The Wanderlust Of The Hot Grails

To And Fro Once More; A Halfling's Tale.
 
11/12/23
 
1. we need to capture/catch the leviathan (skill challenge) while trying to stave off 4 red wyverns and fire genasi cultists.
2. second phase, we have lassoed the leviathan with lightning, but now we must break its primordial shield (25 dmg per round) and help Laz chain down the titan. The cultists jumped on the ship
3. Laz has to stay alive while fighting a CR 20 Leviathan, bring it below 50 max HP.
 
HIGHLIGHTS: Laz turned into an octopus, summoned an air elemental, turned into a whale, cast 6th lvl Sunbeam, tanked a BUNCH of damage, and successfully (finally!) sealed the leviathan into the fire plane. Clover and V did FAT damage; Clover rescues Mushy; V dealt final blow.
 
VICTORY! and LEVEL UP!
 
(wisdom score raised -- adjust for werebear stats)
 
 
11/26/23
 
Bree informs V that she has information on Galliard that is crucial; sealburrow tomb?
 
We depart for Goldencrest to get the airship restored. The trip will take three days, and then we plan to either hoof it to sealburrow or hire a carriage/wagon.
 
We arrive to Goldencrest; Clover gets a gift from Queeris -- a collapsible wagon.
 
After getting the wagon setup and receiving our horses back from Edmund (Clover's papa), we head for Burrowdale. After arrival, we visit with friendguard Tom, and then head to Bree Valeria's White Tower (ooh la la)
 
Bree's debrief: Galliard wants to turn Aterog into a dracolich; Going to use mind control magic on Aterog's gemstone and will essentially dominate Aterog's will. We need to do some research, and Bree suggests reaching out to Eisos, god of the veil.
 
Before we teleport (fast travel) to Gloomrun, Clover sneaks that weird wine into Bree's pocket(?).
 
To the temple of Eisos, built into the ground, blackstone, seems kind of dangerous due to poor lighting, an unsettling place. As V prays to Eisos, all light fades, including the light emitting from my shield, and V is abducted.
 
(parts of Barvos, when Barvos was "destroyed," he was split into three persons: Eisos, Plysus, and Mo'vren)
 
Bree teleports us to a coastal cliffside. there are vines and patches of moss. A figure before us appears, somewhat transparent and ghastly in a supernatural way. The stone beneath us crumbles some as Barvos absorbs the orb that V obtained from Eisos. This pleased Barvos, who said something about not needing that part of Eisos anymore. Barvos grasps V's head and V succumbs to astral projection. After returning from his little trip with Barvos, V tells us that Galliard will be found somewhere on the west coast, with lodestones.
 
Destroyed the phylactery lodestones: one in castle (Aetherium), one in metrodoven, one in Havensgrove
One rests at the bottom of sea within Pillars of Defiance, another is deep underground and channeling heat into magic (only two left)
 
We return to Gloomrun to ask the mayor about the two rivers beneath ground; one river of water and another of molten rock.
 
We arrive at Outpost Ju. Apparently Temmeria isn't here, and is pissed at Errich. (should probably look into that). We are led by Gary, the guardsman of Outpost Ju. We walk with Gary for eight hours. He gave V some mushrooms and is tripping balls.
 
We finally get to the magma river, and need to cross. Clover is immune, so she carries V across on her glaive (so strong!). Alphinaud uses his superhuman strength to toss me over successfully (such amaze) . Laz turns into a bat to get over. Alphinaud ramps off a rock and leaps across the molten river.
 
We walk down a tunnel pathed between the two rivers. We come up a structure where the two rivers converge, and believe the lodestone to reside here.
 
12/3/2023
 
Getting through the front door; Clover unlocks it. There is a pit at the very entrance, shrouded in darkness. We get to the bottom of the tunnel pit. The architecture transitions from cathedral architecture to something more organic. There is a fleshy doorway ahead of us as we reside at the base of the tunnel pit. V, who is a paladin now, uses divine sense. Doesn't see any celestials, fey, or undead, but he does sense evil. There are five humanoid entities in the next room. Considering where we are, Errich assumes they might be illithids, or mind flayers. Bree is going to help, but we need to protect her. Errich has volunteered to stick by Bree's side and use warding flare and any other means to keep her from losing concentration on her spells. Don't let the mind flayers close to prevent them from eating our brains. we beat em! Alphinaud reflects on what he knows of illithids, including information on their controller: the Elder Brain. Bree explains that there will be more illithids and there is a elder brain just based on what the last illithid said ("They know") before it died. There is a door to the south and door to the east. The doors look like sphincters and there is "piping" that looks like tentacles or something. We head to the east into the empty room. The room is a hallway. We continue down the hallway. Laz hears someone walk into the room we just left; we are being followed. Two illithids walk down the hall towards us as three approach from the rear flank, and combat ensues. Roll initiative.
 
