Raven's Fall

Arc Summary
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Session 62

 * Google Document (7-22-22)

The party leaves the area around Hommlin at about 3 PM and starts heading north. While we can see the sea to our west, but it gets farther away as the path slopes up and the cliffs get steeper. At times, the path comes close to the cliff and we can see the narrow beach far below us if we look down. For a while, the plant life gets very sparse, but after two days of travel the path levels out a bit and the scenery becomes regular plains and eventually a more forested area. Kilwin uses Sending to follow up on his letter, letting Father Glasny know that he doesn’t think he’ll be able to make it back to Cowersby by Winter’s Dawn and expects to be at least a few months late. Glasny advises him to take his time, since Alethus is patient and he’s probably doing good things. Glasny doesn’t seem disappointed and actually seems very understanding! Kilwin is relieved! As the party continues to travel north, the Ravenridges rise to their east. The Ravenridges are a mountain range that resembles black spires jutting up from the ground. They block the light in the mornings, artificially extending the night in the area to their west for a few hours each morning. We’re essentially traveling on a raised ridge that goes up to the Ravenridges. On the other side, there’s a valley containing the Deytrwood. Deytrwood Lake has an interesting property where, even though the lake itself is below sea level, the lake’s river still flows up into the sea. Some call it a miracle of Cysebelle, while others attribute it to the forest’s own underlying magic. Either way, we hope it’s not our problem! Kilwin remarks that we have a lot on our plate already. Ashara, who has been reading Advanced Humor for Advanced Magic, remarks that that includes the literal plate Kilwin is wearing.

After 6 days of travel, on Leaffall 2, we arrive in Raven Rock. Although it’s 9 in the morning, thanks to the shadows of the Ravenridges, it still looks like night. Raven Rock seems to be located at the highest point of the cliffs and the path seems to slope back down as it heads farther north. The ground is completely black volcanic rock across the entire town, including the roads. None of us know why it’s like this. Lights seem to be on in the houses though, which are made of the same black rock. There’s some people milling about, many carrying lanterns, so Kilwin figures he may as well cast Light. We talk about how cool this place looks, and Kilwin thinks Slumberjack would really like it here. Even the architecture is gothic! The population of Raven Rock also seems more diverse than a lot of the places we’ve visited before, with drow, duergar, and deep gnomes among the people we see around. As cool as Raven Rock is, we’re not sure if we should stay the night or press on to Atemcester. Everyone basically just looks at Reides, and he says he’s fine with staying the night! He’d like to check it out! With that decided, Ashara wants to go clothes shopping, and Reides wants to tag along although he’s not sure if he’ll find anything that suits him. Jorah wants to look for a nice inn. Kilwin figures he should accompany Jorah before remembering that we can simply do things in sequence and not split up. We decide to find the inn first, heading down the long, cobbled main road that heads straight up the edge of the cliff. Ashara keeps an eye out for posters and things like that, but there seems to be some kind of ordinance against them being posted.

Eventually, we arrive in front of a two-storey building with a sign identifying it as “The Nest.” Like the buildings around it, it’s made of black volcanic stone, as are the stables and carriage alcove next to it. It’s built on a larger stone foundation than a lot of the other buildings in Raven Rock, and there’s a set of stairs leading up the front door, where we can see the glow of firelight. There’s a thinner man with short black hair, in his early 20s, sitting on the steps as we get the horses and carriage settled. He seems to be wringing his hands and looking around nervously, turning his attention to us as we move around. Around the time we’re ready to enter the inn itself, he gives his hands one last wring and gets up. He seems very nervous as he approaches us and asks if we happen to be adventurers. Ashara says no! Reides says yes! Kilwin and Jorah confirm that Reides is the correct one. The man introduces himself as Mick Carpenter and says he works with a very nice couple named Jedson and Akaia Heartkin. When he visited their home this morning, he found that the place had been ransacked and there were a pair of hulking four-legged creatures carrying the Heartkins away toward the Deytrwood. The creatures resembled horse-like men but definitely weren’t centaurs. Mick didn’t get a very good look at them, though, since he shamefully admits that the creatures were huge and scary and he just ran away. There was a town guard who attempted to stop the kidnapping, but one of the beasts whipped her away with its tail, downing her immediately. We hate that, but Kilwin is pretty sure we’d be a bit more durable! Mick says he’s trying to petition for the town to provide a reward in gold to whoever can save the Heartkins. Kilwin and Reides are also concerned with how Mick is doing, but he says he’s fine and more worried about the Heartkins. He says Akaia was struggling against her captors, but one of them hit her on the head and she went still.

