Session 20 – The Downfall of Spring
General Summary
The Morning of the Third Loop
Yenush heads to the Hall of Seasons to once again be greeted by Saffra ("~kitty!"). Upon insighting the nature of this "ping", Yenush gets the sense that perhaps it exists more as an indicator to "avoid this area". Oh well. Yenush makes another offering. Meanwhile, Teagan heads to the Park and finds the Aetherians still in a general stage of set-up... and the plant nursery completely unattended. Ducking inside, Teagan makes use of his new spellcasting abilities to wreak havoc, pulling up plants and manhandling his way through wards. Before the crowds roll in, he discretely exits.
Cadence, Aiaoue, and Milo head to the school. Aiaoue heads over to Vesa, the young Spring Eladrin, and inquires about the Aetheria carvings. The Aetherian's blend a mixture of carving and weaving techniques to make their statuettes that, upon further inspection, appear to function as scrolls. Aiaoue, already skilled in carving and weaving, feels as though this is a skill potentially within her "boathouse", so to speak. Meanwhile, Cadence approaches Eden who does note seem to react in disgust, though he does not it is perhaps best she not enter the plant nursery. When Cadence mentions never seeing flowers, Eden produces a magical bouquet resistant to decay. Aiaoue intercepts Eden next and the young spring god seems serious relieved at Hitch's arrival: please go find my mother. But what about YOU Eden? At the mention of a significant other or a family, Eden balks and backpedals. Trying to leave, Eden's stopped by Milo who offers to fight in Eden's name. Eden, of course, suggests his mother, to which Milo responds that he'd prefer Eden be present then. Thrown off by Aiaoue's hints at matchmaking and moved by Milo's offer, Eden is convinced to dodge his afternoon duties. And a crack forms.
Arkyn heads to the Aetheria Ballroom, where it is very easy to locate the person he's looking for. Suvan generates light that pervades the space as he looks down on people from his perch on the 3rd floor. Arkyn is horrified when Suvan goes to take his hand in greeting, but finds that... his curse isn't really working at the moment? It is a dream after all. Arkyn inquires about how to get moonstones, which makes Suvan glitch for a moment. Pardon, what was it you asked? Arkyn backpedals. Suvan notes that impurity runs rampant through Grand Aetheria, which is unfortunate. Should, of course, Arkyn wish to be graced by light he is welcome to visit the Northern Vestals under the light of Dashi'Imon. If a friend wanted a radiant sunstone, would you be willing to trade one? Perhaps for a moonstone. Oh damn... left that in the other pocket.
The Afternoon of the Third Loop
Tipped off from Arkyn, Aiaoue heads to the Sprawling Roots and quickly locates Suvan. Thank GOODNESS. Aiaoue explains she has this complicated match and the bride's family insists that the groom present a gift that capture's the bride's radiance. What could I give you for a sunstone? Suvan inquires first after what she is offering in trade. Aiaoue notes she'd offer her services as a matchmaker of course. And what is the purity and radiance of this couple you desperately seek to aid? Aiaoue explains that they were, "star-crossed lovers"; a love that is positively radiant beneath the light of the sun (wink wink). Suvan considers the request and makes an amendment to the proposal. I will part with a sunstone in exchange for an oath. In less than fortnight, you shall travel to the Northern Vestals and be baptised in purifying radiance. Aiaoue, after a moment of thought, declines. Love stars by imagining it (and Aiaoue can't imagine anything for Suvan). Consulting with Alcide, Aiaoue doesn't feel good about this sunstone. Alcide notes that if a sunstone is Amber it should be fine? Or if its like Villám, perhaps that's why he was protective of it? Regardless, they conclude that Elis is better.
Teagan swings through the Watering Grove and really embraces the "one foot in the grave" mentality. Drifting through the crowd, Teagan brings the whole mood down as he whispers of the inevitability of death. After making his rounds, he sits near Cleo. While Teagan has a vested interest in the dead, Cleo notes he has a vested interest in the living. Well, all the living eventually die so isn't it really just all the same thing? What is it your waiting to hear? Cleo inquires after the Prince that is in Aetheria. Teagan notes that perhaps Cleo best talk to the Tor Khanna. Cleo sighs and notes that perhaps he can entertain a "barbarian".
