Post by Thorn on Oct 16, 2020 20:19:27 GMT -5
Here is the recap for session 43: funeral rites! =O
(Tagging Breakingchains if you wanna get caught-up! You didn't miss anything too earth-shaking though. Basil got 60gp for retrieving the iridilith, so you can add that to his sheet.)
Key Points:
Session 43 Recap:
(Tagging Breakingchains if you wanna get caught-up! You didn't miss anything too earth-shaking though. Basil got 60gp for retrieving the iridilith, so you can add that to his sheet.)
Key Points:
*We learn more of Tally's backstory (they used to be physically very powerful, but never recovered from how ill the surface made them when they first arrived there.)
*The party retrieve the iridilith from the Circle lair! Yay!
*The party take Auzynros' body to the Everqueen's temple and a priest casts 'speak with dead.' He answers five questions revealing information about why he came to the surface, why he then went underground to live in the temple ruins, how he first met the Shadow Queen's avatar, why he was using iridilith on prisoners, and how he came to worship the Everqueen.
*Asariel talks to Amani about the difference between accepting the gift of sorcery with full understanding of what it is for, and receiving it by descent without that understanding.
*Solstriana casts legend lore, and gives the party information on the origin and use of the god-forger.
*The party retrieve the iridilith from the Circle lair! Yay!
*The party take Auzynros' body to the Everqueen's temple and a priest casts 'speak with dead.' He answers five questions revealing information about why he came to the surface, why he then went underground to live in the temple ruins, how he first met the Shadow Queen's avatar, why he was using iridilith on prisoners, and how he came to worship the Everqueen.
*Asariel talks to Amani about the difference between accepting the gift of sorcery with full understanding of what it is for, and receiving it by descent without that understanding.
*Solstriana casts legend lore, and gives the party information on the origin and use of the god-forger.
Session 43 Recap:
The Disaster Party take a short rest in a small room. Meallan asks Khamet if they should introduce Tally to Will, because Tally seems like they could use some cookies and support. Khamet, somewhat predictably, says no. Amani is being awfully quiet over in one corner, and so Meallan goes to check up on them. Amani is distressed by the memory of attacking Meallan with a dagger- the memories of every time they’d ever been in danger had struck at them, and they’d perceived him as a threat and stabbed him. Meallan reassures Amani that this was because of a magical influence, but Amani insists there is more to it than that.
Meallan asks Amani to prestidigitate away the blood staining his clothes. They do so before he has even finished asking the question.
Meanwhile, Khamet speaks with Tally. We learn that in the Underdark, being a strong brute was Tally’s thing. But when they came to the surface, they got very sick, and have never been the same since. Khamet and Meallan reassure Tally that there is more to true strength than just the physical side of things, and the pair of them take turns hugging their small drow friend.
The party return to the room with the eyeless statue...and the dead plant monster. Meallan investigates the bodies it had partially consumed, and realises these are the Circle Enshadowed members the party killed two days previous. He can’t work out what killed the plant monster, but from the debris on the ground he can tell that it entered the room from the tunnel to the south.
Understandably, the party do not venture into that tunnel. They follow Aytal down the eastern tunnel, easily avoiding a pressure plate right at its entrance thanks to the little fey's perceptiveness. Thankfully this is the passage they were seeking, as the party soon find the iridilith, stored in large barrels marked with runes similar to those inscribed on the smaller barrels the party brought with them. The party split the iridilith between two of their own barrels before smashing the larger ones. Tally saves a few shards with runes on them (to show Aviina), and also finds a text on the Circle’s beliefs, to be examined at a later time.
Between them the party carry both barrels and the dead drow cultist (wrapped up in a blanket) out of the temple ruins and back into the underground caves. Wanting to find Jim and Feathers, Meallan casts comprehend languages and repeatedly calls out for them...which attracts the attention of several apparently sentient gelatinous blobs as well as a humanoid being with glowing eyes. The party run away, and Meallan casts a fireball into the tunnel behind him.
