Chapter 5: Seeds of Change
The party has just recovered Tyrus Clovehoof's amulet at the request of his son Mundrin Clovehoof and now plan to meet the old Minotaur and his companions in Skiple...
Session 13: Day 33-34
2/2/2022 - 2/3/2022 Once Mundrin arrives in Skiple he requests they meet them at Leena's sister's house as it is empty ever since Shae moved back to her homeland of Reavia at Leena's insistence that the Kingdom of Fandaniel is becoming "far too dangerous." Juan proceeds into the house alone to pass off the amulet and have a private meeting with his kin, while the rest of the party wait outside with Leena and Udeac expecting a night filled with celebration as promised after. Juan sits down with Mundrin - who has brought a large unique looking plant with him - who pours him a drink like their conversation before, to which Juan willingly drinks expecting it to be the same strong brew. Mundrin expresses his gratitude and for a moment seems to silently contemplate the amulet before suddenly instructing the young Minotaur to flee the kingdom and never look back. Shocked, Juan struggles to inquire what Mundrin means and in fact struggles in entirety - his body is paralyzed. Mundrin elaborates saying he has spent the past decade procuring Fire Thistle seeds from the Syndicate and planting them in abundance around all the settlements in the Kingdom with the express plan of wielding his father's amulet with his impressive druidic magic and channel the fount of Tangle energy atop Flormonta Mountain to make them instantly grow and drop their explosive fruit to decimate "the nation that used Our People as fodder and then discard us as we wither away into extinction." He tries to convince Juan of this being the only way Minotaur can truly return to prosperity but also admits he desires revenge against those responsible for his race's plight and that they "come to know what it's like to not have a future." As Juan strains to find his paralysis, Mundrin touches the plant in the room and disappears. Leena senses this teleportation and inconspicuously excuses herself and Udeac before Juan regains enough freedom to call out to the rest of the group. Hearing his call, Jacob runs to his companion and pours healing water into his mouth. Now cured, Juan alerts the party to Mundrin's betrayal. Zocra picks up the trail of the fleeing dwarf and elf, and the party mounts up to chase after them while alerting as many of their friends as possible of the imminent danger. The tracks diverge into a forest and the party chooses to pursue. Zocra is trying to track as well as he can in the thick brush when suddenly an animated vine knocks him from his horse - causing him to loose the trail. The party decides to forgo the chase and double back towards the mountain. By the time they arrive, the sky is scored in green light emanating from the elder tree. They make their way into the tomb and use the crystal from before to teleport to the mountain top - surprising Leena and Udeac with their entrance. Leena is confused why they care so much for the Kingdom, as it has done them no favors and in fact treated them as unjustly as the Minotaur and her sister - who Leena sees as a victim of an indifferent society that is not deserving of taking the place of what is possible. Jacob feigns agreement in an attempt to catch his foes off gaurd, citing ways him and his companions have been personally impacted, but realizes he is almost too successful in his ruse when Quinby and Zocra begin sincerely considering siding with the Marauders. Tired of listening to the greater nuances of genocide, Juan draws his weapon and changes across the moon pool...Session 14: Day 34
2/3/2022 Udeac rushes to engage the charging Juan as Jacob continues his coy exit towards the top of the mountain. The rest of the party focus their attacks on Udeac which Leena desperately tries to heal him while simultaneously keep her attention on what Jacob is up to. Jacob is able to elude Mundrin's protectors and make it to the summit before Leena can round the corner. Leena's pursuit of Jacob causes her to fall short of her supportive duties and Udeac is felled by an expertly placed bolt from Quinby while she is distracted. The wood elf screams in agony at her fallen comrade and foregoes her chase to unleash her rage against Juan as he advances. When he makes his attack, Leena turns the fire from the Minotaur's magical hammer against him. Juan fights through the fiery retaliation and Leena is ultimately defeated. Quinby takes a moment to shackle the two fallen Marauders should they regain consciousness during the inevitable fight with Mundrin. Meanwhile Jacob positions himself to disrupt Mundrin's casting but is interrupted by a cataclysmic rumbling in the distance - monstrous glowing-red vines sprout high above the rooftops of Skiple, dropping their explosive fruit and laying waste to the town below. Jacob attempts to stop the destruction by dispelling Mundrin's magic and taking the amulet from