Operation Parameters
| Date |
1492 DR, 18 Eleint
(24/03/2022)
|
| Soldiers |
Aceso, Tavvok, Ilpi, Tempest, Halar |
| Status |
|
| Casualties |
Tempest(?) |
Objective
The settlement, or ruins, of Bounty have been a concern for some time. We know that the city is under a shadow of darkness. Those who have investigated the area in the past have had to fight dark spirits, which seemed to lessen the darkness a small amount, but would require more to cleanse it. We also know that around 80 residents from Ogden likely made their way toward Bounty, and where never saw again. Given the proximity to the Fort and the Capital, we should go and start to clean up Bounty. Once we’ve made some progress and have a better understanding and hold on the exact situation, we can considering preparing for using Hallow to completely cleanse it.
Observations
The battles last night seemed to have reached around 1 mile from camp on the north-west side.
As we got within a mile, we started to feel the affects of Bounty - a feeling of sorrow and helplessness that intensified as we got closer.
We hit a solid wall of magical darkness as we got to the center of Bounty, but Aceso was able to counter it a small amount.
Based on Ilpi, the problems in the past came from the west of the city, and Aceso noticed a chill from some of the buildings to the west.
As Aceso started casting Hallow, we were pulled somewhere. We were surrounded by void, and only a single building from Bounty was left... with everything else gone. There were pools of green flames, with a single land bridge between them, that led to this structure.
A man was present on the other side near the structure, who was playing an instrument (the pied piper from Ogden?), and was surrounded by creatures with no eyes, and mostly teeth.
He said various things that were curious:
- I bear you no ill will, and neither do my pets.
- have you come to parishion to the darkness... just as the others from the village from the south
- will provide you the "knowledge of the Nightsinger..."
- happy you will find (in giving into the darkness)
- what lies before you is not my doing... but yours…
- all the horrors that you all have been done; tearing through the land, pillaging, destroying what you saw fit
- for this child of man... will nourish this earth, and it will nourish him...
- as the "???" sows the seeds of their ruin
I think it is safe to assume that he was with the enemy... but he had no desire to attack us... just taunt us and torment us.
I think whatever this darkness was over Bounty... wasn't related to the enemy... at least directly... or at least completely
I think he was feeding it in a sense... luring people to the darkness... those who had been wronged or hurt so bad that they gave in to the darkness to make it end...
he was trying to make whatever this was worse. He seemed to be able to manipulate the darkness... to torment Tavvok... but I don't think he wasn't the cause of this.
As we went into this structure, the darkness let up, beckoning us to go further
Hit a limit where the darkness did not recede - a chill comes over all of us... like a fever... a cold... but hot... but it only lasts a second as we entered
Killing the shades in the area, caused the darkness to recede
As we got deeper, we heard a voice "trespassers... again you accroach on my territory"
Ultimately, we came across a "large black shadowy dragon", which used seemed to consume light and produce darkness to do incredible damage.
Spawned some sort of dark creature that was basically a shadow Tavvok
Produced shades of some sort when people went unconscious
His large breath attack, killed Tempest outright, and produced another shade
Once we killed the dragon the structure began to collapse, and we were forced to run
As we got outside the structure, to the bridge between the green flame pools, we noticed that the man was gone. We saw a portal of sorts showing the trees outside Bounty, and we ran through.
The darkness over Bounty seems to be gone
the ruins of the village much worse than expected... the darkness hid a lot of damage...
Follow up
A group should return to Bounty to investigate the ruins further. We don't know if anything is lingering following what happened. At least one shade was still present as we ran, but I’m not sure if that was even the same plane... considering we exited through some sort of portal as we left. We should ensure that the portal we exited through isn't still open, and if anything, still lingers in Bounty that should be removed.
Could the ruins of Bounty be reconstructed by the refugees outside of the capital?
If Bounty has truly been dealt with, which we need to confirm, we should next look to the settlement of Lehigh. Based on our previous information, it’s a place that pledged allegiance to the Snowden forces early on.
