The Madness of Men in a World of Monsters (D&D 5e IC)

**purepolarpanzer** · 2021-08-04, 07:19 PM (ISO 8601)

In the Orchard at the Top of Mount Beldrin

As Vargath and Ulu take a moments respite to wipe away the acidic slime from their vital areas, Mal's thunderous magic sends cracks through the wood of the walking tree. The two vegetable humanoids hanging from a rope within the area of his sell both weather the worst of the sonic boom, but their rope is not so lucky. It disintegrates, sending the two mutant falling downward. Between the sixty foot drop and the broken shards of spikes below them, neither one survives the drop, turning into turnips that are speared through with blood dripping down into the slurry of mud. Meanwhile, Selissa's smoking arrow leaves another brilliant trail, and spears through the center of the mutant with the bear trap on it's leg that is locked in combat with Ulu. Dr. Madaras' healing prowess stems Vargath's bleeding for now.

The giant tree, sensing the threat of Maledictus' potent thunder magic, turns to face him. The branch that still has a mutant hanging from it swings back then hurls forward, sending the beleaguered mutant flying directly at the bard. Fortunately for Mal, he had gone further back into the trees, and his foresight served him well this day. The humanoid thrown weapon mashes directly into a tree between the bard and the home tree, reduced to a paste of meat and vegetable by the force of the blow and nearly cracking a profane apple tree in half.

Ulu, beset on one side by the heavily wounded mutant with a trap on it's leg and the massive home tree on the other, holds her ground and raises her sword to parry. When the smaller abomination charged at her, she smacked it's blows away like an instructor teaching an over eager child in the training yard. She is much less successful at holding back the colossus tree this time around, as it bodily shoves her and the trapped mutant out of the way in it's eagerness to get out of the pit, sending each in opposite directions and splitting up their dance of death. The vile home tree seems intent on the healer, moving it's bulk to loom over Vargath and Ignacius.

Meanwhile, the monstrosity that was attacking Set, without any obvious targets to advance on, begins making it's way towards Mal, running full speed to catch the verbal magician.

Spoiler: OOC

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Vargath and Ulu both use their action to scrape away slime and avoid taking damage in their upcoming turns. Mal's shatter spell damages the home tree. Both the hanging veggie men save for half damage, but then take 5d6 of falling damage, 3d10 of piercing damage, and 3d10 of bludgeoning damage from the remaining spikes in the pin. Neither one survives. Selissa puts another arrow shaped hole in the trapped mutant. The tree gets angry and uses it's action to throw it's remaining missile at Mal, but rolls at Nat 1 and crit fails it's ally directly into a tree at subsonic speeds, killing it. The the tree bullies forward, ending up within reach of Ulu, Vargath, Dr. M, and the swiftly bleeding out bear trap mutant. The mutant who was used at a missile weapon first double moves towards Mal, ending 30 feet away from him.

Maus and Kagiso continue to suffer. If Set dashes up the stairs, he will reach them at the end of his turn.

**Amnestic** · 2021-08-05, 10:51 AM (ISO 8601)

Vargath Hubrecht
Half-Orc Rune Knight Fighter
AC: 19 HP: 12/49
PP: 13 PIv: 12 PIs: 10
Conditions: Infected (Lycanthropy), -1 INT, Longstrider, Uvar, Giant's Might (1 min)
Concentrating: --

There's no verbal acknowledgement from Vargath. He was still actively choosing to ignore the persistent silence effect. He nods in thanks, but it's brief. The fight was still on, and a brief respite to remove the worst of the pink goo was all they could afford. Seeing the enormous foe stomp towards them, Vargath does the only reasonable thing: Charge it first. His heavy footsteps carry him out of cover and into the open. He opens by hacking at the closest approximation it has at a leg to hopefully knock it off its clumsy balance. His axe is back on his hip in a flash after the strike - he'd already thrown away enough weapons for the moment - as he uses his now free hand to punch a grip into its side. If it so desired not being in the pit, he would simply have to push it right back in. That was all there was to it.

Spoiler: Actions

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Move: Into melee with the house.
Action: Attack with axe. (1d20+7)[24] Damage (1d8+6)[8]+(1d6)[4] Giant's Might. Then sheathe weapon for a free hand.
Grapple: (2d20)[4][5](9) +7 Athletics (advantage due to being large) to grapple the house vs. (1d20)[16]+modifier
Remaining Move if any: Push house back towards pit.
Bonus Action: None.
Pre-emptive Reaction: Disadvantage on an attack the house makes, or give myself advantage on a dex save if it pukes again.

**Spore** · 2021-08-05, 05:13 PM (ISO 8601)

Doctor Ignacius Madaras, Medicus Extravagant!
Gnome Artificer/Transmuter
AC: 18 HP: 21/32
PP: 11 PIv: 17 PIs: 11
Conditions: Aid (8h; 5 mHP), Longstrider (1h)
Concentration: Dragon's Breath (3rd level, 3/10 rounds)

Ignacius focusses on his spell anew, and tries to damage the same area again, to make the bark crack maybe.

Spoiler

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(4d6)[19] cold damage, DC 14 dex for half

**Theophilus** · 2021-08-05, 08:50 PM (ISO 8601)

Mal
Levistus Tiefling Bard 5
AC: 14 HP: 41/41 THP: 2/10
PP: 11 PIv: 13 PIs: 11
Spell Slots: 1st - 1/4 2nd - 1/3 3rd - 1/2
Fey Touched: 1st - 0/1 2nd - 1/1
Masquerade Tattoo: 1st - 1/1
Levistus Legacy: Armor of Agathys - 0/1 Darkness - 0/1
Bardic Inspiration: 2/4
Healer's Kit: 20/20
Mal Conditions: Armor of Agathys: 10 cold damage if struck in melee.
Mal Concentrating: Spirit Guardians

Esai
Ancient Companion: Warrior
Companion HP: 0/30
Companion AC: 16
Companion PP: 18 PIv: 12 PIs: 12
Spirit flees, Statue stays

Maledictus notes the oncoming freight coach of a turnipkin. He weaves his rapier like a conductor orchestrating his solo, chanting in draconic. Spirits stirred from their slumber in the halls of his Order. Crisp outlines of ectoplasmic angels in fiercely decorated full plate bore cruel halberds in hand. These formed regimented ranks around their summoner, facing outward, ever outward, in a relentless vigil. The warrior-poet marched with his conjured troop away and around the onrushing foe, circling ever nearer the fray where his colleagues warred with the tree horror.

The bard raised his blade toward the twisted horror in mock salute. goading it to veer on its predetermined course with self-destruction. His path remained fixed. With the foe's artillery spent, the bard would brave closing with arcane reinforcements.

Spoiler: OOC

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Armor of Agathys in effect: 2 THP to Mal. 10 cold damage to a foe if Mal is struck in melee.

Cast Spirit Guardians. If the turnipkin (or anything really) closes within 15' radius of Mal, its speed reduces to half speed. Any creature entering on a turn or starting its turn within the aura takes (3d8)[9] radiant damage, making a DC 15 Wis save for half damage. The party is immune to all of these affects.

Move in a way to maintain 60ft between Mal and the turnipkin. I assume that when it charges once more, it will spend 45ft normally and either stop dead in its tracks once within the barrier or only be able to move 7 feet. Mal intends to circle toward the tree to bring it into the aura in a round or two.

If a creature flees Mal's reach, Mal will react to make an OA.

Spoiler: Mal's Notes

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Spoiler: Cast and Crew

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Set: ~~outcast~~ exiled princeling of Abydos. Two princess sisters (Sisi and Sythpen Al-Sayyid). Romantic connection for Moira?
Selissa: Blighted or reconstructed wood elf? Purported Scout.
Vargath: Afflicted Lycanthrope seeking to suspend his curse. A Bloodwolf?
Mandaras: Rival to Dr. Fixer.
Dr. Fixer: Moira's lieutenant and cultivates relations with the locals of Vale.
Elder Maus: Seeks to kill Moira. Hired mercenaries who betrayed him.
--Healed to his full 9ft height.
--Disbelieves Moira's insights; seeks to end her directly or indirectly.
--Seeks us to verify the truths of Moira's claims--or stop her by any means necessary.
Maulei: Successor to Elder Maus as elder of Dam'ess.
Uluthando Mikoso "Ulu:" Paladin? of Order. From beyond the Vale. Reacts by gripping her dagger and declaring Tieflings are treated differently...Lawful (N/E?) Order? Calls Mal 'Mdala Ohlonishwayo.' Professes to serve no god, but spirits whose reach may be weaker in the Vale than elsewhere.

Spoiler: Dream of Leng

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Spoiler: In Full

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Mal has had this dream before. He finds himself in the legendary Library of Leng, an ancient home of virtually all worldly and mystical knowledge that burned when the city it was located in was razed nearly nine hundred years ago, half the world away. Still, in his dreams it still existed, and these dreams always played out the same. Hours of dutiful research, referencing and cross referencing sources from multiple tomes, carefully reconstructing ancient languages, until EUREKA! Some devastating and profound arcane truth became evident to him, and the sense of accomplisment and relief normally carried with him for several hours after waking up, even if he could never actually remember anything he learned. But this time is different. Mal is well versed enough in the arcane and divine arts to know that sometimes dreams carry real meaning. And as he stares down at what he has been working on, he instinctively knows this bears some significance. Where normally he would have arcane formulas and theorems, he sees only "The One Who Stalks Behind" scrawled over and over again in his own hand, though the words are manic and look like they were written in distress. He searches the paper for any further omen, and down at the bottom of the page, in the smallest script he could possibly manage, it says Behind you!. Just as he is about to turn, a claw as strong as iron grips the side of his head, snaps his neck to the side, and ends all feeling in the bard's body. But he can still hear the deep throated growls, along with the wet noises of whatever killed him beginning to eat him alive. But he never gets to see it before the dream ends.

The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. RIGHT BEHIND YOU! The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind.

Spoiler: Bence's Secrets

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Spoiler: Bence's Journal

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...is a backwards plane, so far removed from the Prime Material that it has not seen an angel or the work of a god in a millennia. I hear that far to the west they do not even worship the gods. Proper savages, but I must remain vigilant, as their knowledge of the ways of this world is far more educated than most. But it is ripe for my conquest. While my Master was tasked with corrupting Avendor, my home plane, a bastion of good and law, my chore is simply to tip the rat into the bucket of the Abyss as it prowls the rim looking for cheese. This plane is already so flooded with the energies of the Abyss that demons spontaneously emerge, monsters manifest in the dark, and their weak leaders bargain with forces they would be wiser to repulse. It will be child's play to nudge it the last few inches into anarchy and destruction, mostly due to the efforts of Pale Night herself. For thousands of years she has been grasping and clawing at this realm, dragging it further from the light and closer to her realm day by day, inch by inch, soul by soul. While my home plane was beyond my ability to destroy, this place will be my masterpiece. With my death at the hands of the forces of good, a symphony of destruction will play the anthem to my ascension to demonhood. The Pale Mother has promised me that each death will bring me closer to my true form, and each rebirth will increase my power, just as our pact promised. I can't wait to die. When will the heroes arrive? I've been planting and tending the seed of the idea in the old giant's mind for weeks now. When will it bear fruit? When can my dark rise to power begin? (The rest is a combination of burned and Abyssal that becomes impossible to read)

Dam'ess- Mass Quasit Summoning. Magic Mouth to Levy Commands re: Retrieve Mirror of Leng, Scepter of Rulership, And Aniot's Cube. Disperse to Appropriate Parties Per The Plan. Burn The Cabin.

