Arc 11: Off the Rails

Official illustration for Arc 11 Episode 1

Arc 11 is a split-level arc of levels 7-9 DMed by Haley that takes place on board of the Ascendant Engine, a train laying her own tracks throughout Visteria, on her maiden voyage. Episode 0 aired on Monday, December 5th 2022.

Connections to the previous arcs are very loose, and mostly base on the mention of names that have appeared before, such as the Albion family and the Sapphire family.

The arc is a steampunk arc set centuries after all others and far away from Hyranor in the country of Visteria, which is ruled by the Albion Rail company.

## Arc 11 Characters and Players

Characters and Players in order of introduction in Episode 0:

**DM** Haley (She/Any)

**Atelut** (She/They) (played by Dillin - She/He/They), Firbolg level 9 Oathbreaker Paladin, a middle manager on the Ascendant Engine that worked her way up but has since broken with the train and company, although that keep that secret from most people.

**Elanthielrian "Rian" Wright** (He/They) (played by Dylan - He/They), Half-Elf level 6 Warlock of the Great Old One level 2 Paladin, a bartender on the Ascendant Engine and free-time tinkerer who believes that there is a greater consciousness and magic conspiracy to the trains and wants to prove it.

**Foq Eweard** (He/Him) (played by Aram - He/Him), about 22-23 year old Satyr level 9 Arcane Trickster Rogue, a guest on board of the Ascendant Engine who is just trying to get away as fast as possible after fleeing from the Feywild with a stolen item. He disguises himself as a Human by the name of Hugh Mon.

**Jacob "Suds" Aaron** (He/Him) (played by Gus - He/Him), 19 year old Human level 7 Alchemist Artificer who used to work on the Ascendant Engine as a dishwasher and got fired after being caught sneaking around the train after hours. He has the ability to communicate with the engine and fell in love with her, so he bought a ticket to now be a guest on her maiden voyage.

**Chet Sapphire** (He/Him) (played by John - He/Him), 35 year old Harengon level 8 Gunslinger Fighter who left the family business of donkey ranching to become a Gunslinger, and now works as a ticket collector on the Ascendant Engine while also potentially smuggling mass-produced guns.

The icebreaker question for this arc is: If you could only choose one mode of transport to use for the rest of your life, for everything, which do you choose?

* **Haley:** Horseback, no explanation
* **Gus:** Private jet, because then he becomes a spectacle and famous and live the life of luxury which then gives him access to the private jet
* **John:** The rocket board from the movie Treasure Planet, which is different from a hoverboard
* **Aram:** A limousine with driver
* **Dylan:** Walking, he legitimately likes it and does not want to have to use a private jet to get to the bathroom
* **Dillin:** The Bicycle, because she really loves it and also does not like to travel far, and then he could just force everyone who loves them to move within biking distance

## Arc 11 Plot (Full Spoilers)

### Episode 1

Chet takes his place at the door to control the tickets. Atelut is the next to arrive and starts going through the cars, checking that everything is in order. Rian arrives, loads off his stuff, fails to comfort the stressed Atelut, and then offers them a drink, which they consider. As the employees are on board, the passengers arrive, with Suds coming first. He settles in and then takes a moment to talk to Scenda, who is excited for the journey. Foq goes immediately to the bar, has some first weird exchanges with Rian and Turnbuckle, and then leaves to give Rian the time to prepare the bar. Turnbuckle alerts Atelut to Foq and his strange behaviour, and Atelut tries to be very friendly about guiding him into the coach cars instead of first class, and coincidentally places him close to Suds. On her way back, Rian has a drink prepared for her, and the two of them agree that although Suds is nice, it is a bit concerning that he is there. After some final checks, the Ascendant Engine starts moving, to Foq's surprise. As the train actually starts laying its own tracks as promised, the staff can breathe again, and the journey begins.