Mid-combat, Bree urges us to continue on despite being assaulted. She has an idea of casting Globe of Invulnerability, which will cheese this dungeon. She needs a propellent, which Alphinaud offers his jetpack. Skill Challenge to manipulate/steer the globe. Clover used plant growth to pave a path in vines and roots for the globe to travel along. V enhances the globe defensively with his tentacle shadow magic. Laz uses wind wall and shapes it in a way the helps the globe into the hole in the floor we're trying to get to.
 
Now we find ourselves in another room, with three illithids and a lodestone Elder Mind hybrid thing.
 
After much fighting, we destroyed the lodestone and then Bree bamfed us out of there!
 
TO BE CONTINUED . . .
 
12/17/23
 
Out in the streets of Mythhill. Bree's staff broke :(
 
Apparently, we tore a rift in time and went back 4 years. Clover must relive her past perfectly, so as to not change time. Meanwhile, Bree is going to look for her staff in this timeline.
 
While Bree is off looking for pieces, the rest of us discuss a plan for what to do with our time. Alphinaud wants to eliminate Left, but Errich, V, and Laz think we should take advantage of this opportunity to gain intel without disturbing the timeline.
 
Bree returns with news that she found a piece of her staff, but a thief ran off with it.
 
Let's split up, gang! Laz is going to join young-Clover-possessed-by-older-Clover while V, Alphinaud, and Errich go to retrieve the staff piece for Bree. Meanwhile, Bree will inform us of when to reconvene.
 
Laz turns raven and accompanies Clover to the rebellious outing towards the concert hall where famous emo alt rock travelling band, My Alchemical Bromance.
 
To the sewers! V, Alphinaud, and Errich head to the sewers, which reminds Errich of fond memories. We come up on the thieves guild entrance, where one guy is standing watch. The guard seems unfocused and is drinking from a flask, so Errich suggests that V and Alphinaud act as a diversion in order for Errich to sneak by and scout out the next part of the guild hideout. After nearly succeeding in sneaking in without being noticed, Left notices Errich as soon as Errich grabs the staff piece. As Left attacks, Errich casts daylight on a coin and throws it at his forehead, running off after. As we regroup, we try to escape, but Alphinaud is convicted to kill Left now. Alphinaud does a lot of damage to Left before Errich turns bears and tackles Alphinaud. V, brooding, approaches Alphinaud on the floor, grabs his chin, looks him dead in the eyes, and intimidates Alphinaud, convincing him to let it go and leave.
 
Time warp again, now its Bree's backstory. In Burrowdale, white tower is blue. Bree approaches us, holding books, and looks shocked and 20 YEARS OLD.
 
To be continued . . .
 
1/7/24
 
Back in the past. Bree demands that we not interfere with here past today; let Ruundrix do his thing while we find a piece of her staff. V, Clover, and Errich head towards the sealburrow tomb. Upon entrance, we find intstructions inscribed on the wall. Every time you go through a prior door, it behaves normally. However, if anyone opens a new door, it could take us a down a level. There are only 10 known floors, nobody has been further. We walk through the first door: small contained room with a couple of shelves, nothing of value in here nor monsters. Next floor: very similar, but looks like a study. No items, traps, or monsters. written on the wall "here lies the Joneses".
 
Alphinaud meets Bree's master (I think, some old elf with a staff). Alphinaud convinces the town to start a festival/fair just outside of town.
 
Third floor: clear. storage room for books. sign on wall say "Joneses II: Revenge of the Joneses lies here". Floor four: no staff. Floor five: building infrastructure seems to be lacking down here. Things are going to start getting dangerous. No staff. Floor six: there are acid pits, Errich almost falls in and V saves me. no staff.
Floor 7: no staff. Floor 8: two creatures, giants, want to fight. The staff is here, in one of the giant's pockets. Two storm giants vs V, Clover, and Errich. Clover Divina smites one's shin and Errich follows up with a fireball.
 
Alphinaud is trying to make this festival a big event, trying to limit the amount of people to be victimized by the coming Ruundrix. Alphinaud is offered a potion to make everyone listen to him. Alphinaud hears a building explode on the other side of town.
 
Meanwhile, V is trying to use a spell previously used to bring a building down to bring down the giant with the staff. Finishes with a hexblade's curse. Both giants fuck us up with lightning. Clover goes down. Errich uses his most valuable spell slot to pick her back up. Giants fuck us up, knocking Errich against a wall with the impact of their hilt, breaking ribs, a hip, and rendering Errich unconscious. Clover heals for 80 with Lay on Hands. Errich turns bear and claws and charges the giant's foot. V is going to try and stun the staff-bearing giant. Storm giant, with a vengeance, attacks V and puts him down with his thunderfist bullshit. Clover amputates the legs off of the giant. As a bear, I heal V, grab the staff, V, and Clover, and carry us out the entrance. MISSION accomplished!
 
Bree is pretty much the best evocation mage during this time. Her master, an abjuration wizard, saves the day! After much magic sparring between the two, Bree's master casts a bubble invulnerability spell that slowly suffocates them and the flames Ruundrix casts.
 
After retrieving the staff and playing out the traumatic events of the day, we return to the present day.
 
