Session 145: The Best-laid Plans Never Work

 Afternoon of Day 3 of Patchwall

From Gnorcia's notes:

Armatzi cast three Wyvern Watch spells at the entrance of the cave. I cast Mirror Image so there would be three of me if they did spot me hiding on the mountainside beside the entrance. I then cast Footfall, making it sound as if someone were running past the cave and down the path. Almost immediately, two displacer beasts appeared to ooze out of the entrance. They were great black beasts with waving tentacles that appeared to phase and they walked right through the Wyvern Watch spells. They begin to stalk toward the party—specifically toward Feno. We were prepared with a plan of attack and immediately Lhoss cast Sleep. It did nothing. Niki then cast Hold Animal and it did nothing because displacer beasts aren’t animals. Feno also swung and missed.

Suddenly worried about how this might go for the group, Armatzi then cast Continual Darkness, engulfing me and the cave entrance in it, but narrowly missing the beasts. Niki began to cast Lightning as Kyro ran up and swung at the beast closest to the cliff edge, seriously damaging it and making it howl in pain and anger. Feno attacked the other again and did enormous damage to it. From my hiding spot, unable to see anything in the darkness, I cast Hypnotic Pattern but it was too far away to affect them. Frustrated and unable to do anything effective, I just stood on the hillside, quietly waving my incense. Niki’s lightning then hit and completely fried them both, destroying their hides.

Feno probably would have started to cry at that but the noise instantly brought three more displacer beasts out of the cave. Armatzi dropped the Continual Darkness as two of them were affected by the Wyvern Watch and a third was affected by my Hypnotic Pattern. Arnd and Kyro then attacked from a distance, finishing off all three. We could then see they were panther-like creatures with six legs and two tentacles with horny barbs on them.

Looking around at each other in wonder, we realized that somehow none of us even took a hit from the beasts. Feno ran up, grabbed two of the bodies, and started dragging them away from the entrance. Kyro and Lhoss grabbed the third and carried it between them. We all followed Feno until we were about a quarter mile from the camp, where Kyro slaughtered the creatures, first harvesting the tentacles, teeth, and claws, then the meat and the hides. The rest of us dug a pit where we buried the remaining parts of the creatures. We returned to our camp and prepared to return to the village the next day.

Session 144: The Game is Afoot

 Upon finding the entrance of the cave, the group decides upon the next course of action on pursuing their goal. Lhoss and Gnorcia decide to quietly sneak into the cave and see what the party might be walking into. Upon entering the cave, they see cavern branches going in different directions, and the floor covered with dried blood and crushed bones. They carefully and quietly move to one of the openings, where they observe several displacer beasts roaming around. They see a blurs of motion, and lots of tentacles, with the beasts devouring the remnants of their kills of the day. Lhoss and Gnorcia quietly backtrack and retrace their steps in order to relay this information to the rest of the group near the cave entrance. Upon hearing the news, the normally fearless Feno is suddenly struck with apprehension. The group discuss different tactics to draw the beasts out as they hear faint moans nearby. They move away from the entrance as they talk tactics. Armatzi states he has a spell called Wyvern Watch that allows him to create a Wyvern shaped mist that would paralyze anything that enters it. The group also talks about the spell Hold Animal. The group finalizes their tactics. Armatzi will cast his spell. Feno, with shield in hand, positions himself in a defensive position. Lhoss prefers her sleep spell in case there are multiple beasts coming out of the cave entrance. Niki prepares to cast Hold Animal.  Arnd prepares his axe near Feno. Kyro semi-panics, but still prepares for battle, in a position behind Arnd and Feno. And group is ready for battle...

Session 143: The end of Brewfest and exploring the side of a volcano

Feno, Arnd, Gnorcia, Niki, Armatzi, Kyro, Lhoss awoke on day 7 of Brewfest in the town of Woods Edge. Determined to find the displacer beasts as quickly as possible and return to Orlane, Lhoss asked the innkeeper if there were any holy temples or shrines in town. She was hoping to track down a druid who had the ability to locate animals the way Hilja had in the past. The innkeeper told Lhoss there was a temple of Wee Jas and a shrine of Fharlanghn. Lhoss got excited that Niki could enlist the help of her fellow worshipers in tracking displacer beasts until she remembered that she was confusing Obad-hai and Fharlanghn again. Arnd and Gnorcia waited at the inn, but the others tracked down the shrine to Fharlanghn. On the way, Lhoss recognized a small shrine to Zuoken. Telling the others to wait, she hurried over to the shrine and spoke in hushed tones with the attendant. She was informed that the lawful orders (Wee Jas, here in Woods Edge) were putting pressure non-lawful orders. Feeling intimidated, followers of Zuoken had been laying low in the city and trying not to draw attention. Lhoss pressed two platinum pieces into the attendant's hand as tribute and vowed to return after nightfall to worship.

