Session 034: Leap of Faith
🎙️ Session Recording
📜 Session Overview
The party reconvened at The Manticore alongside Myrium, Jorso, and Ju'bile to map out the next phase of the campaign: building enough power, allies, and resources to confront Gorrath, the Maliced Scaled. The group agreed this fight can't be won alone—a united front on Tarkir is the best path forward—and the Realmstriders committed to helping the party seek the alliances they'll need. Atarlax was raised as a potential ally, and Warwick pressed Jorso for guidance on recharging the party's crystals, successfully triggering a volatile, body-rattling recharge surge.
In a strange turn, Vyr vanished and later returned with Xavril unconscious but alive, offering no comforting context—only urgency. With Vyr's agreement to guide them onward, the party realmstrided first to Amonkhet (where Broj's trumpet call met a distant response), then onward to Ethoria, arriving at a ridge overlooking the vast, ancient elven city of Vysteerie.
At Vysteerie, the party was met by a massive flying mount and escorted to the Horseshoe Platform, a Skyguard outpost perched above the city and tied into a colossal ring structure hovering over the skyline. There they were greeted by V'a'nas, a veteran Gith Skyguard rider and trainer. The Skyguard made it clear: dragon-riding here isn't "taught" so much as earned.
To secure wyrmling mounts, the party learned they must first obtain something deceptively simple: the mount's true name—and the first step toward that bond is faith. What followed was an increasingly chaotic "rite of passage" as party members repeatedly launched themselves from the platform, gambling that a chosen wyvern would catch them before impact. Some were caught, some were battered, some were hunted like prey, and several narrowly avoided death through frantic realmstriding at the last possible moment. Between near-fatal plunges, wild midair scuffles, and improvised magical problem-solving, the party began to understand the Skyguard's lesson: bonding isn't dominance—it's trust, timing, and connection.
⚔️ Key Events
- War Council at The Manticore: The party gathers with Myrium, Jorso, and Ju'bile to strategize against Gorrath. Atarlax is discussed as a potential ally. The consensus: they need more power, more people, and a united front on Tarkir.
- Warwick's Crystal Recharge: Following Jorso's instructions, Warwick successfully recharges a crystal—smoke billowing from him, electric energy coursing through his body, making his heart pound and muscles spasm in a violent but successful surge.
- Xerocomath's Vision: Xerocomath shares with TyelKoron the haunting visions the unicorn showed him: Gloomspire prospering, then destroyed, and finally his son before being maimed.
- Vyr's Return with Xavril: Vyr disappears and returns hours later with Xavril—unconscious but alive. No explanation given, only urgency to move forward.
- Journey to Vysteerie: The party realmstrides first to Amonkhet (where Broj's trumpet receives a distant response), then to Ethoria, arriving at a ridge overlooking the magnificent ancient elven city of Vysteerie.
- Arrival at the Horseshoe Platform: Greeted by a massive wyvern and Skyguard escort, the party is brought to a colossal ring hovering over the city—the Horseshoe Platform, home to the Gith Skyguard.
- Meeting V'a'nas: The party meets V'a'nas, the veteran Gith Skyguard trainer, who explains the way of the wyvern bond: to earn a mount, they must first learn its true name through an act of faith.
- The Leap Begins: What follows is chaos incarnate—party members repeatedly hurling themselves off the platform "1000 dwarfs tall," desperately hoping their chosen wyvern will catch them before impact.
🐉 The Wyvern Trials
TyelKoron's Near-Death Experience
Wyvern: Blue Wyvern (targeting Xerocomath)
Outcome: TyelKoron jumped in the way of a wyvern attacking Xerocomath and realmstrided to Theros at the last possible moment to avoid death.
