Session 29
Our heroes, after a full day of investigating, decided to go to rest. There was another long day ahead of them, as they would soon travel through the woods to the North in order to meet Melina. Pokziq 'Pox' Skirvet however decided to stay up, forgoing his rest in hopes that he might complete his magnum opus. And that, he did. By the time the sun rose he held in his hands a device capable of spitting gouts of flame while also capable of launching his alchemical concoctions a great distance. His mind raced with new ideas, new improvements that could be made and further modes of operation. He titled his grand design the "Contingency V1"
Meanwhile, among those who had found sleep, Liaden O'Legal was beset by a strange dream. Surrounding her appeared a dense and deep fog, with naught but the silhouette of Silvaantar's Arch Tree visible. She called out and searched the fog for others, realising that teh fog was others. countless spirits floating, wandering through this ephemeral version of her home. She walked deeper, searching for someone, when a familiar crypt emerged from the fog, the names "Tase, Sada, Siltong" engraved upon its stone pillars.
A whispered voice bid her to enter. At first, she hesitated, but eventually she steeled herself against her fear and stepped forward. The fog in front of her dissipated revealing a gravel pathway to the open arch of the mausoleum. The voice gained a body, that of a mature elven woman her welcomed her and invited her below. Liaden, confused, bombarded the spirit with questions, chiefly, who they were. The spirit answered for all the beings in this ethereal space. They were what she referred to as "The Restless Dead." A group who, when leaving their original homeland, encountered a coven of witches who sought to subjugate and torture them for further power. Those elves that refused to buckle, the families of Tase, Sada and Siltong, fought against these witches, and managed to kill two of them.
The third remaining witch, blind with her thirst for vengeance, hunted them relentlessly. Whenever she found them, she would kill vast swathes of them. This were the sould that now surrounded Liaden. They informed her that her mother, Sali, was of the Sada bloodline; and thus, Liaden too was a hunter of hags. Liaden, somehow more confused than before, asked why they spoke to her now, and never before. They responded that, only recently, was Liaden strong enough to hear them, and that only in their protectorate could they communicate directly. These spirits were attempting to stave off the madness that now gripped at her soul and mind, and prior to this, all they could manage was making her abdomen sore.
Liaden asked further questions, who the witch was, how powerful she was and what she should do. The Restless Dead told her that the last remaining witch had cursed the three original bloodlines to never give birth again, but that since they had been buried and absorbed by the land, this curse now gripped the silver woods deeply. Though not all hope was lost. While the witches may have been immortal together, there remained but one of them now, and she could bleed.
The told Liaden that she must move swiftly, as the witch is a powerful wielder of magic, and that if allowed to escape, she would return more powerful than before. And that her number of allies would continue to sweel. The witch had servants in high places in Silvaantar, including the ranger Henan and the cat they had recently collected. Liaden asked about the cat, to which the Restless Dead identified it as a Cat Sith, a power fey creature capable of changing shape and devouring souls. With little more to say, the Restless Dead wished Liaden luck, and sent her back to the waking world.
Upon waking, and completing their daily preparations, Kalydin experienced a strange occurrence. Usually, his connection with his guardian angel, Seraph, is singular to him and strong. However, this morning he felt another connection. Not reciprocal like Kalydin's, but one sided and weak, almost like a newly anointed cleric worshipping a god they have just connected with. When their preparations for the day were complete, Seraph stood more mightily, with the veins throughout his body slowly and weakly undulating with divine energy.
At breakfast, Liaden briefed everyone on her vision the night before. To which Sam Calas asked where Tombstone Pete was. The cat had not been seen since the day before, and Melina's hovel was a few hours walk from where they were now. Our heroes decided it would be in their best interests to move swiftly, before things could get any worse than they already were.
The party were stopped by a pair of rangers on the outer ring, who asked them their business. They did not stop the party from venturing forth, though they gave them a warning of various creatures that had been spotted in the area. Taking their advice, the party proceeded with caution. The silver woods beyond was coated in a soft fog that rolled against the feet of our heroes. After a couple of hours worth of travel, Liaden and Oryim spotted not far from their position. A giant lizard who's body hulked with might. Stomping through the woods with three heads all searching in different directions.
Attempting to hide themselves amongst the trees, the party halted, holding their breath in hopes that the creature would pass them by. Sadly, due to the nature of metallic armour, the monster, identified as a hydra, locked its eyes onto Sam and began to trudge forward through the trees. Flanked on either side by two humanoid figures, the hydra loomed forward. Our heroes, seeing little in terms of an escape route, decided to stand their ground and fight their way through.
