Session 44, VP1

A peaceful night’s rest was just what the doctor ordered for the trainers. Recharged & revitalized, they were eager to continue along the way to Harbinger Valley. They took a moment to say farewells to the people they had helped, & set out North.

 

Their march across the fields was serene as Heimdall’s Gates loomed ever closer. The mountains were intimidating, but perhaps not insurmountable. A strange fog increased in intensity the closer they got to the mountain range. It was a welcome relief when they came across a small cave that appeared to lead to the town nestled within.

 

Of course, people who have taken such pains to isolate themselves are seldom welcome to uninvited guests. A small swarm of Pokemon leapt from the shadows of the cave to defend the tunnel. Several of these Pokemon were easy enough to put down, but there were several hidden in the back. A strange sort of visual glitch was making it impossible to properly see them- their presence could be confirmed, but any details or shapes couldn’t be discerned.

 

It became clear that 2 of these cloaked Pokemon were “captaining” the others. Unable to do much to these overseers, the party instead focused on taking down the frontlines. Several rounds later, the field had been emptied of all but the 2 in charge.

 

The illusions finally began to falter, allowing them to see two strange Pokemon: Reuniculus & Spiritomb. Despite its resistance, Gunnar was able to take it out with his personal Fighting moves. The Ghost proved to be a bit more trouble. Using its otherworldly abilities, it kept creating duplicate images of itself.  Even this proved only capable of delaying our heroes a short while.

 

With their foes defeated, the group proceeded into the cave, Gilling’s Barrel. The tunnel was completely smooth on all sides- almost as if the rock had been teleported out, rather than carved. After a brief sojourn, they found themselves re-entering the sunlight.

 

Harbinger Valley gave off a rustic feel, similar to Forgerun. The houses here were much larger, though the population seemed smaller. Greenery & herbs dotted the earth surrounding the mountains’ feet. What few residents could be seen milling about glanced the group’s way only momentarily. No one greeted them, but they also didn’t necessarily look unfriendly.

 

Bergie asked a nearby resident where they could find Hestr. Here, the party realized most of the townsfolk communicated telepathically. Gunnar began to “think loudly” at everyone they passed to help fit in. Upon knocking, a middle-aged woman opened the door Bergie had been directed towards. She seemed a bit distrustful of the unexpected disturbance, & asked what the group wanted. The Breeder produced Sylvie’s letter, & began to explain.

 

As soon as the name “Sylvie” had crossed Bergie’s lips, the woman snatched the letter from his hands & tore it open. Taken aback, Bergie reiterated that he had been asked to give it to Hestr directly. The woman waved this off by explaining she was Hestr’s mother. Something about this sat wrong with the trainers. Bergie yanked the letter back from. Without giving her a chance to respond, he shouted that he would be giving it to Hestr himself before taking off at a fast pace.

 

Talking to some of the other locals, they were able to get directions to find the young man. A set of low steps were hewn into the rock surrounding a small waterfall. The climb wasn’t overly strenuous, but the steps were uncomfortably long. By the time they reached the terminus, the group was sweating.

 

Before them stood a small wooden shelter. It looked barely large enough to fit one person sitting or standing. When they called out in greeting, a strong gust of wind buffeted them. A concerned young man came sprinting out of the lean-to & asked if they were alright. He was tall at 6’1”, with a very lanky build. His pale blue hair was chin-length & swept back from his forehead. A serious expression graced his bright yellow eyes.

 

This, the group learned was Hestr Eltholl. The Psychic explained that he had been using his powers to help maintain the fog that enshrouded the area. The party’s surprise arrival had broken his concentration, leading to the massive gust of wind. Unlike the older townsfolk, Hestr was more comfortable speaking verbally. He inquired after the reason for this visit.

 

Bergie once more explained how Sylvie had written the letter & asked him to deliver it. Hestr could not prevent a pained look from crossing his face at this, though he did his best to recover quickly. He took the letter with a shaking hand. Instead of opening it- or even questioning why it had already visibly been opened- he tucked it into a pocket in his robes. Even rattled as he was, he thanked the pair for delivering the message. Seeing that he likely needed some time to think things over, the trainers descended back to the valley floor.

