Campaign 2, Episode 12: Family Ties

Episode 12: Family Ties (2x12) is the twelfth episode of the first arc of the the second Venture Maidens campaign.

To Chasiana
The chicken hut, now devoid of its dream dragon occupants, is quiet. The three adventurers stand in the living room, disturbed only by the gentle breathing of the unconcious Rook and distant whining hum of Gordon. They go about tending to their wounds and cleaning the recent battle off of themselves.

Aoife bids farewell to her dream dragon friend and closes all of the windows and doors just in time for Toni to brooch the topic of the bell. She asks Aoife what she plans on doing with it.

Lu reasons that they should find somewhere to put it, because the only reason a Corellon would leave their bell inside of a creature is to track it using magic. She supposes they might throw it out of the window as they are travelling, but they don’t know who would pick it up or how the bell would affect the surrounding area.

Toni asks Gordon if it were possible to trace the house, and Gordon points out that the dream dragons found them easily enough, so if they can be tracked, so can the bell. Toni suggests waiting for Rook to wake up, or to bury it and Aoife agrees, but wants to wait until they got out of the wilds.

Lu sends them off to bed and sits down near Rook to fall into her nightly Reverie. She rises out of her meditations and checks on Rook to make sure she is still breathing before setting about making breakfast. Toni wakes with the first sizzle of bacon and begins to prepare for the day as the house comes to a stop.

Looking outside, they see sprawling green fields. Lu sticks her head out of the door and knows she can lead them to Chasiana from here. Toni lifts Rook onto her shoulder and they set out for one of the wealthiest cities of the Eldrin Empire.

Chasiana is a major city in the Eldrin Empire, sitting on top of the intersection of five major rivers that wind themselves across the Planes. Gardens flourish across the city, draped in artistry of all sorts, and money flows from hand to hand with the casual air of business.

The chicken hut stops on the outskirts of the city, nestling itself among the lavish estates of Chasiana’s nobility who prefer the quiet of the countryside over the noise and movement of the city. The group travels through orchards and estates until they see the marble walls of the city proper.

Buried Bells
Lu and Aoife split off from Toni, who continues heading for the gate, and bury the bell near a noticeable marker they can remember, in case they need to retrieve it later, before meeting back up with the half orc.

Toni is amazed by the city. She is used to the more industrial city of Phalen, and admires the artistic beauty of Chasiana. She asks if Lu grew up there and Lu admits that she had lived there a long time, but she grew up in the Underworld and prefers the city to that experience.

As they enter the city, they are absorbed by the crowds and swept off into the river of people. Lu snags flowers from a stall as they pass by. She tells her friends that they have to come back to that stall because they serve an amazing breakfast, before immediately pointing out directions to her mom’s place.

They purchase a ride on one of the gondalas and head off onto the river. They pass by pleasure barges and trade boats.

Aoife is staring starry eyed at all of the city fashion, making mental notes to draw on when she sketches later. She asks Lu why she ever left the city and Lu admits that her mom told her it was time to move out. Toni asks if they should take Rook to a hospital or something, but Lu assures her that her mother knows a guy who makes house calls.

Bucatini's
The gondola bumps against the side of a small dock area and they shuffle out, being immediately replaced by new passengers. They stand among brick buildings laced with ivy, and everything is shaded more than other parts of the city from tall trees that dotted the district. The area is quieter, and away from the busier neighborhoods.

Lu leads them to a building like any other in the area, but smiles at the wooden sign that displays a big faded plate of carbonara. The space has elements of recent refurbishment, like the fresh trim around the stained glass window and the coat of paint that did little to hide the fact that it had been repainted so many times the layers underneath could be seen peeling away. Lu grabs the handle and throws the door open, calling out for her mom.

The room is full of cozy armchairs and overstuffed velvet benches where people can wait to be taken back into the main dining room. Coat hooks line one wall behind a small counter. The walls are crammed with knicknacks and photos. Beyond this, they can see the main dining room and various doors that lead to more private dining areas.

