There was Glitter at some point
DM-Justenrules
Players: Lyric, Ame, Karash, Cyndar, Dust, Abu, Tar
The Ways of WHI Table of Content
Once again, I found myself in the accompaniment of Lyric, Cyndar, Dust, and Abu, as we began making preparation to head to the land of WHI. Ame and Karash had joined our group as well and things seemed hopeful as we went to see Rose at the Kef guildhall. It seems that poor little Rose has not been growing as fast as some would think she should and perhaps the answers lay in her old stomping grounds. Fearing that little Rose may or would suffer gravely from a portal trip, we stayed the night in Ruined Oak and I prepared some preventative magic to keep her safe. This would however turn out to highly unnecessary as Rose was not even remotely phase by the travel. However, the small delay allowed fortune to smile on us as it was decided that maybe bringing some gifts for a woman that Dust and Lyric knew would be in order. The name escapes me at this time, but I had the sense that whoever she was she was respect by them and we were lucky that the one known as Te’sil whip up a batch of wonderful cookies for us.
We made our way to the portal and I must say it was different from the ones I had previously travel through. As we arrived the presence of large black tentacle tendrils set a very ominous mood.
Upon our arrival the place was dark, dismal, and damp as a heavy torrent of rain descended on us. The drops pelted us relentlessly as we made our way to a ruined city to the west of the portal. Along the way we discussed various ways to cross the lava river which laid to the east of the portal and which seem to block further expansion into the main land. In the future having some way to fly across it would the easiest way, however the events that unfolded quickly took our minds off this endeavor.
We arrived at the ruined city and were met by a very daft populace. It was explained to me by Dust and Lyric that the corruption of the land made the minds of the inhabitant idle. They seem to be lost in their own world as they went about various task and interaction seeming oblivious to their surrounding and each other.
We traversed the town until we arrived at Rose’s temple. It was then explained to me how Rose was, or as I should say before Her rebirth, the protector, mentor, and guardian to the people of the town. Maybe in time and as Her powers grows she can regain that position to what it was before. The temple was in tatters and ill-repair and I was told that evil creature known as feeders in the darkness were responsible for the destruction. Rose could not remember where they came from, even after consulting an orb book which contained her memoirs. It seemed that for some reason key details were intentional left out of Her notes. As to the purpose of Her former self doing this one could only speculate.
Rose’s Temple
We spent the night in the temple and I witness a strange sight as Rose slept upon old altar. Four glowing orbs surrounded her and began to slowly rotate around her, it appeared that throughout the night the rotation of the orbs quickened and there was a dramatic rise in ambient temperature to the point that anyone outside the Leomund’s tiny hut was severely discomforted. Except for Cyndar of course being a flame wizard.
It was also in the middle of the night that several of the party members had heard what was best described as chains rattling from somewhere below. Dust informed me that there was a basement down below in which She had ventured once before with another group. During their brief exploration they had found a room that had previously been seal with runes. I had remember reading a log about that exploit in which they mentioned encountering a boy which they found out later was a ghost or specter of some sort and was possibly killed by whatever had been sealed away in that room.
Lion with a snake tail
Feeling confident with our group we descended down into the darkness of the cellar and found many long hallways and adjoining rooms. The first room contained three suits of plate armor and we soon discovered that upon removing the helmets there were symbols on the walls. The first Symbol was that of Rose’s Grandmother, who symbolized life and destruction. The next was a symbol of a Lion with a snake body and was of one that symbolized light and justice and wraith for those who hide in the darkness. I did not get a look at the third one but I was told it was another Archon. “In hindsight I bet it symbolized wet and wiggly”
We encountered several strange doorways through out our time in the basement that were radiant with a tan disk, which Rose overcame by throwing a large rocks through them. I must say I liked her style, a rock to the face or to a door is always a good strategy.
We then proceeded to another room with a large mural on the western wall of the same Lion with a snake body. There was a door in such a location as to be in the very maw of the beast.
Rose’s Grandmother
The Next room was Rose’s Grandmother’s Room. The floor here was made out of metal and there were eye stalks under glass at each of the two door ways. Sensor of some sort?
Tentacle’s of Death
The next room had a more nautical feel to it and reminded me of my time at Sea.
There was a room with four status beyond the locked door, with four statues one for each of the Archon’s I think, not very versed in that lore yet.
Running of Fumes
Things were starting to get critical when Lyric started popping good berries down like I do mugs of Rum, and let me tell I can drop em. Heroically Abu scaled the adversity by literally scaling Lyric and stopping her from dying from, “die-a-be-tee” I think he called it. This is were Te’sil kind act of making cookies saved the party, as I was able to lure them back to the exit with the cookie’s in their mad dash to consume everything eatable. Then Abu was able to convince them to exit the basement.
With the basement episode behind us we headed to the nearest bar where we camp out in front of in the Leomund’s tiny hut.
The next morning we headed back to the portal and on the way we found a holy symbol in the dirt and then a little further we encounter one to the daft residents reading a book in the pouring rain. The book was about destroyed at this point, but when Lyric waved the holy symbol in front of him there seem like a light came on in his head. A dim one but it was there. He thought Lyric was Estara , maybe it was because Lyric had Aelcess’s tattoo on her arm, but then began ranting about having completed his trail. It seem his trial was to either make a ring or retrieve I know not which, but he gave the ring to Lyric.
One of the party members said that the ring is something one of Estara follower had made, and that Estara is very protection of the gifts her followers make. While the ring was of good quality it was not as perfected as it needed to be to have been from Estara . Lyric asked him his name and he said it was Jonathan Greenbough, which seem very familiar to Dust and Lyric but they just could not put there finger on where from. Dust then suggested he get back to his family and the man departed.
As we near the portal there a funeral pyre with the skeletal remains of a female Asimar on it. With a lot of effort and assistance from Abu, Cyndar was able to burn it all up despite the constant rain.
Finally back at the portal we return to home and Rose was taken back to the KEF guildhall.