Before we discuss any more details with Mick, Jorah calls a party meeting. We huddle up away from Mick, and Jorah suggests just passing through Raven Rock instead of helping. He’s worried that Reides is going to miss his meetup with his guy, especially after he spent so much time on Jorah’s stuff with that detour to Hommlin! Reides clarifies that it’s more of an Appointment with a Friend and is also a bit reluctant to just let this situation run its course. He’s pretty sure his friend would be really upset if he found out Reides could have helped these people but decided not to just to meet up with him. Ashara points out that Reides has already helped so many people and, given his current quest, is still going to help more even if he leaves Raven Rock immediately. Reides is still unsure. Kilwin says that everyone already knows what he thinks about the situation. Ashara admits that Kilwin is Reides’s shoulder angel, she’s his shoulder devil, and Jorah is his shoulder Jorah. Ashara is also concerned this guy might be lying and this could be some kind of trap. Reides will gut him like a fish if that’s true! Kilwin looks over at Mick and, Knowing That Feel, is pretty confident that Mick is being genuine and it took a lot of willpower for him to approach the party. He’s just always this nervous! Kilwin points out that Mick might not be able to find another group of adventurers to help with passage from the Exeter presumably still closed off and, even if he does, he might not be able to work up the courage to ask a second time, especially if we’re harsh with him. He really, really wants us to help Mick and suggests that Reides maybe contact his friend and let him know the situation. It might not even be an either/or decision! Even if it is, Kilwin’s willing to do whatever he can to facilitate a meetup between them later. Reides likes the idea of using Sending but isn’t sure what he’d say. Ashara suggests something about Reides helping someone like the Surfacer helped him, but Reides isn’t sure he can say that with a straight face. He takes a moment and decides to tell his friend he’s in Raven Rock and still on his way, but wants to help someone. He asks how much longer he’ll be in Atemcester. The Surfacer responds not to worry because they’re delayed due to a large storm in the northern Eadrenan Sea. The rest of the party is worried that that’s where Laverathia is, but Reides seems somehow comforted. He’s no longer conflicted and doesn’t feel the need to kill Mick if he’s lying anymore!

Seeing that we’re wrapping up our conversation, Mick approaches us again and is very grateful to learn that we’re willing to help him. He mentions that there’s a lot of stories of magic in the Deytrwood, whether it’s enchanted or haunted. Apparently, there’s a druid staying at the inn, and Mick was outside because he was trying to work up the nerve to ask them for help. He thinks they might be willing to assist us too! Ashara expresses concern for her companions who can’t see in the dark in the Deytrwood if we try to sneak, but Kilwin points out that that’s just him now and he can just get someone to help guide him. Jorah admits he really loves his darkvision goggles and wishes he had them when he was bounty hunting. Ashara points out that if he was more successful as a bounty hunter, he might never have joined us. Jorah thinks she’s overestimating his possible success as a bounty hunter and he’d still be with us. As we enter the Nest, Reides notices that Mick is hanging back and invites him to come in with us. He seems happy to be included.

Inside the Nest, there’s a drow man, who’s presumably the owner, behind the bar. He has long white hair tied back into a complex braid. We also see someone by the fireplace, sitting in a chair and staring at the flames. He’s a fairly tall moon elf (about 6’2”) with pale blue skin and greenish hair. His gray eyes are speckled with golden flecks and is wearing many animal pelts. He also doesn’t notice us at all until Jorah asks Mick where this druid is. The man looks up and Mick points at him before hiding behind us. The man is worried that Mick (who he thinks is named Nick) is going to scare us off if he keeps cowering like that. As the man looks at us, his eyes widen and he gets up, but quickly falls back into his chair. Kilwin asks if he’s okay. The man says he’s fine and slaps his sides to demonstrate. He introduces himself as Briar. Kilwin starts to explain that we’d like his help, but Briar stops him. He explains that he doesn’t mean to cut Kilwin off but, looking upstairs, asks someone if they’re coming down or not. Just in general, Briar seems kind of nervous! He keeps fidgeting with something in his pocket.

Someone descends the stairs, announcing that she was talking with the shrubs and plants. Briar asks what her buddy Marjoram said, and the person announces that the girls are on the cusp of divorce again. Briar expresses some disbelief, since it’s apparently the fourth time in about two days! The other person agrees! We pick up from the conversation that their name is Miré. Briar then says our relationship might not be as cut and dry as we’re used to. He admits that even though we don’t know him, he’s pretty sure he knows us! Ashara and Jorah assure him that whatever he knows about us, it’s probably wrong, up until Briar asks how Jorah’s dog is doing. Ashara learns Jorah has a dog! Briar also knows Kilwin’s name and says Reides is the main reason he recognizes the rest of us. He observes that Ashara isn’t who he expected to be with us, since she’s pretty obviously not Slumberjack. Briar takes out the object he’s been fiddling with, and those of us who traveled with Erak recognize Qbby. Briar says that Erak told him it would be the best way to explain what’s going on. Also, Erak says hi! Before we can get too deep into that, Briar pushes Miré forward and encourages them to introduce themself. Miré is very short (about 4’9”) and while he doesn’t seem particularly shy, this is clearly a new situation for him. He druidcrafts a small flower and hands it to Briar to comfort him. She has long, light, fluffy hair, as well as horns. There’s flowers and vines in their hair, and they’re wearing a purple mushroom earring. They also have a staff with purple and blue flowers on it. Miré greets us! Ashara questions how Mick could have possibly not noticed that there’s two druids staying at the Nest, but he was too intimidated to come in. Briar attributes the mistake to Miré’s staggering height hiding him from view. Miré stands in front of Briar and lifts her arms as high as she can. Reides asks about the flower Miré created, and they explain that that’s their magic. Reides is really impressed and didn’t know that kind of magic even existed! Miré makes a green flower and gives it to Reides. They also express a reluctance to take payment for helping us and ask if Briar’s okay with that. Briar didn’t know they could’ve been getting paid!

