HISTORY

[spiritwalks]

The world
Our story takes place in a post-apocalyptic world, wrecked by a large scale event known at the Exodus. Before the Exodus, studied wizards dotted the land. Their magic was the basis for most of the world's technology, including common-place luxuries like food factories and elevators.

Unfortunately, some wizards took their magic too far. For example, a transmutation wizard could easily warp innocent woodland creatures into a race of sentient beings, with no thought given of the ecological or socio-political ramifications.

These world-bending powers (with seemingly very little ability to keep rogue wizards in check) resulted in a deep-seated fear and paranoia of the arcane. World governments began to wage war against mages on principle, desperate to keep them under their thumb.

Over time, many wizards decided they weren't going to waste their talents on a world that didn't appreciate them. A "Wizards First" movement formed, which culminated in these wizards leading a mass exodus for their fellow mages.

One by one, wizards slipped through magically-created cracks in reality...and into new universes altogether. Hardly any magic remained in the world. The main exceptions were lingering Exodus cracks that continued to radiate residual magic long after the wizards left.

The results were catastrophic. Much of society's infrastructure fell apart. Even a century later, the world is still reeling from the fallout. Many urban landscapes continue to be marred by broken machines. Displaced communities were forced to find shelter in unlikely places, such as shopping malls.

In the face of such uncertainty, the Church of the Flame (founded and headquartered in the hot, dusty lands of Makaal) became a source of world order by expanding its influence across the globe. For example, they started a secret society called the Menders. They allowed the Menders to operate as a decentralized organization within the Principalities, a group of affiliated nation-states. The Church also commissioned a war vessel known as the Purifier. This ship was manned by an elite task force called the Light Guard (an ancient brotherhood with a mission to eradicate "harmful" impurities of the world...including fugitive wizards).

This social upheaval is ultimately the backdrop of Vyng's arrival into the world.

Childhood to Adolescence
He's born to a human mother and an elven father, roughly 10 years after the Exodus. His childhood was spent in the Frozen North -- a harsh, unforgiving tundra populated by humans and elves. Vyng's father hailed from the royal family of the Borealis Reach, an Arctic elven territory. His mother Illianna, meanwhile, was a commoner with druidic abilities.

(Quick note on druids: 99% of them are half elf, which makes Illianna a weird outlier nobody really understands. Furthermore, 99% of druids can only shapeshift into a single animal, which later makes Vyng a weird outlier nobody understands. But in all cases, a druid has a physical "tell" that clearly signifies their connection to the spirits found throughout nature. Illianna's tell is white fur that wraps around her shoulders, while Vyng later develops fish gills on his neck.)

Although Illianna hoped to train Vyng in the ways of druidism, some of his earliest childhood memories involve an elven prince's education from his father. His father would also occasionally bake strudel for him and his mother.

But by the time Vyng reached adolescence, these idyllic family moments were dashed to pieces. His father left Illianna for an elven woman, cutting them both out of his life. They couldn't follow after him, even if they'd wanted. They were banned from The Great Forest and other elven territories, due to their human heritage.

As a result, Vyng's childhood was marred by anger and isolation. Between his mother's "witchy" reputation and Vyng's hybrid status, they were social outcasts who lived on the literal fringes of their isolated village.

In an attempt to make friends, Vyng took up ice racing -- a local sport that involves outfitting sailboats with blades, and gliding them across the icy surfaces of the Frozen North. His plan worked...but a little too well. Although people were impressed by his sweet tricks out on the ice, he was still unnaturally good in their eyes. His status as the Other only got worse because of these efforts.

At the same time, Illianna continued passing her druidic knowledge onto Vyng.

This training culminated in a weeks-long rite of passage called the Winter Walk, where Vyng set out on a trek across the tundra. (If everything goes right, an aspiring druid's powers will awaken once they find themselves in a life-or-death situation.)

Unfortunately, this turned into another case of Vyng preparing a little too well. He effortlessly survived the harsh conditions, and his powers failed to develop as a result.

After an argument with his mother, Vyng runs away from home to participate in the Diamond Planes Invitational, an especially deadly ice race competition known for its volatile sailing conditions.

It's during this competition that Vyng finally unlocks his powers...and crosses the finish line with his own druid "tell": a set of gills from the school of arctic char he sailed with during the race's climax.

