Session 06 & 07

General Summary

30th of Coldeven, year 595
Session 06

The party, charged by Auntie Olga to retrieve a crystal she herself cannot get, which will help her help the party enter the Seelie Court, enters some kind of abandoned tomb or temple. They are immediately hit by the fetid smell of decay and discover every inch of the floor, walls, and ceiling are covered with dead and rotting vegetation -- what was once ivy and flowers, is now rot.
Almost as soon as they enter, they discover the way blocked by impassible webbing, and a web-wrapped body. After a tense fight with some kind of large spiders, and a momentarily immobilized Malex who made quick work of his situation, the web and a creature with his fire breath, they investigate the body and find, along with masterwork weaponry and clothing, a writ of mandate charging "Gerrick Sawwright and companions to intercede for Settleton in parlay with the Fair Seelie Court."
Continuing on, the party finds a crumbling and rough hole from which wind and odd sounds emanate. Then a shallow, stagnant pool of water containing bodies and a blade casting a glow. Upon trying to retrieve the sword, the room was cast in darkness as a giant darkmantle attacked, nearly drowning (though not really) Malex and then Yorrick. After a close battle, the creature was slain, and the sword recovered.
The fey-crafted short sword is unlike anything any of the party have ever seen, seeming to have been created from leaf and bark made into delicate metal and leather that is in fact deceptively strong. Upon wielding it, Malex's strength of character (nice WIS roll!) allowed the sword to bond somewhat to him, giving him the impression of what it was capable of (+1 magical short sword, +2 vs undead and provides +2 to any save vs undead). Though it is Yorrick with whom the sword really spoke to, providing its name of Gylvyrethorne, and not a direct translation, "lifeblade."
The bodies in the water were that of 2 long-dead kobold, and one not-long-dead elvish woman, who wore clothes of similar style and make as the fellow with the writ.
Backtracking some, the party then comes across an alcove where a diminutive woman in leather armor and a large man in scale lay dead in a disturbing tableau -- evidently, he choked the life out of her as she repeatedly stabbed him.
After finally taking a rest, and dispatching the missing spider that had previously escaped, the party braved a rather suspicious bridge over what felt like a great void. Upon reaching another bridge, various party members began seeing a variety of things such as claws and fings on the edges of bridges, eyes in the distance, and whispers in their minds taunting them with things like, "Come play with us," and "Don't trust them, they want to kill you, kill them first!"
Irina's unique ability to send telepathic thoughts appeared to keep them at bay, seeming to both intrigue and also threaten the unseen tormentors.
The party finally encountered two small, unusual creatures that generally tried avoiding the party, possibly the source of the telepathic taunting.
In another alcove, the party finds an emaciated human male in a mad state, deep in a pile of rotting vegetation and even stabbed himself with sharpened twigs in an extreme attempt at camouflage. Babbling about not wanting to "play with them anymore." Using the name Gerrick Sawwright, they get the man's semi-sane attention for a moment and learn his name is Edvard, and he mentions names of other companions: Lucy, Rolf, and Serena. The party is able to get Edvard cognizant and calmed enough to follow them.
They continue on and come upon a wide corridor that descends at a significant angle for about 150, 200 feet. As they descend, the party notices the air chill a bit more, and the smell becoming a bit more sickly sweet. The ever-present vegetation everywhere also seems to be somewhat more alive, or at least, less rotting. Far in the distance, at the edge of their hearing, is the sound of rustling and creaking....

