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Current Situation
- Day 3 the Feywild: (1 long rest at Skabatha's house, 1 long rest in Downfall)
- After Ely's urgency to meet with her patrons and see if they can offer aid to the group's threat by the Rasa, it's decided to waylay bringing the hourglass of Slackjawed Lorna to Skabatha Nightshade. Unfortunately, things aren't as they seem.
Session Summary
- Everyone agrees to accompany Ely and Rascal to meet with the Warlock's patrons. To try and get a bead on the creature, Barrett attempts to track it with his Hunter's Mark ability (which he obtained during the first confrontation with the monster) with some Guidance from Dhann and an inspiring drumbeat from Z. As he concentrates, Barrett's scar lights up brightly. The Monk can sense that he's still connected to the Rasa, but he cannot pinpoint a location or direction.
- Z uses the Robe of Eyes to try and peek around the Ethereal plane, but from within the house, he's unable to get any sense of detail - the view he used to have is now too blurry to discern anything, as if the dollhouse is blocking his vision as a sort of dead zone. Ander pipes up that there are places where this sort of thing happens, and it's not unusual so it doesn't seem to be a topic of concern that Z suddenly can't see into the Ethereal plane. The dollhouse is almost like a pocket dimension, like Z's astral locker.
- The group discusses if they should rest a bit more, try to meet Ely's patrons now, or try and confront the Rasa. Barrett remembers that the location he and Ander first stumbled on sign of the Rasa is the same direction Ely's patrons are telling her to go. She mentions again the patrons have mentioned a rod that might help the group defeat the Rasa, but only Ely can use it.
- Overall, Ely seems to have significant hesitation or concern about what her patrons are telling her, or perhaps of her patrons themselves. Barrett asks her why she's seeming so worried, and Ely says that her relationship with her patrons is a bit more give and take than what Dhann's and Barrett's relationships with their deities is. In exchange for her magic, she follows their personal directions or tasks they assign to her, rather than simply using faith and actions to show her dedication to them. It's more of a business transaction, it seems.
- She also explains that while she was talking to them from inside the dollhouse, this is the first time they seemed to not know where she was, and Ely remarks that she didn't know they kept tabs on her at all. It was believed they only really paid attention to her when they needed something.
- Ely asks Barrett, "If you found out that Valkur wasn't what you thought, would you still be inclined to follow him? Or if you would lose your magic if you didn't listen?" Barrett says he understands, but struggles with the difference between the relationship. As Barrett understands it, Helm - as Dhann's deity - would want Dhann alive and protected in order to follow as one of Helm's Clerics. The same goes for Barrett, as one of Valkur's subjects. Is this not the same between a Warlock and patrons? Dhann and Barrett, as followers of gods, seem much more "at ease" with their pursuits as Clerics with deities than Ely does as a Warlock with her particular patrons. Ely isn't able to really answer, as these are the only patrons she's ever had, and even as Fey creatures, they come with a large area of "unknown" about them and can do what they want. "I needed a thing, they provided the thing, and now I am indebted for the rest of my life. If that's the way it works, then I guess that's the way it works," Ely shrugs.
- Ander pipes in that the Rasa seems like it'll be an issue and confrontation, eventually, no matter what plan the group decides to take first. It will be a confrontation of some sort, one way or another. It's just a matter of when.
- Ander only knows that the rod he and his group were supposed to get is a black stick, about two feet long. He doesn't know what it does, just that it's for Ely.
- Ely describes her patrons as twins, with one liking to drink and the other liking the outdoors. They are very elven in appearance, like younger teens or older children. They have presented themselves to her as a boy and a girl.
- The storm continues outside and is visible from all the different biome-showing windows of the dollhouse. It's decided that the group will spend the night in the house and go find Ely's patrons the next day. It will be about a half-day's walk south. Barrett suggests asking Dindrin to join them in helping fight the Rasa, and Ander agrees she'll most likely want to come along.
- Dhann steps outside of the Sanctum to Send to her:
- "Hey, Dindrin. Dhann, Ander's friend. Have you ever tangled with a Rasa? Can you meet us outside the dollhouse tomorrow, early morning? Asking for us."
- Dindrin responds: "Yeah...if Ander's gonna be there, I'll be there."