Notable Moments:
- First mimicked the Gith by walking off the platform
- Nearly fell to his death on realmstriding back
- Later pushed Xerocomath off the platform
- Eventually sought out a Gold wyvern and used summon beast to commune with it
Broj's Wrestling Match
Wyvern: Red Wyvern
Outcome: Broj instigated the wyvern, grappled it mid-air in an aggressive embrace, and they plummeted together until the wyvern spread its wings near the ground. The wyvern then took off, leaving Broj behind.
Notable Moments:
- Literally threw Warwick into the air at Sorina when she was falling
- The most aggressive approach to "bonding"
Sinora's Aerial Combat
Wyvern: Black Wyvern
Outcome: The wyvern grappled Sinora and dragged her off the platform. They fought bitterly during the entire descent.
Sorina's Paralysis
Wyvern: Silver Wyvern (after missing with firebolt)
Outcome: The Silver wyrmling attacked and paralyzed Sorina as she fell. Broj threw Warwick into the air to collide with her. The wyrmling eventually dropped her from 15 feet in the air.
Warwick's Scuffle
Wyvern: Blue Wyvern
Outcome: After realizing this was a rite of passage, Warwick returned to the platform and deliberately gained the ire of a Blue wyvern. They locked eyes and scuffled on the way down.
Notable Moments:
- Initially realmstrided away with Egg to observe
- Later attempted to empower spells with Sorina with some success
Egg's Ancient Bond
Wyvern: Aged Green Wyvern
Outcome: Egg sought out an old, aged Green wyvern. They locked eyes as it descended. The wyvern attacked him, knocking him off, but caught him at the very last minute—still allowing him to hit the ground slightly. A successful but brutal bonding.
Xerocomath's Predator
Wyvern: Blue Wyvern
Outcome: When Xerocomath attempted to tame and lure a wyvern, the Blue wyvern instead stalked him as prey. TyelKoron jumped in the way, saving him but nearly dying in the process. Later pushed off by TyelKoron, Xerocomath used a concussive wave to slow his fall.
👥 NPCs Encountered
V'a'nas
Role: Gith Skyguard Trainer
The veteran Gith who introduced the party to the way of the Skyguard. Explained that to bond with a wyvern, one must first learn its true name through trust and faith. Demonstrated by casually walking off the platform and being caught by his mount.
Myrium
Role: Fellow Realmstrider
Joined the party at The Manticore for the war council. Later bought a chocolate bunny with "Spice" at Vysteerie before realmstriding away. Accompanied Warwick and Egg on a brief trip to Theros.
Jorso
Role: Crystal Expert
Instructed Warwick on how to recharge the party's crystals, leading to the successful but violent recharge surge.
Ju'bile
Role: Allied Realmstrider
Part of the war council at The Manticore, committed to helping the party seek alliances against Gorrath.
Vyr
Role: Mysterious Guide
Disappeared and returned with Xavril unconscious but alive. Agreed to guide the party to Vysteerie and led them through the realmstriding journey.
Xavril
Role: Rescued Companion
Found unconscious by Vyr and brought back to the party. His condition raises questions about what happened during Vyr's absence.
🔍 Important Discoveries
The Path to Wyvern Bonding
The Skyguard tradition is clear: to bond with a wyvern and earn it as a mount, one must learn its true name. But the name cannot be given—it must be earned through an act of pure faith. The prospective rider must leap from the Horseshoe Platform (approximately "1000 dwarfs tall") and trust that their chosen wyvern will catch them before impact.
This isn't about dominance or taming—it's about trust, timing, and genuine connection. The wyvern chooses whether to catch you, and in that choice, the bond begins.
Crystal Recharging
Warwick successfully learned the process of recharging leyline crystals from Jorso. The process is violent and taxing—smoke, electricity, pounding heart, spasming muscles—but effective. This knowledge could prove crucial for maintaining the party's connection to the leyline network.
Vysteerie: City of the Skyguard
The ancient elven city of Vysteerie is home to the Gith Skyguard, masters of dragon and wyvern riding. The city features the Horseshoe Platform—a massive ring structure hovering above the city, connected to the surrounding mountains. This serves as both training ground and home base for the Skyguard.
