Episode 12
General Summary
The sounds and smells of burning zombies assail the party, as they move back towards the entry chamber to the Temple of Mortona. At Eva's beckoning, the party proceed to investigate the temple without resting - somehow the celebrity is looking extra vibrant and energised. With only 2 routes left to explore, the party decide to first find out what's behind the barred door. As Godric removes the plank of wood from the door, Leah gets an overwhelming sense of evil coming from the end of the corridor. The hallway in front of the group seems to end in a very large stone door, with ornate carvings and some script carved into it. In the middle of the hall is a crossroads, with smaller stone doors on the left and right.
The room on the left seems to have been recently used as a bedroom. There are numerous simple beds throughout the room, many in a state of disarray suggesting perhaps a hasty exit. The room is littered with scraps of parchment - some of which seemed to be spell scrolls - and empty potion vials. A few of the vials have remnants of liquid in them, so Veda collects a few and puts them in the group's new Bag of Holding to investigate later. In the corner of the room Atlas finds a small chest of drawers, which contains a filled potion with a minty-green liquid inside.
The room on the opposite side contains multiple stone tables. Each table has the same arcane rune carved into it, and seems to be splattered with blood - some old, some new. Various indentations and scratches on the tables suggest that people may have been killed and possibly sacrificed on these tables.
Leaving only the large stone door at the end of the corridor, Godric is able to read a line of text written in Ancient Kuretian which has been carved into the stone. "EVEN THE GODS MAKE MISTAKES". Underneath this, a more recent yet still very old carving in elvish reads "Seriously, do not open this door".
Leah takes a moment to attempt to commune with the forces of nature, and gets the sense that whatever is blocking her connection to the Feywild is coming from the Deddo Forest itself. Although there is indeed a great evil presence behind this door, it doesn't seem to be connected to her current predicament. Deciding against going through the door, the group head back to the entry chamber... as they do, Veda is sure she can hearing scratching coming from behind the ancient stone...
With just the secret hatch behind the alter left to explore, the group cautiously head down the rope ladder and find themselves in another tunnel. This tunnel winds left and right as it gradually slopes down further into the earth. As they creep through, the group eventually hear a soft moaning - like a woman sobbing. Leah sends Nyx ahead to investigate, and the owl finds that the tunnel ends in a chamber. At the back of the chamber is a small font, again, with ornate carvings throughout it's design. As the owl looks around, he spots the face of an ethereal woman watching him, before it recedes into the cavern wall.
Somewhat freaked out at this point, the group slowly make their way into the chamber. Leah is not convinced that this spectre means them harm, and so the fey elf walks into the room - arms extended in a show of peace - and calls out to the woman. Appearing from the wall behind Leah, the woman drifts into view - floating through the nature witch - and flopping down upon the font. The ghostly woman reveals that she was tasked to protect an item of great power, in service to Mortona. Something called the Seed of Mortona was held here - between 2 fonts, one on the ground and one on the ceiling - and apparently this item was the cause of the corruption in the Deddo Forest. As Leah looks up, she spots the tips of tree roots around the ceiling font, which seem to be recovering from the necrotic corruption without the seed's presence. The ghost says that the Shadow Witches tricked her into allowing them to steal the seed - they claimed to be doing Mortona's bidding but apparently were not.
At this point, Marty speaks - having been in a semi-trance like state for the past few moments. The cleric reveals that Mortona has spoken to her once more, and that this is what she was meant to see. The goddess of death wishes for her seed to be returned.
The ghost shrieks, claiming that the witches have returned to the temple above. She is unable to leave this chamber, but promises a favour if the group bring her the heads of the witches.
Heading back up, the group find 2 Shadow Witches who have apparently been sent back to retrieve a potion they forgot to take with them, as some sort of punishment. A battle ensues in the church, and the 2 witches are handily dispatched. It seems these two were the equivalent of low-level grunts in the Shadow Witches' evil corporation. The group manage to keep one of the witches alive, and they question her about the evil coven's plans.
The woman doesn't seem to know much, apparently not being trusted enough by her sister witches, but does reveal that the witches are heading south with the seed. She assumes that the plan is to plant it somewhere else to spread corruption, but doesn't know where the final destination is. The witch does also confirm that 'The Wicked One' is their leader.
With her usefulness expired, the group execute the witch and bring the heads of both women down below to the spectre. Gleeful at the site of the dead witches, the ghost agrees to grant them a favour. She answers 2 questions for the group - one I can't remember - and the other reveals that whatever is behind the large ancient door is "The first one to no longer be dead".
The group successfully rest in the temple, before setting out into the forest once more.
Rewards Granted
- Potion of Comprehend Languages
- Quarterstaff +1 (2)
- Ring of Protection +1
- 8 Gold 6 Silver
- Level 5 Reached
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