Jim pops his head out of the cave ceiling. He is eating some lizard eggs- he is very enthusiastic about these eggs! He climbs down to join the party, and the assorted creatures chasing them seem more reluctant to approach now that the large bug-ape-being is present. Jim helps the party return to the surface. In exchange, the party tell him where to find the bodies of the Circle Enshadowed because- as Jim puts it- humanoids are the one thing tastier than eggs!
Jim burrows away. The party, grouped together on the cliffside and having done what they can to heal or conceal their various injuries, plan their next move. They want to find someone to cast speak with dead on Auzynros, but how to go about doing this? Khamet has a fantastic plan: the party should pretend to be a funeral procession on their way to the Everqueen’s Temple. Having been told that priests of Osiris wear white, Meallan disguises himself as what he expects a priest of Osiris would look like. Tally conjures little puffs of smoke at intervals, Anthony plays music from his phone, and Khamet recites ‘funerary rites’ in a language none of the party understand. Amani alone does not join the procession, instead veering off to meet with their family.
Wisp seems frightened at the prospect of entering the temple, and Meallan says he can stay outside with Aytal. While Wisp is hesitant given Aytal’s previous attitude towards him, he agrees that this sounds better than going inside. When they reach the temple Aytal leaps down from Meallan’s shoulders, Wisp scurries in rat form from his pocket (in full view of the party), and the duo run off to cause mischief together. As they leave, Tally tells them to be careful, and Wisp telepathically thanks Tally for their kind words.
Between them, the party sneak Auzynros into the temple, and approach the young priest Anzi about casting speak with dead on the body. Anzi directs the party into a hall at the back of the temple, where no worshippers will be disturbed by the party talking with a corpse. Here she casts the spell, and Tally is designated as the one whose questions Auzynros (or rather, as Anzi clarifies, a portion of his soul) will be compelled to answer in some fashion. Auzynros’ corpse inhales smoke from the burning incense, and its eyes glow unnaturally. Anzi indicates that Tally can begin.
Tally asks Auzynros why he left the Underdark and, on a related note, how he came to live in the temple ruins. The spirit mentions that he publicly shamed his House and the Shadow Queen, and fled to the surface to escape retribution. However, while he had heard the surface was ‘bright and warm’, he discovered it was instead quite cold. The Shadow Queen accepted him back conditionally, and he descended into the tunnels beneath Cai Shaan to live in the temple ruins.
Auzynros is asked how he came to worship the Everqueen. He mentions that she appeared to him in a dream, and that afterwards the Shadow Queen informed him that going forward he was to worship them both. He met the Shadow Queen’s avatar (a.k.a. ‘cleavage drow’) very shortly before the ceremony the party interrupted. He was to stab her with the god-forger in order to help restore the goddess to her full strength.
When asked why he was using iridilith on people, Auzynros predictably insisted they were criminals who only ever hurt others, and that this was their punishment. They were from the surface and the people on the surface are harsh and twisted. He insists he knows this to be true.
The five questions thus answered, the light leaves the corpse’s eyes and it exhales the smoke from its lungs, and again lies still. The party bury Auzynros near the temple with Anzi’s permission.
The party have a few things to attend to before leaving the temple. Khamet reaches out to the Everqueen, and learns that a fiend had been impersonating her in the subterranean ruins for some time. This was part of why she couldn’t see into those ruins, the other reason being her own sister’s influence. Khamet also expresses uncertainty about his intention to kill Will, as the latter has helped the party. The Everqueen reminds Khamet that fiends don’t do anything for selfless reasons. She explains that not all fiends are as mentally easy to fight as one who burns down villages: incubi work in more subtle ways to corrupt, and often the targets don’t even realise they are being manipulated. With renewed confidence in his purpose, Khamet thanks her and rejoins the party.