Preparation Details
Ralla:
-> "shadow creatures" you call them could take on the faces and voices of people.
Anything you touch there can spawn monsters. Anything you disturb there can spawn monsters. The monsters we have fought up to now there affect strength.
There is no facts to this but I believe you will probably run into two children and possibly Davos. They are possessed by fiends.
The darkness seems to have grown in strength to the point that it may be able to affect you on its own
You may also find a person that can mind control you.
I wouldn't say that it lessened at least not the last time I went. It we more like hitting a hornets nest with a stick.
The darkness its self, started trying to reach out and grab us and Davos as we tried to get him out of there almost like we had taken a meal from it
Lethamyr:
-> We fought some spirits there and it seemed to weaken whatever was surrounding the town but we didn't have anyone who could perform any proper rituals"
Ayula Report:
On our way, we met Horsian scouts who had been investigating the disappearances themselves. They told us the 80 or so people were marched from Ogden to Bounty, and that Bounty was shrouded in a shadowy veil. They told us Davos was among them, trailing behind the charmed group due to his age.
We made our way out to Bounty and indeed found a dark shadow over the town. Staring into the void with detect magic was terrifying, I heard screaming and crying and pleading, and promptly got a headache.
When we entered the town, passing the shadow, everything went dark, but we found Davos alone staring transfixed into the fire.
We were attacked by shadow monsters, and we managed to destroy them.\
On our way we meant a human (mage?) who appeared to be casting some sort of (divination?) magic. She seemed amused by us. She called herself Palaemor. She disappeared into the darkness, and we walked on.
Ilpi Report:
-Noticed darkness over Bounty and investigated.
-Darkness was local to the destroyed town
-Town destroyed, no signs of habitation within the past week, maybe longer.
-Hostile spirits appeared when personal items were disturbed, including a diary in an unknown language and a headless doll.
-Spirits manifested a spectral carriage and caused visions of children being beheaded by soldiers on horseback.
-Ralla determined that destroying the spirits would decrease the darkness in the area but a ceremony of some kind would be needed to cleanse it and make the place habitable again.
Operation Details
The watch of the previous night was a little more intense... shadows come to life. Potentially signs to come. A few of your comrades to be sent away today... will not be seen until tonight.
Captain Tel gives Ilpi a candy of some sort since he looked tired. He seemed to enjoy it - cheered up a little.
Good news and bad news:
- Aujirgix was taken by the Jim(s) for another mission; but we were able to get you Halar as a replacement
Ingredients costs:
- as a token of their gratitude for letting them borrow Aujirgix today, the Jim(s) have provided:
- 4 vials of alchemical fire
- 300G of diamonds
- 2000G worth of incense.
Capital Tel:
Caution:
- Best to not accept gifts from the Tieflings.... usually expect more than they let on.
Aceso understands this might cost him in the future, but it’ll be worth it if we can deal with the whole Bounty situation.
With this being the case, Aceso will be able to cast Hallow… but it will take 24 hours. We decide it will be worth trying… if anything it will draw out the source of the darkness.
We go to see Durella:
she is holding a broken teacup...
Aceso fixes her teacup, as she gets tea and biscuits for all of us
Aceso asked about channeling the light, like he had in Horsa to stop the darkness...
- she is not sure if I can do it or not.
Durella warned us that... if anything is there... it not kindly to the act of casting Hallow
the spirits of the Ogden were likely consumed already
- darkness doesn't keep spirits around for that long
- consumes them for a purpose... whatever that purpose is
Jacob seems to be having trouble with the gate....
- Private asked Tavvok to lift the gate manually
- as soon as he touches it... the gate flies open, and Tavvok is pulled 15 feet into the air.
decided to cut through the forest to save time (north-west)
- lingering of the battles of the previous night
- closest one about a mile away from the camp
not much seems to be around that's hostile
- just some basic wildlife
After 2.5 - 3 hours, we make our make our way to Bounty
Would start to see the light begins to dim... about 1 mile away from Bounty
- a feeling of sorrow
- some feeling a bit worse than the others.
