Mist Connections - Chapter One

> "*Welcome to the ethereal plane. Here is your guidebook and I will not be your guide because I know just about as much as you do.*"
> ― Fraya Love
>
>

**Mist Connections - Chapter One: "I am an Ethereal Girl"** is the sixty-fifth episode of Queens of Adventure. In it, the queens find themselves scattered once more as they enter the ethereal plane.

## Summary

Glamalala is in an uproar as a portal to Hell hangs open above Fire Island. Grand Imperator Baneus calls for the Butch Queen warriors to prepare for battle. At the H.O.G. Watchtower, Glamseers search through Glamabird eyes for Inquirers Caylis and Dubois. At the Rangers lodge, the Horizon Walkers detect a planar shift at the Golden Palace.

There, Londyn Bradshaw, having struggled with Barb, took control of the Portable Party, shifting everyone to the ethereal plane. As she looks around the silvery mist, she contemplates getting a burrito. Her hand explodes with energy where it was touching the altar and she falls unconcious.

In a dream, she finds herself home in Cryoport, a floating island. She is with her grandmother, who taught her magic, as they prepare for the birthday of her cousin Jacqueline. Grandmother casts a ritual, sending the party guests into the ethereal plane until Jacqueline arrives. The spell drops and everyone shouts 'Surprise!' Jacqueline drops dead as the dream ends and Londyn awakes to find an old woman sitting on her and cackling.

Arson Nicki finds herself in the ethereal plane, seeing only ghostly forms in the mist and hearing the caws of blackbirds. She recognizes the plane from her brief visits using blink, but isn't sure what to expect from a long visit. A wind blasts her and she falls through the mist. As she recovers, an injured figure in a silver mask stumbles up to her. It's Belfry, wondering what Londyn did to them. Arson catches her up, and Belfry says she can't find her daughter. Arson wonders if not everyone was brought to this plane. Belfry asks Arson to stay with her for a while so she doesn't lose consciousness.

As they wait, Belfry asks Arson about her history in the underdark. Arson says she is glad to be on the surface but wonders what it would be like if she hadn't left. Belfry asks what led her to leave, and Arson said she was looking for a way out when a patron made her an offer she couldn't refuse. A bugbear she saw often told her about her future patron, Samantha. It was still a hard choice, to give up her old life.

Belfry explains that as a girl she was taken to be a servant. She eventually fled that life, and sought gold as a means of securing her future and to ensure she was never preyed upon by those who had power. Belfry tells Arson that she had sent Irene Dubois to locate an airship, and asks Arson to promise to get Jo onto the airship if anything happens to Belfry. Arson asks for Belfry's complete honesty in exchange. Once the promise is made, the mists separate the pair. Arson tumbles through the ether.

Elsewhere, Butylene O'Kipple watches as the silvery mist from the Portable Party envelop them all. She too hears cackling laughs and the cawing of birds, and wishes she had popcorn. An ethereal burst knocks her down through the floors of the palace, through the rocks, until she finds herself in a cavern deep underground. Looking around she finds herself in a cold grotto, muffled water runs in the distance, and the walls are covered in delicately spun webs. There is a dense cluster of strands near the roof. Around the floor stand strumming, pulsing mushrooms colored amethyst and turquoise, and moths fly around. She can see a humanoid form in the webbing on the roof, barely breathing.

She plucks one blue and one purple mushroom and puts them in her satchel. Butylene walks stealthily towards the water sound, realizing she doesn't seem to actually be walking on the ground. Down the tunnel she sees crystalline looking spiders, that don't see her. But a voice behind her warns her to be careful.

Meanwhile, Fraya Love too heard the cackles and cawing as an ethereal blast knocked her into the mist. Keeping her wits about her she realizes that she is on the ocean floor, surrounded by undead seaspawn who don't notice her. Overlaid on them though she sees their ghosts trapped within them, causing her to hold off on casting *destroy undead*. She swims upward, with no resistance, and sees lots of sharks who also don't notice her. Breaking the surface she swims up into the air. She surmizes she must be in the ethereal plane. Fraya experiments with meditating on the Golden Palace and the mists surround her. When they part, she is back in the vault.

