Session 31 - A Dire Situation

76th of Summer

 

Redcap Swarm

Piers has been stabbed three times by a Redcap, a fey creature that resembles a feral gnome, and he is surrounded by several more. Hart lashes out from within the dome, attack them from safety and breaking their faces against the dome. Meera, Abbit, and Nôx fire their ranged weapons from the safety of the dome, while Krud and Talitha move outside to draw attention off Piers.   One Redcap yells at another -- that Piers isn't supposed to be harmed according to orders from "The Lady," and they'll get in trouble if they attack him! Focus on the others, you dolt!   The Redcaps are dispatched with relative ease, and Meera manages to reap one of their souls for interrogation after the battle. She asks the Redcap's soul about the master they serve. The soul echo responds with: "Lady Sunniva. So powerful. So pretty." Its power expended, the Redcap's soul moves on to the afterlife.   Abbit communes with Hoo'Ax'Dyuu to inquire further. In his questioning, he learns that Sunniva is a powerful being not to be trifled with, but she has a special relationship with Piers and she will not be automatically hostile to the group.   Traumatized by so many gnome like things in one area, Krud turns back into a turtle.    

A Magical Fruit Tree

The party continues their adventure upriver, and comes upon a large multi-colored tree in a small pocket of the Feywild. Faeries fly around it in a great rotating cloud. It is growing large colorful fruits. Birds, lemurs, and other creatures are feasting on the delicious fruit, and the party can see some changing as they eat. Some turn invisible. Some grow in size and strength. It is clear each individual fruit grants unique benefits when eaten.   Abbit asks Malikathar to go hunt one of those tasty looking faeries instead. Mak misses his first few attacks but eventually grabs one in his owl talons and returns to Abbit. Oh god, this isn't a bug. This is a tiny tiny person with wings! Oh no! She's badly injured and making pained sounds. Abbit casts Cure Wounds on her upon realizing his mistake, and she flies off in an angered huff.   Piers then casts Speak with Animals and asks the lemurs to go fetch some fruit for the party. They agree in exchange for some of Hart's breakfast tacos. Each person receives a fruit. Abbit and Meera eat theirs immediately. Abbit hears whispers and is granted Telepathy for 24 hours. Meera's muscles swell as her entire body bulks up, gaining advantage on strength checks. She beats Hart at a quick arm wrestling contest and is quite happy with herself.   The others gain various abilities. Talitha also gains Telepathy. Hart's grants him a bountiful number of temporary hit points, but he wants to use it later. Piers will have resistance to poison damage. Nôx will have advantage on all saving throws against spells and magical effects.    

Arsonists?!

The group later crosses paths with a group of antisocial rangers, who toss a bird of out its nest (offending Piers) and seemingly intending to burn down a tree using lantern oil and kindling. The group initially chases them off and Piers seizes the oil. But then they realize they may keep doing this, since Showsni warned the group that the Hegemony intends to burn down the forest. They warn the Great Deku Tree via Sending, who responds that she'll take care of it. A few minutes later, some treants awake and the group hears screaming from behind them -- as the treants surely kill the intruders.    

Harpies and..... A Dire Troll!

The group is walking along the river road when Talitha is nearly hit by something dropped from the tree canopy. The smell hits. It's rancid, rotten meat and organs. It smells awful. Piers recognizes the threat. He tells the group that harpies are up in the trees, and they may be trying to bait something else to attack them. And that something turns out to be a dire troll. A giant, deadly troll that absorbs body parts into itself -- granting it several heads, many more mouths, and at least five arms.   Talitha stuns it out of the gate using Psychic Lance.   Various party members are charmed by the harpy songs, which leave them unable to attack or properly defend themselves. The song compels them to get as close to the harpy as possible while ignoring everything around them. This allows the Dire Troll to close in on half of the party, unleashing a frightening five attacks per turn. New Moose is killed.... again.   Piers, Meera, and Hart find themselves facing off against the Dire Troll. Hart breaks free of enchantment and unleashing four powerful attacks with his chair, doing over 90 points of damage in one go. Meera uses her rapier to stay in melee range, and manages to stun the Troll with a critical hit from her offhand crossbow attack. Piers unleashes his smites while tanking a considerable amount of damage. Talitha, Nôx, and Abbit tangle with the harpies, systematically killing them with ranged attacks or -- in Abbit's case -- flying up to stab at them with his Ancient Sword.   The bodies of the enemies are wrapped in pink magic after they are slain and scavenged, and disappear completely -- seemingly disintegrated by some unseen power.    

First Camp - Scrying on Nali

After a very eventful day, the group finally beds down later that afternoon. Whew. Nôx puts up the Tiny Hut for the night.   Abbit dispels one of the orbs they received from the Scarred Devil with the assistance of Talitha's inspiration. He then uses it as the component needed for Scrying. He uses his first Scry on Nali Goldenclaws. It is successful. He receives a real time vision of an elderly Nali Goldenclaws.   She is in a tube, with tubes hooked up to her body. She is in some kind of Hegemony laboratory. Helpless and alone. They are running tests on her. She seems to be in some kind of stasis, but must be conscious to a degree if she was able to reply to Abbit's Sending. They drain some of her blood and begin evaluating it with some alchemical equipment. Lots of potions and elixirs here. Abbit sees an older Hylian with long brown hair, braided, who seems to be in charge. A wizard with a spellbook on his hip.   Sad. :(    

Late Night Conversations

Abbit later talks to Piers about the story Ransom told -- maybe the original legend they heard about Roland was wrong. Maybe Roland was trying to protect his kids after all by hiding them on another plane. Curious. Abbit also mentions that Naydra had an entire room devoted to the Silent Guardians. Maybe there are records of them there. Worth a revisit someday, perhaps.   Hart and Nôx have a conversation about "maintaining kayfabe" and how Hart is relieved that he can be his real self around this group -- with Nôx agreeing that it is a relief for both of them not have to maintain "character" all the time.  

