The Seekers: Session 5 - The Lost Report

General Summary

Outline

Everyone

Location: Canardbois, Menione

• The weather is getting colder, and a dusting of rain is falling from the sky.
  • The group returns to one of the homes they have cleared to rest for the evening.
• While gathering some wood for a fire, Sprig couldn't shake the feeling of being watched.
• Everyone but Tern stayed downstairs.
  • Why would a person sleep on the ground if a good bed is upstairs?
• Sprig took the first watch.
  • He noticed nothing but couldn't shake the feeling of being watched.
• Tern took a watch.
  • Tern couldn't see anything through the rain.
• Soalgo took a watch.
  • He was unable to see anything with the current weather.
  • Soalgo decided to cast a bonfire down the road.
    • Several shapes reveal themselves in the light of the bonfire.
    • The translucent convex shapes immediately scatter back into the darkness and away from the light.
  • Soalgo wakes everybody up and informs them that they are surrounded by the oozes.
  • Everyone prepares for an attack.
    • Five minutes go by.
    • Ten minutes go by.
    • Fifteen minutes go by, and nothing.
    • Soalgo casts another bonfire down the road.
      • Still, nothing can be seen.
    • The party begins to hunker down for the night.
    • Tern goes back upstairs.
      • Soalgo suggests to Tern that everyone should stay together.
      • However, Tern didn't want a good bed to go to waste.
      • So, Sprig joined Tern upstairs and was determined to stay up all night.
        • Sprig passed out within minutes.
• Daaku took the final watch.
  • Nothing happened.

Everyone

Location: Canardbois, Menione - Following the River

• The group discussed whether to walk down the river or find a boat.
  • They tried looking for a boat.
  • Unable to find small functional fishing boats.
  • Oriio did find two oars.
• The group walks along the bank of the river.
  • The sand and stone banks begin to turn into stone and rocky.
  • The stone and rock begin to turn into a small eroded cliff.
  • The path along the banks is getting steeper, and the river forms a gorge through the land.
  • Sprig is noticing small coves and cave systems within the wall of the cliff.
• Sprig finds an alcove in the cliff that looks pretty big.
  • Everyone looks over the edge of the cliff stealthily.
    • Sprig yells out that this could be the place.
    • The group tries to silence him.
  • They wait, looking over the entrance for any signs of activities.
  • After waiting for some time, the group discussed the next steps.
    • The party talked back and forth on what to do.
      • Two-man squad goes down and explores.
      • Four-man squad goes down and explores.
      • And who should be the person that should climb down the cliff and swim across the river?
        • Daaku & Soalgo will climb down the cliff and swim across the river.
    • Sprig held the rope and became the anchor for Soalgo & Daaku .
      • Daaku climbed down the cliff face without issue.
      • Soalgo attempted to use his knowledge about underdark spelunking to attempt his descent.
        • He held the rope tightly, planted his feet, and leaped off.
        • Landing firmly and with more confidence, he does it again.
          • Unfortunately, his foot slipped and began to fall toward the river.
          • Daaku quickly cast 'Feather Fall' and saved Soalgo.
          • Daaku used her staff to push Soalgo back to the cliff side.
      • Daaku and Soalgo could not swim a straight line to the entrance but made it safely across.
      • Daaku began examining the entrance of the cove.
        • There were heavy scraps against the entrance of the cove.
        • These slashes in the rock are from heavy floating objects like a boat or large logs.
          • The grooves look to be heading downriver.
          • On the other side, the grooves are coming in and out upriver.
      • Daaku yells up to everyone that there is evidence that this could be the raider's base.
        • She asks Sprig and the others to see if there is an easy way down.
        • Soalgo and herself will swim inside stealthily and maintain a 'message' distance.

Oriio & Sprig

Location: Canardbois, Menione - Following the River

• They both watch Soalgo and Daaku swim inside the cove.
• They begin searching along the gorge for an easier way down.
• They didn't travel too far upriver and could not locate an easier path.

