Session IX - Unravelling
4th-5th of Tororima, 560 AL
Following a few days of travel through the woods of Thrahin in the Plane of Moss, the party reaches the town of Lausang. A collection of guards there are beating a human man with sticks. Cornelius warps the man to safety and Astra flies high above the ground with him in tow. They interrogate him as the gnomes rush towards them. The man's name is Elof and the party pries from him that he is an illicit drug salesman that was plying his wares in the city. The gnomes take the man away when the party gives him up.
Two of the more level-headed gnomes introduce themselves as the Mammen brothers: guards for the town of Lausang. They explain that a festival is in full swing, drawing many extraplanar visitors. It is Guale, a celebration held after a grot tree has been cut down on the orders of the city of Attjandi itself. The trees normally mark shrines for the honored dead, so cutting one down is a further honor to their name. The wood is among the finest in Corporeus, used for things like weapons, shrines, and ships.
The party thanks the gnomish guards and heads to the city's main entrance: a funicular that lowers passengers into the city proper. They take the cable car down the slope and Cornelius puts a silver into the tip jar in the unmanned cabin. The ride leads the party into a treetop village of thatch and wood with many metallic embellishments of brass and gold. A second cable car plunges thousands of feet into the abyss of the Valley of Denouement to the southeast.
Strattora immediately notices a group of individuals wearing army uniforms from Zivilon that have the Skandan emblem scratched out or destroyed. She warns the party of their presence. The party attempts to find a place to rest. A nearby tower elevator lowers them down into a dark greenhouse area where hundreds of hydroponic systems are growing many varieties of herbs. The place is staffed by a dozen druids and led by a flamboyant-looking half-elf dressed in finery.
At the bottom of the tower, the lift stops. There is a tavern here built mostly underground. Dozens of visitors are here and a thick layer of smoke from their pipes obscures much of the area.
Strattora sees more of the Zivil soldiers with the destroyed emblems. She recognizes one of them: Gale of the Mith'Missos. He is a Tyton air genasi with wispy hair and pale white skin. Strattora and Astra tactfully hide amongst the crowd as more of his group arrive. The two of them overhear numerous details about their plans. The group is a collection of dishonorably discharged members of the Zivil military looking to gain glory for themselves by establishing a foothold in the plane. They plan to capture the coastal town of Saxuna to gain access to a valuable Chorus gateway there, through which they will funnel mercenary reinforcements into Thrahin. Then, they will march south and establish an outpost to launch further campaigns southward.
The party begins hatching a plan to pry more information out of the soldiers. They scheme in their tavern room for a while before enchanting each other with magic to help with the job. Exiting the room, they position themselves away from the soldiers. Strattora strikes up a conversation with a nearby wood elf; she is a young Tuiron scholar from Zivilon and Kalmassari. Her name is Evernir Norrel, and she is studying the Lost Gods of Corporeus. As she's already a few drinks deep, she divulges much of her investigations immediately to Strattora. Evernir tells her that the North Wind and the West Moon are considered "Gods of the Fore", but have never been witnessed by mortals. Synedda and Nerei, the other two gods of that group, are "Walking Gods" that have made their presence known throughout history. Other huge questions linger as well. How could theologists even know that those gods were a part of that creator group if they have never had form? Evernir expresses frustration at the lack of answers. Strattora sympathizes with her and compliments her on her studies. The wood elf is flustered at the attention. Strattora eventually bids her farewell.
At the table with the Zivil soldiers, Melinoe challenges the vulture aarakocra named Donovan to a game of cards. They trade wins, growing the pot substantially each time. Donovan questions her about her presence there, and she tries to weave multiple fabrications that the man seems to see through. On the final draw, 50 gold is wagered. Astra attempts to cheat for Melinoe but is spotted by Gale, who touches his left eye and seems to be imbued with the ability to see Astra for a moment. From across the room, Cornelius dispels the magic.
Cornelius is caught, and Astra accidentally slams their leg on the gambling table. The party is found out.
Donovan, amused, lets Melinoe take the pot with her cheated draw. He then uses this as leverage, telling her that they should come clean to him. She does not heed his words and insists on another fabricated story. Both Gale and Donovan grow visibly irate, and eventually, the party is forced to come into view. Gale does not seem to recognize Strattora when she appears. Astra, however, is addressed curiously by Donovan, who asks how old they are. They do not reply immediately.
As the party begins to grill the soldiers, Donovan reveals that they are planning a very similar route to theirs but are not affiliated with the city as of yet. The hope is to claim the route through Thrahin extrajudicially and take credit for the war's success when it is completed. Upon further questioning, it becomes very clear that this group is not bound by morals or laws. They will burn a path through the forest if necessary. When Strattora criticizes their intent, Donovan deflects by telling her that he is not concerned with appearances or ethics. She asks him what gives him the right to conquer the region and he responds that it's simply what he has chosen to do. He does not need a right. Coin and status are more than enough. Donovan then begins telling a story about his military days. He directs the entire story in Astra's direction. He guesses that they are 20 or 25 years old, to some confusion. He tells the party that he was once an infantryman in the Zivil military. Loaded with primitive mortars and hundreds of pounds of clunky ammunition, his unit was sent into the Valley of Denouement to secure the area near a Choral passage. They found heavy resistance in the form of Venat Owlin there. Donovan notes his offense at the fact that those Owlin are native to the Plane of Storms, yet they were fighting for the opposition in the Valley. A particularly brutal attack was waged by the Zivil soldiers. They killed many opposing Owlin with their mortars before eventually finding a clutch of eggs nearby. It was no wonder that they were defending the region so strongly, but the Zivil soldiers could not simply let a group of young enemies alone for them to grow and oppose them. They destroyed the eggs, stealing several of them. Donovan notes that "Hesperus" took 2 eggs, referring to Commander Gaius Hesperus. The reality dawns on Astra that they were one of the eggs taken in the slaughter of her people. They were raised by their family's murderers. Astra flies into a rage. They immediately raise their mortar to a relatively nonchalant Donovan. The rest of the party tries to calm them, but any hope of negotiations has broken down. They eventually leave the soldiers alone as they cannot agree to leave the region like the soldiers want. They head to bed, taking extreme precautions to set up alarm spells to protect themselves. A long discussion in the bedroom ensues. It is decided that Astra and Cornelius will fly down the Valley of Denouement to locate the brood of the Grey Wolf and ask for their aid against the marauders, as they plan to destroy the forest. The time for talking is over; now, the party is out for the blood of their new enemies. Gale, a radical and dangerous Mith'Missos, and Donovan, a perpetrator of horrific war crimes who seems hellbent on doing more damage. Astra and Cornelius leave under cover of darkness. They jet through the city as silently as possible. They glide thousands of feet down the Valley's cliffs until they locate the red crystal outcroppings that Jorunn the wolf had indicated as the entrance to his den.
