Session 7: The Old Man and the Tree Report

General Summary

The shadow entity proved a difficult fight, using darkness to stay hidden from sight. Luckily, Erky managed to protect Norg from the worst while Cora and Pock started illuminating the dark areas to force the Shadow reveal itself. This made battling it easier and the creature could be taken down soon after. Now there was finally time to finish investigating the dragon statue and the pressure plate in front of it. After trying different solutions for triggering whatever effect the strange plate was meant for, Shava and Norg finally succeeded with the help of Erky, increasing their charismatic power in the process. After such dangerous encounters, the party decided it was time for another well-deserved night of rest in the cozy goblin dormitory.

2 Flamerule, 1393 DR (Day 3)

In the morning, the group headed back to where their exploration was cut short – to the dragon statue temple and the library next to it. Before that, the heroes had to satisfy more of their curiosity and investigate the rooms they passed earlier while being led to the Outcast by their bugbear guide. All of these rooms were setup as greenhouses, with various plants in different states of decay being taken care of by goblins, skeletons and the occasional Fire Snake. Shava also acquired a brand new shovel in perfect condition as loot. After passing the corpse marking the bloody encounter with the bugbear, a narrow tunnel lead to two doors. One of them was locked, while the other led to a group of angry goblins who didn’t want to hear anything about strangers. They refused entry for the brave heroes even after Shava demonstrated her newly-improved persuasion skills. Luckily for the heroes, and unluckily for the goblins, Thorbjörn led the way with a different, more aggressive style of persuasion, which provided a bloody resolution for clearing the path. The room’s collapsed wall led to a wide and high natural cavern, eerily dark and silent, populated with blackened and leafless trees quietly standing in the cold emptiness. Carefully heading on, the group was attacked by twig blights, the same tree-like monsters that the party had their very first encounter with. By now, these did not provide much of a challenge. However, after some distance, the cavern opened wider. Between high and ancient, long-crumbled walls stood a tree, magnificent in size, but creepy in appearance, with nothing but dark, quiet branches giving shape to its scary presence. In front of the tree, a group of three humans was standing. One of them, apparently called Belak the Outcast, started conversing with the party, curious about their motivations, while answering questions as well. The other two, a girl and a young man were silent, with white emptiness filling their glazed eyes and bark-like patterns covering their skins. They were Sharwyn and sir Braford, two of the adventurers who ventured into the Sunless Citadel a month ago and were never seen again. The girl was wearing a familiar symbol - the Hucrele crest on her robe.

After a few words were exchanged, it became clear that the Outcast was not willing to let the party leave safely. The fight started, with Sharwyn and sir Braford also protecting Belak. In addition, a giant toad joined the fray jumping down from between the branches of the great tree, its sole interest being devouring Belak’s enemies. Norg's and Cora’s Wild Magic Surges brought some rarely seen chaos and confusion to the battlefield. This meant everyone besides Norg suffered a necrotic hit and the toad was kept busy by Cora’s body doubles created by her wild magic. The Outcast didn’t stand much of a chance and he fell soon, with the tree following him after being bombarded with fire magic. Sharwyn and sir Braford were knocked out for their possible safe return to Oakhurst(after being thoroughly looted of course). The heroes took the key to Belak’s private quarters from his remains, and dragging the two lethargic and tied up local ex-adventurers behind them, hurried to see what it would unlock...

Campaign

Tales from the Yawning Portal

Protagonists