Operation Parameters
| Date |
1493 DR, 3 Hammer
(19/01/2023)
|
| Soldiers |
Caelindriel, Halar, Sketch, Noir, Dickens |
| Status |
|
| Casualties |
None |
Objective
1. Kill the Lehigh baby monster near Pembroke.
2. Destroy any eggs
Observations
Traveled south from the southern Staging Grounds.
Darkness has receded many hundreds of feet south. The barrier of darkness has also turned somewhat crystalline. The darkness barrier also has a slight resistance when you try to pass through it. Using detect magic continues to show colors and auras looking odd. The blue mist we saw seems that is may consume anything it touches.
We did run into a Caer Callidyrr scout who was lost many months ago (during the solstice). He seemed fine. Later found out his name was Talon. We found another dead body that had a hole in its head near where we found Talon.
After much travel we made it close to the area and noticed that the woods are much thicker. The continues until we suddenly hit a clearing. The area appears pristine and untouched. There is now a castle garrison, that is unmanned. This castle appeared over where the hole in the ground was. The old magic circle appears gone. The house where the creature was previously hiding was still there. We entered and attempted to explore the castle. We did not find the hole, but we did manage to crack the ground and eventually turn it into a hole which we could enter the creatures lair.
Immediately as we started to explore, the creatures teleported Noir into its lair. While being pursued by the creature, Noir did stumble upon its eggs and saw that some were broken (possibly hatched) and others were unbroken. We did manage to meet up with Noir. The creature forced us to move. It also teleported itself and others many places. Eventually we did manage kill it. Upon killing it, all the terrain started to shift/collapse back into the lair. The structures and trees started to wither away and sink into the ground. We managed to get away. We then headed back to the staging ground.
Ran into a Kenku on the way back. Halar killed the Kenku. Caelindriel picked-up its money. It appears that the money is also cursed. We knew the skills it had were cursed and dangerous, and now the money has been confirmed to be cursed. Caelindriel reports now hearing the Kenku in his head requesting secrets.
We had no issues as a group upon making it back to the staging grounds and back to the fort. Caelindriel reported no longer hearing the Kenku upon returning back to the fort.
Follow up
Check to see if any eggs can be found. They must be destroyed.
Preparation Details
Discussed tactics and knowledge of these creatures through our two previous encounters, as well as share general knowledge of the area.
Operation Details
Jacob asks: What a genophoge is? (for no reason at all). Then Jacob give Noir the teleporter bracelet..
Heading to the southern outpost.
It's a cold day and seems to still be getting colder and colder each day
A bit of accumulated snowfall -- new drifts since the last time.Start to see the trail of these pitons proving the darkness has receded a lot since we placed these pitons (700 to 1000 feet) Noticed there is faint light blue mist, which seems to almost eat the light. We had to lean into it to get through the barrier.
In the darkness: not as cold here (or we don't feel it as much) and those without dark vision are blind. Faint blue mist on this side as well, about 10 feet in or so.
With detect magic:
1. Allies are magical; but their auras are different.... mismatched
2. The mist itself is odd... consumes anything there.
3. Opaque black fog with detect magic up
4. Even the healing potion aura looks wrong... not a healing potion...
Walk for another two to three hours...
in time we could catch the remnants of what was once a road
runs between Pembroke and other areas near
about 1 hour away from our target, but then most of us have this feeling...
just about all of us... strong feeling that we're getting closer to our destination
just around the corner
A "Y" we know one way goes to Pembroke, and the other leads to the cottage. Unmistakable shake of armor just nearby; just as the path splits, buried under the snow is the glint of some type of armor. Noir clears it off at a distance which reveals a Caer Callidyrr scout on belly with their head down. He didn't seem to move, but there was clear trail of footprints leads to the body which seemed hurried toward the village and looks like someone runs through the snow.