They can hear a voice cry out from the kitchen, telling them that they aren’t open for another thirty minutes. Lu motions for Toni to set Rook down on one of the benches before chastising her mom for not recognizing her own daughter’s voice.

An elderly halfling woman pushes her way through the double doors that lead from the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron. It takes her a moment to realize who was speaking, and she immediately launches herself into Lu’s arms. She asks if Lu has eaten, and gets onto her for not calling ahead.

Lu shoves the bouquet of flowers between them and says that her mom can’t stay mad. Her mom looks at Lu’s friends, who introduce themselves. She approaches Aoife and grabs her cheeks, admonishing how young she is and telling her she needs to grow as she shakes the satyr’s shoulders.

Aoife takes an immediate liking to the halfling and corrects her, informing the woman that she is seventeen. Lu’s mom insists that they eat nonetheless before looking at Toni and pointing out the half-orc’s obvious height. Toni introduces herself and asks what she might call the woman, who gives the name Frieda, but assures her that everyone calls her Mom.

Lu interrupts her mom, asking her to call for a doctor, pointing out the unconcious teenager. She says that she will take Rook up to her old bedroom so that they don’t upset any customers that might come in when the resteraunt opens. The drow leads the group to a nondescript door near the back of the building. She unlocks the door to reveal a cramped stairwell lined with more personal family photos. The stairs let out onto a hallway and Lu leads them to a pink painted door. She pulls another key from her pocket and opens it to reveal Lu’s childhood room.

All of the furniture had been thrifted and repaired, but Lu had made it personal over time. She had draped fabric over the four poster bed and made custom sewn pillows. A fireplace in the corner housed a small armada of bottled ships and paintings of the sea. One wall houses a stained glass window to help her eyes better adjust to the light of the surface world.

She tells Toni to place Rook on the bed and asks if they need anything. Toni checks Rook’s pulse and gets her situated before sitting in the chair that Lu offered. They discuss their desire to give Rook her space, but they all have questions about the woman’s ever-changing age. Lu reasons that Rook has to trust them, or at least like them a little bit, to go off and nearly die for their hair. She hopes that the girl will open up eventually.

Toni asks Lu about the “doctor”, and Lu informs her that he doesn’t do house calls for just anyone, but her mom and he are old friends, which works out because they wouldn’t have been able to take her to any other cleric for healing. Their premium is at an all time high since a lot of them have lost their powers.

A Mother's Worry
They lapse into a few minutes of silence before a gentle knock from the door draws their attention. Frieda steps into the room, her apron splashed with red sauce. She tells them she has called for the doctor and asks what Lu is doing there. Lu asks if her mom has heard from Charlie lately and she says she got one half-legible letter, but she worries about him more than Lu, trusting the drow to take care of herself.

Lu fills her mom in on the incident with the fey at camp, the arrival of Whistler, their meeting Rook and leaving the camp to escape the Correlon. She explains that they had hoped to be rid of the him, but he did something to a fey creature, and Rook got hurt saving them. They managed to stop and help the fey creature and found Whistler’s bell inside of it, and they are sure he is following them.

Toni interrupts the explanation, explaining that it is very important that nobody knows that they are there. Frieda stiffles a laugh and says she thinks she can handle that. They can see the wheels spinning in her head, asking Lu if she should look up Whistler. Lu agrees that it would be a good move to find something to make him leave them alone, and asks her to use her connections to get that information.

Sensing the tone of the conversation, Toni and Aoife lean over and have a sidebar, guessing that Lu might be in the mafia. Lu asks Frieda if Lark is still in town and the halfling tells her that she works at Club Soul. She tells Lu that Lark’s boss and his connections have been good for the Family. Before she can forget, Lu tells Frieda they may need a list of stuff later when Rook wakes up and offers to pay for it, but Frieda tries to decline her daughter’s gold, half-heatedly agreeing to only taking half as long as they all agree to take the other half to buy themselves something pretty.

