Session 6: Fáith and Fae Report

General Summary

  Date: Mournday RainRun 24 - Sum RainRun 28, 27930 9th Age  

Battling the Dark Fae

The party faced the aiosidhe (dark fae) to try and drive it from the dwarven Fáith. They had to engage it in single combat, where it took the form of a seasonal version of themselves. Combat occurred in a small pocket of the Shadowfell, where four days passed in Orbis.   Etin faced the winter version of the aiosidhe. He tried to talk to it, but in response it said only:  

But behind him comes the greater one

  Dodging some icy breath attacks, Etin finally defeated the winter aspect of the aiosidhe.   Tri battled the summer aspect of the aiosidhe, which took on the appearance of Tri with flaming red hair and eyes. It attacked with its flaming halberd, but would say nothing except:  

Toward oblivion for all of you

  Tri was easily able to dispatch his aspect of the aiosidhe.   Valen battled a spring version of himself that cast every spell he cast back on him. In addition, the spring aspect caused mushrooms to sprout from the ground and attack him. In response to his taunts, the aiosidhe only said:  

Seeking to wake the god-doom in fire

  With his rapier, Valen killed the spring aiosidhe.   Finally, Flidais faced off against an autumn version of Flidais whose touch sapped her health on touch. It also gave her a pronouncement:  

The Forester walks in his empty steps

  Although she was greatly wounded, and her health sapped, Flidais finally defeated the aiosidhe.   Returning to the Doire Fuinnseann (holy grove of ash trees), they were able to speak briefly with the Fáith, although four days had passed outside the Shadowfell. The Fáith told them the Fidah cult are attacking the Forest God. They are befouling his shrines. Poisoning him. She did not know why. But with each Fulacht (dwarven shrine) they defile, he grows weaker. Less able to protect his woods. But as Forest God diminishes, foul things from the Shadowfell slip through. And bring more corruption.   Etin and Tri specifically asked about mind flayers. The Fáith said there was something driving the Fidah. Perhaps that could be the fiend they sought.   The Fáith told the party to wipe out all the Fidah so this stops. She told Flidais to learn the Song of the Finch from Belron that could arrest the corruption but not completely re-consecrate the Fulachta shrines. To do that, the party would need a unicorn horn. She also made a point of saying the Forest God would have protected them from the quaking of the earth. She wondered if he was being weakened for that reason.   When Flidais asked her why she kept inviting in the dark fae, the Fáith said "Of course I've gone mad. The world is at war. And may end soon. But we each have our own little apocalypse, do we not?"   The dark fae entered the Fáith again and Belron guided the party away. He reminded Flidais that unicorns are extinct, but the Owl Rangers that live east of Thronwall might know where to track down a unicorn horn.    

Song of the Finch

The party returned to Kipine Grove and Flidais performed the ceremony with the Song of the Finch. The polluted pool improved somewhat but the corruption was not completely cleansed.   They moved on to another Fulacht shrine. Etin and Tri strode ahead purposefully, but set off an alarm with a tripwire. This alerted eight bandits who were in a fortified area around a polluted shrine. They rushed out and engaged the party in combat. However, the fight quickly went in the party's favor. They killed all the bandits except one who Valen knocked out and tied up.   While Tri removed the bandit heads, they interrogated the captured bandit, whose name was Markus. He told them they were a group of bandits who worked for Fergus and ambushed caravans on the nearby road. Markus did not know Fergus and had never met him. They communicated with Fergus with letters that were picked up by Fidah cult members. The party decided to disguise themselves as bandits and wait for any of the cult to show up.   Flidais cleansed the shrine that the bandits had been camping in. The party also found some items that had been looted by the bandits including a magical bag that produced potatoes, a non-magical lute, and two letters. The first was torn up but could be reconstructed. It contained orders for the bandits to target specific merchants in Thornwall, and ignore others. At the bottom was written: "I will be a friend. DD"   The second letter, intended for Fergus, said:  

"Fergus, I hope this gets to you. I don't know what shine you're going to next. You like to make your rounds. The guys are complaining about hearing noises in the night. We made some fortifications to make them feel safer, but there's no telling how long I can get them to stay all the way out here. Besides, I'm not happy about this arrangement at all. Grabbing some merchant caravans, no problem. Fat merchants can stand to be taken down a few pegs. But kidnapping. And what those maniacs did to him? That's too far. I didn't join up to turn innocent farmers over to a bloodthirsty cult. Nothing personal, but this isn't worth it. We want triple pay or we walk."

   

Morning Visitors

The party decided to spend the night and await any cult members who might show up to take the letter. They tied up Markus again and set a watch. Nothing happened during the night. In the morning, during the last watch, when Valen was preparing a potato breakfast for everyone, Markus suddenly grew scared at the approach of the Fidah. Valen woke up the rest of the party. Tri climbed a tree to observe.   Three individuals arrived at the shrine camp. They were dressed in dark robes and wore the skeletal antler masks of the Fidah. The party tried to engage them in conversation while Markus was terrified. They did not want to talk but pointed questioningly at where the letter for Fergus should be. They also asked where "Evan" was, speaking in a raspy, unhuman way. Valen lied and told them Evan had died in an ambush. With no letter to pick up, the cult members turned to leave, but Etin used his paladin ability to command one to remove his mask. It did, revealing a ghastly white elvish face with sharp teeth. Battle commenced.   The three masked figures attacked the party. The unmasked one used a sharp, rusty flail. The other two used claws, and when they moved close, emanated a foul smell. The fight was a difficult one. Etin contested against the flail wielder and a second cult member. Tri and the others concentrated on the third. Halfway through the fight, the cultist with a flail shadowstepped close to a wounded Flidais, but Etin charged it again. Flidais fey stepped away. Valen was very close to death but Flidais healed him. When the clawing cultists became bloodied, they ripped off their masks to also use their bite attacks. They appeared as reptile-like gaunt monsters with immense toothed mouths and sunken eyes. With his crossbow, Markus hit the monsters once.   Tri put down one of the clawing cultists with his weapon. Flidais downed the second with her shillelagh. Etin and Valen downed the one with the flail. Unmasked, Flidais identified all three creatures as from the Shadowfell, the realm of the dark fae. Exhausted the party decided to rest and figure out what all this meant for the Fidah.    

Character(s) interacted with

Belron, Flidais' mentor   The Fáith, high priestess of the dwarven religion   Markus, bandit from Velcha