There, DJ Cyberpreppy and the Woo Ghosts continue to dance, but she can only hear the beating of a heart, no music. She calls out to Cyberpreppy who is surprised to see her in the realm of the dead. Fraya asks them if they know a way out and Cyberpreppy tells of a green mist they often feel calling to them as a way out. However now when he thinks about it, he gets confused. Fraya asks if he will play "Trail of Broken Hearts" by Cher. She fears it will be a bad idea, but hopes that a song of heartbreak might slow down the heart's power.

Fraya dances in the air, to the delight of the ghosts, and finds the sound of machinery. The sound leads her to Cher Noble who is shocked to discover they both can float. Fraya explains her feeling that people meditating can be taken to where they want to go, and Cher Noble attempts it so she can find Chaz. Fraya decides to continue the quest for the Ice Scepter, and meditates on Alighieri.

Londyn wakes up from her dream finding a woman calling herself Granny squatting on her. As the woman gets up, Londyn sees they are in a hut filled with wax figures. A cat is draped over a chair nearby. The woman says they are on Hag Rock and she is Rotten Granny Haskelite. Londyn explains she sent her and her friends to the ethereal plane rather than hell.

Granny offers to continue treating Londyn's wounds, and the druid realizes her hand is wrapped in wax and gauze but still glows from underneath. Granny explains she absorbed a lot of energy, and it is likely to explode if Londyn unwraps it. Londyn offers to let her have some of the energy as payment after Granny explains the wax figures are people who couldn't pay her debt. The firbolg decides to go for a walk on the beach to decide what to do.

She floats outside and finds the hut is atop a skull shaped volcanic rock. Spouts of lava spurt up from the middle of the sandy beach at the base. Granny joins her and says she has lived her for many lifetimes with her cat. Londyn talks to him, and gets nothing from him, other than the cat wants to suckle on Londyn's glowing hand. Granny says they've been here since before the Glamazons and the dwarven civilization that was destroyed by the volcano. Londyn asks for more info, but Granny is more interested in stories of Londyn swapping bodies with Cher Noble and fighting Barb. She warns Londyn that Barb is still trying to get back to the altar to take control of it.

Londyn asks for training in how to use her new hand powers. Granny leads them flying out of the hut.

Across the island, Fraya finds herself whisking over the water, watching a battle between shark monsters and an alliance of Glamazons, Ancient Drow, and H.O.G.s. She arrives by the massive shell of Alighieri who is talking with King Crab. She casts *tongues* so she can listen to them. King Crab is telling all about himself, and reveals he believes Londyn is going to give him both the Golden Palace and the Ice Scepter.

Fraya talks to Aligheri and says she is on the spirit plane. Aligheri says King Crab has sent his children to Hag Rock where the scepter was last seen, and hasn't seen any other spirits recently since he moved away from the beach to avoid the hell portal and battle. Fraya thanks him, and casts *bless* on the fighters on the beach.

Arson Nicki's tumble comes to a stop. She finds herself in the Golden Palace vault and calls out to the ghosts. Cyberpreppy greets her, and wonders if she isn't dead, that maybe she is a hag, as hags roam the ethereal plane. He also recommends the green mist path out of the ethereal plane, or talk to the hags at Hag Rock for more advice.

At Hag Rock, floating above it, Granny instructs Londyn to take off the bandages. It throbs with white and yellow glowing light. When she opens it, there is a flash, clearing the mist for hundreds of feet. Granny's housecoat is blown off to her delight. An ether cyclone forms. Scared, Londyn wishes to be able to control this power.

Granny takes her back inside, and concocts an ointment to rub on Londyn's hand and help delay the build up of etheral energy. With regular release, she will be able to control how much energy she lets out, but if she lets is build up for a while it will have more chaotic results. Londyn decides to not tell her friends, and asks for a glove. Granny provides a fur made from a raccoon like creature that Londyn names Justin, then produces a leather bag made from tanned faces. Londyn puts her hand in the bag and releases some energy. The faces scream as energy drains into the bag.