Daaku & Soalgo

Location: Canardbois, Menione - The Cove

• They swim into the darkness of the cove.
• Soalgo had some trouble keeping afloat.
• Daaku can swim pretty well in calm waters.
  • Her visibility isn't that good in a light-less environment.
  • However, with the bounce light from the entrance, she notices a transition in the walls of the cove.
• Daaku mentioned this to Soalgo.
  • Soalgo stopped and started wading in the water to look at it.
  • Using his dark vision, the walls looked manmade.
    • There was not enough light to determine the origins of the mason's work.
    • Soalgo points out the edge of two docks.
      • One on both sides of the cave.
• Both of them climbed up onto the docks.
  • Soalgo produces some light for Daaku.
• Something glistens in the warm firelight that catches both of their attention.
  • It is more oversized double doors.
• Daaku quickly heads to the doors.
  • Columns and rows of octagonal crystals cover the door.
  • The door has a central disk with gunmetal gray sand within it.
    • There are four prongs attached to that disk.
      • Three prongs have a faceted crystal in the center of a metallic bowl.
      • One of the prongs has a long cloudy quartz crystal-type object within it.
      • The prongs are forming a cross.
  • All of the crystals are floating within their bowls.
  • It is evident to Daaku that this door is trapped, and the lock is complex.
• Soalgo steps closer to the door to provide more light for Daaku.
  • A section of the gray sand disk begins to have noise in it.
  • Daaku freaks out a bit and asks Soalgo to step back as she steps back.
  • The noise stops once Soalgo is farther from the door.
• Daaku and Soalgo decided to go back to the others.
  • Swimming back to the 'message' range, Soalgo reaches out but has no response from Sprig.
  • Soalgo informs Daaku that something could be wrong.
  • They swim faster to the entrance.

Everyone

Location: Canardbois, Menione - Down the Cliff

• Soalgo and Daaku reach the mouth of the cave and notice Tern and Kuu.
  • But, no Sprig or Oriio.
  • Luckily, Tern points downriver to Sprig and Oriio returning.
• Soalgo informs the others that they have found docks and a door.
• Sprig says he'll anchor the rope, and everyone else should climb down.
  • Tern climbs down.
  • Oriio is hesitant to climb down.
    • She would like Daaku to feather-fall her.
    • Sprig and Daaku talk her out of it.
    • Oriio quickly climbs down the cliff.
  • Kuu wanting to outclimb Oriio begins the descent.
    • Kuu immediately begins falling down the cliff.
    • Kuu grabbed a rock.
      • The rock gave way.
    • Oriio catches Kuu by the shoe.
      • Kuu's foot falls out of the shoe.
    • Kuu lands in the water.
      • A stone bonks Kuu on the head.
  • Sprig begins his slow descent with a rope tied to his waist and to Oriio.
• All they have to do is swim across the river and into the cove.
  • Tern swims across.
  • Oriio swims across like an olympian.
  • Kuu, embarrassed by the fall, wants to outswim Oriio.
    • The river had other ideas.
    • The current of the river pulled the young girl downriver.
      • She had a hard time staying afloat.
  • Sprig began his swim.
    • Unfortunately, his scale mail wasn't made of fish scales.
    • Luckily, he was tied to Oriio.

