Session Date: 6/26/2023
It is around noon on a train.
Where we are:
- First class — Faylen
- Business class
- Dining car (x2)
- Lounge with bar (x2) — Tabby (upper, bar), Bosch
- Observation — Pippin, Mary, Mira
- Baggage
- Reinforced steel wagon — Cannot start here
Pippin hears a movement behind him and an archetypical wizard is there, wearing sage vestments. He is a very high ranking specialist of magic with an ornate metal staff, and a smaller man with glasses in tow. The smaller man pushes for the wizard to leave despite the wizard needing to stretch his legs.
Tabby finds the drink is not as strong as he would like. He’s been traveling a while for now, and he’s taken up residence in the bar just like some of the other patrons. A large, very built catfolk man with a belly is talking to someone who is no longer there, something about the changeling prince. Tabby approaches him and asks what is going on. The catfolk explains that in the other kingdom there is an issue of succession where the crown prince is a changeling, so there is a crisis on whether he should be allowed to take the throne or not.
The catfolk rambles for some time, essentially trapping Tabby in this conversation. Bosch sees this and encourages Bean, his frog, onto the bar counter to distract the fact cat so that Tabby can get away.
On the observation deck, Mary stands and watches the scenery pass by as she talks with her friend, a squirrel named Talitha.
Pippin is trying to leave the observation deck as both Tabby and Bosch attempt to enter — Tabby jumps over the other two to get in, and Bosch tries to jump over Pippin (with Tabby’s help) to get in. This causes a commotion and a girl who’d had her face pressed to the glass turned away to see what was going on, giggling at the scene as Bosch trips after not quite launching over Pippin.
Faylen is in first class, relaxing, and it is not long before Axamonar and Clement enter. Axamonar is the Sage that Pippin saw earlier, and Faylen knows that he is quite famous for his power and skill. Faylen has previously attended his talks as their shared focus is being a battlemage. Axamonar holds himself knowing he is powerful. Faylen and Axamonar talk in the lounge about magic and battle strategies, going quite in depth with it, while Clement shakes like a nervous chihuahua. He does eventually leave.
Eventually, Axamonar pulls out a small silver mirror. Faylen peeks over to see that in the mirror is an image of a chest made of steel and encrusted with gems that act as magical conduits. It hovers inside of what appears to be the locked steel carriage. Axamonar explains he must leave to continue his work, and Faylen thanks him for his time.
Faylen then gets up and heads up to the observation deck, looking out the window to take in the scenery.
Mira shifts gears and goes to hang near the fat catfolk — named Ziran — and pretends like he’s her drunken uncle.
Mary turns to find Bean and Bosch — Tabby compliments Bean while Bean explains Bosch hasn’t been staying entirely out of trouble. Bosch asks Mary what she has to figure out and fix because the woodland creatures sent her out into the world to investigate something that was out of balance, and Mary admits that she doesn’t actually know what she’s looking for.
Clement runs into the rest of the party and Mary asks why he is upset, and he explains that he doesn’t feel Axamonar is taking things seriously enough.
A knight enters, escorting a girl in a princess dress, talking about how they will find the thief that took the ticket, though the princess thinks she might have actually dropped it on accident. Mira, overhearing this, tenses and stares out the window intently.
The “knight” has some skill with a weapon, but not technique. They move on and Mira comes to sit down with Faylen, immediately engaging him. She asks how he is and how things are going and he explains he is doing well, and the train is very nice. Mira explains she definitely 100% absolutely bought her ticket through scrimping and saving. Faylen clearly doesn’t believe her and it’s about this time that Pippin comes over to investigate. He asks if everything is okay, and Mira smiles at him. She says it’s all fine and Pippin introduces himself. Mira says she is Annabelle, and explains her mom saw a beautiful human named Annabelle and named her that.
Hallow World — a war below with something attacking the fortresses there. We know that there are grizzled war veterans even though they are more mouse-like in appearance.
Bosch barges into the conversation and calls Pippin cute and asks if he’s from inside the world. Pippin says that he is, and that it is very lovely. He explains that the world up here is expansive and wide compared to down there. Mira asks if it is cold under the earth, and Pippin explains that where he from it is, yes. Tabby chimes in and says he notices that Pippin may be from the lower levels of the Hallow World, and Tabby notes it’s odd to see him up here. Pippin explains he’s here on business, and he responds to Mary’s question explaining he isn’t sure if his own business aligns with her goals.
Mira explains that she is not traveling with Faylen, and that she is with her uncle (the fat cat named Ziran) and Bosch mentions that Ziran should work on his drinking problem. Mira says she and the family have tried an intervention, and Faylen stops her and explains how dangerous it can be for her to share her life story with strangers.
The train stops and it grows dark outside. The seams of reality seem to split open as static pours out and approaches the train with a thundering noise. Mira puts a hand on Mary’s shoulder and says that she thinks she found Mary’s adventure.