Session 76: Gathering Fragments

General Summary

The Black Banner

The session began with several shadows appearing around the mysterious, black bit of fabric. Hoping to simply incapacitate them and take the darned thing, Hysteria utilized their tricky mind-magics to do just that! However, one of the shadows resisted their attempts at hypnotic befuddlery and a strange voice filled your ears as combat began.
"Why do you fight? Why do you destroy these shadows? Do you not know who casts them?"
You made short work of the remaining Shadow, but, as it died, something far more sinister appeared. A pair of ink-drenched angelic wings unfolded from within the discarded shadow-mass and even ripped apart the few that still found themselves "alive" though hypnotized. Gears turned within the two sets of wings, and, as it appeared, Frode found himself being pulled backwards through time to the start of his turn. On the subsequent turn, he found himself repeating his previous actions, and, where he once had Potential, this spirit used it to attack you all with an echo of the former guard.
It repeated this trick and conjured a copy of Hysteria as well, but you all found ways past this nonsense by simply killing the spirit itself. The echoes faded, and a bit of stone fragment fell to the ground before other crazy stuff happened!

---

From within what was likely another Unusual Fragment, you saw a spirit crawl free of its "prison" and unravel as a giant worm or centipede like creature, but its legs covered and surrounded its body rather than lining up neatly on two sides. The creature had the face of a woman with two massive black tendrils where its eyes should be. These tendrils reached out from within its eyes and down into its abdomen, blinding it and whatever other horrible things come from such an anatomy. It had what appeared to be a scarf hanging around its neck as well.
The spirit appeared to have a disdain for unoriginal thoughts, and it lashed out at you all with hopes of punishing any banality. However, you were all a bit too clever, and it instead began to "reward" your originality by feasting on it. Hysteria in particular found themselves moving without choice towards the spirit, their mind pulled and devoured, and new thoughts entering into the now-empty spaces.
"Before my death, He would regale me with stories from His own mind for hours on end."
The strange new thoughts were not pondered on or revealed to the rest of the group, but the spirit was destroyed with utmost swiftness. As it died, the fragment fell once more to the ground. ALT quickly luted the strange dark angel gear time thing and found a fragment of Tympi's past within its body.
Hysteria, eager to get their hands on the banner they were being directed towards, grabbed hold and found themselves being dissolved like sand on the wind. They had time to sign what was going on, and the rest of you quickly moved to their side as they moved forward as well. Frode was grabbed, ALT pulled Agave towards the rest of you with some nifty lightning magic, and you all felt yourselves dissolving in much the same way. Just sand in the wind, and the wind carried you to where you needed to be next.

---

The Black Blade

The banner took you to another, though slightly more edgy, artifact. A 6ft long black greatsword was stuck in the ground with another fragment hanging off its crossguard. Frode immediately called this thing cursed. Shadows began to appear shortly after you arrived, and Hysteria took a moment to speak to Anguish with hopes of getting some guidance. They mostly wanted to know what's happening. The response was predictably cryptic.
"Before you can join us, there are some errands that must be completed. My left-behind artifacts will guide you to me, but be wary, the Darkness tends to swirl around itself."
Noticing that the fragment from the previous encounter had followed you through the wind, ALT approached and began interacting with it.
FRAGMENT 1:
As they touched this fragment, you all found your eyes opening in a rather serene place. You felt small, kinda sweaty, and in immense pain. A tree was growing from the ground and its branches reached out over the side of a nearby cliff. You couldn’t quite see what was beyond it from your seated position, but it felt important. The last thing you experienced in this wondrous, sun-bathed countryside is the sound of a voice coming from a slightly damp glass rectangle pressed into your left ear. All you could make out is "Key-kssshhhhhhhssshhh fa-ksshhhhhhsshhh de-kssssshhhhhh. Cuh-kshhhhhshshhhh. Please-ksssshhhshhshsshh. Time kshshhshshhhh Ri-ksshshshssshshshs. P-kssshshshh.” The last bit of static follows you back to your regular bodies, and your eyes open back up on the swirling, dark hell-scape.