The group came upon the Fharlanghn temple, which was a grove of white birch trees. A follower greeted the party and raised an eyebrow at Armatzi, asking if he would be entering. Armatzi questioned whether he would be welcome and was reassured that he would be, so long as he made a donation. Armatzi gave four gold pieces, as did Lhoss and Niki. Feno handed over a platinum as he was short on gold and Kyro produced two gold as he was short on gold and platinum. The man thanked the adventurers and invited them to sit on some boulders arranged in a semi-circle. Lhoss inquired about the possibilities of a druid of the order enlisting to help the group fight displacer beasts. The man paused thoughtfully and then conceded that the displacer beasts had made incursions into the edges of town and that they had become unruly. But he countered that the beasts are native creatures and that nature balances itself. He resolved that the creatures were not troublesome enough for their order to intervene. Although, he said that they could be hired for a price. As the group contemplated this thought, the Fharlanghn follower inquired why our own druid should not be skilled enough to track down the displacer beasts for us. It seems Niki had forgotten some of her old training and was in fact able to use her magic to locate any animal she should choose to find. Contented, the party turned to leave when the man shared that the location of the displacer beasts is on the side of the volcano located in the Dim Forest. At least some valuable intel was acquired for all the gold spent. So the destination is a volcano! Feno, while protected from cold, has no such immunity to fire. He inquired about purchasing fire-resistant clothing and was rebuffed. As promised, Lhoss returned to the Zuoken temple accompanied by Gnorcia before the Brewfest celebration kicked off in earnest.

For the last day of Brewfest, several in the party paid five gold pieces for an all you can eat and drink night of revelry. What a deal! The group partook of the tasty meats, potatoes, gravies, fruits, veggies, stews, breads, pies, and drinks. There was a level of temperance, however, as each member of the adventuring group knew of the daunting task that awaited them. Lhoss alone indulged heavily in drink and as such, it was mid-morning before she was put together enough to venture out with the rest. They might as well have joined in the revel with her!

Everyone they talked to warned of the danger of entering the Dim Forest and fighting displacer beasts. First the innkeeper who gave them directions out of town, then the city watch who instructed them to bushwhack a path toward the volcano. Living up to its name, the forest was dark and chill. They worked in shifts to hack through the hanging branches covered in moss, ever making their way closer to the volcano and the thin trails of smoke emanating from within. The first night, Kyro cooked up a ration donated by each party member with a few of his spices to make a tasty stew. The group took watch in turns and groups of 2-3 until morning. It was an uneventful night. After breakfast and tea, the adventurers made more progress through the forest. Late in the afternoon, the volcano came into full view and Lhoss spotted a cave about halfway up. It would take half a day to climb to it, so the group set up the tent and settled in for an early night. Feno hunted for eggs and Lhoss set up some snare traps. Feno only found one egg, but it had gone bad and Lhoss's traps caught nothing. Again, there were no disturbances during the nights' watches.

The next morning, the group found and followed a trail up the volcano slope. They tracked some paw prints and came upon two creatures in mortal combat. One was large and deep blue with odd tentacles growing from its sides. The other appeared to be a large brown dog. The blue creature moved in a blur and the brown one disappeared and reappeared. Then the dog creature turned somewhat and the group could see that it was actually whitish/yellow with large tufts coming off its tail. There was barking, yipping, snarling, and growling and then suddenly they both ran off and the dog creature disappeared. Gnorcia wanted to lure the big dog back, so she laid out some rations. The animal did not return, so they all continued up the trail. Around a bend in the trail, the adventurers found themselves facing a cave entrance.

Session 142: At our leaving, darkness

Gnorcia here. It seems much has happened and been recorded in the writings here.

I had been resting at the inn on the last night of my training, but awoke to find myself somehow with the group, on a trail through the Dim Forest. I blame Jack. He likes to teleport things. Why not people?

