Session 180 - The Ancient Grove of Alithani
General Summary
17th to 19th of Peonu (Second Month of Spring) 724TR
The story so far
The heroes are searching the Turmale Hills for a long-lost Elven Holy Grove of Alithani. This grove holds an weapon, a staff long associated with Abaddon's family.
At the ancient elven Shrine of The Four Paragons, they have been directed to a nearby small islet.
This is the continuation of Session 179 - An Ancient Stone Riddle.
Location - A small Islet off Herkely Island, near Sarkum in the Kingdom of Kanday.
Part 1 - Carnivorous Sods
The island is covered in coarse scrub, only around 500 yards wide, with a small grove of trees at its center. After landing, three strange plant creatures lie in wait under the thick grass. These Carnivorous Sods attack, move up through the soil, and take bites at the hero's legs. They are quickly dealt with.
Part 2 - An Angry Tree
The heroes start making their way inland, following natural pathways through the scrub. They pass a lone twisted tree, it suddenly contorts, its roots arise out of the ground, and it attacks while two small wooden humanoids, only two feet tall, emerge from the scrub. The tree hits with a powerful blow, so Abaddon keeps it distracted while Remy and Odin deal with the surprisingly tough tiny plant men.
Remy finds out these wooden creatures easily catch alight, and his exploding card spells cause havoc. After dealing with the Children of the Brier, he sets the Awakened Tree ablaze. Enrages it and charges at him, nearly breaking several bones. Odin drags him to safety while Abaddon finishes the infuriated tree off.
Part 3 - The Corrupted Grove
The grove of trees in the center of the islet is in a sorry state. Their color is bleached, and a great, fungi-infected, fallen tree is at its center. Abaddon feels a tingle in the back of his head; his psionic talent of Transference tells him that there is magical gateway nearby. The heroes stealthfully approach and find that behind the fallen tree are strange, likely undead, humanoids. Standing as if waiting for something, these amphibians are a species entirely unknown on the Harnic island. They speculate that the creatures must have come through the gateway.
Despite expert dodging, the Mandriano then grabs Abaddon, but the nimble martial artist breaks the grapple, throws the creature back, and makes his escape. Even so, most of the character's attacks prove futile, bouncing of the evil tree man's rugged wooden hide. Abaddon decides to take a risk and uses his Transference to see what is on the other side of the gateway. He immediately fades from the world and appears in a muddy swamp under a huge tree. His objective is high up the tree, the relic his family has protected for over a thousand years. A staff.
This staff appears nothing unusual; a thick 5ft long stick of wood with two break makes at each end suggests missing parts. He leaps into the air and grabs the weapon, immediately sensing its magical proprieties. Wasting no time, he again uses Transference and rejoins the fight.
Meanwhile, Remy and Odin continue to fight, destroying two more Zombies and narrowly keeping out of the clutches of the Mandriano. Abaddon arrives, and his new weapon inflicts serious harm onto the monster. The Mandriano strikes back, stretching his branches around Abaddon, and catches him again. Moments before his life force is drained, and he becomes an undead minion of the monster, Remy throws more of his cards at the creature, hitting every time. They explode in a burst of fire, finishing off the evil plant abomination. The remaining undead are then quickly dealt with.
Part 4 - Last Reprisals
With the evil of the Mandriano dealt with, the dark taint slowly starts to dissipate. A search of the area reveals the skeleton of one of the humanoid amphibians clutching a bag of crude runestone with magical properties. But at night, the remaining evil entities on the islet attack when the heroes are resting. Three flying rock-like creatures, Gargoyles, swoop in on the camp, but Odin's sharp eyes notice them and alert his sleeping companions. The heroes fight them off, but the cunning monsters change their tactics mid skirmish after being smashed by Abaddon too many times. They fly around him and savage the more vulnerable Remy at the rear, knocking him out before they are eventually pulverized.
The next day the bruised Remy successfully pilots the heroes back to Sarkum Castle, this time avoiding collisions with the reef.To be continued.
NPC Interactions
None this week.
Challenges Overcome
3 x Carnivorous Sods.
2 x Children of the Brier and 1 x Awakened tree.
1 x Mandriano and 6 x Bullywug Zombies.
3 x Gargoyles.
Rewards
Abaddon's Staff.
Colored Rune-stones which function as potions. 2 x Yellow = Healing, 2 x Blue = Fire Resistance, 2 x Red = Cold resistance.
Created Content
Related Reports
Barasi Points or Holy Groves - Updated.
Psionics - Updated.
Player Character Status
Odin - Human - Level 4 Gloom Stalker.
Abaddon - Elf - Level 4 Open-hand Monk.
Remy - Half-Elf - Level 4 Bladesinger.
Encounters and Events
Remy
Abaddon
Odin
Transference
Talent
Transference – You passively detect the presence of a Barasi Point within 30ft. As an action, you can travel to another Barasi Point that you are aware of, or to a linked location. If you attempt to travel to an unknown location a skill check is required.
Discipline
World Walking – You passively detect the presence of a Barasi Point within 100ft. As an action, you and up to 4 companions can travel to another Barasi Point that you are aware of. If you attempt to travel to an unknown location a skill check is required.
Abaddon's Staff
A thick wooden Quarterstaff. Two break marks at each end suggest that this weapon was originally much larger, and parts are missing.
Lore
An ancient weapon, long protected by an ancient Elven Bloodline. The reason for this has been lost to time.
Properties
• +1 Magic Weapon.
• +1d4 Lighting Damage.
Comments