Cadence and Yenush prepare to release pure chaos in the Park. Yenush manages to convince Brito that there is another lycanthrope in The Bennu that may be a threat. Cadence, after briefly speaking with Sienna, casts fear, scatters the birds, and then turns invisible and dips. With the birds squawking and flailing about, Yenush's mentions: "Wouldn't it be fun to chase them?" Say no more. Choas unfolds as the lycanthropes begin to "playfully" pursue the drunk, on the cusp of food coma aarakocra who are far to intoxicated to coordinate flight. Sienna desperately attempts to wrangle the birds, but ultimately fails to do so. Yenush manages to get the lycanthropes back in order... well, most of them. Yenush cringes at what he did.
Milo, true to his word, goes straight up to Chasca and asks to fight her. The goddess seems pleased to have been challenged and accepts. Although Milo has never been particularly militant, as he moves through a "performance" of a fight, there's a bubbling sensation in the back of his mind that makes him wonder if his performance is more grounded in reality than he realized. Meanwhile, Arkyn weaves through the crowd sewing rumors. Eden seems very put off by the fact that the matchmaker he met briefly is apparently not helping his mother, but is trying to set him up instead. As the fight wraps, Arkyn sends a message to Chasca that Eden is neglecting his duties. As the goddess of summer notices her son, a struggle is visible in her eyes. And a crack forms.
The Evening of the Third Loop
Milo heads to the Ballroom, which he finds in disarray. The aarakocra have consumed most, if not all, the food and are scattered about in various states of a food coma. Milo, wasting no times, strolls on up to Cleo and offers information on Valtaris. Cleo remarks that Milo may be the best Tor Khanna Cleo has ever met. Without hesitation, he cuts a bracelet off his wrist and offers it to Milo. The engravings, at first, feature courtesans, escorts, and a figure wielding a whip and a halberd. Yet, the next time Milo looks at it, the engravings have changed to warriors, including a cloaked figure on a massive steed.
On his way down the trunk, Milo intercepts Chasca, who is rushing to the Grove. Milo accompanies the goddess and finds a bloodbath with one dead lycanthrope at the feet of Saffra. The missing lycanthrope has now been found.
In the park, chaos continues to unfold. The destruction in the plant nursery has driven Eden back into divine work mode as he directly oversees the reconstruction of wards. As the group heckles and disperses rumors, Eden eventually emerges and demands it cease. At comments about being too like his mother, Eden sighs and notes that perhaps that is what he should be more like. Realizing that Eden being mature isn't what they want, the group takes a different approach, focusing on getting Eden to not go to the Hall of Seasons. Aiaoue gets Arkyn to look like "Miette" to scare Eden away from the Hall of Seasons. Teagan and Cadence implore Eden to remain. As Eden acquieses, remaining stagnant in the Park and neglecting his duties, he becomes more juvenile and childish.
The Night of the Third Loop
The lights across Grand Aetheria go dim and then dark as the festivities suddenly cease. Eden begins to crack, releasing a wail of agony before vanishing into the dirt. The Hall of Sprawling roots begins to glow and pulse as a black hold forms in the sky above Grand Aetheria.I feel it. That deep-seated corruption. Bubbling now to the sufrace. Unbind it, untether it. Weaken its hold. Tear it from the Sprawling Roots. Only then might we eradicate it... Without destroying Spring.
In the Hall of Sprawling Roots, the group finds Eden. Thin lines splinter, bend, and weave across Eden’s form like a cracked mosaic. The god of spring stumbles between pillars and towards the slightly raised dais in the back of the Hall of Sprawling Roots. His hands dig and pull at his hair as the god wails in agony. Sparks of magic fly off him, desperately attempting to coalesce into a fully formed spell. As he falls to his knees, he releases an unfiltered scream, magic finally forming a shimmering ring around him, a ward… for a moment, Eden is still, save for his shaky breath. And then his eyes fall on you… and his ward is shattered by the onset of a translucent form. Leaking from the cracks in Eden is another figure that billows out and stretches above the god of spring, towering over him. The swirling mass is featureless save for a cheshire like grin. Eden stands, summoning a shepherd’s crook to one hand. With the other, he raises a hand to you as his arcane ward flairs around him once more.