Instead of arriving in the present day, we go back to V's past when he was 18. We don't feel like we're in the material plane, anymore.
 
We follow V to a brothel, where he maintains to act like a total degenerate. Bree recommends that Errich pray to Jakka for information/wisdom. Alphinaud volunteers to pray to Mo'vren as well. Everything is written in sylvan. Jakka tells me we are in the faewild, and Jakka is subordinate to his father, Time.
 
45 minutes later, V returns. He's urging us to leave as he already has a staff piece. We do another time warp.
 
We go back to when Alphinaud loses his father. Alphinaud is riding Oona while the rest of us are down below on the ground. V chases after the dragon that got away. Bree, Clover, and Errich follow after V. V hits the dragon (plasma dragon) with three eldritch blasts. The dragon doesn't go down, but looks shook. In reaction. the dragon panic-hyperbeams and fuck us up pretty good. V and Clover are down, Errich loses bear form but is still up. Bree is still up as well.
 
Alphinaud is doing cool shit; dual-wielding shield-frisbees.
 
Bree tps us to the city (Goldencrest?). There are undead everywhere.
 
Alphinaud saved his dad. Next time on DRAGONBALL Z . . .
 
1/28/24
 
woke up in temple outside of the commonwealth where I was trained by the cleric-hunters. wake up to sunrise. Peter heads outside for drills. revisiting this experience, I notice Peter's attitude towards other creatures is somewhat hateful. After training, Peter informs me that he wants me to join the hunt tonight. Tonight, there will be a full moon. For the remainder of the day, I regroup with Clover, V, Alphinaud, Laz, and Bree and we rest in the temple for seeking out the missing piece of Bree's staff. Inspired, Clover and Errich prepare Locate Object to help find the piece in this part of the timeline. Before shit hits the fan, we travel to the next part of the timeline in order the find the last piece of the staff. We are all sharing a perspective, Galliard's perspective. He is liched up. Galliard starts talking to the skeletal remains, confiding in her. She, despite being beyond, is being kept alive by some unknown and dark magic. Clearly, she is utterly miserable in her condition and powerless to do anything about. Galliard seems unconcerned and continues to monologue to her. Discussing making the dragon friend become a dracolich. Galliard reveals his plan for mind-control technology, which he had used on the Zorn clan. Galliard seems to hold some ulterior plan to mind control the dracolich. Plans to take on Plysus, and thinks the power of controlling this dracolich will be the boon necessary to over a deity like Plysus. To Bree's surprise, her staff has been made whole again. Bree bamfs us back to where we should be according to time. We're inside Bree's archmage quarters. Bree encourages us to investigate the world and see what our ventures through time have changed. We bump into Ithumb; he tells us that Yolana wants to talk to us. Apprarently Bree and Ithumb are married and Clover had married them. We enter the king's courtroom and the king, who is how we remember, is talking to Yolana, who is not quite as we remember. Yolana is way older than we remember, and is still a high elf. Yolana tells us about how he helped us to clear our name in Ithocrest. Errich remembers that Bree told the Hot Grails that when resolved, our memories will catch up to us. Yolana informs us that, because Galliard and his gang came down to attack Goldencrest disguised as us The Hot Grails, there were new laws established to keep civil peace. Yolana asks us to avoid raising suspicion concerning our time travel, which he deduced by our obvious questions. Before leaving, Yolana urges us to seek Left. After Yolana makes his tp exit, we receive a message via sending spell by Bree to meet her in the tea room. In the tea room, Ithumb, Bree, and Left await us. In this timeline, Errich apparently joined the Hot Grails because they rescued him in the sewers from a troll. Apparently Left killed the Collector. Clover checks in on Queeris to make sure they are still married and that Mushy is okay, which seems to be the case. Also, Queeris tells us that he is working on cannons for Goldencrest. End of call, back to tea time with Left, Bree, and Ithumb. V has a moment with Barvos. Allegedly, Alphinaud's dad is stil alive and is getting back with Alphinaud's griffon-riding mother. The wedding is tonight and Oona is the ringbearer. Unfortunately, Alphinaud is missing his precious chair. We head to the fancy clothes place to pick up our suits (and dress for Clover) for the wedding. Oona, through their shared mind connection, informs Alphinaud that she found his chair. Yolana (gonna have to smoke some loveleaf with that guy) teleports us to Amberreach for the vow renewal (they never split up). V casts a mirror image decoy while he sneaks out to look for Alphinaud's mom, who is inside the house. V does some mirror image shenanigans at the wedding/vow renewal. Finally having the room alone with Alpinaud's mom, who does not seem interested in V anymore. V tries to blow up the house the ceremony is being held, but Alphinaud uses his cage magic to limit V's movement. V is mad. The vow renewal ceremony was genuine and romantic, very nice! V arrives to Deaville and has a very candid talk with his pa, concerned that his family is a pack of alcoholic, smelly losers. Papa Zorn starts building a shower. V has discussions with his kin that was mind controlled by Galliard in the tower for most of their lives, seems painful for V. V's edicts: first, temple to Barvos. Second, more bathrooms. Next time . . .
 