 

With little else to do, they decided to visit the town’s Elder, who was also the Gym Leader of the Psychic type. A much thinner & steeper set of steps arched up the tallest mountain. Chains had been installed as hand-rails for the ascent. Setting to, the duo soon found themselves out of breath.

 

Taking a moment to assess their progress, they turned around…only to discover they were somehow only a few steps off of the valley floor. After a series of experiments, they discovered that time & space were somehow warped on the stairs: after reaching a certain part, they instantly found themselves back at the bottom.

 

Gunnar disrupted a group meditation to ask for an explanation. The aggrieved instructor explained that there was a small shrine near the stairs. People left offerings there for Elder Hysterig: if he liked them, they could climb to his temple up the stairs. Otherwise, there was no way for them to enter. The last bit of info she spared was that the Elder had a fascination with timepieces.

 

Once they had found the shrine, our heroes worked together to craft a good offering. Skeldr created sand, while Bergie lit his shoulders aflame. Gunnar shaped the burgeoning vessel in the heat, until they had a rough hourglass. This was then filled with more sand, & melted closed at its top.

 

Pleased with their efforts, they laid the hourglass into a small depression on the shrine.  After what seemed like a second of consideration, it disappeared, & they could feel a changing in the air. Their climb went unimpeded this time.

 

A large, bowl-shaped alcove had been carved into the side of the summit. The interior was sparsely decorated; makeshift shelves had been moored to the walls, & each held a variety of timepieces. In the deepest part of the cave, an older man sat cross-legged. He opened an eye as the pair began to explain their visit. The combination of Bergie speaking verbally & Gunnar speaking mentally seemed to annoy him.

 

Without warning, he released two Pokemon from runes for battle. Our heroes were taken aback at the unprompted challenge, but prepared themselves in kind. If he wanted to get the Gym Battle out of the way upfront, so be it.

 

He wielded several Pokemon new to the trainers, & finished off with twin Gardevoirs. It proved to be their toughest match yet, but they were able to earn the Prophet Rune by defeating his team. The situation thus far had greatly rankled the pair. Hysterig simply motioned for them to sit in front of him.

 

In a deep voice, he began to intone cryptic statements in response to their questions. It seemed like getting a straight answer out of him would take hours. This was the final straw for Bergie. The Breeder, usually the calmer of the group, interrupted Hysterig with a few snide remarks. The Elder glared at him for a beat before continuing. When Bergie couldn’t still his tongue, Hysterig simply snapped his fingers and-

 

What had happened? Where were they? The trainers found themselves standing in an unending black void. It vaguely reminded them of when Solgaleo had transported the group into other dimensions. But surely, this couldn’t be the same thing…right?

 

They did not have long to ponder this.

 

Two pales flames became visible in the darkness. In silence, four twisted forms approached. Each was instantly recognizable, & horrifically changed: shadow Reflections of Bergie, Gunnar, Skeldr, & Stompy! Their bodies were warped & maimed in ways that should not allow them to stand, let alone fight- but fight they did.

 

Each time our heroes managed to take down their counterpart, they would simply reform seconds later. Some other power was animating them. Gunnar figured it out first: he switched his focus to the Reflection of Skeldr. When he finally struck it down, it perished along with his own Reflection. Taking down the Reflection of Bergie took longer due to the man’s inherently high constitution, aided by him consuming his Stompy. He was destroyed by the disgusted trainers shortly thereafter.

 

Slowly, a dim light began to permeate the area. It flashed, & they blinked. When their vision cleared, they found themselves once more on solid ground.

 

Or, rather, in it. Our heroes were in a small, stone cell, blockaded by bars of iron. While their minds had been…wherever Hysterig had sent them, it looked like their bodies had been imprisoned. Images of the phantom battle flashed through their minds as they curled their hands into fists. First, they would get out of here.

 

Then, they would make someone pay.