Session 07
The party descends the gently sloping corridor for a few hundred feet, the air becoming cooler and the ever-present vegetation turning from dead and rotting to sickly but alive. When the corridor opens into a large chamber, the characters hear the constant sound of rustling and movement in the distance.
They come upon a figure wandering around the room, and Edvard (who had been going in and out of lucidity) confirms Walrick's recognition of her as the dead woman in the pool earlier in the crypt -- Serena, a companion of Edvard's who was sent to convene with the fey of the Seelie Court. The apparent ghost takes little notice of them, and the party continues on.
The party comes upon one of the psychically torment and taunting creatures, and when Edvard begins to panic, the ghost of Serena attempts to possess the characters and finally does so, assisting in the attack of the creature. And does so a second time farther into the crypt, where the party has chased the creature to another chamber where another one hides.
The party notices the vegetation throughout this area is moving and undulating, growing and dying. They discover it coming from a room filled with the root network of a giant tree extending up through the crypt. On seeing the tree, Edvard pulls out a stone on a chain saying, "This is it, this is the way to the Court." Irina notices Edvard's stone is nearly identical to her own, except Edvard's is unmarked and plain.
The party watches as a passage opens up in the tree roots, but then some large, grotesque tree creature also emerges. When Edvard attempts to pass into the tunnel, the guardian creature quickly and brutally kills Edvard. The creature does not stop the rest of the part, led by Irina, from passing through the tunnel that becomes impossibly longer than it should be.
After experiencing fog and mist, and what feels like grasping hands, they come out into a forest, surrounded by many odd and unusual creatures that must be fey. They appear to not see the characters.
The party is drawn to an area with an otherworldly beautiful woman seating in a root throne who sees them, and appears to clear a mist, allowing the party to be seen by all. She questions the party on who they are and how they got there, evidently very surprised by their appearance.
She is Queen Rhiannon, daughter of Titania, Queen of the Seelie Court, niece of the Queen of Air and Darkness (the Unseelie Court). She is herself now the queen of both realms.
She explains to the party that she decided the old pacts no longer apply, as creatures from the material realm have begun opening the "Locks" which have sealed the Old Ones. She explains that many millennia ago, only the fey and the infernal cared to save the world from the Old Ones, and joined forces to banish them, the Queens of Seelie and Unseelie sacrificing themselves and the blood of the infernal used in the process. She explains she was not there at their sealing, but knows the five Locks are:

• At the edge of the world
• Deep in the earth’s spine
• In the frozen abyss (Walrick knows of a chasm in the frozen north which is referred to as the Abyss)
• In the dragon’s mouth (Malex recognizes this reference as a location near his people's homeland, where it is said the ancient dragons now sleep)
• At the revelation

When asked why she has withdrawn the fey instead of helping again, Queen Rhiannon waves a hand and the party finds itself alone in the forest. Preceded by horrific and maddening sounds, a gargantuan creature appears, towering over and crushing trees and driving the characters to their knees in mental anguish. And just as they are crushed, they find themselves back in the tree chamber of the fey crypt.
Beyond the tree is a room of 6 glass pillars. When approached, a tall fey warrior with intricate natural armor and scythe appears in place of the pillar -- silent and impassive. The party activates all 6 of the guardian pillars, and then discovers the warriors following them as they travel deeper into the crypt.
They discover a room with massive doors that unlocks and opens once all 6 of the warriors are collected in the room, and beyond this, a chamber with a glass for with a large green crystal set in its center.
When neared, the fey warriors take an aggressive stance. The party decides to leave the crystal, until and unless they need it a later date. They exit the crypt.


The party now levels to level 5!

Rewards Granted

• "masterwork" short sword, leather armor, travel pack, 2gp, 3sp, bronze ring
• Gylvyrethorne (Lifeblade): +1 magical short sword, +2 vs undead and provides +2 to any save vs undead
• bone and leather armor, rapier, small crossbow (needs repair), travel pack, 9sp, silver bracelet
• fine clothing, leather armor, scale mail armor, rapier, broadsword, "masterwork" dagger, packs, 4gp, 10sp

Character(s) interacted with

• Edvard (lead delegate of Settleton to Seelie Court)
• Serena (ghost companion of Edvard)
• Queen Rhiannon (queen of the Seelie Court)

Report Date

31 Oct 2018