Planeswalkers
Following
Session 2
1
0
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The Return to Windmere Haven
Session Recap
After the Battle
The aftermath of the battle is quiet.
Merrin and Kael slump against the tree that, only moments earlier, was splattered with Darkmantle viscera.
The pain of their injuries is severe, but the herbal medicine and residual adrenaline dull the worst of it.
As they rest, their attention briefly turns toward Faerivol.
After the battle, both Merrin and Kael noticed that he seems to have become somewhat younger than when they first met him.
Whether it is a trick of the light, a consequence of his strange arrival, or merely fatigue clouding their judgment, neither can say for certain.
Still, the observation becomes a source of curiosity and speculation as their rest begins.
Conversations Around the Camp
The conversation gradually drifts toward the mysterious bond linking the three adventurers together.
Questions of fate, magic, and circumstance dominate the discussion.
Merrin explains that his homeland, Amn, holds a deeply restrictive view of arcane practice, with national sanctions limiting exposure to magical study and experimentation.
As a result, much of the arcane world remains unfamiliar territory to him.
Faerivol offers what insight he can, and before long the discussion evolves into a broader debate regarding the ethics and responsibilities of magic itself.
In the end, the conclusion is unavoidable.
Magic is clearly what brought them together, and it is likely what will get them home.
Whatever force brought Merrin and Faerivol from Faerûn to this world clearly operates beyond mundane explanation.
Accepting this reality, Merrin asks Faerivol to help instruct him in the arcane arts moving forward.
He agrees, marking the beginning of an unusual apprenticeship.
Recovery and Remedies
Over the next hour, their wounds begin to mend.
Kael's battle-hardened body recovers with remarkable speed, the resilience of countless hardships already at work within him.
Merrin, lacking such natural endurance, carefully applies a small supply of alchemical remedies he brewed the week prior.
The concoctions help close his injuries and dull the lingering agony left behind by the battle.
Hah-ooty's Objection
Meanwhile, Faerivol finds himself engaged in a familiar argument.
Hah-ooty, the wisecracking Dracohowl, once again insists that he is absolutely not a magical familiar.
According to Hah-ooty:
• He claims to have hatched from a perfectly ordinary egg
• He has no interest whatsoever in serving a spellcaster
• He generally detests humanoids as a matter of principle
• He has no interest whatsoever in serving a spellcaster
• He generally detests humanoids as a matter of principle
The fact that he continues traveling with Faerivol only makes his claims more confusing.
The Spoils of Victory
With their strength partially restored, Merrin proposes they turn this deadly encounter into an opportunity.
The fallen axe beaks and darkmantles may have value, either to a butcher interested in exotic meat or an apothecary seeking unusual ingredients.
The suggestion is met favorably.
Fortunately, the group already possesses a means of transportation.
The trade cart Kael pulled through the jungle before fate brought the three together remains nearby.
Demonstrating the tremendous strength for which his people are known, Kael hoists an entire axe beak onto the cart by himself.
Merrin and Faerivol work together to load the second.
Their trophies secured, the companions begin the journey back toward Windmere Haven, pulling behind them a cart laden with both trade goods and the spoils of their first shared battle.
The Gates of Windmere Haven
By the time they reach the city, evening settles over the land.
The towering walls of Windmere Haven stand illuminated against the fading light as two sentries greet them at the gate.
The younger guard introduces himself as Guar.
His senior officer is named Ding.
Apparently, whoever oversees the city's duty rosters possesses a sense of humor.
Ding, a grizzled veteran whose service predates the city's founding, quickly makes one thing clear:
No one enters Windmere Haven without proper verification.
Every traveler requires a two-person authorization stamp before crossing the threshold.
Without it, the magical defenses woven into the city walls simply expel unauthorized entrants.
Customs and Questions
From there, the party is escorted through customs.
Kael finds himself interviewed by two officials named Name and Less.
Faerivol is assigned to No and Body.
The questioning takes place within overlapping magical fields that prevent deception and ensure privacy, allowing city officials to determine whether incoming visitors pose any threat to the community.
The process is thorough but cordial.
At one point, Less and Kael become engrossed in an unexpectedly enthusiastic discussion regarding physical fitness and training.
By the end of the conversation, Kael extends an invitation for Less to someday visit his village and experience the rigorous methods of his people firsthand.
The Story of Windmere Haven
The interviews eventually conclude, but not before No launches into a lengthy explanation regarding Windmere Haven itself.
He speaks of the city's enchanted walls, their purpose, and the remarkable history of the settlement.
According to the official account, Windmere Haven has enjoyed forty years of unparalleled utopian success since its founding.
Peace, prosperity, harmony, and safety flourish under a uniquely cooperative social order.
• Poverty has been eliminated
• Hunger has been solved
• Class divisions no longer exist
• Systemic hardships have largely been overcome
• Hunger has been solved
• Class divisions no longer exist
• Systemic hardships have largely been overcome
Most striking of all is the sincerity with which these claims are delivered.
The conviction in No's voice as he speaks suggests genuine belief.
And he is not alone.
The guards believe it.
The customs officials believe it.
The customs officials believe it.
Every indication suggests the people of Windmere Haven truly view their city as the ultimate success story and contribute fully to its success.
Questions Without Answers
Once reunited outside the customs office, the companions exchange doubtful looks.
The claims are extraordinary.
Neither Merrin nor Faerivol comes from a world where such things are possible, and even Kael finds the notion difficult to reconcile with his own experiences.
Yet what troubles them most is not the claim itself.
It is the fact that everyone appears to believe it.
Not blindly.
Not fanatically.
Simply and completely.
Not fanatically.
Simply and completely.
The mystery leaves the companions with more questions than answers.
If Windmere Haven truly is what its people claim, then it may represent one of the greatest achievements in the history of all realms, accomplished in only forty short years.
If it is not, then something far stranger is occurring beneath the surface.
Looking Forward
Though skeptical, the three recognize that speculation alone will not reveal the truth.
If answers exist, they are likely hidden within the vast records and accumulated knowledge of the Wayfinder Guild.
And so, with curiosity growing stronger by the hour, the companions once again set their sights on the guild.
Somewhere within its halls may lie the truth of Windmere Haven's remarkable history.
More importantly, somewhere within its expeditions, archives, and discoveries may exist a path to power for Kael and a path home for both Merrin and Faerivol.
For now, that possibility is enough to keep them moving forward.
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by 3 Armored Kittens · Prodromos v.1.1 - World Anvil 0.9.15.050 © 2017-2025 [en] | Anvil Time: 10:31, Jun 12 2026