Harumburg- Sending to Lord of Bone re: Portal to the 113th. (Indecipherable Due to Burns) In Accordance with Their Great Alliance.

Falluneer- Sending to Lord of Flesh re: (Indecipherable Due to Burns) Ebon Spear.

(Indecipherable Due to Burns)light: Sending to Lord of Blood re: Assassination of (Indecipherable Due to Burns) Yukkot, Recovery of Blood (More Burns).

(Indecipherable Due to Burns)odge- Sending to Cult of Pale (More Burns) re: Initiate Divining Ritual Sacrifices. FIND THE DAMN ZIGGURAT.

Garrunrow- (Indecipherable Due to Burns) Kill the Last Bloodwolf. Recover (More Burns) Key.

Mountain of Smoke- (Indecipherable Due to Burns) crypt. Seize the Ebon (More Burns).

Sussoon- Ensure the Prophecy (Indecipherable Due to Burns)... Pay the Bounty Hunters to Find the Abydossian and the Princesses. re: Sacrifices of The Old Blood

(There is more, but seemingly out of paranoia Bence switched to Abyssal. It is impossible to tell how many lines there are, as the last half of the paper is fully burned away)

Spoiler: Arcane Lore concerning Bence's Notes

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The magic of Contingency is a nearly mythical bit of spell work that was said to be lost when the Library of Leng burned down. It allows a caster to prepare spells in advance for a predetermined event, in this case John Bence's own death, and the spells will automatically cast when the event happens. If Bence is capable of such sorcery, he is likely far more powerful than his flashy death at the party's hands would indicate.

The Mirror of Leng is a artifact of the Library of Leng, said to contain a frozen moment of time where the library was at it's height that a person can temporarily step in to, giving access to the greatest magical library this world has ever seen. Supposedly several mirrors were made, though some are confirmed destroyed after their use led to come calamity of forbidden magics long lost to time. The Scepter of Rulership is said to be an even more powerful version of a Rod of Rulership, a magic item that allows for mass mind manipulation of people to believe that the holder of the Scepter is their rightful ruler. The last time the Scepter was confirmed in play it toppled an entire nation.

Though numbering and organizing the layers of the Abyss is a fool's errand, there are some realms that are constant enough to designate. The one hundred and thirteenth layer is Thanatos, layer of Orcus, the Lord of Death. It is a lifeless frozen landscape where life is snuffed out almost as soon as it arrives, either by the untold legions of undead denizens, the magical aura of the layer itself, or, in the worst cases, by Orcus himself, using his fearsome Wand.

Spoiler: John Bence's Wall Art

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There are no invisible objects in the room, but the entire back wall of the cabin is plastered with profane runes and abyssal scribblings. Where there was nothing to the naked eye, there is an extensive patchwork of spell work, seemingly scribed in the rusted red of blood. More disturbing is the fragments of souls that have been bound to the wall. Faces of people rise and seethe from the wood like a strange and rippling tide, mouths open in anguish. There are not many of them left, presumably due to whatever spell was used here absorbing so much energy, but there is a fine layer of ectoplasm that would indicate that once there were dozens of soul fragments powering this spell. The sight turns Mal's stomach, as the chaotic, destructive magic of the Abyss is written as plainly as news script, but as subtly as any devil could manage.

Spoiler: Monsters

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Barlgura: Demon loosed by summoning ritual on the road to Dam'ess. Slain with its summoned partner by team. (Bless helped with accuracy issues due to invisibility. In the future, layer mind sliver to aid with saves.)
Brazen Hart: Spirit of the wild wood around Dam'ess. Seeks to test the party's mettle by forcing an open fight with the Barlgura.
Horror of Yurl: Shapeshifting kind of monster. Severs limbs, creates euphoria, and slays by consuming the liver. The newest variant flies...

Spoiler: Instrument of the Bards

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Mal needs a translator, the spells, and woodcrafter to create a new relic.

Spoiler: Full Description

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Still, tucked among the primers and amateur books he finds a book that deals with the blending of magic and music. Specifically, it holds the instructions and rituals for a new version of the famed artifacts known as the instruments of the bards. Unfortunately, about a third of the book is in a language Mal does not understand or recognize, including most of the rites and rituals to imbue it with magic. Still, with a translator, appropriate magics, some study, and someone skilled in wood craft, he may be able to produce one of these relics for himself.

Report daily updates to Mistress Moira at last light.

**Riggdgames** · 2021-08-05, 08:53 PM (ISO 8601)

Set Al-Sayyid
Changeling Fighter/Hexblade
AC: 17 HP: 38/38
PP: 12 PIv: 13 PIs: 9
Conditions: Mal's Inspiration (1d8), Mal's Aid (+5 max hp, 8 hrs), Iumenta Pox (-8 max hp)
Concentration: Hex (Tree, 1 hr)

A steady stream of curses tumble out of Set's mouth as he confronts natural beauty twisted into pure corruption. Turning away from the vile creature's throat, Set darts upstairs, subconsciously steering clear of dark vines holding the tree in a death grip. But where the tree seems to be thriving in its own way, Set quickly finds a few elves in the vines' clutches that are not quite so hale and healthy. It's enough to give him pause, but only for a moment. Evergreen's cousins were beyond help, but a cry from above revealed Maus and Kagiso could yet be saved. The Hollow One and a man he'd barely met.

There would be plenty of time later to think about how stupid he was being to launch himself into a monstrous tree trying to help those two. The others wouldn't leave Maus behind for far better reasons, no doubt, but the Chief had to at least live long enough to see that he was wrong. He could do what he liked with his life after seeing that he'd condemned Moira without having the courage to seek the truth for himself. Kagiso, well, Set hadn't really traded two words with the man. But Ulu cared. The woman was still a mystery in her own right, but anyone who stood their ground against an enormous, acid-spewing tree deserved a measure of respect. He'd watched Ulu the Unyielding give less than an inch moments before when the tree had tried to push through her. Tried. The tree couldn't move her. Whatever her faults might be, if she'd put herself in that position to save one of her own, then she'd earned a measure of trust. With luck, Kagiso would live long enough to benefit from it if Set could find him in this treehouse of horrors.

Spoiler: OOC

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Full round sprint towards Set's two best pals, Kagiso and that other guy.

**purepolarpanzer** · 2021-08-05, 09:42 PM (ISO 8601)

In the Orchard at the Top of Mount Beldrin

Vargath's axe blow cuts deep into the flesh of the home tree, leaking blood and sap across his arm. His attempt to lift the tree, however, is doomed to failure. While his enhanced size and strength is more than a match for most things, this gargantua barely notices his efforts to upset it. It is distracted from his attempt, however, by another cone of withering cold from Ignacius that causes bark to fall off and underlying wood to crack and split. A roar of pain escapes the creature's mouth that sounds agonized and infuriated.

The vegetable abomination pursuing Mal runs full force into the spirits of the Order and pays for it with his miserable life. Though the ethereal spirits look insubstantial and angelic, when several of them bring their halberds down on the aggressive plant the sanctified energy that brought them into existence burns through corrupted flesh with an audible hiss, dismembering the mutant and leaving it in a pile of turnips and flesh, both singed beyond recognition by the power of the knowledge seekers.

Inside the home tree, Set struggles to make his way up stairs that are moving to and fro, sending him sprawling into the wall more than once. When he finally crests the top, he finds himself in an observatory. The entire top of the tree has been enchanted to be translucent. But the immediate threats are far more concerning. Maus and Kagiso are both being held in a kneeling position by two more of the vegetation abominations, and thick black roots are snaking their way along the two of them, at points slipping under skin and nearing both of their mouths. These roots can be traced back to the center of the room, where all the black roots meet in a withered looking stalk four feet in height. At the top of this stalk is a charred looking gnarl of black wood that looks something like a withered humanoid brain. Behind the brain against the wall nearest to Set there is an ashen humanoid wrapped in so many of the dark roots that is might as well be cocooned, with the exception of a beautiful, masculine face, a set of grey feathered wings that look ragged and battered, and a single exposed hand that is wrapped around a simple, unadorned dagger. All the occupants of the room turn towards Set, and when the brain shaped wood turns to him he can see two bulging, furious looking humanoid eyes staring at him with a passionate fury. He hears... no... senses a voice in his inner mind. A voice filled with vitriol, spite, and loathing. "The small, dark one is contained. You, hold the ancient muscular one, and you, take care of this bronzed intruder. Throw him from the window. Protect your progenitor!" Then, another voice, lyrical and soft, is audible to Set. The winged humanoid whispers so low it should be impossible to hear, but somehow Set can make out it's words plainly. Though it is deep and masculine, something about it reminds Set of his mother's voice from his oldest memories. "Ignore the spawn, Set. Strike down the Root, and it's influence shall be banished from this plane."

Spoiler: Religion Roll DC 15

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There is a demonic plant species known as The Root that resides in the Abyss. It is a withered and pitiful thing in it's natural habitat, but if it manages to make it to a Material Realm it's demonic powers allow it to mutate and control common plants, merging them with flesh.

Spoiler: DC 20

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"The Roots of All Evil", as they are known, generally can raise three to five monstrous servants to aid them in spreading death and chaos. A single member of their species should not be able to maintain this many vegetable mutants, let alone the massive home tree. Something is making it far more powerful than it should be able to manage.

Spoiler: A Seperate Religion Roll, DC 5

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Is... is that an angel?

Spoiler: DC 10

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No, it couldn't be. Angels are fictional beings. Aren't they?

Spoiler: DC 15

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No, angels are real. At least, that's what travelers from other planes tell us.

Spoiler: DC 20

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The last recorded sighting of an angel on this plane was right around the time the dragons invented writing, untold millennia ago. It is little more than a pictograph of a winged humanoid, but the tablet it was found on has been magically divined to before the time of the elves, and LONG before the first humans, in other words before there WERE humanoids. There are many reputable scholars who use this to prove that angels are real, but for some reason they simply do not come to this plane anymore.

Spoiler: DC 15 Insight

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The telepathic voice of the withered looking brain may be commanding and authoritative, but it is also tinged with fear. No one is supposed to get this close to this being, and it is worried for itself.

**Awful** · 2021-08-06, 11:07 AM (ISO 8601)

Selissa Betula
Wood Elf Scout Rogue
AC: 16 HP: --/38 -> 30/43
PP: 16
Conditions: Aid
Concentrating: --

Almost all of the vegetable monsters Selissa could see had been destroyed. Only the wounded one with the bear trap was left, assailing the paladin from the side. She drew back her bowstring and put an arrow clean through the side of the monster's head, sending it toppling to the ground.

Now there was just the tree left. Even as she returned to the dark embrace of the foliage around her, she looked for weakpoints, tried to see through the windows for whatever might have become of Set. The man was cursed and foolish, but the was far from deserving to be digested by an evil mutant tree home.

Indeed, she began to ponder something foolish. She was, after all, well versed in climbing trees...

Spoiler: OOC

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Hits for 19 damage

Hides with 36.

Not climbing the tree yet, but thinking about it.

**purepolarpanzer** · 2021-08-06, 01:13 PM (ISO 8601)

In the Orchard at the Top of Mount Beldrin

Selissa's sniper shot scatters the sole remaining vegetable mutant to it's base components, leaving only the massive tree to fight the entire party. Sensing the battle coming to a climax, the titanic flesh plant swings it's massive branches as weapons and attempts to destroy as many of you as possible. First it strikes at Vargath, but between his formidable armor and the rune magic he employs the attack does not connect. It's next swing is at Ignacius, seeming intent on removing the party's source of healing. When the branch comes down to squash him, Dr. Madaras throws himself to the side just in time to escape a bludgeoning death.