2/11/24
 
We have a month of downtime. Zudis and Udis doing the big magic togethers ;)
 
Laz is wanting to train in sword combat. V and Clover are unavailable and Alphinaud and Errich don't know anything Laz doesn't know, so she hunts down our minotaur friend Tespin for help. Mortal Coils Arena: weirdly quiet. No crowd. Doors just left open. It looks like the arena was locked and someone busted in. Laz finds Tespin curled up in a ball in the middle of the field. Tespin called Laz the mean lady lol. Tespin wields a bone from the ground to help Laz train. Training goes well and her and Tespin are better friends. Her sword allows her to change what elemental damage is done and that's pretty cashmoney.
 
Alphinaud wants to open an orphanage, but his mom tells him he has shit to do. He grabs Oona and follows his mom to meet with Fourchenault. Fourchenault wants to teach Alphinaud the proper way to wrestle, but is having mom do the training. Also, something about Jimmy the Imp and Alphinaud having to fight some devil or something, idk.
 
Bree poofs me back to the commonwealth. Jilwyse's house and mom's house are here. Boris is back home. And temple of Jakka just outside. I avoid the cleric-hunters that are about and go to visit Boris, my stepdad. I fill him in on where I've been, what happened to mom and Fenrin, and my being a werebear. After I grabbed him some milk, I turned into a werebear to help fix the unlevel house, which I do with ease because of my werebear strength. Then I confide in him that I'm planning to propose to Jilwyse and invite him to Dormondport so my family can get to know her and she can get to know them. Boris starts packing. I head over to Jilwyse's house, which she has her own that she inherited. Because of turning into a werebear, Errich is hungry and eats on of Jilwyse's whole cakes. They spend the evening together and Errich comes clean with his proposal. Bumped into Peter Wycliffe, he wanted to kill me; had a scar from when I attacked as werebear in backstory. With some miraculous persuasion, Errich inspires Peter to explore his faith and forgive Errich. Errich word of recalls (word = Jakka?) he, Jil, and Boris to the temple of Jakka in Goldencrest. After a discussion about my shield (Jakka artifact) with archpriest, we get bamfed to Dormonport. When we walk up to the mansion, which impresses Jil, and learn that our staff has changed because of our time travel adventures. Glove, our dirt goblin, stayed the same. The butler sucks, though. Our other hire is Rain Man - counted with precision the number of roof tiles and the blades of grass. (Errich going to commonwealth and dormondport took up the first week).
 
(our airship is being repaired in Goldencrest, just btw)
 
Laz and Errich are going to bear it up together. Errich shapeshifts in a werebear and starts meditating. Laz observes that Errich pulls from a divine source to enhance his form; she believes that maybe she can tap into a similar source of power and do the same.
 
Alphinaud has trained with his parents for a few days and returns to Goldencrest with Oona. Oona asks Alphinaud for a saddle. After asking his mom where to get a saddle, he is pointed in the direction of the floating dragon islands. When he gets there, he runs into Davis the daydrinker. Davis uses a restoration scroll to sober up and then lead Alphinaud to get saddle. Alphinaud is not fucking his mom. Apparently Davis has seen Alphinaud in his dreams, as in visions. Alphinaud is a griffin rider, just like his mom. Saddlemaker made sure to include extra seating for the saddle in case Alphinaud has a passenger.
 
Alphinaud has the idea to have Salen investigate Davis' dreams. Salen and Alphinaud enter Davis' dreams: things seem mundane so far. For a while, Davis is walking. In dream, he gets to Goldencrest. They play out the vision as Davis has always experience it, ending with Alphinaud and his mother greeting each other before the door closes and the vision ends. Then a new vision begins; Alphinaud is in a fight. There are demons and devils raising a ruckus around in an arena. The devil things threatens Alphinaud, saying that he has 10 years.
 
End of dream. Everyone is sweaty. Salen told Davis and Alphinaud that they have been asleep for 3 days. Alphinaud confesses that his great great . . . grandfather made a pact with a devil. Apparently Davis has a similar history with his family. (Errich is Alphinaud's shoulder angel and V is the should devil sitting naked on the toilet).
 
Jil and Errich's dates: our first date is at Benebarak's bar Storm's Brewing. Ben pleads that the party visits. Second date to crystal city in Ithocrest. It is beautiful and Jilwyse loves it. We got to the hot spring, but Werebeast had reserved it. Errich goes bear to get through security and take Jil in to the hot spring. The werewolf dude reminded Errich that he has were-allies that he can call upon with just a "howl". For third day, Errich takes her on boat tour of Dormondport, dine on the pier, and then proposed in front of the full moon. Also, Glove, who visited Ithocrest apparently, was also at the pier earlier and cleaned the algae up, making the view and smell pleasing. Jilwyse SAID YES!!!
 
2/18/24
 
Wedding day!
 