Everyone

Location: Canardbois, Menione - In the Cove

• The group reaches the doors that Soalgo and Daaku talked about.
• Kuu had to bargain with Oriio to get his one shoe back.
• Daaku asks people to be safe around the door.
  • It is trapped.
  • She suggests that everyone head to the door one at a time.
  • She watches intently at the center disk that has the gray matter in it.
• Sprig walks forward, but nothing happens.
• Tern walks forward, but nothing happens.
• Oriio walks forward, but nothing happens.
• Kuu walks forward, but nothing happens.
• Soalgo walks to the door with a light source.
  • The gray magnetic sand begins to sizzle.
  • He starts examining the door.
  • He goes from standing on the right side door to the left side door.
    • The gray magnetic sand begins to sizzle but at a different location.
  • He stands on the right door, but the light source is on the left door.
    • The gray magnetic sand remains sizzling at the exact location.
  • He moves the light source, back to the right side of the door.
    • The gray magnetic sand sizzles at a different location.
  • He moves the light source to the top crystal.
    • The gray magnetic sand sizzles at a new location.
  • He brings the light source closer to the crystal.
    • The magnetic sand starts forming an image and an image speed lines.
    • He moves the light source to the left door crystal, forming an image of a crescent moon.
    • He moves the light source to the upper crystal, forming an image of a star.
• Daaku watches intently on Soalgo's exploration.
  • She notices a dim light within the crystal.
    • That dim light goes dark once Soalgo moves the light source to a new location.
  • She notices a dim light with the crystal on the other side.
    • That dim light goes dark once Soalgo moves the light source to a new location.
  • The three crystals connected to the disk absorb light.
• Soalgo and Daaku reason that the gray magnetic sand reacts whenever a light source is close to a crystal.
• Sprig and Tern take out torches for Soalgo to light.
• Each person with a light source went to one of the three crystals, causing the sizzling.
  • Soalgo on the right crystal.
  • Sprig on the left crystal.
  • Tern on the top middle crystal.
• An image of a crescent moon and a shooting star going to the dark side appears.
  • Could this be the symbol of the bandits that Odi had mentioned?
• They hold the light source and the image steady, but nothing happens.
• Soalgo adjusts his placement, and the image of the speed line changes to a different picture of a speed line.
  • He moves the light source within the bowl counterclockwise.
    • There are a total of six variant images of speed lines.
• Sprig moved the light source within the bowl.
  • There are a total of six variant images of the crescent moon.
• Turn moved the light source within the bowl.
  • There are a total of six variant images of a star.
• They all try combinations and hold the images in place with the light.
  • Unfortunately, nothing reacts.
• Soalgo suggests picking shapes and tapping your light source onto the central disk.
• Soalgo, Sprig, and Tern each pick a shape and remove the light source to tap the central disk.
  • The connection bars to the central disk light up when the light is no longer in the bowl.
  • A fourth light turns on and expands to the central disk, and a humming noise is heard.
• Kuu notices a slight flicker on two of the three lights.
  • Kuu mentions that Sprig and Tern's lights had a flicker, but not Soalgo's light.
• They decided to change the images of Sprig and Terns.
  • Kuu didn't notice any flickering.
  • The fourth light expands once more to the central disk.
  • Soalgo and Sprig, being closer to the octagonal crystals, feel their hair stand up and tug towards the door.
• Daaku observing the process informed everyone not involved to step aside.
  • She believes that they have one more try before the trap is triggered.
• Kuu stands behind Sprig.
  • Uses him as a Firbolg shield.
• Soalgo suggests using a mage hand to manipulate one of the torches.
  • He takes Tern's torch.
  • Tern moves to a safe location with Oriio.
• They begin resetting their shapes to the original ones with the minor flicker, and Soalgo moves to the only image with a single speed line.
• Even those, this was an out-of-character discussion. Therefore, I will write it in a way that was in character discussion for the final result.
  • Sprig is cycling the moon shape and forgot which moon to choose since the two crescent moons are relatively close in design.
    • Soalgo watches nervously as Sprig cycles again and then mentions that it is the shape.
    • Daaku has been watching intently and spoke out, saying that isn't the shape.
    • Daaku mentioned the original shape with the flicker was about an inch shorter at the bottom and thinner than the current.
    • Sprig rotates to the shape Daaku mentioned.
    • Soalgo, in protest, mentions that it isn't the shape, as sweat beads down his face.
    • Daaku and Soalgo got into a discussion as Sprig cycled back and forth between the two moons in question.
      • The argument didn't happen in character or as players. Instead, it was a debate between a player and the DM. The player wanted the DM to hand out the answer to the previous symbol Sprig first tried. They were claiming that their character would remember. The DM refused and mentioned the player should have noted which combination was tested. The DM also said it is up to the players to recall or write down the answers for puzzle traps like this, and the DM shouldn't automatically give the solution for a critical player decision. The DM did notice that one of the other players circled the symbols, and the moon symbol contradicted the other player's choice of the moon. The DM made the call to go with the player that circled the shapes in roll20.
    • Soalgo mage's hand disappeared, and the torchlight dropped from the star symbol.
    • This caused a panic reaction for the other light sources to be removed from the other crystals.
      • That locked the symbols into the central disk.

Created Content

Light Image Lock

A puzzle system that has three combinations of six different images. The user must match the image of a symbol. Then, they have to cycle through the images using a light source.

Unknown Group

The party learns the symbol of an unknown organization.