Meanwhile, inside the tree one of the two vegetable mutants lets go of Kagiso and makes it's way over to Set, swinging wildly. The first blow is turned aside, but the second strike comes straight for Set's face, bloodying his nose and making him see stars. The blow was obviously meant to send Set tumbling towards the open window, but the Abydossian grits his teeth, spits blood, and holds his ground. The Root, angry eyes intent on Set, begins to vibrate slightly, and Set can feel an invasive presence in his mind, whispering a tirade of insults and vile curses at him.

Spoiler: Please make a DC 13 Wisdom Saving Throw

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Spoiler: If You Fail

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You take 12 psychic damage and are compelled to run back down the stairs 15 feet (one move action). You take an opportunity attack, but the veggie mutant misses.

Spoiler: If You Succeed

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You take 6 psychic damage and suffer no other ill effects.

Spoiler: OOC

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You've got the tree on the ropes, and Set is within striking distance of your true foe. KICK IT'S ASS, SEABASS!

**Theophilus** · 2021-08-06, 02:42 PM (ISO 8601)

Mal
Levistus Tiefling Bard 5
AC: 14 HP: 41/41 THP: 2/10
PP: 11 PIv: 13 PIs: 11
Spell Slots: 1st - 1/4 2nd - 1/3 3rd - 1/2
Fey Touched: 1st - 0/1 2nd - 0/1
Masquerade Tattoo: 1st - 1/1
Levistus Legacy: Armor of Agathys - 0/1 Darkness - 0/1
Bardic Inspiration: 2/4
Healer's Kit: 20/20
Mal Conditions: Armor of Agathys: 10 cold damage if struck in melee.
Mal Concentrating: Spirit Guardians

Esai
Ancient Companion: Warrior
Companion HP: 0/30
Companion AC: 16
Companion PP: 18 PIv: 12 PIs: 12
Spirit flees, Statue stays

Maledictus grinds the turnipkin under the radiant blades of his honor guard. The tiefling advanced upon the fell foe, loosing his ancestral wrath in a chill blast of slurry. The beam struck at an eye of the tree. Then the front ranks of his warding spirits reached the enemy, circled its bough, and prepared to fell the fiend if the horror remained animate.

The bard gazed upon the holes in the house, wondering the state of the allies trapped inside. He saw no sign of Set. Setting his jaw, the bard and his cohort faded into mist. The trap had already sprung. Best not to keep his host waiting for him to arrive.

Spoiler: OOC

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Armor of Agathys in effect: 2 THP to Mal. 10 cold damage to a foe if Mal is struck in melee.

Maintain Spirit Guardians. If the turnipkin (or anything really) closes within 15' radius of Mal, its speed reduces to half speed. Any creature entering on a turn or starting its turn within the aura takes 13 (Discord) radiant damage, making a DC 15 Wis save for half damage. The party is immune to all of these affects.

Cast Frost Ray at tree: 18 to hit for 9 cold damage. (discord)

Move to tree. BA cast Misty Step to enter the upper story he can see into.

If a creature flees Mal's reach, Mal will react to make an OA.

Spoiler: Mal's Notes

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Spoiler: Cast and Crew

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Set: ~~outcast~~ exiled princeling of Abydos. Two princess sisters (Sisi and Sythpen Al-Sayyid). Romantic connection for Moira?
Selissa: Blighted or reconstructed wood elf? Purported Scout.
Vargath: Afflicted Lycanthrope seeking to suspend his curse. A Bloodwolf?
Mandaras: Rival to Dr. Fixer.
Dr. Fixer: Moira's lieutenant and cultivates relations with the locals of Vale.
Elder Maus: Seeks to kill Moira. Hired mercenaries who betrayed him.
--Healed to his full 9ft height.
--Disbelieves Moira's insights; seeks to end her directly or indirectly.
--Seeks us to verify the truths of Moira's claims--or stop her by any means necessary.
Maulei: Successor to Elder Maus as elder of Dam'ess.
Uluthando Mikoso "Ulu:" Paladin? of Order. From beyond the Vale. Reacts by gripping her dagger and declaring Tieflings are treated differently...Lawful (N/E?) Order? Calls Mal 'Mdala Ohlonishwayo.' Professes to serve no god, but spirits whose reach may be weaker in the Vale than elsewhere.

Spoiler: Dream of Leng

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Spoiler: In Full

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Mal has had this dream before. He finds himself in the legendary Library of Leng, an ancient home of virtually all worldly and mystical knowledge that burned when the city it was located in was razed nearly nine hundred years ago, half the world away. Still, in his dreams it still existed, and these dreams always played out the same. Hours of dutiful research, referencing and cross referencing sources from multiple tomes, carefully reconstructing ancient languages, until EUREKA! Some devastating and profound arcane truth became evident to him, and the sense of accomplisment and relief normally carried with him for several hours after waking up, even if he could never actually remember anything he learned. But this time is different. Mal is well versed enough in the arcane and divine arts to know that sometimes dreams carry real meaning. And as he stares down at what he has been working on, he instinctively knows this bears some significance. Where normally he would have arcane formulas and theorems, he sees only "The One Who Stalks Behind" scrawled over and over again in his own hand, though the words are manic and look like they were written in distress. He searches the paper for any further omen, and down at the bottom of the page, in the smallest script he could possibly manage, it says Behind you!. Just as he is about to turn, a claw as strong as iron grips the side of his head, snaps his neck to the side, and ends all feeling in the bard's body. But he can still hear the deep throated growls, along with the wet noises of whatever killed him beginning to eat him alive. But he never gets to see it before the dream ends.

The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. RIGHT BEHIND YOU! The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind.

Spoiler: Bence's Secrets

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Spoiler: Bence's Journal

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...is a backwards plane, so far removed from the Prime Material that it has not seen an angel or the work of a god in a millennia. I hear that far to the west they do not even worship the gods. Proper savages, but I must remain vigilant, as their knowledge of the ways of this world is far more educated than most. But it is ripe for my conquest. While my Master was tasked with corrupting Avendor, my home plane, a bastion of good and law, my chore is simply to tip the rat into the bucket of the Abyss as it prowls the rim looking for cheese. This plane is already so flooded with the energies of the Abyss that demons spontaneously emerge, monsters manifest in the dark, and their weak leaders bargain with forces they would be wiser to repulse. It will be child's play to nudge it the last few inches into anarchy and destruction, mostly due to the efforts of Pale Night herself. For thousands of years she has been grasping and clawing at this realm, dragging it further from the light and closer to her realm day by day, inch by inch, soul by soul. While my home plane was beyond my ability to destroy, this place will be my masterpiece. With my death at the hands of the forces of good, a symphony of destruction will play the anthem to my ascension to demonhood. The Pale Mother has promised me that each death will bring me closer to my true form, and each rebirth will increase my power, just as our pact promised. I can't wait to die. When will the heroes arrive? I've been planting and tending the seed of the idea in the old giant's mind for weeks now. When will it bear fruit? When can my dark rise to power begin? (The rest is a combination of burned and Abyssal that becomes impossible to read)

Dam'ess- Mass Quasit Summoning. Magic Mouth to Levy Commands re: Retrieve Mirror of Leng, Scepter of Rulership, And Aniot's Cube. Disperse to Appropriate Parties Per The Plan. Burn The Cabin.

Harumburg- Sending to Lord of Bone re: Portal to the 113th. (Indecipherable Due to Burns) In Accordance with Their Great Alliance.

Falluneer- Sending to Lord of Flesh re: (Indecipherable Due to Burns) Ebon Spear.

(Indecipherable Due to Burns)light: Sending to Lord of Blood re: Assassination of (Indecipherable Due to Burns) Yukkot, Recovery of Blood (More Burns).

(Indecipherable Due to Burns)odge- Sending to Cult of Pale (More Burns) re: Initiate Divining Ritual Sacrifices. FIND THE DAMN ZIGGURAT.

Garrunrow- (Indecipherable Due to Burns) Kill the Last Bloodwolf. Recover (More Burns) Key.

Mountain of Smoke- (Indecipherable Due to Burns) crypt. Seize the Ebon (More Burns).

Sussoon- Ensure the Prophecy (Indecipherable Due to Burns)... Pay the Bounty Hunters to Find the Abydossian and the Princesses. re: Sacrifices of The Old Blood

(There is more, but seemingly out of paranoia Bence switched to Abyssal. It is impossible to tell how many lines there are, as the last half of the paper is fully burned away)

Spoiler: Arcane Lore concerning Bence's Notes

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The magic of Contingency is a nearly mythical bit of spell work that was said to be lost when the Library of Leng burned down. It allows a caster to prepare spells in advance for a predetermined event, in this case John Bence's own death, and the spells will automatically cast when the event happens. If Bence is capable of such sorcery, he is likely far more powerful than his flashy death at the party's hands would indicate.

The Mirror of Leng is a artifact of the Library of Leng, said to contain a frozen moment of time where the library was at it's height that a person can temporarily step in to, giving access to the greatest magical library this world has ever seen. Supposedly several mirrors were made, though some are confirmed destroyed after their use led to come calamity of forbidden magics long lost to time. The Scepter of Rulership is said to be an even more powerful version of a Rod of Rulership, a magic item that allows for mass mind manipulation of people to believe that the holder of the Scepter is their rightful ruler. The last time the Scepter was confirmed in play it toppled an entire nation.

Though numbering and organizing the layers of the Abyss is a fool's errand, there are some realms that are constant enough to designate. The one hundred and thirteenth layer is Thanatos, layer of Orcus, the Lord of Death. It is a lifeless frozen landscape where life is snuffed out almost as soon as it arrives, either by the untold legions of undead denizens, the magical aura of the layer itself, or, in the worst cases, by Orcus himself, using his fearsome Wand.

Spoiler: John Bence's Wall Art

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There are no invisible objects in the room, but the entire back wall of the cabin is plastered with profane runes and abyssal scribblings. Where there was nothing to the naked eye, there is an extensive patchwork of spell work, seemingly scribed in the rusted red of blood. More disturbing is the fragments of souls that have been bound to the wall. Faces of people rise and seethe from the wood like a strange and rippling tide, mouths open in anguish. There are not many of them left, presumably due to whatever spell was used here absorbing so much energy, but there is a fine layer of ectoplasm that would indicate that once there were dozens of soul fragments powering this spell. The sight turns Mal's stomach, as the chaotic, destructive magic of the Abyss is written as plainly as news script, but as subtly as any devil could manage.

Spoiler: Monsters

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Barlgura: Demon loosed by summoning ritual on the road to Dam'ess. Slain with its summoned partner by team. (Bless helped with accuracy issues due to invisibility. In the future, layer mind sliver to aid with saves.)
Brazen Hart: Spirit of the wild wood around Dam'ess. Seeks to test the party's mettle by forcing an open fight with the Barlgura.
Horror of Yurl: Shapeshifting kind of monster. Severs limbs, creates euphoria, and slays by consuming the liver. The newest variant flies...

Spoiler: Instrument of the Bards

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Mal needs a translator, the spells, and woodcrafter to create a new relic.

