Skyfell - Rise of the Glutton : Session 31

 

Introduction

A little while back I started a once-per-month Dungeons and Dragons campaign in my Skyfell setting that I call The Rise of the Glutton. I wanted to provide my players with a log of their adventures and then realized that such a log might make for fun blog posts. See Rise of the Glutton in my Session Index for a complete listing.

The cast is:

Tabbi (played by Jeff) - male tabaxi, Sorcerer monk (Divine Soul)
Drekzhar (played by Dan) - male minotaur, Bardic rogue (College of Swords, Swashbuckler)
Tauffae Twofeather Topshelf (played by Rodney) - male orc, Fighter (Champion)
Meribore Softwalker (played by Laura) - female fitbolg, Druid (Circle of the Moon)

Session 31 - Little Roots Burrow : Into Darkness

Preparation

What can I say about preparation for this one?

This session was only two weeks after the previous session and I felt more pressure to get the summary written than to actually prepare for the game. I had already done the vast majority of planning in the days building up to the first session of this arc. So, there wasn't much to do there. Rather than dismantling the Heroscape map from Session 30, I kept it happily tucked away in my office, ready for Session 31.

(On a completely different note, have you heard the good word? They're bringing back Heroscape with an all new base set. I've been drooling over this news and the concept art that the creative staff at Avalon Hill have been sharing on their Discord. Holy smokes, it looks rad! They even have this all too brief teaser trailer. This news is almost as exciting as the re-issue of Heroquest and the release of Spelljammer 5e.)

I finally drew up a map of the island; this was a task that had slipped my mind for the previous session. 

Map of Little Roots

I also worked through some more plot points and anecdotes that would help the story along. Adding these new points to my notes, I did notice that I had missed out on an important detail in Session 30. As usual, in the excitement of the moment, I had neglected to consult my notes. I discovered this mistake just the day before the session and I really got worried that I had tanked my entire story, or at least the mood I was trying to establish. It took a full day of fretting to work out a patch. Honestly, though, I think I like what I came up with in those moments of panic better than what I had plotted. But man, I really need to be more mindful sometimes.

One of my players had been sick, and both his wife and daughter also got sick leading up to game day. He bowed out. So, my own daughter, who is home for summer break from college, pinch hit so that we had a full table. She subbed for Tabbi's player.

Pre-game

I had my daughter sit at the table a full half hour before game time so that she could familiarize herself with Tabbi and the backstory. She has neither played a sorcerer nor a monk, so there was a lot to go over. (These characters are level 9 after all and they have a lot of powers.) And the story thus far has been pretty rich. There was a lot to cover and she was "nervous" that she'd mess up. Now, I've spent a lot of time running one-shots for new players at public events. (I'm going to be running a Stranger Things themed one-shot here pretty soon for Time2Tabletop.) Invariably, new players are almost always worried that they are going to "mess up" and "do something wrong." I spend a lot of time reassuring them that this is a game. There are no mistakes in a game. Just happy accidents. (Where have I heard that before?)

Dungeon Master in the Morning,
Complete with Inspiring Shirt
And Epic Bed Head

And even if mistakes are made (more than likely by me to be honest, ha!), that's fine too. What I found interesting here was that my daughter, who has been playing Dungeons and Dragons in various ways since there was only the Player's Handbook and the Dungeon Masters Guide, was nervous to join in. Not because she didn't know the rules but because she didn't know this particular table and its dynamics.

This was something I hadn't really considered before. I mean, I've always said that getting a good tabletop RPG group together is like dating. Sometimes things fall flat and sometimes things click into place with amazing speed and sometimes there's a slow build up. But I hadn't considered a totally separate (but related) point. Jumping into an established group is also hard for a player. It is the dungeon master's job, then, to make that player feel as welcomed as any other player at their table. Luckily, there is a lot of love at our table. I've been fortunate enough to strike gold with every player in this particular campaign (and at my brief effort to run The Clockwork Files campaign) from the start. They also made it easier to help make my daughter, as a guest at the table, as comfortable as she could be. 