1/8 a mile from the town
found a place to hide the horses... in a thick treed area.
Begin to push closer to the city... come to a hard wall of magical darkness as we get close to the center of the village. The outer areas of the village are reduced to the foundations... just rubble.
Solid wall of darkness... like what we saw in Horsa
- Aceso grabs his Holy Symbol
- sounds of the forest fades in an instant as we enter
- starts to glow slightly
- the magical darkness seems to lighten up, and we can see the town
The entire area is now dimly lit...
- there are no stars... just darkness above
As we make our way into the town...
the light of holy symbol casts no shadow
make our way up stone stairs of one building that no longer has walls on the top level, other than a single room in the far north-east of the building. The entire building is stone, except for what's left of single room on the top -- which is mostly wood.
Aceso feels a faint chill in the air... in the room on the others side of the bridge that connects the building we're one to the other building west of us.
- the bridge connecting to the other building is beyond repair... would not hold any weight.
We cover the stairs in Caltrops, and a bunch ball bearing on the roof to protect the room Aceso will be casting Hallow in
Aceso makes his way into the singular room left on the second floor of this building, and starts preparing his spell
Tavvok stay near, and Ilpi/Tempest/Halar stand watch outside
As Aceso begins casting...
- Tempest hears music... and then Ilpi as well
- The ground starts to shake slightly
- then gets much worse
- a voice calls out from the west
- “come ye fated warriors... come watch the birth of a shade... it's something to behold”
builds on the west side gives away... as a green flame comes through the ground in the west area of Bounty
a single building, on the far west, with a single piece of earth leading to it stands now of what was once Bounty
the pools of green flames surround this bridge
bits and pieces of Bounty come along with us, but not much else.
a person playing an instrument on the other side...
- small creatures surrounding them... no eyes... just teeth
outside of the immediate area... it's all void
music stops as Tempest approaches, and starts asking questions
- "welcome sister of the fey"
- "why have you come to parishion?"
- Tempest asked "parishion" who?
- "the darkness... what else... just as the others from the village from the south" (people of Ogden...)
- "they have joined him"
- will provide you the "knowledge of the Nightsinger..."
He then something about an “exarch”?
- "I bear you no ill will"
Ilpi warns us:
The teeth creatures will try to eat into you. Don't let them get attached or get within you.
The Man:
I bear you no ill will, and neither do my pets.
I simply shepherd those in dire need. One must give in to the darkness to forget.
- "happy you will find" (in giving into the darkness)
said he’s looks forward to prying into Tavvok's grin... but today's not the day
what lies before you is not my doing... but yours…
- tearing through the land, pillaging, destroying what you saw fit
- all the horrors that have been done
- you've "punched a child in the face... daughter of the Fay" (Tempest)
- "shame you look down on higher species"
- Tempest: said she was defending herself... she felt justified... not “speciesist”
your efforts are futile.
- for this child of man... will nourish this earth, and it will nourish him... will ravage something?
- as the "???" sows the seeds of their ruin
Ilpi asks where "this body" is
- the man looks behind him in the one building left standing behind him
Tempest... asks the man to let them go into the building behind:
Parishioners are welcome... even those will ill intent.
- Tempest and Tavvok make their way across bridge
Man to Tavvok
"she would be disappointed"
Tavvok bothered by this...
"would you like me to bring back someone who you've missed for so long"
Tavvok warns him to be careful what he says...
"I'll see it done then."
Aceso and Halar:
Halar has doubts about this spell (Hallow) effectiveness, given where we are now.
Told Aceso seems to be coming from the building across.
Seems they were too far from way for this to do anything...
Aceso stops, sighs, and beings to pack it back up.
Tavvok and Tempest:
sees a young Dragonborn in the corner...
Tavvok freezes when he sees it
the dragonborn says "Mommies here too, looking at the stairs"
then disappears
Ilpi sees Tavvok freeze on the other side...
Aceso and Halar finish up and make it across to them at the entrance to the building.
