Skyfell - Rise of the Glutton : Session 37
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)
Onyx (played by Leslie) - female tabaxi, Rogue (Swashbuckler)
Session 37 - A Moment’s Respite
Preparation
I did not prepare for this session at all.
I mean, I had ideas, but I didn’t actually sit down to work out what would happen next. I was going in blind. It was a fun and refreshing way to approach a session.
Pre-game
As everyone gathered, we chatted a little and caught up with each other.
In-game
Our heroes watched with a mixture of relief, joy, and exhaustion as the final remnants of The Venom, along with the evil machinations of The Necromancer and her crew, were burned away. Fizzlestick hurriedly served refreshing beverages along with some wonderful funnel cake to restore the party's strength and spirits. Tabbi mourned the loss of Mother Wind. Onyx and Tilt remained by his side, ready to offer sympathies. Tauffae congratulated Huru and Gubrash for their bravery. Meribore allowed herself to feel, for once, that all things were in balance as they should be. Drekzhar softly played a song of rest and joy.
Acrid, black smoke still crackling with unshackled magic hung in the Open Sky long after the last of the hungry flames wink out, leaving behind only glowing embers. Drekzhar ordered Eldath to circle the remnants for one last check to see whether there was anything of danger to be taken care of or of value to be taken. The fires, however, had been thorough, almost spiteful, in their work and so there was nothing of either to bother with.
Satisfied, our heroes retrieved Full-quiver, Far-seeker, and Quick-foot (the gnome rangers who had accompanied the party on their mission) from the ledge above the cave. They then returned Little Roots burrow.
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| Far-seeker, One of the Ranger Gnomes Source: HeroForge desgin by me |
Equi-light hadn't yet arrived but already there were hints of fires, baking bread, and other early activities already beginning. Full-quiver thanked the party profusely and begged them to stay as long as they liked, promising a full celebration in their honor for their heroic deeds.
The gnomes departed, leaving our heroes a few hours to themselves. They opted to bathe, as well as clean and repair both their armor and clothing. They gathered in two shifts at the shore of the lake that was just north of the burrow hill. There, Fizzlestick prepared a hearty breakfast while Meribore shared the tea Paela had given her during Meribore's trip to the Encampment Green back on Doraku (see Session 8). The combination of bathing, simple tasks, great food, and the soothing (not to mention hallucinogenic) properties of the tea put everyone in a deeply calm state. Onyx found the tea particularly effective as it still had her giggling, seeing smells, and hearing colors for the better part of an hour.
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| A Gift from Paela Source: Pixabay |
Most importantly, Meribore could feel that the rhythm of the island had been restored; its arrhythmia was cured. The evil was gone.
As part of his own recovery, Tabbi entered a period of mourning. He shaved his head. He also used one of Mother Wind's feathers to tattoo himself with the following. (Jeff drew this.)
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| Tabbi's Tattoo Source: Jeff |
When the party was all gathered together once again, Tabbi asked for a moment to remember his lost companion. He delivered the following eulogy. (Jeff wrote this.)
"To a Tabaxi, their mount is a part of them, a part of their soul. They are bound at the earliest possible age, though this isn't strictly necessary if the connection is strong enough. Through growth, companionship, and training, a Tabaxi and their mount can almost seem to read each others thoughts to an outsider.
"Mother Wind was bound to me at an early age and has always been my constant companion. Though her physical form is no more, she will always live on in my heart and in my mind. I know that I will instinctively use the sounds and gestures that have been our communication for so many years, even if she will no longer be responding to them.
"Mother Wind can not be replaced, nor would I try to. This tattoo will be my constant reminder of what I had and of what I have lost. The ashes of Mother Wind's feather will be sent back into the wind that she carried me through so faithfully. My mourning shall never fully be complete.
"May she forever ride the winds of Skyfell free and unfettered."
It was several hours after equi-light before the gnome elders approached the party's ship and their makeshift camp on the Gar-len farmland. The gnomes expressed their deep gratitude and explained that they could not offer much in the way of reward other than to consider the heroes as members of the burrow.