As we walked, the group filled me in on what I had missed during my week of training and told how they had stumbled into some terrifying and amazing experiences, great danger, and loot. Of course. At least I learned a few things while they were off adventuring. (Did all that really happen in just a week? I wasn't even sure what day it was, but knew it had to be Brewfest and we were missing out on that.) 

One interesting story they told was about a map they purchased.

One evening back at the inn, a cloaked figure approached Lhoss and said, “I hear you’ve been searching for a map.” Lhoss responded in the affirmative and the stranger continued, “I have a large map of the surrounding nations for a certain price.”

Lhoss was unsure what price a copy of that map might be worth and the stranger suggested starting at 1000 gold pieces. Of course Lhoss balked at that and said she would have to consult with her friends as she did not have that sort of sum. She bought him an ale and said she would return with an answer.

The group talked and schemed, then Lhoss went back with our finely-cut sapphire as a counteroffer. He seemed to have some knowledge of gems and thought about it for a minute, then smiled and said he would be willing to take the sapphire and 100 gold. Lhoss countered at 50 and he countered back at 75, which she then accepted. A deal had been made! And a good thing because otherwise we would have to rely on the often-lousy verbal directions of farmers and other travelers.

Map in hand, we traveled for three days through the Dim Forest to the northeast toward Hookhill. Along the road we were passed by travelers moving swiftly on horses in both directions and wished we could travel with such great speed. We also encountered a small group of pilgrims who were worshippers of Farlonigan, traveling from Hookhill to Hochoch. They seemed to have good information that matched with our map.

At the far edge of the forest we came to the road that would take us north to the town of Woodsedge. Apparently that town and a volcano was our goal, but the group had learned the map wouldn't help beyond that because there was no path from the town to the volcano. Obviously. Who in their right mind would make a road to a volcano?

Two more days took us north toward the town of Forestwatch. Along the way we encountered other pilgrims, travelers passing us on horses, and merchants with wagons. They were all friendly but not talkative. At dusk on the second day we arrived at Forestwatch and discovered they were celebrating Brewfest. At last! We hoped to join in the revelry for at least one evening.

As we entered the hamlet, a large building had a sign reading “The Gold Duke” and appeared to be a tavern. We went in and were greeted by a large, boisterous man named Olaf. He offered us roast pig and fried potatoes along with a selection of vegetables and spirits. I immediately requested a bed in a room that wasn’t the common room, and Arnd agreed to share a room with two beds. The three elves took another room with two beds and Lhoss planned to meditate on her bedroll on the floor.

We had delicious meals with cider and ale that evening and celebrated in the square with others in the town, then slept well that night. A little too well, actually. As we slept soundly, a thief or thieves crept in and as a group we lost 20 gold pieces.

Upon hearing of our loss the next morning, the innkeeper was generous with a free breakfast and offered to contact the constable to discuss it. It was now day four of brewfest, a crisp autumn day. We stopped at a shop on the way out of town and purchased some rations. A few of us also bought some utensils, bowls, and plates before we began traveling again.

The next leg of our trip was uneventful. Arriving in Woodsedge, we found it had a stone gatehouse with a guard requesting 1gp each for entrance. After paying the fee and entering the town, we found ourselves at the Two-Cup Inn, a well-kept tavern. The rooms were only 2gp for private rooms with locks and food included in the cost! We were happy to hear about all of that. The proprietoress, Gretchen, asked about our business in the town and referred us to a member of the local watch, Marcus, who she said knows something about displacer beasts.

Gretchen also shared disturbing rumors she had heard of hordes of undead near Orlane. This was very troubling because we thought we had just saved Orlane from the undead! She encouraged us to return and see if the people there needed help. As Arnd, Nikki, and I solemly ate our dinner and discussed possible methods to return quickly to Orlane, Lhoss and Feno found Marcus in the tavern and went to speak with him.

Marcus was a talker and elaborated further on Gretchen's disturbing rumors. He said that Naynor had somehow been strengthened and become bolder in his raids, and the necromancers also seemed to have only been strengthened by the Pit of Chaos being closed, which was very disturbing news to us. He seemed perplexed that we had left Orlane in increased danger, though Feno and Lhoss explained repeatedly that we had thought it even more safe after our efforts.

Feno of course also pressed Marcus for more information about the goal of our quest—the displacer beasts—and he said the beasts seem to have a nest to the west in the forest, but the townsfolk and the watch combined had only been successful in battling them with large groups, and with casualties.