Adolescence to Adulthood
The timeline gets a little fuzzy here. But this is what we can glean, based on details given throughout the podcast:

- As Vyng came into his powers, it quickly became apparent that his innate druidic abilities are unparalleled. (Most druids can only change into one animal. But Vyng can form a seemingly infinite number of bonds with animal spirits, which lets him take multiple shapes.)

- For much of his youth, Vyng assumed that his father abandoned him and his mother because many elves disdain humans. In other words, he figured his dad was just being elitist. His royal heritage probably only helped confirmed that narrative. As a result, Vyng develops an intense dislike of elves (and, to an extent, of himself too).

- The truth is actually much worse. At around the time Vyng came of age, his father murdered Illianna right in front of his eyes. It was then that Vyng realized his father was actually terrified of Illianna's witch-like ability to shapeshift. (This attitude was probably a remnant from the pre-Exodus hostility toward wizards.)

- Vyng fled the Frozen North and became an adventurer with a single goal: Amass enough wealth and power to build an army. This army's sole purpose would be hunting down his father (and crushing anyone who got in his way).

By the time he meets human barbarian Tachome Dhaume ("Tuck" for short) and halfling thief Fat Billie, it's been 45 years since he raced on the Diamond Planes. Vyng is 80 years old, the elven equivalent of about 27.

We can only assume he wandered on his own for at least two decades without making much progress in the wealth department. When Tachome and Billie find him, he's living in a stable and working as a reindeer for a holiday attraction.

Ultimately, Vyng is the one who asks Tachome and Billie to go adventuring with him. The reason is because he's heard about a treasure up in the mountains...and between Tachome's strength and Billie's rogue skills, Vyng believes the three of them would make a good team.

Long story short, the treasure doesn't work out. But sometimes the treasure is the friendship you find along the way! So Vyng decides to continue traveling with Tachome and Billie. He never divulges his reasons for adventuring, though. When pressed, he simply says he needs money "to figure some stuff out".

Roughly one year later, Vyng is still traveling with Tachome and Billie. The spirits have warned Vyng of a terrible danger that follows Billie. So, he decides to help Tachome raise the 9-year-old boy.

The Main Story

SEASON 1: Mudlark
Our heroes' latest gig involves bringing food to the remote village of Mudlark for the local hotdog festival.

Not long after arriving, a group of Bullywogs (frog people) march into town and make a firm declaration: Mudlark's mayor must meet with the Bullywog's emperor. If he doesn't? Then Emperor Morgulch will declare war on the people of Mudlark.

The mayor is utterly panicked. How can he go meet with the Bullywogs when he has a town to run? Plus, the hotdog festival is one of Mudlark's biggest money-makers! If the Bullywogs attacked in the middle of it...both the human and economic toll would be devastating.

So, the group takes a second job. They make a case for letting Billie act as mayor for a day. That way, the mayor doesn't need to be saddled with the Bullywog problem, and the adventurers can hear Emperor Morgulch's demands.

Almost immediately after, they take a third job. An operative who works for shadowy lynchpin Muckraker asks them to retrieve a mysterious stone box that was stolen by the Bullywogs.

With the promise of extra coin in their future, the three embark on a journey to the Palace of Reeds. They meet Emperor Morgulch, introducing Billie as the mayor.

Unfortunately, the peace talks don't go well. Emperor Morgulch demands that the people of Mudlark vacate immediately...or else his army will slaughter everyone in the town.

Negotiations quickly take a backseat to retrieving the box. A heated confrontation ensues. Tachome ends up killing Morgulch. Billie quickly grabs the box, and Vyng acts as the getaway ride by transforming into an elk.

They make it back to Mudlark relatively unharmed. Although they try opening the box, it's warded to high heaven..and impossible to crack. Not only that, but the mayor confiscates the box before they can deliver it to Muckraker.

But who who is the mysterious Muckraker, anyway? And why do they want this strange stone box so badly?

Their investigations lead them to a woman publicly known as Maggie Cole, an ex-adventurer who's highly respected in the community. In the shadows, however, Maggie is Muckraker...a high-ranking leader member of a secret society called the Menders.

After getting help from a local kid named Meers Foulsmith, they find Muckraker's hideout...and utterly bungle their infiltration. Maggie captures them and is immediately suspicious of their interest in the stone box (which she's already confiscated from the mayor's home).