And then the promised celebration began, lasting the entire day and well into mid-gloom. (We all agreed that this tune was the perfect match for the gnome music.)
Throughout the bright, Drekzhar played music, singing The Heroes of Moss Creek and other tunes. This inspired Tabbi to extend the song with a few more lines (see the Supplemental section for the complete song). Onyx offered her own acrobatic performance to the mix to everyone’s delight. Off and on Tabbi told stories about Mother Wind, which enthralled everyone who listened. Of course, gnomes are not just a passive audience, especially when the top-shelf ale is freely flowing. It wasn't long before gnomish folk songs, legends, dancing, and feats of prestidigitation were added to the day’s entertainment.
During this time, Tauffae, still stinging from the PTSD triggered by Grandmother Strict-rules' anger and venom she had targeted at Strict-path (see Session 34), continued to wrestle with his dark desire to murder the elderly gnome. As the day went along, however, and he watched how the gnomes interacted with her, he slowly relented and gave up on his dark plans. He did, however, take a moment to shoot the woman a hateful and intimidating glare. She caught this and gave back nearly as much before relenting and storming off in a huff. This delighted Tauffae to no end and soon was able to enjoy himself.
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| Happy Tauffae Source: HeroForge desgin by me |
Tabbi’s tattoo got its own share of attention. Tauffae, mistakingly believe it was their little family’s new crest, retrieved the bolt of fine silk Auntie had gifted him during their mission to kill the Thesselhydra (see Session 10) and asked around if it were possible for anyone to make a set of ascots for the crew and the entire burrow with the tattoo embroidered on it.
When asked where he had acquired such a fine fabric, he explained that the cloth came from a magical woman that lived between Skyfell and the Shadowfell named Auntie. This excited Elder Den-varr All-greens who explained that Auntie was one of thirteen such beings. In fact, at Misty Mountain, where her burrow of origination was, there was a similar being who watched over the passage between Skyfell and the Feywild named The Tenth Promise of the Sisterhood Concord. While All-greens had never encountered this person, there were certainly many stories about her. Understanding the special origins of the fabric, she promised to make something wonderful with it.
Meribore was approached by Raven-talker who let her know that the ravens were all very happy about being rid of The Necromancer. The Mother of Ravens was also pleased. They talked for a long time about their mutual experiences. Raven-talker explained that her connection with the Mother of Ravens was very special and she hoped that Meribore felt the same way. During this conversation, it occurred to Meribore that Raven-talker's far-off, distracted demeanor was not aloofness but rather because her senses were flitting between the various nearby ravens. When Meribore asked a little further into this, the young gnome confirmed as much, explaining that she saw and felt what the ravens saw and felt. It was part of the gift the Mother of Ravens had given her.
The festivities went on well into mid-gloom. The group succumbed to their own fatigue long before that. As Meribore settled down, she was visited by the raven who always visited after an important event. It bowed before transforming into a shadar-kai. It was, in fact, the same man who had originally talked with her at The Fortress of Memories (see Session 9).
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| The Raven Queen's Servant Source: Heroforge design by me |
"Meribore Softwalker," he said. "My Mistress wishes to express her congratulations for destroying The Necromancer and her schemes. In gratitude, she offers a rare gift, one that should be carefully considered before accepting. She offers you the chance to conclude your bargain. Should you agree, she will no longer harvest your memories. You will be free to act as you wish without witness. You will also be free to die when events threaten to sever your silver cord. The choice is yours."
Meribore contemplated this offer. Slowly, she expressed her gratitude for the Raven Queen's selfless offer. And though she would always be thankful for the second chance of life the Queen had granted her, she would accept the Raven Queen's gift now.
The messenger was disappointed in Meribore's answer but accepted her choice. "Very well. I would ask, however, that should Raven Queen ever reach out to you again that you take a moment to hear her request and contemplate your answer not just as a free agent but as one who has been treated fairly." He offered her a small black, silk pouch. "A token, for memory's sake."
