The Vale, Part I

*The Vale, Part I* is the title of the eleventh episode of the fifth season of S.H.A.D.O.W. and the fifty ninth session of the entire game.

This session was played on September 15th, 2019

## The Vale, Part I

### Writer

Jonny Christie, Matt Christie, Richie Maynard, Eric Rios

## Plot

The party cools off before the final confrontation.

## Synopsis

The Demon Sachayoj rests on a stump on the Plane known as Slough. A being appears from the swamp below to hand him something glowing red. It is the deck of war. He takes it and stands. He walks forward towards his target, The Vale. A blizzard ridden field. Stepping out of one of the snow mounds is Darrow. Followed shortly by Sirobe, Aragi, Lara, and eventually Echo with Aguero. The blind man immediately understands that something is wrong. They are not where they are supposed to be. They are on the Plane of Ice, Wintertide. Darrow is considerably pissed but Lara quickly shuts down his anger. They need to find shelter immediately. They find one in a small cave. They set up a fire but Lara still passes out from the cold. Aragi and Darrow have a bit of a scuffle over who will help her but it is quickly ended when Darrow decides to brave the storm alone. Aguero plans to chase after him and seek out help. The others stay to look after her. Meanwhile on Saturnine, Opia opens her eyes to see Feonix and Phylyco. She asks how he got there but he counters by asking for the way out. She cannot help so he leaves but She gives Feonix some information as they depart. Lara wakes up to Echo and Sirobe cuddling her to keep her warm. She calls Aragi over and the two talk about his new life again. The moment is interrupted by a massive shaking. Aragi goes to investigate to find a massive Frost Giant walking past their hiding spot.

Feonix shares the info he received from Opia with Phylyco and they begin the long walk to their way out. Aguero catches up to Darrow and they agree that they should stick together and the Blind one mentions he may know of someone or something that can help. He just hopes it works. Sirobe suggests that the cave group follow the giant. It is going somewhere that could possibly help them. If not food at least shelter. Aragi agrees and they attempt to follow it to its home. Darrow is carrying Aguero up a mountain. The storm is getting worse. He has to if they have a chance at reaching the peak. That’s where Aguero claimed this help would be. He begins to push himself to his limits to make it. He succeeds and meets the witch Neve. Someone Aguero met in the past only, she doesn’t remember him. Regardless, they ask for her help to get them to their destination. She complies only because she is in a good mood and wants to get back to the blizzard.

Phylyco and Feonix arrive at the borderland. A massive wall divides them and an even worse fate. Feonix spots something digging out from below the wall and a small creature come out of the hole. Rather than kill it however, Phylyco adopts it because for some reason it just really gets him. Aragi, Sirobe, Lara, and Echo follow the Frost Giant to a city of them. The leader clearly knows the scout was followed and has a few look for the culprit. The party is immediately found and brought into the city for only the giants know. Turns out, they’re actually very friendly and bring them to a human sized hut on a tower. It’s shocking to say the least. Less so when the person that lives there arrives to talk. It is a Bugbear. Aragi prepares to fight but it’s even friendlier than the giants. He introduces himself as Gaulin and claims to be the ruler of the entire plane. He determines they are from Eris and he fully plans to help them get home but they need to find his Planewalker, a witch named Neve. She is currently with Aguero and Darrow arriving at the cave where the others are supposed to be. They are not. This is concerning. Darrow asks if there is anywhere nearby they could have gone and she suggests the giant camp just south. The only problem is, it’s not the same clan. They do not know that however and head in that direction. Phylyco and his ever-growing group are still traversing the emptiness when a chorozine swoops down to collect its dinner, the critter. Phylyco and Feonix fend it off and save the being, who Phylyco names Boggle after its face, and they continue.

They finally arrive at their destination. A massive bridge. Feonix salutes his new friend and points for him to walk across. He’ll find what he’s looking for at the end. Phylyco says goodbye to Feonix and starts walking, Boggle on his shoulder. Lara is getting considerably better. Gaulin gets in contact with Neve and informs the group where to meet her. They thank him for the hospitality and prepare to depart. Fortunately, the giants can help. They step into the hands of the elder and he tosses them in the direction they need to go, cutting their time down considerably. They land just shy of a massive battlefield where the two other giant clans are at war. They just have to cross it to get to their target. Aguero and Darrow are already there, having been caught up with the situation and traversing the battlefield with relative ease. The others begin their suicide run and make it across, barely. Even Echo gets worn out from all the blinks. The only thing between the reunited group now is a large river. The slightest touch freezes anything incredibly quick. Luckily, there are a handful of ice caps along the water for them to traverse. They begin to cross and have to be smart about it or it could be dire. They all make it. At least, that’s what it seems like until they here Echo’s cries. Darrow without a second thought dives in to save her. He gets her across but it is too late. She is frozen solid. They all take a moment to mourn before Sirobe promises to deal with the burial. They arrive at Neve’s portal and she sends them to the Vale. As they arrive, they are greeted by a very familiar face, Mathite. She blows into Aguero’s eyes and he can once again see.

## Cast

### Main

* Aragi Maxul
* Phylyco Brokenwhisper
* Lara Youngheart
* Aguero Cryhawk
* Sirobe
* Darrow Emberstorm

### Special Guest

* Saint Opia
* Mathite'Vomenos

### Supporting

* The Demon Sachayoj
* Echo
* Feonix
* Boggle

### Guest

* Neve
* Gaulin

## Trivia

* first appearance of the Plane of Corruption, Slough.
* first appearance of the Plane of Ice, Wintertide.
* Sometimes the dice can be cruel. When the group were crossing the final river, Christie rolled a natural 1 for Echo. She unfortunately became a casualty in response.
* played concurrently with *The Vale, Part II*.