Larry
Frieda heads downstairs to start the lunch service and send out feelers on Whistler. Toni says she can’t wait to meet the rest of Lu’s family. Lu pauses and leans down to lift the bed skirt, revealing a fat orange tabby cat with bits missing from his ear. He thumps out from under the bed and purrs loudly as Lu lifts him up and introduces him as Larry. She asks that they show him more respect than they would show a normal cat because he used to be a person. Toni immediately melts and begins playing with Larry.

Aoife asks how he was polymorphed, reasoning that you would have to really piss someone off to end up like that. Lu admits that she doesn’t know all of the details since she wasn’t there for it, but she didn’t know anyone that could change him back and he seemed happier as a cat. She says that they might even be able to see Lark tonight if they wanted. Toni asks about disguises and Lu opens a wardrobe to show off an assortment of different uniforms and outfits, brushing it off with the excuse that her family likes to do family plays.

Toni asks how Lu could ever leave and Lu admits that she lost her partner, but that was a long time ago and she hadn’t done anything since then so her mom though it was best for her to move out of the house and do something. Normally, being an elf, she would have had more time to adjust to the fact that she would outlive her partner, but the loss was sudden and it was hard to move on from it.

Aoife noted that Chasiana was trending towards big decorated sunhats full of pastels and fresh greenery. and she begins picking out pieces to make into appropriate headwear. They all head upstairs to craft their hats and eat the food that Frieda sent up to the main living area.

Bittersweet Memories
Lu falls into her memories, landing on the last day she saw her partner. It was four or five in the morning, and her partner’s bags were packed, and Lu was pulled from her Reverie by a string of kisses on her forehead. She could see Jada with her wirey golden curls and big gorgeous eyes. Lu stretched and smiled, reaching to pull her back to bed. Jada declined, saying that it was an easy one; to the Jade Isles and back. She would be back before Lu knew she was gone. Lu pulled out a bag of snacks she made for Jada, hoping that she would rethink her views on marriage while she ate them. Jada scooted to the edge of the bed and took Lu’s hand. She stared into the drow’s eyes and told Lu that if she is good, and lets her go this time, without too much fuss, they would get married when she returned. Lu was surprised and Jada admits that one of the reasons she took the job was to get some money to buy Lu something really special.

Jada reached up to the orange scarf wrapped around her neck, and placed a hand on her adam’s apple before she motioned to Lu’s coat hung by the door. Lu jumped up and dug her hand in the pocket, pulling out a ring sized box. Nestled inside was a simple band of silver tinted metal with little roses connected by wave shaped vines. Lu and Jada embraced emotionally, happy to be together. Jada begged for Lu not to tell her mom until she got back in a month and instructed Lu to get everything together for their wedding while she was away. She grabbed her stuff and walked out the door and Lu never saw her again. The promise was never fulfilled. Jada never came back.

This is where our journey comes to an end, until next time! -Venture Away!

Player Characters

 * Aoife
 * Fittonia 'Toni' Silvertail
 * Lu

Non-Player Characters

 * Frida
 * Gordon
 * Jada
 * Larry
 * Rook

Mentioned

 * Charlie
 * Lark
 * Urbrun
 * Whistler

Locations

 * The Chicken Hut
 * Eldrin Empire
 * Chasiana
 * Bucatini

Inventory
Aoife buried the bell outside of Chasiana.

They all gained a fancy handmade hat.

Quotes
“Ma! I’m home!” -Lu

“Loopy?” -Aoife

“Cops....that’s just who they are.” -Frieda

“You’re in my city. Nobody is going to mess with you in my city, kid.” -Frieda

“No matter what happened, you can take care of people.” -Lu

Trivia
Lu used her Heroic Destiny feature to give Toni a point of Inspiration over breakfast.

Rook has aged one year for every day she has travelled with the Maidens.

Toni has a horse named Storm.