Dicing with Death: Episode 214

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==Synopsis==
Divan meets with Atropos and rejects her offer to let him see the Staff of the World in exchange for his first born child. Months later Divan rejects attempts at communication from Atropos as his child is being more.
After a few month sabbatical to be with his child and wife, Divan then returns to work, now to find out how to get to the Feywild with a new magical spell.
Divan goes to the Feywild with his apprentice Mof and meets an elf (eladrin) named Saphie. Saphie explains much lore and information during the first day, and during the second day helps teach Divan to medicate to the Plane of Dreams. Divan and Mof leave the Feywild and return home to find that 2 years have gone by and he had been presumed dead.
==Recap==
===Meeting with Atropos===
In the morning in Nekkraut, tells Divan that Atropos's new assistant is here to speak with Divan. Divan goes meet with the assistant and finds they are a 18 to 20 year old human female (with curly dark shoulder length hair) named . Briseius says that Atropos desires to have a meeting with Divan. Divan heads out with Briseius to Atropos's grotto outside of town.
Atropos tells Divan that her divining has revealed a new opportunity for them. Soon will a great quake that will split the lands and give access to those willing and capable a glimpse of the Staff of the World. The quake will cause a crevasse, but Atropos won't reveal where but will guide Divan there, and asks Divan for his heir as payment. She wishes to teach this heir like she taught Divan. Divan's wife is currently pregnant with their first child. Atropos claims that Divan will never find the Staff of the World without her. Divan storms out, outraged.
Divan returns to Nekkraut alone, getting back at midday. Divan decides he will find his own way to the Staff without Atropos.
===Spell Research===
Divan decides to create a spell, to cut a path to other The Planes at transition points, and to start with finding a way to the Feywild. Divan has his apprentice to research a spell so they don't get lost.
Dimensional Tear takes 10 weeks for Divan to research. Mof spends 8 weeks to learn the Dimensional Breadcrumbs spell.
===Child's Birth===
It is the evening of May 9. Divan's Wife, , has gone into labor. Briseius attempts to meet with Divan, but Briseius is sent away without being given a meeting. On dawn on May 10 Helen gives birth to a son, who Divan names Ryan. The midwife, a Nun of Nerual, prays to her god to bless the family and protect the family from being torn apart. The birth is hard on Helen, but she survives.
===Building the Gateway===
It is June 21. Divan has been on break from his wizardly research during this time to be with his wife and son. It is been an uneventful 5 weeks, with the growth of Nekkraut and Shelter Bay continuing naturally, (roads continue to be made between the towns, the roads in town are being paved, trade grows). Also during the 5 weeks Divan hasn't been approached by Atropos or Briseius.
Divan returns to work to see the progression finding a connection point to the Feywild. His apprentices have been unable to find any connection points to the Feywild in the Red Hills or Snakegrass. Divan heads to the Brackish Fen to check for himself if there are any points of connection there. The points of connection are needed for the spell to work.
Divan travels the trodden trade path to Grekos before heading north to the Brackish Fen by the end of the day. Divan uses the spell to create a gazebo shaped shelter at the edge of the Brackish Fen.
The next day Divan heads into the Brackish Fen and to Drexl's Workshop & Circle. Divan finds there is no points of connection here and the Workshop was built here because it was far away from civilization so the fallout from something going wrong could be ignored.
Divan goes to a hill a mile away from the Workshop that fits all of Divan's criteria for a point of connection and builds a vertical sarsen standing stones with a large horizontal lintel stone on top to create his own point of connection to the Feywild. Divan uses to shrink the large stones to move them into place. Divan carves the stones out of the stone near the Workshop with and &. The "gateway" faces east–west. There will be a point of connection here at dawn and dusk as the sunlight goes though the gateway near the Solstice. 
===Into the Feywild===
After resting a couple days to regain his mana, Divan and Mof stand at the Gateway. Divan casts and the 2 step into the Feywild. The Feywild is a lush forest where the shadows of the trees do not align. There is no sky or ground, just mist below and canopy above.
Mof casts on her Spool of twine. The two start to carefully navigate the feywild, moving from branch to branch that makes up the 'ground'.
As they travel, Divan sees his reflection in a large pool of water, but his reflection shows him as an older man with a concerned expression and tries to beacon the real Divan. Divan avoids the pool and tells Mof to be careful around it. The two wizards keep traveling.
After some time a soft voice asks "Who are you? How are you here? This realm is not meant for you."
