Divine Intervention

**Divine Intervention** is the 52nd session of the first WGA campaign. After being shunted to an alternate timeline and forced into unfamiliar bodies, the Red Thread try to orient themselves in familiar yet unfamiliar lands.

### Firing squad

It's been a long time since the "Firing Squad" (consisting of Maynard, Agatha, and Valac) have caught up. The contents of the last conversation are unknown to the party at large, but it clearly formed a strong bond between the three.

During the evening, Agatha and Valac catch up. They make note of how strange it is that Maynard is talking more since his stay at the sanatorium. Valac asks Agatha about the damage done by Maynard's echo when they left the sanatorium, and if anyone got hurt. A number of the researchers undoubtedly got hurt. "Oh damn," Valac says. They decide to catch up with May.

Approaching May, they pull him to the side and ask him about his new abilities. He says that during the tests at the sanatorium, they uncovered a new ability for him. Agatha points out that May metaphorically gave Trent the finger - what the fuck is up with that? It appears Maynard had a lot of time to think during his time away. He says he realises that hesitation is not a death sentence, exhaustion is. So he stopped hesitating. Valac and Agatha both agree with the mindset. Valac notes that he believed May to still hold some form of loyalty to Trent, and after the violent escape from the sanatorium, the opposite seems to be the case. He wants to know how May came to this conclusion.

May admits that the group does so much for him, and he does nothing. Beckett messaged him while he was sparring about Valac's situation. He went into a haze, punching his sparring partner to submission. He felt helpless. Valac and Agatha disagree vehemently. Still, Maynard presses, saying that he owes the party more. More of himself, more of his strength. Agatha has a moment of understanding - May only wants to help people. It's his entire being, and purpose, and without it he feels useless.

Maynard tells Agatha and Valac that they don't have to do anything for him. Agatha quips back that no one has to do a thing for anyone else. This is a want, not a need. The sanatorium brought up old memories for May, it made things feel clearer. He remembers a room, and fear, and the urge to run. Valac says that some things aren't worth remembering. Thinking about those lost memories brings May distress, and in Valac's opinion, if it were him, he wouldn't want to remember those things. Agatha won't judge him either way. Still, Maynard believes the lost memory might hold some weight against Trent, it might help to bring him down. Even Beckett had told him in the past that he ought to try and regain the memory, that he ought to be angry. At this point, the group moves to whispers to continue the conversation in private.

### Gay panic volume one

A night watch started in out of session rp is continued in session. Venra, Arabella, and Agatha take some time away from the camp to talk. Venra is hesitant about trusting new people, but after spending so long alone she thinks the Red Thread are nice enough. Venra drops the bombshell that she has been killed before - obviously she's got better, but has a scar on her neck to prove it. Her family was deeply involved with the Myriad, and someone who had a grudge against her parents killed Venra to get at them. Venra's murderer got close to her first. All she remembers is falling into a river, being swept away, then she came back. She has no idea how she came back, and has only heard people speaking to her. Not in dreams, not quite visions.

On the gods, Agatha comments that they've met a few. She mentions the Raven Queen specifically, and how she seems pretty chill. Venra replies deadpan, "Mm okay." Webella decide not to pry too much into it, and Agatha says she's just going to stare down the hill for a bit. They all realise that in these bodies, they don't actually have darkvision, and can't see shit. This watch is going great.

### Sole survivor to soul savior

Venra approaches May and asks him what he normally looks like. He says he's not normally green, and doesn't have big teeth. He's actually white. May asks Venra how she was the only survivor of her timeline. She won't tell him, but says it wasn't her choice. May says that it's alright, he hasn't had too many choices in his life. Venra says that having a choice is better than not having one. Curious, she asks May where he came from. He begins slowly explaining how babies are made, but is stopped by Venra who clarifies that she means where in Exandria he is from.

May says he travelled, was in Hupperdook for a time. His parents left, and he stayed at an orphanage, but travelled by himself a lot, helping everyone he came across. Venra's parents left her as a child, and her adoptive parents are nice. May says he doesn't understand parents. Kismet and Valac have a "bad mom dad". Agatha has two moms, Arabella has two dads. He mutters in primordial that Venra is strange, and Venra responds in primordial. This takes May aback, and he's confused that Venra can speak the language of the wind, the elements.

### An unfamiliar familiar face

On the morning of the 15th, the party awake to fresh snowfall. Winter is approaching fast, and they start making their way down the road in the hopes they will find some town. Kismet, now a Yuan'Ti, is suffering with his now cold blood and need to sleep instead of trance. The first place they come across is familiar to the party - Nogvurot, Agatha's hometown. While the snow grows heavy around them, they head to The Inexhaustible Cask, the tavern they first met Blitz. Sitting at the bar, medium length brown hair, and a red jacket on, sits Agatha.

