TieVling

**TieVling** is the 53rd session of the first WGA campaign. The Red Thread arrive very suddenly in the Wastes outside of Asarius thanks to Kismet's *Divine Intervention*. They need to find the Beacon and return with it to their original timeline.

### Blocked at the wall

The Red Thread walks toward the city, chatting as they go. Venra learns that everyone in the party has been to jail at some point, or at least a holding cell. She asks what they were detained for, and most were kept for petty crimes. Kismet pointedly avoids answering the question. Venra and Florian climb a tree, taking in a view of the outskirts. It's crowded.

As they approach the walls, they notice a huge guard presence on the wall. Arabella casts *Locate Object*, but cannot pick up the beacon. Knowing that the Aurora Hold is further than 1000ft away, if it's being held there, they won't be able to detect it yet. The party discuss their options - they could try and sneak over the wall, but they aren't keen to be stuck full of crossbow bolts. They decide to try their luck at the gate, using Valac's current form, a Tasithar noble, as cover.

Before they reach the gate, it opens, and one of the Watch soldiers standing guard greets the figure as the Shadowhand. It isn't Essek, however, but Xuton, who the Red Thread recently killed in their own timeline. Determined to get more information, Valac casts *Detect Thoughts* on the guard. The spell doesn't go through - apparently there is some kind of magical protection around the guards at the wall.

The party decides to move forward with their plan once Xuton moves out of sight. Valac leads the interaction, but the guard recognises him. Apparently this Tasithar defected from the Dynasty, and is not welcome back inside the walls. Despite their best efforts, the party are turned away. There simply isn't enough space to be let in - the population of Rosohna has been taken in as well.

### A family that could have been

While the majority of the party talks with the guards, Maynard spots a group of kids playing with a ball. They appear to be from all over, and he joins in, talking with them. There's a little girl from Emon, who arrived on a skyship. According to calculations from highly skilled mages, Asarius is in the middle of the approaching void. Essentially the eye of the storm.

Valac suggests they find a sewer entrance to sneak in. He seems reluctant, but it's an option. Arabella and Agatha both suggest causing some kind of distraction so they can sneak in around the guards. Venra brings up a problem - inside the walls, there are guards checking papers to make sure no one has snuck in. In her timeline, she had friends who forged documents. The party try to find them, but there's no sign of them in this timeline.

Something bright catches the eye of the party, and a tiefling who looks remarkably like Venra approaches them. She tells them she can help them get in - overhearing their conversations, she heard them mention they want to help, and have information on the approaching apocalypse. She introduces herself as 'Light' though the party recognizes this to be this timeline's own Venra. She says that her accomplice, 'Ashes', knows how to get documents forged. Leading them to a small tent, Light moves a sidetable to reveal a hole leading down into a tunnel. The party follow, and come to a door, which opens into a small room.

Standing in the room is a tall tiefling with blue skin wearing all black, and it's very evident this is Valac from this timeline. The only difference is that his eyes aren't white, but brown instead, with a single red ring. Light introduces him as her brother, 'Ashes'. Meanwhile, the original Valac is in shock, and can't say a thing for a long while. Eventually, he manages to ask a couple of questions, then casts *Detect Thoughts* on Ashes. His surface thoughts are mostly about trying to get the Red Thread to help, but over it is a feeling of adoration for his sister: *I love you, but please shut up*. Venra was adopted into the Darlight family when she was eight - she is younger than Valac. The pair asks the party for help with the crisis, and in return they will get them forged documents. The party readily agrees. They are to find a missing accomplice called Rosebush who was able to forge documents. Florian is immediately on edge - with that name, there's no way this isn't him from the timeline.

The party sets up camp, and Valac approaches Venra to ask how she's doing. He wonders how Venra could possibly know his family in this timeline, as she grew up in the Empire. Venra isn't entirely sure - all she knows is that she was adopted when she was eight. Valac hopes that she would have had a better upbringing than he did. Perhaps it might have been, considering they are both together in this timeline. Venra asks Valac if he's okay, and he responds that he isn't. It's probably the first time that he's admitted to anyone but Kismet how he's actually feeling. Venra tells him he has all these people who care for him and are willing to help. Valac admits he's a little jealous of what this version of himself appears to have.

### Abandon all hope

Kismet finishes preparing his *Commune* ritual with a prepared list of questions. The spell takes, but when he asks if Rosebush is alive, there is no answer. He tries twice more, but hears nothing but static. The spell ends. Surprised, he tells the group that there was no response. Venra gives a sardonic laugh, telling him the gods abandoned this timeline too. Kismet vehemently denies it, not believing that his god would simply run away.

What follows is Kismet losing his grip, unable to accept that the gods would willingly abandon their worshipers. Venra tries to tell him that the five years she spent in complete solitude confirmed as much. Kismet breaks down completely, feeling abandoned yet refusing to believe it. The others attempt to reassure him, Valac pointing out the logical fallacies in how he talks about himself. Arabella tells him that the Moonweaver has never once spoken to her personally, and she has made peace in her faith with that.

Venra leaves the conversation, knowing she can't convince Kismet to think anything different. Valac says he's going to take a walk, and Arabella offers to go with him. They head to the Sorrowseep Waters via *Polymorph* and *Wildshape*. Valac scouts out the waters, and all seems quiet. As they descend and enter the water, Arabella asks if this is the lake that he used to swim in to clear his mind, and Valac confirms it. Though it's another timeline, he hopes it will still work. Arabella understands completely, and the two stay for a little bit, enjoying the quiet, before flying back to their tent.

Meanwhile, Florian seeks out Venra, and asks if she's alright. They talk, and Venra reveals a little more about the last days of the end of the world. After hearing nothing from the gods at all, finally the Everlight responded to her. This reaffirmed to her that the gods leaving was a choice on their part. Perhaps she felt like Kismet in the beginning, but that wore off into anger. She wonders what the point is in worshipping a god at all if they simply won't help when they're needed most.