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["Armand is right-"]

It seems like your attempt to raise the spirits of the two boys, especially with Veritas, had little affect to change their moods, but at least it didn't seem like it made anything actively worse. As you slam into the pair's back however the sting seems to get them both out of their stupors.

"Armand is right-" Veritas sighed, "We can't just sit here forever. We'll get ourselves ready and meet you outside."



Within a few short minutes the three of you had gathered outside in the island sun in what remained of your adventuring gear, and what few rags were required to hold the rest together. You lack weapons, defenses, shelter, food, safety, and prospects. But at least you have your lives, warm sun at your backs and a chance to write your own destiny. You three have made it this far, there is no turning back now.

"Well it seems like the three of you are in good spirits. I'm glad to see you three up and about!" Mira said as she had come to check on you.

"It's rare that people end up surviving the barrier storm together, so its good to see every now and again when it happens. So what's next for you three?"

Perception 19

As you look over the pair in detail, as they gather their thoughts, you notice some details about the pair that hadn't been apparent before. Although the fact that you didn't notice some of these things up to this point may be odd but not outlandish.

For instance, as you look at Veritas you notice that his torn clothing reveals that he is a fair bit more muscular then his reedy stature led you to believe. You now can see that he has a clear swimmer's build. You also only notice now a light line of a scar across the bridge of the half elf's nose. It was in clear relief due to the bruising, but it was clearly too well healed to be new from the crash. Last but not least, a small metal hope with an onyx band caught your eye on one of his ears that it is hard to say that he was wearing before.

Raynolt on the other hand, caught your attention for the complete opposite reason. Raynolt had been rough and rugged since the moment you met him, but now as you look at the man, many of his scars, while still present, seem less red and noticeable outside of a handful. You also notice that one scar that threatened one of his eyes before was nothing more then a light line now.

To add to the strangeness, as he sat down on the cot on the other side of his ward you can feel the structure sagging noticeably under his weight, an odd occurrence for someone for someone asleep for days to pack on pounds. Though he still looked as for as ever. The last thing that caught your eye was a small matching earring as the younger half elf.

["Help me sit up,"]

"Help me sit up," Veritas asked as Armand spoke only to freeze mid movement. "-THREE DAYS!"

His face went nearly as pail as he slumped back into bed shocked at the realization. He ran his free hand over his body as if to check for open wounds even though he knew there was nothing there. You notice as he runs his hand over his face for the first time that something seems slightly off about his nose, it would be unsurprising if he smacked it when the ship crashed. Its hard to tell exactly what's different without looking closer, but your subconscious caught something.

"We owe these people a lot if they took care of us for three days. If they're stuck here like we are then I don't know how I feel about pulling them into our problems," Raynolt said as he stood with a grown, checking himself over and stepping gingerly on each foot before looking satisfied. The movement pulling you away from Veritas for a moment, before the younger half elf made about getting out of bed for the second time.

"I'm with Ray, I don't wish to be a burden. It's already my fault that I got you in this mess, all because I wanted to prove something to my father-" his head hung low as he swung himself out of the makeshift cot refusing to look you in the eyes.

"Just for the record," Raynolt cut in, "I never said we shouldn't use these people in order to survive. They've been here long enough to build homes. It would be beyond stupid not to learn about the island and what it takes to keep living here. It's probably best that we focus on the basics till we are sure that we are in top form regardless."

It is clear that this pair is still a fair bit shaken about almost drowning at sea, even if all told things could have gone far worse for the three of you. The pair continue to glance between you and the strange surroundings of the building that you are in as the half orc sits on the other side of his ward as you do, sandwiching Veritas in the middle.

"I'm glad no one died," he finally whispered.

["-rmand, we're alive! We are alive right?"]

As you go gently shake the younger man awake, breaking him out of whatever dream held him, sharp static jumps from his shoulder into your palm. Just as you are shaking out the numbness in your hand, the half-elf and his companion begin to stir for the first time their eyes slowly opening with deep rattling breaths.

"Awww-" Veritas yawned before locking eyes with you, "-rmand, we're alive! We are alive right?" he asked suddenly looking around the room, as he tried his best to gain his bearings, he also tried to sit up before letting out a soft grown and sinking back into the bed.

"I think we're alive by how bad my head is hurting," came the graveled voice of Raynolt. "Glad to see all three of us made it out of that mess alive. So, before I crawl my way out of this bed just tell me how much shit we're in?"

"Did we make it to the island?"

Mira watches Armand go looking like she wanted to call after him before thinking better of it simply shaking her head, and turning back to the group, motioning everyone to get back to work.