Waiting a month, still, for Zudis and Udis to search for Galliard. In the meantime:
 
Queeris, Clover, and Mushy are enjoying a "day off" together over the month, doing chores and errands. They travel throughout the Maru Kingdom to visit family and whatnot. Clover's parents are stand-offish, just a tad. Surprised by Clover's visit. After visiting Clover's parents, the three of them go check out the Mythhunter's Guild. Clover runs into a one-eyed homeless stranger that calls himself Gregory and swears that Clover's face is familiar to him. Mike and Gary, members of the guild, welcomes Clover and friends. Clover's parenting is put into question.
 
Valentine is trying to help rehabilitate the Zorn clan from being mind-controlled. Emphasis on personal hygiene. Paul is in the mud. Next, V wants to fix the architecture of their home(s). Also tries to teach the Zorn etiquette. V is working hard, here. Has the Zorn get their shit together within a week, which is huge progress. Itham is asking Valentine for military assistance in hopes that V will rally the Zorn in battle. In return for their service, V requests steel , stone, and education. Itham grants V and the Zorn the town of Deaville, a home in the Maru Kingdom. Queeris wants V's dad to wear his new cannon-backpack invention. The two of them (V and his dad) run through the forest; testing out the cannon. V inquires Barvos concerning a shard of something? V decides to make his way to Gloomrun. On his way, V stops by Goldencrest to check on Laz. She is training with Tespin. Continuing on, V travels through the underdark until he gets to Gloomrun. While there, V investigates the three temples there: Eisos (darkness), Plysus (death), and Mo'vren (magic). V prays at the praystation 3 to the god of death, Plysus. Plysus is also the patron of sorrowful love. V's mind is immersed in darkness and gravestones gradually appear to V as well as the occasional tree with a crow and the full moon looms always; man (Plysus?) has a bouquet of flowers (looks like Barvos if he was completely eladrin the character puts the flowers down at a certain grave and then offers V to walk and talk with him. Valentine is trying to find out who reached out to him to warn/prophesy to him that the world is changing and that V needs to put a stop to it or the consequences will be his fault. Hatred permeates the tone of Plysus's voice when he mentions Galliard - probably doesn't like liches and others that defy death. The two reach a gravestone, Galliard's late/ex lover. Suddenly, V notices that he is not in a graveyard, but the Shadowfell. Galliard's soul is fading, so says Plysus. Plysus picks up a sword and offers V power in exchange for life. V accepts, taking the "sword". Immediately, V comes to from the state of prayer, nothing in his hand. Off to Mo'vren's temple: prays; V find himself standing in a space enveloped in magic-infused veins. Mo'vren suspects that Galliard threatens to kill Plysus - can you kill a god? Mo'vren bitches a lot. V asks Mo'vren for advice on the ring of three wishes. Mo'vren doesn't know or care. Finds out that Mo'vren is not the one speaking to V; Mo'vren claims that its actually Barvos whispering and continues to pull a magic orb out of V after revealing to V that everyone is made of the magic veins. Mo'vren prompts V with "what do you want?" and Valentine responds "to find the rest of Barvos". Mo'vren wants to be convinced by V for his help(?). Mo'vren needs V to prove to him that if he grants the piece of Barvos, V won't make Mo'vren regret it. Mo'vren makes some mention towards the pact V and Errich made and that some ancient god played a part in that pact. The magic orb of Barvos is given to V and he returns from state of prayer. The next day in the underdark, V tries again to get Plysus's attention again. RIP V's eye. Barvos summons a mysterious power and enchants the blade that V got from Plysus (I think). Barvos is made whole because of V and returns to his domain. V is called Barvos' champion. V is free from Barvos living in his mind all the time.
 
Laz travels to the Elisial Wood. Stag, bear, and ferret greet her, one returns to their elven form. She gets to the Elisial Tree and starts praying to it to bring her to and back from the feywild. The tree opens up like a portal and Laz enters. Here in the feywild, Laz starts meditating. While doing so, she gets harassed by the fey cat thing names Socks that helped us last time we were in the feywild. Laz is looking for some kind of sacred stones or something and the purpose . . . what started this? Laz decides to train since these things will take a long to travel around and find. Laz is going to experiment with plants for a day.
 
Alphinaud time! He is asked to put on a performance for the city to boost morale. Alphinaud tries to intimidate someone saying "I'd take 1000 gold any day!" and that person turns out to be Dravius, captain of the guard of Goldencrest. Alphinaud's performance starts with pyrotechnics while playing Tenacious D on lute; the crowd is loving it! The next song is Stairway To Heaven. Then he plays the Undertale ost. The next song is some metl song. Many panties were thrown. Alphinaud gets a feat, then goes to Mythhill to buy a plot of land. Sees Quentis (Queeris's father) to ask about purchasing said land. Alphinaud wants to help out the "disenfranchised" aka the poor orphans. Alphinaud purchases the plot of land from Quentis in order to found an orphanage. Alphinaud signs the fucking contract, he SIGNS THE FUCKING CONTRACT! Alphinaud hires some stewards to look after the place while he is gone.
 