77th of Summer

 

Wood Elves in Training

The party encounters an older Wood Elf trying to train his apathetic teenage grandchildren in the ways of the forest. They are 90 years old! It's time to start acting their age! Abbit starts saying the same about his group (fair).   They ask about Lady Sunniva. The Wood Elf pretends not to know the name, clearly intimidated. But with some prodding, the group learns she is a powerful Fey witch from the Unseelie Court -- the division of fey who enjoy sowing chaos and pain. Not quite an archfey. But still dangerous. She's started taking over more of the forest now that Veteran, the local archfey, has been missing for the last few years. He says not to mess with her. She loves to make "deals" with people and is very tricksy.   This is fine.    

A Letter for Piers

A fairy arrives with a letter, written in fine calligraphy. It is Lady Sunniva, inviting Piers back toward his grove, where she apparently lives. She would very much like to meet with him now that he's returned to the forest. Strange. Piers accepts the invitation and sends a reply.   This is also fine.    

Campestri Cataclysm

The second day is far more peaceful, with the group first encountering a grove of mushrooms around noon. They all have little happy smiling faces. And they sway back and forth in anticipation, clearly excited to see some humanoids. Talitha dances. They dance more. Piers then suggests they all perform for them. Everyone pulls out their instruments while Piers begins to sing.   And the campestri mushrooms begin to perfectly mimic the combination of bagpipes, harmonica, off-key ocarina, and Piers's voice. Except in a much higher pitch. And very nasal. It's grotesque and deafening. And they don't stop, repeating the music again and again and again.   The mushrooms set off other campestri mushrooms scattered around the Lost Woods, and the group hears the abomination version of their band play all day. And all night. Increasingly deranged as the mushroom ends up playing a game of "telephone," with each one further butchering the song in small variations.   It lasts all night. But it drives away monsters, so there's that.    

Second Camp

Talitha takes watch with Nôx. Talitha asks how he's doing, having noticed him be a little snippy towards Meera. She is pretty direct -- are you going to be grumpy forever, man? Nôx is taken a little off guard and finally opens up. He admits to having slept with Meera after Naydra, but has been hurt by her behavior after the fact. She had said that they should get to know each other better, and they'd had deep conversations, and now it just feels like she emotionally manipulated him into bed and doesn't actually care in the slightest. And it's been embarrassing. He used to have to do things like that for the Zal'saar -- seducing people for information and such -- and it's a gross feeling. He's unhappy.   Talitha says that he should talk to Meera. Or just fuck her really good so that she'll always think of him, even if she tries hooking up with other people. Another Gerudo once told her that! Seemed to work! Nôx is a little confused by the advice. He concludes that maybe Meera is more like Chikara than she thinks.   Meera pretends to be asleep for this conversation, but hears all of it.     Abbit later takes watch with Meera. They talk about past sins, and what it feels like to atone -- and if anything will ever feel like it will be "enough." Abbit says no. Probably not. It doesn't work like that. Bad doesn't offset good, or vice versa. They're two different columns. The bad stuff never gets undone, but hopefully you can just commit to being good going forward.   Meera doesn't mention the Nôx situation. But rather muses on her nature and who she really is. She's not sure if she wants to completely move away from the "original" her.   Malikathar offers advice that mortals worry too much about what other people think. Just be your true self. Sheesh. Oh, sorry, the real people were talking.    

Dire Warnings from the Gods

Abbit uses Divination to ask Hoo'Ax'Dyuu about the threat they face. He confirms that Sunniva is dangerous, and that fate's not quite set -- things could go either way depending on what the party chooses to do.     While sleeping that evening, everyone, even those who don't have strong connection to divinity, receive visions. All warnings.   First, Nôx has a visit from his patron for the first time since forming their pact. He says that Lady Sunniva is a bad lady who ruins all of his toys and that she should be killed! W...why? Because she's a bad person who tricks people! That doesn't make for fun games! She needs to go! Kill her.   Talitha receives a vision from the Sand Goddess, with the sands of the Innagos Desert tossed up in a dire sandstorm, warning her to stay true to her path and don't stray from it.   Hart has a vision of a Texas twister, feeling that he might be taken by the storm if he wanders too close to it.   Piers's ethereal voice contacts him, telling him that he may learn some uncomfortable truths and he needs to prepare. Whatever magic that witch has, it blocks the angelic guide from seeing exactly what threat lies ahead. This may be a battle of wits instead of a battle of swords.   Meera then, for the first time in any of her lives, is contacted by Lazu. Who appears as someone chained up in a dark void. They can shift their form at will, to any gender, but they have bright red hair and swirling red eyes. Lazu states that Meera cannot let herself be taken in by this witch -- she is Lazu's, and she cannot waste such a precious soul. When Meera asks for additional strength to combat the threat, Lazu scoffs and pushes Meera aside, saying that strength is earned rather than given. Be smart.    

78th of Summer

And with all those dire warnings, the party wakes the next day, ready to confront Piers's mysterious past.