- Barrett takes first watch, making a circuit of the house to keep an eye on all windows. Z helps the others find better calm with a Song of Rest. This helps Ander recover from his exhaustion, as well.
- Before settling down, Dhann prays to Helm for a sign or suggestion of what the group might do, or of what's to come. He bolsters his prayer with the urgency of not only friends being threatened, but children specifically. He receives a gruesome vision in return, but thanks to Z's Song of Rest, is able to gain the benefits of a night's sleep.
- Barrett's watch is uneventful. The storm continues and he sees some Fey creatures moving to take refuge from the deluge outside. He also catches a sight of fairies (about two feet tall) moving a bit frantically from somewhere, to somewhere, (at least east to west) but this seems to be because of the rain.
- Barrett tells Z, who takes second watch, of his circuit of the house and Z follows the same plan while Barrett slings up his hammock for the night. Z also sees a number of creatures fleeing, but not in a significantly urgent way. It's almost as if the creatures are unaware of, or ignoring, the house. Z doesn't wake anyone up, as his watch is almost identical to Barrett's.
- Elyana takes third watch. Z fills her in on the details of his watch and then he curls up for the rest of the night. The storm stops during Ely's watch, and the morning light bathes everything in a refreshing light. The air is sweet and fresh, and the morning is overall very peaceful. It's a nice change from the tension of the night before. The morning Fey creatures almost seem to harmonize rather than chirruping in their own sounds, like mornings on the Material plane.
- Dhann asks Ely if she associates her patrons with any particular color, and lets the group know about the vision Helm sent him (but glosses over the absolute violence of what he saw, only stating that while everyone was attacked, Ely and Rascal "got the worst of it"):
- Dhann would only get subtle hints or feelings from Helm. There is a vision of two planets or moons floating across the sky. They seem to be headed toward each other. Both are a blueish color and somewhat dim. They appear to be identical. As they get closer and closer together, Dhann raises his hand to shield his eyes. They collide and, for the briefest of moments, become one celestial body. Just as Dhann dares to lower his hand to look, the body explodes into shards of glass which fly toward Dhann. Suddenly, Dhann realizes that the whole group is there including Din, Ander, Aiden, and the rest of the party. The shards from the single orb slice through Dhann's friends severing limbs, slicing arteries, and essentially creating a horrific scene of gore. The first to be struck are Aiden and Ely. The scene is the most horrific Dhann has ever encountered from Helm. The result is that Dhann is unable to fall asleep until, fortunately, Z begins singing his song of rest. Without that, Dhann would likely have not gotten the benefits of a full rest.
- Ely mentions she did see a blue creature, large and distant, during her watch last night and Prestidigitates the particular hue. Dhann says that it doesn't match the blue he saw in his vision. The storm caused a good amount of natural debris outside and there's a very large open swatch of mud where it's obvious many, many creatures traveled during the night.
- Dindrin joins them as they set out, remaining either with Ander, or flying circuits in her dragon form. She's not explicitly rude, but she's very aloof and cool in regard to the rest of the group that isn't Ander. Leaving the house, everyone grows back to their normal size, and Z can see into the Ethereal plane with the Robe of Eyes without issue. He notes that, unlike before, the Ethereal plane seems to be echoing the Fey plane much more closely than before. On the walk, Z is able to see little invisible Fey creatures, but nothing threatening or seemingly dangerous to the group, and he lets the rest of his companions know what he's looking at.
- After a while of walking along the river, Barrett begins to recognize the place he and Ander first caught sign of the Rasa before making their jump to the Ethereal plane to try and more specifically locate it. In the distance is a small tree grove, and Ely recognizes it as the place her patrons told her to look for. Walking in, the height of the trees is shown to be 80-100' tall, with sparse undergrowth and some misty making visibility a little difficult. The lighting is subdued and it's clear why this place is used as a landmark, as it stands out.
- About a hundred paces into the grove, a glade of about 200' across appears and in the center is what looks like ancient ruins of some sort of temple. Around it is well worn, and inside are two children waiting. Ely recognizes them immediately as her patrons. The boy is Amaris and the girl is Anya. Ely walks a little ahead of everyone but the rest of the group stays close enough to assist with anything that might happen.