Also rejoining the party are Wisp and Aytal, apparently having stolen a couple of sausages, which they are carrying between them. Wisp especially seems very proud of himself. He climbs back into Meallan’s pocket while Aytal resumes his position atop the firbolg’s shoulders.
The party start out for the Institute of the Third Eye, where they will meet Amani after the latter is done visiting their family.
While the rest of the party are at the temple, Naila prepares dinner for Amani while Asariel pulls them aside to talk. The archmage reveals that they felt some connection to Night’s Peace, and reason that this means Amani’s sorcery originally came from her or a very similar entity. Amani explains that Illastra Noctuo, Serenity of Shadow, granted one of their ancestors shadow magic so that they could defeat a dragon who had for generations plagued their lands. Asariel points out that this ancestor seems to have knowingly accepted the gift of sorcery, and that it was given for a purpose that they understood. Night’s Peace, on the other hand, won’t reveal why it was that she unlocked Amani’s sorcerous potential. They feel this will end poorly, and caution Amani to be careful. As always, Amani maintains that they will be.
There is clearly more Asariel wishes to say, but they still haven’t fully collected their thoughts after the previous night, and so agree to speak more some other time. Amani asks their ren to contact them if anything big happens or if they decide they would like to talk about whatever it is they find it difficult to address. Asariel agrees to do so.
Amani talks with Naila about their recent underground adventures, omitting many of the more disturbing details. Isra wants to know if they’ve seen Night's Peace again today, and if the archfey can do the Supremely Cool Magic Isra assumes she can do? Amani says that no, they haven’t- but yes, Night’s Peace is very much capable of Cool Magic!
After a time, Amani leaves and meets up with the rest of the party at the Institute. The barrel fragments and iridilith are delivered to Aviina, who has the barrels taken away by Emily and a couple of students. The party persuade her to reward them each with 60gp, and to secure them passage to Lustross. Aviina will let the party know of the details when they are arranged.
The party go to Solstriana for a casting of legend lore. She names and describes the god-forger, and is able to tell the party the following (in addition to what they already know):
Having gathered this information, the party return to the Party House, where we leave them for the time being.
Meallan asks Amani to prestidigitate away the blood staining his clothes. They do so before he has even finished asking the question.
Meanwhile, Khamet speaks with Tally. We learn that in the Underdark, being a strong brute was Tally’s thing. But when they came to the surface, they got very sick, and have never been the same since. Khamet and Meallan reassure Tally that there is more to true strength than just the physical side of things, and the pair of them take turns hugging their small drow friend.
The party return to the room with the eyeless statue...and the dead plant monster. Meallan investigates the bodies it had partially consumed, and realises these are the Circle Enshadowed members the party killed two days previous. He can’t work out what killed the plant monster, but from the debris on the ground he can tell that it entered the room from the tunnel to the south.
Understandably, the party do not venture into that tunnel. They follow Aytal down the eastern tunnel, easily avoiding a pressure plate right at its entrance thanks to the little fey's perceptiveness. Thankfully this is the passage they were seeking, as the party soon find the iridilith, stored in large barrels marked with runes similar to those inscribed on the smaller barrels the party brought with them. The party split the iridilith between two of their own barrels before smashing the larger ones. Tally saves a few shards with runes on them (to show Aviina), and also finds a text on the Circle’s beliefs, to be examined at a later time.
Between them the party carry both barrels and the dead drow cultist (wrapped up in a blanket) out of the temple ruins and back into the underground caves. Wanting to find Jim and Feathers, Meallan casts comprehend languages and repeatedly calls out for them...which attracts the attention of several apparently sentient gelatinous blobs as well as a humanoid being with glowing eyes. The party run away, and Meallan casts a fireball into the tunnel behind him.