Ashara expresses incredulity with Mick’s observation skills again, but Kilwin tells her to be nice because he’s got anxiety. Ashara points out that she was trapped in a pod for a few thousand years! Mick says he’s very sorry to hear that, but Ashara is just annoyed by that. Jorah gives the map to Mick so that he’ll have something to do. Miré gives Ashara a flower too to calm her down, and Ashara puts it behind her ear. Briar also creates the sensation of falling leaves inside the inn to mellow out the energy. Miré admits that druids can be hard to notice when they want to be, and that she doesn’t always look like this, so Mick’s mistake is understandable. She says she doesn’t become other creatures very often, but it’s not always safe to look like she does right now. He’s got disguises! Briar jokes that Miré just wants to be taller sometimes, but Reides understands. Mick offers to arrange something with the innkeeper (who is a nice guy) to take care of our carriage and horses while we’re doing stuff in the Deytrwood. We ask the druids if they know anything about large centaur-like creatures living in the forest. Briar acts like he’s deep in thought, but asks Miré because it’s his forest. Miré’s got nothing, though! We all brace ourselves for another encounter with a scary interdimensional being in an enchanted forest. Briar takes the frying pan he was minding out of the flames, bemoaning lunch’s premature end. He tells us that Erak’s cooking is still good! Also, apparently Erak warned him not to open by saying he knows us and calling us by name before we’ve introduced ourselves (like he did), since it would probably scare away any sane person. Kilwin assures him that our sanity is questionable anyway. Apparently, Erak said that next! Briar looks to Miré for a moment, and they bump his shoulder as encouragement, so he continues his explanation of how he knows Erak. As we know, Erak has a connection to the spirits. He and Briar found each other in the astral realm and, shocked to see another actual person, attempted to fight each other. It went badly for both of them! Still, they were both fine and they became friends. They’ve been enjoying each other’s companionship ever since! Briar assures us that Erak is alive and well, and also more at peace than he’s been in quite some time. He also misses us a lot, and the reason Briar knows so much about us is that Erak never shuts up about his old traveling companions! Kilwin asks if Briar is still in touch with Erak, and Briar blushes. They’re not in the traditional sense, but Briar can still contact him. Briar also apologizes for being rude to Ashara, but wonders what happened to Slumberjack. Ashara says they might be dead, but Kilwin is pretty sure they’re not! He tells Briar that they went through a demon portal, but we’re hoping to find them again someday. Briar will pass this on to Erak, since he’s been worried about them. We get ready to get going, before Briar points out that Miré doesn’t know our names yet. We all introduce ourselves to him.

It will be a four-day journey to the Deytrwood, so Jorah decides to take Gin with us. Kilwin “oh my”s a loosely sexual remark Ashara makes, but she counters that he has no grounds for that given how he and Grinlief are. Before Kilwin can object, Ashara tells Briar that Kilwin is in love with Grinlief and he should tell that to Erak. Kilwin turns bright red but admits he has feelings. Reides tells Ashara not to just air Kilwin’s secrets everywhere, so Ashara tells Briar that Reides has a boyfriend now! While Reides clarifies that he doesn’t actually have a boyfriend, Ashara throws in that Jorah is sad and alone, just for the complete set. She also mentions that she got her arm cut off, but that everyone here knows that. Mick admits that he thought it was just a cool gauntlet. Ashara tells him to shut up, and Kilwin once again tells her not to be mean. Ashara admits she’s not looking forward to going into another messed up forest with messed up creatures and details some of the horrors we found in Aidan’s Glen. Jorah says Aidan’s Glen normally isn’t like that! Briar’s not sure what a panther is! Ashara wonders how he could possibly not know that and call himself a druid. Briar asks how Ashara’s fish knowledge is! She argues that she grew up in the desert! Even though this is Briar’s point, Ashara does her best to name different kinds of fish including salmon, big salmon, big fish, and small salmon. Briar assures us that Miré is beloved by the forest and will be fine. Reides notices that Miré has been staring at Pepega so sweetly and sends her over to them. Miré is delighted to be introduced to Pepega and strokes her feathers gently with their finger.

Mick hands the map back to Jorah and points out the eastern side of Raven Rock as the scene of the crime. He says that the tracks should be easy to find, given how big the creatures were, and it’ll probably be obvious which house belongs to the Heartkins. None of us like the sound of that! We leave the Nest and travel east for about 30 minutes, entering a more residential area of Raven Rock with simpler buildings. When we reach the Heartkin residence, we see that the door is busted off its hinges and that there’s a spot on the ground where there’s fresh blood and cracks in the pavement, presumably where the guard was hit. Kilwin asks how she’s doing, and Mick says that she survived and is in the infirmary recovering. Since we’re approaching the outskirts of Raven Rock, some of the ground around us hasn’t been paved and is covered in dark soot instead, leaving very hoofprints heading toward the forest. Fortunately, they’re so obvious that Jorah can follow them despite having an off day. Miré thinks her forest experience will help us out and tells us some of what to expect. Apparently, there’s an old oak who tells them all the latest Deytrwood gossip. The forest is very magical and has a diverse ecosystem, as well as fey, mushroom people, other sylvans, dryads, and living plants. Miré can also help keep us hidden in the forest, although Jorah has that covered too.

