Session 53: Calm the Statues and Find the Sisters
General Summary
Coming up out of the lava, they see hundreds of jade mantis-like creatures. A tense moment until Silas mimics the hand motion of creating a crescent or a rainbow in midair. As he does, along with the others, they drop their weapons and treat the group with relative disinterest.
Looking out across the room, lava is noticeably dripping into a cistern and all around them the creatures behave like ants, with a few on guard.
Trying to decide on their next steps, Sense offers to assist but points out there is a clicking component as well. Still uncertain, they spot a larger creature smashing the lava chunks open looking for fish and something else inside.
Offa tracks a group invisibly and watches as they head down the angled path in a triangle and then come back up. Meanwhile, Sikander decides to investigate one of the rock fish. Picking it up, he quickly finds it is still lava hot and ends up with it melded to his gauntlet, trapping his hand inside. Anya attempts healing and pulling his hand out, with minimal success. The mantis constructs seem to ignore the party until Offa returns and they attempt navigating down the hall. As Anya’s math skills struggle, Silas steps in to guide them, correcting their positions and using Hypnotic Pattern on the guards to get them by.
Within the chamber below, an excavation area is visible, with a jade Tori Gate and a large, ancient statue on the other side. As they approach the gate, Anya’s amulet glows as does the gate while her arm goes silver for the first time in a long while.
Selle approaches the cleansing bowl and does so and walks around the gate, while Anya, feeling odd about the path being perfect and untouched, chooses to walk through.
Walking through the gate, Anya is shocked nearly to death, only her intense connection to the goddess in that moment saving her. After a moment to collect herself and acknowledge the unwise choice, she approaches the lava rock bowl with the others.
Sille shares this statue is the moon goddess Sume Yomi, responsible for seasons, salvation, restoration, and cycles. While they investigate, the creature with the proboscis brings in a stone fish and pulls a quartz from it, placing it in the bowl. As nothing happens, it leaves, clearly frustrated. Anya, seeing this, takes out her own moonstone and places it in the bowl as an offering and watches as the statue begins to move and take on the appearance of a noble Japanese woman in deep sadness. She barely speaks, communicating there is a yin and yang to what is happening and that she wishes she’d had more time. Looking into the bowl, terror overtakes Anya as shadowy tar moves to envelope her arms and then the goddess.
As her vision fades, the statues before them cracks and crumbles, revealing a traditional ceremonial Yamato hammer made of jade, bearing the makers mark of the Gold Smith and a piece of fine silk cloth used to write a note from A’flora:
Sikander, I know you're following. Or is it that I am following you?
To go down, you must go up. Look on top of the lava pool
Something terrible has happened; see you in the darkness.
Quickly sharing this with Sikander and the others, they head around the gate and back up the slanted pathway. Returning to the open chamber, they look toward the ceiling and Offa finds “A-F-L-O-R-A” written in chalk near the lava shaft and through an illusory ceiling. Hoping to open it more, Silas Eldritch Blasts the spot once everyone is out of the lava splash zone.
In the ensuing chaos, the jade constructs become aggressive, prompting Anya to shift into a bronze dragon wyrmling trying to convince Sikander and Silas to get on. Selle, seeing an opportunity, casts Holy Weapon on Sikander’s hand, prompting the dwarf to dual wield the Holy Fishstick and Skybreaker at the creatures. Offa levitates out of reach and blasts the massive group, killing a third of them instantly.
In a desperate attempt to communicate, Clover manages to convey they mean the mantis creatures no harm. Anya, now with Silas and Tal in tow, takes off and up the shaft until she is hit by a lava drip. Silas gets to safety on the wall while Tal and Anya are hit and burned. Tal blinks straight up before he falls while Anya, losing her draconic form, catches herself with her Anchoring Rope.
Sikander and his attempts to communicate result in a form of laughter from the constructs as Silas continues his climb and Offa levitates up the shaft, aware it would be difficult to catch the falling blink dog himself.
Clover conjures a giant spider and has it lower itself to collect her and the others while keeping the mantis constructs at bay with Selle’s “Calm Emotions” spell helping.
Tal manages to blink to safety along the edge while the giant spider passes Anya. Unsure where it came from, she weakly asks it in Abyssal not to eat her.
Below, Sikander continues his performance, healing one to prove his intentions. Understanding his desire to be thrown, one of the creatures picks him up and attempts to toss him up the lava shaft, with Anya barely catching him with her Anchoring Rope by his pants.
Silas continues his climb, nimbly following Offa in sheer determination. The spider descends fully, allowing Clover and Selle to climb on, and then ascend again, slowly collecting Sikander, then Anya, and finally Tal to reconnect with Silas at the top.