You make your way back up the beach into the mixture of huts and make shift buildings. The one she pointed you towards was actually one of the largest huts made of a large section of ship. From the side of which hangs a giant stone unicorn, that has a steady stream of white smoke billowing from the horn. As you push your way inside the eight foot tall entryway, you are greeted by the heat of a forge and the clinking of metal as you enter a space that is one part blacksmith, one part storage shed, and one part living quarters. Going up a ladder into the second story you find a small living quarters with the two men sprawled out amongst a pile of pillows and grass rugs.

Both men are still wearing the same clothes as they were on the ship. Without a detailed look, it seems like they suffered little more then a few scraps and bruises. Although, Vertias' arm is lightly bandaged, and Raynolt seems to have the lion's share of the wounds. one hand gripping the corner of the half elf's over coat.

More interesting however, while they both seem to stir at the sound of your voice, they don't wake up but quickly fall back asleep as if they were in a dream they didn't want to wake from.

["You seem harmless enough for the moment, your energy is all over the place, but I can't expect much better considering you survived the stuff the island puts out to keep people away. The name's Mira and I guess it's my job to welcome you considering my mom ain't around,"]

As if she could judge your moral fiber based off of how you stood, Mira put her hands on her hips as she studied you for the second time, truly studied you in detail, like one would a questionable bit of produce at the market. Finally after just long enough of a gap to make everyone feel comfortable she puffed her checks and blew a raspberry to release the tension.

"You seem harmless enough for the moment, your energy is all over the place, but I can't expect much better considering you survived the stuff the island puts out to keep people away. The name's Mira and I guess it's my job to welcome you considering my mom ain't around," She paused to put on the airs of a faux professional before continuing, 

"Welcome Armaund, to your new home, its harsh, its dangerous, and its the jealous sort, so you better get comfortable. We call our little village, The Grove, and as long as you follow our rules we don't have to throw you or your friends out on your asses. We don't have much, and what we do have we worked hard for. Prove you can add something of use and don't take advantage of us and everything will be good times and smiles. Act like idiots, and you'll have to learn what it's like to live on an island filled with monsters alone. Need something to note that down with?" she asked her eyes still watching you closely despite the playful dry tone of your voice.

"We're all in the same boat here, so don't feel like you gotta push yourself to play nice, we aren't gonna leave you out to dry unless you screw us, so no need for forced smiles at a time like this, got it?" She said, her fake smile softened into a real one. "You got all the time in the world now that you are stuck here no need to rush things."

["It seems like your fever has finally broken, I'm glad,"]

Few of the people ransacking the remains of the ship even paused from their work, despite Armand's protests. Everyone is too busy sorting the trash from the salvage to pay your yells much more than a glance.

As you approach closer to the scene of the wreckage, frantically scanning the faces and the surroundings for your companions, you can see that these people have all seen better days. All wear patch work outfits of furs, leathers, scales, and clothes you could imagine someone bringing along for a voyage on a sea. All of them had a deep tan from spending too much time out in the sun, and their various hodgepodge clothing didn't provide them with much protection. Some of them even had gnarly scars on display though most you could see had gone white with age.

As you get closer, you can tell that this group seems as diverse as their patchwork clothing: humans, halfings, and even a massive mangy white lion-kin make up the ranks of this small handful of survivors, no more than 15 in all. Eventually your frantic calls draw the attention of a younger woman, her skin a rich tone from a long time under the sun while her gaze was clinical in nature as she moved into your personal space without a second thought to put the back of her hand against your forehead. She is a good half a foot or more shorter than you and maybe just turned old enough to be considered a full fledged adult, but the air about her is calm and steady as she looks through you versus at you for a moment. However, all sound of work has stopped completely as the people tearing apart the ship are now watching the interaction intently daring you to act out while this girl is so close.

"It seems like your fever has finally broken, I'm glad," she says after a moment of thought. Her voice has a slight accent you can't place, as she speaks. She steps back out of your personal space again as if seeing you properly for the first time. "Seems like you're a bit unsteady, from the way you are holding your weight, but it doesn't seem like there are any obvious injuries. A god must have smiled on you," she finally said with a nod.

"We were only able to find two others amongst the wreckage, a half-orc and a half elf. If that's who you're screaming for then they are over in Jareth's hut," she said, pointing to one of the larger huts you can see deeper past the beach line where you ran from. "You seemed to be having a rougher time of things, so we kept you separated for observation. They have yet to wake up yet but they're stable. You should go check on them while we go about seeing what loot we can gather."

