Session 3: Anna Stone Report
General Summary
Recap
After arriving in the Port of Skyfoss the party was thanked and paid by Captain Guff McGruff although he expressed concern and regret over Tera Twilight's capture. Priestess X and Soren Maldrick went to lay the bodies of the dead pirates to rest while Annie A and Varuna headed into town to ask around about Anna Stone.The first stop was the Bent Hook tavern where they asked Dirge about anyone by the name of Stone. He remembered that some 30 years ago in the deadly collapse of Foss Mines that Anna helped save some miners by transmuting the rock blocking the entrance into sand so that it could be dug out. Many miners still died that day, including Dirge's own father who was foreman. Without Anna's help though, no one would have made it out.
Overhearing mention of Anna Stone, a traveler named Mulush Empty Hand approached the group and sparked up conversation. He was an orc with two axes slung across his back who was also seeking the wise woman Anna Stone at the advice of his clan elders.
Just then a slightly drunk and bitter old woman interrupted them to proclaim that Anna was a dangerous old witch who dabbled in Dark Magic and shouldn't be trusted. "You'd be wise to steer clear of her!" the woman proclaimed. With some clever wordplay and careful half truths, Varuna got out of the woman that Anna lived atop Mount Foss and hadn't been seen around town in over ten years.
Armed with this new knowledge and safety in numbers, the group of three set off to see if they could find more information about getting to the top of the mountain. They approach a local Quefish vender, a pyromaniac goblin, who was grilling up the most "seared" fish you'd ever seen. Varuna once again proved his apt wit and got out of the goblin that Rix was a fellow goblin who frequently traveled the mountains looking for game and things to forage. After picking up some climbing kits from Gertrude Granny Pippin, they found Rix back at the Bent Hook and agreed to pay him 2 GP to lead them up the mountain.
After a two day journey, the party arrived at the end of the mountain trail where the entrance of Foss Mines lay.
Curious, Annie wandered up to the collapsed entrance and rang her fingers along the cliff. Upon touching the delapadated wooden sign declaring the mine condempted, a horrible and overwhelming feeling of loss and despair overcame her as the psychic impressions of all the families torn apart by the collapse of the mine hit her like a hammer to the chest. She quickly retreated futher from the entrance, and the group made camp for the night in the clearing outside the mine. They spent the night haunted by vivid nightmares of being trapped in blackness, slowly suffocating, filled with hopelessness and despair.
The next morning, they were Fatigued by the nightmares, but nevertheless stared the ascent up the 30' craggy stone wall to continue the hike where they would need to blaze their own trail to the summit of Mount Foss. Despite having climbing kits, everyone but Varuna still stuggled to climb up the wall. Even with Climbing Kits there were some falls. Luckily, this worked to their advantage. When half way up the wall poor Rix was set upon by monstrous centipede which slithered out of a crack in the cliff, the rest of the party was above or below rather than on the side of a cliff. Working seemlessly as a team, Annie sickened the centipede while Varuna stabbed it from above and Mulush freestyle scaled the wall to take a huge chunk out of it with his axe. Even with the centipede's great tactical advantage, the group made quick work of it and continued their ascent.
With five miles to go to the sumit and no trail to follow, Mulush proved an extremely valuable addition to the party. With the aid of Rix, he easily found a good path to reach the sumit and a river ford and scree scramble later they reached the top.
Atop Mount Foss the world stretched out before them and a lake of clouds met them. From the lake a roaring cloud river spilled off the top of the mountain into the cloud sea below; the famed cloud fall of Skyfoss. In the middle of the cloud river, right before it spilled thousands of feet, sat a small wooden shack connected to the shore by a rickety rope and board bridge. Rix confirmed this was Anna's house.
Annie bravely went straight to the door and was greeted by Anna Stone, who was an older version from Annie's earlier vision she received when reading the psychic impression on the ancient compass. Anna greated them and invited them in for tea. The inside of the shack was crammed with books, papers, achemical supplies, and a fist sized purple gemstone which hovered in the middle of the room. Feeling she could trust her, Annie told Anna the story of their meeting with Tera and gave her the compass. Anna informed them that Tera was seeking out the compass so that Anna could recharge it and that it was theirs now if Tera entrusted it to them. She presented them with the Shadow Essense Urn and bid them to enter Foss Mines and seek out the stairway leading upward. Following that stairway would lead to an outcropping into the heart of Mount Foss where the clouds flow upward into the cloud lake. In this place, shadow creatures nest. If they light the brazier it would attract the shadow creatures which would need to be killed to be captured by the urn. Once the urn was filled with a large enough essense, they can return it to Anna to perform the ritual to reactivate the compass.
The party sets camp for the night outside Anna's shack. They sleep a peaceful, but a bit cold night, atop the awstriking Mount Foss with the world stretched out below them. The sky is clear here, and the stars shine brightly upon them. They wake up well rested and no longer Fatigued. They head back to Foss Mines and prepare to enter the forbodding place when haunted their dreams the day before...
Rewards Granted
XP/Milestone
Investigated Anna Stone and traveled to the top of Mount Foss to meet her.Loot
- +1 Potency Rune applied to one of Varuna's weapon
- +1 Potency Rune applied to one of Mulush's weapons
- Hat of Disguise for Annie
- 2x Healing Potion (minor)