But Maggie ultimately recognizes Tachome's warrior strength, Billie's thief skills and Vyng's druidic wisdom. She gives them a fourth job: The box is a magical artifact that needs to be contained. As Menders themselves, they'll need to take it to a place called the Vault.

As soon as they accept the job, Mudlark is attacked by armies of Bullywogs. They make a swift escape riding on Vyng's elk form.

SEASON 2: Bullrush
During their travels through the swamp, they find an abandoned settlement...and are promptly attacked by goblins. Vyng is poisoned by a spear as the group flees.

Vyng’s condition worsens. Thankfully, they reach a fishing village called Bullrush that’s outside of the swamp.

They're taken to Hudir, the local leader. Hudir treats Vyng’s wounds, and he begins to recover.

The next day, Billie is attacked by a rooster. When Vyng tries to talk to the rooster, the rooster insists Billie isn’t a child.

Suddenly, a massive crocodile attacks a young girl by the river. At the end of the fight, Billie suddenly loses control of himself. Tuck and Vyng watch in shock as their baby boy viciously stabs the dead crocodile’s body over and over again.

Hudir tells Vyng and Tuck that Billie is being influenced by whatever negative energy is inside the stone box they’re carrying. If they want to free Billie from any magical influence, they must perform a cleansing ritual in a special river -- a day’s journey from Bullrush.

They decide to take Billie to the river. On the first day of their journey, a man-eating vine tries to devour Billie. With help from Vyng and Tuck, the plant is killed.

But the group sustained some wounds, so they decide to rest for the evening. Thankfully, Billie persuades a fruit farmer to let them stay in his house overnight.

Instead of resting to regain his strength, however, Vyng stays up all night meditating. He communes with the spirit of Crocodile, studies its essence, and learns to take its shape.

The next day, they bid the farmer farewell and finally reach the river. Billie relaxes in the water, and they're able to draw the magical force out of him. Unfortunately, the magical force inside the stone box seizes control of the water, creating a monster straight out of a Zelda game.

Tuck and Vyng tell Billie and Hudir to run as they hold it back.

Vyng shapeshifts into a crocodile to give himself an advantage in the water. But because he stayed up all night meditating, he never recovered from their last battle.

Consequently, Vyng dies while trying to protect Billie and Tuck from the monster.

Billie is able to channel magic to defeat (but not necessarily kill) the water monster. But when Tuck runs over to Vyng, all that's left is a crocodile corpse.

SEASON 3: The Spirit World
When Vyng wakes up, he's greeted by the spirits of Polar Bear, Owl and Elk. Apparently, he's standing where Crocodile once was. Crocodile, it seems, has been completely wiped out of existence. (Whoops.)

Vyng wants to return to the material plane, but the spirit world operates on a "one in, one out" principle. In other words, if somebody wants to leave the spirit world, someone else must take their place.

However, there is a man known to travel back and forth between planes freely. He's known as the Ghost Pirate. If anyone knows how to help Vyng, it would likely be him.

Since the spirit of Wind helps sail the Ghost Pirate's ship, Elk suggests finding Wind in order to learn the Ghost Pirate's whereabouts.

As it turns out, Wind spends much of its time with the spirit of Fire. So, wherever Fire is, Wind isn't far away. Fire is much easier to find, thankfully. And since Fire loves to burn grass, they decide to travel to the Plains.

At one point during their journey, Vyng tries to shapeshift into an eagle. Much to his shock, the spirit of Eagle physically collides with him. The result is a frightening amalgamation of a man and a bird.

Eagle is appalled by their grotesque form. Once they're separated, Eagle looms threateningly over Vyng while yelling at him for forcing them to merge.

At that moment, Vyng has a horrifying thought: Do spirits actually give their consent when he transforms into them? Or has Vyng been enslaving them all this time?

(As a result of this exchange, Vyng permanently loses the ability to turn into an eagle.)

Vyng only becomes more unsettled when he later tries changing into a chicken (to distract some wolves who want to eat Elk), only to have the spirit of Chicken unwillingly collide with his body.

After a long journey, the group reaches the Plains. Unfortunately, several attempts to connect with Wind end in failure. Eventually, the group finds themselves in the Dust Bowl...and within the home of Wasp.

