Campaign 2: Session 12 - To Infinity and Barbara
Rewards Granted
Tedduch Stoutman
- Participation: 100XP
- Activities: 40XP
- Killing Blow: 90XP
- Enemies: 700XP
- Damage: 80XP
- Peril: 100XP
- Research: 20XP
- MVP: 100XP
- Total: 1230XP
- Participation: 100XP
- Activities: 60XP
- Killing Blow: 30XP
- Enemies: 700XP
- Damage: 66XP
- Peril: 100XP
- Total: 1052XP
- Damage: 6XP
- Peril: 100XP
- Total: 106XP
Missions/Quests Completed
7th Spriarjeń 269 5E
With Audrey Wepple unconscious and the rest of the survivors from their altercation wounded, Tedduch Stoutman, Anpu Winkybits and Zi steer and row their boat back along the river. They take a wrong turn and retreat back into an open clearing where light shines through the tree-line. They take some time to enjoy their view, but do not stay for long, realising that they had taken a wrong turn, they turn and sail back the way they came.
The going is slow and they are repeatedly turned and driven into the reeds. Anpu proves an effective guide however and they do eventually make their way back the way they came. They loop around to follow the stream that their companions had taken. Before long they track down one of their boats split and submerged in the bog.
They find the site of a skirmish, with two Wodnik corpses face down in the dirt, with signs of the escaped Giant Aurora, and the corpse of Tedduch's friend Andraz face down in the murky waters. Tedduch spots signs of Aurora's footprints leading away from the scene and they agree to move along as quietly as possible.
They stop in order to dress Audrey's wounds, and find wear the skin of her upper torso has been peeled away and fear that infection would quickly set in if they did not find a healer quickly.
In spite of their efforts, they depart noisily and with difficulty, with their oars jamming in the boat's wreck, their boat moving discordantly across the stream. Eventually they make their way into a grotto with an open patch of mounds, a rickety rotten bridge crossing over a sunken path, with a canopy of green branches that conceal it like a dome.
Through the stream, Tedduch and Zi dart to the side as a rock falls from the tree, it misses them both but pierces the hull of the boat. They move to get away but move slowly due to the water filling the boat. As they move, two Wodnik drop from the tree and land in the water. They climb up onto the boat and one drags Anpu down into the depths whilst another tries to do the same to Tedduch, however Tedduch manages to push them away from him.
Zi flies from the boat and grows in size before skewering the Wodnik grappling Anpu with her blade, and dropping a rock to press them down into the mud at the bottom of the stream. Tedduch manages to fight his way free of the Wodnik he is facing and is able to fell it with his javelins, piercing its head and pressing it upright against the rudder.
Two more Wodnik emerge from either side of the stream and move toward the boat. One grabs Audrey and pulls her from the boat whilst a second climbs aboard the boat to attack Tedduch. Anpu climbs from the water up the side of the boat and distracts the one aboard the boat with a magical blast before being knocked again from the boat as Tedduch is pushed backwards by the creature and strands of flesh are peeled from his chest. In the moment that the creature is distracted by Anpu, Tedduch advances and fights with the creature, throwing two javelins into its chest with both of them piercing the same spot and tearing open a huge wound in the creature's abdomen, allowing their guts to spill from their injury.
Zi flies over the boat and rushes to save Audrey, slicing the Wodnik with their blade and then launching a rock to knock it down into the bottom of the stream whilst Audrey escapes. The creature turns to flee but as it swims away, Audrey swipes down her blade and takes both of her hands. The creature wades in the water and continues to flee but eventually bleeds out and dies.
Three more Wodnik rush from the treeline to attack the boat but a spray of acid cascades over the stream and dissolves the creature's flesh above the waist. The creature's fall lifelessly to the ground and the group look back to see an elderly hunch-backed old lady hobbling down the hill towards them.
She irritably tells them that they are welcome and they reward her by offering her a fish pie which she gratefully accepts. As she scoffs the food down she asks who made it and they explain that their friend Audrey made it and they ask that the old woman help them save her from her injuries. She agrees and wades through the water, picking up the Gnome by the scruff of the neck like a dead rabbit and walking back into the marsh.
The group follow the old woman and she crosses the bridge before hauling a huge human-shaped sack over her shoulder. She tells them that her name is Barbara, and that she has been hunting the Wodnik to make glue from the adhesive in their fingers. She takes them towards an old and ramshackle hut set absently in the depths of the marsh.
Barbara hooks the corpse of the Wodnik next to a rack of four other dead Wodnik, all with their hands chopped off. The old woman makes her way inside as the others follow her, and she clears space on the table to put Audrey down in place. Whilst she does this, the old crone begins to tear sheets of flesh from her duvet to graft the flesh of Audrey. She then grabs a sewing kit and begins to replace the dead flesh whilst gently chanting in some kind of ritual.
Over the course of a few hours, she uses up the available flesh, but finds herself still wanting, and so uses the pelt of a bear to graft her shoulder. When the ritual is done and the new flesh has been fused with the old, Audrey is hoisted from the table and handed to Zi. She tells her to keep her elevated from the swamp floor and to let her rest the night.
As Barbara concludes her treatment, and begins putting her work away, Tedduch asks to read one of her books. She consents, but as he reaches for a book on top of her wardrobe, she rushes towards him, revealing a larger and more putrid true form. Tedduch retreats in fear, but Barbara simply insists that this was not a book he was allowed to take.
Tedduch offers to introduce her to his Giant Book, she is belittling and condescending of this at first, but once the book begins to talk to her she is taken aback. The two speak and the book introduces itself as Nanook.
The two speak of old times in the ancient days of Vilia, and impressed with Tedduch's offering she decides that she rather likes the Gnome and consents to let him read a page of her book. She offers a page of her choosing she believes might be of use to him, but also offers for him to choose a page at random, and keep the potential for either greater reward, or greater peril. Tedduch chooses the former, and as he sits down at the table, she opens the book before him.
Tedduch is suddenly rushed into a flurry of images, for a moment he sees the entirety of the Magical Nexus, the space between worlds, then he sees Vilia as an observer, then all of Upper Mastoria. As quickly as these images rush past him, the images change. He sees a Titan looming over a vast metropolis. He next sees a group of cultists in black garments marked with symbols similar to those of The Thirteenth Paragon burning a temple to the group. Then he sees a white palace. Finally, he sees a vast shadow consuming the land beyond the Great Wall of Eluatu.
Elsewhere, Zi takes Audrey outside and she and Anpu place her in a hammock not too far from Barbara's hut. They rest by her side and take turns to keep watch. They do not see any dangers in this time.
8th Spriarjeń 269 5E
Tedduch wakes up the next day at the table, overwhelmed and shaking with energy. He looks back to see Barbara asleep in her bed, spooning Tedduch's Giant Book. He makes his way outside and there finds Anpu, Zi and Audrey.
Audrey wakes up and admits that she feels strange, Anpu and Zi explain what happened and reveal to her how Barbara saved her and gave her skin grafts.
Teddy explains what happened to him and goes back inside to retrive his book.
Meanwhile, Audrey Wepple speaks with Zi and asks her why they didn't try to save her. Zi explains that they thought she could handle it and were trying to make their escape, Audrey says nothing but seems to be hurt by the revelation.
Report Date
09 Nov 2023
Primary Location
Secondary Location
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