salix. Shanks goes down but is picked right back up with a combat medic maneuver from Duo via a Goodberry. Immediately after getting up, Shanks takes out the Briar Envoy, freeing him of the spell. Glad and Galahad make quick work, tearing through the cannon fodder; eventually, the fighting comes to a close, and the party can heal and rest up until the Force Cage spell drops on the Executioner.

It’s during the conversation with The Executioner that the party discovers where her allegiances truly lie. Galahad takes the lead in this and not only gets her true name, but also her complicated situation and the turn of events that led her into league with The Constable. At one point, it’s revealed that The Judge is the surviving member of the Gargoyle Unit, the same elite unit that Argo and Antonius are surviving members of in this reality. 

With revelations made, cards put on the table, and newfound allies formed, the party works with The Executioner as a double agent, which will prove very tricky and dangerous but would be a huge win for them and their allies who are trying to stop the planes from colliding.

The party then returns to Dorna’s home to regroup, shop, decompress, and figure out their next move. After grabbing breakfast, Hoshino’s inability to taste anything but ash comes up again, and the group raises the idea of finding something to help him enjoy food and drink again. Afterward, the group receives their custom orders, which were dropped off at Dorna’s home. 

After taking some stock, the party decides to stretch their legs and do some more shopping while they’re still in the technologically advanced plane of Iwi. There’s quite a bit of shopping for very specific items, Zechs and Shanks getting custom arrows, for instance. Some items from their inventory and bag of holding get traded for gold or toward another item or enchantment. 

We end shopping with some custom requests from Glad, a staff modification for Hoshino, and some healing potions for the group. Duo talks with Zechs about getting into the fight more, and they have a serious talk about expectations and trust, but ultimately Duo gets what he wants. Zechs also gets sat down to review all the media Duo consumed while in Iwi and says that if he’s going to have a callsign, he wants something other than Goose, and to let him think on it. Dorna takes Glad and Salix to the rooftop garden she has, and they connect over their love of nature.