A Dark, Dark Hole

General Summary

[by huckleberry]
Drawn by a variety of lures, Eliana, Hazel, Riven, and Sebastian set out in search of this mysterious cave troubling the people of Last Rest. In the woods by the Standing Stone, they find an preternatural cave where one did not exist before. It looms ominous as they enter, proceeding in single file down a continually narrowing tunnel, only to find nothing but a dead end. Eliana senses a presence move through her awareness behind them as Hazel, overwhelmed by the magic of this place, enlists a wave of vermin to find the way. They exit the way they entered, but emerge somewhere else. It is similar to the lands they left, but unsettling and incorrect. As they move through the fog, a disturbed ritual site leaves more questions than answers, and a giant centipede returns to Hazel to inform her it has found a child. Following the insect, they encounter a little girl with a grievous head wound. Riven and Eliana coax trust from her and question her briefly before attempting to find a way forward, searching for the tracks of a rampant hag. Along the way, they stop so that the child can recover. While they rest, Eliana and Hazel are suddenly plummeted into something deeper, and find themselves in a nightmarish encounter with a friendly face long passed, as the corpse of Ami begs for their help. Eliana immediately sees through the cruel charade, starting from sleep just as her allies round the corner to find her and Hazel under the assault of nightmare eating abominations. The group handily cuts down the writhing piles of flesh with exploits involving flying scythe strikes, thundering power-slides, and rocking so hard you accidentally blast the old mushroom lady into a tree. The group proceeds deeper into the woods, wherein they find a festive cabin with a warm, inviting interior. Sebastian knocks on the door and...
Songs of Glory: Eliana (+1), Hazel (+1), Riven (+1), Sebastian (+1)
...recieving no response, decides to blow the door down with a thundering, magic-infused kick. The brash display of power cost him, as the magic inside knocked something in the structure loose, causing the cabin itself to become wounded and bleed profusely. The party took turns entering despite the slippery mess and found themselves in the abode of a night hag. The warm facade gave way to a decayed, cold interior, where they found a small light defiantly shining where someone had tried to bury it. Hazel, who found only dread in the rotting food, was stricken blind by an upsetting vision, but stalwart Riven stepped in to cure her before the condition could hamper their friend. When the excitement died down, the party noticed the door had moved to a different wall. With little choice but to press on, Sebastian once again asserted his dominance over the wooden door with an powerful flourish of panache and they all embarked down a long hallway deeper into the cabin, the hurt little girl still in tow. But like many things here, the hallway shifted when no one was looking, surrounding the group with a series of hallways with a series of doors. A series of choices must be made. One door loomed ominous, warning them not to bear witness to whatever lay on the other side. Riven, tiring of speculation, confidently strode forward and flung open a a different door. It opened to a nursery, where the sound of crying babies spilled out. The details of what occurred within are best omitted, but when they left the room and returned to the hallways to choose another door, the crying had been silenced, save for Sebastian sobbing softly as he closed the door to the nursery behind them.
Songs of Glory: Eliana (+1), Hazel (+1), Riven (+1), Sebastian (+1)

Report Date

06 Aug 2024