Spoiler: Full Description

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Still, tucked among the primers and amateur books he finds a book that deals with the blending of magic and music. Specifically, it holds the instructions and rituals for a new version of the famed artifacts known as the instruments of the bards. Unfortunately, about a third of the book is in a language Mal does not understand or recognize, including most of the rites and rituals to imbue it with magic. Still, with a translator, appropriate magics, some study, and someone skilled in wood craft, he may be able to produce one of these relics for himself.

Report daily updates to Mistress Moira at last light.

**Awful** · 2021-08-06, 02:44 PM (ISO 8601)

Selissa Betula
Wood Elf Scout Rogue
AC: 16 HP: --/38 -> 30/43
PP: 16
Conditions: Aid
Concentrating: --

Selissa aimed for one of the disgusting eye clusters and let fly. Where Mal's beam had struck, so did Selissa's arrow, striking the wound even deeper into the despoiled trunk of the accursed tree.

Hurry and die, Selissa thought. Return to the earth.

Spoiler: OOC

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Hits for 19 damage

**purepolarpanzer** · 2021-08-06, 03:22 PM (ISO 8601)

In the Orchard at the Top of Mount Beldrin

Selissa's arrow bursts a knot of eyes like juicy melons, while Mal's spiritual warriors go to work chopping at the tree's trunk. Mal's ray of ice causes another eye to crack and ooze, and his decision to teleport into the tree is rewarded with the same horrible scene of murder and mummification that Set discovered on the second floor. The corpses of the elves stare at Mal expectantly from their black root cocoons, as though they expect him to do something about their deaths. The sound of another vegetable mutant comes from an upper stairwell, along with a palpable sense of great evil, while the stairs going down appear to be building up with the acidic pink foam.

**Riggdgames** · 2021-08-06, 09:39 PM (ISO 8601)

Set Al-Sayyid
Changeling Fighter/Hexblade
AC: 17 HP: 38/38
PP: 12 PIv: 13 PIs: 9
Conditions: Mal's Aid (+5 max hp, 8 hrs), Iumenta Pox (-8 max hp)
Concentration: Hex (Tree, 1 hr)

Set quickly takes in the scene, swallowing his revulsion as the vines sink into Maus and Kagiso's flesh. The sight of another, a winged-creature so thoroughly wrapped in vines he couldn't hope to escape, would've been more startling had it not been for the roots culminating in a brain. Two mutants made of vegetables flanked it, holding Maus and Kagiso in place, but Set's eyes are drawn to the terrible roots as the brain turns to stare at him.

A voice crashes into Set's mind, heavy with the expectation that its commands would be followed, yet tainted by something else. The brain stares at Set with rapt hatred, but its fury is undercut by something deeper.

Ignore the spawn, Set. Strike down the Root, and it's influence shall be banished from this plane.

A second voice whispers in the absence left by the first, tugging at Set's heart and pulling him back towards home in the purest sense. "<Um?>" Mother? A voice unlike any other, masculine but like hers all the same. "<Um?>" Set whispers harshly, louder this time as wild eyes search the room before examining the cocooned creature. Pale features peak out from under dark roots as the humanoid's voice keeps bouncing around between Set's ears.

His eyes narrow. An angel? Here? They were gone from this place, known only to those who traveled the far-reaching planes. It dawns on Set that the denizens of hell had followed John Bence into this place. If the hells were leaking into the realms of men, could the heavens be leaking as well?

Set's thoughts are broken by a mutant hell-bent on caving his head in. He bats aside the first blow with his spear, but leaves himself open for the second. A heavy fist connects, knocking him back a pace, but he manages to hold his ground as his shemagh falls to hang loosely about his neck. Blood seeps from his nose and mouth, running freely down his chin as he readies himself for the next blow, but before it can come a presence worms into Set's mind, whispering secrets meant to send him running. There was a familiarity to it that gave Set pause. It felt a bit like Him. The Shadowkeeper, however, would no doubt laugh to feel this thing's pitiful effort.

Fear. That was the missing piece. This thing, whatever it was, had grown used to having its commands followed. It had grown fat leeching off the tree and drunk with power as it exerted its mastery over everything its corruption touched. It had bound an angel, if this truly was such. But it was afraid. This thing was afraid of Set.

The ghost of a chuckle sounds off in his mind. The Shadowkeeper isn't here, but a perverse delight fills Set before he can disavow it. Memories of mother and the angels of Set's better nature rapidly fade as a rush of power fills the emptiness in their place, diverting Set's attention to the only thing that matters.

His shoulders slump, head bowing slightly as he turns too-slowly away from the root-center, awaiting the next blow instead of darting back down the stairs. As the vege-monster's fist nears, Set snaps into action, ducking under the attack fluidly and dashing forward. Just a small opening, but one he could put to use. Set comes in low, aiming to bury his spear in the wooden brain before wrenching upward.

Spoiler: OOC

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Move: Shift around vege-monster until in melee with the root of all evil
Action: 2H spear attack (1d20+7)[25] to hit for (1d8+4)[7] piercing plus (1d6)[5] necrotic damage
Action Surge: 2H spear attack (1d20+7)[12] to hit for (1d8+4)[8] piercing plus (1d6)[1] necrotic damage
Bonus Action: Polearm master attack (1d20+7)[20] to hit for (1d4+4)[6] bludgeoning plus (1d6)[3] necrotic damage

**Amnestic** · 2021-08-07, 11:52 AM (ISO 8601)

Vargath Hubrecht
Half-Orc Rune Knight Fighter
AC: 19 HP: 12/49
PP: 13 PIv: 12 PIs: 10
Conditions: Infected (Lycanthropy), -1 INT, Longstrider, Uvar, Giant's Might (1 min)
Concentrating: --

He'd not been properly 'grounded', is what he tells himself as his first attempt at pushing fails, but all it does is spur him on for a second attempt. Bracing his enormous muscles once more he thrusts fist into the house to punch a grip hole. Though some wood splinters away it's too shallow to do any real damage. It's enough though. Now gripping it with fingers of steel he tenses his legs as he bodily shoves the treehouse with all his might. The power of giants is with him, and if they could move a tree, then so too can he. Whether its this belief that pushes him on or if it was true all along - this time it works. It's easier with each step as the creature loses its grip and Vargath gains the momentum. Sprays of mud are thrown up in the wake as he continues to push it further and further, eventually reaching the pit, and beginning to tip its way back into the pit.

Spoiler: Actions

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Action: Attack with fist. Miss/no damage.
Successful grapple. Push.
Move: Push the house back 20' (longstrider) into the pit, as much as possible.
Bonus Action: None.
Pre-emptive Reaction: Disadvantage on an attack the house makes, or give myself advantage on a dex save if it pukes again.

**Spore** · 2021-08-08, 07:26 AM (ISO 8601)

Doctor Ignacius Madaras, Medicus Extravagant!
Gnome Artificer/Transmuter
AC: 18 HP: 21/32
PP: 11 PIv: 17 PIs: 11
Conditions: Aid (8h; 5 mHP), Longstrider (1h)
Concentration: Dragon's Breath (3rd level, 3/10 rounds)

WINTER COMES FOR YOU EARLY THIS YEAR, HEINOUS HARVESTED HARDWOOD! Ignacius tries to lighten the mood in combat, but he is scared about his two "swallowed" companions, and the state of Vargath. No orc should suffer this much head trauma, but no orc would be able to wrestle a tree either.

His freezing cone on a budget continues to blast cold air.

Spoiler

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(4d6)[17] vs. DC 14 Dex Save

**purepolarpanzer** · 2021-08-08, 03:50 PM (ISO 8601)

In the Orchard at the Top of Mount Beldrin

Outside the home tree. Vargath again squares up with the multiple ton tree in an attempt to shove it back into the pit. At first it seems just as impossible as it did the first time, but two things come to his aid. First, Ignacius' frozen breath crystalizes and cracks the supporting roots of the tree, doing massive damage to it's base. Second, Set's eldritch hex still causes the shadow of the tree to cling and drag at the gargantuan amalgamation of flesh and wood. First the giant touched half-orc pushes the tree an inch, followed by a full step, and then the rune knight begins picking up momentum as the arboreal abomination's balance shifts backwards. As it's base crumbles it's crown is yanked back, and Vargath's formidable might pushes the monstrosity past the tipping point. With a sound of cracking, wrenching wood, a low moan of pain and mortal doom, and a veritable rain of flesh tainted apples, the home tree falls.

Inside the tree, Set's spear scores a gouge across the dastardly root that sends hot, sizzling blood spraying. Recoiling in fear, the plant demon rears up and away from the Abydossian like an asp about to strike. Behind him, Mal has just gotten to the stairs, ready to reinforce his ally. Then the world begins to go sideways, slowly at first, but with a rapid and alarming increase in speed. First, all the standing occupants of the home tree are smacked by the outer wall of the residence as the tree tips. Then comes the fall- sixty feet of screaming tree and squealing wood, tens of thousands of pounds picking up momentum and hurtling towards the earth, with the forces of gravity first pressing all the occupants against the wall and then dashing them into the opposite wall when the tree impacts the earth with a thunderous cacophony.

Spoiler: Mal and Set Need to Roll Me A DC 16 Constitution Saving Throw

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Spoiler: IF You Fail

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You take 25 bludgeoning damage from the force of the tree crashing to the earth. You take two levels of exhaustion from a concussion.

Spoiler: If You Succeed

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You take 12 points of bludgeoning damage and one temporary level of exhaustion from whiplash disorienting you. This will go away in 3 (1d4) hours.

When the dust settles, the tree has fallen so that it's base is in the pit and it's crown is protruding from the hole. Oozing black blood covers the ground from the impact, and all the eyes of the tree are staring vacantly into the distance, dead an unblinking. The orchard floor is covered with the wreckage of all the fleshy fruit that came down like meteors all around. For a moment, all is silent.

Inside the tree, Set blinks and finds that the vegetable mutant had fallen directly on top of the withered cerebral root, crushing it to a bloody pulp against the wall. Of the mutant itself there is nothing remaining but turnips, blood, and organ meat. Ironically, the black roots that had invaded the bodies of Maus and Kagiso had secured them in place, sparing them the majority of the force of impact, but both lie unconscious in the wreckage, possibly from the backlash of whatever psychic connection the Root had established with them. Disconnected from the demon brain, the black roots rapidly lose their fortitude and begin crumbling away as though they were made of charcoal. The Abydossian tries to rise, but finds his sense of balance has been, for the moment, shattered into pieces. As he struggles to sit up, he sees a human form stride through the wreckage like a noble through a garden. Now that the angelic form is not caged in roots, he can see that it's skin is mottled and shifting, with patches of pale milk, tarnished bronze, stone grey, and ebony shadow moving and changing across it's skin like the shadows of tree branches on a sunny, windy day. It is naked, hairless, and muscular as a statue, but it moves with the grace of a dancer, wings tucked in tight against it's back.

It strides over to Maus and Kagiso, putting two fingers to each of their necks and giving a small nod. The simple, straight, iron dagger is still clutched in one hand, but Set senses no threat from this otherworldly, beautiful being. He notes that it constantly sheds a trail of mottled grey feathers behind it, but the feathers melt away to nothing like snow on a sunny winter day. Set has just managed to get one arm underneath him when the shifting, alien humanoid approaches and gently aids the warlock in his efforts to stand, but with a surety, strength, and grace that is completely inhuman, and skin as solid and cold as stone. "Can you stand, Set of Abydos? You do not appear to be injured, but mortal fragility never ceases to amaze me. You are like candle flames on a windy night, dancing and vivacious one moment and nothing but a wisp of smoke the next." Again, this creature sounds nothing like his mother, but he cannot help but hear something of her in it's bass rumbling. Mal shakily crawls into the room from the stairwell, still feeling the effects of the crash. The otherworldly, winged being makes sure Set can stand independently before gliding over to the tiefling and aiding him in the same fashion. "Rise, Maledictus of the Obsidian Tower. Rise and know victory, fleeting and ephemeral as it is. Your companions have suffered a psychic shock and will need to be carried from the corpse of this poor, tainted domicile. I would aid them, but I fear with one hand I may do more harm then good trying to move them. You and Set will have to manage, or you must call your other companions in for rescue and recovery." Once Mal is shakily on his feet, the winged creature shimmers as though it was blinking in and out of existence, then disappears.

