ADVENTURE BRUNCH #53 - 12/12/20 - My sweet sweet sunchild...

General Summary

Zura was extremely determined to defeat the Famorian threat from the Ayarra stronghold and reunite the ethereal hummingbird with the guardian spirit hopefully still "alive" and somewhere nearby, and convinced Cyrus to press onward. However, he wanted to wait for the rest of the party, so everyone tried to regroup... but it took way too long and Zura was obviously impatient so Cyrus had the brilliant idea of going down the tunnel instead of wasting more time... Cyrus' radiant elemental helped light the way, along with the Sunmaker gauntlet, and the small party pushed through more and more blighted liquid rushing up at them as they moved along (with Zura walking on top, of course). Upon reaching a huge cavern, they skirted above and around another totem, and the light they gave off instantly evaporated the shadowy creatures standing guard as well. They saw a huge ugly foot of one of the Famorians every once in a while, and Zura hit it with her Eldritch Bow a few times but did not seem to do much damage. They passed a few of the huge trees spread singularly around the outside of the space, and were careful not to get swept up in the blighted waterfalls that sprung up around each to hit the ceiling and rain a mist of blight in the cavern. After hearing the sound of two "wet fart" sounds coming from where the Famorians had retreated to (and Zura saw them jump into a strange hole in the ground), Zura and Cyrus followed the sound of a muffled female voice, and following the urgings of the hummingbird, Zura and Cyrus made it to the middle of the room to find a large stone coffin, with a rim of salt and iron around the lid. The rest of the party soon joined them there to try to make sense of what they had found: the coffin was covered in more poop runes and other carved Sylvan runes. Zura finally pried off the lid of the coffin, to reveal a female Sun Elf Baelnorn named Liora. She shared how she came to be trapped there by the Famorians ages ago. The party made sure the area was reasonably secure and found a few treasures that the Famorians had not taken with them as they were escaping, including a beautiful blue stoppered jar (seemingly empty). Liora struck a bargain with Tali for him to become the new Magus and restore the Sanctuary, and brought him into the secret lair... leaving the rest of the party to make their way back to the Ayarra bunker to pick up the wounded (and where Cyrus discovered that the beautiful blue jar had disappeared! WHERE DID IT GO?! HE HAS TO HAVE IT!) and travel back to Zura's Tower. Everything was finally going pretty well and everyone was happy to have not died-by-Famorian, when they passed near the leyline and discovered that it was unstable again and had another storm spinning up out of it and more blue undead! They snuck past--another fight for another day!--and carried on to find a small electrified pond with a beautiful flower in the center. Cyrus just HAD to have it because it reminded him of the beautiful blue jar that had escaped him... and was able to cut a piece off. In the homestretch, our adventurers hit another bump in the road: a sudden mist came up and the sky turned blood red and a female voice spoke from everywhere to "my sweet little elfling" Zura about how she had been watching and waiting since Zura first came to the area... and three vampire women came out of the fog to continue the "conversation". She/they said that she didn't want to fight and perhaps they could come to a mutually beneficial arrangement; she could very easily close the Shadowfell portals if Zura would please bring her mortals to feed on. Zura agreed that fighting (at this time) was not the answer. The forest around the party and everything in it (vampires, huge bats flying overhead, misty wolves with red eyes) suddenly burst into flames around a narrow corridor for Zura and her fellow adventurers to follow back to the Tower. ... and our adventurers ended this particular adventure fearfully sweating their way back to a home that didn't seem so safe anymore.