Meribore opened the pouch. Inside was a silver pendent in the form of a raven's head.
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The Symbol |
Meribore bowed deeply, thanked the Raven Queen for her kindness, and slipped on the pendent. The messenger then bowed, returned to his raven form, and flew away.
The party spent an entire week at Little Roots. For the first couple of days, they went with the gnomes to each of the caves where The Necromancer's minions were known to have originated. At each location, they found the same sigil in the same condition as the one in the larger cave through which The Venom had traveled. Strangely, the gnomes were not able to see the marking even though the party members could. Detect magic revealed the lingering effects of illusory magic, suggesting that some spell work was in place to hide the sigil from gnomes specifically.
During this time, they formed deeper friendships with the gnomes, picking up a little of their language and culture. Drekzhar used comprehend languages to translate the books that they had recovered from The Venom, while Meribore, Tabbi, and Onyx tried to leverage the information he provided so that they might improve their own understanding of Elfeyash. Tauffae busied himself with some basic physical labor. He found a special affinity for plowing and working the land. Oddly, it felt like the right sort of work for him, as though farming was something he should be doing. The party also spent time sorting through and categorizing the loot Tauffae had taken from The Venom, with the intent of identifying any potential owners (or in the very least the burrow of origin) so that the stolen items could be returned. Here, Wild-wanderer helped to identify several items from Moss Creek.
Eventually Elder Den-varr All-greens presented the party with their new ascots. Tabbi's tattoo along with the clan symbol of each clan in the burrow was embroided on the party's ascots. The same had been done for all the burrow ascots to show the strengthened solidarity of the gnomes. Our heroes were also given a set of hammered-copper rings each with a small sapphire pressed into the metal. The inside of the rings were inscribed with the clan symbols.
The party also spent this time figuring out what their next course of action should be.
The collection of papers they had taken from The Venom turned out to be contracts and pledges for resources, weapons, and fighters. Most of these were between The Necromancer and reavers. Some, however, seemed to be with mercenaries and other, more civilized, organizations. Everyone agreed that this needed to be turned over to the authorities.
There were, however, more pressing matters. Everyone was anxious to visit Misty Mountain and talk to the Thel that lived there about restoring the Feywild energies to Moss Creek. They also believed the Thel might be able to offer advice for restoring Dead Island. More importantly, the party wanted to find Bronte and Oma whom they believed to be somewhere in the Feywild and everyone now knew that anywhere where there was a thel, the boundary between Skyfell and the Feywild was weak.
It seemed that their next step had to be a journey to Misty Mountain. Slowly, then, they prepared for the adventure. Fortunately, Tilt knew the way; Onyx had made sure that her mount had memorized the location so that she could return. So, the pair would have to guide the rest of the group there.
After resupplying, and saying a few tearful good-byes, the party boarded The Howling Wind II and left Little Roots on a course for Misty Mountain. As they departed, a dragon turtle drifted past the island, circled above the ship (tilting slightly as it did so), and then flew off northward in the same direction as the party intended to go.
Onyx took the lead with Tilt using his innate homing to navigate to Misty Mountain. They went along at a leisurely pace, stopping at the few uninhabited islands they came upon for a bit of rest and exploration. Meribore also gathered various seeds that might be used on Dead Island. During that time, Drekzhar, Tabbi, and Meribore continued to translate the books our heroes had recovered from The Necromancer. (Again, brief explanations of what they learned are in the Supplemental section below.)
Drekzhar asked Springeye to draw up plans for building out a hangar in the lower deck of The Howling Wind II for their runabout so that they would not have to tow it everywhere.
After nearly two weeks of travel, they approached Misty Mountain.