The last line being more of an order than a suggestion.

You made your way over to your belongings and reached for the hat in two strides. Reaching your hand past the brim the shadows consumed all the way up to the forearm. Glad to see that whatever strange magic had occurred in the mist had not interfered with the magic of your father's hat, you quickly confirm that the contents of the hammer space were still intact.

With everything accounted for and still plagued by a little bit of dizziness you make your way out into the warm embrace of the sun. You are greeted by a cool breeze and soft white sands as if you had stepped into the middle of a painting depicting a tropical island. Several make-shift homes are spread out in the shape of a small village. You can even see some small canoes just off the shore as a few outlines go about their day fishing. The thing that catches your attention is the bough of the Stalwart ripped mostly to large pieces scattered in chunks in various directions.

The largest section seemed to have quite the crowd surrounding it as people you had never seen before were busy energetically talking while another group went about passing down several boxes with Veritas' family seal. Some of the cargo you brought with you must have survived.

["Embrace the Dream and Anything is Possible."]

As you look up to make your final declaration, to your father, of your failure and death, through your veil of tears everything was gone. Your father, your house, everything had disappeared, replaced with a white void with only your voice echoing off into infinity. However, your father's voice, even less then a whisper, reaches your ear.

"Embrace the Dream and Anything is Possible."

As the words finished you were able to have a single breath, a single moment to think that this might be your afterlife, being forced to relive aspects of your life over and over again. However, this place had other plans for you, as the tears began to dry on your cheeks you realize this white void was begging to glow and get warmer. Eventually the light got so bright and warm that it felt like your skin was on fire and you completely blinded you for the second time.

Father's Hat*** Transforms into:
Father's Hat (+1)
this hat holds the special memories of your father and now acts as a 5lb bag of holding.

Location - Unknown
Time - Mid Morning

Then you wake up with a start, in a bed. The mid morning sun peaking through a roughly made window of a grass and driftwood hut, no bigger than twenty feet either side. The calm sound of waves and the cawing of seagulls greeting you, along with the rich scent of some kind of sweet rich smelling soup bubbling low on a fire pit just outside the grass curtain door off to your side. As you take a moment to orient yourself you can taste the salt of your own tears although you can't remember the exact cause. Glancing around further you see this hut was decorated with various hand made crafts, sea glass chimes and large seashells that acted like china lined the walls and ceiling. On the table is a bowl of soup, still warm, along with your clothes and your father's hat.

The outfit you had asked Veritas to prepare for this trip per your specifications seemed to be intact, but what drew your attention  the most was your father's hat seemingly in perfect order. A miracle amongst the storm.

Things to know:
1). Your memory is completely missing from the time of the lightning flash till waking up write now, but your heart and body still remember everything that happened so any emotions you want to carry through you can you just don't have the context for them.

2) your memory of when your father left have shifted to be more in line with what you just enacted minus any mention of your failure or knowledge of his plans. However you can still feel your emotions because your heart remembers both sets.

3) You are aware of the hats power as if you knew from the start.

4) you are now 6'1" and the outfit fits ideally, shoe size shirt size the works, however your body is still used to your old stature for now. Meaning when you get out of bed you may experience some vertigo or the like I'll let you decide how that plays out just in the immediate future till your body adapts.

["You know I love you, you are worth more than any treasure this world has to offer,"]

Before you had a chance to look up from your cup of coffee, your father had crossed the table and embraced you in a hug. He did not say anything at first, just simply held you there, in a gesture of fatherly affection, that you know didn't happen. Yet despite the fact that you know this isn't how this happened the first time, the real-time, you could still feel his heartbeat under his shirt as he held you, and you could still smell the aftershave he used every day. He let that comfort stretch on for a moment longer than he ever would have normally before pulling away slightly, and looking up at you as he pulled away and ruffled your hair he finally speaks.

"You know I love you, you are worth more than any treasure this world has to offer," he says with a smile seeming somehow smaller than you remember. "With your mother gone, you have to let me be protective for the both of us, even if I suck at it sometimes. You have to know, that every success I have to my name, pales in comparison to the fact that your mother and I got to bring you into the world."

To put an extra period on what he said, he plucks the hat off his head and places it on your head, "You being angry, was the best gift I could ask for, that you wanted to walk this road of adventure by my side. But we both know my days are numbered. It was my job to give you everything I could. After all, you look better in this hat than i ever did."

