Session 77: And The Usurper was Removed from the Stolen Throne

General Summary

Meeting Anguish

The session began in the middle of a conversation with a L’huine by the name of Dree’uhm Dah Dolehp. As previously described, 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.
ALT and Hysteria arrived after their scouting mission and gave Agave a map of the area. It was studied briefly before the conversation with this strange person continued.
They continued to try and convince you that you are in the wrong place, especially since the wind at Hysteria's back was pointing you here. They tried to explain that the wind cannot be trusted and that it was being manipulated by the very person "guiding" you. You tried to get information out of them about where exactly they'd take you, but their responses were always cryptic. "Away from here." "Some place else." and other such non-answers were all you could really get from them.
When Agave tried to get, at the very least, a direction, the L'huine tried to explain that "You cannot follow the tracks that you left behind in this place. It is hard to say where in such a situation. It would be 'not here'. It would be 'away' and to the northwest."

---

ALT suggested you all explore this city just to make sure there's nothing here. Once it was verified that there truly was nothing here and that this person was telling the truth, then their advice would be followed. It was referred to as the "safe" option, but Dree’uhm insisted that that would be the "unsafe" option. They claimed that the trap at its center would be more dangerous than simply leaving, but their claims were ignored.
When plans were solidified to explore the town, Dree’uhm started to walk away. After they were completely obscured by the spiraling darkness that surrounded you, ALT decided to shoot in their general direction. Unexpectedly, the blast of eldritch energy managed to actually hit a target, and ALT found itself switching places with Dree’uhm. The L'huine suddenly appeared next to the rest of you while your ally vanished, and then the second shot hit. Dree’uhm was teleported in a random direction, ALT was also teleported in another random direction and had to find his way back to the rest of you.
While in the darkness, however, ALT was able to hear something sinister swirling into their mind. It was deep, menacing, and a voice that Hysteria would've recognized had they been the one to hear it.
"Separated from your friends?"
ALT confirmed this mentally, and they could feel more and more darkness invading their mind. It tried to dig in like worms, but the voice spoke no words. Instead it merely hummed an ominous, uncomfortable tune. ALT was able to get back to the rest of you without being dominated.

---

The time had come to make a plan for your meeting with this Usurper.
There were suspicions that there is definitely a trap up ahead. That Dree’uhm may have been correct, but not about this being the wrong place, simply that Anguish, The Usurper, will likely be up to no good. Because of this, it was eventually decided that Hysteria would be leading the rest of you into the center of town in the 'guise' of their actual job, an incredibly important and powerful jester. The rest of you would be prisoners, offerings to Anguish and his cause. Before this, however, Agave created an escape route for you all by studying a nearby large tree.

The elves in town grew quiet with only hushed whispers filling the air. There was a sense of nervousness at Hysteria's arrival, and it didn't take long to reach the middle of the village where Anguish and his stolen throne sat waiting. He wore a mask, as most jesters do, but his was almost entirely fused with his face. Bits of what might've once been skin could be seen peeking through the material of his mask as well as the occasional shadow that would emerge and drift away from him like large chunks of ash. His hair was once long and silver, but it had since been covered with a black oil that made it look not only filthy but also just as edgy as the rest of his ensemble. A black crown, black greatsword and black banner were each present, and he greeted Hysteria with what could almost be confused for excitement.

---

His voice was deep, dark, menacing and heard by most of you for the first time. ALT had heard it only recently, but Hysteria had heard it many times since first encountering this person's banner back when Ilven was being rescued.
"You've come..."
Hysteria nodded and curtsied in response. Anguish noticed the prisoners and his mask seemed to grin like it was part of his face.
"And you've brought gifts?"
Hysteria began signing, "They were not as amenable to the cause. I was worried I would have to betray them, and I have."
"I had such high hopes for you, Hysteria, and they have only grown higher." ALT interrupted his speech by spitting at this would-be king.
Anguish stood, his greatsword clattered and grinded against the stone that surrounded this throne, and he began searching through his bags and pockets for something. After a short while he finally procured a stone fragment from somewhere within his belongings. He threw it immediately after revealing it, and you all were able to see this fragment suspend itself in the air as some sort of anti-darkness field surrounded it, dispelled the darkness, and began glowing.