It takes us four days of travel to reach the Deytrwood. The tracks stay very easy to follow, being sunk deep into the earth so that light rain and wind don’t erase them. We seem to be traveling a few hours behind our quarry. The road leads north, but the tracks trample across it, going around the Ravenridges and into the forest. On Leaffall 6, we enter Miré’s home. We take a steep path down an outcropping of black rock, which is the path Miré has typically used to leave the forest in the past. We can still follow the hoofprints, which have been impressed into the stone. We hate to see it! Jorah has Kilwin take over tracking for a little bit because he’s spooked, and also he wants to keep an eye out for any potential ambushes. He does get the sense that something is watching, but it doesn’t seem to be tracking the group. In fact, Miré feels something watching him, which is a familiar feeling to him. Miré isn’t sure where the creatures are going, especially since she doesn’t know exactly what they want. As she thinks, Briar casts Guidance on her to help her along. Miré knows that there’s a river ahead (a tributary of the main one, but still quite deep). On the other side, there’s a large mushroom patch that might be a good place for the creatures to shelter. Following the river to the north leads to an overgrown altar that’s always given Miré bad vibes, so they’ve stayed away from it. To the south of the river is Deytrwood Lake, where a lot of animals gather to drink. Miré shares this with the party and wants to head for the mushroom patch first, although they plan to ask some plants on the way if they’ve seen anything. Kilwin is worried the creatures are heading for the creepy altar, though. Reides is sick of altars! He figures it’s time for Mage Armor now. We keep traveling and soon hear the gurgering of a stream. The tracks go directly into the river, obscuring the creatures’ trail. Miré decides it's time to cast Speak With Plants. The surrounding plants were already listening, but are now free to respond. Miré asks a mushroom-covered log if they’ve seen any horse-like things pass by recently. It very helpfully points out Gin but, with a little prodding, it remembers seeing two big horse-like creatures start wading up the river a while ago, despite the strong current. It says that the great oak across the river might know more. Miré passes this on to the rest of the party. Reides didn’t know it was possible to talk with plants, even with magic, and admits he feels a bit bad about eating them now. Miré assures him that’s simply the cycle of life. They hear some of the mushrooms on the log chime in that they’re eating the log right now!

We find ourselves needing to cross the river. Kilwin isn’t super confident about his ability to swim across, especially in his armor, so Briar lends him a Ring of Water Walking to get him across. Kilwin finds himself able to just walk across the water like it’s solid ground. Briar tells him to do a kickflip! Kilwin’s not sure what that is, but thinks it sounds like something he wouldn’t be able to do! Briar thinks Kilwin still has better odds than he does before tripping and nearly falling into the river. Kilwin manages to catch him by his hood, and Briar stares into the river for a moment, waving at a fish that swims by. Once he’s upright again, Briar shapeshifts into a cow and looks at Miré. They are going to ride a cow! Reides is jealous because when he wanted to ride a cow, everyone told him he couldn’t. Reides and Ashara manage to successfully swim across the river, although Jorah has some trouble and starts to get swept away. Likewise, even though Miré pats Briar gently and casts Guidance, the current is stronger than he was expecting, and he starts getting pushed north. However, Jorah and Briar manage to get a better feel for the current and make it to the other side, a bit farther down the river than everyone else. Briar moos desperately before Miré jumps off his back and he transforms back into his elf form. Reides had a nice swim at least! Briar realizes he could’ve just teleported across with Misty Step and decides to never share this thought with the group.

Miré knows an oak that’s just a bit farther from the riverbank and leads our way down the path. It dips down into a divot covered in roots going in every direction. The oak tree stands about 100 feet tall and has a diameter of about 8 feet. It also has phosphorescent fruit hanging on it. Miré apologizes for bothering the great oak, but it says he can bother it anytime, referring to them as his child. The great oak’s roots span in every direction through the Deytrwood and it knows the creatures we’re seeking. They’ve been tearing through the forest, stepping on the great oak’s roots and trampling the mushrooms. They went north, toward the altar. One of the oak’s branches curls to point in the right direction. Miré promises to protect the forest and asks the oak if it needs anything on her way back. It tells her that the invasion of these creatures has upset many places in the forest. It asks if she remembers long ago when her mother made a special salve to heal a broken tree. Miré does remember this! He thinks he remembers how to make it and where his mother found the ingredients. The great oak says that the forest is wounded right now and needs Miré to help it heal. The trees lean in around him. Miré promises that they won’t abandon the forest. They tell the oak that they should get going, though. The great oak says there’s never been a day when the forest has regretted choosing Miré as its protector. Miré turns back to the party with teary eyes and conveys what the oak told her. Kilwin asks if she’s okay, and she says she’s good!

We travel toward the altar with Miré and Briar leading the way, Kilwin and Jorah behind them, and Reides and Ashara taking up the rear. We start encountering ruins, and the plants seem to be getting out of the way to show us the path. Eventually, we see a raised platform with steps leading to an overgrown dais. On top of the platform, there’s two large, hulking centaur-like figures kneeling down. They have big horns, sharp claws, and tails that look like they could easily be used as weapons. We don’t know it yet, but these are armanites! Seeing them, Miré touches the circlet he wears and runs his fingers through his hair. A glowing halo of spores sprout around the back of Miré’s head. Briar also mutters a prayer to the forest, conceding that he’s not as beloved by it as Miré is, but he truly wishes for its aid in protecting it. A nature spirit answers his call, and his skin becomes barklike. Leaves sprout from Briar’s hair and plants begin to grow where he walks. Miré says that they told him the Deytrwood likes him too! Miré, Briar, and Kilwin all notice that the bark is the same as the great oak’s. Briar feels honored and kneels. As we approach the altar, the armanites look up and rear up as they notice us. Behind them, we spot two figures lying on the altar. They’re unconscious, but they seem to be breathing. The altar itself is made of green stone, stained with what appears to be blood. The plants around the altar have grown over bones, as well as some fresher, still rotting corpses.

