4 Eleint 1491

Session 70

(8/4/24)

Our first morning in the mansion

• We all have breakfast which is served by invisible entities
• They indicate that the mansion was created by Mina’s thoughts
• We do some research in the mansion’s library
• We leave the mansion

Back in the library

• We try talking to the statue again

  • It moves it’s hands to point to words on it’s person
    • “The others asked no more”
  • The statue seems more like a protector/bouncer than a librarian

• We find a lot of accounts by the Observers

  • One of the accounts mentions the Mercane
    • They specialize in selling and trading magic items
    • They believe very strongly in fair dealing
      • If you impress or offend one, the others seem to know about it immediately and will treat that person accordingly

• Rusco notes that it’s very strange that a book of children’s stories from Craia is in this very well protected room in the middle of a lost library

  • We discuss ways to remove the book from the library
    • Rusco starts transcribing it using the Orator’s Quill

• More research and theorizing.

  • Morti & MAC read a book called The Gods & Their Curses. It tells a story of the Raven Queen trying to prevent a war, only to be disrupted by a group of 13 wizards. For their transgressions, the goddess transforms them into birdlike creatures who can only attain new knowledge or magic from destroyed civilizations and great calamities. We believe these bird creatures may be the same ones who are leading The Return.

We leave the library

Session 71

(8/11/24)

We are having a hard time leaving the Library.

The Starmoth left. They attempted to come find us (but couldn’t because we were in the Mansion) – and while looking for us, the four pillars in front of the library became activated and started launching spells at the search party.

MAC and Rusco tested a theory that the range of the pillar defenses most likely has an outer range, so we Dimension Door-ed out to a safe distance. Rusco wildshaped into a direwolf to be able to take more damage and started inching back toward the library. They discovered that the range is 120 feet, so MAC and Rusco hung back and messaged the group inside to let them know. The group inside attempted to fight the pillars, but the damage was more than anyone was really prepared for (including a now-unconscious Morti), so eventually they did make a run for it.

Now safely outside the danger-zone, and without a ship to go back to, the group decided to explore a little bit. The asteroid we were on is part of a cluster that seems gravitationally locked together. Ancient bridges nearly connect a few of the rocks together, so we worked to get across them. The longest bridge seemed shaky, and was missing one of its supports, but we attempted the crossing anyway. This was a bad decision, as almost immediately the remaining supports snapped and the party began being launched toward the second rock. Rusco cast Feather Fall on the group before they and Mina wildshaped into little birds and flew safely down.

We are on the asteroid with the dormitory.

Session 72

(8/18/24)

We head to the dormitory building

• When we open the door, Arwik goes into a sort of trance
  • When he regains himself, he tells us that he’s been having visions of his home planet and all of his family being destroyed
    • When he thinks about it a bit, he realizes that he didn’t see his home town after the war broke out
      • He has no idea what has happened since then
  • The visions seem to be connected to the rotting smell he’s been noticing
    • All of us can smell the rot this time
  • The moon goddess seems to be trying to tell him something but he hasn’t been able to figure out what yet
    • She seems to want him to go back to Hop but he doesn’t know why yet
• MAC suggests that she can cast fear on Arwik to possibly give him another vision to consider
  • Arwik finds himself in a bunker with 7 other Harengon
    • An enemy has found them but no one knows how that’s possible
    • Arwik knows they have to run
    • All of us can momentarily hear the drum of the Lizardfolk
• The vision makes Arwik think that there are survivors on his planet that are in hiding but will soon be found
• The smell is stronger now than it was on the ship
  We need to go to Hop as soon as possible

Inside the dormitory

• It looks like no one has been here in a long time
• We search for a map to aid us but something starts shrieking
  • It turns out to be some kind of mushroom making the noise
    • The mushroom appears to be manufactured in some way
• Mina hears footsteps walking around above us
  • There appears to be someone hiding upstairs
• Fluke sees something moving in the next room
  • There is some kind of large plant creature floating around
    • It appears to be blind and deaf but can sense things within 30 ft of it
  • We decide to quietly get away from it
• Upstairs
  • There is an area that appears to have been meticulously cleaned
  • There are more of the floating creatures up here
  • We find an opening in the ceiling in one of the rooms and climb through it
  • We’re on the next floor
    • This area has been meticulously cleaned as well
    • We find two dead bodies (a human and a Harengon) that appear to have been laid to rest with some amount of respect
  • Someone else is up here
    • It’s an older male elf
      • He’s been up here for a long time
      • He doesn’t know who he is, or how he got here
        • He thinks his name is John but he’s very uncertain about that
          • He looks exactly like Nikolai Lestat
        • He remembers small details about his home world but doesn’t remember anything that could help us identify it
        • He had two friends here but. they both died
      • He tells us that he was kidnapped in his sleep and brought here
        • He tells us that he’s tried to escape but the details are fuzzy
  • We bring him into the mansion

Long Rest