Session 209 - A Beating Heart
General Summary
23rd to 29th of Larane (Second Month of Summer) 724TR
The story so far
The heroes have voyaged to the Earl of Sarkum's Colony on the Island of Anfla and run afoul of a mysterious entity, the Earth Witch. This evil minor goddess has followers who are causing chaos.
They are now assisting the master weaponsmith Cearbhall Ciernack, destroying a nest of the metal-eating monsters.
This is the continuation of Session 207 - The Weaponsmith.
Location - Heiryl Moor on Anfla Island.
Part 1 - Monsters of Rust
Having temporarily dealt with the alleged daughter of the Earth Witch, Hityarta's Heartless, the heroes continue into the dangerous acid-filled grottoes.
Two more the rare Ivashu, the Welfynn or Eaters of Swords, lie in wait; one is especially large. It vomits rusty scrap metal onto the heroes; however, they have a robust constitution and avoid a bad case of lockjaw. Although the creatures are surprisingly dangerous, the heroes take advantage of the cracks that begin to form on their thick metallic hide. Nevertheless, the Ivashu pushes the heroes to their limits.
Abaddon spots a well-concealed passage leading into a small acid-filled chamber that reeks of dark magic.
Part 2 - The Beating Heart
At the back of the twisting chamber is a platform is a large heart secured with bronze chains.
Remy splashed some of the acid from the floor onto it using his magical talents. It begins to sizzle, then starts beating. The sound of the heartbeat reverberated through the characters. As the heroes strike the helpless heart, ghostly figures emerge from deep within it. The undead bodyguards attack the party, and as the sound of the heartbeats becomes louder, more Wraiths appear.
The party focus on the beating heart, eventually slicing it in two, forever killing Hityarta the Swamp Naga. Suddenly they feel ill, hearing the whisper of the Earth Witch's malediction, but resist whatever evil curse she tried to inflict on them. Nonetheless, the life-sapping wraiths are eventually vanquished.
The characters collect the hides of Welfynn and return to the weapon-smith Cearbhall Ciernack workshop.
Part 3 - New Weapons
As agreed, he will start the process of locating metals, designing and costing weapons for the characters. Odin wants a Greatsword made of Fael Steel (a.k.a Gleaming Steel), while Remy is less ambitious. He wants a fael steel Quarterstaff made up of two sections that lock together.
Concerning the Earth Witch, the Spear of Manaclir, and other local ancient legends, Cearbhall tells the heroes that he has found an old archive under the ruins just west of Fort Xuaka. There are documents that may be of value. He also discovered evidence that the Earth Witch's prison could be nearby. He recommends the heroes investigate further.Remy asks if he knows of the location of any pirates. He doesn't, but in his travels, while visiting the Adaenum fishing village of Murechal on the island's northern coast, the locals reported that they have frequently glimpsed a large vessel traveling west. However, villages on the west coast of the island have not mentioned it. Perhaps the pirates are based between those settlements. The party decides to check out the ruins then travel north and look for pirates.
Location - Xuaka's Ruins, near Fort Xuaka on Anfla Island.
Part 4 - Xuaka's Ruins
The adventurers make it to the old ruins close to Fort Xuaka. They carefully approach, and the ever-observant Abaddon spots symbols inscribed in the soil. Remy believes that they are magical traps, likely of some divine invocation. They avoid these hazards and search the ruin, discovering a poorly hidden trapdoor leading to an ancient archive.
Part 5 - Ancient Archive
The passage opens to what superficially appears to be a crypt. Urns line the walls and what looks like three stone caskets or maybe sarcophagus are prominent. They appear tightly sealed. A side passage opens up to small series of passages to an ancient library filled with moldy scrolls, books, and papers. Unfortunately, one wall is damaged and opens to a small chamber containing a large damp pool. This moisture appears to be contributing to the deterioration of some of the papers.
The archive is occupied, out of the pool levitates a bizarre creature. A ball of flesh with a large central eye and four eye-stalks. Abaddon strikes first, easily shrugging off the waves of mind-bending psychic energy emanating from its central eyes and hitting it with his staff. The Gauth is momentarily stunned, and the characters pile on, hacking the creature to pieces before it can respond.
Remy had cast the Blink spell during the brief fight, and as it is still active, he decides to explore. Monetarily jumping into the Ethereal Plane, he glimpses a space behind one of the walls. Investigating further, he finds a small passage, a pile of flesh and bone on the ground, and an old door.
Beyond the door, he finds a small chamber crude statue of a woman, vaguely resembling the Earth Witch. There are six magical runes on the floor around her, four of which glow with energy. The statue is contained in a faint dome of electrical energy. Dead bodies are nearby.
To be continued.
NPC Interactions
Cearbhall Ciernack, Weaponsmith.
Challenges Overcome
1 x Welfynn + 1 x Welfynn Ruster.
Destroyed Hityarta's Heart + 3 x WraithsAvoided a Magical Trap.
Destroyed 1 x Gauth.
Rewards
As a reward for the heroism the characters gain a bonus d4 hp.
Created Content
Nothing this week.
Related Reports
Cearbhall Ciernack, Weaponsmith.
Player Character Status
Odin - Human - Level 5 Gloom Stalker and Level 1 Fighter. Gained Fighter Level.
Abaddon - Elf - Level 6 Open-hand Monk. Gained Monk Level.
Remy - Half-Elf - Level 6 Bladesinger. Gained Wizard Level.