Wasp isn't inherently evil, per se. But Wasp is extremely aggressive and territorial.

During one particularly nasty confrontation, Vyng willingly sacrifices himself so Owl, Elk and Polar Bear can escape Wasp. Swarmed by huge wasps, Vyng spreads his arms and freely embraces the onslaught of stinging and biting.

Within moments, everything goes dark. Time passes. Vyng drifts in and out of consciousness, only half aware of his surroundings. At one point, he wakes up to find himself plastered to the wall of Wasp's nest. His essence begins to grow weaker, until his life is hanging by a thread.

And then, the impossible happens: Tachome and Billie find him. Vyng's heart soars at the sight. At the same time, he's cut free by a third person: Seathane Wick, a ranger from a prominent elven noble family.

"I can't believe I'm being saved by a Wick," Vyng grouses.

But there's no time to say much else. Wasp is alerted to the group's presence and mobilizes to attack.

Vyng tries to call upon Fire to carve out an escape path. Fire, enraged by Vyng's impudence, launches a column of flames at the weakened druid.

Suddenly, Tachome bodily shields him from harm. Vyng doesn't look away as the flames roar around his best friend. The image is forever seared into his mind, and Vyng develops a deeper understanding of Fire.

Thankfully, a flame-resistant cloak protects Tachome from taking severe damage. Meanwhile, Billie summons a magical shield to protect them from Fire.

Suddenly, Tachome comes up with the ultimate gamble: Plant a yew tree sapling he and Billie found in the spirit world...and help it grow as fast as it can with the promise that it will be able to create an entire forest.

The terrified sapling agrees. Between Seathane's light magic and Vyng's call for Water to rain down upon them, the stars align...and the gambit actually works! Within moments, the tree ages hundreds of years. In the process, it transforms into a gigantic gary oak tree -- the first of its kind.

Finally reunited and safe, Vyng spends several hours cuddling with his family while gazing at the magnificent forest they helped grow together.

At one point, Vyng is properly introduced to the wizard Perell. He was the force trapped inside the box...but he helped Tachome and Billie on their journey to find Vyng.

Even though Vyng could have held a grudge against the man responsible for his suffering, he's willing to let bygones be bygones.

Vyng even starts to soften toward Seathane, especially when he learns that he has a human wife living somewhere in the spirit world. Vyng agrees to trade places with Seathane...which satisfies the spirit world's "one in, one out" rule.

Shortly before returning to the material plane, Vyng imbues Tachome's axe with the spirits of three rock spirits he and Billie befriended during their search for him.

But nothing in life is free. As payment, nature claims Vyng's hands by embedding them with crystal shards. Tachome is horrified. Vyng, however, maintains that the sacrifice was 100% worth it.

SEASON 4: The Vault
After Vyng literally trades places with Seathane, the party returns to the material plane.
Vyng wakes up in the place where Seathane originally left his body.

Shockingly, months have passed since Tachome and Billie first entered the spirit world.

Even worse, they've returned to a broken world: Crocodiles are now going extinct, throwing the animal kingdom into chaos! The halfling lands are flooded by the same water monster that killed Vyng! A broken moon now hangs in the sky! And soldiers are suddenly returning from a war that ended 100 years ago.

On top of that, they're greeted by Maggie Cole and Meers Foulsmith from Mudlark. Maggie, convinced that the party betrayed her, has tracked them down because they never brought the box to the Vault.

Somehow, they're able to convince Maggie to give them another chance. But Meers must accompany them, to ensure that the box arrives at the Vault safely.

Meanwhile, the wizard Perell is once again trapped in the stone box. Although confining someone to prison for eternity doesn't quite sit well with the party (especially an ally who helped find Vyng), they decide to continue the journey for now.

Now that he's back in the land of the living, Vyng takes some time to reflect on his priorities. One night while watching Tachome playing with Billie, Vyng is struck with the sudden realization that the immense love he feels for these two doofuses is far bigger than his original quest for vengeance.

In other words, Tachome and Billie had become his reason for getting up in the morning. To signify this transition into a "purer" version of himself, he stops using his middle and surname, and simply introduces himself to others as "Vyng".

At the same time, Vyng swears off of shapeshifting until he can form voluntary connections with any spirits he encounters in the future.

