Session 72: Frode's Quiet Home

General Summary

A Moment of Rest

The session began with you all on the streets of Voldtaren. A few citizens meandered here or there, but the streets were mostly empty on this quiet afternoon, at least in this part of town. You saw Frode a short distance away having a meal of Fried Fish and Potatoes with his family. He seemed to be quite a bit more elderly than usual, and all his children were grown.
Plans were immediately formulated to find a place to rest as the previous encounters and suffering from the day had left you all quite weary. As some of you pointed out, it almost felt like you were back in the "real world" with this most recent recreation. The entire town was visible from where you were, it wasn't a Pleasantville situation necessarily, but skepticism was still present as well. Despite all this, you immediately found a nearby inn and entered with hopes of securing a room for the evening. Though, it being still mid-to-late afternoon, there was some apparent confusion on the face of your host.
Bobcat also spent a small amount of time trying to get information out of this host. Her attention was partially on the lunch and dinner orders which were being rushed to a few tables, but she managed to at least answer Bobcat truthfully. His questions about witches and masked individuals with sinister auras were all met with genuine confusion, but she promised to keep an eye out for him as well. His approach was even clarified as ALT provided some better descriptions of Božena. Still, neither her nor the wait staff had heard anything about this menacing woman.
Bobcat paid for the rooms, of which there were only two, and everyone but ALT retired to the upstairs. ALT went back outside and kept an eye on the town while resting.

---

The morning was met with the sound of a busy kitchen as an apparent breakfast rush was consuming the downstairs of this establishment. Lost purchased some jerky to share with Hysteria, and you all met up back outside to discuss future plans.
It was pointed out that this is the same town you met Frode, though it was a lot cleaner and nobody seemed to be sick. Another observation was that the trees currently had autumn leaves despite it currently being the middle of winter. Autumn was about the time that this place was last seen in the material plane, so perhaps that had something to do with it.
Bobcat suggested visiting the King that Frode used to go on about. Theories were presented about how this place isn't real, that it is an illusion, and ALT suggested that perhaps it is "real" in a physical sense, just not the actual location. Physical manifestations, rather than phantasmal images.
Amidst these discussions of reality, attention was drawn back to a nearby house. An old man, his elderly wife and his adult children were all gathered (perhaps still gathered) and eating more Fried Fish and Potatoes.

---

Old Man Frode

Moving towards Frode, ALT hypothesized that this scenario that Frode has found himself in is his "desire to die with his family", perhaps after a long and healthy life. DAN felt this was rather grim, but ALT explained that that is just how they see the world. DAN could understand that, but still felt as though the journey was important, that the journey should be considered. Which is a rather on topic, thematic claim, especially while inside a spirit that consumes that very thing. The two of them were on the verge of a heavy conversation, but ALT redirected everyone towards saving Frode.
Bobcat inspected the home that Frode found himself near, and he was able to notice a distinguished, small amount of religious iconography on the side of the building you were on. A symbol of Ilmater, hands clasped and bound with red cord, was hanging on the side of the door with a bit of religious text hanging from beneath it.
ALT knocked on the gate bordering Frode's yard, and his wife approached with a small amount of curiosity. ALT explained that you were here to see Frode and that you were "old friends" of his. She smiled, proclaimed that to be lovely, and called out for the elderly Frode right away. She asked him if he recognized you all, and he seemed to be a bit confused by your presence. He was unsure of who you were at first, using indefinite verbiage and at one point saying he "doesn't remember arresting you". There was a vague sense of recognition on his face, however.
His expression shifted as he pondered you all, and he finally recalled a "man in a trench coat that was arrested for juggling". DAN seemed excited though offended by this, and Frode's 20-something year old son approached from behind him. Frode wanted to know if you all were truly his friends, or if you were just there to cause pain and suffering, and his son simply tried to shift Frode's attention back to dinner. ALT apologized and offered to bring something as a gift, but Frode laughed at this while claiming he has everything he needs. His son then accused you of trying to scam his father.

