Session 5: Tiana the Hag

15th of Snowmelt

General Summary

Picking up where we left our heroes last time, the LUKI Four find themselves in the frozen forest beyond the double green door in Knuc’s Observatory. Quickly spotting the cat-like Faerie Dragon in the treetops, Indra and Killian slowly thaw out the creature. They learn that the dragon is named "Little Dragon". It turns out to be quite the trickster, turning invisible and attempting to play tag with the party. Luckily, both Leaf and Killian manage to speak to it in Sylvan, with Indra communicating in Draconic with the little fey beast. In between playing with the creature, the party manages to learn that it knows Tiana, that Tiana is at least 800 years old, and that she also knows Knuc. During their conversations, Uthal is able to defrost the room by touching the floating orb at the centre of the room, and Killian is blasted with a cold breath-attack after trying to open the double white door.
The LUKI Four ask Little Dragon about the sign they had seen in Gildenwharf before. To their surprise, the little creature recognises it, but he is not allowed to talk about it. Despite this, the party negotiates a deal with the creature: he will help them get information about the sign, if they provide it with more food. They lead the dragon out of the room, where it quickly darts off to steal a key from a less than amused Alistar. Uthal uses his new book to make a copy of this key before returning the original to Alistar. They learn that Knuc and Tiana knew each other and that she used to visit the tower occasionally. Knuc and Tiana even share a common interest in bioengineering. Tiana seems to originate from near Glummoor on Blackstone Island. Taken aback by the revelations about Tiana, our heroes consider their next moves. They conclude that they should confront Tiana about the matter at hand. However, while the LUKI Four are taking the time to discuss their next step, the impatient Faerie Dragon flies away, stating that it will meet them at Tiana's.
Our adventurers quickly follow and arrive at Tiana's hut, but it seems empty. They decide to take this opportunity to thoroughly search her hut. The party manages to find a healing potion in a cupboard, a locked chest in her bedroom, and a storage room full of mostly dull (medical) supplies and insects. During a walk around the outside of the building, Leaf deduces that there should be at least one more room next to the storage room. The party spends some time trying to find the entrance. They get a major scare as someone approaches the tent, but breathe a collective sigh of relief upon realising that it is only Bolx. It takes a few attempts, but they eventually find their way into Tiana's hidden room. This room has a large chest in the corner with a book on top, a witch's Cauldron with the sign they were searching for on the ceiling directly above it, and a list of ingredients on the wall. They notice that all ingredients have been crossed off except for the final ingredient, "Essence of the Feywilds". They realise this means that Little Dragon might be in danger and promptly panic. The party also discovers Lohik in the chest, and finds that the book contains something that resembles arcane spells in Sylvan.
Before they can think about their next step, Tiana returns, knocking out Bolx and demanding an explanation. Tiana and the LUKI Four argue back and forth for a while and learn that Tiana is trying to summon the “Eye” of a being known as the "Feaster from Afar" in order to rescue her daughter in the Feywilds. Tiana is a hag who has been banished from the Feywilds ever since the rule of a new queen. Her daughter, who is only half-hag, was captured instead of being banished. An attempt at a peaceful solution is made, but ultimately fails as combat ensues. It is a challenging battle for the LUKI Four, but they manage to come out on top, killing Tiana. The party grabs everything from her hut that they think might be of interest, and they discover that Tiana also has the strange sign from Gildenwharf imprinted on her back, as well as a symbol of the hagmother in her pockets.
The adventurers swiftly rescue Lohik from the chest he was locked in, and find the missing Bullywug bloodstone in the same chest. They leave the stone with Bolx after he suggests that he might be able to smooth things over with the Bullywugs for them if he has the stone. The party sends the cleric Naveen to Bolx and take Lohik up to the wizard's tower. Our heroes rejoice when they find Little Dragon safely in the arms of Alistar. They comfort the creature and explain that Tiana wasn't the friend she pretended to be. The party also listens to Lohik's side of the story. He tells them that he found his way down the bottom of the Pit of Screams, where he came upon three living versions of the creatures the party had encountered at the mural in Gildenwharf. They were praying to a construct that resembled an enormous stone centipede with wings. He also noted the same sign on the wall behind it. Surprised by this strange sight, Lohik found his way out of the caves towards Tiana, but managed to catch her off guard while working on her ritual. She explained herself to Lohik, but when he told her he would not allow her to complete the ritual, she overpowered him and locked him up.
Our heroes now find themselves with more questions than answers. What lies beneath the Pit of Screams? What lies beyond the door that Alistar is guarding? What does the sign mean, who is this "Feaster from Afar" and why does its sign keep popping up?
Next session: Session 6: Up high & Down below

(Noteworthy) Characters Interacted With:
The Floats:

• Alistar, Butler of Master Knuc
• Tiana the Hag, Healer at The Floats
• Bolx, Translator at The Floats
• Lohik Bakkaroto, Scout for the Order

Report Date

05 Feb 2022

Primary Location

The Floats

Lohik Bakkaroto