Fenrin wants to go for a walk with Errich. Fenrin confides in Errich that he is terrified of the coming war with Galliard. Boris, Fenrin, and Errich all learn from Rezelda (mom) that Boris isn't the father. Errich then learns about Desmond's fate and personality, which Errich is akin to.
 
Wedding time: Errich travels with his friends and family via cart. This is the day before the wedding. Invitation list: Laz, V, Clover, Queeris, Alphinaud, Benebarak, Bree, Itham, Yolana, Old Man Bones, Friendguard Tom, Tespin, Agis, Fortchinault, Alphinaud's mom, the Zorn clan, Edmund, Glove, The butler, the rest of the mansion help, Tamaria, Salen, Pete Moss, Errich's parents, Fenrin, etc. Night of the wedding: Clover is officiating. Alphinaud wanted to be the best man, but Errich picked Valentine to be the best man. The furniture is made of roots and vines and stuff and is a very open ceremony without division of people. With difficulty in deciding, Errich chooses V to be the best man. Jakka appears to Errich to congratulate him and tell him that he has a gift for Jilwyse. When Jilwyse walks down the aisle with Boris, her blonde hair glows as if shining sunlight. After the vows and exchange of rings, V casts Divine Sense. After kiss, we feel the warmth of love and Jakka. V, using Divine Sense, sees a figure bound with will and magic alone goes to Errich and Jilwyse during ring exchange and places hands over theirs as if to bind them spiritually/magically. Alphinaud is dragged back in by a bear . . . where did he go?? Old Man Bones gives Alphinaud something and leaves. V tells Errich that he saw an elder god bind Errich and Jilwyse in marriage, also bound V and Errich in their pact. V gifts Errich and Jilwyse the skull of Kieran (the dwarf), Clover gifts them an awesome baking set, Laz makes feywild pastries made from psychedelic plants and blesses us with Enhance Ability for tonight ;) ;), Alphinaud gives a drinking bird toy with a bitter message in elvish (reminds Errich of distracting Clover's parents with Alphinaud), Itham reminds us to file our marriage for taxes, Old Man Bones gives Errich a potion of plasma resistance, Edmund bitches about the horses that we left at his home, etc. Valentine gives best man speech (rolls nat 20).
 
2/25/24
 
Bree brings us all back to Goldencrest after our down time. Bree advises us to take some time to prepare, get spells ready, etc.
 
We meet with the king and Bree in Goldencrest. Bree briefs us: They've found where he might be, but we'll probably have to track Galliard down. Zudis and Udis believe that Galliard is working in a subterranean laboratory. We need to stop him before he turns the dragon into a dracolich; if too late, play it by ear.
 
List of allies:
Bree, Itham, Laz's ship crew, werebeasts, Ameliance (Alphinaud's mom), Queeris, Salen, Herma, Gas and Dirt (notorious thieves), Old Man Bones, Yolana, Tespin, Edmund, and Left. Nobody else is available (rest of griffon riders, friendguard Thom, etc.)
 
We pray together to Rogar, the god of draconic hunt. By prayer, we shift to the dimension/plane of the gods. Clover tries to persuade Rogar to help. Alphinaud makes a pact with Rogar to get his help/power. Also, Alphinaud has green skin now.
 
We return to the Prime Material Plane.
 
We are teleported to the base that the wood elves were using for the civil war. We head downstairs, looking out for trouble and traps. We are all inside the room with griffon. Door shuts behind us. There are three statues in the room. (Queeris/Deaville) (Forchinault/Caedor)(Jilwyse Rivereyes/Swallowtail) The word Rivereyes was scratched out and replaced with Swallowtail, which means that whoever wrote these words did this before the month of Errich's wedding AND came back afterwards to amend the change. There are a series of papers to investigate: V checks them out. Errich makes an arcana check and determines that there is magic about that prevents us from easily teleporting out of here.
 
V learns that Galliard will need a large gemstone to trap the dracolich soul. Will also need an immense amount of life/light energy to counterbalance the necrotic energy produced by the ritual. also going to need a platform in the sky
 
DAMN WE'RE IN A TIGHT SPOT
 
3/3/24
 
We're in the room with the three constructs. Biter (Clover/V) Muter (Alphinaud/Laz) The Knight (Errich)
 
We win! V learns that the constructs are valuable when taken apart for pieces. Meanwhile, Alphinaud is using his mighty strength to hold the door up for escape.
 
Using clues to determine where Galliard might plan to perform ritual: large gemstone for soul, abundance of life/life energy to counterbalance the necrotic energy, platform for dragon's ease. We call up Bree for help, she tells us there was an attack on Chrysallis up in Ithocrest and we suspect that Galliard acquired his giant gemstone there. Bree agreed with Errich that the Tree of Birth is the most likely source of life energy for Galliard's ritual. We call back and get Salen to come up help us get to the Birth Tree with his tree-portal magic. We arrive in Lidiria. Errich notices that the city is thriving. The Archpriest greets us, we fill them in on Galliard's plan, and are teleported up to the tree. The sentrees are being watchful. Someone says they noticed some magical presence somewhere nearby, but the precise whereabouts are still to be discovered. Alphinaud and V fly around on Oona. The two find it, and it is a flat platform floating in the sky that is really big. We start to think about how we are going to get up to the platform and how to go about taking on Galliard. Laz suggests using her last wild shape to turn into a big bird and carry two while Alphinaud's pet griffon Oona carries the other two.
 