Tavvok suddenly charges into the building up the staircase
hopeless feeling, grows stronger and stronger as we proceed
voices and moans of pain get loader and loader
darkness gives away, beckoning us to go further
light gets brighter and brighter the further we go in
Tavvok slams into a magic barrier
- but catches himself
Tavvok then can get through
but none of us can
Tavvok is still running.
Tempest misty steps through to keep up
Ilpi shoots the barrier, leaving a small enough area to get through.
starts to reform. we rush through
We are now behind Tempest and Tavvok
hear moans of pain in one direction
fire in another
Tavvok runs down the path toward the moans
sees the visage of his wife and son... on a whole bunch of corpses, but sees through it as fake
these creatures or things don't notice him
bodies of the Ogden, Horsians, Capital, etc.
Seeing that it's just an illusion... he turns and rushes past us (back from the way we came)
He comes face to face with a darkness that doesn't give... or let up
Tavvok takes pause
We try to settle Tavvok down -- seems to think his wife and child are here
he pushes into the darkness
we all follow
- a chill comes over all of us... like a fever... a cold... but hot... but it only lasts a second
We grab each other’s shoulders to create a train... Halar can see 10 feet with blind sense
- leads us long the wall so we don't get lost
we eventually feel a presence in the area as we get to what seems like a cave entrance
- something… shadows swirl around us
Tavvok swings into the darkness and hits one, and there is a whimper
Tavvok kills one, and the darkness recedes
We then engage with 5 other of these shadow wrapped humanoids
Once we killed them all... the magic darkness in the area fades
100s of personal effects strewn across the ground in this area...
- from child's pajamas, adult clothes, and countless effects of the people who were likely consumed...
but no bodies... or anything that we recognize...
A voice would ring out... from much deeper
- "trespassers... again you accroach on my territory"
We talked with Tavvok, that his family couldn't be here... that someone is trying to use his family to get to him.
- seem to get through to him... "then someone down here needs to die"
As we go deeper and deeper...
suddenly Tavvok stops, and then RUNS!
Tempest follows and Ilpi follow
Halar and Aceso struggle to keep up...
Tempest and Tavvok makes it first:
See a mix of faces... familiar and unfamiliar.
- seeing them get ripped away.
- takes the form of a "large black shadowy dragon"
Does some sort of attack... that pulls the darkness from the room... and hits Tempest and Tavvok… to the point they are both barely standing
spawns some sort of dark creature... looks like a dragonborn... looks like Tavvok… but shadow
Tavvok and Tempest go down
2 shades spawn
Aceso revives them
The shades/shadow wrapped figures get pull into the dragon again...
- and it blasts Halar and Aceso HARD.
Opaque form... grows fainter as we continue to hit it
Complete darkness...then light.... and it blasts Ilpi/Tavvok/Tempest again
Tempest dies... killed by the Dragon... Aceso tried to heal her... but she's dead
shade appears
Tavvok kills the black dragon... it disappears
the whole place starts to shake
Tavvok runs up to Tempest's body, grabs a ring of her, and then runs back
- Tavvok said to trust him... he has Tempest, despite her body still being there... just RUN!!!
Aceso trusts him. So he follows…
as the building collapses... Ilpi goes down... Aceso pops him up on the run
make our way out of the crumbling building, and across the land bridge between the pools of green flames...
see a vision of the forest in the distance... charge through it
We arrive on the outskirts of Bounty.
Aceso immediately asks:
what Tavvok meant by "had Tempest"...
apparently if the ring survives... she will be okay
Tavvok knows what must be done with it – she should be okay.
The darkness seems to be gone over Bounty
-> the ruins of the village much worse than expected... the darkness hid a lot of damage...
-> looks like we've dealt with the immediate problem with Bounty
As we return to camp, we find Tempest's Cat sitting just inside the entrance behind the gates.
Tavvok approaches...
- Cat says in common
- "You have permission to scratch behind my left year two times..."
- Tavvok does so
- then the cat takes the ring in its mouth and runs away
Tavvok and Ilpi drink around the fire.
Aceso just sat there quietly.