Once the group was assembled, we chatted for a bit and got caught up on current events. I delivered my usual recap, adding extra detail for my daughter's sake. Along the way, we slipped into very juvenile "potty" humor. (This frame of mind stuck through the entire session. While it slowed the story, it was a hoot. I don't think I've laughed so hard in a very long time. I certainly needed it. I think the others did too. Laughter really is the best medicine. And the point of the game is the comradery and friendship. So I cherished the evening as much, if not more, than other sessions of this campaign.)

After wiping away many tears of laughter, I trying to erase several very stubborn mental images from my mind, we got started.

In-game

Our heroes were well positioned around the mouth of the talus cave as Meribore, in pachycephalosaur form, acted as bait for the evil creatures they were certain dwelled within the darkness. She limped around the entrance, moaning loudly, as a wounded and vulnerable creature might behave. At first, it seemed the act was failing, but then the ambient glow of the equi-light reflected off the shiny carapaces of giant spiders eager to take advantage of the easy meal.

Spiders Emerge from the Cave

Immediately, Meribore was hit with two blasts of sticky webbing that pinned her to the ground. Tauffae prepared Midgloom's Dark Bite to cut down the creatures but as they emerge from the cave, the area around the cave mouth shimmered with a visual disturbance. It was as though for a few moments, there were two versions of the area superimposed upon but slightly out of phase with each other. The disturbance flickered away, taking with it the spiders. All the animal remains that had been scattered around the entrance also disappeared, as did the overpowering stench of undead flesh.

Tauffae, who had been prepared to hack the creatures apart with Midgloom's Dark Bite, rushed forward convinced that the spiders were still there. A few well-placed swings confirmed, however, that there certainly was nothing where he had expected there to be carapace. He advanced into the cave, feeling with his feet for any invisible obstacles and swinging his sword anywhere he believed an invisible giant spider might be lurking.

Meanwhile, Drekzhar helped Meribore out of the webbing. 

Tauffae Advances
Drekzhar Helps Meribore

Tabbi attempted an acrobatic descent from above the cave but stumbled and crashed to the ground. He, of course, landed on his feet with mostly only his pride bruised.

Tauffae very quickly made his way to the back of the cave, which turned out to be a single chamber formed by huge boulders and slabs of rock that had fallen on each other at odd angles. A few more swings of his sword led him to conclude that all was clear.

Hearing that there was no sign of the spiders, Tabbi joined Tauffae. Together the two began examining the walls, floor, and ceiling for any clue that might either explain the spiders' disappearance or the disturbance they had all witnessed. Their investigation was, shall we say, inefficient, and they found nothing of relevance.

Outside, Drekzhar and Meribore were also trying to process what they had seen. They noticed that all the low fog that had blanketed the forest during mid-gloom had burned away with the coming of equi-light. It occurred to Drekzhar that the disturbance and disappearance of the spiders also coincided with the coming of equi-light. This got him wondering if the two were not somehow related.

Meribore realized that the entire area in front of the cave now looked as though nothing had been living there for quite some time. The grass was more or less undisturbed and the few animal tracks that she could distinguish were old and nearly completely weathered away. This made her double check the trail that they had followed to the cave (the one made by the gluttons' creatures as they dragged the pachycephalosaur's corpse through the woods). The trail was definitely intact up to the little flat area of land in front of the cave entrance. The trail ended abruptly here, though, as if something had come by and completely erased it with a single, hard swipe. 

Excited to bring this to the attention of her comrades, Meribore dropped her wild shape and quickly pointed out her discovery to Drekzhar. Together, they concluded that some magic had created a weak point between Skyfell and another plane so that the two had overlapped. This magical effect had a definite boundary. This would be caused by either a spellcaster standing within the cave or by a magical device planted in the cave. Armed with this information, they both went into the cave to join Tauffae and Tabbi in their investigation.

Against the back wall furthest from the entrance, Meribore spotted an area where the rock appeared to be sweating. Beneath the beads of water, there was a sigil written with white pigment. Tauffae had a sudden memory of seeing this marking before, way back on The Clockworks of Carnage, in the secret temple they had found beneath The Stomper's quarters. In that temple, there had been a statue of a undead being with pointed ears (see Session 19).