him but the druid's power is too great for him - however, he is successful in drawing Mundrin’s attention away from his destructive ritual. Mundrin unleashes his vine constructs to dispatch his attacker who in turn teleports out of reach atop another section of the elder tree. The vine constructs shamble up the side of the tree towards Jacob, lashing out at him, until Olati expertly casts a Shatter spell to shake them all apart. Lurking in the shadows, Zocra unleashes a seemingly deadly volley into Mundrin's back. Juan and Jacob approach the downed druid who then desperately uses his last bit of strength to grasp the amulet and draw a large quantity of nature energy into his body. Blinding light emanates from him and envelopes the mountain top, slowly dissipating to reveal Mundrin has transformed into a colossal beast with bark for skin, wings made of thick leaves, entangled in writhing vines, and wielding a thick wooden lance. Jacob sets fire to a portion of the elder tree - hoping to disrupt Mundrin's power - and while he is able to burn away some of the newly summoned thorns, the flame is too small to destroy the age-worn tree in its entirety. The rest of the party focus their attack on Mundrin and their assault is enough to pressure him into retreating - surrounding himself with his wings, which harden into a seed-like cocoon and summoning towering, writhing vines to burst from the ground in his defense while he recovers...Session 15: Day 34-38
2/3/2022 - 2/7/2022 The party wrestle with the vines and take them down one by one while Mundrin's bark-cocoon faintly glows green. Juan smashed it with his hammer, creating a crack large enough for Zocra to thread with his arrows. Mundrin bursts from the pod and resumes his assault. Juan brings his fiery hammer down only to have the element turned against him like Leena did before. He calls upon the power of his Minotaur ancestors to assist in the fight, lifting his weapon aloft and breaking the magical barrier keeping them locked in the tomb below. The spirits swarm Mundrin and cause him to loose focus and he tries to take flight to fleeEnraged, he hurls his wooden spear - now charged with Juan's elemental fire - at the Dark Elf but the spirits protect him from the majority of the impact. Mundrin tries to make his way back to the elder tree, his bark skin torn and broken from all the attacks, when he turns to meet Zocra's gaze. The ranger has drawn an arrow and infused it with the elemental fire siphoned from the thrown spear and looses it directly into Mundrin's one good eye, burning away the rest of Mundrin's transformation leaving only his normal, bloodied form. Jacob quickly snatches the amulet from the defeated druid who has no more strength. With his final breath he scolds the party that they have doomed the Minotaur to their inevitable fate but the heroes are steadfast in their belief that mass-murder is not the path to salvation and they will find another way. Mundrin drops his head and his body slowly dematerializes into a glowing green dust that floats away before disappearing, leaving behind only his material possessions and pack. The spirits of Mundrin's parents thank the party for stopping their misguided son before they turn to dust much like Mundrin - with their purpose as ancestral spirits guiding still living decedents fulfilled, their souls return to the Tangle. Juan plants Mundrin's Clovehood Blade of Grass at the base of the elder tree and Jacob picks up the staff - which is engraved with an inscription: "M.B. + T.C." - and looks through the pack - where he finds the other torn half of The Minotaur Who Loved Me also with an inscription: "To my love - L.B. " manacles and leaves with the rest of the group. The road back to Skiple is scored with black craters and the town itself is in complete ruin. Luckily it would seem that the majority of the townsfolk evacuated as there are only a few charred bodies among the rubble. However one in particular catches Jacob's attention, a stout figure wearing the recognizable neckless belonging to Lesbelle Flintbreaker. The brothel keep's fate is further confirmed during a call to Dalyla Hope, who was able to lead the people of Skiple to safety thanks to the party's warning but was unable to prevent Lesbelle from going to back to help stragglers. Collum McThom inserts himself into the call starts by thanking the party in his own off-putting way and follows with demands that they return to Danrest to help sort out the aftermath. Tired from the near-kingdom ending experience, the party briefly contemplate absconding to Danama City Beach for a much needed and much deserved vacation. Jacob is able to convince the group that they should first do the right thing and wrap up things with the Kingdom. Who knows, perhaps there will be a grand reward for the new saviors of the realm that could make a beach excursion that much more exciting...Continuing from Chapter 4: Tomb Thumpin'
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