The Past Returns – Recap episodes 148-153

We return to the group as Hoshino begins a Spirit Session. A spattering of different spirits arrives and helps guide him to the knowledge he seeks. With the acquired Legend Lore spell, he begins to gather the group again to perform the ritual. He seeks information on Iolan and gains somewhat cryptic information regarding her after the spell. The group gathers that there is a throughline of connection to Antithesis, Iolan, and Hoshino. After more thought and talk surrounding the Legend Lore, the group hears a voice saying, “That was impressive.” An unfamiliar voice to Hoshino in particular, but the group as well… until they turn to see Kyver in their presence… except… changed somehow? His accent is gone, he looks presentable, and he informs the group that he goes by the name Greyleaf. Rapidly, questions, disbelief, relief, and jokes form. 

After calming down Hoshino, who for obvious reasons is untrustworthy of this new face, the group introduces them properly. Greyleaf also reintroduces himself to Salix as their time together was brief, and they probably saw him in a much different light than he currently is. He tells bits of the story of where he’s been, what he’s been up to, the reveal of a daughter and wife, and lack of drinking. It takes some time to process it all, and for some, it takes longer than others in the group. There are still some sentiments of shock and disbelief, and now frustration begins to form as he informs the party that he can only tell them so much, as he is not at liberty to tell other people’s stories. He lets the group know he, Cereius, We Aqha, Rig, and the Mercurial Avenger are a party under the employ of one Mister Bell. He also informs them of what happened to him in Nymora and the Vitalis Manor. Zechs informs him that he’s upset he chose HIS identity out of anyone to use AND is still a little upset about the assault on his father. Greyleaf apologizes, and the group catches him up as well. They share a drink of revelry at the return of their ally and friend.

Later on, there is a conversation between Galahad and Bothok while the Goliath sleeps. Pleasantries are exchanged before they speak candidly on Galahad’s line of questioning. The rift that brought his clan to Granzia is still present but may not be the exact bridge between the two planes. He learns that his father is working with Arioch to bring back a titan. Galahad realizes there are more players on the board now with this information, and he must do his best to get things to a halt before the gathering on the Ridge. Upon ending the conversation, he adds Arioch to his “list.” He is reminded of some of the first words he ever heard from his patron… “Violence is a last resort, exhaust all other options.”

Cut to Shanks’ training with Jrehg in the Forgotten Quarter early the next morning. They start by traversing down the tunnels left by the Draegoloths that wreaked havoc in the city. The further they explore, the more they begin to see that those same creatures could not have created these tunnels. Instead, they must have been made by something even larger than them… much larger! Jrehg informs Shanks that this is the work of Purple Worms, fortunately, an adolescent, but that is not to say it worked alone. The pair continue, and Jrehg asks Shanks plainly: “What do you intend me to teach you? You are already a skilled fighter, but is there something different you are looking for instead”? Shanks informs his new mentor that he wishes Jrehg would help him reconnect to the pieces of him that feel shattered and fragmented in his mind. He wants to, simply put, feel whole again. He wants to figure out how to regain some of the control that seems to be constantly outside his grasp. 

Jrehg begins to give Shanks a brief but informative history lesson on Sloane’s “Wandering Hills.” His takeaway is: “The only thing in your control is how you handle yourself. You can not control how others within your traveling party, whether they be your friends, your family, your compatriots… The only variables you can truly account for are the things inherent to you.” He explains that Shanks is skilled, insightful, and attentive… His skills will undoubtedly benefit others, especially those in the party, but he can not control what they do with the information that his skills provide them. Shanks can not force balance or understanding… despite his best efforts, sometimes people must learn the hard way, him included. 

Their travel continues to be deeply philosophical and eye-opening for our resident sharpshooter. They speak on a wide array of topics that help give Shanks the sense of clarity he’s been seeking. As their conversation begins to wrap up, they find themselves in a large cavern, where the pair stops to assess the area. As they do, they hear something massive quickly approaching them. A fight with a purple worm commences! While the two came out on top, it was not an easy fight. Jrehg was swallowed whole, and Shanks nearly knocked on death’s door. The two heal up, scavenge what they can from the felled creature, and call it a successful lesson for Shanks.