- Anya turns around first, her face breaking into a big smile at the sight of Ely and Aiden, and she runs forward and leaps to hug Ely affectionately, saying she and Amaris have been greatly worried about Ely and Aiden. Ely says that she didn't realize her patrons considered her missing, and Anya explains that the twins knew Ely was in the Fey, but then was suddenly "unavailable" and they couldn't locate her. Ely explains about the dollhouse, and also remarks that the twins aren't normally worried about where she is. Anya responds that they know what's hunting Aiden, and without the weapon, the rod, there's little hope. She says the group needs to get moving, hoping to reach the rod before the rasa reaches them.
- Ely wants to know what the twins expect in exchange for the rod, because, as she says, "There is always payment." They say that they hope Ely will destroy the Rasa in turn for the rod. They certainly don't seem to be lying, but they are obviously in a hurry to get the group moving towards the rod.
- The group sets out, following a trail from the glade that leads to extremely rocky terrain. As they walk, the twins help the group navigate some tougher spots, showing a familiarity with the route. Barrett and Ander share a glance, both catching the Rasa's faint scent. Ander's had his hand on his staff for several minutes, now.
- Z starts to note significant inconsistencies in the state of the terrain between the Feywild and the Ethereal plane.
- Anya lets the group know they're approaching some massive, carnivorous plants and they'll have to tread carefully to avoid coming too close to the blossoms. The rod is in a small cave, a sort of inlet, within the plants' territory.
- Dhann takes a moment to apply the Truesight ointment to Ely's eyes so that she is able to see into the Ethereal plane as well, and hopefully anything else that might need to be located by the Warlock.
- Massive mushrooms come into view as they continue on their path, extremely colorful and other smaller plants bend slightly away from the groups' steps. There are rocks and cliffs all around at this point.
- While Anya is explaining the route to Ely, Amaris is suddenly targeted by a central tendril from a secondary massive mushroom and Anya, knocking him out of the way, is pulled towards the center of it. She immediately begins slashing at it with a small dagger from her belt. Amaris is much less calm and says they need to attack the trunk of the plant to take it down. He runs underneath the mushroom and begins to hack at it. Ely Misty Steps to Anya, and grabs her sleeve to then Thunderstep her patron away from the tendril of the plant. The plant takes considerable damage, and the trunk bursts, dropping the body of the mushroom onto Amaris, trapping him beneath.
- Anya scrambles underneath to attempt to help him, calling out that the fluid oozing from the plant is poison, and Dhann hefts the edge of the mushroom up, and Ely slips underneath to assist her patrons. Dhann can hear and see a bit of a struggle as the twins work to get out, and Ely has enough space, with the mushroom lifted, to reach the two children. Amaris has taken some poison damage and his right arm seems to be injured in some way.
- Suddenly, Ely and the twins drop completely silent, something Dhann takes immediate note of. He pushes the mushroom further up out of the way, and can see that the three underneath have totally disappeared. He shouts back to everyone else that they're gone, and something is very wrong.
- In the Ethereal plane, Z can see a giant boulder where in the Fey, the now dead mushroom is. He can see Ely standing on top of it, facing away from the group. She seems to be yelling at what is presumably her patrons, but they aren't visible to Z in any way.
- Ander says he can shift everyone over to the Ethereal plane, but won't be able to shift them back without resting. If he does, Dhann points out, it would kill him and Ander isn't thinking of this, just wanting to get to Ely. There's really no other option anyone considers taking, needing to reach Ely to help her, so Ander plane shifts everyone over to where Ely's been taken. Dhann snags Aiden's hand, as they can't leave the boy behind, but they might very well be bringing him to the jaws of the creature hunting him.
- All in the Ethereal plane, they can now hear Ely shouting at someone, with several choice Infernal swears. Instantly, the stench of the Rasa hits everyone, Ander and Barrett recognizing it immediately. It doesn't seem like the Rasa is here, but it has absolutely been in the area at some point. The terrain is utterly barren of flora and massive, yawning pits of darkness are scattered throughout. It wouldn't be a good idea to let oneself fall in.
- Ely hasn't yet noticed everyone's arrival, but the rest of the group can see that whatever is happening, the Warlock is beyond pissed, and she yells, "I won't do it!"
- The voices of the twins hit everyone, then, speaking in unison and no longer friendly. "Yes, you will - that's what we made you for."