---

You tried to piece together what exactly you just witnessed, but discussion on the topic was largely met with perfectly reasonable shrugs. Attention shifted back to the sword and the new fragment resting upon it. Hysteria approached and the shadows moved forward as well, trying to get in the way of them and this weapon. They attempted to convey that they were here under orders of Anguish, and the shadows eventually parted, but it took some time for them to process what was going on. This was going to be easy, however, the shadows began to dissolve and were pulled into a central, floating lump of ichor. Another couple pairs of ink-stained angelic wings unfurled from within, and combat began against yet another spirit.
This spirit countered any of your attacks with something from your arsenal, and it attempted to fight with them during its turn as well. However, you all rolled like gods and it died almost instantly.

From its death, another Fragment Guardian pulled itself free of the discarded stone, and you found yourselves facing a strange, horrific creature that vaguel resembled an elderly, hunched man wearing a hooded cloak and robe. It had arms? Mostly hands? That looked like roots growing from its concealed frame and leading down into the ground or up into the sky. More roots grew from its back, and its concealed face revealed only a deep red bit of geometry.
This spirit seemed to despise servitude, and it damaged all of you due to your recent acquisition of chains and ropes. Similar to what Hysteria had felt from the other Guardian, this one shoved some new thoughts into the empty spaced it had created.
"His father would abuse and do everything in His power to control. I did not celebrate alone when He was finally taken."
None of you, save Agave, threw them to the side after the initial bit of damage, but it mattered not as it was swiftly dispatched before it had a second turn. Before it was dispatched, ALT also used another Painful Knowledge bonus action to learn about this spirit. It apparently broke off of the Chittering Spirit, it's a piece of its former consciousness and seems to protect the fragments that were once stored inside of itself before it dissolved. Their original forms, who they once were, were lost to time. They were from the "first world that it took upon itself to protect". The strange shapes that they created for themselves are "likely" attempts to regain what they once were.
The fragment it left behind was inspected before the sword was touched this time, and ALT was able to loot the strange hoop from the other winged spirit. They also found another piece of Tympi, this one pertaining to her Self.

---

FRAGMENT 2:
As you touched this fragment, you found your eyes opening and squinting as the darkness was suddenly far less chaotic and windy, but there were now bright, flashing lights all around you. You felt small, light-headed, and there was something dripping out of your right arm and hitting the ground. Your eyes were able to focus just long enough in this light pollution to be able to see a trail of red behind you, and to be able to see that these lights were signs written in some unknown language. A voice called out, but all you could make out was that it belonged to someone very old, tired, and likely deranged. You felt a bit of fear at the sound of his voice, “Ah, Pr-KSSSSHHHHH, Wh-KSSSHHHHH, roy-KSSSHHHHH, help-SKSSSHHSHSH” The last bit of static followed you back to your regular bodies, and your eyes opened back up on the swirling, dark hell-scape.
ALT spoke upon this again, hoping to have a conversation regarding the weird thing happening to you, "These are fragments of Vsevolodrik's crown, if I'm not mistaken? So these are his experiences?"
Shrugs were had, but Frode joined in on the dialogue, bringing up that another question would be "How many are there, and what happens when they're put together?"
ALT pondered further, "I wonder why we're being shown them... Are we absorbing them into ourselves or is the crown just a reflection of it?"

---

ALT tried to answer some of these questions by putting the crown pieces you were able to collect together and performing a lil ritual while also using magic to identify it. You also learned from this that it looks as though there's only one piece missing. Their goal being to reveal more about its intentions, its reason for showing these visions and more! Everyone participated, tried their hand at being insightful, and the results were revealed in a clumsy stumbly way!
"These are memories probably of Vsevolodrik, the king so to speak. The one being usurped, the patron of Hysteria, the weird chained up guy in the Maze, the old man and his throne. Why you're being shown it, why these memories in particular...it's possible that there's no "reason" beyond just interacting with these until-recently very well protected artifacts that've been in this world for who knows how long. Since this ritual happened and they've been scattered to the wind, now there's opportunity. They're echoes of the past, and these beings that have been left to guard it could have something to do with it, maybe they're echoes themselves. The last piece might reveal more, might be the final piece you need of the puzzle...or maybe it'll just raise even more questions."

