Session Date: 04/19/2026
Rdest
After the first very chaotic day on the ship, things go along more quietly. Rdest writes her academic advisor asking what it’d look like to swap school tracks to magical transfiguration or whatever (turning one spell into another) and when her advisor responds saying that none of the credits will transfer and she can always study more after she graduates, and Rdest sends another letter to someone else demanding a new advisor.
She eventually gets a note from her new advisor saying they are looking forward to working with her. It is signed Professor Kranthor, Chair of Nonspiritual Studies Into Empyreal Forces.
The advisor sets up essentially a zoom call and a minotaur comes through and introduces himself as Professor Kranthor. He asks where Rdest is right now, and he understands she’s taking a year off from schooling. Rdest explains that she’s avenging her brother and she’s on a ship right now. Professor is surprised that she’s still considering her academic journey.
He asks what her plans are after the revenge, and he comments she was going to switch her major. She asks if she should change her major or stay in the university longer, which Kranthor says either is entirely viable. He’s heard from her other professors that her discussion is generally welcome in classes.
He asks how her studies in magical technology have been and she says she’s making things that work. She finds herself feeling lucky that she can stretch and do what she can, but she finds herself hitting limitations that she doesn’t like. When he asks for her to explain, Rdest says she works very, very hard and both of her brothers were gifted, so all of this she’s built on her own (which Kranthor says is impressive). She says it’s still not enough - she needs to have more control of it, for it to be more fluid and flexible. Kranthor verifies she wants to have more control, and then asks what she’s trying to achieve with that control.
He says that she’s already a capable spellcaster and it’s clear that’s not enough for her. She says that there’s a lot she doesn’t know and there are some theological troubles. He admits if it weren’t for his own theological troubles then he wouldn’t have his current work. He knows of Phoebe, who has appeared to him to tell him to stop doing what he’s doing because what he’s doing is unseemly, but the two do talk because Phoebe is rather pleasant. While they don’t agree on many things, they do agree on the important stuff - Kranthor considers her a friend.
Rdest slowly pulls out a pillow from her cape and she starts looking for a spot to sleep. Kranthor tells her to wait until they finish their meeting. Kranthor explains she needs to have an achievable goal set, something that she can work toward - proving herself is too vague. Rdest wants to be more powerful than the mad mage in the past, and Kranthor explains that she’s rather strong and the magic made her quite mad. Rdest says she wants to neutralize it, so she has to study it. She has to be strong enough to take it down and then disarm it.
He recommends:
- Need more research into the mad mage (bad right now as she is on a ship)
- He will attempt to get some literature recommendations on her
- Once she has an understanding of what spells she was using, they can discuss countermeasures to that kind of magic
He would appreciate if she wrote down documentation about all of this, but he’s assuming it’s all theoretical. Keeping notes would be good as this would make a fantastic paper should she ever decide to pursue advanced degrees.
Rdest asks if Kranthor wants anything of her, and he says he just wants her to be the best wizard she can be - he has no current questions about her, this meeting was to meet and hopefully start a conversation and understand each other a bit more.
Misha
Misha begins wearing his uniform around the ship and writing down long reports for Arrai, which makes Arrai respect him more. Dia eventually sits down and makes himself tea and coffee, and Misha is suspicious - he asks what it is she needs.
Dia asks how well Misha knows her family and how deep it goes, to which he responds that it’s not as deep as she thinks - he only really knows her father. He explains that he owes her father a debt (which terrifies her) and he says it’s not like that. He explains that her father has some power over him, but not the kind he wishes, and he also thinks Misha is dead, so Dia shouldn’t worry about it. Misha explains that her father has harmed him greatly, and he will repay her father for that.
Dia admits that she’s curious as to what he could have done to cause Misha to do something so reckless, but she will refrain.
She asks what he knows of her siblings (just location and goings on, no details) and her mother (the same as her siblings). He says he’s had no dealing with them. Misha admits that he would be lying if he didn’t admit to having harsh feelings toward the entire family. Dia admits that’s fair and she requests leniency for three of her brothers - to which he comments that if she is asking for that, they must not be that bad. She explains they raised her and they cared: Bertram is why she was able to leave and he is the reason she is good enough to know the difference between right and wrong. Rafferty is a fool, yes, but he has a heart of gold and a head of sand - to which Misha says he’s not a bad writer.
Misha points out that he’s not sure how much her father cares about any of them - he cares in that they are tools, but not much beyond. Dia admits that she knows her father wants her back and she isn’t sure if it’s because she’s touched by the gods or not. Dia asks if there’s research on others around here and he says no, and then he admits that when we had all met he hadn’t intended on “befriending” us.
Dia admits that she is doing her best and part of that is apologizing to everyone on her father’s behalf, but she really wishes that none of this had to happen. She has an ally, sure, but she doesn’t wish that on anyone. Misha says that he wouldn’t worry about it - what’s done is done. Dia comments that time is a fickle mistress and then wishes him luck with his paperwork. She offers to help him if he ever needs, then gets her items and starts to head out.