---

Hysteria looked to Anguish and signed, "I would do this myself?" Anguish was confused by the question but responded without any hesitation. "Of course, you're an assassin, you work alone, why would you need someone to help you?"
Hysteria debated fighting it alone or freeing the rest of you, but he eventually approached the fragment without the aid of their allies. They made themselves invisible and approached the fragment.

The bubble of darkness-eating magic suddenly burst as a massive hook burst out of the fragment. It crashed into the ground, digging through the frozen dirt with ease as another massive hook erupted and followed suit. A "head" in the shape of a stretched, overlapping pair of rhombuses appeared next, then the rest of its body was pulled free from the fragment it had been inhabiting. Its body was segmented with smaller hooks lining its sides. Spirals could be seen where its body was separated, and each segment seemed to just float in the air without any concern for gravity.
Hysteria was quick to move into position, stab and begin distancing himself from the spirit. Meanwhile, the Fragment Guardian, like the others before it, began to sort of 'evaluate' what Hysteria and everyone else was doing. It seemed to prefer movement, punished those that didn't move, and those that experienced its abilities heard strange phrases in their minds.
"There were many that stopped moving yet still breathed, and I am certain that their breath was not their own."
and those that moved were 'encouraged' with more damage and messages.
"Before my death, I would often watch Him play in the Courtyard or in the Hills. His laughter and joy were hope for all that could see him."

---

It also had powerful magic in its arsenal. It covered most of the relevant area with darkness that filled many of your minds with madness. Agave was particularly harmed by this spell and fell unconscious. During the chaos, however, the rest of you escaped your bonds, healed Agave and began dealing with Anguish.
While Hysteria continued to shoot at the Fragment Guardian, Anguish was also quickly dealt with. He had attacks from his Black Blade which created beams of darkness that hit several of you at once either in a line or a cone, and his artifacts cast powerful spells.
Agave went down again, and he heard a voice offer him a chance at survival.
"You’ve failed. But it doesn’t have to end here. I can help you dethrone him.” He accepted this, and you all saw him stand and begin fighting and healing with increased vigor.
During the encounter, Anguish would also disintegrate and absorb the bodies of nearby elves to remove status effects or empower their own spells.
He eventually fell, but it wasn't the end of him.

---

The Oni, Risen by Anguish

As Anguish died, The Oni's voice could be heard laughing and taunting you from within his body, behind his mask, and then his flesh and armor began to tear open. All of the remaining elves in the village were disintegrated much like Anguish was doing before, and they were all pulled into his dying body. Darkness made up of smoke and oil poured from his body and rose to a towering height. Multiple horns, clawed hands, and a body that mostly blended into the spiraling darkness that surrounded him were all manifested by this new version of The Oni. Anguish's mask was all that remained of him, and it was slowly being consumed by smoke and oil as well. He laughed some more and began to swing the Black Blade yet again.
Agave went down, and he was once more offered a chance to live on.
"Please. Let me help you." Agave again accepted and stood up to continue fighting this monster. However, this time he came back with a horn growing out of the left side of his head. It was black and red, spiraling, and very familiar if anyone remembered the ones growing out of Kaswink.
At the start of each of each round The Oni would conjure strange spirits and cast powerful magic. Sometimes these spirits would have their own powerful magic such as removing any buffs you might've gained from Frode. You were all on your last legs, several of you unconscious, barely hanging on when the round began with The Oni casting yet another powerful spell. Your very fears manifested within the darkness and dealt heavy psychic damage to anyone still up, and Hysteria ended up becoming Frightened of The Oni. They very nearly fell unconscious as well, but as their turn came around they debated on just what to do. They ended up making one last attack with their bow, and The Oni was defeated yet again.

---

The Spiraling Dark, the conjured elementals and shadows, and anything else brought about by The Oni's influence were pulled with its corporeal form deep into the ground. They all followed a vortex pulled into a singular point where The Oni fell, and you all found yourselves in the ruins of this strange elf village. No one was left alive except all of you, and, after healing up, you began to find a place to rest. All that remained of The Oni's influence was the single horn still growing from Agave, now Bobcat.
The last fragment was picked up by Hysteria, and you all witnessed yet another vision:
"As you touch this fragment, you and the rest of the group find your eyes opening but blurry. Liquid is stuck on a lash, pooling and blurring your vision before flowing down your check. Snot threatens to escape your stuffy nose, and an instinctual sniff draws the attention of a slowly speaking man causing him to slow even further before resuming his regular pace. A body is barely visible in the dim, dim light of 6 candles arranged around a flat stone platform. 2 of the candles have gone out of these 6, and another 6 can be seen around the room, flickering and trying their hardest to keep the room lit. The body on the table is the hardest thing to look at, and any time your eyes wander to it, you feel immense guilt, pain, fear, anxiety, and so many others swelling within you. When your eyes are able to see it, you notice the bright red cord that binds the legs, binds the arms to the sides, and wraps around the whole body in an intricate pattern. But before you can see the face, all of the candles go out, and you return to your original bodies."