One thing that became apparent to the party very quickly, was that this hydra was not an ordinary hydra. Its eyes burned a deep red and its flesh was a sickly blue. After a brief assessment from Pox, they determined that this Hydra had contracted ghoul fever, and had succumbed to it. The humanoids on either side of it were skeletons that moved as though being puppeted on strings. As combat broke out the the dense, foggy woodlands Oryim was ambushed.
Leaping from the treetop above him, a giant wolf landed before sinking its teeth into Oryim's arm. The wolf appeared with the same glowing eyes as the hydra, though it lacked any fur. In fact, it lacked skin entirely. a cold mist emerged from the gaps in its teeth, and Oryim felt a venom enter his body. He steeled himself and shook off the toxin just as Kalydin called forth a beam of moonlight, scorching the undead wolf and leaving little more than ash behind afterwards.
The skeletons moved now, weaving magic and empowering the hydra, which moved to assault our heroes. Both Sam and Pox found themselves the targets of its ire, as it attempted to clamp down its mouth upon them both. Sam managed to interpose his shield between his flesh and the hydra's teeth. Meanwhile Pox took the full brunt of the bite, also succumbing to the toxins they delivered. Pox's muscles seized and he found himself locked in place, immobile.
Kalydin continued to weave his divine magic, eventually helping the party to sever and cauterise all three heads of the hydra, resulting in its death. All that remained were the two skeletal mages. One conjured fire and tried to help it spread as far as possible. The other attempted to cause great harm to the party by casting devastating spells. It would not be long before Liaden dealt the final blow, pining the skull of one of the mages to a tree nearby.
Before they continued for the last hour of their journey, Pox took the time to meticulously douse and put out the flames before they burned most of the silver woods down. After healing some of their wounds, the party continued to venture forth, eventually coming to a clearing. What they saw was Melina's abode. Not a cottage as some had expected, but a massive, round stonework tower. No windows adorned its wall, and hanging from branches and awnings were countless effigies. Some appeared like burned fingers while others appeared as straw dolls with crude amalgamations of clothing.
From the tree line, Pox and Oryim looked around and noticed a faint silver wire that encircled the clearing. Pox had studied this kind of magic, and quickly identified it as a material component to an alarm spell. Thus our heroes knew; once they passed the threshold, Melina would know they were there.
Meanwhile, among those who had found sleep, Liaden O'Legal was beset by a strange dream. Surrounding her appeared a dense and deep fog, with naught but the silhouette of Silvaantar's Arch Tree visible. She called out and searched the fog for others, realising that teh fog was others. countless spirits floating, wandering through this ephemeral version of her home. She walked deeper, searching for someone, when a familiar crypt emerged from the fog, the names "Tase, Sada, Siltong" engraved upon its stone pillars.
A whispered voice bid her to enter. At first, she hesitated, but eventually she steeled herself against her fear and stepped forward. The fog in front of her dissipated revealing a gravel pathway to the open arch of the mausoleum. The voice gained a body, that of a mature elven woman her welcomed her and invited her below. Liaden, confused, bombarded the spirit with questions, chiefly, who they were. The spirit answered for all the beings in this ethereal space. They were what she referred to as "The Restless Dead." A group who, when leaving their original homeland, encountered a coven of witches who sought to subjugate and torture them for further power. Those elves that refused to buckle, the families of Tase, Sada and Siltong, fought against these witches, and managed to kill two of them.
The third remaining witch, blind with her thirst for vengeance, hunted them relentlessly. Whenever she found them, she would kill vast swathes of them. This were the sould that now surrounded Liaden. They informed her that her mother, Sali, was of the Sada bloodline; and thus, Liaden too was a hunter of hags. Liaden, somehow more confused than before, asked why they spoke to her now, and never before. They responded that, only recently, was Liaden strong enough to hear them, and that only in their protectorate could they communicate directly. These spirits were attempting to stave off the madness that now gripped at her soul and mind, and prior to this, all they could manage was making her abdomen sore.
Liaden asked further questions, who the witch was, how powerful she was and what she should do. The Restless Dead told her that the last remaining witch had cursed the three original bloodlines to never give birth again, but that since they had been buried and absorbed by the land, this curse now gripped the silver woods deeply. Though not all hope was lost. While the witches may have been immortal together, there remained but one of them now, and she could bleed.