-
As the group watches Elyana engaged in a shouting match with someone on the other side of the boulder, the entire group smells a growing stench. Barrett and Ander quickly recognize the smell. They would both feel confident the Rasa is approaching from the north.
In that split second of nonexistence between the Feywild and the Ethereal, Elyana knows she fucked up. The feeling catches her in the chest like a thousand knives, sinking into her skin. How could she let this happen? How could she lead him right into the danger? She had dreams, nightmares, that told her something was very, very wrong. The night before, she worried and worried, alternative scenarios playing out in her mind's eye. And in the end she still told herself- what other choice did she have? As much as her gut screamed otherwise, she, Elyana WANTED to trust them. If they were trustworthy, then Aiden could be protected. And that was all that mattered.
He’s been afraid of something going wrong, and “wrong” suffuses every inch of this entire situation. But there’s been an additional smear of doubt, confusion, itching maddeningly at the back of Dhann’s brain ever since Helm shimmered that horrific vision of glass and blood into his mind. If only he could put his finger on it, the doubt would be gone, and he could plan what to do next. No, he corrects himself - he could better plan, maybe. Seeing Ely atop the rock, yelling at someone out of sight, gives Dhann a moment of pause, before a realization he didn’t know he had clarifies in an instant.
Fear doesn’t just happen. Fear is planted as a seed of unknown, that grows into a monster. Fear isn’t knowing. It’s not knowing. He couldn’t figure out why Helm had shown him Elyana and Aiden, out of everyone, first getting ripped into shreds, limbs flayed and blood splattered everywhere. It was too specific, the first faces being harmed, simultaneously, identically. And then it slides into place.
Two halves. Two faces. One place. A Rasa split is one for two. The quarry’s him, to get to you. He almost laughs.
A detail unknown, now known, and Dhann feels the fear just…fall away. It’s so strong a sensation, it’s almost like a weighted, hooded cloak being pulled from his brow and shoulders. Dhann’s hold tightens defensively around Aiden’s hand, still gripped in his own, and the Cleric gently pulls the younger boy more surely behind him. It’s not just Aiden who needs them, now, in this particular way. Things have changed, and are just a bit clearer.
The danger doesn’t lessen. The risk isn’t softened. The stakes don’t drop at all. But his fear does, and while Dhann knows it could all go horribly, terribly, more wrong than it already has, far be it from him for a friend to look over her shoulder, doubt his intent, and fear for more than she already must be.
Nothing is free in this world. Even gifts require payment, whether you know it at the time, or not. Help demands sacrifice. Growth needs pain. Trust, friendship, and love are paid back with betrayal. Nothing is safe, and everything is forfeit. Elyana's time with the Trollmates allowed her to forget that. She was allowed to ask, expected even, for help, for trust, for friendship without a price tag. But she should have known, her time spent with them was a gift and even gifts require payment.
As Anya's and Amaris' cackle rings in her ears, Ely is reminded all to well. Nothing is free.
Barrett doesn't outwardly react to being in the ethereal plane again, but arriving so near to where he and Ander had their asses handed to them by the Rasa yesterday makes his insides cramp for a moment. However, his mind immediately drops into a familiar pre-battle mantra from his training. Clear eyes replace ones clouded by fear, coiled muscles replace ones tightened by doubts.
He checks that everyone arrived safely, taking particular note of Rascal's position within the group. He glances around for a place to stash the boy, then hears Ely yelling something defiant at a creature on the other side of the rock she's atop of. At that moment, he knows it will be up to someone else to protect Rascal; his place should be near Ely until the Rasa appears...
...and that's when the smell hits him. A quick glance at Ander provides him with a confirming nod.
As he casts Shield of Faith on himself, all remaining concerns fall away. He summons Yelqen's Bow Staff from his quiver and gives it a perfunctory spin, noting the perfect balance and distinct sound of the weapon whirling through the air. It is such a beautiful and elegant implement, and he's thankful to have it at his side. He feels complete peace with the outcome of this fight, whatever it might be. If it's his time to rejoin Valkur, so be it. It's probably a shorter trip from this plane to that one anyway.
He smiles knowing he's already half way home.
-
Next Time On...
Elyana comes face to face with the very thing she had been hoping, wishing to avoid, and her friends are rallied behind her, come what may. And whatever that is, it's going to be one hell of a fight.