---

Assembling the Crown

The following morning, Daulok 32, 308, you assembled the crown.
Frode - “A voice, strained and clearly struggling through some level of agony cries out into your mind as this Throne moves. A well leading deep into the ground with familiar iconography as the other Well of Darkness is all you or anyone else in the group can see, but you are able to hear as well. “I see now. You have come here, and now you have a chance. Free this poor man…you will find him down below, but his suffering is beyond anything you have seen. Be wary, dearest Frode, and know that any act of martyrdom comes with its own price, it’s own …sacrifice.”
Agave - “While Frode is dealing with…voices, you too see this familiar Well of Darkness. Massive stone carvings of centipedes crawl along the interior surface, and a sharp pull can be felt in your staff. It yanks towards the well like a magnet trying desperately to reach another. As it pulls, you feel several pairs of eyes open, several hands unfold, and then one massive central eye slowly peel its lids open somewhere deep within your own forehead. For the briefest of moments you can see the spirit that you freed clear as day somewhere deep underground. Then, unceremoniously, your new staff successfully flings itself free of your grasp and down the Well. The vision of the agave fades as it falls.”
Hysteria - “Your allies, possibly unbeknownst to you, are struggling as this Well has revealed itself. You too receive information in tandem with their own and before the staff is lost. Though, the information that you receive is no where near as meaningful or robust…but maybe that makes it all the more meaningful, who’s to say? You don’t see much besides a familiar, emaciated and chained man attached to a dungeon wall. All that is illuminated is him, and all that is heard is a single, stifled cough before he turns to you, in this vision, and calmly says, in the voice of the all-too-familiar enemy, “What’ll you do when you get down here? *chaotic laughter*”
ALT - “Having used the gift given by the Chittering Spirit, Choronusus, and, strangely enough, being the only one to not truly know it…you are greeting not with found guardian spirits, patrons or the words of a god, no, you are greeted with an opportunity. Knowledge floods your mind, it threatens to leave you unconscious if not dead, and it is forcing itself into your mind from the depths of this Well. You can practically see it as it funnels outwards like a vortex, carried along the darkness within and being transmitted effortlessly by your lack-of-connection to this strange spirit.”
Accepting this information will reduce your health to 0 and making Death Saves. The Info - “Of the many worlds that have existed, there was one that was both distant and where you currently stand. It once was a prosperous world…" Your mind is filled with visions of strange architecture, signs made of glowing tubes, unusual -though necessary- burial rites, and a familiar-looking city with the added feature of massive pillars of light shining up into the sky from its largest buildings. A radiant city in the style, shape, design that matches the radiant city found within the book that detailed the history of the city of rot.
You know, however, that this is not that same city. This was not built by the L’huine at all, no, it seems more akin to the blueprints of their city. Perhaps the “God” that spoke to The Psychic about how to design their city was from this place? It is unclear, the information too turbulent, too much to process so quickly.
You see glimpses of red cord, blue cord, purple, green, brown, gold…all sorts of colors all wrapping around bones. You see bones that are bare, and, as they rest naked in the ground, something crawls out of them. The bones wrapped in cord remain motionless…and the ones that were left bare find themselves crawling back to the surface.
You see this…

And, at last, you hear something of a chittering narration. “A time will come when you need me again, but I feel myself growing weak. Call upon me. You will know when it is time.”

---

All of this happened simultaneously, and the end result was Bobcat turning into a giant tentacle and reaching for his Root staff. The strength of the 'magnetism' was so strong that he had to rest even in this form, and he found himself being pulled deep underground. Hysteria followed after him and tried to catch his friend on his broom. Frode healed ALT and the two of them jumped into the well following their friends.

In-game Date:
Daulok 31-32, 308

Report Date

10 Jul 2023

Related Plots

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

Related Characters

• The Oni
• The Usurper