Session 47 - Dreamscapes and Dungeons - Report

General Summary

A lot of shit has happened... I didn't take as many notes as I should have... I slacked on writing reports.   Anyway, The Gang went to the Abyss, broke into the Demon Prince Mek'Zureth's castle spire, reclaimed the jewel that was stolen from the palace in Tel'Nasarith (at the request of Antanasia), also reclaimed a flaming sword for Madame Sofiya Alecstraza (who turned out to be an Aasimar guardian), returned to Cyradon, and formed a plan to reclaim the capital city of Naporia.   They traveled around Cyradon gathering as many allies as possible, including Brax, the Madame, and some goblin recruits. with their ragtag band of associates, they snuck back into Naporia, letting Antanasia go first to draw attention and take out as many demons as possible with the aid of the recovered jewel (which turned out to be a powerful energy source that Antanasia shattered, thereby turning it into a bomb). In the center of the city, Mek'Zureth appeared and a battle ensued... not lasting long though, as the party made unusually quick work of such a powerful demon lord. As Mek'Zureth lay dying, a black ooze spilled forth from his body and began to expand, swallowing everything and everyone in darkness.   When the darkness cleared, the party found that they had been split up. The first group made up of Tally, Aukan, and Brax, made their way through a strange dreamlike plane of repeating buildings and little else. Travelling first through a sea of endless merchant stalls, the group came across two demons, which they quickly dispatched, and shortly after found themselves in a circle of seven seemingly identical mansions (a simulacrum of the mansion Tally stole from which resulted in him losing his hand). proceeding through the mansions, the group finally made their way through a hospital, once again identical to the one in Naporia, learning a bit about Brax's past along the way. Finally, after leaving the hospital, they saw towering stone walls on either side of them, funneling them towards a small clearing and two more great walls disappearing into the darkness in the opposite direction, the four walls almost forming an X if not for the clearing in the center...   The second group, comprised of Alex, Lyra, and a half-Elf woman named Adrie (an emissary from a foreign land the party had briefly met on their way back to the demonic Naporia), made their way through a series of similar trials, this time traveling through the Tenements of Naporia, and an unfamiliar Tavern (unfamiliar to Alex and Lyra... Adrie was quite familiar with it). Finally, the group came upon a lone, and seemingly out of place, small stone building. The inside of this small building was impossibly larger than the outside however. Both Lyra and Adrie recognized it as an Animist temple from the Feywild (a well-known temple thought to be nothing more than a rumor to most). They proceeded into the lower chambers of the temple where they found four stone daises, each with a colored orb floating above it; one red, one blue, one brown, and one green. The orbs began to float toward the center of the room, eventually meeting in the center and congealing into a twisted, blackened orb with darkness spilling out of it and spreading through the temple. Once more engulfed in darkness, the group heard a voice call out, "If the four meet, the world will know chaos." The darkness began to clear, and the group found themselves in a clearing with four walls...   The third group of Mori, Master Roshi, Madame Sofiya, and Naemaris, made their way through workhops of Naporian Builders, a Brewery and Bar (the same bar Naemaris previously killed a random patron in during one of his bouts of mysterious rage). They finally made their way through the Naporian Brothel run by Madame Sofiya, and they too found themselves in a clearing with four stone walls that disappeared into the darkness.   With the three groups reunited (and Linda still missing) the party was left with only one direction left to go: toward a two large, stone double doors.   The Gang pushed through the great stone doors and entered into a dimly lit dungeon hallway, several doors on either side, and the hallway disappearing around a corner. Through one door, the Gang found several small (and easily dispatched) Bone Crabs. Once killed, however, the various piles of bones began to rattle and move to the back of the room, almost as if being pulled. The bones gathered together and formed an amorphous, constantly shifting creature, a Bone Collective. The Gang also put an end to the collective, but not quite as easily as they did with the crabs.   ***   Linda, awoke to find herself locked in a jail cell, still fully armed, but unable to escape nonetheless. Next to her was an elderly man, also imprisoned, with not much more than a loin cloth and big ideas. The crazed man and Linda quickly became friends, and the man asked for Linda's help with his plan to escape... A plan to flood the room with water, thereby rusting the bars of the cells making them easy to break through. This not-so-well-thought-out plan didn't proceed very far though, as the man left it up to Linda to provide the water; a task that was simply not possible given Linda's resources.   So Linda decided to take a cat-nap.   ***   Checking another door, they found another small room, empty aside from two dragon head statues on on opposing walls and a chest on the far wall. On Brax's suggestion, Master Roshi tucked inside his shell, Tally climbed on top, and Aukan golfed the large Tortle across the room and straight to the chest, avoiding any potential traps. Inside the chest, Master Roshi found a glowing scroll with nothing but a small image of a bow and arrow (which he gladly gave to Tally). Treasure in hand, Tally and Roshi began to leave the room, but found the floor trapped. They found pressure plates that triggered poison darts to fly out of the walls, but with a lengthy reset time for the darts, they easily walked past the trap after intentionally triggering it. Seeing large blue gems in the eyes of the dragon head statues piqued Tally's interest, so he investigated the statues for traps of their own. Unfortunately, the statues weren't trapped... the floor was. Fire erupted out of the mouths of the statues, sending Tally and Roshi nimbly dodging out of the way... triggering yet another trap in the floor, sending two large scythe blades swinging out of the ceiling and across the room. Still, the scythe blades were no match for the agility of Tally or Roshi.   Through the next door, the Gang found another empty room with only a single figure standing in the middle, back to the wall, a long black cloak around its shoulders, and a large black hat on its head. Naemaris left a scrying orb at the doorway and the Gang decided to check other rooms in the meantime.   Through the next door, the Gang once more found a dark and empty room, but this one had another door toward the back. Seeing no signs of danger, Tally proceeded in toward the door, but was attacked by a ghostly skeletal figure that had come from the shadows in a corner behind the door. When the creature managed to grab ahold of Tally, he began to feel his very life force drain away into the skeletal hands of his attacker. Roshi dashed into the room to stun the creature, and The Gang suddenly heard shouts coming from the far door. Familiar feline shouts.   With the creature now stunned, Adrie took the opportunity to run through the room and investigate the shouts, which she found to be coming from the stark-raving mad Linda. Adrie searched for a key to open the cells, but to no avail. Seeing no other options, Adrie left the cell room and (after quickly apologizing to both Tally and Roshi, cast a spell creating a swirling vortex of water that filled the room, battering everyone in it, and shattering the skeletal knight in the process. With no threat remaining, Adrie dispelled the whirlpool and the Gang picked through the remains and found the key to the cells.   After freeing Linda, and with Tally feeling rather lifeless, The Gang decided it would be best to rest... under the cover of Adrie's gloaming court, of course.