Session 19 to 20 - Cat's Park Recovery
General Summary
The Chaos Marked have retrieved the Cat's Park Portal, but it is encased in crystal and nonfunctional. So in order to access it, they will need to navigate the crystalline corridors and accomplish a feat few have ever managed: to properly re-anchor the demiplane! With members of the Chaos Marked at odds with each other, is there any hope of success?
The group has opened the back door into the crystalline prison that holds hostage the way to Cat's Park. Overcoming several enemies already, what else lies in store for the party in this intraplanar underpinning vortex?
The Chaos Marked, freshly evacuated from the Prison at the Edge of the Void, turned their thoughts toward the Eldritch Prison that contained Cat's Park and its aperture.
Breaking And Entering
Back in friendly surroundings, the Chaos Marked attempted to discern the nature of the prison, but as before it was Deekin who was instrumental in understanding it. With his insight and the collected knowledge of the entire group, they were able to enter into a back door of sorts that would allow them access to the magical "mechanism" of the lock.
Almost immediately the group found themselves uncomfortably moving through the tight corridors. Cadok and Star Tusk had a very difficult time trying to even move as the first of the blue-furred assailants struck at them. Deekin and Lanasia, being small fries, found themselves in their element and make quick work of the tight spaces and the enemy, cutting them down or punching their proverbial blocks off with great alacrity (and the occasional terrifying roar from Deekin).
Not to be outdone, Osburne attempted to move quickly ahead and found himself by a river carving through from which several aquatic enemies rose to attack him, not the least of which was a truly massive jellyfish, as well as strangely land-capable sharks. Osburne was stung very badly, and paralyzed by the jellyfish venom. Their life was saved, however, by the new ally Ferrus, with assistance from Cadok (who had only JUST managed to make it that far) to remove the still-actively-poisoning tentacles and safely remove them.
Though magnificent, and though Happenstance's assistance was instrumental, Deekin found himself rescuing a suddenly-incapacitated Happenstance and heading back to take her to safety and have Lamurias join the crew plumbing the arcane back door.
Deja Vu
While waiting for Lamurias to join them and to avoid another instance of Osburne getting attacked while scouting, Lanasia was sent scouting next. She was able to successfully navigate up to a room with a massive chasm. And though she found a mushroom suitable to use as a parasol, she ended up losing it to a shark that attempted to eat her by breaching the water, flinging it toward the shark to use its counterweight to speed her escape from the angry and gnashing teeth.
With knowledge of the path ahead, the rest of the group moved up to the chasm. It was then that a white dragon appeared, and suddenly the group can't help but notice that this particular white dragon looks familiar. And come to think of it, those blue-furred creatures that attacked ALSO look familiar. With little time to muse on this subject, attentions turned to taking the dragon out before it could annihilate anyone with its powerful breath weapon. Of course, since several members of the party have powerful fire magic, this didn't take very long at all.
Heart of the Prison
Finally arriving at the heart of the complex, the group discovered the machinery that was siphoning the energy of the demiplane to nefarious ends and that this would need to be reversed before they could break the demiplane free of this prison. It didn't take long for the group to follow the machinery back to its control room, which was defended by will o' wisps and a terrifying undead called a Witchfire.
The group destroyed these difficult-to-harm incorporeal undead, with the casters and the new summoner Ferrus showing their worth by raining down annihilation on the enemy's heads through spell and summons, as the enemy attempted to send Osborne to an early and fiery grave! Though it was Cadok, whose frustration had built to a head and unleashed his entire might into a single strike that cut down the Witchfire.
Thus destroyed, the group was able to reverse the drain and, before it was complete, was able to uncover caches of magical items to bring back as spoils of war. Now back outside, the group has the demiplane-container and needs only to figure out a place to put its aperture so it can re-bond with the Universe and rejoin the cosmos.
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