Report: Hell Frozen Over

General Summary

At the beginning of the day the elves performed a ritual and three animal spirits each granted everyone a boon. Tiltup, the otter, Cerenos the Forest King, the stag, and Nago, the ancient boar granted us boons of speed, resilience, and luck.

We sailed up a river towards Horror with three druids helping us sail the boat. As we sailed through the icy area of its influence, we began being attacked by the army of imps and dretches that it was summoning. A ship with the Sacred Flames showed up to help us unexpectedly, led by Titania Waycrest. When we reached the shore we, the Hellhowlers, and the Sacred Flames fought a massive battle against all the demons to form a beachhead to land and continue towards the mountain that all the frost was emanating from.

After the battle on shore, we regrouped with the Hellhowlers and the Sacred Flames to decide our next actions - we would go to the peak of the mountain where it appeared the storm was emanating from to face Horror, and they would move together throughout the forest to clear out the lesser demons pouring out of the hellmouths.

On our way to the peak a group of undead elves and animals attacked us. A druid, ranger, treent, and bear. We underestimated them, and paid the price for it. The druid and treent kept us pinned down, while the ranger pelted us with arrows, guarded by the bear. We were eventually able to take them down, but not before taking a lot of damage. My arm was mangled by the onslaught of arrows, and still hasn’t healed. Elron died, and needed to be revivified by Vinny. When he did come back, his voice was much raspier than before - possibly from having to inhale so much of the treent’s poison.

As we reached the base of the mountain and began to ascend, Titania Waycrest rejoined us to help defeat Horror. When we reached the peak, Horror was there, performing the ritual that was making the storm that was blanketing this corner of the island in snow. As it noticed us, it stopped the ritual to focus on attacking us. It opened three flaming portals for its demonic minions to pour out of, and the storm began intensifying.

Patrick, Vinny, and I focused on the flaming portals and the demons spawning from them while Elron and Titania, our paladins, focused on smiting Horror. The portals were dispelled with two dispel magics, and a scroll of create water. As we dealt with the imps and dretches, they left behind totems that made the storm even worse.

Additionally, as the five of us attacked horror, it showed us five horrific visions to try to repel us. Afterwards, when we talked, we determined that some of those visions were things that some of us had seen.

We saw ourselves in Vinny’s shoes, forced by the cursed coin to hand something over to Halueth Telemon, before being backstabbed by him.

We saw Titania Wacrest’s mother pass away from sickness in front of her, leaving her with no one to raise her.

We saw my trial, from shortly before I fled to Gravesend, where weak evidence was used to convict me, and none of my watching friends or family rose to my defense.

We saw ourselves being marched through city streets to the gallows, while onlookers called out, “No respite for the wicked!”

Lastly, we saw Bastion fall. We saw enslaved Runidiri lighting pyres with our corpses. We saw 5 angels ordering them, watching with mirth and malice.

Through all this horror, we kept our composure enough to smite it back to hell. As it fell, it cried out for its sibling terror, that now that they have both fallen they can’t bring each other back again.

-Scribed by Monique
Adventuring Party: Monique, Elron, Vinny, Patrick
Date:

Report Date

19 Jul 2023