One of the armanites descends the stairs, hooves clacking, as sparks gather in its clawed hand. It unleashes a line of lightning at Miré, Jorah, and Reides. Ultimately, it could be worse, though. The armanite tries to regather its lightning, but the sparks fizzle out. Briar calls for Erak to be with him before transforming into a direwolf and lunging at the armanite, biting it. Ashara summons a field of tentacles around the two armanites, to somewhat disappointing effect. The other armanite steps out of the tentacles and shoots another bolt of lightning down the same line, although it goes over Miré’s head. Unlike its companion, this armanite manages to recharge. Miré feels the hair on her neck stand up and looks around at the plants. Reides tries a new spell, Phantasmal Killer, but it doesn’t quite take hold. He’ll get it next time! Miré summons a moonbeam over one of the armanites. Jorah goes in to wreak havoc on the first armanite. The good news is that he’s successful, but the bad news is that the armanite decides he’s the biggest threat here. He parries the claw attack, but gets whipped by the tail before being stomped on by its hooves. The other armanite loops around and shoots a bolt of lightning at Jorah, Kilwin, and Briar, who have accidentally lined up for it. This one hurts a bit more! Jorah notices that the first armanite is bleeding and that a little root pokes up to touch the blood and, having absorbed, shoots back into the ground. He hates that! Soon, we all notice vines moving around the altar, moving some corpses. A mass of vines and flowers rises up, carrying a corpse. The corpse flower lays a corpse on the ground, and the corpse begins to rise. The plant then whips its vines at the armanite, eventually killing it. It then begins to pull the armanite’s corpse toward it. The zombie attacks Briar, but Miré protects him with her spores. Jorah runs to the other armanite in an attempt to distract it. Reides does not like one thing about that plant, so he fireballs it, killing the zombie immediately. Miré uses magic to transform their staff into a shillelagh. Briar is overpowered by the stench of death coming from the corpse flower and is poisoned. He drops his extra sensitive nose by reverting to his elf form. He accuses the flower of daring to defile the forest before pointing toward it (stumbling a little) and casting Blight. Blight seems extremely effective against it because it’s a plant! The surviving armanite hurts Jorah very badly, which makes this fight feel more familiar to him. The corpse flower consumes a corpse and seems to heal itself. Its attacks also seem more effective against Briar, since he’s still suffering from its poison. We learn that the armanite resists fire. Miré heals Briar and closes in on the corpse flower with their shillelagh. Jorah attempts to get some distance from the armanite, but it lashes out and he’s knocked out in his tracks. Fortunately, Kilwin is able to quickly pray to Alethus and bring him back to consciousness. Ashara and Reides try to help with the armanite. Briar shakes off the poison and casts Erupting Earth on the corpse flower. The armanite uses its lightning again, managing to angle it to hit Jorah, Miré, and Briar. Miré is able to use a spell to absorb some of the lightning into his shillelagh and Briar manages to perform a miracle dodge, but Jorah takes the full brunt of it. The corpse flower munches on another corpse before knocking Briar unconscious, a corpse seeming to salute him as he falls, and dispersing Miré’s crown of spores. When it backs up, Miré whacks it with her shillelagh, unleashing the lightning she absorbed from the armanite. Miré manages to get Briar back up with Healing Word. Jorah curses out the armanite in Abyssal, calling it a piece of shit lightning bastard, and lines up his shot perfectly, timing it with his heartbeat to shoot a crossbow bolt into its eye. As it reaches up to pull out the bolt, it falls over dead. While a lot of the party may not have understood Jorah’s words, they do understand the obscene gestures he’s making at it. Kilwin heals everyone before casting Toll the Dead. The bell tolls, and the corpse flower begins to convulse. The skeletons trapped in its vines rattle and begin to break apart, jabbing into the plant, spilling a mixture of blood and plant fluid. The corpse flower falls and writhes for a bit before going still.

We check on the Heartkins, who are in bad shape but still alive. Kilwin does his best to stabilize them. Jorah pats Briar on the shoulder, healing him, and Briar heals him back in sympathy. Briar says that Erak always said fighting alongside us was a bit rough, and now Briar sees what he meant! Kilwin sees that both of the Heartkins took pretty bad blows to the head and one of them seems to have a concussion, so he casts Cure Wounds on them, which seems to help somewhat. Determining that they’re okay to move, he wants to get them off the spooky altar. Reides really truly hates altars now. Kilwin has traditionally had a good relationship with altars, but they’ve been bad ones lately! Jorah wants to give the dead a proper burial, while Reides wants to examine that corpse flower! He deduces that it’s parasitic and uses spores to animate corpses in addition to eating them for nutrients. Ashara suggests burning the dead, but Briar has a spell called Plant Growth that he can use to bury them if we gather them up. He also knows a nearby grove where we could make the grave. Kilwin attempts to ensure the corpses don’t fall apart anymore than they already have as we move them to the grove, which takes about 2 hours. Before Briar puts them to rest, he casts Speak With Plants. He tells the plants that even though he’s not originally of this forest, he asks them to keep the dead safe and treat them with the respect that weren’t granted previously. Briar says that he’s witnessed the end many times and, even though it doesn’t get easier, it is good and natural. Still, it’s not easy. He tells the dead to rest easy before casting his spell. The plants, already seemingly primed by Briar’s speech, grow over the corpses. Jorah utters a small prayer, clasping what some of us recognize as Kievan’s medallion.