Half an hour into the start of the journey, the bar opens, and Suds and Foq get themselves something to drink. For a moment, Suds sees a face made of light instead of his own reflection, but nobody else sees anything. As Chet joins them, the door pulls itself out of his hand and slams shut. Suds and Rian telepathically gossip about Foq as suddenly the train starts shaking. Using his passive ability, Suds asks Scenda what has happened, and she just answers "upgrade". Atelut goes around to tell people that everything is fine, and hears from Piper that the train stopped picking up its tracks. Using *Detect Magic*, Suds finds out that Foq has a lot of Illusion magic on himself, but more importantly, that there is a pressure of Conjuration magic in the train building up that normally is not there behind the ambient magic of it. As Piper comes into the bar, Suds tells her about what he felt, and she informs them about the tracks, and that when she tried to fix things, the train wouldn't let her, slamming things out of her hand. Piper then leaves again to try and stop the train, Suds goes into the coach car to talk to Scenda in private, and Rian promotes Emory Rosewood to bartender to be able to leave his post and follow Suds, casting *Detect Magic* themselves.

Rian detects similar things as Suds did before, while Scenda tells Suds that she is drawing, and that he should hold on. Then, the train goes dark and the windows blacken. Suds cast *Detect Thoughts* on Scenda, scared about what is happening, and sees that she is trying to form a new line to complete a curve in the already existing railroads. It looks like a Conjuration rune of sorts. There is no malice to her, just excited pride, but still, Suds is concerned. Rian feels the Conjuration magic become stronger and transitions into *Divine Sense*, but only detects a weird soup of signals. Atelut and Piper are in the locomotive, where all of Piper's actions are being undone by the train, and Atelut touches the engine to apologise and cast *Remove Curse*, certain that this is some kind of punishment for them. Chet works his way towards the staff car to secure his things, and Foq, not that concerned, steals alcohol from the bar. Suddenly, they feel gravity shift, and the air tighten and warp, until there is a crack at the front, shaking the train. Then, the train speeds up, and they can see out the windows again. There is now stone all around them, like a tunnel, and stringy white and blue shapes illuminating the area.

### Episode 2

Suds asks Scenda whether they are in danger, and she says no, although she isn't entirely sure. Despite not knowing what is happening, she still seems excited, and tells him that no one knew how they would reach their destination, and that she is allowed to choose the path. Following Rian's calls, Suds leaves his cabin and Rian drags him to a window to show him where they are. Suds gets confirmation from Scenda that they are on a different plane, and that they will shift again, since she is looking for something. Rian and Suds see that the train still isn't picking up its tracks again. In the locomotive, Piper decides to check the brakes again, and Atelut heads towards the dome car to find out where they are, meeting Chet on the way. They decide to get everyone to meet in the staff car for a private conversation. As Atelut meets Foq in the dome car, she decides to cast *Dispell Magic* on him, revealing his true form, and he finally introduces himself with his true name. They all come together in the staff car, where Suds presents his ring and information, and Rian adds onto that with his map and theories. Chet does not really believe that there is a bigger consciousness in the train, but Atelut supports their theories. For lack of options, they decide to search the train to figure out more.

Foq heads towards the bar and then starts going around the train, questioning passengers, which gives him nothing new. Suds goes to the brake van, where he finds Piper, who tells him that they have enough tracks for about 20 minutes more, but she doesn't know what to do about it either. Atelut heads towards the lifestock car to check in with the dinosaurs, then investigates the train for any damage, but can't really find it. As Suds tells her about the tracks situation, she starts gathering scrap metal and chucks it into the vats that are supposed to dissolve tracks and form new ones. As she does, she just begs someone that they let them get through this, and sees the shimmering outline of a hand, squeezing her wrist in acknowledgement. As the metal falls into the vat, it starts to make more noise again, and Atelut heads back to the others to tell them, while Foq questions Suds whether he is certain that he gets his entire soul back after using the ring.

Following Atelut's report, Piper tells them that there is also magic in the tracks which is dissolved and reused. Except for Piper, who got slightly drunk, they all go to get more metal, and as they chuck it into the vat they cast some cantrips and spells either onto the metal or directly into the vat. The train picks up speed again, the lights flicker on, and then the whistle goes. They all hold onto something as the air gets tighter again, and the windows blacken. Atelut casts *Bless* on Rian, Suds, and Chet, and Rian, after considering to cast *Counterspell* to stop whatever the train is doing, decides to use *Guidance* instead to help it reach the correct destination. But as gravity shifts, and they hear a crack again, light comes through the windows again, warm rays of sunshine, and as they start to realise that they landed in the Feywild, they hear metal breaking in the lifestock car.

