Harmony Session 6: Swango Tango

General Summary

When we last met our heroes, they were knee-deep in sema, the twisted abominations that inhabited Swango Swamp. Just as things were looking a bit grim, a great crashing of swamp brush heralded the arrival of the left-behind Zoran. The goliath, now twice as large with glowing runes carved into his pecs, came to his friends' aid in a flurry of violence.
Zoran's arrival brought the fight with the sema quickly to a close. Their corpses decomposed rapidly, highlighting the rotten stench of their black blood and grey flesh. Our heroes' wounds demanded a short rest before once again slogging through the swamp. While sitting, they found that the thick swamp gas that fogged the entire region left behind a thin gross film of sludge on any stationary surface, including their skin. Hopefully Gorr and Malachai can study the samples of this strange swamp sludge when they return to camp.

Ghost of Perdition

After a brief respite and discussion about how to proceed, our heroes decided on the most direct route to the Exodus: straight across Swango Swamp. It was slow going through the dank muck, but nothing stopped the adventurers until they came upon the sounds of weeping.
Azarki, ever eager to lend a hand to those in need, exigently strode forward into the thickening murk towards the distressed cry. His companions had no real choice but to follow. Soon, they came upon a small grime-covered humanoid huddled next to a dead tree and weeping into his hands. When they approached, the figure looked up long enough for our heroes to identify him as an adult halfling with a bowl cut and laborer's coveralls. The halfling quickly returned to his bawling while our heroes stared in cautious curiosity.
For whatever reason, Zoran felt the urge to play his flute. When he began, the crying immediately stopped and the halfling looked up in awe and croaked, "I've not heard Her voice in so long! The abominations took the Voice away!" He was hypnotized by the music, providing our heroes time to consider their next steps. It was here that Dr. Malachai Husk identified the halfling as a member of the First Expedition and Pilgrim saw that he was, in fact, undead. This was concerning for our heroes who feared upsetting the restless spirit, but Azarki had something else in mind...
Like a good cleric of exigency, Azarki implored his companions to help put this spirit to rest. Gorr thaumaturgied up some holy symbols of rest and peace, Pilgrim commanded the shade to Rest, Zoran pulled on his people's forgotten culture and gave the shade a weapon so he would not go into the beyond unarmed, Malachai tossed some of his kernelly lifeblood at the shade, and Enoch helped maintain the vibe with an old music box he kept on his person. Azarki managed to cobble these disparate elements together into a respectable ritual and he found himself connecting with elements of his faith in a new and surprising way.
Thankfully, the rite seemed to work. The spirit became energized as the ritual progressed and his eyes filled with swirling clouds. The green glow of the swampgas seemed to instensify around the shade as Zoran's flute playing reached an exciting climax. The shade screamed out, "YES! I CAN HEAR HER! I AM ETERNAL!" before exploding in a flash of light and disappating from this plane.
When their vision returned, our heroes found the extra-thick swamp fog receded and the spirit gone. A faint echo of music was all that lingered in the thick air, and only then for a moment. This place was cleansed.

Long, Sticky Nights

The next few days through Swango Swamp were uneventful. Our heroes combatted the sticking sludge fog that unpleasantly clung to their skin (except for Gorr who really did not understand what the big deal was). On the fourth day, they finally came across what looked like half-buried ruins in the swamp. It was obvious that this strange stonework was hundreds of years old and likely built by Vardurans. Figuring the Exodus could likely wait a few more days, our adventurers decided to plumb the depths of this ruin and see what they could find.
The entrance to the ruins was stuck on the other side of a 20-foot pit filled with vines. Zoran climbed down without issue, but Pilgrim nearly slipped and fell the whole way down. Thankfully, something grabbed his wrist and kept him aloft. Unfortunately, that thing was a living vine that had been lying in wait for just such a snack.
The swamp sprang to life all around the party, vines lashing out and grabbing any ankle they could. The commotion disturbed whatever lay in wait inside the ruin, as a familiar reek preceded the arrival of two grey-skinned sema from the interior of the dark ruin. They sprang to attack our heroes in what would be a terrifying preview of the dangers they would soon face beneath the surface of the swamp.

Rewards Granted

• Swamp slime
• A ghost put to rest

Character(s) interacted with

• The ghost of a halfling builder from the First Expedition
• The Corvus, an agent of Panoptic Legion 

Created Content

• With the help of his friends, Azarki put together a first draft of what might become funeral rites in his religion.
• Zoran is now giving flute lessons to Shogo vu Chullat, but missed their first appointment when he disappeared from camp.
• Enoch agreed to build Zoran some water wings.
• Pilgrim told Azarki "what his deal was": the faithwrought adventurer was an acolyte of the Faraway Voice and here to claim an ancient secret that would legitamize the Messengers of the True Sovereign, one of the remaining factions of the shattered Alerki Ascendency. He's super into rebuilding the Ascendancy, but this time with peace, understanding, and a legitmacy so inarguable that all violence would be forgone. Oh and he apparently has a brother called Witness.

Notes

• Zoran was drawn away from camp once again by the enchanting Voice that often accompanied his flute playing. This time, the Voice didn't just put Zoran in a harmless daze, but pulled him from Echwink's Landing and deep into an unknown wood. When Zoran finally came to, the Voice was beckoning him further in, but instead of complying, Zoran issued a challenge to the Voice. A figure then coalesced from the shadows. This was The Corvus, a very important legionary of the Panoptic Legion and Zoran's champion when he made his bid to come to Vardura on behalf of the monster-slaying organization. Apparently, The Corvus had somehow co-opted this "Voice" to communicate with Zoran, drawing him out here. An experiment for sure, but her secrecy must be maintained. The Corvus then had Zoran report on his activities and reminded him of his job to kill monsters. With that, she sent him off into battle to rescue his compatriots. This act seemed to empower Zoran as two ancient-old runes of his people lit up on his chest and he grew to twice his already massive size.
• When music is played, a "Voice" can often be heard accompanying and harmonizing with the tune. The haunted halfling that was put to rest seemed to be really into it.

Report Date

27 Jun 2024

Primary Location

Vardura