Not long after this, they stop at a town called Pinewood. The villagers greet them with open arms...mistaking them for mercenaries that agreed to save a missing team of lumberjacks -- and a highly valuable steam-powered tree feller -- in exchange for furniture.

Of course, Vyng and the others have no use for furniture. But they're ahead of schedule, and the mayor of Pinewood agrees to throw a huge party before and after they bring the tree feller back.

During the first round of revelry, Vyng avoids processing the trauma of dying by getting extremely drunk and having a raunchy one-night stand with one of the locals.

At the end of the night, Perell appears before Tuck and Vyng. He tells them that Billie is likely a fae creature...and warns that he may leave them, if Tuck and Vyng don't explicitly tell him to stay. Vyng says that he will support Billie's decision to stay or go, and that he has no desire to pressure Billie into doing anything he doesn't want.

The next day, Vyng is rewarded with a hangover from his drunken escapades. As the party sets out to find the missing lumberjacks and equipment, Vyng spends most of the day surly and irritable, especially toward the woman he slept with the night before.

Long story short...Vyng accidentally destroys the lumberjacks' campsite while the group is fighting some magical, man-eating moss. The steam-powered log feller is gone forever, and the mayor is deeply disappointed.

It gets worse: Because Billie had used his budding magic powers to turn some cavern water into wine (the moss's main weakness), the lake next to Pinewood is also turned into booze. The situation deteriorates more when Billie tries to turn the lake back into water, because the entire lake begins to retreat into the ground completely.

Vyng steps into the lake and communicates with the spirit of Water.

The lake is wrestling with tremendous self-loathing, due to the aquatic creatures that are suffering from the alcohol. Vyng sees much of himself in the lake, and convinces the spirit that the town will give him purpose.

At that same moment, Vyng remembers Tuck and Billie give him purpose, and that he shouldn't be using alcohol to bury his trauma.

After Vyng sings to the lake in encouragement, the spirit develops healing properties. Anyone who comes into contact with the lake's wine is rejuvenated and restored.

With the lake's new healing abilities at the town's disposal, Pinewood's economy is saved!

(The mayor still doesn't pay them, though.)

Vyng, Billie, Tachome and Meers leave Pinewood. Next stop? The Vault, a heavily-protected facility that stores dangerous artifacts.

Just as they're about to hand over the box to the glass golem guarding the Vault, however, Tachome uses his axe to free Perell.

SEASON 5: Crystal Bay
Vyng immediately supports Tachome's decision, even pulling Purell into a hug to celebrate his new place within the party. Their newly-liberated wizard friend then reprograms the golem, so that it will tell Maggie Cole that the box was delivered as promised.

After convincing Meers that Perell doesn't deserve to be locked in prison for eternity, the party decides to take a much-needed vacation.

They pass through a beach town called Lil Sir, named after the cat mayor that serves as a tourist attraction. After solving the mayor's rat problem (and playing matchmaker for a couple of...eccentric locals), they proceed to a resort town called Crystal Bay.

(Note: During this time, the crystal growth that infected Vyng's hands back in the spirit world slowly gets worse.)

During their travels, Vyng sinks into a depression. He still hasn't found a spirit animal, and Vyng fears that he'll never connect with another spirit again. A botched, traumatic meditation session only makes matters worse.

One day at the beach, he wades into the water and meditates. Vyng has a vision from the perspective of a thunderbird, a mythical creature that inhabits the rune-laden pillars scattered across the Sea of Graves. Over time, Vyng gradually builds a rapport with an adolescent thunderbird. He forms a bond that lets him see through the thunderbird's eyes at will.

Eventually, they reach Crystal Bay proper. The town has been plunged into an eternal twlight, thanks to the Coronet, a broken moon that appeared while Vyng was in the spirit world.

Not long after arriving, they meet Tachome's ex-girlfriend, Alison, a succubus who betrayed him years ago. She claims the Light Guard is coming to kill her. Alison asks for Tachome's help escaping, and the party readily agrees.

During their investigations, they get involved with the Crystal Bay Pirates, a group of criminals headed by pirate queen Ruby Chunesday. Ruby agrees to help smuggle Alison out of Crystal Bay, under the condition that they steal one of her ships back from custom officials.

The gang pisses off a bunch of custom officials and cause tremendous amounts of property damage...but they manage to successfully steal the ship!

