The Adventures of the Big Help, Session 37

General Summary

• The Big HELP and Zirabelle slid down the ice tube and descended further down the mountain than planned. Zirabelle enjoyed the journey more than the others and Hest, unable to control her landing, slid to the hard cave ground on her back. Petrichor wondered if they would have been better off going over the mountain.
• While everyone took a moment to catch their breath, Larka astral projected her self to get an idea of where they were in regards to Mount Todamente. She determined the cave was leading in the general direction of her goal. She also felt the presence of several minds nearby, though she couldn't determine who they were or how many. She and Hest suggested they could be Cult of Arazid. Zirabelle wilted slightly at the mention of them, having been exiled after they dealt her a humiliating defeat. Hest suggested that this might be a moment for Zirabelle to redeem herself and show the Arctic Gnashers how strong she is.
• Zirabelle knew the Arctic Gnashers would never let her return but figured it would be a chance to let off some steam anyway. She charged forward, sword at the ready. The others told her to hold on before charging off. Bigwig wanted to investigate the path and see which direction to go in. Casting Dancing Lights, she created a strobing disco ball of light. She determined that a large number of people, maybe 20 to 30, passed through this spot and moved forward. A couple others took a left turn. Bigwig was shocked at how many people were down here and told Zirabelle this is why they don't just charge in blindly.
• The HELP decided to head north and follow the smaller number of people. Bigwig dispelled her Dancing Lights to avoid alerting anything to their presence and used Larka to help guide her way. In the cave, they suddenly heard a giggling followed by a voice saying "Put that fire out". The sounds repeated every couple of minutes. The HELP were freaked out, especially since they hadn't lit a fire. Petrichor looked around but couldn't see anything making the noise except rocks on the ground, even after lighting a torch. The HELP decided this was one mystery they didn't want to solve and pressed onwards.
• The path The Big HELP took opened up into a small room with a pillar of ice in the center. Hest looked around and saw the room was also filled with stalactites and stalagmites, with more of the former. Petrichor cast Detect Magic to see if the pillar or anything else was special. She didn't pick up on anything coming from the pillar but did detect some Enchantment magic coming from where they heard the voice. Zirabelle walked up to the pillar and pressed herself against it, revealing how much she had missed the cold. The others were a little concerned by this, especially when Bigwig tried to do the same and realized it was too cold for her to touch. Larka suggested this could be some effect of Zirabelle's ice magic.
• Before they were ready to go, Bigwig sensed something plummeting down to her. She dodged what she thought was a stalactite but turned out to be a darkmantle in disguise. Four other stalactites started to move towards the HELP. Hest was unable to contain her Wild Magic any longer and it rippled through her spells when fought back against her most hated enemy. Most of the darkmantles fell quickly but one did lock on to Petrichor and start suffocating her. Bigwig ripped it away with her rapier.
• They left the dead darkmantles behind and continued onwards. The next time the cave opened up to a room, they found two people huddling in a corner. Bigwig immediately recognized them a Cult of Arazid. When they saw The Big HELP, one of the cultists jumped up and, assuming they were also cultists, explained that one of his friends was injured and another had been taken by ice trolls to the north along with an offering of magic rings they had brought. Larka asked how this man could be sure they were cultists. He responded by asking why anyone else would be down here, answering the call to gather.
• Larka's didn't like the idea of the Cult of Arazid reforming. She motioned to Zirabelle that she could take her revenge on this cultist if she wanted. Bigwig tried to convince them that these cultists might be doing their own thing rather than worshipping Arazid or following the Fireblood. Zirabelle was eager to kill the cultists but asked Larka why it was okay to kill these people but not the people they fought before. Larka said these people were too dangerous to live and were a threat to peace.
• Zirabelle quickly beheaded the cultist. The others were shocked by how quickly she severed his head. Larka suggested a cleaner method of killing by slicing an artery in their neck instead. Zirabelle took Larka's dagger and held it to the injured cultists neck. Bigwig and Petrichor tried to convince them to interrogate the cultist instead, though Bigwig did remember they had an Amulet of Speak with Dead they could use. Larka realized it the cultist probably had information they would need and it would be easier to get it from him alive than dead.
• The injured cultist was clearly afraid and asked why the had to kill his second best friend, Geoff. Petrichor said the cult was dangerous. She dragged information from him and learned that most Cult of Arazid members had abandoned the Fireblood after her defeat. Recently, they felt the pull again and believed the Fireblood may have recovered her strength. He, Ted, and Geoff had brought magic rings as an offering and followed the pull. They were ambushed by ice trolls while traversing the caves and Ted and the rings were taken by them while Geoff pulled him to safety. The HELP the injured cultist his name and he answered Thyryzynn.
