220821.A

''Here's what happened while Jakrin was supposedly in a coma. Full chat transcript here: While Jakrin was Sleeping - Transcript''

Jakrin wakes up in a bedroom that he has never been in, but seems oddly familiar. Looking around, he recognizes many of the books on the shelves, and a desk is covered in notes written in his own handwriting. He looks for Greywind, but his familiar is nowhere to be found. Quickly confirming that he has all of his gear, he casts Invisibility and leaves the room, determined to figure out where he is and what happened.

Jakrin discovers that he is on a ship, and makes his way to the top deck. What he sees astonishes him. The ship appears to be sailing through dark nothingness, with pin-pricks of starlight all around. Among the crew, he finds some very familiar faces: his old adventuring party, the Gunboat Diplomats: Cadence of Wind, the Tabaxi ranger. Gregory Potts, the gnomeish rogue. And, Arynn and Bhaus. Arynn is in her blue-skinned form, and Bhaus is wearing a single boot.

Jakrin makes himself visible again, and talks with Arynn and Bhaus. He confirms that this is all real and he is not interacting with illusions. Through questions to his friends, he learns that this is some kind of ship that sails the void between stars, and the party is headed for an outpost to track down the giff that has the other boot. Bhaus is pumped. Both Arynn and Bhaus make fun of Jakrin for his odd questions, noting that maybe he shouldn't have had that drinking contest with Bhaus last night. Jakrin laughs along with them, and goes with them down to the galley with them to get some coffee.

After coffee, Jakrin returns to his room to take down some notes and theorize on what may be happening. He sets aside the option of him simply being mad (since it is unhelpful), and concludes this is some type of alternate reality, and he may be here physically, or in a dream-like manner similar to what Oberon used to bring them to his tournament. He tries to wake himself up, without success. He then looks through the stuff of this universe's Jakrin. He finds this Jakrin's spellbook, and notes that his alternate knows several that he doesn't. He rips those pages out and keeps them, thinking his alternate should be able to re-scribe them without much issue. He also finds a journal, that last entry noting that this Jakrin "borrowed" a few scrolls from someone named Cicero in a place called "The Forge", whatever that means, and that they were a new type of magic. This Jakrin considered them "a key" to something he was trying to figure out. They were spells of the same type as "Fortune's Favour", the same type of magic that Jakrin suspects has been developed by the Cowled Wizards in secret. Our Jarkin decides to leave these scrolls, as they are important to the other Jakrin, and not easily replaced.

Jakrin goes back up on to the deck. He sees an incredible sight in the distance: some type of large structure, floating in the void. Calling Cadence over, he finds out from her that this is their destination. Jakrin feels nostalgic, and very much misses his old friend. He awkward tells her so, causing her to laugh in confusion.

Jakrin comes to a decision. He does not think he will be able to sort out what is happening without help. He goes to find Arynn, and tells her the whole truth: that he is Jakrin from another existence, that this is not his life, that her Jakrin is somewhere else, and that he needs help to put things right. He has trouble convincing her at first, until he demonstrates his Winged Boots, something that their Jakrin never obtained. Bhaus, however, took it in stride and immediately accepted this "Other Jakrin".

The three return to Jakrin's room and go through it in detail. Our Jakrin finds an envelop under the mattress with drawings of their Jakrin's family, his mother, and of him and Laurel as children. This puts a lump in his throat for a moment. He finds a single word written on the back of his mother's... well, other Jakrn's mother's, picture: "Possibility". He puts back the pictures, and checks the dunamantic scrolls to see if any of the spells there could have been responsible for what happened. Suddenly, the ship lurches and Jakrin, Bhaus and Arynn are thrown around the room. The ship is under attack!

The three run back up to the deck. The crew is manning canons, and another ship is at close range, blasting away. Jakrin slings Fireballs at the hostile ship, and manages to set it ablaze. However, the ship's main weapon continues to function, and is starting to blast sections of their ship apart. Jakrin uses Animate Objects to animate ten silver coins, and sends them flying into the main weapon. He manages to take it out of commission, but the weapon is unstable, and it is clear that the hostile ship is going to explode.

Arynn runs up to him and tells him they are too close: their ship will be destroyed by the blast. Upon learning that only their Jakrin has been able to fly the ship, he runs with Arynn to the control room. Jakrin puts on the control helm, quickly figures out the controls, and gets the ship moving... but too slow. Far too slow. As he desperately tries to put distance between them and the attacking ship, explosions rock the entire control room...

Jakrin wakes up with Arynn's dying screams still echoing in his mind.