Session 95
General Summary
Embracing Your Inner BIRB
Rani proposed her ideas regarding the colors to everyone in their minds as their two bird companions stared at the only set of words they could read, perplexed. Eventually, Rhovahk and Jhaxton are included in the telepathic discussion. Rani waved her hand in front of one of the beams of light, disrupting it. The white light changed to a weird, ugly brown... she decided, what's the harm? Even if we're wrong, we STILL got through Tel'Rhea's temple, how bad could this be? What COULD go wrong?
Conveniently, nothing went wrong. Moira stood bathed in ominous red light, basking in it. Blocking off all beams except the teal and blue, the white light turned a brilliant teal color. The prism shattered and revealed a crystal with Lark's symbol on top. For the second, Declan suggested trying a combination of blue and purple, but Rhovahk mentioned that if the Huntress is their Goddess, she's a warden of the day sky not of the night. Ghilani thought back to all of the crystals he saw people lighting at dusk. They seemed to be... Villám? Yellow-Orange in hue? Blocking off everything except yellow and orange, the prism shattered a crystal with Elis' symbol on top.
For the final one, the Deep End blocks all beams and the white light faded to nothing. As the prism cracked and shattered, there was a brief flash of inky blackness before the crystal was revealed... a blank space on top where perhaps a symbol would normally be.
Ghilani and Moira got to work at breaking the crystals. Though hard to place, this time around seemed different? After only 30 minutes, all three crystals dissolved into the air and a path downward opened. Why was that so quick?
In another small cavern, a drop loomed ahead with a thins tretch of stone extending over the edge (like a diving board). It was unclear if the myriad of stone bird statues – totem-like and egg-shaped – were intetionally placed here or ended up being unearthed in this rea. After staring at the birds for a bit, the Deep End eventually approached to take a closer look. As Newt and Declan took note of the arcane runes on the wings of the carved birds, Moira placed Calibird on top of one of them. His starry form warbled and warped for a moment, causing Moira to panic. Ghilani, after looking at the runes, determined that they were certainly transmutation... a modified polymorph spell for example? Moira, upon hearing that, forgets her previous panic and slaps her hand down on the statue without hesitation, becoming a bird. Rani, Moira, and their two bird companions transformed into large harpy eagles, while Newt and Declan shrunk to small agile kestrels. Ghilani became an owl and felt the need to burrow.
Going into the chasm, the air currents seemed a little... weird here. Descending downward, multiple cracks in the walls revealed a faint white light and pools of oddly familiar white sand dropping down the walls. Newt, Rani, Declan, and Ghilani eventually converged on one of the cracks in the wall. Decland decided, however, to continue on and scout out the changing wind patterns. Rani recognized the sands as those from Lark. Odd that it's here. Newt managed to summon a small sun over the crystal within, but got hit by some of the resulting radiant energy, though the crystal also took damage. Ghilani burrowed his way in and used the sand to summon the arcane runes to cast the spell to unweave the crystal. As he did so, he realized that these crystals don't seem... as strong... especially compared to the previous sets of binding crystals. Is that because of what they'd previously released? Or is it ecause there are only three symbols instead of four on the crystals? Who knows. However, we do know that Ghilani was clearly born to cast as a bird!
Rhovahk, on his dive down, took note of two additional locations. Declan and Moira converged – with Jhaxton – at one crystal with Lark as the top symbol. Declan first tried to imagine and will a hydralic press into being, but the sands seemed confused. What is hydraulic? Moira tried to summon a bunch of paint brushes to slap the crystal... but the brushes didn't seem to make contact with the intended target. Jhaxton summoned an eraser and managed to do some damage to the crystal. Declan then willed Purrsephone to knock over a can of paint onto the crystal and it began to dissolve. Everyone else converged on the last and final crystal with Rani summoning a rainbow to drip acid, Newt summoning Volo's axe, and Moira summoning a six-pronged chomping claw to destroy the crystal.
Conveniently, nothing went wrong. Moira stood bathed in ominous red light, basking in it. Blocking off all beams except the teal and blue, the white light turned a brilliant teal color. The prism shattered and revealed a crystal with Lark's symbol on top. For the second, Declan suggested trying a combination of blue and purple, but Rhovahk mentioned that if the Huntress is their Goddess, she's a warden of the day sky not of the night. Ghilani thought back to all of the crystals he saw people lighting at dusk. They seemed to be... Villám? Yellow-Orange in hue? Blocking off everything except yellow and orange, the prism shattered a crystal with Elis' symbol on top.
For the final one, the Deep End blocks all beams and the white light faded to nothing. As the prism cracked and shattered, there was a brief flash of inky blackness before the crystal was revealed... a blank space on top where perhaps a symbol would normally be.
Ghilani and Moira got to work at breaking the crystals. Though hard to place, this time around seemed different? After only 30 minutes, all three crystals dissolved into the air and a path downward opened. Why was that so quick?