---

The exchange ended with Frode's son thinking that you were never really friends with him since he can't even remember most of you. As the family returned to their "dinner", Bobcat explained that Frode's entire family had been killed by the plague, and that he is likely trapped in a world where he can be with his family. Lost felt that this meant it was time for some sort of action, and ALT shouted to Frode that Kaswink had recently fallen in battle. Bobcat brought up Agave as well, and these two "deaths" seemed to cause some great pain in Frode as his expression shifted.
Frode denied this news, instead deciding that everything is fine here, everything is happy, that there is everything you need, that there's no suffering or worrying. ALT quipped that there's "no suffering for you", which caused Frode to finally show some anger. He snapped back with demands for an explanation from ALT, and the "little metal man" explained that there are still people suffering in the world even if he isn't.
Starting with Bobcat hoping to trap Frode's family in the lie, you all started asking about what the rest of the family does for a living. It was revealed that Ansel, his son, does indeed work at the nearby restaurant, conveniently enough. However, the two daughters, Margrit and Anne, apparently worked a good distance away at the church. Frode, tired of these questions, then demanded that you all leave as he returned to his meal.

---

ALT tried to pull the spirit of Contentment which had been wrapping itself in and around Frode, but it ended up just falling right through the spirit and taking some nasty damage. ALT responded by punching it in the "face" which caused Frode and his family to de-age. Frode himself witnessed a black and white flash of reality, his memories, but they faded just as quickly. The rest of you also saw a flash of something disturbing as the town was suddenly covered in slime and mushrooms before immediately returning to "normal".
The assault on the spirit continued, and as its health was depleted, Frode would see more flashes of reality as him and his family returned to the ages they were before all of this happened. He had a moment where he was with his original family, but it was short lived. In the end, his outfit had also reverted as well, now wearing the original guard armor he had begun his journey with, and his family was unfortunately mutilated.

---

As the Spirit died, it all happened in a flash. No light, however, not a literal flash, just a change without warning. In one moment everything was beautiful and serene, in the very next it was Hell. The walls of this place, the streets, were all immediately covered in a thick, green, slime-like mucus that dripped and squelched as it slid from homes, businesses, city walls and towers.
Frode’s eldest child groaned, a weak gasp and another groan, her entire body was suddenly covered in sores and leaking puss. Her eyes were red and bulging from her. Her hair was dirty, matted and bloody while large portions of her scalp were void of any covering at all.
Frode’s middle child groaned, breathing stifled breaths and her appearance closely matched that of his eldest. They moved as if undead, and it was immediately apparent to everyone that they had become some sort of Plague Zombie. Singular, of course, as it also dawned on you all that they had joined into one being.
The nightmarish city doesn’t flash again, no, it just rapidly changed once more. Where the streets had been empty save the mucus that lined them, now the plague-ridden living dead roamed about, bumping into each other and trying to find some fresh meat. An imposing figure in the distance was approaching. Her armor was reminiscent of Frode’s own though of a much higher ranking.
Frode’s wife panicked. She had not changed, but she was terrified and her breath was heavy, short, and she finally let out a scream. Another rapid change and she was now just as Rotted as she was the last time Frode saw her. Half of her body was missing, and an unsettling cry of anguish rattled through your bones. To Frode this scream had words, words that whispered through his mind in a voice that reminded him of just moments ago.
“You were happier.”

---

Zombies Attack! DAN's Untimely End

As combat kicked off, Lost faded in much the same fashion as all of Bobcat's friends. Hysteria responded with a meaningful, chest-pounding salute, and Lost attempted to do the same before realizing they were already too far gone. They gave Hysteria a parting message and fell through a door to nothingness. "It was good to see you one more tiiiiiime!"
Combat proceeded as it often does, though with a far greater amount of enemies. ALT tried to control the battlefield with fancy martial arts techniques and a neat chainsword, and Frode offered healing, scared away or destroyed much of the threat, and did a bit of damage with a conjured weapon. Hysteria provided obscene damage from the corner of the map while, possibly unintentionally, protecting two members of Frode's family. They also prevented a large portion of the zombies from attacking at all by incapacitating them. The other two were far less lucky, immediately consumed by zombies in the first round. Bobcat, meanwhile, flew around to every zombie he could reach in the form of a fire elemental and took care of cleaning out/distracting the further ranks. DAN maneuvered to different threats while filling various zombies with holes and disarming who they could.

