Session 12: Into the Shadows Report

General Summary

As the party orients itself to its new environment, they emerge from the cavern to a familiar yet completely altered landscape. While the hills and runoffs look the same, the trees and vegetation that surrounded the plane you left are much more sparse and dead. Even the rich soil of the swamp and forest from before entering the Temple of the Ancients seems dried and harsh. A very subtle light emanates from the haze above similar to a predawn fog which never gets lighter. All color seems to have been muted or sapped from every material and skin tone, and the party is weighed upon heavily by a depressive emotional draw from this strange land. Upon emerging from the cave, the party finds they are not alone - to their surprise a beaten and exhausted elven fighter wearing worn leather armor is seen nearby. Wary at first, he introduces himself as Brom, an elven fighter that was defending a town from a dark monster and when the monster attempted to flee he was teleported to the land of shadows and trapped here maybe 3-4 weeks ago - he is unsure exactly since time doesn't seem to match what he has been used to from the material plane. He has long since ran out of rations, and the ever present dangers that lurk in this land and pray upon those who let their guard down have prevented him from resting. He has had to defend himself from many dark creatures that have tried to kill him. Partially malnourished and suffering from exhaustion, the two paladins provide Lay on Hands to heal him to full strength, then offer a night of rest and recovery while they protect the camp. As the haze turns to darkness, the party takes turns at the night watch - experiencing the most uncommon darkness they have ever encountered. The absolute pitch black is unnerving, especially to those whose dark vision has always been a boon to them. Several times through the night eerie sounds are heard in the distance, and even some movement is heard approaching and investigating the cave entrance. The most intimidating experience was some wailing sounds that approached extremely close to the entrance, but passing by because of the stealthiness of Shade catching Tiathina just before she fell and gave away their position. The haze lightens to the thankfulness of everyone, and Brom seems partially recovered from his exhausted state. Deciding to set off in search of answers to the rumors of vampires in these lands, the party downward in the direction of what should be Cragbrook, if it exists in this mirror dimension. After an indeterminate amount of time of travel, the party hears the screams of someone nearby - seemingly childlike in nature. Moving to investigate, the party finds a young woman trying to hide in a brier of sorts from a large Bugbear creature that is attacking her. Wellys pulls out his longbow and engages with his Dread Stalker ability, firing off two successful shots into the Bugbear before it can react. It turns and howls, calling for its hidden brothers and sisters who emerge from their hidden positions and move towards the party. The party wages combat on these foes, quickly dispatching several before three surround and gang up on Ricfreid nearly bringing him down in a barrage of attacks. Strangely all attacks that include fire, moonbeams and even lightning seem to be greatly diminished in terms of brightness and color - even the brightest of these in the Dawn Realms seem just barely illuminating in this new land. The young maiden breaks from cover and retreats towards the party, hiding behind them as a form of protection and cover while the team quickly subdues those close and the two remaining foes retreat away. The young maiden describes her attempt to go to the river at night for water in her village before she was chased and abducted by some creatures. Through a stroke of luck, her abductors were set upon and killed and she was able to get away, but has been chased all across the land before she was found here. Her village is not far off, but the dangerous night will fall before they can make it there. She does know of an area that is closer to her home that could help protect them through the night. When asked about the village, she shares that the village is protected by the Crimson Guard - a force that helps to ensure the dark creatures of this land don't take the citizens. Taking a short rest to recover, the party prepares to move on through this land of shadows.

Campaign

The Journey Begins

Protagonists