Session 22

General Summary

The party started their journey up the mountains of Rannalla in an attempt to find Old Lady Hardtoe and the source of Rho's visions. Shortly after starting, Rho discovered that his amulet no longer warned him away from the mountain, falling silent completely. The initial part of the journey went quite smoothly, as they met the lady in question on their way to her hut, due to the directions they received from the villagers. She was picking mushrooms in the forests and after some conversation she told the party that there was a dangerous spirit on the mountain lately, for which she gave them a jug filled with a sort of poison which was deemed "dangerous to the soul" after some investigation. The party asked her some additional questions about the journey ahead and eventually asked her if they could stay in her hut for a rest, to which she eventually agrees, but only on the condition that she would be able to clean up a bit before they stepped inside.
The group along with Old Lady Hardtoe journeyed to her hut where she quickly cleaned up before the party was led inside. Some attempts of spycraft inside the hut revealed nothing really out of the ordinary, apart from some seemingly alchemical equipment. TT showed her her notes on the physiology of several creatures the party fought and her notes on how to best prepare them for dinner. The lady seemed impressed and showed her some of her own notes as well.
During the nightfall, the group rested at the hut, taking turns to take watch. Most of the evening went smoothly, Rho and Grohim had a little hiccup with a Kobold which they found was spying on them. They bound the creature and tried to 'play' with it, but it simply responded in trying to bite them. Grohim determined that both the candles and the fireplace in the hut were of magical nature, but kept this knowledge hidden from the woman. After the rest of the party woke up, they killed it and turned it into stew which would help them see in the night, right before they headed into the mountains in the darkness.
The second half of the journey was a little more rocky, both literally and figuratively, as the incline became steeper as the altitude increased. Eventually the party had to climb a 100ft vertical wall that would bring their ascend to an end. With some creative spellcasting, Nafikta used fly on Grohim, which could carry both her and Fluffy up the mountain. This almost went well, as Nafikta was unable to hold the weight of the 50kg dog and dropped him halfway through the flight. Grohim was able to break its fall somewhat, and eventually the whole group made it up the mountain, with Rho and Yerin using their abilities in climbing to pave the way for TT.
At the top of the mountain, the party encountered a large bird's nest, which was hiding a tunnel leading into a spacious cavern underneath. Upon investigation, the party all got the strange sensation that they were being watched by something. A large serpentine form, sporting wings in the colors of the Roc greeted them and spoke words directly into their minds, referring to himself as the Herald of Dusk.
He told Rho that he has been waiting here for the Roxy, but that he was found by the servants of the Serpent, who corrupted him, and turned him into the desiccated creature before them. They were to complete three trials, in order for the Roxy to continue his journey.
The first trial was the trial of Mobility and was simple enough. On top of the mountain above the cave was a bird's nest with an egg. The party was to reach the egg together as soon as they could. Since fly was still active, half the party made it easily, while the other half had to climb, to find out that there was little room for all 5 of them to stand. With some arranging, climbing on top of each other and hanging from ropes off the side of the cliff, the party managed to find a way to keep themselves on top, as they were briefed about the second trial.
The trial of Security, in which the party had to protect a small bird's egg in the nest, without moving it, while also making sure that the egg would hatch in the cold winter storm around them. The party worked together, while warming the egg with Rho's mitten and Grohim's Shield of Faith, which also kept it secure from attacks from mice which started pouring out of the side of the mountains surrounding them.
After about ten minutes, the storm subsided and the egg hatched, spawning a tiny red chick of some kind of bird. Their trial was complete and the party made their way back down the spire.
After heading back into the cave, the third and final trial was revealed: The trial of the Predator. The party was tasked by the Herald to slay him in combat, to prove themselves the superior hunter.
The creature was unnaturally fast, sporting both the features of a bird of prey as well as the venomous attacks of a serpent. The party tried using the poison provided by the old lady they met earlier, but were warned that using the tools of the Serpent would deem the trials useless, and decided against it. The battle was long and both sides used everything in their arsenal to prevail. Rho chanted the ancient songs of his people during the battle, transitioning the song into multiple languages. After a long and hard fought battle the serpentine foe surrendered by showing his neck. He revealed that Rho must slay him in order to usurp the power of the Herald of Dusk, before he transition into serpent entirely.
They were to take his feathers, blood and talons in order for Rho to complete a ritual and be granted the power. The creature also allowed the rest of his body to be taken and used as the party wished.
Rho raised his weapon and ended his chant in common, before coming down on the creature's neck and felling the beast. His amulet once again started working as the glaive came down, and this time, pointed him south.

Rewards Granted

XP Previous Total: 16800
Conversation with Old Lady Hardtoe 75XP
Sharing recipes with Lady Hardtoe 100XP
Rest at Hardtoe's / Kobold Captive 75XP
Discovering magical objects 50XP
Scaling the mountains 200XP
Trial of Mobility 200 XP
Trial of Security 400 XP
Trial of the Predator 1200 XP
2300 XP, new total: 19100
XP to level 7: 3900

Report Date

20 Jun 2021