• Petrichor agreed to help find Ted so long as they left the caves and never looked back at the cult. Thyryzynn began to object when Petrichor got in his face and intimidated him into agreeing. The HELP followed his directions until they came to another opening. This room was in multiple levels and filled with ice trolls. Petrichor cast Pass Without Trace to help the others sneak around but was too noisy in her own movements. The ice trolls picked up on her scent and moved to attack.
• Larka turned her attention away from the search for Ted to deal with the oncoming trolls. Bigwig charged in and started fighting the closest one. Zirabelle helped Bigwig by casting Reduce on the one she was fighting before charging in herself. Petrichor used her newly focused Wild Shape ability to transform into a Fire Elemental and attack the troll that noticed her. Hest made sure to cast firey Chromatic Orbs to keep the ice trolls from regenerating. All they while, Ted made his way to the exit unnoticed by anyone else.
• At one point, Hest ran up to one of the ice trolls and cast Thunder Step. She teleported to the other side of the room. When she looked back, she realized she had destroyed the closest ice pillar and the ceiling was starting to crack. Bigwig went down fighting her ice troll and Larka teleported over to help her out. Hest called out that the cave was collapsing. Larka picked up Bigwig's unconscious body and moved for the exit, abandoning any plan to save Ted.
• After defeating two ice trolls and watching a third get crushed under falling rocks, the HELP ran back the way they came. Larka heard Ted's voice cry out in frustration when his path was blocked. He called for help and threw the rings they had brought as an offering in order to convince someone to help him. Larka caught the bag with the rings but decided it wasn't worth trying to save him. The HELP were able to escape with their lives.
• They returned to Thyryzyn with the bad news of Ted's death. He cried out in grief and crumpled onto the floor. Petrichor wanted to make sure he still left and didn't meet up with the other cultists. In her Fire Elemenal form, she and Larka convinced Ted that she was Arazid and commanded him to leave. His grief was overcome with awe. When he saw that Larka had the rings, he explained that they were an offering to him (They were are Rings of Nimbleness, Divine Insight, and Misty Step. Larka took the latter two for herself.). Thyryzyn then limped off, feeling blessed by his visitation from "Arazid" but unsure how he would get home in his current condition.
• Zirabelle, exhausted from the fight, suggested they take a rest for the night. In that moment, she and Petrichor realized there was no way to tell if it actually was night. The rest was uneventful until the final hour of Larka's watch. She heard chanting coming from the direction Geoff, Ted, and Thyryzyn were heading. She woke the others, believing it to be the cult. They followed the chanting sounds through the caves. Larka and Bigwig bickered over what the Fireblood wanted down beneath this mountain. Bigwig tried to convince Larka that the Fireblood would be harmless now, but the rest of the group was having none of it.
• The Big HELP kept moving until the cave opened up further. Larka and Hest snuck a little further and found themselves on a balcony with flights of stairs on either side. Zirabelle and Petrichor joined them as the chanting began to pick up. Bigwig stayed behind. They saw roughly 30 cultists stand before a flaming circle similar to the flaming teleportation circle they had used to move between Arazid's Altar and the ritual site the Fireblood had set up. One of the cultists thanked the Fireblood for allowing them to return to her.
• A voice came through the fiery circle. It was not the Fireblood. Bigwig knew instinctively that the voice belonged to Arazid himself and tried to shut him out. The rest of the Big HELP watched on as Arazid stepped out of the circle, recognizing him from Bigwig's description. Arazid urged his followers to join him, asking for their assistance. Though he had revived his mortal body, it was still weak compared to his full strength. He offered to his cultists "Come, my children. Help me return to my full glory and I will give you the inheritance you were born to."
• One cultist asked about the Fireblood and if she would be waiting for them, too. Arazid looked at the speaker and cast Disintegrate, turning him to nought but ash. He commanded his children to forget the "failed Herald and Vessel" and urged them to step through the circle.
• As the last cultist teleported away, Arazid looked up at the balcony. He knew someone was listening and called out for them not to be shy and join him. Larka, still hidden, said they were fine staying where they were. Arazid recognized Larka's voice having heard it through Bigwig's ears. He asked if the failed Vessel was with them.
• Hearing his voice, Bigwig sunk to the ground against a wall. Panic and fear began to set in. She tried to resist it but all she could imagine was Arazid in her head once more trying to resurrect himself through her. Zirabelle was the first to notice Bigwig's panic attack and tried to help her calm down. At Zirabelle's touch, Bigwig felt Arazid's influence fade.
• When the HELP refused to parley with Arazid any further, he walked back through the teleportation circle. As a parting gift, he cast Earth Tremor to collapse the room. The HELP escaped easily. As they ran, Petrichor couldn't help but notice that Zirabelle had a glowing sigil on the back of her neck. Petrichor sped up to get a better look at it and realized it was the Mark of Arazid but glowing silvery blue. She asked Zirabelle about it when they had a chance to rest. Zirabelle was completely unaware of it. Petrichor looked at it again. Instead of looking like a mark or tattoo as it had on Bigwig, Petrichor said it looked almost like frostbite. Zirabelle had no idea where this could have come from and started to freak out. The Big HELP started to wonder if they could truly trust her.

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51 Days after the Crash of the Raziel

Report Date

08 Feb 2025