The party gathers for breakfast, and Galahad shares his recent conversation with Bahamut, where he learns he is now officially his Champion. He reflects on his happiness, primarily from his achievements in battle, and discusses the looming threat from his father, who controls a titan and plans to avenge the Ridge. Arguile offers to help Galahad communicate with Arioch, raising concerns about the approaching confrontation. The conversation shifts to Zechs’ situation with Malar, and Galahad urges him to resolve it before they leave Sloane, noting the strain it places on him. They discuss the complexities of Zechs’ connection to Malar and the possibility of finding a solution.

Galahad and Zechs then set off to find the Dawnstalkers, a group that Zechs hopes can guide him in his paladin journey. Along the way, Galahad speaks about Bahamut’s advice regarding Malar, emphasizing the need to free Zechs from his grasp. Zechs admits he hadn’t expected to resolve this issue so soon but agrees to continue. Upon meeting the Dawnstalkers, led by a Leonin named Siaxa, Zechs explains his desire to choose a paladin oath that will allow him to protect those he cares about. Siaxa emphasizes the seriousness of taking such an oath, advising Zechs to carefully consider his commitment before moving forward. They also discuss the history of the order and its connection to the natural world, resonating with Zechs’ background as a ranger.

By the end of their discussion, Zechs realizes that the Packwarden oath aligns with his values and protective instincts. Siaxa and Galahad reassure him that the path he’s considering is right for him, though he must overcome any lingering doubts. Zechs expresses gratitude for their guidance and acknowledges that this journey will differ from his experiences. He feels more confident in his decision, ready to embrace the challenges ahead as he continues to navigate his paladin journey with the support of his friends.

Shanks returns triumphant and looks like hell from his battle with the giant purple worm. He and Jrehg share that the tunnels left behind were used in the attempted siege of Drose. After that, they reveal the poison, which they confirm is just as valuable as deadly. After the group begins to disperse, Greyleaf is approached by Arguile regarding helping him with a huge favor. Through a sending stone, Greyleaf sets up a meeting with Arguile and his contact, who is revealed to be Rig. Before they get down to business, Rig and Greyleaf share a warm hug and show a side of both of them; Arguile nor the group indeed had seen while they all traveled together. 

The conversation picks up with Rig asking if Arguile was one of the ones who defended her, wished her dead, or remained neutral in the skirmish at the Cascade, which seems like a lifetime ago but is entirely unfamiliar to THIS Rig as she is not the same one as the party or Shanks knew. Greyleaf informs her that Arguile was and, from what he knows of him, tends to remain a neutral party in many matters. Knowing this, she proceeds, and Arguile discusses his predicament. He asks if, with or without the party, he can get passage to Iwi to rescue his mother. She agrees and tells him to contact her, and she will appear. They also make notes to say if the party tries anything, they will handle it in their own way. After she leaves, Arguile gives a heartfelt thank you to Greyleaf and hugs him, and he allows himself to break down and cry momentarily. 

Greyleaf and Shanks discuss toxins, poisons, and the like after breakfast when Greyleaf shares with Shanks a vial that unnerves him. They discuss the implementations and intentions behind what they use these for, which the group has skewed but mixed opinions on. As things settle, a goliath woman embarrassingly asks, “Which of you is from the Gothakanaki clan?” Quickly, she realizes that Galahad is the one she is looking for. After introductions, she tells them she is curious and wants to meet him as she is also a Gothakanaki but has never met him. He explains the history of the goliaths that accidentally found themselves on Granzia from Sloane. After their chat, she invites Galahad to the Barrier Range to meet the rest of his distant family. After a quick discussion, the group decided that that was their next destination.

