Rotfiend's Screech Report
General Summary
It is approaching the end of Rishaa's recovery period - and also the end of the Week of Gifts. Rishaa has not been idle, despite the worry of Marianne.. Instead, the industrious monk has spent her time in the forge, making presents for her new friends to celebrate this week of generosity. For Rickee, her idea was to make him a mask much like his mask of disguises. She manages to make a fabulous Venetian style mask that Rickee can will to cause illusory gems to spread across his face like flowers in a duke's garden. For Marianne, Rishaa makes a javelin with an hollow center, so that as she throws it the sound emanating from it sounds like Marianne's own melodic whistle. For Dimitri, Rishaa's first idea was to give the wizard an amulet of turning, but her project turns to slag in the forge. She changes tactics, and instead creates for him a beautiful necklace that pulses with each spell that Dimitri casts. It's a delicate thing - liable to break - but it's slight magical properties are, she hopes, enough to keep him safe from future harm. As she is already in the forge, Rishaa also takes some time to make her own gauntlets - these ones with a chain that she can lash out to grasp opponents and yank them close to her. The right gauntlet is so finely made that it's surface sparkles like diamonds - flashier than what Rishaa would normally make for herself, perhaps, but no one can deny the craftsmanship. The left gauntlet is a little rougher, but it is because she focused on making it the gauntlet that would house the chain, so it is not so important that the weapon be flawless in aesthetics. Rickee has bought his friends less work intensive, if no less thoughtful, presents. For Dimitri, an enduring spellbook with the inscription, "I wish I had 1/10th your courage.” For Rishaa, a small hair clasp to keep her hair out her eyes and a tool box inscribed with "Building our future." Finally, for Marianne, Rickee gifts her a mirror without any glass that says "I wish you could see you the way I see you." He also gifts Marianne's child Callie a small wooden rocking horse. Marianna, for her part, gave Tam, the local butcher, a cookbook. The others, the DM didn't write down and can't remember. As they sit, enjoying the warm comfort of the Week of Gifts' last sunset, Rishaa turns to Marianne and very seriously says, "Our goals have not changed since we were... majorly inconvenienced." Marianne agrees, and they look to the two boys: Marianne and Rishaa still wish to find and kill the rotfiends and devourer, the creatures that ended Rickee and Dimitri and who knows how many others' lives. They agree, but Dimitri clutches his new spell book close. He needs more spells, if Tafeld can provide them. Marianne recalls her mother's next-door neighbor, Mrs. Poppy Thicket, as being a magician of some sort and suggests they visit her. Everyone agrees, and they set off to Mrs. Thicket's house. Along the way, Marianne explains that not only was Mrs. Thicket her baby sitter when Marianne was a child, but also sometimes watches Callie now that Mrs. Thicket's own daughter, Rose, has moves away. They knock on the door of a skinny, Victorian-style row home in the Lamplight Grotto and a withered old human woman opens the door. Mrs. Thicket is in the early stages of dementia, but she is still a powerful wizard, and her home reflects this: tea sets that float themselves to Mrs. Thicket's hands, tea cups and books with moving pictures, and unseen servants that attend to her every whim. In fact, she gives Dimitri three spell scrolls for a quite low price: unseen servant, Snilloc's snowball swarm, and charm person. Marianne thanks Mrs. Thicket, and after a well earned night of rest, the four party members hike out into the Ophidian Forest to confront their deaths. They creep out into the bogs, and as the mysterious flames begin to light up around them in the fetid grasses, Rishaa prepares, blessing her teammates. Dimitri gives himself mage armor, nervously touching his necklace. The rotfiends and devourer are far in the distance, crouched over some other unlucky travelers who have met their end at the undeads' hands. It's a moment of opportunity that they will not soon see again. Rishaa runs forward, splashing into the marsh and climbing out onto dry land again! Her dart lasso (from her new gauntlets) whips out and hits one of the rotfiends, but doesn't yank it towards her. The creatures, suddenly aware of what is happening, screech and turn towards their attackers. Marianne shifts and dashes through the water, heading straight for the clustered undead, while Dimitri takes out his perfectly cut diamond. It begins to spin rapidly in his hand, scattering out rainbow speckles of light until it spins off into a chromatic orb, heading straight for the devourer. Dimitri smiles grimly, knowing that this is the moment he had seen this morning when he held his daily divinations - and the orb hits the devourer squarely in the chest. The creature explodes, and its compatriots are covered in its poisonous fluids. The direct hit begins to melt into one of the creatures, who screams as it also explodes in a noxious bomb. Rickee attempts to use his bardic charm to harm the last one standing. Unfortunately, it is all for naught, as the rotfiends can barely understand Common, let alone be insulted by it. Still, Rickee uses his silver barbed tongue to give Rishaa the words of encouragement as she rushes towards the last of the creature. Rishaa screams out as she nears the rotfiend and one fist comes out to strike it on the side of the head. It lets out its own shrieking cry as it flails at her in turn and hits her in the stomach, driving the air from her lungs. But Rishaa's fist hits its head, taking it clean off. It's headless body stands there for a moment, and Rishaa remembers instantly what happened last time and dives back out of the way as it explodes. They all stand for a moment, breathing heavily. It was not a hard battle, but all of them recognize how lucky they were in comparison to last time... or in comparison to the travelers that lay, corpses, at their feet. Rishaa begins to look over the bodies for any loot that she can take, and eventually finding quite a few objects of note: 4 potions of healing, a wand of entangle, and Wraith’s Garb. Dimitri looks over the items, identifying them before handing them out to the group. One healing potion for each member, the wand to himself, and the armor to Rickee. Marianne also looks over the bodies and manages to also find five gold, thirteen silver, and six copper. Having defeated their foes, the party looks towards Hydrus ... and their eventual destinies.
Rewards Granted
- 4 potions of healing
- wand of entangle
- Wraith’s Garb
- 5 gp, 13 sp, 6 cp
Missions/Quests Completed
- Rotfiends and Other Stinking Things defeated!
Character(s) interacted with
- Tam
- Mrs. Thicket
Created Content
Related Reports
Notes
Quotes of the Session
Dustin: "I will die for the aesthetic."