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| The Howling Wind II Flight Plan |
This was by far the largest of the Piruna Fields islands the party had visited thus far. It was quite literally an entire mountain with an extensive base and under structure. Great wisps of mists drifted everywhere, snagging on trees and collecting in low-lying areas. Ruffled hills rolled out from its eastern slope. At first, there appeared to be a second, much smaller mountain, poking up out of these hills. As they got closer, though, it became clear that this "hill" was a tree. Tabbi confirmed that it was, indeed, the thel. Rising more than a thousand feet, it made the trees of the surrounding forest look like blades of grass. Mist bubbled up from around a root system that spread across the terrain like gigantic vines.
Onyx suggested that she fly ahead to re-introduce herself to the firbolg tribe and ask their permission to land. Firbolgs were generally more suspicious of strangers than gnomes and were far more likely to attack outlanders especially. That went doubly so with this particular tribe whose duty to watch over the evermore tree was a sacred bond that could only be broken with death.
The party agreed and so Onyx departed.
The firbolg village was under the canopy of the evermore tree. Its log cabins, each housing a family of the tribe, were built amongst the ruins of an ancient temple compound. The primary structure of that compound was still mostly intact. Scattered remnants and rock piles hinted at outbuildings and compound wall. Wood palisades filled the gaps between these remains to form a defensive perimeter around the firbolg village itself.
Onyx was greeted by Varic Sedri, the tribe's leader and Olofir Taltint, a fierce fighter easily taken by bloodlust when provoked.
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| Varic Sedri Source: Volo's Guide to Monsters |
There were a few tense moments until the two recognized their visitor. After a few pleasantries, along with exchanges of minor tokens, Onyx explained that she was there with friends who wished to speak with the tribe. She asked permission for them to land on the island and approach the village. It took a little convincing but eventually Varic consented but made it clear that Onyx would be held accountable if anything happened.
Satisfied, Onyx returned to her friends and told them what happened. She guided them to a landing spot just outside the canopy of the evermore tree. The location was a half mile from the village. Here, the mist was patchy but thick, as though it sprouted up out of the ground itself. As our heroes disembarked and began their long walk to their destination, the mist swirled around them. It reached into their minds. Meribore felt it welcome her as a cousin firbolg. Tabbi felt it welcome him as a cousin tabaxi. Tauffae felt it welcome him as a cousin ondonti, though with perhaps some hesitation. Onyx also felt it welcome her as a cousin tabaxi but it warned that before she departed she must put back what she had taken.
Drekzhar did not fair so well. The mist angrily engulfed him. It bore down on his thoughts with a startling aggression. "You, outsider, are warned," he felt the words intruding into his mind. When the mist sluffed away, his joints were a little more sore than usual, he felt a little more tired, and he had a full beard with streaks of gray in it.
"Captain," Tauffae shouted as he drew Mid-gloom's Dark Bite.
End Session 37.
Experience earned:
Drekzhar - 750 (71,672 total)
Meribore - 750 (71,616 total)
Onyx - 750 (71,304 total)
Tabbi - 750 (71,514 total)
Tauffae - 750 (72,010 total)
Supplemental Material
Post-credit Scene
Ever since Bronte's and Oma's departure, I've been dropping in little hints of what has been happening to them as "post credit scenes." I haven't been including them in these summaries. Well, I'm changing that because they are part of the story and they are pretty entertaining. So, without further adieu, here is this session's post credit scene:
Honored Heroes of Moss Creek
The Necromancer's Books
The Lady of the Dead: A Complete History Celebrating The Glorious Accomplishments of The Vengeful Banshee
Written in a dialect of the elfey, this was a religious book composed in a poetic style detailing the glory of the goddess Kiaransalee, who is also known as The Vengeful Banshee. It detailed several long-term revenge schemes against other gods in other pantheons, including gods of the elfey and gods of a race called the huumani. From descriptions, the party concluded that the elegant dagger found on The Necromancer’s body was modeled after one carried by the goddess. In the telling of these revenge stories, it became clear that Piruna Fields was once as large as, if not larger than, Akima Prime. It was ruled by the elfey on the surface and the drow underground. This underground territory was often referred to as the Underdark. The two groups were in constant conflict. The book also spoke of the day being divided between periods of full bright and periods of darkness. These periods of darkness were called night.