All of this was terribly worrying, of course, and most of us became unsure about our quest and what we could do to serve our beloved friends in Orlane, but Feno convinced us that since we had finally reached our destination, we should seek out the displacer beasts and then find a way to quickly travel back to the town and take on whatever dark forces have taken hold since we left.

As the group finished eating and talking, I said a silent prayer to Zuoken for strength and added a request for Jack to stop puttering about in Orlane and assist us on the displacer beast quest. And maybe he could bring Armatzi, Ramne, Dorian, Llewellen, that snobby Bernard guy, and even some random farmers. We're going to need all the help we can get.

Session 141: The Road So Far

 Day 26 of Harvester:

The morning began like most: with a delicious breakfast from the Foaming Mug before the group and I headed to do some last-minute shopping before heading on our adventure. The group finally had agreed to hunt some displacer beasts (it took some convincing these last few days) in the northern portion of the Dim Forest. At the general goods store I purchased a tent, and some fishing equipment (maybe there will be some opportunities to supplement my rations?), as well as purchased some extra rations from Armatzi. The rest of the group topped off their rations, and purchased tents, bedrolls, and other necessities for the march through the forest. At some point either the group, or the shop keeper, started waxing on about borders and politics, but I stopped paying attention. I don't know what they were talking about. Growing up in a portion of the Dim Forest (a more enjoyable part if I do say so), I've never really concerned myself with the affairs of the humans. Following this morning shopping trip, the group and I head out to towards the small, wooded towns Dorian and the other Orlanian elves described to Lhoss and I not so long ago. We travel over 15 miles before supper time approaches. Kyro suggests cooking a ration stew using the rations people contributed and stewing it up with seasonings. I liked the idea, but having no way to eat the stew, opted just to munch on a ration by myself. Arnd it seems was in the same boat and ate ration solo as well. We decided to rest here for the night and decided that the best course of action would be take night watches in pairs. I volunteered for the least desired time, around midnight. Lhoss decided to join me in my watch time. I figured our elven ears and eyes would be at the best at that time. Following dinner, I decided to lay down and meditate until it was my time for the watch. After a few hours (too short in my opinion) Kyro nudged Lhoss and I to consciousness, and with a little fear in his voice let us know of eyes that were nearby watching them. 

I quickly realized that the fear was unjustified: the eyes were from harm animals and insects found throughout the Dim Forest. Letting Lhoss know this, we quickly perform our watch duties. We walk in opposite rotating circles, ensuring that the camp is covered. Nothing eventful happens during the watch. We awaken Niki and Arnd for the next watch, and I go back to my meditations. 

 

Session 140 Day 24 and 25 of Harvester

 After the trip and some partying the party decides to go to bed. 

They then wake up and after some discussion they decide to have the majority of the party investigate Kyro's ring that has been talking to him by going to the temple. 

 

Feno went to get his custom bandolier from the Weavers. 

 

Niki started gets told of the craziness of Jack's actions in Orlane (which is completely and utterly her fault). 

They eventually decide to take the ring to Rhame and ask him about it. Artmazi had a strange feeling to put on the ring however he fails his attempt to snag the ring. They deicide to leave the ring with Rain to study it. 

They all eventually end up at the store. They sell their treasures and get some money. After the very joyful shopping they do a very unique style of training to fight the displacer beasts. 

They then return to the Inn and enjoy some meatballs.

 