Laz casts Bear's Endurance, granting temp 4 hp and advantage on CON SAVES
 
3/10/24
 
Salen joins us as we fly up to the Gally platform. "Ah, the Hot Grails. I see you've . . . blah blah . . . I'm not super surprised". Suddenly, Ben shows up to aid us. The dragon's name is Atorig fmi (for my info). ROLL INITIATIVE BBBBB . . . .
 
Galliard has lair actions (and probably legendary actions). Cast haste on the Atorig.
 
In the center is Galliard, shielded by magic and pillars. There is a giant ruby thing.
 
1 counter for ritual. Galliard needs X amount of counters.
 
When Ben casts a spell, one of the four rings on his staff starts glowing. Ben tries to banish the dragon, a good idea, but Cody had dragon use one of its three legendary resistances.
 
Galliard casts a spell and summons five crown things. Laz and Alphinaud lose their bless and gain bane.
 
Ben's fourth staff ring is lit up and Ben uses his super special awesome staff power to shapeshift Oona into a dragon. CoooOOOooool . . .
 
Galliard casts some gravity spell and makes Errich, Clover, and Laz float 100 ft in the air.
 
Errich uses sending stone life alert for help! Also throws a rope to Laz so we can maneuver through the air. Old Man Bones is the first help we get and he makes Errich a philter of Plasma Resistance.
 
Galliard disintegrates Alphinaud and Benebarak, reducing them both to a pile of ash.
 
Clover pretends to be Galliard's lost lover, Aariad. Clover already looks just like her, but red.
 
3/24/24
 
A pile of artifacts lay where Benebarak's ashes lie, including his staff which stands on its own. V does 111 damage to Atorag and banishes him to the party dimension. Galliard's body is destroyed and is consequently revived wherever his phylactery is. Atorag is slain and Alphinaud tears into its eyes, retrieving four eyeballs. Alphinaud tries to eat one of the eyes, but its a crystal. Alphinaud then dislocates his jaw and swallows the crystal whole . . . wtf. He is rewarded with fire breath, fire resistance, etc. He also has astral/spectral wings, four apparently.
 
Loot-time! V finds a portable hole near Benebarak's remains. Ben requests that we return his staff to his brother.
 
Bree Valeria shows up,
 
Ben's corpse:
potion of greater healing
cloak of displacement
ring of spell storing
undermantium cloak
Havensgrove signet ring
cube of force
instrument of the bards - canaith mandolin
 
Galliard's corpse:
ring of protection
ring of spell storing
ring of invisibility
sphere of annihilation
amulet of proof against detection and (anti-scrying)
wand of binding
scarab of protection
the Defender (sword)
 
V dumps his jar of toenails out and fills the jar with Ben's ashes.
 
Yolana shows up and then teleports V, himself, and the dragon corpse away to Deaville.
 
Bree tps her and Errich back to Goldencrest. Alphinaud and Clover are going to move the cauldron of black acid.
 
We reconvene in Goldencrest. LONG REST AND LEVEL UP!!
 
4/7/24
 
Errich goes to the Copper Cups and finds Tespin there. Errich heals his hand from punching the dragon's mouth. Then Errich challenges Tespin to a drinking contest and blacks out (loses). Clover is also here in Goldencrest, but goes to see her husband and Mushy. Queeris is working on cannon for the airship. While in Deaville, Valentine is praying to Barvos (Barvos's holy symbol is a rock split by a lightning bolt?). Valentine offers to trade his whole clan for Barvos to enchant sword that V forges. Valentine, in his sleep, feels a surge of new power, both magic and spirit. Alphinaud and Laz offer the black acid of death to Old Man Bones, aka The Alchemist. Alphinaud duplicates himself and visits Old Man Bones. He receives from Old Man Bones a vial of viscous yellow liquid: FOR ALPHINAUD ONLY. V calls Errich and asks him to come to Deaville, which Errich will ride Tespin for. Alphinaud takes a nap. Laz wants to go to the Sealburrow Tomb and research Galliard, phylacteries, etc. Clover drops Mushy off at Edmund's so he can be trained in case he's caught in combat again. Preston forces V into red-blue dragon-scale armor that looks purple. We dug a fighting pit to train while we prepare to kick Galliard's asssss . . .
 
4/28/23
 
The wizards that were mind controlled by Galliard were scattered and started raising hell elsewhere. Zudis discovered that the wizards were still being mind-controlled by lodestones. Near Fort Maru, my friends are underground searching for a lodestone and fighting a mummy lord. There are mummies here and we're in the middle of fighting them. The place has a strange atmosphere (the sand seems to float in the air and the zombies are hyperaware of our presence/location).
 