Creepy Statue of Undead Female
Source: HeroForge design and
digital composites using images from Pexels

The same sigil that was written on the cave wall had also been in that temple, naming the being as Kiaransalee. Meribore recalled that Kiaransalee was a boogey in some firbolg bedtime stories who would send undead abominations after bad children. This revelation gave everyone the chills and they wondered about the connection between this being and The Necromancer.

Convinced now that they had done everything they could here, our heroes decided it was time to visit Little Roots burrow. It was a couple of miles downslope of their current position. Meribore led the party, relying on her general direction sense.

As our heroes trudged through the forest, they discussed just how they should introduce themselves to the gnomes. They also discussed what they had discovered so far and wondered whether the gnomes had had similar experiences.

After a little time, the party realized that they were being followed. Then, from several feet ahead, someone warned them in gnomish, "Halt, outsiders, or you will be killed." From all around came the distinct sound of bow strings being pulled.

Tauffae cautiously offered a friendly greeting back in common. He explained that they were the heroes of Moss Creek. They had just come from that burrow to Little Roots hunting an evil being. They had with them a letter of introduction written by Flan-jan Wrinkled-toe. While he spoke, Meribore translated and Drekzhar quietly played the Heroes of Moss Creek song. 

A whispered conversation that slowly turned into a heated debate bubbled up out of the same general area from which the warning had originated. 

Sensing the tension, Meribore also mentioned that they carried with them a personal letter from Hed-pall Foot-finder for his sister Hed-pall Wild-wanderer. 

Another voice said, quite plainly and loudly in gnomish, "My brother?" At this, a female gnome emerged from the foliage. She wore mismatched hide armor that appeared to have been cobbled together over the years from various sets. She was adorned with feathers, animal-bone charms, stone fetishes, and other magical trappings. Upon her head was a horned circlet. She carried a staff in one hand while she held the other was partially concealed behind her back. Even so, it was clear she was preparing a spell should the need arise for one.

Wild-wanderer Cautiously Approaches
Source: Heroforge Design by Me

A second gnome quickly rumbled out of the foliage behind her, flustered and angry. He wore a much finer set of hide armor decorated with abstract designs. There was something about the cut and its presentment that reminded Drekzhar and Tauffae of a city guard. To be sure, this second gnome certainly had about him a sense of authority that had clearly been subverted by the other's decision to come out of hiding.

Another Gnome Emerges
Source: Heroforge Design by Me

Meribore instantly recognized the female gnome as a druid and assumed this to be Wild-wanderer, the sister of Foot-finder. She handed Foot-finder's letter to Tauffae who then offered it to Wild-wanderer with polite grace. 

Wild-wanderer cautiously advanced, swiped the letter from his hand, and retreated to a safe distance. She opened and read it. The party already had a notion of what the letter said so it was no surprise when she started to cry. Those tears turned to sobs as she fell to her knees. When she finished reading, she simply stared at Meribore. 

The male gnome, shocked by his companion's behavior, quickly took up the letter and read it.

"I'm sorry," Meribore said in gnomish.

Wild-wanderer staggered to her feet, walked to Meribore, and slumped against the firbolg's leg. She was a person utterly deflated, lost, and overwhelmed. "Cousin," she whispered, using the common term that all Piruna Fields denizens used to refer to those who lived there. 

Tauffae, feeling acutely the pain that Wild-wanderer must be feeling, and missing his own friends, offered all the compassion and support he could muster. (I really wish I could remember what he said exactly, because Rodney was quite eloquent here.) He promised that they were there to help her and the rest of Little Roots so that the same horror did not unfold here. Meribore translated.

Wild-wanderer rubbed the tears from her eyes as she regarded him. In gnomish, she said, "Kind ondonti, my brother says you are as family is. So I accept you and the other heroes as members of my clan. There are so few of us now. May Baeravan protect you on your journeys and your mission. Know that I will do everything I can to help you."

