Session 43: The Ritual Report

General Summary

Virion and Mystan travel by horseback to the old church in the Drowned Forest.

They have no random encounters, and rest outside the forest before heading in. The pair expertly avoid all shriekers, demons, plant monsters, etc. During the jounrey, Virion asks Mystan how he does it; how he believes and has faith.

Mystan admits that, after so many years, it's second nature. But he does know that the Order of Raan is teachings, not dogma; it's a philosophy. Virion asks about doubt, not even about religion. Mystan says that it's when you agree with the teachings and understand them.

Virion admits that that's the exact reason he... doesn't have faith anymore. Not in a religion or institution but... all of this. They go back and forth, and Virion still is... shaken. Mystan apologies if it isn't quite what he was looking for.

When the pair of Keoish knights arrive at the old chapel, the others are all already there. Black Axe is aloof and doesn't say much to Virion, while the younger brother is volunteering to be here as support and a failsafe; not as a main pillar.

Black Axe starts out by casting Magic Cirlce and then uses Mold Earth to set up defenses, taking about 20 minutes. While his brother does this, Virion casts Banishment targeting the Alkalith. The Alkalith fails, and 6 demons descend upon them. Roll iniative.

Initative:
14 Pustoloids 13 Nova 9 Black Axe 9 Mystan 8 Hool's Coyote 4 Virion 3 Zyg
Six pus-filled demons roll up and begin climbing the stairs. Nova shoots some arrows at one, while Black Axe casts Errupting Earth. Mystan then focuses on the Hallow, while Hool's Coyote casts Healing Spirit and then casts Entangle, trapping three of the demons. Black Axe then casts Erupting Earth, killing 5. Virion then casts Fireball, killing three more demons. Zyg then casts Conjure Animals and makes some rats! With the rats and a Firebolt from Black Axe, the final pustuloid dies.

As the group prepares for the next group, Hool's Coyote rests and casts Longstrider on Black Axe. Nova fires an arrow at one of four new demons, while Black Axe uses Steel Wind Strike to kill one and geviously wound another. Mystan casts Guilding Bolt, harming a third. Hool's Coyote casts Entangle, restraining the straggler, followed by a legendary action from Black Axe of Erupting Earth, which kills one and seriously harms two more. VIrion follows his brother up with a Fireball, killing both demons.

Black Axe takes the repreive to cast Eurpting Earth three times to make a forced path, all from the safety of the chapel.

Halfway through the casting and exhausted, three fungal Hook Horrors emerge from the woods and begin shambling. Nova transforms into a wereraven to fly and shoots one of the horrors. As a legendary action Black Axe casts Mirrior Image, and then bladesong and readies an action to cast Ice Storm after Hool's Coyote casts Entagle. Mystan is too far away to cast anything, and thus he focuses on Hallow. Hool's Coyote casts Entangle, restraining all three. This triggers Black Axe's attack, full of hailstones, bloodying one and hurting the other two. Struggling to move, the three barely move through the difficult terrain, breaking through the entagle. Then, Virion drops a Fireball on them, seriously harming all three of them. Following this, Zyg casts Wind Wall, looping it around so it passes through them thrice.

Black Axe kills two of the monsters with Steel Wind Strike. Mystan steps forward and casts Guiding Bolt on the final hook horror, slaying it.

As the sun dips below the rings and a darkness unlike anything the party has fought under falls, two masses of rotting flesh and awful spores emerge from the forest and lurch onto the chapel, slaming into Black Axe for collossal damage and lobbing corpses at Hool's Coyote. Black Axe uses legendary actions to cast Mirror Image and attack, Nova prays to Ezra and retreats after firing, and then Black Axe activates Bladesong, casts Haste, disengages, and flees. Seeing the sorry state the defenders are in, Mystan casts a 5th-level Guiding Bolt on the second clot of spores and bodies. Hool's Coyote then casts Thunderwave, pushing the clot back. They step forward and cast Healing Word on Black Axe. Black Axe begs for his brother to help, and Virion decides to run up and activate Bladesong, and then cast what else but Fireball. The ball hits both clots, melting flesh and roasting mushrooms. The clots sides are now tangles of bones, dripping with charred flesh and blackened sludge. Desperately, Zyg drops Moonbeam on the second clot, and flees.

At the end of Zyg's turn, Black Axe uses a legendary action to cast Erupting Earth under the first clot. The clot retrurns by tossing corpses at Black Axe, who resists. The other mass of flesh steps through the Moonbeam and batters Hool's Coyote twice, knocking them unconcious. Black Axe burns a legendary action failing to hit. Nova flies over and lands two arrows in the first zombie clot. Black Axe does not wretch from the scent of being nearby, and then attacks four times via haste, hitting with all four swings of his Moonaxe. He slays the clot, but then it gets back up! Terrified, he uses Far Step to pop over to the other clot and Hool's Coyote. Mystan then drops Mass Cure Wounds, healing everyone from Hool's Coyote to Virion - including Black Axe. The elder bladesinger retaliates with a Legendary Action attack, killing another clot - which then has it get back up. Hool's Coyote, consious once more, casts another Thunderwave. The clot dies, and then reforms into a new horrifying mass. Hool's Coyote tries to run, but falls unconcious again due to an opportunity attack. Black Axe tries to kill it again with yet another Legendary Action. Virion, tired of this back and forth shit, casts Fireball, finally burning the two to a crisp.

The group heals Hool's Coyote, and Mystan finishes Hallow. Under the starlight of the first ringshadow the abyssal incursion is closed with the chill of a winter wind. The forest will repair itself, and the day is saved. All that is left is mopping up the remainders of Zuggtmoy's forces, inclduing the fate of Faeryn - next session.