Eden: It was... IS my divine duty to protect those in my charge. You are NOT among them. I refuse to play this game. The Void Maiden: Valiant to resist. Yet you must not let him. Coerce him. Force him to give in. Sever his connection to this place; to the lands he holds dear. Force him to stand and confront the darkest parts of himself. Only then when he is weakened and his corruption fully exposed can I act. You must lure it out.
Tear it from the Roots
Surmising that a root needs to be destroyed, Yenush moves and opens fire on one of the roots, but Eden doesn't seem affected by attacking that root. Aiaoue summons a flock of birds as she transforms, moving around Eden. The god of spring wastes no time as Teagan suddenly finds everything hilariously funny, falling to the ground in laughter. Milo decides to make that stop, but Milo is unable to stop the critical tail fwip from the Madargyo that then catches Teagan in the gut. Arkyn finds himself confused by the array of flowers that just sprung up out of nowhere as Cadence offers healing to Teagan and moves away from the flowers.
Although Yenush can't attack Eden, that door way over there... is totally a target. Yenush aim, fires, and levels the door, the runes flickering and fading as it collapses. Eden's attention shifts to Yenush as his ward flickers. Aiaoue moves to another gate, but finds that Eden doesn't seem as concerned about that one. Eden issues a suggestion to Yenush, which causes Yenush to fall (conveniently knocking him out of the other charm thing he was under). Milo finds there is a Madargyo in his face, but moves to get a countercharm going right before said Madargyo grapples and hoists him into the air. Teagan gets right up in Eden's face and pursues even after the god of spring dips.
Aiaoue makes a heroic attempt to rescue Milo from the Madargyo, just missing. Milo is able to whisper his way out of that situation and manages to land on Aiaoue, negating any damage he would have otherwise taken. Arkyn, without moving a single square, engages in a counterspell battle with Eden from the same position. Fed up, Eden attempts to banish Arkyn, but fails to do so. However, the Sanctuary Eden manages to get up on the Madargyo does pose a hurdle to Arkyn. Recalling the stories Fannar told, the group realizes that perhaps they must take out Eden's beloved Madargyo. After spending a round lying on the ground per his suggestion, Yenush fires a final shot into the Madargyo as it was waiting to attack Teagan.
Focus now solely on Eden, the front line moves into their deadly flanking combo around Eden. As Arkyn fires a final feather, Eden's form finally fractures. The mosaic of cracks across Eden’s form glow intensely. Streaks of light scatter across the Hall as the god of Spring folds over and in on himself, dragging his nails down his cheeks as he screams. As the light becomes blinding, Eden’s form is consumed entirely… and the scream slowly morphs into a maniacal laugh. The wood of the ceiling groans, cracks, and breaks as you feel a strong gravitational force surge forth, reaching, searching. The laughing ball of light dodges and weaves the tendrils of The Void that descend, before darting up through the trunk of the great Aetheria tree. Almost with a hint of annoyance, you feel yourself ripped upward and into the air.
Time and space bend and warp as the group is pulled up through the trunk of Grand Aetheria in pursuit of Eden. Yenush and Aiaoue, one firing a gun and the other using Elementalism, are able to create a hole in the Aetheria branches that attempt to block their ascent. Milo dispels a magical barrier that later forms, but isn't quite able to dodge the pollen that fills the air afterward. And the group arrives at the destroyed doors to the Hall of Seasons.
