2023-11-25 Magma's Blessing
Player Characters
- Wiznt
- Alystin
- Amartherui
- Malivette
- Green
Summary
In order to upgrade Salmund's spirit forge, a blessing given by a powerful fire spirit was necessary. Malivette's research unveiled that powerful fire elementals are said to be found in Subterranea's Magma Tunnels. He gathered adventurers and Inkpot Gods members to journey into the hottest section of the darkest section of Archestria.
The party began in Umethrynn, a city inhabited primarily by drow. They spread out to research the mission ahead. While Mal searched the library, Alystin visited old friends, and Amar eavesdropped on taverngoers.
- Within the Magma Tunnels lives a friendly fire giant named Volnas, who welcomes visitors and gives them a place to rest.
- A powerful magma elemental known as Rhyolus can be found in the Magma Tunnels.
- To reach the Magma Tunnels, the party would have to either take the main road along the south edge of the Fariel Columns, or a southern side road. Fariel Columns had become dangerous recently; many travelers disappeared there, and those who survived reported huge spiders and mutant drow in the area. The southern path, which traveled through an ancient ruined mazefolk city, had a hoard of zombies roaming about.
- A deep gnome complained to Malivette about pollution from Snavopolis spilling down into Subterranea, contaminating the northwestern town of Igniklar.
- Amar overheard a duergar discussing a shady sale with a drow. He heard them talk about delivering a haul of orange crystals to a predetermined location somewhere in Fariel.
- Alystin visited some old friends from when he used to live in Subterranea. One of them told him that something bad was happening in his home of Plynthenar Village to the east, and that a barricade had been put up to protect Umethrynn from whatever was out there. Rumors alleged that illithids were involved.
The party traveled west. When they came to the fork in the road, they decided to take the north path, heading to Fariel Columns.
The cavern widened into the impossibly huge hall of natural columns. Alystin's imp led the way as the party stayed near Malivette's lantern.
The imp got caught in a nigh-invisible spiderweb. Mutant drow emerged from the darkness: two were half spider, and one was demonic and hunched with enormous claws. A drow priestess cast spells while a huge spider skittered across the ceiling to drop onto the party. The PCs fought them off as the priestess summoned yochlol demons to help.
The party took a cloak of arachnida, a valuable jeweled staff, cash, and a letter from the priestess.
They attempted to short rest at the ambush spot. Another patrol of driders and drow arrived, and the party defeated them.
They decided to keep moving. Wiznt found a perfect little ruined house to hide in, with a blue primal crystal inside. They spent the night in the decrepit domicile.
They continued the next day, eventually reaching the end of Fariel Columns.
The main road tunnel was blocked by brown mold. Mal initially tried to burn it, but this caused it to multiply. Wiznt recalled that brown mold thrived by sucking heat out of things, but hated cold. Amar poured water onto it and froze it with shape water, killing patch by patch until the mold was gone. Wiznt kept a sample in a vial.
The path lowered into a patch of thick mud, too small for the mounts to get through. Green's pegasus successfully fought its way through the mud without drowning. The others used rope, strength, or raw speed to cross it.
At last they came to the Magma Tunnels. Heat waves distorted the air as hot rivers of black lava slowly pushed along.
They crossed a duergar-made bridge and came to a sign at a fork. One path led north to Igniklar, and the other was broken. Mal found the sign buried at the foot of the post; it read: "Volnas's Hut".
The party walked to Volnas's enormous stone hut amids wide caverns glowing red from flowing rivers of magma. The friendly giant opened the door for them and welcomed them in.
They took up smallfolk-sized seats while the giant sat on the equivalent of a tall table. Spicy mushroom tea brewed over a steam vent as they talked.
- Volnas was glad to have guests; he was aware that he had fewer visitors recently. Much of the food he consumed was purchased or gifted from traveling merchants, and his supplies were shrinking.
- Mal asked about Rhyolus. The giant told them of a mighty magma elemental to the west, in the hotter parts of the Magma Tunnels. It resided in a huge whirlpool of magma. Mal asked what to offer it. Volnas suggested a yellow primal crystal, a rare treasure that contained its own heat.
