Neverwinter Stories: Campaign 1 — Session 41

Book One: The Trees of Life and Death — Chapter Forty-One: Forcing the Draw

General Summary

Lilith Blackheart, dazed and bloodied, noticed the green hag take advantage of the unconscious Alessandra, who fainted from the shock of her twisted game. Stealing the armillary, she grabbed her bloody trophies and vanished, leaving them to watch as Belak united with his coven and confronted The Judge. The larger of the two hags, an annis, produced a vile, glowing mushroom from her pack and crushed it. The barrier made by the fairy ring turned blot red, and an army of gnolls hiding beyond it began pouring in. Before they could develop a proper plan, they were set upon by waves of demon-spawned killers.

Carrying an unconscious Ilyra in her arms, Askra and Markus followed Penelope through the underroot, back the way they came. But as they reached the exit, they heard of what Belak and his comrades had done. In addition to cursing The Judge, the coven had corrupted the fairy ring. They were in control of it, and they were now allowing hundreds of gnolls to rampage through the Sylvan Circles. Confident, the only thing obstructing his escape route back through the underroot was our three heroes. The two sides boasted at and goaded each other, digging up old grudges. Finally, the tension broke, each side engaging the other in a deadly brawl.

After dispatching several gnolls and saving a few fey, the two ladies started to make their way toward The Judge. However, a large, abyss-fueled pack lord impeded their progress. While they fought their imposing foe, Evanolhis contacted Alessandra using the guidance stone. She explained that they fell behind when the point group rushed ahead. When they finally caught up, the fairy ring mysteriously switched, gnolls then swarmed the circles, and that they were pushing through the chaos to reunite. Not long after, the Branded Herald reconnected with the girls and supported them as they defeated the mighty flind.

The underroot was poorly lit. Heavy mud, roots, and corrupted briar made movement difficult. Powerful spells clashed against the Redwings' dwindling arsenal. Battered and broken, they managed to kill both hags while their hope wained under the weight of mounting attrition and Belak's foul magic. He beat them down to their limit, but once death seemed imminent, Alessandra, Lilith, Evanolhis, and Sheldanna charged down the tunnel. The druid snatched the stolen armillary and attempted to flee, but despite his efforts, he was stopped by the combined effort of the new arrivals and a dying Ilyra. He was temporarily slain, reduced to a quivering haze retreating into the soil.

One of his disciples, Enma, caught the wayfinder and dashed into the darkness. Despite being on death's door, Markus charged into that dark and found her on the precipice of a forboding, bloodstained shaft that plunging into the depths of the earth. The two then wrestled for the armillary. The hedge knight prevailed, casting the blightchanged farmhand into that pit emptyhanded.

Rewards Granted

Markus destroyed Belak's bag of holding and procured the contents within. This included his +1 moon sickle, a glove of shocking, a tree type feather token, treasures and valuables taken from many of his victims, vials of blood, an inert blight, unorganized scribbles and notes on how to realize the Gulthias tree's true power, and diagrams on how to infuse magic into underdeveloped blights.

Missions/Quests Completed

The Redwings and company were able to—with cost—successfully repel Belak and the Crimson Enclave's plot and aid in the defense against the gnollish warband.

Character(s) interacted with

Lilith and Alessandra briefly spoke to the green hag before she reunited with her coven. The coven, which included Belak, descended into the underroot where they were confronted by the other half of the party.
They also encountered Evanolhis and Sheldanna on their way to support The Judge and their party.

Notes

• Lilith saved a naiad from an assaulting gnoll. She gave them magic waters as a thank before retreating to the safety of the water.
• The flind that Alessandra defeated wasn't slain but instead banished. The pack lord later reappeared on the material plain and was routed by the fey.
• Alessandra was upset about the other half of the party killing the green hag. She had wanted to get revenge and had no outlet.
• Having lost the battle and sustained so much damage, Belak's only Emerald Enclave fatigues were destoryed and several of his possessions were taken by the Redwings.

Report Date

14 Jun 2021

Primary Location

Sylvan Circles

• The Trees of Life and Death Saga
  • Sunless Expedition Arc
    • Prologue
    • Chapter One
    • Chapter Two
    • Chapter Three
    • Chapter Four
      • Paralogue One
      • Paralogue Two
    • Chapter Five
    • Chapter Six
    • Chapter Seven
    • Chapter Eight
    • Chapter Nine
  • Map Hunters Arc
    • Chapter Ten
    • Chapter Eleven
    • Chapter Twelve
    • Chapter Thirteen
    • Chapter Fourteen
    • Chapter Fifteen
    • Chapter Sixteen
    • Chapter Seventeen
  • Shadow Giant Arc
    • Chapter Eighteen
    • Chapter Nineteen
    • Chapter Twenty
    • Chapter Twenty-One
    • Chapter Twenty-Two
    • Chapter Twenty-Three
    • Chapter Twenty-Four
      • Paralogue One
      • Paralogue Two
  • Armillary Road Arc
    • Chapter Twenty-Five
    • Chapter Twenty-Six
    • Chapter Twenty-Seven
    • Chapter Twenty-Eight
    • Chapter Twenty-Nine
      • Paralogue One
    • Chapter Thirty
    • Chapter Thirty-One
    • Chapter Thirty-Two
    • Chapter Thirty-Three
    • Chapter Thirty-Four
    • Chapter Thirty-Five
    • Chapter Thirty-Six
  • Furtîlorn Expedition Arc
    • Chapter Thirty-Seven
    • Chapter Thirty-Eight
    • Chapter Thirty-Nine
      • Paralogue One
    • Chapter Fourty
    • Chapter Fourty-One
    • Chapter Fourty-Two
    • Chapter Fourty-Three