She stops and looks to him and says she knows that we have to face them eventually, but if she were to be honest? The twins are not as powerful as her father, but they scare her more: if they get their way, death is a kinder fate. Misha says you’d be surprised how often that is.
Arythas
Dolly Parton’s “Workin’ 9 to 5” plays in the distance. He also celebrates in the name of Bahamut with the crew a few times through this adventure.
Eventually, Dia approaches him and sits down one evening and begins to make tea. There’s some small talk and eventually Dia asks if he’s prayed. He says yes - mainly for continued good weather and safe passage. Dia admits she doesn’t know what to do: she freaked out a lot and she feels it’s with good reason, but she asks why he hasn’t stopped her father? Surely Pelor knows, she’s prayed about it, it’s a cult built in her father’s name and why has nobody stopped him before?
Arythas points out that the Gods are beyond the Divine Gate and cannot do anything to directly enact change on our plane, and there is only generally one champion. It’s entirely possible that that the plan that Pelor has for her father is literally her taking him down. She asks what eldritch power her father must have to stop the gods and Arythas explains again that the gods cannot directly enact change so whatever plan he has for her father is likely in progress. When Dia expresses that she’s afraid, Arythas agrees that everyone’s afraid at least at some point, and comments that he thinks Rohan is afraid often and better at pretending he isn’t, while Arythas himself is afraid whenever the others are in danger.
Rohan said that Dia and himself were weaker than the others and they are more vulnerable, and so they have to stay back. She wants to be more than just a medic, she wants to be useful in combat. Arythas ultimately offers to train her in some techniques and she agrees that she would like that. They end the evening by Arythas talking about when he was back home before his village was destroyed and how he hit a certain rank in the guard to train the young recruits.
Rohan
Rohan is afraid to do much on the ship after what happened with Asmodeus and the like. He’s doing his best not to exist here. He’s afraid of the people at this point more than the devils and demons. He resolves to just stay in the room for a month, which Taraaq says is not a good thing and tries to encourage him to do something.
After about a week he is dragged out of the room to help Dia in the infirmary. Rohan sees her get excited about a bone saw and he asks why she’s excited about it and she says it’s a bone saw and if you ever need to amputate a limb, to which he asks what? And Rohan is really disturbed by that and she explains that sometimes you need to amputate if you can’t fix it (perhaps too broken a bone, necrosis, etc). Rohan is wigged out about why you’d need to amputate and she tells a story about someone who needed an amputation.
Taraaq and Dia have a back and forth about bone saws and amputations and Rohan hates his entire life.
Eventually, Rohan stealths and goes out, which Dia notices. She finds him sitting in a way that he can look out and watch the ocean. There’s some playful smalltalk about the aesthetic about being an investigator, but then he grows more serious and asks if the incident was because of the alchemical fire or if it’s because of Rohan himself. Dia admits she doesn’t know - maybe he was looking for a foothold on the ship and found Rohan, maybe it was bad luck, maybe it was the laughable luck of fate, or he had a prayer to nobody and he caught it. Dia knows it’s not because of Rohan specifically - he’s not damned.
Dia admits she was thinking of something Rohan said a while ago and asks if Rohan thinks he’s weaker than the others. Rohan redirects the conversation and tells Dia that she and Arythas are pining for each other so hard and she grows very flustered and denies it to hell and back. She redirects back to asking about the comment about him being weak, and then asks if he’s okay. Rohan says he’s fine right now, but overall? Are any of us okay? Fine with what we’re doing? He eventually talks his way into saying he guesses he’s fine, and Dia insists that he’s not fine, and she isn’t sure if he’s lying to her or to himself.
Dia comments that Rohan is good at this, and he admits he’s good at being an investigator and planner, but not a fighter - he knows what he’s good at, and what he’s not good at. Dia comments that he doesn’t seem okay with that, which makes Rohan really think about it. He admits that he perhaps, at times, isn’t happy with it, but he knows that it’s okay - he knows he needs to value what he does for the party a little more, but it’s okay that he’s the smart guy. Dia admits it’s okay she’s the healer and she’s magic and support. She leans against Rohan and rests her head on his shoulder and she says that she wants him to be okay and okay with who he is, and she’ starting to recognize that she’s a massive hypocrite, and she admits she’s scared (which Rohan also admits he is too).
Dia doesn’t want to see Rohan get hurt because of his lack of confidence. Rohan admits he’s been afraid of the exact opposite with Dia. He’s gotten through this okay, almost died only once, and it wasn’t really even his fault. He says that once we get through this and the world is safe from everything, we’ll all be okay. Rohan still wants to believe there are heroes and he still wants us all to be them. Dia thinks we are, or we’re getting there. Dia tells Rohan not to stay up too late - she is probably going to train with Arythas in the morning, which Rohan is welcome to join if he wants.
Rohan says no thank you! And Dia ultimately admits that she wants the backup, which Rohan finally caves. Dia says she knows Rohan will make her regret it, and Rohan says no, he’s going to make both her and Arythas regret it, and she asks what?