^

Tl;dr: Another Elder Shard is successfully retrieved this time from the Mire of Bad Luck. At a high cost, though no adventurers died permanently.

Future Adventure Notes:
•The Mire of Bad Luck curse makes the best of successes into the worst of fails, multi-attackers beware.
•Ivy the Fairy tends a massive tree that has enchanted water flowing around it.
•Unclear if specific to this aberration or the swamp, but having a limb severed may introduce dangerous parasites into your body.

Session Title : Delta Shard Hunting Squad Part 2
Session DM : DGM
Session Date : 29 Jan 2022 @ 17:00 UTC
Session Risk : Unspecified

Characters:
•”Chronicler” and “Trailblazer” Bardy (Bard 15/Cleric 1) with Sisyphus the Pegasus (played by Tootired78)
•Katla (Fighter 12) (played by Arden)
•Joule (Barbarian 13/Fighter 3) (played by Tam)
•Nog (Fighter 12) (played by Trulhammaren)
•”Leader” Zak (Barbarian 3/Fighter 12) (played by Carric)
with special guests:
•”Cartographer” and “Scout” Eight (Monk 15/Wizard 2) (played by Konopa)
•Chemist (Rogue 1/Wizard 16) with Keri the Ghost (played by Wanderer)

~Returned from my most recent adventure, feeling blessed to have two arms still
Bardy~

Eight’s previous research into known Elder Shard locations had yielded one in The Mire of Bad Luck, the swamp outside the DRM portal. Zak had been there on the previous exploration and informed us of possible hazards and the creature that held the shard. (He has a very vivid painting and story, apparently it ripped off one of his arms and its slashing attacks are enhanced with psychic pain.) Eight gathered us up and we made plans to go through the portal in the morning, taking time to make some magical preparations during the night.

We collected the LOS portal stones, then opened the portal to DRM. Immediately we felt an unusual pull, and somehow we knew we would be less lucky here. Near the portal was a sign with the words “Nature is not to be disturbed here.” Aside from the sign, the portal, and a short trail away from the portal the entire area was covered by untamed nature. We saw twisted trees growing out of a bog and a flowing river, covered in algae.

DRM Portal

Moving around, Katla noticed a form swimming in the river. An oddly beautiful, genderless troll. Zak started to shout “Jijel!” to get its attention. (I could not understand the conversation that occurred, but I am told that Jijel referred to Zak as “the bringer of meats”) Nog, Zak and Jijel spoke for several minutes. (I was told Jijel initially wanted to eat one of us but was placated with the promise of us bringing something for it to eat.)

Jijel talked about how there was no big fish in the river, and that a flying fish was near splashing water (a waterfall perhaps?) to the south. We were unsure if this description matched our prey that day, and asked Zak to further his recollection of his previous journey. Zak recalled a massive tree to the west that was a landmark on the way to where the creature. We ventured west. (Joule’s power allowed us to travel unimpeded, otherwise this land would be difficult to pass through.)

The massive tree, teeming with vibrant life, was visible from quite a distance. It was growing from a watery basin, the water flowing so clean and crisp, magic energy apparent to all. Eight noticed a small beautiful creature, flying around the leaves of the tree. A female fairy, armed with a toothpick bow.

Ivy

Eight greeted her, causing her to notice our party. She seemed wary of our group, and asked why we were there, then pointed at Zak and said he was “with that piece of fur shit” who attacked them before (who in their right minds attacks fairies unprovoked?). Zak responded that “he’s dead now”, and reminded the fairy that his previous group had killed some creatures for her, then offered to kill a bigger creature for the fairy.

The fairy responded by asking if he meant to “kill the thing touched by madness, not created by nature.” Zak decided to make it clear what our prey was, showing the fairy his painting. The fairy recoiled and begged him to put it away. She then said that its lair was close to the creatures Zak’s group had killed before, (referred to as The Infected.) northwest from the tree within a day of travel.

Asked for her name she told us it was Ivy, and said one day we might one prove ourselves worth using her name. Katla asked if she could drink from the flowing water. Ivy asked “what makes you think you’re worthy?” to which Katla pointed out that Zak and his group had already done her a favour. Ivy then said “your friend did take out a nuisance and (she) did promise aid, ok, for killing the smaller infected group, five of you may drink.” (Those who drank reported feeling more alert and awake than usual.)

As we set out northwest of the tree, Ivy said “don’t get killed, but maybe death preferable.” (while ominous I can easily think of several possibilities where death is better than the alternative.) As we moved into the area the terrain began to shift from overflowing with life to drained of life, decrepit.

There was a light fog, and skeletons of dead creatures and humanoids amidst the bog, growing more numerous the deeper we went. (Joule took a moment to commune with nature but said she found nothing.) We kept going deeper, eventually finding an area which started having cocoons hanging from the decayed trees. Zak thought this was the right area.

We took a few moments to prepare for a fight and then tried to find any sign of this areas inhabitants, (unwisely spreading apart.) Nog went to examine a cocoon when he was attacked by a shimmering creature. (More shimmers became apparent to those of us capable of perceiving them. A massive shimmer was directly beside Zak.)

This started a long, lethal encounter with a gargantuan creature, and four smaller (but still pretty large) creatures. The gargantuan creature was incredibly dangerous, using its six arms to lash out at anything in reach, grappling those it could. (Eventually we managed to dispel its invisibility and saw the horror from Zak’s painting in the flesh).

Gargantuan revealed after dispelling invisibility.

The smaller creatures seemed capable of dominating their targets after hitting them a few times. Nog was forced to hit Katla at one point. (Thankfully we killed one and managed to use magic to keep the other three out of the fight.) The Mire of Bad Luck negative effect was quite detrimental to our fighters in their attacks.

Four of these smaller creatures.

The gargantuan aberration was also a spellcaster, and it grew more ferocious the more damaged it was. Chemist’s magic to prevent death was instrumental to our success. As the aberration grew more wounded, it started eating the cocoons, which would cause some of its wounds to close. In its ferocity it managed to tear an arm (it was oddly against left arms this day) off of Katla, Zak, Chemist and Eight.

When it took Eight’s arm it also killed him, which caused the Elder Shard he carried to be released. The creature took it and absorbed it, but was killed shortly after (thank Oghma, if it had time to gain power from that shard we would all surely have died). When it died, it released the Elder Shard it had taken from Eight and also one it had itself.

Elder Shard

After the fight ended, dead on the ground were Eight, Zak and Nog. (Nog’s death was unusual, he was not killed directly by the creature, he was fighting with Chemist’s magic defying death, seemed to rally and then the swamp’s curse of bad luck twisted his rally into death. Near the end Joule managed an impressive defiance of death, absorbing several hits before being dropped.)

Chemist declared that Eight had asked Chemist to take his shard should he die, and so Chemist did. We elected to throw Nog at the other shard, hoping that as had once happened to Eight, it might revive him. The Elder Shard pierced into Nog’s body and was then absorbed, and Nog’s wounds then closed. His body began to twitch and with magical healing he woke. A Council Obelisk (maybe The Council Obelisk, I do no know if there is more than one) came by and shined a red light on Eight’s corpse, causing him to wake.

We searched around a bit (finding a shining scimitar), collected the severed arms and Zak’s body then began the walk back to the portal. We input the LOS portal stones and arrived safely back in Ruined Oak. (When we revived Zak, he informed us that those whose arms had been severed had been infected with parasites and would need to seek out someone named Rose to have the parasites burned from their body, which must be done within two days, before the parasites reach the brain and kill the host. In addition to finding someone capable of regrowing their arm for them.)