Later on Zechs and Galahad go shopping, and Zechs gets the party an item for communication called “The Spies Murmur.” After returning and giving the items to the group, he informs Galahad and Shanks about his current condition in fighting Malar. He asks for their help in training him to be more efficient in what he excels at and not trying to fit the parts of the group where he feels need covering. Afterward, Shanks informs Arguile that he knows what’s happening with his mom and that while he’s in no place to force him to disclose the information with the rest of the team, he ensures Arguile that he has his back. Arguile confirms the information and lets Shanks know that he has things in motion already and will present them to the group when that is all ready.

In the evening we find Shanks, Greyleaf, Arguile, and Galahad in the courtyard, discussing the methods of extracting the purple worm poison and what they intend to do with it afterward. It’s decided that Galahad, who likely has the most suitable muscle memory for the job, will be tasked with extracting the poison into vials. It is a slow start, as he is a bit more delicate than he knows he needs to be. During this time, Arguile reminds the guys that these are worth a lot in gold and they would be set on selling off most of it, to which Shanks says that he will decide once they’re all extracted what he will do with them. They retrieve 18 vials between the two poison sacs. After this, they notice that quite a crowd has gathered to check out what they are up to. Shanks takes ten vials for himself and splits the other eight into two groups to distribute among the group. 

Upon returning to their lodgings, Galahad addresses the group and asks if it would be okay for them to stop off at the Range to visit the Goliath tribe. The group says yes, and they begin to form a plan for the next few legs of their journey. At this point, Arguile informs the group of his need to go to Iwi and his timeline for this to happen. This starts to change their plan, and they spend the rest of the evening making a new plan, which includes the timeline for the rescue of Arguile’s mother in Iwi and stopping Galahad’s father from taking revenge on the Ridge. It seems like the plan is relatively simple: goliaths in the Barrier Range, extract Malar from Zechs in Nymora, head to Iwi to help Arguile rescue his mom, and then go straight over to stop Galahad’s father and the titan he’s currently in possession of. Easy right?

The party makes last-minute preparations for their travel, ensuring they don’t forget anything as they don’t know if and when they’ll be back in Drose. Zechs gives Hoshino a 2nd level Moonbeam scroll that he’s been holding onto for quite some time. Before long, the group is back on the Swift Hummingbird, and we find Hoshino and Arguile creating scrolls out of the spell book the party found ages ago that belonged to the Arcanoloth. The two make a great pair and manage to successfully pull quite a few scrolls before they decide not to push their good luck any further. As the last pull happens, Shanks initially bets the ship’s gunner for some coin, but the gunner suggests that if Hoshino is flawless in his execution, he’ll throw in a personal recipe for plastique. Hoshino is successful, and Shanks is told he will have the recipe later that day. 

Shanks later speaks with Greyleaf, discussing his transformation from Kyver to Greyleaf. Greyleaf explains his fight with the son of the Vitalis that took his life, but fate had other plans for him. He took it as a sign to leave all the negative that came with Kyver and let it die in that ring. The conversation continues and touches on some deeper parts of Greyleaf’s upbringing and reasoning that he didn’t tell the group much while with the party. In the conversation, he reminds Shanks that he can ask questions, but as he’s said before, he can only speak about his own story. They have an uneasy conversation about Rig in which Shanks tells Greyleaf that he’s not the same person he was before and doesn’t live his life with regrets.

Finally, the group touches down and is informed that they are at the Barrier Range. The group takes off, gathering the heavy cloaks from the bag of holding that Cereius once gave them. The travel up is almost entirely covered in fresh snow, which does not help Zechs’ newest “gift” from Malar. The brisk and open mountain air and the sparkle from the snow heightened his sight and smell, and it was not a comfortable adjustment. The group bands together to help him out, and he’s grateful. They continue up the path, with Galahad and Zechs taking the lead. When they finally arrive, Galahad explains to the person who meets them that he is from the line of “Those That Wandered,” Panea had mentioned coming here to meet them. There is a tense pause before the goliath says, “Come with me.” The group meets with their leader, Pakia, and Galahad explains what he knows of his ancestry. To this, she gives recognition, inquiring further about any more details since his ancestor’s departure from Sloane. They finish speaking, and she encourages them to stay, which they accept, and participate in the festival. We finish with the group around a dinner table with drinks and tales of their party’s early days.

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