Unable to dim her curiosity, Prime Agatha walks up to the other Agatha and asks what the date is. It's the 15th of Cuersaar, the same date as it is back home. Valac, down the telepathic bond, tells her to ask what year it is. Aggie tries desperately to make it not sound weird. She takes inspiration from Kismet, pretending to be unfamiliar with civilisation. It's 835 PD. Unable to think of anything else to say, she returns to the group, remarking on how unbelievably weird that was.

Kismet seeks out Agatha a little later in the evening. He checks in on her, asking if she's alright after seeing herself. She says she's doing better than she thought she would have, and postulates that if there were never any battle in Nogvurot years ago, this Agatha very likely has no amalgamated soul. This Agatha is simply Agatha Weber. No memories that plague her, no murders at her hands through a previous life. She asks Kismet how he's doing, knowing his sense of self is tenuous at best. He replies a little shakily, but says that as long as he doesn't think about it too hard, he's fine. He tells her he's looking for distractions everywhere.

Later on, Agatha sneaks out, walking through the snow to her family home. She watches through the window, notes how normal her life is. No anamnesis, just Agatha living her life with her cat, her brother, and her mothers. She stays a while, then trudges back to the tavern.

### The gods play "yeet the rat"

Taking a moment alone, Kismet sets up a ritual to commune with the gods. He figures that this body still has a connection with its god, and he decides to take advantage of that. He's pulled into almost a vision, and appears before the Moonweaver in her realm. She looks at him curiously, remarks that he isn't from here. She knows he's trying to see the Raven Queen. The Moonweaver contacts the Everlight, remarking on the strangeness of Kismet's appearance in this timeline. Before sending him to the Raven Queen, she needs the Everlight to vibe check him.

Kismet is shunted to the Everlight's realm. The Everlight says that he is fate-touched, but she did not choose him to be so. Perhaps it is because in this timeline he was not, but it apparently is still visible on his soul. After a quick conversation, the Everlight passes him on to the Raven Queen. He asks her if she knows him, and she does not. In that moment he can only think of his counterpart in this timeline, and what must have happened to have him turn away from the Raven Queen, or never worship her in the first place.

He asks his original question. If they are pulled back to their timeline, if they find the beacon, will they be able to bring Venra with them? The Matron replies that as long as she is tethered physically to one of them, she will come along. He's sent back to his body, the vision fading, and he sits there processing everything.

### A parting gift

The party convenes to discuss what to do. The snow storm is too heavy to travel through, so they decide to stay for the night. While they are discussing, Venra realises her magic is back. She happily casts a *Burning Hands* into the corner of the room, starting a small fire that catches on to a dresser. May mutters about getting water and leaves, while Florian panics. Kismet uses *Thaumaturgy* to lessen the flames, then turns them different colours, more amused than anything. May returns with a bucket of water and extinguishes the flames, after which Kismet casts *Mending* on the wood. He asks Venra what other capabilities she has, and she says some healing, and she can bring people back to life. All very useful.

Back to planning, the party are interrupted by a knock on the door. Florian opens it, but no one is there. There's a basked with a note, some blankets, and mittens. It's from Agatha, and it simply says that she thought they looked a bit unprepared to travel, wishing them luck. This Agatha shares many of the same traits as Prime Agatha.

### Divine intervention

The next day, the party prepares to teleport out to Asarius. Valac draws the teleportation circle, but it fails. The circles are not the same. They discuss what to do, and it's quickly apparent that they cannot trust on their usual sources in this timeline. It's postulated that Essek here may not have gone through the same trials that led to his amiability with their group. They can't rely on Sarven for teleportation. It's at least two weeks from Nogvurot to Asarius if they push the horses hard, and only a week before Essek pulls them back into their own timeline. Time may work strangely while in the beacon, as theorised by Essek, but the party is reluctant to test that theory.

Kismet decides to try something he never has before - *Divine Intervention*. Quickly borrowing Florian's Raven Queen pendant, he goes off into a corner, holding both that and the Moonweaver pendant in his hands. He sends up a quiet prayer, asking if they can help him and his friends make it to Asarius. Above table, the roll is made, and it's a 9. The *Divine Intervention* succeeds, and Kismet finds himself once more facing the gods. The Moonweaver and the Raven Queen appear before him, holding hands. They tell him that Asarius is in chaos, and they cannot be taken directly into the city.

The teleportation takes effect suddenly, the Red Thread instantly being shunted outside the city wall of Asarius. In high contrast to Nogvurot, which was seemingly at peace, Asarius is noisy, panicked. Apparently the Empire kept the encroaching apocalypse under wraps, wishing not to incite chaos. Disoriented, the party look around in confusion. Kismet is quick to apologise - he really didn't think it would work. Regardless, they are near to their target, and ahead of schedule.