Outside, as the rest of the party is taking in the scene of destruction and wondering about the fates of their companions, there is a shimmer in the air as though one were rapidly blinking and the angelic figure, skin still a melding, shifting puzzle of every shade known to humanoids, appears before them. It's eyes are so pale they almost look completely white, and it takes in those in front of it solemnly before speaking. "Set, Maledictus, Maus, and Kagiso are alive, but they are injured and in a state of shock. They will need your assistance to escape the fallen tree." The being has a simple, sheening dagger held in a tight grip in it's right hand, but it gives off an almost palpable pacifying aura. With room to breath and move in, the winged humanoid extends it's wings to their full span, easily fourteen feet from wing tip to wing tip.

**Spore** · 2021-08-08, 08:52 PM (ISO 8601)

Doctor Ignacius Madaras, Medicus Extravagant!
Gnome Artificer/Transmuter
AC: 18 HP: 21/32
PP: 11 PIv: 17 PIs: 11
Conditions: Aid (8h; 5 mHP), Longstrider (1h)
Concentration: Dragon's Breath (3rd level, 4/10 rounds)

Ignacius looks at the ruined treehouse, then at his comrades. Realizing he would just stand in the way for the actual recovery of the bodies, the gnome pulls out his medical supplies. Would you do the honors, Vargath? I am with you in a moment.

He turns to the feathered statue, collecting himself against what the fine doctor first thinks is mind control, turns out to be just a palpable form of fascination with the 'angel', as his masters have described it. And what part do you play in this, angel? If I know this world, and I don't know every nook and cranny, you want us to do something. No force, divine, natural or demonic is ever helping mortals out of the pureness of their heart. So why are you helping us? And why weren't you helping moments ago? This was why Ignacius quit his religious studies in the first place. Divine healers always required something of their patients; be it devotion, servitude or reverence. Alchemists did no such thing. Coin was enough to keep them alive, and what they took extra was off the generosity of their patient's heart.

No, Ignacis preferred to trick the rich and foolish with promises of long lives, enduring intimate encounters and strength untold. This creature however either chose not to help, or is similarly tricking him. And he wanted to know why.

**Riggdgames** · 2021-08-08, 09:25 PM (ISO 8601)

Set Al-Sayyid
Changeling Fighter/Hexblade
AC: 17 HP: 38/38
PP: 12 PIv: 13 PIs: 9
Conditions: Exhaustion Level 2, Mal's Aid (+5 max hp, 8 hrs), Iumenta Pox (-8 max hp)
Concentration:

One moment Set feels power coursing through him as the brain controlling everything betrays its fear. The next moment, Set's own fear resurfaces as the entire tree shakes, then tips, and then drops. Together, they all become a coin flipped through the air. A few moments of chaos pass as their fates are decided, then darkness.

As Set regains consciousness he examines the wreckage with dispassionate eyes, still too woozy to do more than make basic observations. The vege-monster was missing. No, not missing. It was turnips. The brain was still there, but busted. Kagiso and Maus hadn't moved. Probably good, insofar as anything was good right now. A literal angel was checking on them, but wrong. Not white. Or it had some white, but it was also as grey as Ulu's sword and green as the noble Hart. It carries darkness, too. Shadows dance across its skin, making strange shapes that beckon. Set lets his head fall back down to rest another moment, too tired to look or think further.

Finally he lets out a long groan as he pushes himself up. He grabs his aching head and pulls his hand away wet with blood, wiping it off on his robes before he accepts the angel's help. "We surprise even ourselves sometimes," Set says shakily, unable to muster proper manners in the moment for a creature of such stature. "Noble One," Set adds belatedly, bowing his head and catching himself before he loses his balance.

We mortals are indeed fragile. But what are you? An actual angel, or something else? Why aren't you pure ivory, pale as milk all over like the tales said? What are you doing here?

Why does your voice remind me of mother?

The question won't come as another figure appears. "Mal?" Set leans heavily on his spear, biting the inside of his cheek as Mal rises with the angel's aid.

As the creature starts blinking away, a hundred questions get jumbled on Set's tongue at once, preventing him from giving voice to any of them. Cradling his head, Set draws in a deep breath and blows it out before hobbling over to Iceblood. "You alright?"

Hesitating a moment, Set offers a shoulder for the tiefling to lean on should he want such help. Not that Set was the most stable of forces at the moment. That fall had scrambled him like an egg, but Mal didn't look much better. "Let's get out of here. Kagiso and the Chief'll be fine for a few minutes while we get some air."

Truth be told, Set hadn't expected to find any of the others right behind him. Jumping into the open maw of a demon-tree was a gamble at best. In retrospect, it felt impossibly dumb.

"You know," Set says, grunting as he almost loses his footing on a turnip, "when I met you yesterday I thought you were smarter." He chokes on a chuckle, coughing and grimacing instead.

**Amnestic** · 2021-08-09, 04:29 AM (ISO 8601)

Vargath Hubrecht
Half-Orc Rune Knight Fighter
AC: 19 HP: 12/49
PP: 13 PIv: 12 PIs: 10
Conditions: Infected (Lycanthropy), -1 INT, Longstrider
Concentrating: --

Vargath takes a long series of breaths as he looks at the result of his work. Not bad at all. Could be better. Next time he'd do it in a single push instead of two. If there was a next time. He regards the angel with some skepticism. They had tales of the meddling, 'superior' celestials among his tribe. Beings who thought themselves great by virtue of special 'birth' instead of from actions and deeds, so alien to the people that their similar appearances seemed more a mockery or trick than a familiar aspect that they shared. Still, as long as it made no aggressive motions it would receive none from Vargath in turn. They weren't exactly in a state to go picking fights as it was. Now that the silencing fog was gone he could actually speak again freely too. "I'll handle it," is his short response to Ignacius. He'd leave the angel to them.

Already looming over the pit, and the stilled treehouse it contains, Vargath slides down the edge to stand atop the tree's 'face'. He still had a good thirty second or so of size before the giantsblood that runs through his veins (figuratively) runs its course. Given that it was now on its back it would probably be less than easy to climb out on its own, especially for those with injuries. At this point it might be easier to pull people out of the side, but he goes in from the top, peering through the 'doors' and 'windows'. It's only a moment before he sees Set and Mal. Reaching a hand through the wreckage to lift them out (a simple feat, made simpler by his enlarged size. "Good work." He says simply. "You're out first, I'll get the other two." The scoop is easy enough, his hands large enough to cup the majority of their torsos and their weight a fraction of a concern, and they're out of the pit in a moment, back on 'solid' ground. With his companions delivered his size shrinks, the magic finally expended. It wasn't a problem though. He drops into the house itself, more pleasant now that it wasn't trying to kill him.

He moves methodically room to room, finding the Chief and Kagiso unconscious but alive. More work for the doctor. Temporarily hooking his shield across his back he drags the two up and out of the house, and then lifting them from the pit, before following behind. "So," He begins, still aware of the angel's presence but refusing to address them directly. His voice is shaking from exertion rather than emotion. The pain he felt from the acid certainly hurt, but it was more effort that had winded him than injury. "Anyone know what that was?" He didn't, regrettably, but he did want to know, if only so he could make sure he was telling the tale true once he returned home. He'd heard before of some witches who gave their houses chicken legs, but this seemed different, and he'd have expected to see the witch by now if it were one of those.

**Theophilus** · 2021-08-09, 02:59 PM (ISO 8601)

Mal
Levistus Tiefling Bard 5
AC: 14 HP: 41/41 THP: 2/10
PP: 11 PIv: 13 PIs: 11
Spell Slots: 1st - 1/4 2nd - 1/3 3rd - 1/2
Fey Touched: 1st - 0/1 2nd - 0/1
Masquerade Tattoo: 1st - 1/1
Levistus Legacy: Armor of Agathys - 0/1 Darkness - 0/1
Bardic Inspiration: 2/4
Healer's Kit: 20/20
Mal Conditions: Concussed (Level 2 Exhaustion)
Mal Concentrating: ---

Esai
Ancient Companion: Warrior
Companion HP: 0/30
Companion AC: 16
Companion PP: 18 PIv: 12 PIs: 12
Spirit flees, Statue stays

The world turned to mists and confusion for the tiefling. His stomach churned like an alembic, threatening to once more spew upon the stairs. Maledictus stumbled into the chamber, clutching the bark that had moments ago threatened to grind him to pulp. He stared blankly at Set for a long moment before registering the human's questions. He found his silver tongue had swollen with the bruising, almost as unusable as his enflamed mind.

He finally activated the portion of his mind trained to converse. Mal answered, "I feel almost as bad you look."

The bard took the spearman's assistance. He sheathed his rapier and limped along with the man. He smirked slightly and replied, "Perhaps I decided to try the Abydosian method. Perhaps for the last time."

Once outside the tree, he stared vacantly at Esai's stone corpse. He heard Vargath call down and he eventually swiveled his head to gaze up to the enlarged half-orc. The scholar spoke more loudly than he intended, "Help me raise the dead. I shall reanimate the stone."

He waited mutely until he had assistance to lift the statue. Then he took the offered hand, eager to be away from the rotting and acidic tree horror. The scholar blinked at the distant image of a feathery winged humanoid. His brow furrowed as he wondered how his spirits remained concentrated in this world. Rather, how one remained alone and so far away. 'No, that is a grey angel. What on earth is that doing here? What even is a grey angel?' His mind pulsed with pain, blocking the carefully inscribed lore secreted into its inner spaces.

Spoiler: OOC

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Missed all knowledge checks due to the wonderful concussion.

Spoiler: Mal's Notes

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Spoiler: Cast and Crew

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Set: ~~outcast~~ exiled princeling of Abydos. Two princess sisters (Sisi and Sythpen Al-Sayyid). Romantic connection for Moira?
Selissa: Blighted or reconstructed wood elf? Purported Scout.
Vargath: Afflicted Lycanthrope seeking to suspend his curse. A Bloodwolf?
Mandaras: Rival to Dr. Fixer.
Dr. Fixer: Moira's lieutenant and cultivates relations with the locals of Vale.
Elder Maus: Seeks to kill Moira. Hired mercenaries who betrayed him.
--Healed to his full 9ft height.
--Disbelieves Moira's insights; seeks to end her directly or indirectly.
--Seeks us to verify the truths of Moira's claims--or stop her by any means necessary.
Maulei: Successor to Elder Maus as elder of Dam'ess.
Uluthando Mikoso "Ulu:" Paladin? of Order. From beyond the Vale. Reacts by gripping her dagger and declaring Tieflings are treated differently...Lawful (N/E?) Order? Calls Mal 'Mdala Ohlonishwayo.' Professes to serve no god, but spirits whose reach may be weaker in the Vale than elsewhere.

