Harmony Session 13: Cardiovascular Telmotology
General Summary
We last left our heroes facing imminent destruction as they stared down the final trap of Lord Vine's hidden grove: two shambling mounds and a vine drake! The drake had already downed the good Enoch and was looking to continue its rampage. Thankfully, Zoran finally shook himself free from his intent "listening" and sprung to the defense of his beleaguered friends. Unfortunately though, no victory would come from battle with these perpetually-growing protectors. No, their salvation lay in a pair of very tiny hands...
Swango Seed Vault
Below the combat, Gorr found himself in a hidden pocket of the Ancient-Old Swango Swamp staring at an infant swampkin of white flowers. Gorr reached a hand out towards the cooing babe and picked it up from the root-grown bassinet. The vines immediately weaved themsleves among Gorr's viney countenance and brought revelation. Instantly, Gorr knew that, if he were to save Swango Swamp, he would need to bring the Seedling Queen to Heart of the Swamp, and fast. Gorr immediately bogwalked to the surface to rejoin the fight.By Her Royal Command
The bloody battle upstairs was going quite well, as our heroes successfully downed the vine drake. Zoran turned his anti-monster intention towards the shambling mounds but their fortunes turned when the hacked up vegetation that used to be the drake began to reassemble itself right in front of their eyes. Gorr then stepped forward and held up the Seedling Queen, loosing her magic upon the creatures. White-flowered vines exploded from the ground to wrap themselves around the regrown drake and shambling mounds. The vines pacified the plant creatures and began disassembling their bodies. The final trap of the hidden grove had been undone, and the path out was open. The traps that initially blocked our heroes from the grove now undid themselves before them: giant lilypad-like white flowers made a walkable path across the sinking swamp muck, the bulbous violets shrank back, and the briar patch withered before them. Our heroes then discussed plans on what to do next; namely, get back to the Heart as fast as they could. As soon as the adventurers returned to Swango Swamp proper, Lady Blight finally found them again. She was visibly relieved that they were not dead and explained that she had been trying to find them but suddenly lost their trail. She then spotted the Seedling Queen cradled in Gorr's arms and became very upset. They had defied her will and had become a threat. She explained that if they did this thing, Lord Vine would never be the same again. She couldn't bear to lose the only person that ever cared for her, and least of all to outsiders. Lady Blight made ready to defend herself, her friend, and her home. Azarki stepped forward to make a final plea to Lady Blight. The Cleric of Exigency did his best to appeal to this survivalist's sense of practicality and compassion, insisting that her friend was already gone and that if they didn't do this thing, he might be lost forever. The heartbroken orphan was moved to tears by the shieldbearer's speech and she acquiesced, seeing the truth of the matter. The only way to save any semblance of her friend would be to rebirth him anew with the help of the Seedling Queen.The Heart of the Matter
Inspired by a newfound purpose, Lady Blight eagerly led the adventurers towards the Heart as fast as she could. The urgency of the Heart's plight was actually more severe than our heroes' originally thought. Lady Blight explained that she had left them at the flail snail lair to investigate another sema nest. This too had been destroyed mysteriously, but many sema had survived. They were now advancing on the Heart in a last-ditch attempt to finish what they started and win the decades-long war. For four days she led the explorers along the hidden currents of the swamp toward the center, all while avoiding any time-sucking dangers. She did get lost at a few points where the current had been "broken" due to corruption, but still made it just in time. The Heart was already under attack by a cadre of emaciated sema and our heroes eagerly joined the fray. The fight was brutal, but soon became very one-sided as the great Lord Vine himself showed up with a bunch of plant-monster reinforcements. It seemed that convincing Lady Blight to help them instead of resolving things more bloodily ended up paying off even more in the end. The fight was really over when Gorr brought the Seedling Queen to the center of the Heart's grove and dropped her into its diseased folds.Swangorr's Heirarchy of Needs
Gorr was instantly transported one last time into a vision of the past, but this time with a guide. The Seedling Queen stood before him in all her majesty, resplendent with a cape of moss that folded into the ground and a crown of white branches. She explained to Gorr the full truth of how Swango Swamp came to be this way, and that her and Lord Vine's manifestations were built of the same ancient-old Varduran corruption that the sema were. She thanked Gorr and his companions for their help in rescuing her and defeating the sema, and sent him back to the fight. But as Gorr separated from the Queen and the Heart, he felt an... opportunity. Something deep and instinctual flared up within him and he recognized that, within this current bonded trinity, he was the strongest. And the strongest didn't just survive, but propagated. Gorr could push his will into the Heart, infuse his being with Swango Swamp, and expand his existence across the region. He could kill the Heart as it stood and replace it, bond with the Seedling Queen and take Lord Vine's seat. All he had to do was choose it. The power was intoxicating. In the end though, Gorr chose to let the Queen go and allowed Swango Swamp to heal itself on its own terms. Why Gorr chose this is anyone's guess. Perhaps he feared losing his hard-earned and short-lived individuality. Maybe he found the idea of tying himself to the region, and Vardura, unappealing. Perchance Gorr did not think of himself at all and instead thought of those who might be wounded by the now-preventable death of Lord Vine, lost as he may be. Only Gorr truly knows. Either way, the swampkin let the opportunity to proliferate slip away like seeds in a stream. When Gorr returned to the battle, vines of white flowers had already begun spreading out from the Heart and entwining the vicious sema. The vines choked the wicked life out of the creatures and destroyed their remains completely. When they touched the wounded Lord Vine, he reeled backward and fled into the Swamp. Lady Blight called after him, but to no avail. Whatever was going to happen to him with the return of the Seedling Queen would be a long and likely painful process. Still, Swango Swamp knows nothing if not how to adapt. With that, our heroes took comfort and safety within the shaded light of the healing Heart and found themselves emboldened to face the trials ahead.Rewards Granted
- 4th Level!
- The trust of Swango Swamp
Missions/Quests Completed
- Find a cure for the Heart of the Swamp
Created Content
- Although Enoch was nearly killed by the poisonous Vine Drake, the Seedling Queen was able to heal him fully. Except for the shitty pants, of course. Those are trashed.
- Malachai made the Seedling Queen a corn husk doll to comfort her when she got upset during their travels across Swango Swamp
Report Date
17 Oct 2024
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