Offa goes through the hatch and spots a figure at the end of the hall. He waves a moment before realizing the figure is sitting too still and eyes are too wide. The Yakuza is slumped and very dead. They all reach the top and climb out into the hall hearing low voices and Anya’s tattoo turning jet black.
Looking out across the room, lava is noticeably dripping into a cistern and all around them the creatures behave like ants, with a few on guard.
Trying to decide on their next steps, Sense offers to assist but points out there is a clicking component as well. Still uncertain, they spot a larger creature smashing the lava chunks open looking for fish and something else inside.
Offa tracks a group invisibly and watches as they head down the angled path in a triangle and then come back up. Meanwhile, Sikander decides to investigate one of the rock fish. Picking it up, he quickly finds it is still lava hot and ends up with it melded to his gauntlet, trapping his hand inside. Anya attempts healing and pulling his hand out, with minimal success. The mantis constructs seem to ignore the party until Offa returns and they attempt navigating down the hall. As Anya’s math skills struggle, Silas steps in to guide them, correcting their positions and using Hypnotic Pattern on the guards to get them by.
Within the chamber below, an excavation area is visible, with a jade Tori Gate and a large, ancient statue on the other side. As they approach the gate, Anya’s amulet glows as does the gate while her arm goes silver for the first time in a long while.
Selle approaches the cleansing bowl and does so and walks around the gate, while Anya, feeling odd about the path being perfect and untouched, chooses to walk through.
Walking through the gate, Anya is shocked nearly to death, only her intense connection to the goddess in that moment saving her. After a moment to collect herself and acknowledge the unwise choice, she approaches the lava rock bowl with the others.
Sille shares this statue is the moon goddess Sume Yomi, responsible for seasons, salvation, restoration, and cycles. While they investigate, the creature with the proboscis brings in a stone fish and pulls a quartz from it, placing it in the bowl. As nothing happens, it leaves, clearly frustrated. Anya, seeing this, takes out her own moonstone and places it in the bowl as an offering and watches as the statue begins to move and take on the appearance of a noble Japanese woman in deep sadness. She barely speaks, communicating there is a yin and yang to what is happening and that she wishes she’d had more time. Looking into the bowl, terror overtakes Anya as shadowy tar moves to envelope her arms and then the goddess.
As her vision fades, the statues before them cracks and crumbles, revealing a traditional ceremonial Yamato hammer made of jade, bearing the makers mark of the Gold Smith and a piece of fine silk cloth used to write a note from A’flora:
Sikander, I know you're following. Or is it that I am following you?
To go down, you must go up. Look on top of the lava pool
Something terrible has happened; see you in the darkness.
Quickly sharing this with Sikander and the others, they head around the gate and back up the slanted pathway. Returning to the open chamber, they look toward the ceiling and Offa finds “A-F-L-O-R-A” written in chalk near the lava shaft and through an illusory ceiling. Hoping to open it more, Silas Eldritch Blasts the spot once everyone is out of the lava splash zone.
In the ensuing chaos, the jade constructs become aggressive, prompting Anya to shift into a bronze dragon wyrmling trying to convince Sikander and Silas to get on. Selle, seeing an opportunity, casts Holy Weapon on Sikander’s hand, prompting the dwarf to dual wield the Holy Fishstick and Skybreaker at the creatures. Offa levitates out of reach and blasts the massive group, killing a third of them instantly.
In a desperate attempt to communicate, Clover manages to convey they mean the mantis creatures no harm. Anya, now with Silas and Tal in tow, takes off and up the shaft until she is hit by a lava drip. Silas gets to safety on the wall while Tal and Anya are hit and burned. Tal blinks straight up before he falls while Anya, losing her draconic form, catches herself with her Anchoring Rope.
Sikander and his attempts to communicate result in a form of laughter from the constructs as Silas continues his climb and Offa levitates up the shaft, aware it would be difficult to catch the falling blink dog himself.
Clover conjures a giant spider and has it lower itself to collect her and the others while keeping the mantis constructs at bay with Selle’s “Calm Emotions” spell helping.
Tal manages to blink to safety along the edge while the giant spider passes Anya. Unsure where it came from, she weakly asks it in Abyssal not to eat her.
Below, Sikander continues his performance, healing one to prove his intentions. Understanding his desire to be thrown, one of the creatures picks him up and attempts to toss him up the lava shaft, with Anya barely catching him with her Anchoring Rope by his pants.
Silas continues his climb, nimbly following Offa in sheer determination. The spider descends fully, allowing Clover and Selle to climb on, and then ascend again, slowly collecting Sikander, then Anya, and finally Tal to reconnect with Silas at the top.
Offa goes through the hatch and spots a figure at the end of the hall. He waves a moment before realizing the figure is sitting too still and eyes are too wide. The Yakuza is slumped and very dead. They all reach the top and climb out into the hall hearing low voices and Anya’s tattoo turning jet black.
Report Date
22 Sep 2024
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