Jim pops his head out of the cave ceiling. He is eating some lizard eggs- he is very enthusiastic about these eggs! He climbs down to join the party, and the assorted creatures chasing them seem more reluctant to approach now that the large bug-ape-being is present. Jim helps the party return to the surface. In exchange, the party tell him where to find the bodies of the Circle Enshadowed because- as Jim puts it- humanoids are the one thing tastier than eggs!
Jim burrows away. The party, grouped together on the cliffside and having done what they can to heal or conceal their various injuries, plan their next move. They want to find someone to cast speak with dead on Auzynros, but how to go about doing this? Khamet has a fantastic plan: the party should pretend to be a funeral procession on their way to the Everqueen’s Temple. Having been told that priests of Osiris wear white, Meallan disguises himself as what he expects a priest of Osiris would look like. Tally conjures little puffs of smoke at intervals, Anthony plays music from his phone, and Khamet recites ‘funerary rites’ in a language none of the party understand. Amani alone does not join the procession, instead veering off to meet with their family.
Wisp seems frightened at the prospect of entering the temple, and Meallan says he can stay outside with Aytal. While Wisp is hesitant given Aytal’s previous attitude towards him, he agrees that this sounds better than going inside. When they reach the temple Aytal leaps down from Meallan’s shoulders, Wisp scurries in rat form from his pocket (in full view of the party), and the duo run off to cause mischief together. As they leave, Tally tells them to be careful, and Wisp telepathically thanks Tally for their kind words.
Between them, the party sneak Auzynros into the temple, and approach the young priest Anzi about casting speak with dead on the body. Anzi directs the party into a hall at the back of the temple, where no worshippers will be disturbed by the party talking with a corpse. Here she casts the spell, and Tally is designated as the one whose questions Auzynros (or rather, as Anzi clarifies, a portion of his soul) will be compelled to answer in some fashion. Auzynros’ corpse inhales smoke from the burning incense, and its eyes glow unnaturally. Anzi indicates that Tally can begin.
Tally asks Auzynros why he left the Underdark and, on a related note, how he came to live in the temple ruins. The spirit mentions that he publicly shamed his House and the Shadow Queen, and fled to the surface to escape retribution. However, while he had heard the surface was ‘bright and warm’, he discovered it was instead quite cold. The Shadow Queen accepted him back conditionally, and he descended into the tunnels beneath Cai Shaan to live in the temple ruins.
Auzynros is asked how he came to worship the Everqueen. He mentions that she appeared to him in a dream, and that afterwards the Shadow Queen informed him that going forward he was to worship them both. He met the Shadow Queen’s avatar (a.k.a. ‘cleavage drow’) very shortly before the ceremony the party interrupted. He was to stab her with the god-forger in order to help restore the goddess to her full strength.
When asked why he was using iridilith on people, Auzynros predictably insisted they were criminals who only ever hurt others, and that this was their punishment. They were from the surface and the people on the surface are harsh and twisted. He insists he knows this to be true.
The five questions thus answered, the light leaves the corpse’s eyes and it exhales the smoke from its lungs, and again lies still. The party bury Auzynros near the temple with Anzi’s permission.
The party have a few things to attend to before leaving the temple. Khamet reaches out to the Everqueen, and learns that a fiend had been impersonating her in the subterranean ruins for some time. This was part of why she couldn’t see into those ruins, the other reason being her own sister’s influence. Khamet also expresses uncertainty about his intention to kill Will, as the latter has helped the party. The Everqueen reminds Khamet that fiends don’t do anything for selfless reasons. She explains that not all fiends are as mentally easy to fight as one who burns down villages: incubi work in more subtle ways to corrupt, and often the targets don’t even realise they are being manipulated. With renewed confidence in his purpose, Khamet thanks her and rejoins the party.
Also rejoining the party are Wisp and Aytal, apparently having stolen a couple of sausages, which they are carrying between them. Wisp especially seems very proud of himself. He climbs back into Meallan’s pocket while Aytal resumes his position atop the firbolg’s shoulders.
The party start out for the Institute of the Third Eye, where they will meet Amani after the latter is done visiting their family.