Spoiler: Dream of Leng

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Spoiler: In Full

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Mal has had this dream before. He finds himself in the legendary Library of Leng, an ancient home of virtually all worldly and mystical knowledge that burned when the city it was located in was razed nearly nine hundred years ago, half the world away. Still, in his dreams it still existed, and these dreams always played out the same. Hours of dutiful research, referencing and cross referencing sources from multiple tomes, carefully reconstructing ancient languages, until EUREKA! Some devastating and profound arcane truth became evident to him, and the sense of accomplisment and relief normally carried with him for several hours after waking up, even if he could never actually remember anything he learned. But this time is different. Mal is well versed enough in the arcane and divine arts to know that sometimes dreams carry real meaning. And as he stares down at what he has been working on, he instinctively knows this bears some significance. Where normally he would have arcane formulas and theorems, he sees only "The One Who Stalks Behind" scrawled over and over again in his own hand, though the words are manic and look like they were written in distress. He searches the paper for any further omen, and down at the bottom of the page, in the smallest script he could possibly manage, it says Behind you!. Just as he is about to turn, a claw as strong as iron grips the side of his head, snaps his neck to the side, and ends all feeling in the bard's body. But he can still hear the deep throated growls, along with the wet noises of whatever killed him beginning to eat him alive. But he never gets to see it before the dream ends.

The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. RIGHT BEHIND YOU! The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind.

Spoiler: Bence's Secrets

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Spoiler: Bence's Journal

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...is a backwards plane, so far removed from the Prime Material that it has not seen an angel or the work of a god in a millennia. I hear that far to the west they do not even worship the gods. Proper savages, but I must remain vigilant, as their knowledge of the ways of this world is far more educated than most. But it is ripe for my conquest. While my Master was tasked with corrupting Avendor, my home plane, a bastion of good and law, my chore is simply to tip the rat into the bucket of the Abyss as it prowls the rim looking for cheese. This plane is already so flooded with the energies of the Abyss that demons spontaneously emerge, monsters manifest in the dark, and their weak leaders bargain with forces they would be wiser to repulse. It will be child's play to nudge it the last few inches into anarchy and destruction, mostly due to the efforts of Pale Night herself. For thousands of years she has been grasping and clawing at this realm, dragging it further from the light and closer to her realm day by day, inch by inch, soul by soul. While my home plane was beyond my ability to destroy, this place will be my masterpiece. With my death at the hands of the forces of good, a symphony of destruction will play the anthem to my ascension to demonhood. The Pale Mother has promised me that each death will bring me closer to my true form, and each rebirth will increase my power, just as our pact promised. I can't wait to die. When will the heroes arrive? I've been planting and tending the seed of the idea in the old giant's mind for weeks now. When will it bear fruit? When can my dark rise to power begin? (The rest is a combination of burned and Abyssal that becomes impossible to read)

Dam'ess- Mass Quasit Summoning. Magic Mouth to Levy Commands re: Retrieve Mirror of Leng, Scepter of Rulership, And Aniot's Cube. Disperse to Appropriate Parties Per The Plan. Burn The Cabin.

Harumburg- Sending to Lord of Bone re: Portal to the 113th. (Indecipherable Due to Burns) In Accordance with Their Great Alliance.

Falluneer- Sending to Lord of Flesh re: (Indecipherable Due to Burns) Ebon Spear.

(Indecipherable Due to Burns)light: Sending to Lord of Blood re: Assassination of (Indecipherable Due to Burns) Yukkot, Recovery of Blood (More Burns).

(Indecipherable Due to Burns)odge- Sending to Cult of Pale (More Burns) re: Initiate Divining Ritual Sacrifices. FIND THE DAMN ZIGGURAT.

Garrunrow- (Indecipherable Due to Burns) Kill the Last Bloodwolf. Recover (More Burns) Key.

Mountain of Smoke- (Indecipherable Due to Burns) crypt. Seize the Ebon (More Burns).

Sussoon- Ensure the Prophecy (Indecipherable Due to Burns)... Pay the Bounty Hunters to Find the Abydossian and the Princesses. re: Sacrifices of The Old Blood

(There is more, but seemingly out of paranoia Bence switched to Abyssal. It is impossible to tell how many lines there are, as the last half of the paper is fully burned away)

Spoiler: Arcane Lore concerning Bence's Notes

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The magic of Contingency is a nearly mythical bit of spell work that was said to be lost when the Library of Leng burned down. It allows a caster to prepare spells in advance for a predetermined event, in this case John Bence's own death, and the spells will automatically cast when the event happens. If Bence is capable of such sorcery, he is likely far more powerful than his flashy death at the party's hands would indicate.

The Mirror of Leng is a artifact of the Library of Leng, said to contain a frozen moment of time where the library was at it's height that a person can temporarily step in to, giving access to the greatest magical library this world has ever seen. Supposedly several mirrors were made, though some are confirmed destroyed after their use led to come calamity of forbidden magics long lost to time. The Scepter of Rulership is said to be an even more powerful version of a Rod of Rulership, a magic item that allows for mass mind manipulation of people to believe that the holder of the Scepter is their rightful ruler. The last time the Scepter was confirmed in play it toppled an entire nation.

Though numbering and organizing the layers of the Abyss is a fool's errand, there are some realms that are constant enough to designate. The one hundred and thirteenth layer is Thanatos, layer of Orcus, the Lord of Death. It is a lifeless frozen landscape where life is snuffed out almost as soon as it arrives, either by the untold legions of undead denizens, the magical aura of the layer itself, or, in the worst cases, by Orcus himself, using his fearsome Wand.

Spoiler: John Bence's Wall Art

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There are no invisible objects in the room, but the entire back wall of the cabin is plastered with profane runes and abyssal scribblings. Where there was nothing to the naked eye, there is an extensive patchwork of spell work, seemingly scribed in the rusted red of blood. More disturbing is the fragments of souls that have been bound to the wall. Faces of people rise and seethe from the wood like a strange and rippling tide, mouths open in anguish. There are not many of them left, presumably due to whatever spell was used here absorbing so much energy, but there is a fine layer of ectoplasm that would indicate that once there were dozens of soul fragments powering this spell. The sight turns Mal's stomach, as the chaotic, destructive magic of the Abyss is written as plainly as news script, but as subtly as any devil could manage.

Spoiler: Monsters

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Barlgura: Demon loosed by summoning ritual on the road to Dam'ess. Slain with its summoned partner by team. (Bless helped with accuracy issues due to invisibility. In the future, layer mind sliver to aid with saves.)
Brazen Hart: Spirit of the wild wood around Dam'ess. Seeks to test the party's mettle by forcing an open fight with the Barlgura.
Horror of Yurl: Shapeshifting kind of monster. Severs limbs, creates euphoria, and slays by consuming the liver. The newest variant flies...

Spoiler: Instrument of the Bards

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Mal needs a translator, the spells, and woodcrafter to create a new relic.

Spoiler: Full Description

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Still, tucked among the primers and amateur books he finds a book that deals with the blending of magic and music. Specifically, it holds the instructions and rituals for a new version of the famed artifacts known as the instruments of the bards. Unfortunately, about a third of the book is in a language Mal does not understand or recognize, including most of the rites and rituals to imbue it with magic. Still, with a translator, appropriate magics, some study, and someone skilled in wood craft, he may be able to produce one of these relics for himself.

Report daily updates to Mistress Moira at last light.

**Awful** · 2021-08-10, 06:11 PM (ISO 8601)

Selissa Betula
Wood Elf Scout Rogue
AC: 16 HP: --/38 -> 30/43
PP: 16
Conditions: Aid
Concentrating: --

Selissa emerged from the forest only cautiously, ready to nock and fire a new arrow if the winged being proved hostile.

An... Angel. Could that really be true? She'd only heard of them as stories, beings of good that opposed the all-too-real threats of demons, devils and stranger things besides. Not even the oldest leafmother of the tribe had ever seen one.

Not taking her eyes off it, she spoke a terse reply to Vargath. Her flat voice contained only the slightest hint of bitterness.
"Was a home tree. Wood elf magic. Old. Maybe lost. Not many in the world. One less now."

Her intensely green eyes bored into the angel.
"Angel. Is it dead? Nothing evil here remains? Even below? None of the <forest people> left alive here?"

The elves before must have been nothing more than an illusion. A trick, and she'd fallen for it like a idiot. At least that was less blood on her hands, she thought bitterly. The female elf had spoken of something buried, but whether it was just a memory being played by the monsters her or a fabrication entirely... Who knew.

**purepolarpanzer** · 2021-08-10, 07:16 PM (ISO 8601)

In the Orchard at the Top of Mount Beldrin

The angelic being watched Ignacius with cold, emotionless eyes. Responding to him, it says "I was bound in that tree, by the demon that was killed in the fall. Killed by you all. I was unable to help, as it's power was greatly increased by feeding on me. So, Ignacius Madaras, it is not that I wish something of all of you, but I owe you all a debt. Debts are serious business among my Flock, and the least I can do is help you and your friends escape the wreckage of this once noble tree. Just like with Set, the voice is deep and masculine, but something in the tone resonates and evokes imagery of all of your earliest memories of your mothers. Perhaps it is the soothing, dulcet tone, or the gentle reassurance. Perhaps it is something of darker intent. But the connection is strong, whatever it is.

As Vargath moves down into the pit and into the tree, he feels as though he is being observed. When he turns to face the angel it is looking away from him, but he is certain he can feel it's eyes on him nonetheless. Perhaps this winged creature has other senses not simply restricted to the eye. Lifting the statue out of the pit is mildly more inconvenient for Vargath, but using the last few moments of his giant size he manages it, until the entire party, but flesh and stone, are out of the wreckage. When Selissa questions the "angel", it turns to her and speaks in flawless wood elvish. "The forest people who lived here were long ago captured by the demons who sought to imprison me here. They were fed to the Root, a demon plant that perverts flora with flesh, as was I. Their spirits rebelled against their imprisonment, however, and manifested as specters- specters that got you involved, led you here, in hopes that you would free us from this wicked warden. I strongly suspect that they would wish their bodies burned with their home, to send them on to whatever afterlife they earned in life.

Ulu has been silent through this entire exchange, but she had been sliding to one side, out of the view of the "angel". While it was finishing it's conversation with Selissa, Ulu unleashed a war cry and rushed forward, longsword raised high, bringing it down in a wild slash at the creature's wing. Almost absentmindedly, the "angel" twists it's arm back, deflecting the blade with the dagger without looking. Ulu was sent reeling backward by the force of the parry, but she gained forward momentum again and charged again, leading with a horizontal slash. This time the creature doesn't bother intercepting the blow, simply shimmering out of view and reappearing near instantaneously on top of the dead home tree. Ulu bares her teeth and shouts at the winged humanoid in her native tongue, slashing the air with her sword in it's direction-

"Umkhapheli! Usilahlile! Ulahle ibhalansi! Abafowethu nodadewethu bopha futhi bakufela amagundane anamaphiko, kuphela ukugwinywa, umzimba wengqondo nomphefumulo, ngamademoni! Ngiyakuqalekisa nawo wonke Umhlambi wakho!"