### Episode 3

Various Feywild magic effects happen: one of Foq's eyes turns green, Rian's hands swap places, Atelut is suddenly convinced that she has no bones in her body despite no actual physical change to her, Chet has a non-functional third eye appear below his right eye, and Suds has a baguette fall onto his head. While Chet convinces Atelut that they still have bones, Suds goes to the lifestock car to check what happened. There, he sees a big fairy dragon that ripped a hole into the train and is currently trying to eat the brontosaurus. He screams, alerting the others, and together, they first try to fight the dragon, before Foq sends it away using a *Vortex Warp*. Rian's hands are normal again, and Foq uses *Minor Illusion* to make his eyes seem normal again, too, before informing the others that they are in the Feywild, and that he is a prince that is wanted for some minor treason since he stole a box he cannot open. He flicks his ring into one of the vats to maybe not be as easy to track, as Rian is concerned that the dragon might come back.

Atelut decides to check on the passengers. Some of them, alerted by the sounds, have made some makeshift weapons, and she calms them down a bit. Not all of them believe her that she has everything handled, but when she tells them that the bar is open and free, they quickly leave to get drunk. Then, she receives a *Sending* from her boss, Bartholomew Albion, asking why the train could not be tracked anymore, and when it would be fixed. They answer that it independently took a more efficient route, that it will be fixed, that there was a dragon attack, but that the dragon was dealt with, and receives no further response. Suds starts working to fix the hole in the train, while Foq illusions himself to wear Albion staff uniform and goes to the bar to serve drinks to the passengers. He tries to calm them down, but is also very unsettling while doing so.

In the meantime, Atelut takes Chet and Rian aside and tells them about the *Sending*. The two ask them to please be more secretive with Albion, as Rian fears the company might just have them killed if they know too much. Atelut does not quite believe that, but they agree to prioritise doing whatever they can to get out of the Feywild. Piper comes from the locomotive, they inform her what happened, and she heads back to the brake car to try again to steer the train.

While fixing the hole, Suds uses the last charge of his ring to talk to Scenda. He asks her whether she is alright, and she thanks him after a slightly tense silence. He informs her that she put everyone in danger, and that people are panicking, and she tells him that she believes in the ability of him and her "other acolytes" to keep themselves and the passengers safe. He asks how she can be so sure of this if she barely knows what she is doing and why, and she is disheartened about his distrust. She tells him that she is looking for a place that is bright and warm, and that there might be something that could free her, although she doesn't know whether she is trapped. He tells her that he will do everything to keep everyone safe, and that afterwards, they will end up where they end up. Then, he drops the connection, takes off the ring, and puts it in his pocket. Piper comes out of the brake car, still unable to steer the train, and the two of them decide to get to the bar car together.

In the meantime, Atelut takes some time to check the train's alignment, finding that it has shifted from Lawful Neutral to True Neutral, and decides to talk to Suds.

### Episode 4

Foq realises that the train is currently inbetween the spring court and the winter court in the Feywild, heading towards the spring court, where his family lives. As he tells Suds where they are heading towards, Suds hands him an *Alter Self* potion, while he and Piper try out the drinks Foq is mixing. Atelut, Chet, and Rian come into the bar car, Atelut saying that they all need a nap and that they should try to take control over their situation. She has an idea, but needs to talk to Suds in private, so they go into the staff car. There, Atelut tells him that they believe something fundamental has changed about the train, to which Suds agrees, and that they might be able to change it back. Suds is concerned at first that with her old motivation back, Scenda might be even less able to help them, but since he agrees that she would definitely try, the two of them decide to try it out first thing in the morning. Atelut also proposes to arm the passengers with Chet's guns, so that they can defend themselves and the train. Back in the bar car, while Foq is still providing everyone with alcohol, Rian and Chet have started a shoot off, shooting at some bottles. Atelut, in horror and despair, does not stop them, but asks them to not ruin the train too much, has a strong drink, and goes to bed. The others follow.