Skyfell Cultural Note
While only a very few Skyfell denizens have had direct contact with the feral gnomes of Piruna Fields, nearly everyone has some inkling of their culture and its stark differences with their tinker cousins. Whether any one person's notions are accurate or even a bit prejudiced is a different subject entirely. The point is, for better or for worse, the feral gnomes are "known." This is not so true of the ondonti, orcs whose culture is as different from their cousins' of the Teskos Chain as the feral gnomes' culture is from the tinker gnomes'. Even among Piruna inhabitants they are somewhat a mystery. Knowledge of them is generally restricted to those who are inclined toward either nature, the mysteries of the Feywild, or both. Perhaps the firbolgs know the most about them as some of their own lore overlaps with ondonti lore. These tales emphasize the ondonti pacifism, love of nature, and desire to remain isolated among the wild things to tend their gardens and live in peace. Some believe they are Feywild creatures who have migrated into Skyfell. Others believe they are natives of Skyfell who can travel to the Feywild at will. The commonality being that they are somehow touched by the Feywild and the wild flavor of The Weave that seems to thrive there.

As this conversation went on, other gnomes emerged from their cover to mingle with the group. (The bossy male gnome--it was later learned that his name was Flan-seg Stone-wall--became completely irritated by this break in the ranks.) One gnome wandered over to Tabbi and introduced himself as Grandfather Neb-eus Far-seeker. He welcomed the tabaxi and asked about his journeys. There were also a few more introductions and chit chat with Drekzhar.

Eventually Stone-wall took back control of the entire encounter, asking for clarification about the letter and the state of Moss Creek. He also reluctantly explained that strange things had indeed been happening on the island. Some of those events seemed very similar to those described in the letter. He agreed to escort the group back to the burrow, where they might meet with the elders for further discussion.

With this, our heroes with their gnome escorts, started off once again for the gnome burrow. As they walked, they chatted. It came out through various conversations that Stone-wall was a Flan-seg. This clan primarily lived within the burrow and generally focused on domestic tasks to kept the burrow safe, clean, and functional. (The clan was also sometimes referred to as "The Burrow Folk" by the other clans of Little Roots.) Almost all of the burrow defenders (those tasked with its safety) were from this clan. So too was the burrow's priest.

Most of the gnomes in the scouting party were Neb-eaus. Its members were primarily rangers who spent most of their time scouting the forest and hunting. While the clan did have a chamber within the burrow proper, they mostly kept to a lodge above ground. There, they gathered for important meetings and nature rituals. Those rituals were often led by Wild-wanderer herself, who married into the Neb-eaus clan.

It became clear that among the Neb-eaus there was dissatisfaction with how the Flan-seg were attempting to handle the situation at the burrow. And there was indeed a situation. The livestock had all either been killed or run off my creatures that hunted the burrow during mid-gloom, when the fog filled the forest and lowlands around its perimeter. The Neb-eaus had been actively hunting these creatures as well--three of their ranks had already gone missing and they feared the worst. Though they had managed to track them back to several different caves along the base of The Mountain, the caves themselves were always empty and never showed any sign of habitation.

Meribore explained their own experience in following the beasts back to the talus cave. The rangers confirmed that was quite exactly the same sort of problems they had run into. There had never been any spiders, though. The caves had always, and quite simply, been empty.

The group emerged from the forest just above the burrow. From that vantage point, the party could see that the burrow rolled up from the surrounding landscape like a small hill. A thin but long lake curved around its northern slopes, fed by a handful of small streams that trickled down out of The Mountain. Near the norther slope was the Neb-eaus' lodge with its low stone wall and central tower grown from a cluster of trees in much the same manner as the lookout tower back on Moss Creek (see Session 3)

The burrows surface had long-ago been converted for cultivation and grazing. A main road bisected the landscape, with smaller roads and paths meandering out to the various homesteads and farmhouses that were scattered about. Here and there were fields of wheat, squash, trees, grapes, berry patches, and vegetable gardens. Even from so far away, it was clear that most of these were sickly. Even the scarecrows seemed somehow...wrong. As though they were inviting pests rather than scaring them off. The barns were empty; there was no sign the pachycephalosaurs that were kept and raised there. So too were the pens for the burrow's flying ostrich.

The Fields are Unhealthy
Source: Pixabay

It was clear to our heroes that this place was on the brink of collapse.

They hoped that they had arrived in time to save it from destruction.

End session 31.

Experience earned:

Drekzhar - 1404 (60,132 total)
Meribore - 1350 (59,713 total)
Tabbi - 1377 (59,650 total)
Tauffae - 1467 (60,116 total)

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