Briar decides to stand an 8-hour vigil in order to enrich the plant life within a certain radius of the grave for the next year, so the rest of us set up camp. Jorah examines the armanites and recognizes them as such from his research on Alzrius. He tells the rest of the party that the Burning Knight may have interfered with the Deytrwood after all. We wonder what to do with the armanite corpses, but Miré points out that we have mushrooms on our side. Reides, finally seeing the chance of a lifetime, asks Miré if they know which mosses are edible in the forest. Miré finds a deposit of an edible moss, called popmoss, nearby. It grows as bulbs, which pop apart when eaten. Reides is delighted! Kilwin, trusting Miré, decides to try some too. Reides asks Miré more about her relationship with the forest. She clarifies that she’s 26, so she’s not exactly a child like the great oak said, but when she was 11, she and her mother had a crazy encounter. It’s a long story, but the two of them were being chased by a hag and came to the Deytrwood. The forest itself wounded the hag and turned her away, and Miré and their mother began to feel at home in the forest. Apparently, the spirits are quite nice when they’re not completely fucked up! The Deytrwood has become Miré’s home and, while he would love to do more adventuring with us, he really needs to stay here and return the favor by helping it heal. Kilwin asks if that’s something Miré needs extra help with, but Miré says she can handle it. They thank Kilwin for offering though, and also thank the party for their help today. We may have come to Raven Rock with our own agenda, but we’ve helped the Deytrwood a lot nevertheless! We’re all really happy we met each other! Reides also asks how Briar fits into the situation. Miré explains that Briar’s forest is far away from here, but he’s been helping Miré here for about a year now. He’s a very dear friend to them! However, mid-vigil, Briar breaks the news that he thinks it might be time for him to move on. He’s sorry, but he has to keep wandering, looking for a place. Miré understands, though! She gently headbutts him in the shoulder and tells him it’s been good. Briar is sad that they never got their noodles together at the inn! Miré still plans to walk with us back to the edge of the forest, though, so it’s not quite time for a dramatic, tearful goodbye yet. Speaking of his departure from the Deytrwood, though, Briar mentions that he knows Erak used to cook for us. While his cooking skills aren’t as refined, Briar asks if we’d be willing to take him on in that role while we’ll have him. He’s not sure how long he’ll stay with us, but he really wants to get to know the people Erak speaks so highly of! The rest of the party is thrilled at the prospect of having Briar along! Miré druidcrafts flowers for all of their new friends and also gives Briar a special token. He gives her a crescent moon locket in exchange. Reides also gifts Miré a star rose quartz to remember us by.

Session 63

 * Google Document (7-29-22)

While the Heartkins are still unconscious, we settle down to camp for the night. Reides wants to try out the fishing rod he got before we set out! He decides to look for worms to use as bait and tries to enlist someone to help him look for worms. No one seems especially enthused but Kilwin volunteers. Ashara insists that he sit this one out though, so Jorah is coerced into the worm hunt instead. Together, Reides and Jorah manage to find five worms. Reides admits he has no idea how to use the rod. Briar is impressed that he’s able to grab fish with his hands, though! Fortunately for Reides, Jorah has some experience fishing and is able to tell him how to use the rod. He also gives Reides a cork from an empty bottle of magma wine to use as a bobber. While Reides casts his line out, Jorah stands next to him and aims his hand crossbow at the water. Maybe he’ll get lucky! Reides tries to tell the fish that there’s a delicious wormy in the water that looks so tasty. Eventually, a little fish swims up to the bobber, but just before it looks like it’s about to bite, a larger shadow appears under the water and a much bigger fish eats the little fish and grabs the line. It takes all of Reides’s strength to not lose his rod, and soon Jorah grabs onto the rod too to help pull. After several concerted tugs, they fall down, pulling a 3-foot-long fish out of the water and onto the shore behind them. It’s too big for Reides to carry by himself. Jorah is surprised that it was actually a fish! Reides is able to identify the fish as a Deytrwood salmon. They seem to have been affected by whatever magic causes the river from Deytrwood Lake to follow upward, allowing themselves to float downstream to reach their mating grounds. Jorah stabs the salmon to put it out of its misery.

Reides and Jorah return to camp carrying an impressively large fish but somewhat disheveled. Reides knows how to prepare a fish for eating, but really doesn’t know how to cook one and asks Briar to do the actual cooking. Briar learns that Reides usually eats fish raw and offers to leave him some sashimi, but Reides says he enjoys surfacer food too! Briar also offers to let Reides do the actual cooking with Briar’s instructions, but Reides is really sure he’d just mess it up, so Briar prepares some Definitely Not Miso-Glazed Salmon for the party. We don’t really have anything to go with it other than rations, but Briar gathers some more popmoss as a salad. Jorah decides to pass on the edible moss, despite Kilwin’s reassurances that it’s actually good. At Kilwin’s insistence, we save some salmon for the Heartkins, preserving it with salt. We settle in for the night, taking turns keeping watch, but despite Briar hearing a twig snap during his watch, the night passes uneventfully.