- Volnas mentioned that previous travelers found such a crystal in a small ruin on the east side of the Magma Tunnels. He gave instructions on how to find it, in case they wanted to try their luck at recovering another one.
- Volnas was aware of Archestrylene and its toxicity, as well as the dwarves in Smokewhistle directly above. He told that there existed a cave leading from the Magma Tunnels directly to Smokewhistle.
- Volnas asked the party for stories of their adventures.
- Amar told Volnas stories about the adventurers' past heroic efforts, especially how Tarhun had bravely obliterated Obbleville.
- Green told about the religion of Garuda, to Volnas's fascination.
- Wiznt described the tale of the Beast and the Feywild.
- The party convinced Volnas to trust them with information about the path to Smokewhistle. He described a hidden path in the northeastern Magma Tunnels where an enormous vertical cave led up to the Deepsmoke Caverns behind the dwarven kingdom. He insisted on keeping its existence private, as it led close to Grimfum Caverns, where many evil fire giants lived. He warned them to avoid other giants, and to keep his hiding place a secret. He had been ostracized by his people, and they would hunt him if they found out that he was alive and well, not to mention helping smallfolk.
- Volnas was 200 years old, and had existed since Origination.
After a long rest on Volnas's extra beds meant for smallfolk visitors, the party departed for the small ruin. It took them only an hour of walking to find it.
The small stone shrine hugged a wall in a side cavern. Malivette and Wiznt recognized it as the same design as Aradince's Hovel.
Malivette and Wiznt entered, immediately setting off a fire-blasting pressure plate. Alystin found a journal by Vak, hidden behind a stone brick.
They explored the back room, and found shelves with the remains of old candles. A large stone chest sat at the far end of the room, and contained the name "Candessa" in ancient barcode script. Above it, a design showed six circles coming together. After some guessing, Amar said the word "unity" which unlocked the chest. Inside, they found a yellow primal crystal.
They returned to Volnas with the warm crystal in hand. He pointed the way to Rhyolus.
As the party traveled into the sweltering heart of the Magma Tunnels, they were accosted by a large group of firenewts. Green persuaded them to grant safe passage, so the newts stood aside and stalked them as they traveled to Rhyolus.
The party stood atop a pointed cliff above an enormous churning whirlpool of magma. Malivette spoke a prayer to the spirits of the area, and the gargantuan magma elemental rose from the pool to speak. They conversed in Primordial (Ignan).
- Mal gave Rhyolus the yellow primal crystal as an offering. The grand being of fire accepted the offer, and deposited a hot obsidian sphere decorated in Ignan runes as its blessing, to be used in the spirit forge.
- Malivette asked how old Rhyolus was. The primordial being told that it was ancient and eternal. It operated the "Earth's Engine", which sealed cracks forming naturally in the earth over time. This healing prevented the spread of the earth's silver blood.
- Wiznt picked up a pumice stone from this place. He told Rhyolus that if the Earth's Engine were ever under threat, it should scrawl a message here, and he would eventually see it (from occasional scrying).
- Mal asked about fiends and the Destroyer. Rhyolus didn't know anything about them.
The party returned to Salmund, successful in acquiring the mighty fire elemental's blessing.
Side mini-missions
While asleep, Alystin's patron whispered to him that it wished to see the sunlight. It commanded him to visit the The Labyrinth where they had met. It wanted to be freed.
Green searched Salmund for info about someone named Zubie who had been mentioned in Granny Myrna's fortune telling. He discovered that Zubie was the eternally drunk halfling found in the Crossroads. Zubie had a gold coin that always returned to his possession, and was using it to scam the tavern out of its ale. Furious, the barkeep threw him out.
Green cured Zubie of his drunkness, much to the halfling's dismay. He questioned the drunkard about his past, and learned that Zubie's family had been murdered by an arrogant lich named Sylniq while traveling in Zymora. Amar gave Zubie a new job working in his brewery. Green learned more about Sylniq from books in the library. It appeared that the evil wizard's last known location was in the frozen wastes of Zymora.
Documents found
Entry for WorldEmber 2023
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