The Guard Captain, Grimweld, was a name heard by you all long ago as the person that delivered some unfortunate news to Frode's wife before her untimely demise. News that it would be impossible to take care of Ansel, Frode's one uninfected child, and that he would instead be sent to an orphanage currently in one of the worst parts of town. This captain approached in as ominous a manner as possible. Her helmet was a shining beacon that seemed to invigorate the other zombies, her sword was immensely powerful, and she had techniques with her shield that would knock people prone.
She spent much of her time bullying Frode, but she was eventually defeated when DAN used his newly acquired Ringmaster's Whip to force her to remove her helmet, weapon and shield. Her armor, which had been cut through thanks to ALT's chainsword, revealed her rotting flesh and entrails beneath, and this armor also began to Rot as her helmet was removed. The zombies lost their vigor, the helmet stopped glowing and damaging you each round, and she through her weapon and shield to the ground as well. Without the helmet, and without whatever she was doing, the sword rotted away to nothing, while the shield grew dull and covered in slime that reached up from the ground.

---

As her body was made vulnerable, a spirit of Contentment erupted from her back, casting slime and putrid organs to the ground along with the new threat. She remained motionless as the rest of you continued your assault. Her eventually lifeless body would give rise to yet another spirit of Contentment as well.
Meanwhile, DAN was hoping to get away from several threats that had found them, and they were hoping to join in with the rest of you near Frode's home. Their path, unfortunately, led them through some particularly nasty hits that left them unconscious and bleeding out. The zombies they moved away from followed, and, without much else to fight or eat, they killed DAN.
DAN's spirit, as the fight continued on around their empty corpse, found itself in a dark room with three archways. Something that Hysteria, Kaswink and Agave had all experienced, but only one of them had ever been present to really have an opportunity to talk about. DAN, not having the full story, considered their options.
On the left was an Archway made of Light, a soft, warm, comforting voice sang out from this Light as DAN considered the central archway. The central archway was the most clear, having no blinding light or all-consuming darkness to block anything, and DAN could plainly see their brother sitting in a bar. Smoke made the room a bit hazy, but they could otherwise tell that it was a busy night and that Steve was in a poor mood. The final, right-most arch was made of all-consuming darkness. It dripped to the floor, poured out like a dense mist, and it seemed to seep over everything besides these other two archways.

---

Combat continued, and, as DAN was deciding, Frode healed the living. A difficult decision! But one that he had to make. He kept everyone else alive long enough to finish another round of combat.
DAN, meanwhile, chose the Archway made of Light. As they moved through, the Light started to clear. They could faintly hear chains dragging something away from them, and they could see that they were in a room with an ...unusual furniture arrangement. At the center of the room was an orb. The orb continued to sing at DAN, and they got the strange idea that it was asking them to move closer. They did so, and they felt themselves becoming lighter, as if they were being lifted off their feet. They became calmer and calmer, and there was a strange sense of clouds that reminded them that there is something they should be doing, but they were getting further away as the pleasantness of where they are enveloped them. Their thoughts slowly started to fade.
Frode then attempted to revive DAN. An expensive diamond and an action later, DAN could feel their thoughts returning to them in their strange afterlife, but they did not return to their body.
Another spirit of Contentment was vanquished and the area around you was fading, rotting, collapsing away similar to a certain rotten city you might've been to.

---

DAN found themselves talking to the strange orb. "You need to let me leave."
The Orb responded, "If I let you go, then I will be alone. I need to find Him."
DAN: "Who's 'him'?"
DAN didn't receive a response right away, but their eyes started to water as a great sadness began to overwhelm them. A response eventually came in the form of a single word: a name, "Vsevolodrik".
Meanwhile, combat was finished for the rest of you. The zombies were dead, the Contentment was gone, and what remained of Frode's family was reaching towards him. They were able to say one word, "Dad?" before the town vanished and was replaced with a very depressing room.