Divan explains he will go where he wills. An female elf, Saphie, then stands before Divan, and asks Divan how a mortal like him was able to enter this world. The elf recognizes Mof as a human, but is unsure what Divan is. Divan explains he is after a Philosophers' Stone which makes the elf concerned. Divan explains his ambitions with the stone is to become all powerful and live forever. Saphie says that if he stays here in the Feywild he will live forever. The elf says Divan is touched by something otherworldly, and is concerned that Divan is unaware of his true origins. Saphie says there are no settlements here in the Feywild but there are countless others who live here.
Divan and Saphie talk for more tile as Mof takes notes. Divan at one point uses his Sorona's to read the Elf's surface thoughts and only finds that the Saphie is curious about Divan. Divan reveals to Saphie the method of how he reached the Feywild without mentioning the location of the stone archway. Saphie uses a different "word" for the elves who lives in the Prime Material Plane, and refers to Divan by a word that is a mixture of the world for "elf" and "celestial". 
Divan, Saphie, and Mof share a meal. Divan freely offers knowledge of humanity and his library. Divan finds out the elves of the Feywild have no need to sleep and instead meditate, with her mind going to the Plane of Dreams. Divan asks to learn how to medicate like this and Saphie shows Divan how she does it, but Divan is unable to do it subconsciously. Saphie gives Divan some Elven Bread, saying it will strengthen his core-self that has been hidden and suppressed for so long. 
They continue to talk until almost 24 hours is up and Mof reminds Divan they have to head back, following the spell before it disappears. Divan offers for Saphie to come with the, but she finds the Red Hills inhospitable and cruel. She escorts the party to their entry point.
At the entry point, Saphie is concerned as it isn't a "real" connection point, the tree there doesn't have a "soul". Divan casts to show Saphie his method. Saphie gasps in terror at seeing the spell. Divan assures Saphie that the rift will be healed. Saphie says she will wait for his return.
===Back Home===
Divan and Mof rest at Drexl's Workshop. They find the workshop has changed since they were last there, with improvements to the living conditions having been made. Divan obverse the flow of the sun and sees it is now a few days before the Summer Solstice. At least 360 days have gone by. Mof and Divan stay at the workshop to go over the notes Mof took for the next 3 days.
Mof points out the language Saphie used, Saphie called herself a "true elf" and elves that live in the Prime Material Plane as lesser elves than herself. Also Saphie's wording implied that Divan is a "semi-elf", with Mof curious what that means.
===Back in Feywild===
On the Summer Solstice. Divan and Mof return to the portal and Divan recasts the . Saphie is still there, telling Divan she meditated only once while he was gone. Divan again asks if he can be taken to the Plane of Dreams, to see Dreams of the future, the way things are meant to be. Saphie warns of the dangers of looking into the future can drive a person to madness. Divan changes his desired dream to be that of the Staff of the World and Philosophers' Stone.
Divan finds himself standing inside his own subconscious. He finds himself above his tower in Nekkraut. Saphie sees into this dream world as well and is saddened that Divan's people live as such. Divan explains his people are of the earth and grow wealthy in their excavations. Divan wonders however where the Philosophers' Stone is in this dream. Divan's tower then grows in size and turns wooden in nature, eventually turning into a giant staff-like shape. Divan looks down at the town and the red stone roads form a spiral pattern that end at the Qanat where the road forms the head of a serpent. To the south Divan sees another rival serpent-like road. Divan sees the two serpents are near to battling. To the North-East Divan sees a "dark spot" on the map. Saphie recoils from this shadow, Atropos.
Saphie says that Atropos is one of the dark ones, one of the forces of nature that drive all people. Saphie supposes that is the reason that Divan hasn't reached his full potential and has been drained by her.
Divan leaves the dream. He takes from the dream that he needs to make the tower higher and to dig deeper in search of the stone. Divan hurriedly draws the symbol he saw the roads make on top of Mof's notes. Mof says they have to go, their time is up. Divan casts and the two leave, with Saphie unwilling to visit Nekkraut. Saphie advises Divan to be kind to those around him.
===Strange Homecoming===
Divan and Mof travel back to Nekkraut. People stare at Divan in silence and awe. Divan ignores the crowd and heads to the tower. In the tower is Cassandra and Esoi, both looking a little older than when he had last seen them. Divan finds out that he has been gone for two whole years. Everyone had thought he and Mof had died.
Divan is caught up on events. His father-in-law has passed away. Without Divan being around, greed and corruption has grown up around Nekkraut. There has been the development of banditry along the roads between the towns, with the Romulans now working as guards along trade routes. 
==Level-Up==
No level-up this episode.
Category:Dicing with Death Episodes
Category:Divan Episodes