Session 7: A Strange Interlude Report
General Summary
As the party waited for Quirico to answer the questions, the scene shifted, growing hazy and wavy, as though seen through a heat mirage. The next thing the group knew, they stood at the entrance of a rough-hewn log-and-thatch structure in a snowy environment, and Quirico was not with them; neither was Trysor. Entering the structure, and searching the area, they found little of interest, besides runes, in Giant, discussing various aspects of worship of some deity other than The Source.
The group also noticed a large rough pit in the structure, and determined it had been dug up from below. A strange insectoid creature rushed in from outside, and attacked the party, managing to cause some moderate harm, and shoving Roisin into the pit. Most of the party jumped or fell into the pit with Roisin, but Roy remained above, and went looking for rope. Down in the pit, the group found themselves in a desperate fight for their lives against more of the insectoid creatures, and while they fought valiantly, they were already tired from earlier combats, and limited in resources. They quickly dispatched some of the smaller, presumably young, creatures. They kept hearing screams of some strange creature in the far distance, and the creatures they fought grew in ferocity with each scream. Boris was struck with a terrible blow, but Jeeves was able to help him recover. Roisin was also struck down, and the foul creatures, which seemed to be targeting Roisin, continued to strike her unconscious body, killing her. As the little halfling died, there was a powerful flash, and everyone felt energy and vigor return to their bodies, as though they had just finished a full night's rest and recovery, even Roisin stood back up returned to full strength. The group quickly finished off the remaining insectoids nearby, just in time for Roy to arrive with the rope. After anchoring the rope and tossing it down, Roy called for the group to climb up (and Jeeves began to do so), but then turned to see a large group of insectoids pouring into the temple from outside, and thought his cause lost. Roy tried to run invisibly, only to learn these creatures do not rely on sight. Roy finally leapt into the pit, but the delay enabled the creatures to arrive at the edge of the pit, and again strike Roisin until she fell. Boris rushed to defend Roisin, and Roy finally picked up the small woman and carried her out of view from the surface, as the creatures above began to clamber down the shaft. Boris and Roy cooperated in using a combination of divine force from a spirtual hammer and magical thunder to break and sunder the walls of the pit, causing the whole to collapse, crushing quite a few of the insectoid creatures under many tons of rock, and blocking the way for the rest. Moving ahead, the party took a moment to regroup, before heading further into this strange environment.
Notes
Roy was very confused about the options and situation throughout this adventure. Plucked out of his known world, he struggled to recognize the best course of action, whether to join his friends or leave them to find more equipment. Not entirely realizing the strange nature of their arrival and what had called them to this place, he assumed very normal rules applied, and suffered negative results because of it.
He tried to defend his charge, but is still learning how best to accomplish this task in the unfamiliar world of adventuring.