We defeat four mummies. Alphinaud finds five mummies that seems to have their fingers dipped in molten metal.
 
Galliard intercepts our call with Bree Valeria to razz us. He said something about killing the god of death to steal its power and raise his lover back from the dead.
 
We meet back on the airship. Alphinaud tries to persuade the party to stave off resting in pursuit of the phylactery. Unfortunately, we don't know the location of the phylactery.
 
The king of Maru asks to join us and then teleports onto our airship.
 
type type type type type type type type words words words words words all work and no play makes Jakc a d ull boy all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy all work and no play makes jack a dull boy all work and no play makes jack a dull boy all work and no play makes jack adull boy all work and no play makes jack a dull boy all work and no play makes jack a dull boy all work and noo play makes jack a dull boi
 
V has a chat with Plysus, the god of death. He is certain that only his papa Barvos can kill gods, not Galliard. Barvos corrects V that Galliard won't kill Plysus, but absorb his power.
 
Plysus pulled Alphinaud out of reality mid-piss to have a talk with him.
 
We go to Metrodoven. Supposedly, the phylactery is here somewhere. Alphinaud tries to touch the way/ley lines. We go to visit the person that became a robot that we know as HD, or Herpaderp. HD tells us how the conduit uses magic as source of energy. HD asks for our help as it seems the city of Metrodoven is moving on its own without the will of HD.
 
"Oh God . . . He's here . . ."
 
5/19/24
 
We fly up the tower all Han Solo like. When we get to the top, we can see out to all of Metrodoven. V has the Zorn evacuate the city. Galliard, who has arrived, is being regenerated. Around Galliard is a maelstrom of pure magic. Three circles of platforms and a central platform that Galliard stands on. Galliard tethers himself to Alphinaud. V casts banishing smite on Galliard and buffs it with divine smite. V crits, and the damage is a record-breaking 233 dmg. Alphinaud takes 117 dmg consequently because the tether split the dmg between Galliard and Alphinaud. For a moment, Galliard has been banished to the party plane. Errich finishes off Galliard with a guiding bolt, but he threatens us that he will return in 6 to 10 somethings . . . (days?) We need to find the phylactery right now.
 
HD informs us that Metrodoven is absorbing energy from Sirivill, putting lives in danger.
 
To the ocean to find the last phylactery. Laz finds it. Cannot fuckin' breathe underwater, who knew?
 
Queeris provides us magical breathing apparatuses.
 
There is a wall, but we beat it.
 
Galliard's soul fades out of the phylactery. We did it! HOORAY!
 
We dungeoned and dragoned and yes dad, we're winning.
 
ONE MORE SESSION
 
THINK ABOUT WHAT PATH OUR CHARACTERS WILL TAKE FOR THE NEXT TEN YEARS
 
WE LEVEL UP AND GET PAID 500 PLATINUM EACH! WOOOOOOooooooooooooo . . . . . . . . .
 
5/26/24
 
Metrodoven back under the control of HD. Every inhabitant of Metrodoven survived and some even chose to move to Deaville in light of its development. Maru King made it back home safely. The Zorn make it back to Deaville. Undead attacks down to zero; good for morale of the kingdom's people. Havensgrove Estate has been turned into a national park.
 
After the big fight, we turn in early for the night. The following morning, we smell breakfast cooking and . . .
 
We all want to get tattoos.
 
V goes to Burrowdale. talks to friendguard Tom. then visits Bernadette. V shares his plans of rivaling Quentis in the business of assassination and proposes to Bernadette.
 
Errich is going to check on Peter Wycliffe, who was apparently in Mythhill fighting for the cause against the undead. Go to the Ghosthunter's Guild; I walk in on Peter sharing a "war" story and coming off as a badass. Mythhill is doing much better than when Errich started the journey (campaign) . We walk and talk and Errich learns that Peter has decided that Jakka is a protector god, not an aggressor god. Apparently, the leader of the hunting party was not interested in Jakka's work but interested only in bloodshed. Peter wants to visit the Werebeast, maybe Errich will tag a long?
 
Alphinaud goes to Mythhill. Introduces himself to Peter as Benebarak (whom is dead). Afterwards, Alphinaud goes to the orphanage that he contributed to funding. The dude overseeing the construction of the orphanage lectures Alphinaud for eight hours on race and the plight of being a shorter race, such as a dwarf.
 
Laz bumped into a familiar face: someone trying to pay off a debt. Marcus is the prostitute from the zero G brothel in Wildehall.
 
Clover wants to open a school with Queeris.
 
Tattoos:
 
V gets his done by Yolana, Errich's by Jared (the loveleaf dealer), Clover's by Devexian (Goldencrest blacksmith), Laz's by the nameless elves (in Feywild), Alphinaud did his own tattoo, almost bleeding to death and dying of infection, but the tattoo turned out pretty well.
 
V announces his proposal/wedding/marriage with Bernadette.
 
With the world in a better place, the Hot Grails settling down in their lives . . .
 
END OF CAMPAIGN ONE. FIN.