In the morning, the Heartkins wake up, clutching their heads and looking around in bewilderment. One is a human with longer blonde hair and gray eyes. Their clothes are patched up, but they’re obviously toned under their tunic. The other is a drow woman with bobbed white hair. She’s wearing a leather tunic with the sleeves pinned up and has a small dagger on her belt. The drow woman, Akaia, acknowledges that we saved them. Jorah tells them to thank Mick when they get back to Raven Rock, since he was the one who sent us their way. Akaia says that Mick has a good heart! We learn that Akaia is a leatherworker and Jedson is a mason. We also learn that they have absolutely no idea why armanites would kidnap them from their home and bring them into the woods to use as blood sacrifices. They were about to leave for work when everything happened. Ashara doesn’t really believe them so she silently casts Detect Thoughts. She senses that Akaia is worried and confused, trying to figure out if a disgruntled customer could have possibly done something like this. Ashara switches her focus to Jedson, and they seem to be more or less on the same, thinking over scenes from what seemed like a totally normal day until they were kidnapped. Kilwin points out that they might have just been convenient targets for the armanites, since they live on the edge of town. The armanites might have been interested in taking someone for the altar itself, or the kidnapping of the Heartkins might have been designed as a distraction. The Heartkins aren’t sure what it could be a distraction from, and Kilwin is reluctant to explain, while Jorah says they would not believe how crazy things are in the Exeter. Ashara takes another look at the bodies around the altar, but most of them are skeletons, and even those that aren’t are still too decayed to determine what they looked like in life. While there’s no history of people disappearing from Raven Rock, it’s possible that these were people just traveling through the Deytrwood or people who no one was likely to miss. Jedson asks what we think the altar is for. Ashara is pretty sure it’s for summoning demons! Reides examines the altar more closely and determines that if it’s dedicated to a specific god, it’s not one he recognizes. There’s also runes on the altar that none of us can read, but Reides copies them down in his journal in case we find someone who can. Jorah takes another look at the armanites who are wearing some armor, as well as metal bands around their waists, but don’t seem to have space to carry anything. The bands around their waists, though, are inscribed with an etching of a flame, identifying them as servants of Alzrius. We hate that! Ashara turns back to the Heartkins and tells them she has questions and she better like their answers. She basically accuses Mick of working for the Burning Knight and devising this scheme to get us killed. Kilwin pulls her aside for a moment and says the Heartkins clearly aren’t involved with whatever’s going on here. He doesn’t think there’s a point in stressing them out more or spending time interrogating them here if something actually is happening in Raven Rock. He also has faith in Mick, relating Mick’s difficulties in talking to people to his own. Reides gives the Heartkins some salmon, which they just kind of stare at since they’re still a bit too rattled to eat, as this becomes a party meeting. While Reides and Jorah trust Ashara’s instincts, they think it’s better to try to resolve things back in Raven Rock. Reides also sees where Kilwin is coming from.

Ashara agrees to get going toward Raven Rock, although she Will be questioning Mick once we’re there. Kilwin is fine with that, thought thing or no! Jorah doesn’t like Kilwin mentioning “the thought thing” in front of the Heartkins. Nevertheless, we begin making our way out of the Deytrwood. Ashara suggests the Heartkins move closer to the center of town, just in case they’re considered loose ends. Reides says they could maybe get a pet! Jedson gets a kick out of that, doubting that any pet they could get would help with an armanite attack. Akaia also thinks it’s unlikely that they’ll be able to find another house they can afford. As we walk, the Heartkins finally start eating their salmon. When we reach the river from the previous day, Kilwin returns the Ring of Water Walking to Briar, thanking him, and casts Water Walk on the entire group, including Pepega. Sigils of Alethus appear under our feet as we cross the river. Pepega jogs across the river on her feet. The Heartkins need a moment to believe that they’re actually able to walk across the water, but once they realize they can, Akaia runs across jumping, while Jedson takes a more leisurely stroll. Reides waves goodbye to the mushrooms Miré talked to. They do not respond.

Other than the river crossing, our trip out of the forest is uneventful. We get the feeling that whatever Miré is doing, they’re helping to guide us out safely. As we walk, Akaia asks us to tell her and Jedson some stories about our time as adventurers, if we have any we’d like to share. She’s a big fan of adventurers in general, and Jedson is too even if they’re not as vocal about it! We all struggle for an adventure that’s not awful to talk about. Jorah tells them about how he was accosted by wyverns outside Earthbreaker Hall while he was trying to find us. He doesn’t want to tell him his career pre-adventuring life, since “most people don’t care for the work,” but Kilwin chimes in that he used to be a bounty hunter, claiming that it sounded like Jorah was implying something way worse. Akaia asks if we met at Earthbreaker Hall, but Jorah clarifies that he got roped into helping us in Port Valor and just stuck with us. And we’re glad he did! Jedson asks us to go back to the story about the ruin. We tell the Heartkins about the ghost and the giant spiders and how Jorah got his sword. Jorah remembers that we fought a dragon soon after that. The Heartkins are understandably taken aback! They do offer us a reward for saving them, something that they can make us with their trades. Jorah jokes that Reides could get another castle! Akaia realizes that would mean Reides has a first castle! Despite Reides and Jorah’s attempt to convince her it was just a joke (and Ashara’s attempt to create a distraction by asking for new leather straps for her arm, since it’s causing her Horrible pain), Akaia is unconvinced and promises to keep Reides’s royal status a secret. He says she better, for her own safety! In a last ditch attempt to cover his tracks, Jorah says that Reides is from a kingdom down in the desert. Akaia points out that there’s no kingdom out in the desert. Ashara becomes distressed and storms off ahead. Akaia asks Reides if Jorah is even okay. Reides isn’t so sure! Kilwin starts giving Jorah a hard time about accusing him of oversharing so often. Akaia offers to make those leather straps for Ashara, but she doesn’t want them anymore!