As Londyn prepares to leave, she offers Londyn the eyes of Uber the Gryphon or her butter churn Lyft. After some debate, Londyn asks for first one Gryphon eye, and then both. With them installed she can see both the ethereal plane and the mortal plane. She names the eyes Thelma and Louise. Looking around with her new eyes Londyn can see the town of Watersport with its large tree growing out of it. She can see the ruins of the Temple of Boom and the art installations of Old Man Rufus. She can see the shark monster battle outside the Golden Palace. Kobolds on the cliffside throw caltrops as a Pomeranian runs around the beach. She can see Glamalala, the Obsidian Ziggurat, and the ruins of the old civilization. She wonders where the dog came from, but decides to not investigate.

Back in the underground grotto, Butlyene looks for the voice that warned her. She doesn't recognize the voice, but knows it is speaking to her in her brain. Butylene finds a circle of mushrooms out of eye shot of the spiders and sits down to listen as she eats a turquoise mushroom. The voice tells her they will help keep her from a bad trip. Based on Butylene's feedback, the voice takes the form of a long bearded wizard covered in stars and moon symbols in a grassy meadow.

The wizard explains Butylene has become ethereal and she explains briefly how she got here, and how she just wanted popcorn. The wizard provides her some, and says she is safe in this chamber until she passes the protective runes at the edge of the tunnel. This chamber is beneath the Glama Isles, beneath the sea. The wizard explains the phase spiders are servants of Lolth. Butylene wonders if she could ally with them, and works with the wizard's help to alchemically turn the mushrooms into a set of vapor capsules, with a affectionate causing rose smell.

Butylene tells the wizard about her adventures. The wizard reaches out of the vision and touches the web, and can feel that Butylene's friends have been scattered though they cant tell where. The residents of the island are still on the physical plane, the battle on the beach, and the portal to hell is trying to close but cant due to the flaming chains anchoring it to the island. The wizard says if Butylene leaves here in peace, the ether will guide her to people who need her help.

Butylene asks about how the wizard gets the information from the web. They explained they and their sister built the web long, long ago throughout the world and it carries vibrations from above and below. But that was before their relationship with their sister changed. Butylene offers to help, but the wizard says their life may not last long enough for a reunion, but has set up plans. The wizard also asks what Butylene knows of Cher, who they think is just a metaphor. Butylene believes she is real, based on the people who believe in her.

Asking about options for healing, the wizard points to a waterfall in the illusion which is a pool of water outside the illusion. Butylene fills up a jug of it, then asks the wizard their name.

They explain they have been called many names: Moonsong, Lady of the Dance, the Dark Maiden, Elistraee of the Seldarine, and Samantha. The last name shocks Butylene, and says she is honored to meet Arson's patron. Elistraee asks Butylene to tell Arson, if she is ever in doubt, that she made the right choice.

Elistraee confesses the figure above is her body, and she is at peace with what is coming for her. She morphs from wizard into Samantha's form and drops into a hot tub as the illusion fades.

Glad she didn't start by chopping the figure out of the web, Butylene turns to leave the chamber.

*To Be Continued...*

### Characters

#### Party

* Arson Nicki - drider warlock
* Butylene O'Kipple - tiefling alchemist
* Fraya Love - water genasi cleric
* Londyn Bradshaw - firbolg druid

#### NPCs

* Imperitor Baneus
* Londyn's Grandmother and Cousin Jaqueline (dream/memory)
* Jacqueline
* Belfry du Ramshackle
* DJ Cyberpreppy and the Woo Ghosts
* Cher Noble
* Rotten Granny Haskelite
* Carpicious Whiskers
* Alighieri
* King Crab
* Pomeranian
* Elistraee
* Various Glamazons, Drow Warriors, and Golden Palace residents

#### Monsters/Enemies

* Phase Spiders
* Shark Monsters

## Episode Notes

### Lore

* The ruins of the ancient civilization around the island belonged to the dwarven society who worshiped the devils. This worship led to their destruction at the hands of the volcano.
* Hags are able to roam the ethereal plane.