Advanced Necromantic Rituals and Other Devotions to The Vengeful Banshee
This was written in a dialect of the elfey and included many depictions of undead along with specific and frankly horrifying, rituals of necromancy with detailed instructions and component lists. Each ritual was accompanied by a body of text written in poetic style explaining either how Kiaransalee used the ritual herself in a revenge scheme or how performing the ritual will delight the goddess and show one’s faith and devotion.
Moments Before Destruction: A Complete Account of The Destruction of Balance Perpetrated by the Vile Elfey and Their Filthy Huumani Allies
This was written in a dialect of the elfey. There were two appendices: one in elfey and one in a language the party hasn’t seen before. Drekzhar was able to confirm that the content of the appendices were identical. The book detailed the struggle for sovereignty between the drow along with their goddess Lloth (the noble victims) and the elfey along with their god Corellon Larethian (the greedy aggressors). Just as the drow were close to accomplishing their goal, the queen of the elfey, an arrogant, self obsessed upstart from The Feywild named Rivornyil Maethadys, gathered together her most zealous followers the Shadar-kai. In league with the metallic dragons and the huumani race, the craven queen set about a ritual designed to destroy the drow and their gods once and for all. The result of this desperate attempt was the destruction of the world itself, splitting it into two distinct planes: a cursed place of eternal light which the book calls The Fell-light and a blessed place of eternal darkness which the book calls The Blessed-dark. The Cataclysm that followed destroyed the huumani race and nearly wiped out both the elfey and drow. The queen survived, trapped in The Blessed-dark where she wallowed in her own stupidity and regret. Her elfey lackies remained by her side, sharing in her guilt. (The book stated that the queen and her followers are the only ones who called this new plane the Shadowfell, a bitter term that reflected more their own guilt than the nature of the plane they created.) The book was unforgiving here, making it clear that the exile fell short of suitable punishment for their genocide. The drow retreated to secluded corners of The Shadowfell where they hid so that they could replenish their number and finally gain their sovereignty, reunite the Shadowfell and the Fell-light, and restore the world to its balanced state.
Little Roots Burrow
Because I was never certain of where this arc might go, I had created a map of the Little Roots burrow. The characters had only ever wandered into its entry hall and temple but never went any deeper. The following shows the entire layout.
Little Roots Burrow Clans
As I mentioned in a previous session summary, I did a lot of work detailing out the family trees for all the clans at Little Roots. I had never shown this work to my group; it was mostly only meant as a resource for me in case I needed it. I didn't include it with the initial posting of this summary, but as I was writing the summary for session 37 it occurred to me that I did, indeed want to share it. So here you have the complete genealogy of the Little Roots burrow.
Note that each node in a tree indicates an individual's clan (along with their age-based title), their nickname in bold, and the NPC stat block that I intended to use. A rectangle indicates the individual is identified as male. An oval indicates an individual is identified as female.
Baer-pin Clan
Bar-tikk
The Bar-tikk clan live and work primarily on the burrow's surface, though like all clans they do have a burrow chamber. They are farmers, concentrating on wheat, barley, lentils, and peas.
Flan-seg
The Flan-seg clan live and work primarily inside the burrow. They are responsible for maintaining the burrow infrastructure, providing for its defense, keeping Baervan Wildwanderer's temple, and treating with cousins from other islands.
Gar-len
The Gar-len clan live and work primarily on the burrow's surface, but do have a burrow chamber. They are farmers, concentrating on several varieties of squash (including pumpkin), blueberries, strawberries, apples, and pears.
Neb-eaus
The Neb-eaus clan live primarily on the burrow's surface but their work has them wandering the island. They, of course, also have a burrow chamber. They are rangers, hunters, and gatherers.
Uran-lun
The Uran-lun clan live and work primarily on the burrow's surface, but have a burrow chamber like the other clans. They are ranchers, tending to a herd of pachycephalosaur, a small pack of velociraptor, and flock of miniature flying ostrich.
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