Episode 12: Blood Ties Pay the Blood Tithes
General Summary
The session began waiting for the Ferryman to come for Squiddly. While they waited, the group hid the bodies of the changeling wizards and divided the treasure on the Beastmaster's body amongst themselves. Valan secured a Ring of Obscurity for himself and Valeria took the Ring of Invisibility. Waiting for the Ferryman, they realized that Squiddly had left his post at the window and lit a candle. Entering the house, they found Squiddly huddled in the corner of the living room facing the wall, with a candle lit on the coffee table. On the floor in the archway between the living room and kitchen, two ancient coins could be seen sitting on the ground. When Valan went to investigate, a corpse with coins across its eyes attacked him, but he suplexed it into the light and it vanished, leaving behind two coins.
Tyra noticed in the far corner of the kitchen, where the candlelight didn't quite reach, a face could be seen; two luminous orbs reflecting the light, dwindling at its threshold, attached to a gaunt hooded face. They raised a hand in greeting, and it raised a hand back. Valan went to offer it a coin with his mage hand, but as the shimmering hand grew closer, the face disappeared, dropping two coins to the floor, one of which rolled down the stairs of the larder and came to a stop in front of a door. A door which Tyra knew should not be there. It was a solid dark oak door, mildewing at the edges with a green mossy mold which permeates the air with the smell of damp. In the center of the door, there was a brass knocker of a skeletal hand holding a black lantern. Valeria promptly knocked it, invisible, before her mates could protest.
Fortunately, after three knocks it simply swung open, revealing an expansive area of dark water, masked in mists. The Ferryman stood at the prow of the Ferry, one hand extended, waiting for payment. Each party member in turn paid the Ferryman, and it began to row across the Mire. Halfway across, it disappeared as if dispelled, and the party was attacked by plant creatures which swarmed them in the water, trying to hinder their progress and pull them down into the water. After struggling past them, the party managed to pull into the opposite shore, where a towering hydrangea guarded an opening in the wall above. At first attempt to climb, the bush animated, attacking the party and forcing them back. Unfortunately for the plant, everyone has fire magic and it withered and died fairly swiftly.
Climbing through the gap and pushing past a cage that hung on a track, the party landed in a brick and mortar building and the shift from the "natural" expanse of the Mire left them feeling nauseous, like something was fundamentally wrong about them being there. The track that the cage appeared to run on continued in the hallway for a time before turning and running through another gap in the wall.
Before continuing, the group decided to take a quick breather to recover from the fight with the hydrangea. During this time, Valeria's drake manifested, unannounced. It shivered, scales vibrating in waves across its body, and Valeria for a moment though she could see a bigger, more voluminous set of eyes transposed on top of her drake, attached to a much larger head an neck that extended translucently backwards into the darkness.
"He's awake," it said, before disappearing again.
"I think I know what that means," Valeria said, continuing forwards and getting straight to business.
The hallway continued for a time before they came to a set of oaken doors which led to a large antechamber. In the center of the room, there was a dais with a bowl set into it. Protruding from the bowl was a long, slender blade extending from the center. Beyond the collection bowl stood a large door with a relief set into it. The bodom portion is covered in a dark electrum inlay depicting a churning black sea that appears to get syphoned up into the roots of a dark tree that was depicted around chest height. Around the tree, you can see six bronze individuals taking notes and looking at a golden warforged face that seems to be a part of the tree. The trunk of the tree extends upwards, becoming the Tower of Zhestia, and the branches becoming the floating Towers of Sylva. At the top of Zhestia, there is one person in ivory relief standing at the head of it all in the center of the tower, a silver circlet around their head; Tyra recognized this as symbology used to represent Archmage Reharis.
As the light from Valan's Flametongue touched the rim of the bowl, what had originally appeared as a hazy mirage surrounding the outside shifted into crimson elven script which read "Pay the Blood Tithe." The party consulted with the Book of Shadows, which said "lmao bet, do it." While consulting with the Book, the party realized that Valan, being a warlock, could read the spells contained within the book as well as the text history, and Valeria suggested that Valan take it, since he was able to fully utilize its capabilities.