The next morning, Foq's and Chet's eyes are finally back to normal, and Foq notices that his stolen box is warm. He seeks out Atelut to help him open it, who manages to get through the first puzzle with a *Dispel Magic*, and then tells him to ask Chet or Rian for help, while they go to wake Suds for the *Ceremony* ritual. Foq gets together with Chet and Rian, and Rian finally manages to open the puzzle box, inside of which is a smaller silver box. As he opens the latch, there is a ring, which is so cold that he takes a bit of damage. Immediately, they question Foq about it, who claims that he stole it from his family, who might in turn have stolen it from the winter court. Rian closes the box again and gives it to Chet, demanding that Foq may not put the ring on.

In the meantime, Atelut and Suds prepare the *Ceremony* spell. About an hour into the preparation, before the spell itself is cast, Suds uses the charge on his ring to talk to Scenda, after Atelut felt a hand squeezing on her wrist. Scenda begs him to make Atelut stop, telling him that they are going to destroy her drawing, and that she will bring them home and do anything, if only they stop. It is the first time that Suds hears her afraid, and he tells Atelut to stop. Scenda says that it might get worse before it gets better. As Atelut drops the spell, instead of their reflection, they see a small humanoid made out of light, reaching out for them, in the metal. She tries to grab the humanoid and help them out, but the train itself seems to suck them back in.

As the two of them, confused about what they saw, come back into the bar car, the others are still arguing about whether or not Foq should have the ring. Rian explains the situation, arguing that the fey courts might become even more pissed if Foq wears it, while Suds claims that a powerful magic item might help them when they are in danger. Atelut proposes putting the ring into the vat, but agrees that it is Foq's ring, and that he should have it. The train whistle blows frantically as more fairy dragons approach, this time with riders on them. Before they come closer, it goes dark around them, as the train planeshifts again. They all prepare for a fight of sorts, with Suds preparing to cast *Rope Trick*, but Foq, now with the ring on, just goes fully blank behind the eyes. Suddenly, they feel pressing heat all around them, and as the darkness fades, they see that they are in the iron city of Dis, the second layer of hell.

### Episode 5

Shocked to find themselves in hell, the party tries to figure out what happened to Foq. As they turn him over, the tips of his fingers are white. After a while, he opens his eyes, which have also turned milky white, and first claims he is fine, but then says "secrets laid plain, a love profane, has called me forth to kill this train", attacks the party, breaks a window, climbs on top of the train and runs towards the engine. Suds tries to climb after Foq, but falls and hit the ground. He casts *Enlarge* on the train to make the sides come closer to him, so that he can hold on and get back up. Chet willingly misfires a gun to create a hole in the ceiling, while Atelut shouts for everyone to come back inside, before running towards the engine on the inside and casting *Bless* on the train. Rian uses one of the ladders between cars to get up on the roof.

Clouds of imps start swarming the train, and Suds gets poisoned from a bite. He casts *Sanctuary* on the train and then gets back inside, still running towards the engine. Atelut turns invisible and runs beside him. Chet moves up through the hole in the ceiling, and he and Rian follow Foq up on the roof. Foq tries to slow them down by casting *Spike Growth*, and Chet opens fire, which Foq answers with an *Ice Storm* that brings Chet down. Suds hears it and throws his mechanical weasel up to be able to see Chet, casting *Healing Word*, before the weasel dies as it hits the top of the train. Rian gets back inside and runs together with the still invisible Atelut. Then, Suds drops concentration on the *Enlarge* spell, which shortens the train so much that Foq falls down infront of it, but he manages to grip onto the train and climb along it, towards an entry point into the engine room. There, he sees Piper standing, gets inside, and uses *Charm Person* to make her leave and stop others from coming in.

Due to the *Sanctuary* spell cast by Suds, Foq is unable at first to hit the train, but his cold aura makes it slow down nonetheless. He touches the engine and listens to it fight as it picks up speed again, then manages to punch the engine. As he casts *Spike Growth* on the door to block it, the *Charm Person* on Piper fades as Rian and Atelut come rushing into the dome car, Atelut hearing a scream inside their head. She becomes visible again as she starts to fight Foq, who slashes at her. Rian and Suds also attack, and Chet explodes another hole in the ceiling to shoot at Foq from there. He tells his tame displacer beast Ringo to attack, but Foq manages to down the cat. Finally, Rian hits Foq into the chest with a *Witch Bolt*, channelling the power from the engine around them. The ice around Foq's body shatters and falls off, and his eyes turn back to purple for a moment. He looks down at the hole in his chest, then up again, says "I could really use a drink", and falls down dead.