Ruby also insists that they become pirates as part of their deal. After Tachome defeats her in a duel, they manage to wheedle down their time to two weeks at sea.

This should have been the end of it.

Plot twist: Alison was actually working with the Light Guard all along.

Instead of admitting that she was tired of having the Church of Makaal as an employer, she decided to string Tachome along with a sob story about being hunted by the Church.

To make matters more complicated, the Torch of Makaal has come to Crystal Bay aboard the Purifier, by Maggie Cole's request due to the sudden anomalies plaguing the continent. On top of that, the local Menders are somehow aware that Vyng's party freed Perell from wizard jail. Now these Menders are working with the Church to apprehend the group.

At one point, Tachome, Meers and Perell are apprehended by the Torch of Makaal. Vyng and Billie team up to rescue them. During their fight with the Light Guard, they're confronted by the Icon of Truth, an entity capable of pulling the truth out of people. When the Icon asks who Billie is, we learn that he's a spring spirit of the Endless Boughs. The party also learns of Vyng's royal heritage. Eventually, though, everyone manages to escape after thoroughly trashing the Purifier.

Later, Vyng meditates on the crystal infection (which has reached his elbows by now). By communing with the amethyst spirit that's invading his body, Vyng finally gets his hands and arms back. He does this when he accepts the crystal as part of him...and he concentrates the amethyst into a single, glowing geode that becomes embedded in his chest. After this point, he retains much finer control over the crystal that lives inside his body.

Meanwhile, Tachome is genuinely hurt by Alison's blatant manipulation and lies. Even as Ruby smuggles her out of Crystal Bay (as per their deal), Alison admits that she's not capable of feeling guilt for breaking her ex-boyfriend's heart, even though she should feel bad.

While comforting Tachome, Vyng begins to feel more protective of his best friend's heart and emotional well-being.

The next day is supposed to be the first day in their two-week stint as pirates. The voyage immediately goes south when the Purifier begins chasing and attacking their ship in hot pursuit.

During the skirmish, Vyng has a vision of the spirit of Orca, who asks why Vyng has abandoned them. When Vyng tells Orca that he doesn't want to shapeshift if it means enslaving spirits, Orca assures him that the bond between druid and spirit is natural and right. When a spirit answers his call, they aren't serving Vyng...but are instead serving alongside him.

Vyng calls upon the thunderbird. In a terrifying display of power, he physically drags a lightning storm onto the Purifier. But things are about to take a CATASTROPHIC turn for the worst...because if there's one thing you should never do in the Sea of Graves, it's sail in the middle of a storm. Why? Because these storms are intentionally malicious, and will actually hunt down and destroy ships they encounter...even after they've left the sea's waters.

SEASON 6: The Sea of Graves
The party's ship is utterly decimated when it crashes against a stone pillar. Vyng is tossed into the icy-cold waters, losing a chunk of a shapechanged hand in the process, and nearly drowns.

Thanks to the thunderbird, he's rescued from the water and reunited with Tachome and Billie (and, by extension, Meers, who's hunkering down in a pocket dimension Billie carries around). But the wizard Perell is nowhere to be found.

Despite the pain of Vyng's injuries, he uses a harpoon to tow his friends while the thunderbird's talons grip him by the shoulders.

Eventually, they find a savior in the form of Chimes...the former captain of the Purifier. He's also the Ghost Pirate Vyng had originally searched for back in the spirit world. Because of the special runes carved into his boat, the seas are compelled to be calm around him. Chimes tells them they seem like they're worth saving, and takes the group under his wing.

Chimes brings the group to a legendary pub in the middle of the sea: Hither and Yon. (This bar is said to appear in different places throughout the world at random.)

As the group tends to their wounds, Chimes unearths a forgotten memory from Billie's mind. Vyng and Tachome experience the memory from Billie's perspective, where they learn that their adopted child is an ancient spring fae that originally held the form of a a gary oak tree (the same tree they grew inside the spirit world). The reason Billie now inhabits the body of a halfling child is because a grieving family left their dying son under his care in a last-ditch effort to save him.

Chimes warns that Billie will forget his origins again very soon. Vyng and Tachome promise they won't let that happen.

Although they're worried about Perell, Vyng and his family are exhausted. After a night of drinking and eating, everyone passes out until morning.