13 Thunsheer 835
Leaving Melora’s Lake, you travelled deeper into the jungle, looking to make good on some jobs picked up in Nicodranas. This search led you into a denser part of the jungle where you found a large crop of valuable mushrooms, though these were protected by some larger, more violent Shrooms as well.
Around midday, you reached the village of Ku’ra’tar and found that it was packed with people engaged in the events of a spectacular festival: the annual Festival of Merit. This occasion brings the jungle citizens together under the ostensible leadership of the Ku’ra’tar tribe to unite and protect the jungle, with the champions of the festival anointed the Heroes of Quoraska for the next year. Applethorn returned the Moonweaver’s totem to the main temple and their head cleric, Hrungh, who thanked him for his help, but, unfortunately, his reward will need to wait until the next day, as their artificers are busy with the festival.
Taking Hrungh up on his offer to house you for the night, you all set off and spent the day playing festival games in the village. While exploring and winning, you encountered the group of adventurers from your boat ride to Nicodranas. Ayo, the water Genasi and seeming leader of the group, shows a competitive and just spirit in the games, while Durmot, a goblin in full plate armor, shows a shyness and fear that don’t bode well for a burgeoning adventure. Maggie, their ogre companion from the ship, seems to be keen on breaking Durmot out of his shell when she’s not busy hyping up crowds or showing off her strength. Their other companions, the human male Irvan, and the drow Galsariad are quiet and imposing, keeping to themselves but quick to come to their friends aid if they think there’s trouble. Galsariad in particular, has an imposing and somewhat aggressive nature.
At the end of the festival day, you and this other party were selected for the festival’s final contest: a race through the underwater Emerald Grotto, seeking a duplicate of an emerald and gold amulet. At the signal, you and your fellow racers dove into the lake (with Amira subtly pushing the elder into the water with her so she could swipe the other amulet) and set off. Your group made good time and reached a split in the underwater cave first, directed to the shortest path by Cassie’s quick cast of locate object. Moving quickly, you reached the end before your rivals and found the amulet lashed around a Giant Shark, strengthened by a magical spear. You claimed the amulet and spear before your rivals appeared and decided to explore the strange light coming from a caved in tunnel off the shark’s cavern.
The light beyond the collapsed wall was coming from the setting sun, as this tunnel ascended to a dry cavern where the top of the farthest wall is open to the orange and purple sky. The ground here is dotted with trees and pools of water and its walls are covered in vines of green ivy interspersed with colorful flowers. In the center of the cavern is a sphere of pale light surrounding a crystal pedestal, upon which rests a golden pendant attached to a fine gold chain.
Curiosity continued to be Della’s driving instinct as she approached and touched the pendant…
The light around the pedestal fades as a spectral figure in the form of a male human rises from the amulet. He is dressed in leather armor and a tattered red cape and wears a shield. His face is framed by curly brown hair and bears a melancholic expression. He pleads, “I am imprisoned. Please help me.”
Suddenly, the ground vanishes beneath your feet, and you fall, tumbling through a vortex of golden light. You fall deeper, deeper, deeper, then suddenly stop. The golden light subsides, and you find yourself suspended in a pitch-black expanse. You feel water buoying you. A vermilion light appears in the distance, illuminating the melancholy warrior, who is shackled to the ground by disgusting strands of a fleshy, crimson substance.
He raises his gaze to the heavens and, sobbing, chokes out, “Moon Weaver, I beg of you. Guide those with the power to save me to the site where first I prayed to you.” He looks around, and his eyes settle on you. “Oh, gods, there you are! My name is Alyxian. I am lost in darkness. Long ago, I prayed to the Change Bringer in the heart of a temple of evil. I beg you, take my jewel and…”
You feel consciousness leaving you, as if the pressure of the water were crushing the life out of you. Alyxian’s voice is the last thing you hear before you pass out. “Save me. Please.”
You woke up to the rival swimmers shaking you, worried about what they’d seen. They arrived in the cavern just as the vision was ending and only heard Alyxian’s muffled words, as if from underwater for a few moments before you all collapsed. The two humanoid males, the drow, Galsariad and the human, Irvan, were very interested in the medallion Della was still holding, but didn’t know much about it. The goblin, Durmot, though, recognized this as a recreation of a holy symbol worn by priests of Sehanine, the Moonweaver, though it’s both more intricate and less ornamental than ones the priests wear in temples.
As the group’s split up, you all discussed what Cassie knew: this amulet is a Vestige of Divergence, an ancient relic created by the gods themselves before and during The Calamity. Likely, the man from the vision, Alyxian, was likely gifted this by the Moonweaver, but their imprisonment doesn’t make sense. You agreed to head back, relax for the night, and figure out what to do in the morning.
You spent the night at the Unbroken Tusk Inn, where Applethorn and Amira both recieved an interesting dream:
Applethorn:
The golden amulet from the grotto cavern rises to the surface of a pool of blood. Countless hands lunge upward out of the blood to grasp it. One by one, all the hands fell back into the pool until only one remained. The man from the vision, Alyxian turns to face you, his hand on the amulet. “This is your destiny, written in the stars. You will free me.” The amulet is now in your hand, Alyxian disappeared, as you stand over the pool of blood, now in a large basin. “You will find me.” He stares deep into your eyes. “and you will save us all”. You look down at the amulet and, in your other hand, is an oblong green disk of polished stone.
Amira:
The waves crash against your cabin walls, rocking you gently awake. You open your eyes to see your captain’s cabin, lit softly by the light of a single lamp. The cozy comfort of the room that was so long your home quickly fades to a sharp chill as your eyes fall on the empty bed across the room. “She took him from you,” the deep voice belongs to the yellow eye, familiar since you awoke on that beach. Your only friend, your guide, your savior in that dark time. “But we will gain the power to get him back.” your cabin fades away and you’re standing on the deck. Lightning flashes in the distance, a storm on the horizon. “but she has a power we must circumvent.” Your ship rises over a massive wave and suddenly you’re in the storm, with enemy ships all around in the churning sea. Another ship passes in front of you and Olentra stands on the deck, a gun pointed at you. Behind her stands a man dressed in leather armor, a tattered red cape, wearing a shield. His face is framed by curly brown hair and his eyes blaze with anger. He raises a fist as Olentra fires and, just before a flame encased bullet slams into you, a sphere filled with white light appears in front of your chest, protecting you. Your eyes snap awake and you’re breathing heavy, scared and angry, in your room in the inn. “We must fight back. Find the key. Unleash your power.” In your hands is the polished green stone the man on the street gave you in Nicodranas.
Player Notes:
Go to the Ku ra tar tribe for Applethorn to deliver his relic. On the way we get 8 mushrooms and are attached by poisonous shrooms.
There’s a big festival going on at ku ra tar’s tribe. We win all the stuff. face an octopus and keep swimming beat the shark and get the medallion. Come across something special(a pendant?), della grabs it and a spectral figure shows up out of the pendant. The guy says he’s imprisoned and it looks like crimson strands and talks about the Moonweaver to helping him. Guy is called Alexian.
The pendant has a legendary feel about it. Why is the changeweaver guy praying to the moonweaver?
In a dream applethorn see’s that he must help Alexian with the pendant in his hand, it is his destiny. Applethorn has a polished green stone in his hand.
Cassie/stone understanding the pendant and thinks it has a divergence. IE Two dieties together (changebringer and moonweaver)
Fight off a T rex and get to the three spires. Its a temple to the tharaz dune - (a betrayer god)
Amira puts in the key to the temple, the stone folds revealing stairs. Applethorn feels a pull drawing him in. Everyone but amira and applethorn hear singing.