While the rest of the party are at the temple, Naila prepares dinner for Amani while Asariel pulls them aside to talk. The archmage reveals that they felt some connection to Night’s Peace, and reason that this means Amani’s sorcery originally came from her or a very similar entity. Amani explains that Illastra Noctuo, Serenity of Shadow, granted one of their ancestors shadow magic so that they could defeat a dragon who had for generations plagued their lands. Asariel points out that this ancestor seems to have knowingly accepted the gift of sorcery, and that it was given for a purpose that they understood. Night’s Peace, on the other hand, won’t reveal why it was that she unlocked Amani’s sorcerous potential. They feel this will end poorly, and caution Amani to be careful. As always, Amani maintains that they will be.
There is clearly more Asariel wishes to say, but they still haven’t fully collected their thoughts after the previous night, and so agree to speak more some other time. Amani asks their ren to contact them if anything big happens or if they decide they would like to talk about whatever it is they find it difficult to address. Asariel agrees to do so.
Amani talks with Naila about their recent underground adventures, omitting many of the more disturbing details. Isra wants to know if they’ve seen Night's Peace again today, and if the archfey can do the Supremely Cool Magic Isra assumes she can do? Amani says that no, they haven’t- but yes, Night’s Peace is very much capable of Cool Magic!
After a time, Amani leaves and meets up with the rest of the party at the Institute. The barrel fragments and iridilith are delivered to Aviina, who has the barrels taken away by Emily and a couple of students. The party persuade her to reward them each with 60gp, and to secure them passage to Lustross. Aviina will let the party know of the details when they are arranged.
The party go to Solstriana for a casting of legend lore. She names and describes the god-forger, and is able to tell the party the following (in addition to what they already know):
In the early days of the universe, when the strange vastness of astral space was all there was, the gods had all the power. There was an astral being (whose name is impossible to translate in modern terms), who was jealous of the gods, and powerful in the ways of magic. This being took the starmetal which was all that remained of a dead divinity, and in the star from which the being itself had been born created the god-forger blade.
A hilt was crafted from dreams and the anticipation of memories, lashed twice around with leather of a meteor’s hide, and the being set about trying to achieve its own power and immortality. But the being and its kin fell into squabbling and the being found that, ultimately, when it raised the dagger as a weapon in self-defense, the being itself took a great blow to its mind, and perished.
The dagger has rarely been utilised successfully, but a number of human gods and a few dwarven deities were raised to power with it, and the primary god (and creator!) of the aarakocra. As well as a single elven god, Glamori, who was the first to be deified by the god-forger. Glamori was originally an angel, fallen through hubris, and risen to new heights with the aid of the god-forger blade.
The item can only be successfully used every hundred years. Once used, it spends a hundred years 'recharging'. Being forged of the first stars is has an unbreakable link to astral space, and can be used to teleport one to the astral plane if they attune and use the command word, although this does come at a cost to the wielder.
A hilt was crafted from dreams and the anticipation of memories, lashed twice around with leather of a meteor’s hide, and the being set about trying to achieve its own power and immortality. But the being and its kin fell into squabbling and the being found that, ultimately, when it raised the dagger as a weapon in self-defense, the being itself took a great blow to its mind, and perished.
The dagger has rarely been utilised successfully, but a number of human gods and a few dwarven deities were raised to power with it, and the primary god (and creator!) of the aarakocra. As well as a single elven god, Glamori, who was the first to be deified by the god-forger. Glamori was originally an angel, fallen through hubris, and risen to new heights with the aid of the god-forger blade.
The item can only be successfully used every hundred years. Once used, it spends a hundred years 'recharging'. Being forged of the first stars is has an unbreakable link to astral space, and can be used to teleport one to the astral plane if they attune and use the command word, although this does come at a cost to the wielder.
Having gathered this information, the party return to the Party House, where we leave them for the time being.