Atarlax as Potential Ally
During the war council, Atarlax was mentioned as a possible ally in the coming conflict against Gorrath. The party recognizes they cannot win this fight alone.
Mind Palace Experimentation
The party spent time "fooling around" with their Mind Palaces, experimenting with this mental space and its possibilities. This practice may prove useful in future mental or psychic encounters.
✨ Character Moments
Warwick's Electric Awakening
When Warwick successfully recharged a crystal following Jorso's instructions, smoke bellowed from him, electric energy filled his body, making his heart pound and muscles spasm. This violent but successful surge demonstrated both the power and the cost of manipulating leyline energy directly.
Xerocomath's Burden
Xerocomath shared the haunting visions the unicorn showed him with TyelKoron: images of Gloomspire prospering, then destroyed, and finally his son before being maimed. These visions weigh heavily on him as he seeks to prevent this future.
TyelKoron's Protective Instinct
When a Blue wyvern stalked Xerocomath as prey, TyelKoron immediately jumped in the way, nearly dying in the process and having to realmstride to Theros at the last moment. Later, he literally pushed Xerocomath off the platform and sought communion with a Gold wyvern through magical means.
Broj's Unconventional Methods
In perhaps the most aggressive approach to wyvern bonding, Broj instigated a Red wyvern and grappled it mid-air in what can only be described as aerial wrestling. He also demonstrated his protective nature by literally throwing Warwick into the air to intercept falling Sorina.
Egg's Wisdom
Egg's approach was notably different—seeking out an old, aged Green wyvern rather than a young, aggressive one. The ancient wyvern tested him but ultimately caught him, suggesting respect between two old souls.
The Twins' Struggles
Both Sorina and Sinora faced brutal trials. Sorina was paralyzed mid-fall by a Silver wyrmling and later worked with Warwick on empowering spells. Sinora was grappled and dragged into a bitter aerial fight with a Black wyvern.
TyelKoron's Dark Meditation
After the chaos of the day, TyelKoron realmstrided to Theros (joined by Sorina and Warwick) and meditated, finding answers through the darkness—though what those answers were remains to be seen.
Xerocomath's Training Regimen
While others were scattered across planes, Xerocomath collected Broj and Sinora's last conduits and trained with duplicates of each of his companions—preparing himself through practice against familiar fighting styles.
🌀 Realmstriding Revelations
This session saw more realmstriding practice than ever before. The party repeatedly jumped between planes—to Theros and back, to Amonkhet briefly, and countless emergency strides to avoid death during the wyvern trials.
Key moments of realmstriding:
- Initial journey: The Manticore → Amonkhet → Vysteerie
- Egg, Myrium, and Warwick's trip to Theros and back
- TyelKoron's multiple emergency escapes to Theros during failed wyvern attempts
- Warwick and Egg returning to the platform top after understanding the trial
- TyelKoron, Sorina, and Warwick's meditative journey to Theros at session's end
This intensive practice has undoubtedly strengthened the party's connection to the Æther and their ability to traverse the planes with increasing precision and speed.
💬 Quote of the Session
"The height is about 1000 dwarfs tall."
— Describing the Horseshoe Platform
🎭 Looking Ahead
The session ends with the party dispersed across the planes—some meditating on Theros, others training on Vysteerie. The wyvern bonding trials continue, with some progress made but no names yet learned. V'a'nas has instructed them that learning the wyvern's true name is the key, but the path to that knowledge remains elusive.
Meanwhile, the larger conflict looms. Gorrath, the Maliced Scaled, remains a threat that requires allies, resources, and power the party doesn't yet have. Atarlax waits as a potential ally, Xavril's mysterious rescue raises questions, and somewhere in the distance, Broj's trumpet call received an unknown response from Amonkhet.
The party has learned to fall with faith—but can they learn to fly? And when they do, what battles await in the skies above Tarkir?