---

The Final Stretch

This new hallway had many of the same features as the others. The slimy sandstone walls and floor were present, but there was a certain level of fear and darkness that was familiar to most of you. It had last been felt when you fought The Unblinking Sein as you traveled through Thera Relovut to confront Ilven.
Bobcat demanded to know why Frode wasn't reviving DAN, and Frode, rightfully confused and upset, cried out that he tried but that it didn't work. He felt that maybe they were cursed, and ALT tried to comfort him. Frode tried to explain that DAN might not be coming back, and Bobcat seemed to have an idea of how to get around what was happening.
Within DAN's weird Light realm, they responded to the familiar name. "Okay, so now that I know you're looking for this 'vselodriks' person, I can try to send them to you, but I'll need to go back to do so."
The orb argued with this, "I can't let you go. Aren't you happier here? Don't you feel happier?"
DAN complained about the distressing level of sadness that they were feeling, and the orb tried to explain that it has no control over that. However, it offered to be happier if DAN was around, it thought that they would both be happier together in this place. DAN refused, implying that the only thing that would make them happy is Steve, to which the orb immediately offered to just bring Steve to them.
DAN refused again, "It wouldn't be the right Steve. He wouldn't be dead."
They started to tremble with nervous anxiety as attention was shifted back to the group.

---

Bobcat suggested finding somewhere safe for the bodies, though ALT felt as though there wouldn't be anywhere safe nearby. To it, the only two options were taking the bodies with you all or just destroying the three scattered halfling brothers. Bobcat began to leave with the bodies, but Frode stopped him with an urgency to protect the bodies against rude spirits.
You chose to rest while the spell was being cast, and Hysteria and Bobcat began to feel the lingering fear and dread that often comes with this familiar dark spirit.
An hour later you began your journey through the hall.
DAN could still feel the emotions being forced upon them as the orb apologized for the unintended feelings before asking a question. "If I let you go, how will I know that you will find Him? Know one else has."
DAN: "Well, if you can describe how He looks like, and tell me how I'm able to send Him to you I'll get the word out and send Him over to you. I'm also looking for somebody myself, and every single time someone tries to present to me who I'm looking for, it's not proper. So, I'll do my part to make sure you probably get reunited with who you're looking for."
The orb seemed to understand where DAN was coming from, and it attempted to relate to them while also explaining that it had been waiting, looking and finding the wrong things for thousands of years. DAN, being someone who ain't got time for that, reminded this orb that they wouldn't be alive for that long, and that they wouldn't be spending that much time on this orb.
The Orb finally asked if DAN would just stay with it, but DAN again refused and claimed that they have stuff to do.

---

Meanwhile, those of you still living continued through the halls. You were stopped, however, as a massive chunk of hallway collapsed into the star-riddled darkness in the void beyond them. This same starry darkness seeped into the still standing hall as well, and several shadowy zombies began to crawl their way up towards you.
Frode was quick to step forward and unleashed a familiar burst of divine energy that forced these shadows to flee. Most of them crawled back down the chasm they came from, while others ran down the hall as far away from him as possible. One remained behind to fight, but it was quickly dealt with.
Getting over the chasm was a simple feat as Hysteria just flew everyone to the other side. It took some time, but it was doable and Bobcat was even able to get DAN across by tying the bodies together. On the other side, more hallway waited for them, the darkness and whispering mouths of the Unblinking Sein continued to fill your minds with whispers and fear, and the shadows were returning as their own fear had run its course. They threw pieces of bone and flesh that they peeled off of themselves at you, and it seemed to turn into shadowy darts before digging into your flesh.

---

That's where we're picking up next time!
DAN has died! What other threats will this hallway offer before finally finding Tympi? Who else will succumb to the same fate as dear ol DAN?
We'll find out next time when we finally conclude the Howdigo.

In-game Date:
Daulok 26-27, 308

Report Date

15 May 2023

Primary Location

Howdigo

Secondary Location

Voldtaren

Related Plots

• A Broken Cycle
• Unanswered Questions

Related Characters

• Ar'en'el, The Crying Star
• DAN Wildcloak