["I was saying, that I know you are disappointed that you can't come with me, but I promise the work I lined up for you as a part of the archives will look better on your application to the Society than any expedition in the world,"]

"I was saying, that I know you are disappointed that you can't come with me, but I promise the work I lined up for you as a part of the archives will look better on your application to the Society than any expedition in the world," He said it with a weak smile. You both knew just how boring the archives could be, nothing but reading papers and doing research was the lowest rung of the ladder in the society.

Your father had gone out of the way to make sure you would be buried in work while he was away on this particular expedition. The research job was just the last step in his very transparent plan, and every time you pushed him as to why he never gave you a satisfying explanation. He had even been keeping the entire trip a secret from you until you had heard someone gossiping about your father when they thought no one was around to notice.

Now, this was the last chance you had to get answers and maybe change his mind. Though right this moment, his trip seemed to be the furthest thing from his mind as he doted on you as if you were a child again, as he pushed one of his sausages onto your plate when he thought you were distracted.

["Do you need another cup of coffee, You seem a little out of it this morning?"]

As you move to place your hat on the rack in question, you can feel the weight of the crystal shard hidden away before it tumbles out, at last second, just as you finish placing the hat. In many was, this hat was the thing that had started your journey. It was the only personal effect that had been recovered in tact after your father's death. The only memento of his legacy, besides you, the only thing sharing in your burden.

Carrying all these emotions as you place the hat on the rack the floor around it began to shine along with the crystal shard. Feeling that same pull you felt before on the ship you were consumed by the light being produced by the hat and the crystal.

You blinked once, and you were no longer in the strange exhibit of your memories.

In the course of one blink, you were in your family home, sitting at the table where you and your father had breakfast since you were a child. As your eyes continue to focus, you can feel the air alive with that strange magic, and then you here the thing you would have never dreamed of hearing.You heard the familiar sound of a knife scrapping butter on toast, as you realize your father is sitting across the table from you without a care in the world.

"Do you need another cup of coffee, You seem a little out of it this morning?" your father smiles at you.

Please set the scene of the last breakfast you had with your father before his death. You have all the memories and understand of the current you so feel free to act as you please.

[Climber's outfit]

As you walk up to examine the clothes you see a small plaque that reads:

Climber's outfit
Any problem is just a mountain that requires the right tools to climb. This suit holds the desire of a body capable of facing those challenges without losing your grip.

Donated from the Veritas Sherlock exhibit

As you read over the plague you see three similar gems as those you found in the doors. These are clearly smaller but of similar shape and cut. One of the three was glowing on this particular plague.

As you glance back to the writing on the plaque however you must have blinked and missed something because reading the inscription a second time the section about the donation was gone. In fact, as you glance back up at the large painting of you and your father, at the center back wall you notice exactly what's off you are wearing the exact same climber outfit. You even had the dark shadow of stubble that you normally tried to shave away. But, there was something even more off about your depiction, where you were normally around the same size as your father, here you dwarfed him. In this painting you stood at least 6'2 if not 6'3.


Turning your attention to the hat rack, you find that is unique in being one of the few items not locked behind a case. Only a velvet rope cords it off from the rest of the public. This particular exhibit seems to have pride of place at the center of the exhibition, which is strange considering the seemingly incomplete nature of the piece itself.

As you open the door with a heavy shove, you walk into the hall baring your name to find a well appointed museum gallery. Several rows of display cases, of all sizes and shapes, stand like ideal soldiers in the room. As you stepped in further, you could tell at a glance what most of them were without even reading one of the plagues, things like the first treasure you had ever found, the first letter you had received from your father, and even something shaped like his casket was barely visible behind frosted glass.

Even the walls were lined with paintings of you from different times of your life, as if they had taken your memories wholesale and painted them from a third party perspective. The largest painting of all being a portraitt of you with your father centered on the back most wall. However, as your eyes scan over it something seems off about the composition that you would need more than a glance to understand

Along with the various strange pieces from your personal life, there seemed to be just as many empty cases especially as your eyes drift down from the painting and to a tight cluster of paintings at the center of the room. Most of the cases there were empty, except for two that stood out. One was a folded pile of clothes, and the other, at the center of everything, looked to be an empty hat rack that both would also need closer inspection.

I never expected the afterlife to have a waiting room .. Armand walked around the waiting room area looking around for a moment. Not seeing his companions, or anyone else for that matter, he continued towards the doors.

As he stopped in front of the doors and studied them, a thought came to his mind. If I'm dead, what are these doors for? He stopped as he thought about which door to open. He briefly reached for Valerie's door before stopping. No, he thought, if I'm going to get out of here I'll need help. He then reached for his door emitting the light from behind it and opened.