After each individual in the party had cut themselves upon the blade, which Valeria had noted already had a collection of blood at the bottom, the bowl began to glow in a crimson red color, fully revealing the door beyond. As the crimson light touched the door, text appeared across the top reading "The Flow of Knowledge Secures Your Passage," and an "Illuminati" symbol appeared floating transposed above Reharis. With Darkvision, Tyra was able to see a symbol appear floating above the warforged, a symbol commonly used to represent the Bedlamite, and when she got close enough to use her blindsight, Valeria could see a symbol appear floating above the Scribes. After some time struggling, trying different combinations, the group realized that there was a chance that there was something they were missing. Valan extinguished his Flametongue, which enabled his Devil Sight to drink deeply of the Darkness and reveal that which was unseen; a fourth symbol, hovering above the dark sea from which the roots of the tree drink. A symbol which they recognized from an earlier encounter months previous, where darklings attempted to use the body of a wizard to create something in the middle of a stone circle. The symbol of the Watcher was depicted on several stones within the circle that were revealed under the light of the Aurora Totalis.
After connecting the flow of information- Watcher, Devil, Scribes, Archmage- the doorway shifted open, revealing a small room with a brazier in the center. As it slowly lit, it revealed the Archmage standing behind it. He told the party that they continually surprise him, but he thinks this is where that ends. Somehow, they had forced their way in through the back door "waste disposal" system of the Tower, and had found their way into the Trials of the Six, where applicants come to prove themselves in order to join the Scribes of the Six. He told them that the Ferryman wasn't in fact there for Squiddly and the other children, but for Mother, as she had witnessed the changeling wizards marching through the streets. He also told them that the plant things they fought had in fact once used to be people. That is their waste disposal. He then welcomed them to try to pass the Trials, but he didn't believe in their abilities. After giving Valan some side eye, as he had his weapon drawn, and Tyra mouthed off to him, the Archmage began to goad Valan into attacking. Once he did, the Archmage disappeared in a flurry of snow as his simulacrum was destroyed.
We ended the session with the party solving puzzles pertaining to each school of magic, and that is where we will pick up next time.
Tyra noticed in the far corner of the kitchen, where the candlelight didn't quite reach, a face could be seen; two luminous orbs reflecting the light, dwindling at its threshold, attached to a gaunt hooded face. They raised a hand in greeting, and it raised a hand back. Valan went to offer it a coin with his mage hand, but as the shimmering hand grew closer, the face disappeared, dropping two coins to the floor, one of which rolled down the stairs of the larder and came to a stop in front of a door. A door which Tyra knew should not be there. It was a solid dark oak door, mildewing at the edges with a green mossy mold which permeates the air with the smell of damp. In the center of the door, there was a brass knocker of a skeletal hand holding a black lantern. Valeria promptly knocked it, invisible, before her mates could protest.
Fortunately, after three knocks it simply swung open, revealing an expansive area of dark water, masked in mists. The Ferryman stood at the prow of the Ferry, one hand extended, waiting for payment. Each party member in turn paid the Ferryman, and it began to row across the Mire. Halfway across, it disappeared as if dispelled, and the party was attacked by plant creatures which swarmed them in the water, trying to hinder their progress and pull them down into the water. After struggling past them, the party managed to pull into the opposite shore, where a towering hydrangea guarded an opening in the wall above. At first attempt to climb, the bush animated, attacking the party and forcing them back. Unfortunately for the plant, everyone has fire magic and it withered and died fairly swiftly.
Climbing through the gap and pushing past a cage that hung on a track, the party landed in a brick and mortar building and the shift from the "natural" expanse of the Mire left them feeling nauseous, like something was fundamentally wrong about them being there. The track that the cage appeared to run on continued in the hallway for a time before turning and running through another gap in the wall.
Before continuing, the group decided to take a quick breather to recover from the fight with the hydrangea. During this time, Valeria's drake manifested, unannounced. It shivered, scales vibrating in waves across its body, and Valeria for a moment though she could see a bigger, more voluminous set of eyes transposed on top of her drake, attached to a much larger head an neck that extended translucently backwards into the darkness.