### Memorable Quotes

* "That sounds inexpensive, so I'm in." - Arson Nicki
* "Are there people you miss in the underdark?" - "In complex ways, yes." - "Do you think they miss you?" - "I don't know, and that eats at me." - Belfry and Arson Nicki
* "This frosted glass does not have vodka in in." - Fraya Love
* "I do a pas de bourre sashay and I'm already floating so it makes it even easier." - Fraya Love
* "You tip my scales and put me into chastity. Is that a good birthday greeting?" - DM James
* "I really didn't know where I was sending us but it's better than where we were going. Which was hell, and I really didn't want to go there cause my skin's not really set up for that temperature." - Londyn Bradshaw
* "You sound like a real queen of chaos and destruction." - "Yeah, I'm trying to work that out in therapy." - Granny Haskelite and Londyn Bradshaw
* "We're going to move on and say this is my second day." - Londyn Bradshaw
* "Love me. Feed me. Don't leave me." - "I hate it here." - Capricious Whiskers and Londyn Bradshaw
* "I say I am literally deceased all the time when I mean it metaphorically, but this is a whole nother level of meta." - Arson Nicki
* "Where did that fucking dog come from?" - Londyn Bradshaw
* "I was just looking for popcorn." - Butylene O'Kipple
* "It seems you are quite skilled at this." - "At chilling out? Yeah, lots of practice." - Elistraee and Butylene O'Kipple
* "I believe in the great three deities, Like, Cher, and Subscribe." - Butylene O'Kipple

### References

* Rocky Balboa
* Uber and Lyft
* Thelma and Louise
* Patreon
* Kim Cattrel

### Name That Tune

* "Trail of Broken Hearts" - Cher
* "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" - Celine Dion

## Behind the Queens

* This episode was released just after the show's Third Anniversary. In the mid-episode break and in the outro, DM James mentions how the show began as a live show connected to the PAX West convention. The live show from the next year is currently being released to Queens of Adventure Legends, and a new pre-recorded show will be airing on Sept 16th as part of PAX Online.
* This episode was recorded with the show's new covid-19 recording set up: Each queen recording individually with a personalized set up, socially distanced from the two DMs. The queens were recorded the week of August 10th-14th. According to their twitter and twitch streams, Arson recorded on the 11th, Londyn on the 12th, and Fraya on the 13th.
* Several of the Queens use dice given to them by fan of the show Refgemlin.
* Granny Haskelite (not to be confused with Granny) called Londyn a Queen of Chaos and Destruction. This is a title Londyn uses to introduce herself on twitch.
* Londyn calls this her second day, referencing her oft used catchprase from the last year+ of recordings. Depending on what time of day this episode occurs, it is likely the start of only her second day as a character in the world of the show.

**Greetings From Fire Island**: Ch1 - Ch2 - Ch3 - **The Show Must Go On**: Ch1 - Ch2 - Ch3 - Ch4
**Operation Watersport**: Ch1 - Ch2 - Ch3 - Ch4 - Ch5 - Ch6 - Ch7 - **Trials**: Ch1 - Ch2 - Ch3 - Ch4
**Ghosts of the Coast**: Ch1 - Ch2 - Ch3 - **The Devil's Due**: Ch1 - Ch2 - Ch3 - Ch4
**Special**: The Story So Far
**The Beautiful Place**: Ch1 - Ch2 - Ch3 - Ch4 - Ch5 - Ch6 - **A Dance in the Dark**: Ch1 - Ch2 - Ch3 - Ch4
**Drama in the Deep**: Ch1 - Ch2 - Ch3 - Ch4 - Ch5 - Ch6 - **Whispers From the Heart**: Ch1 - Ch2 - Ch3 - Ch4 - Ch5 - Ch6
**Danger Rangers!**: Ch1 - Ch2 - Ch3 - Ch4 - Ch5 - Ch6
**Mist Connections**: **Ch1** - Ch2
**Unreleased**
Lost: Camp Crystal Light - Pax West 2018 --  vs the Lizard People
Live Shows: Seattle Style -- Minneapolis Style