SS.3.3 Brink of the Void

Session Preface:

Each eye, one natural, the other foreign and abstract, paints a vastly different picture of the scene before you. In your natural vision, you so clearly see the behemoth monstrosity, manipulating the barbaric half-orc you only met hours ago as he reels back from a desperate defense by Parathrax. The lightning dwelling inside you swells like a storm swirling in frustration and the fraying of your patience erupts from your throat like a scream against each delay and distraction from the task at hand. Your natural eye follows the streaks of lightning as they spark, scorch, and crawl up the tentacles of this demented creature. As it slowly burns away and falls to the ground, a smirk breaks across your face, for you are finally within arms reach of that which The Watcher leads you towards.   This unnatural eye, while taking in the sensory details around you - Endriel knocked unconscious, Parathrax seemingly overburdened by some unseen weight, nearly dead himself, and the half-orc now collapsed onto the ground as this monster rolls off of his form and lies defeated - does not regard any of these as meaningful. These realities, painted in rough strokes and impressions of the truth, are trivial when so near to the source of truth itself. Within the fused-flesh-crown of the creature, burning like a radiant purple star in a night sky void, is the gem which called, no beckoned, no summoned you into this strange portal world floating far above the city of Neverwinter.   It calls, beckons, summons you forward, silently whispering promises no other artifact could ever uphold. But the gravitational pull towards this ancient relic and precious power assures you its offers are valid and for you alone. As your body moves subconsciously towards your treasure, your mind can already see, whether through your natural or stone eye you cannot tell, yourself growing closer to meeting the Nestmother, the wretched and revered Ragnalla who haunts your dreams and consumes your thoughts. The vision of the black hole around which you and countless others orbit finally revolving to meet your gaze nearly overwhelms you with anticipation.   The desire and draw pulse through your entire body, washing over your mind in waves. This consuming and invigorating charge is severed abruptly as both the natural and cosmic vision grow dark. Your mind swims, dizzied by sharp pain. A searing pain courses through your veins and the ground rises to meet you as a quiet, sneering voice rings out "Malus, sends his regards."   Parathrax, the radiant white light of your desperate prayer fades away, its warmth still palpable against your scales. Your assailant, Thokk, no longer under the control of this repugnant foe, collapses before you, likely under the same unnatural exhaustion you struggle against even just to stay on one knee. As soon as this realization passes through your mind, you hear the startling snores of the half-orc, confirming your perception. Repelling against the avalanche of aching and drowsiness you feel, you manage to rise to your feet, your armor like an anchor in a stormy sea. You sway and stumble as your feet begrudgingly take the weight and struggle to stabilize. It's only just after you find your footing and look towards your brother as a figure shroud in shadow and feathers looms behind him, whispers, and lets the form of your brother fall towards you limp and lifeless, splashes of crimson brushstrokes staining his cloak and stone floor below.  

Session Summary:

Following the harrowing battle with the Willmonger, the party is unable to even catch their breath before an assassin strikes down Vorothruun in hopes of gathering the gems they have collected and escaping. Parathrax and Thokk quickly fell on the assailant, managing to gravely injure the drow in his crimson feathered cloak. Even so, the nimble dark elf managed to pilfer Vorothruun's Rod of the Pactkeeper and dive through the portal. Thokk immediately gave chase while Parathrax quickly tended to his brother and ensured Endriel's wellbeing. The party made their way out of the painted dimension and found the thief mounting a griffon and beginning to flay away.   In a moment of quick-thinking and resolve, Endriel sprinted towards the garden wall, nocked his arrow, teleported to the rooftop and struck his target true. The body of the assassin fell down to the rooftop, where Endriel managed to catch him before he or the attacker following through the clouds to the city below.   After taking a moment to collect themselves, the party discovered a letter on the person of the assassin, and made their way back to the mirror portal. Here Vorothruun retrieved the Tentacle, the third devotion of Ragnalla, which magically forged itself into a dark silver amulet for him to wear. The party then met once more with Olthanas. The cloud giant thanked them deeply for bringing the betrayal within his keep to his attention, honoring the party with Ostarian-crafted treasure, a Ring of Cold Resistance and Spear of Dragon Slaying. Olthanas swore to return to his father the Count and to work to sway his opinion to hold off an assault against the small people of the Sword Coast.   Upon returning to the surface, the companions found a much needed rest at the familiar Dancing Stallion. The next day they began preparations for the next leg of their journey, which it seems would now take them once more to the City of Splendors, Waterdeep.    

Parathrax's Vision

  As you nearly collapse from exhaustion, the moment of your salvation flashes before your eyes once more. With each individual paintstroke, you see the massive maul of your companion Thokk falling to meet your skull. In desperate your arms swing wildly, reaching for your shield, but not in time. You instinctively raise your arms, hoping your bracers will absorb enough of the force to keep your vital organs from being crushed within your armor. As the maul meets your armor, a white radiant light wraps around you, pushing back your attacker. But the light does not start in your bracers, but rather from somewhere inside your chest.     Pulsing from you, the white light, bursts forth, reaching past the armslength of Thokk, knocking him and the demented creature over him to the ground. The light then transforms, wings sprouting from the center as a tail grows behind it. This dragon enraptured in light circles through this painted reality, casting everything in a shimmering white and would-be blinding light. Except for Vorothruun. As you turn to look at your brother, there is a void and shadow over him that is not extinguished by this radiant presence. Instead the swirling mist of darkness around him pulses in defiance, as if it were tangible and with purpose. The draconic light manifestation dives from the arched ceiling towards the shadow. The two forces meet in an explosion of force, light and darkness, radiance and shadowing both swallowing you whole in equal measure. You shield your eyes, your vision swimming for a moment as the painting returns back to its original hue. Yet as you look back up the stairs towards your brother, the dark shadowing void surrounding him remains.  

Other Notes:

 

Loot

Ring of Cold Resistance - resistance to cold damage and extreme cold temperatures affect you 2x slowly   Spear of Dragon Slaying - 1d6+ against dragons on each hit. On a critical hit against a dragon it deals an additional Xd4 force damage where X is the number of dragons it has slain. That number is currently 4.   The Tentacle - A devotion of Ragnalla, allows a warlock to substitute one of their eldritch blasts for the spell Ensnaring Strike and for the next eldritch blast to count as a catalyst for the spell's effects.  

NPCs Met

Crimson Crow Veratrum:
A drow with grey-purple skin, narrow red eyes, a sharp and crooked nose, and long white hair tied high behind his elven ears. He wears reinforced leather armor under a dark cloak of feathers, each dipped in crimson so that as he moves, waves and splashes of blood seem to flow through the fabric. At his belt are a series of daggers, a crossbow, and several vials of varying hues.   Olthanas
Son of Count Stratovan, a peace-intending Cloud Giant who travelled to Neverwinter to warn the Lord's Alliance of his father's plans and to strike a negotiation of peace.