In another small cavern, a drop loomed ahead with a thins tretch of stone extending over the edge (like a diving board). It was unclear if the myriad of stone bird statues – totem-like and egg-shaped – were intetionally placed here or ended up being unearthed in this rea. After staring at the birds for a bit, the Deep End eventually approached to take a closer look. As Newt and Declan took note of the arcane runes on the wings of the carved birds, Moira placed Calibird on top of one of them. His starry form warbled and warped for a moment, causing Moira to panic. Ghilani, after looking at the runes, determined that they were certainly transmutation... a modified polymorph spell for example? Moira, upon hearing that, forgets her previous panic and slaps her hand down on the statue without hesitation, becoming a bird. Rani, Moira, and their two bird companions transformed into large harpy eagles, while Newt and Declan shrunk to small agile kestrels. Ghilani became an owl and felt the need to burrow.
Going into the chasm, the air currents seemed a little... weird here. Descending downward, multiple cracks in the walls revealed a faint white light and pools of oddly familiar white sand dropping down the walls. Newt, Rani, Declan, and Ghilani eventually converged on one of the cracks in the wall. Decland decided, however, to continue on and scout out the changing wind patterns. Rani recognized the sands as those from Lark. Odd that it's here. Newt managed to summon a small sun over the crystal within, but got hit by some of the resulting radiant energy, though the crystal also took damage. Ghilani burrowed his way in and used the sand to summon the arcane runes to cast the spell to unweave the crystal. As he did so, he realized that these crystals don't seem... as strong... especially compared to the previous sets of binding crystals. Is that because of what they'd previously released? Or is it ecause there are only three symbols instead of four on the crystals? Who knows. However, we do know that Ghilani was clearly born to cast as a bird!
Rhovahk, on his dive down, took note of two additional locations. Declan and Moira converged – with Jhaxton – at one crystal with Lark as the top symbol. Declan first tried to imagine and will a hydralic press into being, but the sands seemed confused. What is hydraulic? Moira tried to summon a bunch of paint brushes to slap the crystal... but the brushes didn't seem to make contact with the intended target. Jhaxton summoned an eraser and managed to do some damage to the crystal. Declan then willed Purrsephone to knock over a can of paint onto the crystal and it began to dissolve. Everyone else converged on the last and final crystal with Rani summoning a rainbow to drip acid, Newt summoning Volo's axe, and Moira summoning a six-pronged chomping claw to destroy the crystal.
This One's Different: There's... Two of Them?
The Deep End landed on one of many floating platforms in a cavern with no discernible bottom. The walls of the cavern formed a done-like ceiling with walls descending down into darkness. The floor of the platform is oddly polished, with more rugged rock below. From the darkness, an updraft could be felt. Directly ahead was a large floating dome composed entirely of stone. Two massive wings were carved into the stone, arranged in such a way to suggest the wings were embracing and concealing whatever lied within. One wing was feathered, resembling that of a bird. The other was adorned with scales and membrane bound, resembling something of more draconic design. And on one side of this floating stone dome was a large door with a large, jagged pyrmaid of stone erupting from its center... a hint of orange and gold drifting around it.
The Deep End explained nothing to their two companions as they divided and conquered. Six air-like figured rose from below, adorned with silver armor. Newt and Declan headed over to the glowing marks on one side. Before he left, Declan told Rani to watch Ghilani. Newt doodles on the platform, Declan then played Sylvia's music box, and then Newt read some death-inspired poetry. All three gems did light.
Meanwhile, Rani initially investigated the one set of not glowing sigils, seeing if her blood would trigger anything. Ghilani sent a fire bolt over at the other glowing platform, but fire didn't seem to be exactly the answer. Rani then told Moira to keep an eye on Ghilani as she based the "baton of responsibility" and then moved closer to the glowing platform. After firing an arrow, a gem lit up. Ghialni took a few stepps back, ran, and then yelled "I'm a man, I don't need anyone to watch me" as he lept to the platform, casting Gust to light another gem. With a casting of Prestidigitation (using the warming effect), the last gem lit.
Once all of the gems were lit, the air elementals froze up and were oddly pulled down below. The entire cavern, once vaguely warm, became eerily cold. A final engraving lit up on a nearby platform... and Newt, standing right next to it, noticed the door change. Gone now are the images of Lark and Elis. The visage of the shadow-like human remains, though it now seemed to have more features than before: a chiseled jaw, slicked back shoulder length hair, and perhaps the making of clothing (if the alteration to the silhouette is anything to go by). Standing in front of the shadow-figure was a khalashtar woman with long silver hair dressed in ornate robes of orange and gold. One of the shadow-figure's arms had moved... a long claw-like hand resting over the woman's heart.
The last platform now lit, the Deep End offered Dysis' holy symbol, the bees, and Dysis' journal. Newt, still standing at the door, saw the crystal on the door flash as it dissolved, magic drifting through the slowly opening door. But the doors had opened no more than a few inches before they suddenly met resistance, ceasing to fold inward. From the small crack in the doorway, a gust of wind escaped. There was a sound of something cracking, a brief flash of light... and then the doors were flung out by an incredible force. Newt barely managed to duck to the side as not one, but two large creature burst forth. They soared upward and outward at great speed, leaving an incredibly strong updraft in their wake.
