Session 41: Where is the baron?

General Summary

The heroes still lamented the loss of Finn as they wondered how to chase down their leads of the baron, a piece of fine cloth, a signet ring. First, rest, and so Brimble Knackles cast Leomund's Tiny Hut and Alarm in a natural corridor leading to the druid dungeons. Although they were able to rest and regain their strength, the corridor was investigated by someone from the surface. Mi'tsuru'gi smelled Bugbear.
With command words learned from prison-cell graffiti, the party used the magical lift, a floating blue disk in a well-like structure, to descend to the lower level. Here they were confronted with three halls of elemental power, each depicting either fire, earth, or water on skillfully painted frescoes and with small elemental offerings in the centre of the halls. A finely carved hand-print depression also enhanced the far wall of each. Mitsu placed his hand within the depression in the earth temple and a resonating voice asked "Answer me and I'll answer thee, by what name call ye these temples three?" A wrong answer was given and the pile of stones in the hall transformed into an earth elemental that instantly attacked Brynnwythlinmardcaladog and the elf. While the elemental slammed into the fighter/bard, Mitsu slung arrows. Brynn was badly wounded, but he party was able to kill the creature of earth before any party member was brought low.
In the next temple, the party again activated the hand-carving and answered correctly: fire, earth and water. The wall with the hand print slid to the side revealing a passage beyond, and the baron!
Baron Thodeor Cullen strode into the temple room, thanking the heroes for their timing and calling for their return with him to his keep to prosecute the war above. The party questioned the baron: how was he captured, what has happened to him? Cullen described his capture and imprisonment, but not to everyone's satisfaction as Mitsu shot him with an arrow. The baron then ran for the lift, while Brimble (uncharacteristically) ran into the newly revealed passage. The 'baron' almost made it, but Mitsu's arrows stopped him and the man melted away to reveal a doppelganger.
There was no time to worry about this now as Brimble had come face to knee with an evil druid bent on his destruction! The druid Amanita (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanita) had Brimble locked in an Enervation spell, sucking the life from him, but Rivine intervened and saved the gnome from a harsh fate. The rest of the party joined the battle, but another druid, Galerina (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galerina) attacked from hiding. Amanita, a spore spreader of Zuggtmoy, tried to destroy the party through spells, a halo of spores and a poisonous mushroom mace, while Galerina similarly tried to kill the companions. The party managed to put Amanita to the sword and her body decomposed before their eyes, wtih a forest of small mushrooms quickly emerging from her corpse.
Galerina sued for peace and the party restrained her with rope. Ascenting to questions, Galerina spoke of the doppelganger as a back-up plan. The druids had charmed the real baron three days ago, just prior to the attack on Shaeje and returned him to his keep to enact their bidding: to allow Zuggtmoy's influence in the rule of Cullen Drae and facilitate the Queen of Fungi's promise to return the barony to its rightlful glory after centuries adrift. Galerina was adamant that these ends justified, what the party might myopically see, as less than honourable means.
A search of the doppelganger seemed to confirm what the druid had stated: cheaply immitated clothing of the baron and a counterfeit signet ring, matching the baron's previously found.
Still, the party killed the druid, less than honourably.

Rewards Granted

Monsters:
Earth Elemental: 1800
Galerina: 1500
Amanita: 2500

Learning of Druid Plans (but killing the druid): 600

Total XP per PC: 1,600

Notes

On Amanita the party found a piece of human skin, tattooed, with the only words visible being Sakatha and L... of Spores. This is similar to skin found with Crazy Steve (see Session 28: Questions that Need Answers)

Confronting Galerina

by Patricia Pillay

Report Date

05 Nov 2023

Primary Location

Shaeje

Secondary Location

Fetid Fens

Related Characters

• Brimble Knackles
• Brynnwythlinmardcaladog
• Mi'tsuru'gi
• Rivine