The told Liaden that she must move swiftly, as the witch is a powerful wielder of magic, and that if allowed to escape, she would return more powerful than before. And that her number of allies would continue to sweel. The witch had servants in high places in Silvaantar, including the ranger Henan and the cat they had recently collected. Liaden asked about the cat, to which the Restless Dead identified it as a Cat Sith, a power fey creature capable of changing shape and devouring souls. With little more to say, the Restless Dead wished Liaden luck, and sent her back to the waking world.
Upon waking, and completing their daily preparations, Kalydin experienced a strange occurrence. Usually, his connection with his guardian angel, Seraph, is singular to him and strong. However, this morning he felt another connection. Not reciprocal like Kalydin's, but one sided and weak, almost like a newly anointed cleric worshipping a god they have just connected with. When their preparations for the day were complete, Seraph stood more mightily, with the veins throughout his body slowly and weakly undulating with divine energy.
At breakfast, Liaden briefed everyone on her vision the night before. To which Sam Calas asked where Tombstone Pete was. The cat had not been seen since the day before, and Melina's hovel was a few hours walk from where they were now. Our heroes decided it would be in their best interests to move swiftly, before things could get any worse than they already were.
The party were stopped by a pair of rangers on the outer ring, who asked them their business. They did not stop the party from venturing forth, though they gave them a warning of various creatures that had been spotted in the area. Taking their advice, the party proceeded with caution. The silver woods beyond was coated in a soft fog that rolled against the feet of our heroes. After a couple of hours worth of travel, Liaden and Oryim spotted not far from their position. A giant lizard who's body hulked with might. Stomping through the woods with three heads all searching in different directions.
Attempting to hide themselves amongst the trees, the party halted, holding their breath in hopes that the creature would pass them by. Sadly, due to the nature of metallic armour, the monster, identified as a hydra, locked its eyes onto Sam and began to trudge forward through the trees. Flanked on either side by two humanoid figures, the hydra loomed forward. Our heroes, seeing little in terms of an escape route, decided to stand their ground and fight their way through.
One thing that became apparent to the party very quickly, was that this hydra was not an ordinary hydra. Its eyes burned a deep red and its flesh was a sickly blue. After a brief assessment from Pox, they determined that this Hydra had contracted ghoul fever, and had succumbed to it. The humanoids on either side of it were skeletons that moved as though being puppeted on strings. As combat broke out the the dense, foggy woodlands Oryim was ambushed.
Leaping from the treetop above him, a giant wolf landed before sinking its teeth into Oryim's arm. The wolf appeared with the same glowing eyes as the hydra, though it lacked any fur. In fact, it lacked skin entirely. a cold mist emerged from the gaps in its teeth, and Oryim felt a venom enter his body. He steeled himself and shook off the toxin just as Kalydin called forth a beam of moonlight, scorching the undead wolf and leaving little more than ash behind afterwards.
The skeletons moved now, weaving magic and empowering the hydra, which moved to assault our heroes. Both Sam and Pox found themselves the targets of its ire, as it attempted to clamp down its mouth upon them both. Sam managed to interpose his shield between his flesh and the hydra's teeth. Meanwhile Pox took the full brunt of the bite, also succumbing to the toxins they delivered. Pox's muscles seized and he found himself locked in place, immobile.
Kalydin continued to weave his divine magic, eventually helping the party to sever and cauterise all three heads of the hydra, resulting in its death. All that remained were the two skeletal mages. One conjured fire and tried to help it spread as far as possible. The other attempted to cause great harm to the party by casting devastating spells. It would not be long before Liaden dealt the final blow, pining the skull of one of the mages to a tree nearby.
Before they continued for the last hour of their journey, Pox took the time to meticulously douse and put out the flames before they burned most of the silver woods down. After healing some of their wounds, the party continued to venture forth, eventually coming to a clearing. What they saw was Melina's abode. Not a cottage as some had expected, but a massive, round stonework tower. No windows adorned its wall, and hanging from branches and awnings were countless effigies. Some appeared like burned fingers while others appeared as straw dolls with crude amalgamations of clothing.
From the tree line, Pox and Oryim looked around and noticed a faint silver wire that encircled the clearing. Pox had studied this kind of magic, and quickly identified it as a material component to an alarm spell. Thus our heroes knew; once they passed the threshold, Melina would know they were there.
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