Entering the Hall of Seasons, the ceilings are decorated with garlands of spring flowers – a faint dusting of dew still clinging to the petals. Thick, viscous iridescent goop bubbles and slowly spreads across portions of the floor. The laughing intensifies. Upon the leftmost throne rests a creature pinned, bound, and supported by a growth of the Aetheria tree. It's lower body either never existed or was ripped apart, leaving only a trailing mass of branches and vine. Three glowing pink eyes focus directly on you as the head lulls to the side – a gentle chiming echoing through the hall as metal trinkets clang together. Bindings on the mouth snap as the creature’s grin widens. With a flourish of its wrist, the shepherd’s crook releases from around its neck.
~Ah ha ha~ Is THIS what you wanted? To play a litlte game? WELL, come one come all! The stage is set... let's see who's the first to fall.
Report Date
21 Feb 2025
Primary Location
Secondary Location
Alternate Appearances
Aiaoue: A broad-shouldered kalashtar with sun-kissed skin. His white hair is in dreadlocks decorated with tropical flowers and gold jewelry. His garments are vibrant, patterned, and layered, with tassels that swish whenever he moves.Arkyn: Donning robes lined with fur, this Keeper prefers to remain in her humanoid form. Her fiery red hair, tipped in white is kept intricately braided, with silver ornaments and feathers positioned throughout. An aura of calm radiates from her as she stands, back straight and regal.
Cadence: A "Bog Child" standing just shy of 5 feet tall. His hair is matted with knots and adorned with bramble and mushroom. His left arm is made of bark and his right leg covered in lichen. Portions of his simple, eclectic clothes are covered in lichen, mushroom, and other muck.
Milo: A true Shadar-Kai woman who has received the Mark, which adorns her face. Half her head is shaved and the hair that remains white as snow. One eye is milky white. Besides her worn riding boots, she has left her riding leathers behind, instead donning patterned garments and a fur cloak.
Teagan: A drow woman with patches of rocky skin that darkens like obsidian. Her hair is long, wispy, and dyed white, a stark contrast against the dark gray robes. A translucent black veil obscures her face, and casts a shadow over her view of the world.
Yenush: A female leonin with feathered wings. Her breastplate protects her chest, but keeps her back clear, permitting her wings free movement. Her clothing is both woven textiles and the pelts of other creatures, in a myriad of patterns.
Dream Cast
Vesa Marigold – A young floral Eladrin in their spring years and an abjuration student that respects Eden's skills as the "master of abjuration".A Summer Eladrin – A minotaur-like Eladrin in her summer years. In charge of the Anyasat, she ensures everything there runs smoothly and offers her wisdom to those who need it.
THE Sienna Rose – An Autumn floral Eladrin burdened with the task of keeping watch of Illana's people. Although clearly frustrated with her task, she is adamant on seeing it through. Any revelry with her will have to wait for another festival.
Havask – A Winter bestial Eladrin who is just beginning to show the signs of old age. Although a festival is occurring, Havask seems unperturbed by missing it. The archives are exciting!
Irirangi ("Iri") of the Fourth Spire – A triton noble disgruntled with the matchmakers of Adore. He seems to be in Grand Aetheria to fuck around (literally) despite having a fiance.
"Red" – Dressed in all black (save for a red line across his throat), "Red" serves Hadúr and is quite nonchalant about it. He has a gift to deliver to the boglands of Eresh.
Prince Valtaris Mal Mavkazan – A regal drow donning robes of white and accompanied by a retinue. He's a to-the-point individual who is looking to get a leg up on a rival family in the interest of preventing abuse of power over the Obsidian Company.
Diamond – A Yuan-Ti woman with a severe gambling addiction on the run from the loan snakes of Fortune's Coast.
Huntress Brito – Face obscured, she watches a group of lycanthropes. Should any be consumed by primal instinct, she will be ready. Her hand always on her crossbow.
Cleo Otero – Donning somewhat scandalous garments, his body says relaxed and languid, but his eyes are alert and searching. Information is his fee.
Erian Ira Iridia – A tiefling woman wearing a small fortune. She travels alongside her Companion selling the finest crafted jewelry.
Suvan Solaris – Dressed in radiant robes that practically glow, he is the picture of modesty and grace as he floats through the festival.
Corrupted Eden
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