As everyone lfited and surged through the air – with a little help initially from Rhovahk – everyone gathered sand frome the chasm as they passed. Newt created an upside down slide for those behind him to get passed the right turn by the bird statues. Rani remembered the EOV lane in Sotto Varoona and boosted everyone up and forward. Eldritch blast boots and hot air balloons were also summoned to aid. Everyone was able to break out into the larger cavern above. In the distance, the large shape of a bird was lifting off the ground. Nearby, another stone falcon stretched its wings for the first time. And in the air, two large beings composed of storm and air lingered. Rani casts Skirmish on the stone falcon because of fucking course they're down to hitch a ride.
The Deep End explained nothing to their two companions as they divided and conquered. Six air-like figured rose from below, adorned with silver armor. Newt and Declan headed over to the glowing marks on one side. Before he left, Declan told Rani to watch Ghilani. Newt doodles on the platform, Declan then played Sylvia's music box, and then Newt read some death-inspired poetry. All three gems did light.
Meanwhile, Rani initially investigated the one set of not glowing sigils, seeing if her blood would trigger anything. Ghilani sent a fire bolt over at the other glowing platform, but fire didn't seem to be exactly the answer. Rani then told Moira to keep an eye on Ghilani as she based the "baton of responsibility" and then moved closer to the glowing platform. After firing an arrow, a gem lit up. Ghialni took a few stepps back, ran, and then yelled "I'm a man, I don't need anyone to watch me" as he lept to the platform, casting Gust to light another gem. With a casting of Prestidigitation (using the warming effect), the last gem lit.
Once all of the gems were lit, the air elementals froze up and were oddly pulled down below. The entire cavern, once vaguely warm, became eerily cold. A final engraving lit up on a nearby platform... and Newt, standing right next to it, noticed the door change. Gone now are the images of Lark and Elis. The visage of the shadow-like human remains, though it now seemed to have more features than before: a chiseled jaw, slicked back shoulder length hair, and perhaps the making of clothing (if the alteration to the silhouette is anything to go by). Standing in front of the shadow-figure was a khalashtar woman with long silver hair dressed in ornate robes of orange and gold. One of the shadow-figure's arms had moved... a long claw-like hand resting over the woman's heart.
The last platform now lit, the Deep End offered Dysis' holy symbol, the bees, and Dysis' journal. Newt, still standing at the door, saw the crystal on the door flash as it dissolved, magic drifting through the slowly opening door. But the doors had opened no more than a few inches before they suddenly met resistance, ceasing to fold inward. From the small crack in the doorway, a gust of wind escaped. There was a sound of something cracking, a brief flash of light... and then the doors were flung out by an incredible force. Newt barely managed to duck to the side as not one, but two large creature burst forth. They soared upward and outward at great speed, leaving an incredibly strong updraft in their wake.
As everyone lfited and surged through the air – with a little help initially from Rhovahk – everyone gathered sand frome the chasm as they passed. Newt created an upside down slide for those behind him to get passed the right turn by the bird statues. Rani remembered the EOV lane in Sotto Varoona and boosted everyone up and forward. Eldritch blast boots and hot air balloons were also summoned to aid. Everyone was able to break out into the larger cavern above. In the distance, the large shape of a bird was lifting off the ground. Nearby, another stone falcon stretched its wings for the first time. And in the air, two large beings composed of storm and air lingered. Rani casts Skirmish on the stone falcon because of fucking course they're down to hitch a ride.
Report Date
15 Sep 2023
Primary Location
Related Characters
The Writing on the Rocks
The first is written in Primordial:A full spectrum of colors at the Painters’ fingertips. And yet in all depictions, it is the same color he chooses.Answer: Teal, why is it that Lark — despite being associated with gold — is commonly depicted choosing teal?
The second is written in Aarakocra:
Long ago, the Huntress did cry and her tears struck the Earth Now at night her tears spark; colors that light like the sun.Answer: Yellow-Orange. In some mythos, Villám shards are the ancient tears of their Goddess.
The final is written in an ancient language:
Between the Stars and in the deepest earth beneath. In vile hearts and the maw behind the teeth. All that will come after and all that came before. There when you sleep and when you wake… no more.Answer: Black.
The Air Bound Door
As before, the massive door depicts a set of humanoid figures:- The Dread King – At the top and center of the door is a depiction of a shadow-like humanoid figure in black and violet. The only discernable features are the violet eyes and the 6-pronged jagged crown.
- The God of Creativity – An ethereal figure is bound to humanoid form only by the jewelry they wear, adorned with gems in every color of the rainbow. In one hand, they hold a quill upon which they write on a floating piece of parchment. In the other hand, they hold a brush with which they paint broad strokes of color into the world below. Bursts of teal light illuminate above the minds and hearts of the many followers gathered around. Many move to the beat of unheard drums.
- The Goddess of the Sun – An aarakocra woman has her wings outspread as she notches an arrow, aiming down at the ground far below. Behind her, on one side, is a clear sky with a rainbow and a brilliant sun. Where the sun's rays reach the ground, the snow melts. Behind her, on the other side, is a dark, stormy sky littered with bolts of lightning and swirls of wind. Various birds – falcons, hawks and more – fly around her.
The Huntress
The Muse
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