Episode 194 - Bucky, the Best Boy

Emotions can only be avoided for so long. With no battles to wage, bad news has to be spread and Aludra has to come to grips with her survivor's guilt.

## **Story**

Wren and Lex ask where Harper is and mention they had a terrible premonition about him and flew as fast as they could to save him in time. Everyone who successfully fought off the attack by the Animal Mask Assassins realize that Harper is missing and everyone's eyes fall on Aludra, Jaela, and Jett for answers. Aludra breaks the news. King Titus Harper is dead. Exploded. By Longcryer. *Revivify* can do nothing.

Jaela picks out a chunk of Harper from Aludra's hair and places it in a vial to wear around her neck just in case something can be done to bring him back sometime in the future. But with without any actual body to bring back to Queen Ashyara Dayne, Erynn Colleen and Marlamin Windlore gather up Harper's belongings to take back to Pelor's Hope.

Aludra is ready to go back and give the news in person, concerned about the new widow, and for the fate of the kingdom now that Harper is dead, but Lex interrupts. She explains that while Harper was a good friend to the Coven, and his death is a great loss, something really bad is going on in Glaine, the Jewel of the East. There is an amount of magical power coming off of the entire city that is off the charts and is interfering with any scrying attempts. A magical disturbance never seen before. They are convinced something cataclysmic is happening. And perhaps not coincidentally, there have been reports of a terrible monster terrorizing the surrounding small villages. Both the reports and the magical disturbance began at about the same time.

The adventurer's spirit in Aludra pulls her towards Glaine, while the obligation to her dead friend pulls her back towards Pelor's Hope. Undecided, Ros suggests that perhaps the queen might lash out against them since they were in the room with him. And while Ros and Ashayara Dayne haven't seen eye to eye on all things, she's part of Harper council for years so perhaps it is best the message come from her instead. Aludra agrees. She also agrees that Bucky should go back with Ros. She needs to know he's safe, and she asks him to be her ambassador to Pelor's Hope. He's a supportive son and says he'll do what she asks, and tells her that everything that happened wasn't her fault and that Longcryer was the evil one.

Jett Razor crudely suggests that he could be Harper and no one would have to know that he's dead. This leads to Lex and Wren, both changelings, to being shocked to hear that he can turn into a liquid form. No changeling they've ever heard of or encountered could do such a thing. Jett seems taken aback that they can't do what he can. Maybe it's a dragonborn with or without tails kind of thing. Or mountain dwarves versus hill dwarves. The conversation is left without any true answers.

With nothing else left to say, Erynn Colleen casts Teleportation Circle and she takes Ros, Bucky, Daisy, and Marlamin Windlore all back to Pelor's Hope.

Before heading off with the witches to Glaine, the Jewel of the East, Jett suggests they all spend the night in Jack House. Jaela agrees with the condition that it be filled with windows that overlook a beach or something else peaceful, to help take their minds away from this terrible, terrible tower. At some point during the night, Jaela wants to reinforce to Aludra that is isn't her fault, and Aludra spills her feelings that she can't shake that maybe it is. Everyone around her dies. She does gather herself up enough to settle on the thought that the most she can do is try to do good, raise Bucky to be a good boy, and help as many people as she can on this terrible hell planet.

The rest of the night is spent doing all kinds of particularly unspeakable things in Jack House. In the morning, no one in the party can make eye contact with each other.

## **Trivia**

* Wish is mentioned out of character by the DM as a possibility to bring him back, however they currently have no access to that magic.
* Jett jokes about eating Harper, and since no one ever buries his remains or forces Jett to expel them at the very least... Jett really does eat Harper.

## **In This Episode...**

### **Cast and Player Characters**

* Michael DiMauro - *Dungeon Master*
* Mike Bachmann - Jett Razor
* Nika Howard - Jaela
* Jennifer Cheek - Aludra Wyrmsbane

### **Non-Player Characters**

* Bucky
* Erynn Colleen
* Lex
* Marlamin Windlore
* Ros
* Wren

### **Pets/Familiars**

* Griffons
* Daisy (Off screen)

### **Locations**

* Longcryer's Tower
* Jerk House

### **Inventory Updates**

* -1 Ros from the party
* -1 Bucky from the party
* -1 Daisy from the party
* -1 Marlamin Windlore from the party
* -1 Erynn Colleen from the party
* -1 Harper's belongings: Clothes, diary, bedroll, etc.
* +1 Lex to the party
* +1 Wren to the party
* +1 Harper Chunk Vial Necklace
* +1 Aludra Tears Vial

### **Quest Log Updates**

* [NEW] [Active] - Find the monster terrorizing Glaine, the Jewel of the East
* [NEW] [Active] - Discover the cause of the magical disturbance
* [Active] - Curse of the Raven Queen
* Save the shrinking high elf city of Galanthis

### **Quotes**

**"I can't deal with this. This is too much. Like.. I mean... literally... my friends. I'm the only... I'm the only one left now. And it just feels like I'm cursed or something. Everyone around me is just doomed. My brother, and Thom, and Tum, and Harper... Why does this keep happening? Am I just not safe to be around? Are *you* going to be next? What's going to happen now? Maybe I need to go home. *And bad things happen there too!* Oh my god! I... I need to leave!" (Roll for panic attack - DM)** ~ *Aludra Wyrmsbane*

## **Rolls**

* **Recap**
	+ Jennifer - 8
	+ Bachmann - 6
	+ Nika - 3