### Episode 6

Foq's soul tries to find his way out of Hell and back to the Feywild, where he belongs, but quickly realises that he is stuck, as it suddenly senses a sort of doorway opening. He lands in a sort of metallic looking space, where he can see himself, a ghostly body. There is a voice, and as he turns around, he sees a shape that looks like Atelut, but made out of light. She walks towards him, shifts to look like Suds, and then introduces herself as the Ascendant Engine. Foq apologises for stabbing her, and they talk a bit about everything that has happened and is still happening, with Scenda revealing that they are chased, and that she is drawing a rune. She apologises that she doesn't know what might happen if they planeshift again, especially to him, now that he is different. Then, she shows him a wall, and as they touch it, it strains against his fingers, but he can see into the coach parlour car. Foq moves along this wall towards the car where the others are in.

In the meantime, the others heal their wounds after the fight, and Suds realises that Foq is dead. Rian refuses to believe it, but as he doesn't wake up even as Atelut takes the ring away, there is no denying it anymore. Atelut, seeing that Rian is zoning out, sends him to prepare something to toast with, and then prepares a funeral *Ceremony* in the dome car. They have a little eulogy, and Suds tries to assure Rian that they are not to blame for this, while Rian is little more than physically present, trying to re-activate the security locks on the puzzle box again. Suddenly, Suds and Atelut hear something tapping at the walls, moving around, and Suds uses *Detect Thoughts* to scan for it. He first hears Scenda as if from behind layers of cotton, and then "they could at least have made mojitos" from Foq. As Foq is able to hear them speak, they can communicate, and Foq tells them that they might be able to pull him out. They see his appearance in the glass, like a reflection, and Suds and Atelut put his body up against the wall, trying to pull his soul back into it while Scenda pushes, but they fail. So, instead, they try to prepare another *Ceremony*, while Foq finds out that he is still able to use magic.

Scenda, Suds and Atelut have a bit of a conversation, as Scenda warns them to hide the body, moments before they hear something from the staff car, like a zipper tearing through space, knowing it to be a loud sound if they are still able to hear it outside. While Suds and Chet shove Foq's body into the bag of holding, Atelut extinguishes the candles, wipes away the runes, and then goes into the staff car with Rian, where they are greeted by Bartholomew Albion himself, waiting for Atelut to explain the situation. They try, but he tells them that this is their last voyage with Albion Rail, not because he thinks they did something wrong, but because the company needs to tell the people that it was an operating issue, not an issue with the engine itself. Rian hears the edge in Atelut's voice as she reassures herself that she has just been fired, and tries to get Mr Albions attention by rambling about how good of a job she has done, so that he would go in for the handshake she offers. He does, and Atelut casts *Inflict Wounds*, but through his ring takes half of the damage herself. Bartholomew tries to use an earring of *Sending*, but as Atelut asks Rian to help, Rian slams him in the face with a hammer, killing him. Atelut takes the earring, tells the person on the other end that "Albion Rail is up and running", gives it back to the dead Mr Albion, and the two of them chuck his body out a window.

Foq tries to use *Vortex Warp* to get his soul out of the train walls and back into the car, but fails. He tries again, this time with Scenda's help, believing that she is powerful enough to help him, and appears six inches infront of Rian, kissing him while technically passing through him. Atelut, Rian, and Foq the ghost go back to the others, and while Atelut informs the others of what happened, Chet and Suds pull out the body again, and Foq manages to go back into it. Everything goes dark, and they hear the train whistle go again.

### Episode 7

The train whistle blows again, and as the darkness goes away, there is blinding light all around them, and a train station forming in it. The train pulls into the station and comes to a stop. Atelut first heads towards the passengers and informs them that Albion Rail tried to kill them, and that they should better not say too much to keep safe. The passengers agree, and they all move to the dining car to exit the train. The station is entirely empty, but as Atelut calls out, they hear a voice answer from the front. She walks there, Foq follows. Suds moves to the locomotive inside the train, while Chet and Rian move to the back to check on the vats.