The angel, still calm and cold as stone, responds "Ibhalansi yakho ibingcoliswe kwasekuqaleni. Lokhu bekuyiphutha lethu, hhayi elakho, futhi ngiyaxolisa ukuthi sikulahlile, kodwa besingenayo enye indlela. Uyalahlwa, Uluthando Mikoso. Ulahlekile futhi ngiyaxolisa ngokweqiniso.". Then it turns away from her to look at all of you. "For freeing me, I owe you all a debt."It reaches up to it's shoulder where it's wings meet it's back and removes a single grey feather with the hand not bearing a dagger. Bringing it before it's lips, it blows, and the feather floats downwards as though guided by a helpful wind, until it lands roughly equidistant between all of you. "When you are in as desperate need of help as I was, dip that feather in blood and I will come to aid you." Then the angel looks upward at the dark, clouded sky. "The Overlay is nearly upon us. I must go." With a single flap of it's extended wings, the "angel" rises into the air. It shimmers in place, then disappears. Ulu stares at the empty air it occupied for a moment before spitting a curse and turning to Kagiso, who she begins bandaging in earnest.

**Spore** · 2021-08-10, 08:47 PM (ISO 8601)

Doctor Ignacius Madaras, Medicus Extravagant!
Gnome Artificer/Transmuter
AC: 18 HP: 21/32
PP: 11 PIv: 17 PIs: 11
Conditions: Aid (8h; 5 mHP), Longstrider (1h)
Concentration: Dragon's Breath (3rd level, 6/10 rounds)

Ignacius found this creature deeply unsettling. It aided them not, claimed it was bound to the tree and now freed. It said it would help in an hour of dire need, but Ignacius doubted it. still, he picked up the angelic feather, if only to investigate it further. Ulu, I share your resentment for this being. Or more accurately, the confusion of its presence, and the lack of knowledge behind it. But we should pick up our pieces and burn this thing down once and for all.

First of all though, first aid.

The alchemist exclaims, aiding Ulu's endeavors to bandage Kagiso after he was done bringing Maus's spirits back. As usual, he used his medicine skills before resorting to magic, though some injuries were pretty hefty.

Spoiler

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Bandaging Maus and Kagiso for (1d6+4)[7] and(1d6+4)[7] plus their respective HD each.
Bandaging Set and Mal (1d6+9)[14] and (1d6+9)[12]
I will furthermore upcast Cure Wounds with a 2nd level spell for both Mal and Set (2d8+4)[15] and a third level spell for Vargath (3d8+4)[16]

**Amnestic** · 2021-08-11, 06:06 AM (ISO 8601)

]

Vargath Hubrecht
Half-Orc Rune Knight Fighter
AC: 19 HP: 28/49
PP: 13 PIv: 12 PIs: 10
Conditions: Infected (Lycanthropy), -1 INT, Longstrider
Concentrating: --

He was in no particular state to be going toe-to-toe with the angel, so he lets the situation play out impassively. Ulu was an ally, yes, but not one he was so attached to that he'd risk all of their lives over...whatever her issue was. It's a mild relief, therefore, when the winged creature opts not to retaliate and simply leave. "Just as a matter of politeness if we could try to speak a language all of us are familiar with so no one's left out, that'd be appreciated. You'd presumably take umbrage if I started babbling on shal orcnol nalkruska lat saib't sakhe, ᛖᛚᛚᛖᚱ ᛁ ᚷᛁᚷᚨᚾᛏᛁᛊᚲ, ov dwedan ekran, usv persvek wer ooble di darastrixi," he flits between common, orcish, giantish, dwarven and draconic, with a practiced tongue. "so extend the same courtesy." It's terse, but he's not in any particular mood for an argument. His blood is barely cooled from the fight, and with the healing spell he feels more than ready to go again if needs be. "So what was that about?"

The use of a blood sacrifice to summon it wasn't a particular concern to Vargath, though the excessive vagueness and superiority the angel offered still rubbed him the wrong way. They weren't in a position to turn away assistance still, so even though he'd like to piss on the feather and be done with it, it was the wiser move to make use of them. Maybe the angel would even learn a thing or two about the mortals they clearly looked down on.

**Theophilus** · 2021-08-12, 01:59 PM (ISO 8601)

Mal
Levistus Tiefling Bard 5
AC: 14 HP: 41/41 THP: 2/10
PP: 11 PIv: 13 PIs: 11
Spell Slots: 1st - 1/4 2nd - 1/3 3rd - 1/2
Fey Touched: 1st - 0/1 2nd - 0/1
Masquerade Tattoo: 1st - 1/1
Levistus Legacy: Armor of Agathys - 0/1 Darkness - 0/1
Bardic Inspiration: 0/4
Healer's Kit: 20/20
Mal Conditions: Concussed (Level 2 Exhaustion)
Mal Concentrating: ---

Esai
Ancient Companion: Warrior
Companion HP: 0/30
Companion AC: 16
Companion PP: 18 PIv: 12 PIs: 12
Spirit flees, Statue stays

Unpleasant notes ringed in Mal's ears, or rather, between them. He felt detached from the standard pace of events, sluggish and behind. The angel's discourse droned on and faded before the import registered. Ig had the feather. Anything further would be left to future circumstances.

The bard nodded in appreciation as the gnome tended his wounds. He said to the alchemist, "You have my thanks."

Once the group settled into discussion, the scholar gestured toward the wood. He declared, "We should raze this infestation. It would be wise to salt the ground and let generations pass before resowing the tainted soil, lest foul fruit rise from corrupt seed."

Spoiler: OOC

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Spoiler: Mal's Notes

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Spoiler: Cast and Crew

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Set: ~~outcast~~ exiled princeling of Abydos. Two princess sisters (Sisi and Sythpen Al-Sayyid). Romantic connection for Moira?
Selissa: Blighted or reconstructed wood elf? Purported Scout.
Vargath: Afflicted Lycanthrope seeking to suspend his curse. A Bloodwolf?
Mandaras: Rival to Dr. Fixer.
Dr. Fixer: Moira's lieutenant and cultivates relations with the locals of Vale.
Elder Maus: Seeks to kill Moira. Hired mercenaries who betrayed him.
--Healed to his full 9ft height.
--Disbelieves Moira's insights; seeks to end her directly or indirectly.
--Seeks us to verify the truths of Moira's claims--or stop her by any means necessary.
Maulei: Successor to Elder Maus as elder of Dam'ess.
Uluthando Mikoso "Ulu:" Paladin? of Order. From beyond the Vale. Reacts by gripping her dagger and declaring Tieflings are treated differently...Lawful (N/E?) Order? Calls Mal 'Mdala Ohlonishwayo.' Professes to serve no god, but spirits whose reach may be weaker in the Vale than elsewhere.

Spoiler: Dream of Leng

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Spoiler: In Full

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Mal has had this dream before. He finds himself in the legendary Library of Leng, an ancient home of virtually all worldly and mystical knowledge that burned when the city it was located in was razed nearly nine hundred years ago, half the world away. Still, in his dreams it still existed, and these dreams always played out the same. Hours of dutiful research, referencing and cross referencing sources from multiple tomes, carefully reconstructing ancient languages, until EUREKA! Some devastating and profound arcane truth became evident to him, and the sense of accomplisment and relief normally carried with him for several hours after waking up, even if he could never actually remember anything he learned. But this time is different. Mal is well versed enough in the arcane and divine arts to know that sometimes dreams carry real meaning. And as he stares down at what he has been working on, he instinctively knows this bears some significance. Where normally he would have arcane formulas and theorems, he sees only "The One Who Stalks Behind" scrawled over and over again in his own hand, though the words are manic and look like they were written in distress. He searches the paper for any further omen, and down at the bottom of the page, in the smallest script he could possibly manage, it says Behind you!. Just as he is about to turn, a claw as strong as iron grips the side of his head, snaps his neck to the side, and ends all feeling in the bard's body. But he can still hear the deep throated growls, along with the wet noises of whatever killed him beginning to eat him alive. But he never gets to see it before the dream ends.

The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. RIGHT BEHIND YOU! The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind.

Spoiler: Bence's Secrets

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Spoiler: Bence's Journal

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...is a backwards plane, so far removed from the Prime Material that it has not seen an angel or the work of a god in a millennia. I hear that far to the west they do not even worship the gods. Proper savages, but I must remain vigilant, as their knowledge of the ways of this world is far more educated than most. But it is ripe for my conquest. While my Master was tasked with corrupting Avendor, my home plane, a bastion of good and law, my chore is simply to tip the rat into the bucket of the Abyss as it prowls the rim looking for cheese. This plane is already so flooded with the energies of the Abyss that demons spontaneously emerge, monsters manifest in the dark, and their weak leaders bargain with forces they would be wiser to repulse. It will be child's play to nudge it the last few inches into anarchy and destruction, mostly due to the efforts of Pale Night herself. For thousands of years she has been grasping and clawing at this realm, dragging it further from the light and closer to her realm day by day, inch by inch, soul by soul. While my home plane was beyond my ability to destroy, this place will be my masterpiece. With my death at the hands of the forces of good, a symphony of destruction will play the anthem to my ascension to demonhood. The Pale Mother has promised me that each death will bring me closer to my true form, and each rebirth will increase my power, just as our pact promised. I can't wait to die. When will the heroes arrive? I've been planting and tending the seed of the idea in the old giant's mind for weeks now. When will it bear fruit? When can my dark rise to power begin? (The rest is a combination of burned and Abyssal that becomes impossible to read)

Dam'ess- Mass Quasit Summoning. Magic Mouth to Levy Commands re: Retrieve Mirror of Leng, Scepter of Rulership, And Aniot's Cube. Disperse to Appropriate Parties Per The Plan. Burn The Cabin.

Harumburg- Sending to Lord of Bone re: Portal to the 113th. (Indecipherable Due to Burns) In Accordance with Their Great Alliance.

Falluneer- Sending to Lord of Flesh re: (Indecipherable Due to Burns) Ebon Spear.

(Indecipherable Due to Burns)light: Sending to Lord of Blood re: Assassination of (Indecipherable Due to Burns) Yukkot, Recovery of Blood (More Burns).

(Indecipherable Due to Burns)odge- Sending to Cult of Pale (More Burns) re: Initiate Divining Ritual Sacrifices. FIND THE DAMN ZIGGURAT.

Garrunrow- (Indecipherable Due to Burns) Kill the Last Bloodwolf. Recover (More Burns) Key.

Mountain of Smoke- (Indecipherable Due to Burns) crypt. Seize the Ebon (More Burns).

Sussoon- Ensure the Prophecy (Indecipherable Due to Burns)... Pay the Bounty Hunters to Find the Abydossian and the Princesses. re: Sacrifices of The Old Blood

(There is more, but seemingly out of paranoia Bence switched to Abyssal. It is impossible to tell how many lines there are, as the last half of the paper is fully burned away)

Spoiler: Arcane Lore concerning Bence's Notes

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The magic of Contingency is a nearly mythical bit of spell work that was said to be lost when the Library of Leng burned down. It allows a caster to prepare spells in advance for a predetermined event, in this case John Bence's own death, and the spells will automatically cast when the event happens. If Bence is capable of such sorcery, he is likely far more powerful than his flashy death at the party's hands would indicate.

The Mirror of Leng is a artifact of the Library of Leng, said to contain a frozen moment of time where the library was at it's height that a person can temporarily step in to, giving access to the greatest magical library this world has ever seen. Supposedly several mirrors were made, though some are confirmed destroyed after their use led to come calamity of forbidden magics long lost to time. The Scepter of Rulership is said to be an even more powerful version of a Rod of Rulership, a magic item that allows for mass mind manipulation of people to believe that the holder of the Scepter is their rightful ruler. The last time the Scepter was confirmed in play it toppled an entire nation.