Kilwin announces his intention to talk to Grinlief, since it’s been a while! Ashara uses Mask of Many Faces to look like Grinlief, but Kilwin clarifies he meant he was going to Send to the real one. Ashara decides to stay in Grinlief form for a bit anyway! Reides pulls her aside and mentions when she asked the doppelgangers to transform into her mother. Reides proposes that if Ashara turned into her mother, he could learn what she looked like and then transform into her himself, if Ashara wanted. Ashara agrees that she would love that very much and not being able to say goodbye to her mother was one of her deepest regrets. She’s pretty sure she’ll cry, though, so she’d prefer to do it another time. Reides understands! They make plans to do it when we’re back in Raven Rock, since Reides is fine staying there an extra night. A storm’s got his back! Kilwin tells Grinlief where he’s from, and learns that Grinlief is originally from Falas. His parents currently live on the High Terrace.

We eventually reach the foothills of the Ravenridges. The incline on the way up is very steep, but the trek back down is much easier. Around dusk on Leaffall 10, we’re able to see Raven Rock from a distance, but it’s still several hours of travel. The night seems calm. Ashara wants to push through and arrive during the night, but Kilwin asks the Heartkins, who are exhausted, so we decide to make camp for the night and reach Raven Rock around noon on the 11th. Ashara and Briar decide to split the night’s watch between them. Ashara sees the glimmer of a faint aurora in the sky. As Briar stands vigil, he begins to smell smoke, coming from the wind behind him. He realizes that his back is to Raven Rock. He can’t see anything amiss in the town, but he tries to find some animals he could ask to scout ahead for him. With no animals in sight, he wakes up Reides and asks if he can send Pepega to make sure the town is okay. Reides agrees and looks through Pepega’s eyes as she flies a bit closer to the town. Pepega sees smoke rising from Raven Rock and flies back to the camp. Briar and Reides wake up everyone else. Jorah asks where’s the fire. Reides tells him Raven Rock! We decide to rush back to the town, managing to arrive in only four hours. Every so often, we see someone on the road, fleeing Raven Rock. At one point, a drow man in commoner’s clothing tells us to run because the town has been overrun by hellspawn. We decide to press on, although we tell the Heartkins they should stay out of this. Akaia speculates that while Hommlin is closer, Atemcester is probably the safer place to shelter. Kilwin advises her that Hommlin is probably actually the safer place currently (not expanding on this at all), but thinks this might be over tonight. The Heartkins decide to return to our camping spot. Ashara gives Jedson one of her spare daggers just in case, and Jorah sends Gin back with them too. Reides decides it’s time for Pepega to go into her pocket dimension.

We try to sneak through the town. A lot of the houses have been hastily barricaded with things like carts, and a number of those barricades are currently on fire. Fortunately, since the town is mostly made of stone, those fires are likely to stay fairly contained. We pass a number of dead guards and commoners, laying in pools of their own blood. Ahead, we hear something clacking against the cobblestones a few times. Kilwin peeks around a corner and sees an armanite walking in the middle of the road, claws and hooves dripping with blood. It sniffs at the air and then turns, walking away from us. Jorah wants to track it for a while instead of attacking so we can find out what kind of backup it might have before we find ourselves overwhelmed. We manage to track it for a while without it seeming to notice us. Eventually, its head perks up and it turns its attention to a stack of crates and barrels. It fires a lightning bolt toward the crates, setting them ablaze, before galloping off. We see a foot sticking out of the wreckage. Jorah attempts to feel for a pulse, but Kilwin starts unburying the person without checking if they’re alive or not. Despite being heavily burned, we recognize them as Mick. Kilwin discerns that he’s alive, but unlikely to survive his wounds even with healing. Still, Kilwin heals him, bringing him back to consciousness for a few moments and hopefully relieving some of his pain. Mick coughs and opens his eyes slightly. He seems to recognize us and asks if we got them. We did! Mick thanks us and tells us our reward is in the pouch he has. He reaches his hand out, and Kilwin takes it. Mick asks if he’s going to make it. He asks that we be honest. Kilwin says nothing, so Jorah asks how he’d prefer to go. Mick says he’d like to go quickly, but has something to tell us. He tells us to keep heading along the main street, since he’s seen a few demons heading that way. He also tells us that the demons seem to be following a person with black hair and black armor. Jorah tells him that he did good and someone will be looking out for him in the next life. Kilwin apologizes for not being able to do more for him. Mick smiles weakly before passing from this world.

We take the pouch that Mick offered us and agree to try to come back to give him a proper funeral once the town is no longer burning. We continue along the main road, realizing that we’ll need to stop by the Nest anyway if we want the things that were in our carriage (along with our hopefully alive other horse). Ashara asks what we’ll do if the demons’ leader is our friend Slumberjack. We don’t know! Currently, we all seem to be hoping it is not Slumberjack.

Far ahead, we hear an uproar in Abyssal. Most of the party manages to catch the word “Alzrius” (although Briar is well and truly lost right now), but Jorah is able to understand that they’re praising Alzrius and discussing how the Burning Knight will be pleased. We stealthily approach and see lots of fires, as well as lots of dead guards. There’s also a smeared pool of blood where it seems that something was dragged away. The discussion we overheard is being held by two babaus (“finger bastards,” according to Jorah) and an armanite (“lightning bastard”). The babaus’ claws and teeth are also dripping with blood. Reides contemplates using Tidal Wave to put out some of the fires and slap the demons. We seem to be able to get the drop on them, so we use Ashara’s telepathic speech to build a battle plan.