"He's awake," it said, before disappearing again.
"I think I know what that means," Valeria said, continuing forwards and getting straight to business.
The hallway continued for a time before they came to a set of oaken doors which led to a large antechamber. In the center of the room, there was a dais with a bowl set into it. Protruding from the bowl was a long, slender blade extending from the center. Beyond the collection bowl stood a large door with a relief set into it. The bodom portion is covered in a dark electrum inlay depicting a churning black sea that appears to get syphoned up into the roots of a dark tree that was depicted around chest height. Around the tree, you can see six bronze individuals taking notes and looking at a golden warforged face that seems to be a part of the tree. The trunk of the tree extends upwards, becoming the Tower of Zhestia, and the branches becoming the floating Towers of Sylva. At the top of Zhestia, there is one person in ivory relief standing at the head of it all in the center of the tower, a silver circlet around their head; Tyra recognized this as symbology used to represent Archmage Reharis.
As the light from Valan's Flametongue touched the rim of the bowl, what had originally appeared as a hazy mirage surrounding the outside shifted into crimson elven script which read "Pay the Blood Tithe." The party consulted with the Book of Shadows, which said "lmao bet, do it." While consulting with the Book, the party realized that Valan, being a warlock, could read the spells contained within the book as well as the text history, and Valeria suggested that Valan take it, since he was able to fully utilize its capabilities.
After each individual in the party had cut themselves upon the blade, which Valeria had noted already had a collection of blood at the bottom, the bowl began to glow in a crimson red color, fully revealing the door beyond. As the crimson light touched the door, text appeared across the top reading "The Flow of Knowledge Secures Your Passage," and an "Illuminati" symbol appeared floating transposed above Reharis. With Darkvision, Tyra was able to see a symbol appear floating above the warforged, a symbol commonly used to represent the Bedlamite, and when she got close enough to use her blindsight, Valeria could see a symbol appear floating above the Scribes. After some time struggling, trying different combinations, the group realized that there was a chance that there was something they were missing. Valan extinguished his Flametongue, which enabled his Devil Sight to drink deeply of the Darkness and reveal that which was unseen; a fourth symbol, hovering above the dark sea from which the roots of the tree drink. A symbol which they recognized from an earlier encounter months previous, where darklings attempted to use the body of a wizard to create something in the middle of a stone circle. The symbol of the Watcher was depicted on several stones within the circle that were revealed under the light of the Aurora Totalis.
After connecting the flow of information- Watcher, Devil, Scribes, Archmage- the doorway shifted open, revealing a small room with a brazier in the center. As it slowly lit, it revealed the Archmage standing behind it. He told the party that they continually surprise him, but he thinks this is where that ends. Somehow, they had forced their way in through the back door "waste disposal" system of the Tower, and had found their way into the Trials of the Six, where applicants come to prove themselves in order to join the Scribes of the Six. He told them that the Ferryman wasn't in fact there for Squiddly and the other children, but for Mother, as she had witnessed the changeling wizards marching through the streets. He also told them that the plant things they fought had in fact once used to be people. That is their waste disposal. He then welcomed them to try to pass the Trials, but he didn't believe in their abilities. After giving Valan some side eye, as he had his weapon drawn, and Tyra mouthed off to him, the Archmage began to goad Valan into attacking. Once he did, the Archmage disappeared in a flurry of snow as his simulacrum was destroyed.
We ended the session with the party solving puzzles pertaining to each school of magic, and that is where we will pick up next time.
Character(s) interacted with
The Ferryman: Creepy... thing.
The Fathomless Dark: Book that lives by the words of Shia LaBeouf.
Archmage Reharis: Creepy thing. Only ever been a simulacrum.
The Rider: God
The Bedlamite: Also a god, but it would have you over for tea.
The Fathomless Dark: Book that lives by the words of Shia LaBeouf.
Archmage Reharis: Creepy thing. Only ever been a simulacrum.
The Rider: God
The Bedlamite: Also a god, but it would have you over for tea.
Notes
If you read this just give yourself inspiration. Don't tell me about it, just do it. You'll need it. That is a threat.
Report Date
06 Aug 2021
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