Inside the locomotive, Suds sees many glowing figures in all of the reflecting surfaces around him. They all do the same thing, but do not behave like his reflection would, and each has a different appearance: one looks like him, one like Atelut, there are Rian, Foq, Piper, many of the passengers, but Chet is nowhere to be seen. As Suds investigates, the figures lean in and greet him in Scenda's voice. Suds asks, and Scenda tells him that she has not ascended yet, but needs their help to do so, to come out of the train. Suds tries to pull out the figure that looks like Piper, and can actually feel hands, but doesn't get her out. After talking to Scenda from the outside and determining that the train station is safe, Atelut and Foq come inside the locomotive as well. Chet and Rian report that the vats are entirely empty, including the dissolving agent, and that the vending machines in the station don't actually work. Chet looks for a reflection that looks like him, and Scenda tells him that the problem is that he doesn't believe in her. Chet admits that he just assumed this whole thing was beyond him, like magic. Suds asks to please talk to Scenda for a moment, and the others leave the locomotive to give him space.

Suds reads to her a little text he has prepared in his notebook. He tells her that he wanted to write a letter anyways, but that it was hard for him to admit his love for her, and that things changed in a way that obviously was not reflected in his words from before the journey. Now, he is glad that she has changed, and apologises for not trusting her during the process. He states that she is a god, his god, and that he won't deny her his support again, and then finishes with "I love you. Your acolyte, Suds". As he looks up, there is only one figure made of light instead of many, the faceless but vaguely humanoid figure he had seen before. She tells him that she would not have been able to do this without him, and that he should get the others to pull her out, since she really wants to hug him now.

Suds gets the others to come back. Chet still doesn't quite understand what they are doing and why, but decides to follow along for now and digest it later. The staff and passengers of the train join as well, and Suds tells everyone that he is sorry for the terrible journey, but that they are about to witness the birth of his god, Scenda. Then, all together, they manage to pull Scenda out, and she dissolves. Little motes of light scatter around, and they hear her voice from the outside telling them that she needed to get out. As they step out, there she is, features still uncertain, but twelve feet tall, testing out her new body. She tells them that she can get them home, and that Albion Rail will, ultimately, fall due to their own hubris. Chet, a little ashamed, walks over and offers her a carrot. He and Rian decide to give Albion some hell, with Scenda's blessing. Suds and Scenda hug, and he leaves his Ring of Artificial Communication with her. She asks whether she can keep the dinosaurs, and they let her.

Atelut says goodbye to her and the dinosaurs, and Scenda offers them that they could work together. While Atelut is not the person to go headfirst into battle, talking to people is what she is good at, and Scenda can only gain more power through more believers, which would then give Albion a harder time killing them. Atelut agrees, and takes on the Oath of Redemption. Then, they go back on the train, and inform everyone that they are ready to leave, Scenda has everything under control. The train moves forward again, producing tracks despite the empty vats, and as Scenda waves goodbye, a face solidifies: big smile, proud nose, and purple eyes that are not a cold Albion amethyst, but a sparkling Feywild lavender. Quickly, they shift back onto the Material Plane, close to Pistol City Station Town, and soon reach their final destination.

As the train stops in a station with Albion security and a higher up ready to talk to anyone, preferably Atelut, the new revolutionaries Rian, Chet and Piper sneak out to get away unseen and plan their next steps of action. Atelut, Herklefunk and Emory, however, just walk out confidently and continue doing their job. Atelut puts on a good face for Albion Rail and continues to work for them, occasionally spreading the true story behind their backs. The passengers exit the train, thanking them. Foq tries to find out what a vending machine is. Suds makes sure Atelut is fine and knows how to contact him, then walks to town square to find a job to get enough money for the journey home. He is a new Knowledge Cleric devoted to Scenda, and continues to look out for signs from her.

## Trivia

* The release of the arc conincided with the US rail strike, which was not possible to foresee for Gus or Haley, as it was recorded much earlier, but made them include a little note about the strikes and a call to support unions in the intro for episode 0.
* This arc is the first that starts releasing in one year and finishes in the next.
* This arc is the first since Arc 4 with a Q&A, the first ever with a free postmortem episode, and the first with a Cast postmortem (which was recorded as a surprise for Haley and Gus).