The trail in front of us came off the road; similar to where we were coming from...
walk around in this area in a circle.... lingers for a period... breaks and then directly in the direction ... ending where this corpse lay
Divine sense:
nothing from this corpse.... nothing in the area
no wounds on this body... slight tremor in the body... someone holding their breath
he was faking death... flaying trying to stand as Dickens flips him over
panic in his eyes; he takes a step back... watch as he makes eye contact with all of us
last remembers being on patrol... but that's all
it was him, McGibbits, and ... can't remember the other. private and a sergeant
his head hurts, he was just south of outpost and they noticed darkness was being weird and were just checking it out
he's wearing the right stuff; wearing the right stuff; right accent; doesn't look unfamiliar
Dickens wants to shake their hand
head down... but he was able to see us
Private Tallad
nothing magical on him
was a refugee.... from bounty... lucky to make it out alive
did his bid at the moonwell; patrolling just south of Swanmay
-> He was frightened... hear noise... panicked and hid in the snow
- earth mother be praised it was you all
- patrolling... he thinks...
- then he was here... I think...
Noir is unsure of this guy...
he is able to sense people even when he's hidden? That sounds similar to Pembroke people....
why did he hide from us?
wanted to shake Dickens hand
Go down the path... 100 or 200 feet down the road
- corpse... not as buried as the first dude... but this one is very different
- muscles frozen... right in the forehead... 3/4 inch hole in it's head... bleed from the ears (frozen)
- sharp object pressed in and opened up as it was inside
- don't see any tracks around this one
- looks similar to Caer Callidyrr.
The terrain seems different than before... than the last time that Caelindriel was here
denser than they should be
We walk for longer than expected; almost need to walk the grid to find what we are looking
90 minutes or so minutes late
only a foot or two between trees now
Then it would break, and we could see an odd scattering
- torch lights in the trees... a faint twinkle
- a few more steps in...
- see the area alight with torches
- statue of some kind
- toward the east... blink... see the edge of a garrison or fortress of some kind...
One structure (the cabin) was there before
- but that large fort wasn't there before
- there was a magic circle in the center that is now gone
These large posts are place really closed together... almost like one big piece: all these paths looks untouched; rocks placed perfectly; each lantern sits perfectly. We walk around the back of the fort... large watchtower. We get closer to stone, the mortar and stone seems to almost be the same material and it's just off. We make our way all the way around to the bottom of the fort... (south of it) Some of us (not Noir or Caelindriel) hear the voice of Pembroke through the trees. We get an urge to leave... but the feeling would pass. The hole Caelindriel knows of that goes down... is north... inside the new fort. Noir climbs the wall... and suddenly he disappears.
Massive roar... as the snow would shake
Noir would do his best to avoid this thing.
There is a cavern... with a underground river that is rushing north-west to south-east
The others would find an area with cracks in the ground
they break through the ground
float down... and some fall in...
Sketch is separated from the group
Caelindriel gets teleported away...
Noir chases after him; makes itself invisible; teleports creatures to itself; can teleports itself; Noir ends up having to shadow step away several times to stay alive. In the end we barely kill this thing... with one final deafening scream. When we finally kill this thing, the whole area seems to turn to a soft clay... the ceiling collapsing upon on
we did see other eggs down there, but as it collapsed we couldn't get to them...
In the middle of the road: Short Kenku : 3 foot 5inches; making its way toward us (90 feet ahead of us). We move to hide. Creature would make it way forward. It calls out "friend", "I know you here." Dressed similarly to the ones some of us have seen before. There is something under his cloak: keeps calling "have message". It chirps at his skull; eyes a glow then it sits down in the middle of the road and says "I wait"
Halar charges at it: says "hello friend" as he runs forward and Halar attacks it twice
Halar cleaves it in half. There is nothing left except... a pile of ash.. the skull.. a dagger in a sheath, and some coin
"Apparently he is the reason we're hiding in another dimension"
- they brought a skull into camp
- also some of them said the skulls do explode
Caelindriel would pick up the coins that it dropped, despite warnings from the others.
Make our way back to the darkness.
see that crystalline area near the edges of the darkness
make our way outside of the darkness.
there is a star... a single red star burning quite brightly - just over the moon.