Session 139: Closing the Pit of Chaos

The battle looks grim. With Feno fleeing and Arnd asleep, only Kyro, Lhoss, Niki, and Armatzi remain to fight. Lhoss calls out that the party needs to retreat and regroup. Lhoss attempts to shove a skeleton into a zombie with her staff and Niki tries to sweep another off its feet with her scimitar; both are unsuccessful in their disarming strikes. Kyro prepares to drag Arnd out of the room while Armatzi moves forward with the Fount of Law to shield the two of them. The presence of the holy relic causes all the undead to retreat a few steps and shudder. With no resistance, Lhoss, Niki, Kyro and Arnd retreat effortlessly from the room. Armatzi, however does not retreat and stares down the crowd of foes. He turns his head back to the group and mouths the words "I'm sorry, I have to do this" and presses forward to the pit. Arnd, ever filled with a sense of bravery and duty charges back into the room to assist Armatzi. The cleric slowly moves closer to the gaping maw, causing the skeletons and zombies to shiver and move mechanically away from him. The beholder screeches out "I will feast on your flesh!" but if this strikes fear into Armatzi's heart, he does not show it. Suddenly a bone golem bursts forth from the pit. The hole is a mass of twisting blackness and body parts with teeth and fangs inlaid, jutting inward. With a belch of putrid stench, two more bone golems emerge and jostle their way into position in front of the fetid chasm. One of the golem pushes a quivering zombie away and decapitates it in a swipe. The beholder laughs manically at the scene. Armatzi presses his advance toward the pit. Niki holds back, but Kyro joins Arnd at Armatzi's rear while Lhoss sprints off to try and catch Feno. She sees him in the distance just as the spell breaks and Feno turns to head back to the battle. Lhoss and Feno exchange an Elven high-five (perfect cracking sound, slight stinging sensation on the palm) and the two sprint together. Meanwhile, Armatzi has moved close enough to the pit that he feels confident he can toss it into the downward sloping crevasse. The onlooking party members seem to hold their breath as the orb arcs slightly up and falls toward the hole. The beholder follows the font with his eye stalks; the lesser demons freeze; the golems seem to recognize the power of the object and consider it while it sails through the air, then tip aside as if to let the now strobing globe of light pass by to its destiny. With a huge blast of stinking air, a force erupts from the pit and every person and creature in the room is stunned and thrown back, onto the ground. Even Lhoss and Feno feel the vile wind blow past them. In a blink, all of the enemies are defeated, leaving behind nothing but clouds of bone dust and piles of gore. All that remains of the Pit of Chaos is a deformed mound of black crust. While the rest of the party feels a great sense of relief and accomplishment, Armatzi receives a message from St. Cuthbert: the maze is not yet clean as there is a greater presence of Nerul to the East. The pit of Chaos had been masking this evil, but it is now evident. 

The light in the room has changed. The statues are no longer emitting an unholy light and are now each holding something in their arms. The group collects a few potions, a scroll, and leather armor. Kyro finds a gold ring set with a diamond. He peers at it curiously and then places it on his finger and appears exalted. The group questions Kyro about the ring, but he is secretive and refuses to remove it. Niki casts detect magic on the items and they all glow with magic. Jack appears, takes one look at Kyro, and immediately his hair stands on end and he begins hissing at the ranger. Kyro mentions to Niki that she needs to be nice to Jack and then the cat pops back out of sight. This whole exchange makes Lhoss extremely suspicious. She questions who Kyro serves and he replies that he serves Merrika, but this does not put Lhoss at ease. She insists that in order to trust Kyro and travel with him, he needs to remove the ring. Kyro acquiesces. He then discloses that the ring allows him to understand and communicate with animals. That seems harmless enough, why was he being so secretive about it?

On the road back to Orlane, the group sees an approaching figure. He is wearing patched brown clothes and has a brown beard and striking blue eyes. The group hails him and has a brief, but friendly conversation with the traveler. He identifies himself as a Wanderer and a worshipper of Fharlanghn. As he moves on, the group notices that the traveler moves with great speed. Behind, he left a small wooden chit; it is dark walnut and carved with runes.

Back at the inn, Lhoss overhears some townsfolk talking about a stranger that was ranting about the lesser pit being destroyed but boasting about the rise of necromancers. Lhoss inquires if it was the man they had met on the road, but no - this stranger was dressed in a black cloak. Lhoss imparts the news of their most recent success with the pit and then warns the townsfolk that this was an evil person and not to engage with him. They thank her and buy her a drink, which she happily downs.

Jack pops back into the inn and points to Kyro's new ring and identifies it as a ring of evil. It's possible, though, that Jack simply doesn't like the idea of another being who is able to know his thoughts. Jack and Niki bicker over which one of them is smarter and Niki points out that she has a skill that Jack does not: healing. Jack scratches her arm and then proclaims that Niki is right, he cannot heal. Feno orders a dish of chicken for Jack, which the cat gulps down with delight. The cat winks at the elf and indicates that a favor is owed to Feno. In fact, Feno is flush with generosity and buys the whole room a round of drinks. Lhoss sees the mayor in the crowded inn and passes on the good news that the pit has been closed. A cheer is raised and more drinks are poured as what is sure to be an evening of revelry begins in earnest.