Though numbering and organizing the layers of the Abyss is a fool's errand, there are some realms that are constant enough to designate. The one hundred and thirteenth layer is Thanatos, layer of Orcus, the Lord of Death. It is a lifeless frozen landscape where life is snuffed out almost as soon as it arrives, either by the untold legions of undead denizens, the magical aura of the layer itself, or, in the worst cases, by Orcus himself, using his fearsome Wand.

Spoiler: John Bence's Wall Art

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There are no invisible objects in the room, but the entire back wall of the cabin is plastered with profane runes and abyssal scribblings. Where there was nothing to the naked eye, there is an extensive patchwork of spell work, seemingly scribed in the rusted red of blood. More disturbing is the fragments of souls that have been bound to the wall. Faces of people rise and seethe from the wood like a strange and rippling tide, mouths open in anguish. There are not many of them left, presumably due to whatever spell was used here absorbing so much energy, but there is a fine layer of ectoplasm that would indicate that once there were dozens of soul fragments powering this spell. The sight turns Mal's stomach, as the chaotic, destructive magic of the Abyss is written as plainly as news script, but as subtly as any devil could manage.

Spoiler: Monsters

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Barlgura: Demon loosed by summoning ritual on the road to Dam'ess. Slain with its summoned partner by team. (Bless helped with accuracy issues due to invisibility. In the future, layer mind sliver to aid with saves.)
Brazen Hart: Spirit of the wild wood around Dam'ess. Seeks to test the party's mettle by forcing an open fight with the Barlgura.
Horror of Yurl: Shapeshifting kind of monster. Severs limbs, creates euphoria, and slays by consuming the liver. The newest variant flies...
Tree-house horror: elven make. Demon infested.

Spoiler: Instrument of the Bards

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Mal needs a translator, the spells, and woodcrafter to create a new relic.

Spoiler: Full Description

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Still, tucked among the primers and amateur books he finds a book that deals with the blending of magic and music. Specifically, it holds the instructions and rituals for a new version of the famed artifacts known as the instruments of the bards. Unfortunately, about a third of the book is in a language Mal does not understand or recognize, including most of the rites and rituals to imbue it with magic. Still, with a translator, appropriate magics, some study, and someone skilled in wood craft, he may be able to produce one of these relics for himself.

Report daily updates to Mistress Moira at last light.

**Riggdgames** · 2021-08-12, 09:01 PM (ISO 8601)

Set Al-Sayyid
Changeling Fighter/Hexblade
AC: 17 HP: 38/38
PP: 12 PIv: 13 PIs: 9
Conditions: Exhaustion Level 2 (Concussion), Mal's Aid (+5 max hp, 8 hrs), Iumenta Pox (-8 max hp)
Concentration:

Set snorts, smiling to himself while Iceblood offers that this may be his last time testing the Abydosian method in battle. With luck, neither of them would have cause to jump into a monster's mouth anytime soon. As they walk into the Mighty's waiting arms, Set lets himself be hauled from the tree like a child pulled up from a well. "Thanks Vargath." As soon as his feet find the ground again, Set shambles over to a nearby tree, putting his back against it and sliding down until his rear meets the dirt. He lays his spear to rest beside him, confident the fight is finally over.

Unfortunately, the peace is short-lived. With Thrice-Blessed and Evergreen's questions answered, Ulu the Unyielding raises arms against the angel, threatening it with word and blade alike. Set fumbles for his spear, mind muddy as his fingers claw in the dirt for purchase on a weapon he can't focus on. Thankfully the fight begins and ends before Set can even stand upright, the angel disappearing with a few ominous last words.

Set's head falls back against the trunk as his spear falls to the ground. Eyes closed, ears still ringing, Set takes a couple deep breaths to slow the hammering in his chest as his brain belatedly catches up to Ulu attacking an angel.

"So what was that about?"

Set looks back and forth between Vargath, Ulu, and Doctor Madaras as the gnome tends his wounds. "Thank you Ignacius," Set says, biting the inside of his cheek as the doctor expertly pokes and prods before setting him to rights. The concussion remains, however, and the words flow freely as Set speaks his addled mind. "When I first heard your sales pitch, I thought you were a charlattan masquerading as a doctor. That's my mistake, truly. No one can deny you've got the hands of a healer, even if you've got the mouth of a used-stagecoach merchant sometimes." Set sighs, visibly looking and feeling much better as his wounds close prematurely.

"We should raze this infestation. It would be wise to salt the ground and let generations pass before resowing the tainted soil, lest foul fruit rise from corrupt seed."

Set nods wearily from his spot, agreeing with Mal even if the words get lost in a yawn. His wounds tended and the danger gone, Set tries to stay focused on the two tasks at hand. They needed to burn the tree, and it would also be good to find out why they'd almost gotten in a fight with an angel. "I have some oil in my pack," Set offers, "but I don't know if it's enough to set the tree ablaze." Shrugging, Set doesn't bother digging it out.

"That was an angel, right?" Set asks the group, but turns his attention to the Unyielding as she tends Kagiso's wounds. "A few demon-spawn and vampires I understood, but angels? If we keep riding with you to Harumburg, are you going to try to fight a god next?"

**purepolarpanzer** · 2021-08-12, 09:21 PM (ISO 8601)

In the Orchard at the Top of Mount Beldrin

Ulu doesn't reply to Ignacius' voice of support, but she does move out of the way and let the healer do his work. When questioned by Vargath Ulu's lip curls into a snarl, and she seems ready to respond in anger until Set speaks. Then her snarl subsides into a laugh. "When you kick the bed post and curse, do you think to do so in the language all can understand or do you reach for the tongue you were taught as a babe?" She looks to Kagiso, who is beginning to come around, and her mirth cools to the solid stone demeanor that is her norm. "My Order... there are things I can tell you and things I tell no one. This falls directly between, but I will summarize what you would know if you spoke my tongue. Out of politeness' sake. My Order had an arrangement with the beings you call angels. It was a sacred pact bound in blood and old magic. And they broke their oaths. Moreover, they made promises that they could not keep to get what they wanted. And when it was discovered that they had lied and deceived, that they were Fallen creatures, weak and flawed, no one and nothing punished them for their offense. This is one of the many reasons why my people keep no gods- even the best among their number fail to take responsibility for what is done in their name, what their creations do, or even what they do directly. The fundamental forces of the universe may be distant and impartial, but they are never pretend to be anything else."

**Spore** · 2021-08-13, 02:12 PM (ISO 8601)

Doctor Ignacius Madaras, Medicus Extravagant!
Gnome Artificer/Transmuter
AC: 18 HP: 21/32
PP: 11 PIv: 17 PIs: 11
Conditions: Aid (8h; 5 mHP), Longstrider (1h)
Concentration: Dragon's Breath (3rd level, 6/10 rounds)

Ignacius looks up at Ulu as the pain medication with Kagiso takes its time and the retainer slowly comes to his senses: I truly understand your sentiment, and this creature was not the friendliest after we saved its hide. Yet again, it swore a blood oath to us to aid us in our darkest hour, but if you are speaking the truth, we hope this never comes to pass.

Regardles, damning a whole species of creatures for the failings of a select few is the same as us cursing every human's heritage because we have been wronged by a select host of them.

Speaking of races, where is the elven maid?

**Awful** · 2021-08-13, 07:36 PM (ISO 8601)

Selissa Betula
Wood Elf Scout Rogue
AC: 16 HP: --/38 -> 30/43
PP: 16
Conditions: Aid
Concentrating: --

Selissa watched the interaction between Ulu, the angel and the party with caution, ready to intervene if necessary - though how she might have to she hardly knew. In the end, though, it wasn't necessary.

"Phantom," she said in answer to Ig. She frowned a little. "Brought us here to fight the Root. Had my knife."

She regarded the toppled home tree with grim endurance.
"Will give the rites I know. No good tree hollow for them. Will have to cremate. Bring them out." She had a long moment of hesitation, then added: "Please. Need to look around. Make sure there's not others."

And Selissa would, with eyes open for any more spike pits - it truly would be an embarrassing way to go now. She searched around the orchard methodically, ghosting between the trees, for any more worthwhile traces of those who had once called this place home.

Afterwards she would return to give the dead what rites of her people she knew. It would be a terribly reductive affair, but it may, she hoped bring their soul liberation, with their flesh given to fire and wind, their skull and soul to the sky in some high branch of an uncorrupted tree.

Spoiler: ooc

Show

Selissa will explore the rest of the orchard, looking for bodies first in importance, artefacts of the people here second in valud, and anything else third. She'll be cautious to avoid any traps and stealthy, and I'll roll stealth if you need me to on discord but otherwise won't bother.

**Amnestic** · 2021-08-14, 04:03 AM (ISO 8601)

Vargath Hubrecht
Half-Orc Rune Knight Fighter
AC: 19 HP: 28/49
PP: 13 PIv: 12 PIs: 10
Conditions: Infected (Lycanthropy), -1 INT, Longstrider
Concentrating: --

Vargath's sniff is derisive. She lost all control over even her words at just the sight of an angel that hadn't even harmed her personally. For someone who'd been forced to control himself for years, he thinks it nothing less than pathetic to see one lose themself so quickly. She'd be mad a dozen times over if she had to deal with his conditions. The 'Order' she subscribed to didn't seem to grant her any measure of emotional serenity. If anything it looked to be the opposite. "Are there any other creatures that you've got a longstanding grudge against? Just so we know to prepare for next time."

On the suggestion of cremation it does seem like the fastest way, and Vargath's torches were still lit. He slips back into the pit and gives the house another onceover for any items or fancies that might be of use to them, before methodically setting fires around it to let it burn away and hopefully bother no one again.

**Riggdgames** · 2021-08-15, 08:55 PM (ISO 8601)

Set Al-Sayyid
Changeling Fighter/Hexblade
AC: 17 HP: 38/38
PP: 12 PIv: 13 PIs: 9
Conditions: Exhaustion Level 2 (Concussion), Mal's Aid (+5 max hp, 8 hrs), Iumenta Pox (-8 max hp)
Concentration:

Set's eyes lose focus, staring into space as Ulu relates her Order's history with angels. He knows what it means to forge a pact with something outside the realm of mortals. He knows what it means to be bound to an Elder, if not an angel.

Set pulls the coin from his pouch, examining each side before flipping it in the air. "You're not wrong," Set says, trying to ignore the ringing in his ears as the coin smacks into his hand. "If the gods ever felt any responsibility for their creations or their works, they've long since abandoned any such pretense. They don't give a damn about us. We've been left to fend for ourselves, regardless of faith, no matter who comes calling to bind us. No doubt angels aren't any better." He flips the coin again, watching it hang in the air for a moment before it drops back into his palm. "So what, will you kill them all then? You and your Order? I've picked some stupid fights, but I didn't go after Maus and Kagiso just so we could throw ourselves at an angel and add a few more corpses to the pile."

Set flips the coin one more time, but this time it drops to his lap as he misses the catch. Frowning down at it, Set pockets it before continuing.

"Don't get me wrong, if you want to bring the gods down a peg, you've got my blessing. Angels too. But you looked like a child with a butter knife attacking that thing. My toothpick isn't much better," Set continues, gesturing to the spear at his side. "If it's all the same to you, I'd prefer to stick with calling them 'Nobles' to their face and leave fighting them to the gods and demigods. We've got enough problems as it is."

Stifling a groan, Set rises to his feet and pulls a pair of torches from his pack. He feels a lot better thanks to Ignacius, but something was still off. Regardless, when the conversation comes to a close he moves to help the others set fire to the tree. He could do that much, at least.

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