Harmony Session 7: Swamp of Secrets
General Summary
We last left our heroes in the clutches of viney danger on the doorstep of an ancient-old Varduran ruin sunk in Swango Swamp. Though many a 12 was rolled, our heroes managed to prevail over these inhospitable hosts and stop Malachai from opening doors to the dungeon prematurely. In the immediate aftermath, our heroes noticed that a strange bulbous fruit grew around the entrance to this ruin: the fabled swango. After some close examination, it was apparent that harvesting these fuckers wasn't going to be easy, but Enoch was able to figure it out. Resolving to harvest more on their way out (Does Shogo vu Chullat get one?), the brave explorers collected themselves and entered the sunken ruin.
Home Invasion
It was immediately evident that the disgusting sema that had harrowingly hassled our heroes called this ruin home. Half-rotten flesh vines grew in and all over the walls and reeked like a centuries-old legacy of corruption. After Malachai recovered a sample of mucky water from what appeared to be an old guard room (no further investigation needed, no sir) and Enoch discovered a room turned into the lair of something not great (let's just close that door right there now), Zoran busted down a half-broken door and awoke some sleeping sema! The stinky creatures leapt from their incubation-pods-turned-bedrooms and attacked. The party dispatched these creatures quickly, but Malachai's very loud use of his Blacksilt Defender had echoed throughout the dungeon and received an inhuman scream in return.Where There's Goo...
After a short rest in which our heroes did not get attacked, they decided to go deEeEPerrRr into the dungeon via a spiral staircase in the next room. At the bottom, they found a large cavernous room lit by a sickly green light. The glow came from a cauldron of bubbling goo in the center of this chamber. The big pot (and the entire ruin it seemed) was suspended over a dark abyss. Our heroes watched as a really gross looking creature approached the cauldron and dumped in the undead corpse of some humanoid. The corpse disappeared under the surface, the displacement spilling some goo into the abyss below. Just moments later, they watched a sema crawl from the goo, newly born. Apparently, our heroes had stumbled upon some sort of sema birthing chamber. Fun. After being shamefully unstealthy, the sema-making creature attacked our heroes, but was quickly rebuffed by a very frightening Pilgrim. The semaphore attempted to flee into the darkness of the back of the chamber, but was quickly run down with prejudice. A closer look at the cauldron revealed that it was being filled by a dozen fleshy tubes that squirmed away into the darkness. The source of the sema-making goo was somewhere in that darkness and would need attending to. A ghostly fluting drifted from the void in a discordant mockery of the Singing Bay. Beaten and battered, our heroes contemplated bravely leaving the dungeon to return only after getting a good night's sleep, but realized the DM was never going to let that happen. So, they steeled themselves against the darkness and marched forward.... There's A Goo Boss
The second half of the room was dominated by another circular platform suspended above the pit, but instead of a cauldron of goo, a pulsating tower of vegetational flesh dominated the center. Tendrils grew across the floor and to the cauldron, but also up the walls and to the ceiling. Our heroes watched as, stunned by the haunting flute melodies, a humanoid figure separated itself from the mass and drew itself up to a staggering height. Two other figures separated from the mass: the newborn sema and a many-headed naked bone flute playing baby, which was also the source of the haunting music. Malachai shakily raised his pistol, took aim at the abomination, and pulled the trigger. He missed, but that was all the inspiration the greater semaphore needed to attack. The battle brutally tested our heroes. Pilgrim nearly fell into the underground river below and the haunting pipes sent fear cascading throughout our heroes. The fate of our noble party now hangs in the balance, caught between the rushing void of obliteration and the terror of Vardura's buried secrets.Rewards Granted
- The rubbery, water-proof skin of a swango
- Swango pit
- Vial of mucky water
Created Content
- To discover the potential uses for swangoes, both Gorr and Azarki tried the raw fruit and became blinded and poisoned, respectively. Though not a positive effect, these properties can be cultivated in the plant.
Notes
- Three rooms remain unexplored in the ruin: the vine lair, the spiderweb tunnel, and the open room south of the staircase. I'm sure the team of scholars that will investigate this place further can deal with whatever is in there just fine.