They enter a nearby carved stone tunnel. At its end is a lupine stone statue with its head broken off from age. A voice echoes in the heads of Astra and Cornelius:
Strattora immediately notices a group of individuals wearing army uniforms from Zivilon that have the Skandan emblem scratched out or destroyed. She warns the party of their presence. The party attempts to find a place to rest. A nearby tower elevator lowers them down into a dark greenhouse area where hundreds of hydroponic systems are growing many varieties of herbs. The place is staffed by a dozen druids and led by a flamboyant-looking half-elf dressed in finery.
The party begins hatching a plan to pry more information out of the soldiers. They scheme in their tavern room for a while before enchanting each other with magic to help with the job. Exiting the room, they position themselves away from the soldiers. Strattora strikes up a conversation with a nearby wood elf; she is a young Tuiron scholar from Zivilon and Kalmassari. Her name is Evernir Norrel, and she is studying the Lost Gods of Corporeus. As she's already a few drinks deep, she divulges much of her investigations immediately to Strattora. Evernir tells her that the North Wind and the West Moon are considered "Gods of the Fore", but have never been witnessed by mortals. Synedda and Nerei, the other two gods of that group, are "Walking Gods" that have made their presence known throughout history. Other huge questions linger as well. How could theologists even know that those gods were a part of that creator group if they have never had form? Evernir expresses frustration at the lack of answers. Strattora sympathizes with her and compliments her on her studies. The wood elf is flustered at the attention. Strattora eventually bids her farewell.
As the party begins to grill the soldiers, Donovan reveals that they are planning a very similar route to theirs but are not affiliated with the city as of yet. The hope is to claim the route through Thrahin extrajudicially and take credit for the war's success when it is completed. Upon further questioning, it becomes very clear that this group is not bound by morals or laws. They will burn a path through the forest if necessary. When Strattora criticizes their intent, Donovan deflects by telling her that he is not concerned with appearances or ethics. She asks him what gives him the right to conquer the region and he responds that it's simply what he has chosen to do. He does not need a right. Coin and status are more than enough. Donovan then begins telling a story about his military days. He directs the entire story in Astra's direction. He guesses that they are 20 or 25 years old, to some confusion. He tells the party that he was once an infantryman in the Zivil military. Loaded with primitive mortars and hundreds of pounds of clunky ammunition, his unit was sent into the Valley of Denouement to secure the area near a Choral passage. They found heavy resistance in the form of Venat Owlin there. Donovan notes his offense at the fact that those Owlin are native to the Plane of Storms, yet they were fighting for the opposition in the Valley. A particularly brutal attack was waged by the Zivil soldiers. They killed many opposing Owlin with their mortars before eventually finding a clutch of eggs nearby. It was no wonder that they were defending the region so strongly, but the Zivil soldiers could not simply let a group of young enemies alone for them to grow and oppose them. They destroyed the eggs, stealing several of them. Donovan notes that "Hesperus" took 2 eggs, referring to Commander Gaius Hesperus. The reality dawns on Astra that they were one of the eggs taken in the slaughter of her people. They were raised by their family's murderers. Astra flies into a rage. They immediately raise their mortar to a relatively nonchalant Donovan. The rest of the party tries to calm them, but any hope of negotiations has broken down. They eventually leave the soldiers alone as they cannot agree to leave the region like the soldiers want. They head to bed, taking extreme precautions to set up alarm spells to protect themselves. A long discussion in the bedroom ensues. It is decided that Astra and Cornelius will fly down the Valley of Denouement to locate the brood of the Grey Wolf and ask for their aid against the marauders, as they plan to destroy the forest. The time for talking is over; now, the party is out for the blood of their new enemies. Gale, a radical and dangerous Mith'Missos, and Donovan, a perpetrator of horrific war crimes who seems hellbent on doing more damage. Astra and Cornelius leave under cover of darkness. They jet through the city as silently as possible. They glide thousands of feet down the Valley's cliffs until they locate the red crystal outcroppings that Jorunn the wolf had indicated as the entrance to his den.
Undiro ValakIt appears the statue is asking them to perform an oath to gain entry. Astra and Cornelius immediately repeat the words spoken in the Common tongue. A massive stone archway opens up to reveal a single small wolf holding a lantern by its teeth, beckoning them forward into the darkness.
No nalos torolo Valak
No sithr minor Valak
Sothon na Unidé
I enter here, a friend
I enter here, and give up my arms
I enter here, and open my mind
Until the end of me.