---

The Three-Faced Dree’uhm Dah Dolehp

With all that out of the way, Hysteria grabbed the sword and a similar feeling of dissolving in sand and being carried away on the wind could be felt. When you reformed, you found yourselves in the dark. No artifacts, just empty tundra.
However, something was definitely different. The sound of voices could be heard, and they were speaking some distant form of Elvish. Hysteria could somewhat understand the conversation, and it sounded strangely relaxed for being near the center of such a horrific storm of darkness and madness. They seemed to just be catching up after a day of work, typical porch conversation. Getting closer to the source, you eventually illuminated the side of a darkened building, elvish architecture from what you could tell but very, very old.
Your approach into this town also revealed that some of the visible homes or businesses had lanterns hanging outside of them which pierced through the magical darkness. They were still obscured greatly by the thick, dark fog, but the pinpoints of light were still sometimes clearly visible. With this in mind, Hysteria and ALT decided to sneak into the town to gather more information. They sketched a map as they did so, trying to find some alleyways where sneaking could be done by all, and they were able to discern the center of town thanks to the wind still at Hysteria's back. Additionally, you had ideas to take some Lanterns, but the idea of sneaking around with them seemed...unwise.
While they scouted, Frode and Agave stayed behind, but they were not alone.

---

"Please, do not strike me. I am here to help, though my appearance may shock you.”
It wasn't the first time this voice had been heard. Indeed, it had spoken when you attacked the shadows earlier, and now it was entering your mind once again, but this time a bit more physical. You could tell that it was nearby, and a large figure stepped into the light of Frode's torch.

He was as tall as any other L’huine, around 9-10 feet, but he seemed to be perpetually hunched over with a large lump protruding from his back. This swelling took up the upper right portion of his back and was covered with some stylish layering of cloaks. His face was, like many other spiral creatures, slightly removed from itself.
The left half of his face was, at first glance, completely missing. It looked to be a flat mask covering half of his visage, but, upon closer inspection, it was actually floating to the right of the right side of his face, creating an unusual mirror effect. Bizarrely enough, there was a third half to his face as well. It was positioned …”behind” the left half and facing to the right and perpendicular to the rest of Dree’uhm’s perspective. Though, this third half was often barely visible to you as it was concealed in a hood. He also seemed to be carrying a book and referring to it from time to time.

---

This person introduced themselves as "Dree’uhm Dah Dolehp" and explained that he was once the "Archdeacon of a certain priest you might know". Frode tried to find out what this person knew of this place, and Dree'uhm answered quite cryptically.
"Ah, I hoped that you would be able to tell me where you were, but that you do not confirms my fears that you and yours have been led astray. I could help you find the one you seek."
Frode asked how this person knows of your quest.
"Ohhhh, I know many things about spirals and lies, my new friend. One who usurps in this way is not often one who deals in truths. He lied his way to the top already, and it appears as though he is lying to you now. I was hoping to help you bring destruction to this Anguish person your friend is after."
Frode asked why this person wants to hurt him.
"What he has done is take a throne from the one who has left it empty for a very clear reason. I would see that that throne becomes bear once again. If you do not desire my help, then I will be on my way." He began to leave after saying this.

---

Frode asked them to stay, and they returned to Frode and Agave with a smile. They slowly lifted their hand and snapped their fingers as they explained...
“I can provide some…benefits beyond a mere guide. Though, my skills as a guide are nothing to scoff at either. Please, accept my gift, and use it to destroy the one you seek."
Frode and Agave felt CHAOTIC ENERGY flowing through them in much the same manner as other magical energy. It seemed to fill the void left behind by spent spell resources, and they, mechanically, gained "1 stack of Chaotic Alignment for each empty spell slot."
He went on to say that, "Your friends are scouting the wrong place. I know a thing or two about deceptions, having been a deceiver in my previous existence." Frode acknowledged that deception from ones that someone already trusts is always a possibility. The L'huine reiterated their purpose to empty the throne and to guide you all to the "right place" as Hysteria and ALT arrived on the scene.

In-game Date: Daulok 31, 308

Report Date

03 Jul 2023

Primary Location

Northlands

Related Plots

• A Broken Cycle
• Of a Patron, a King and a Lost Child

Related Characters

• The Usurper