Sanguine Sunrise #32: Into the Light

General Summary

The group wait for seven days in the city of Waterdeep, finding employment or learning information. Funnily enough, as Ramori looks into pseudodragons, its seems that their desired location of Phandalin is the best bet.
Once this time period was over, Luthrin has gained a lead on finding Martyn, but it would take him at least a tenday before he could actually confront him with the information that was found. The party are deciding whether or not to wait for this or go to Phandalin, but they are interrupted by a strange woman with chains on her arms walking into the tavern with them. Kurt speaks to her and she states that with a binding of darkness they have something that will draw them there, and worrying about other things is infinitesimal in the grand scheme of things.
The group leaves from this and go to the theatre they have been to before, but they do not manage to find anything there. They then proceeded to argue about horses for gods know how long.
After this they headed to Phandalin and made it there without issue. In the village at night, they watch as a root with a green light upon its end shoots out of the earth. They then watch as it shoots back into the earth, but the light remains viewable beneath the earth.
Following this, Sanguine Sunrise followed the light for hours to no avail. Luthrin shot into the earth and saw the root beneath, but the light continued moving, so they continued following.
Luckily, it eventually led somewhere, and they saw firelight with a figure and two yellow insectoid creatures chained up. Kurt reveals himself and talks to this figure who is apparently what is known as a protozoa or free agent of the Diseased, and they tell the group they have to leave. However, the group speaks of the light that led them there, so the agent leads them into the cave behind them.
Inside the cave, which seems like carved tunnels with a constant dripping noise within it, the group enter a small room filled with water and brambles with a couple of other agents of the Diseased within it, Delilah who the group previously met, and a deep gnome.
A strange parley occurs between the two groups as each tries to learn information from the other, but eventually, the deep gnome walks away speaking in deep speech about a set of chains. However, when the deep gnome returns, he is mumbling and seemingly insane, so the protozoa casts a spell to keep him in place while exploring the cavern with the others, but is seemingly confused with its outcome.
The group moves on, exploring more of the cavern in hopes of finding out more information and Ramori looking for a pseudodragon, but as they are fighting, two eyeball creatures with white tendrils with crimson tips at the end rush towards the adventurers and the diseased. Delilah and the Protozoa fight one while Sanguine Sunrise manage to banish the other.
With their enemy defeated, the Sunrise is introduced to a face made of roots in a wall that tells them to follow. The party agrees by following undulating roots in the wall while walls of roots begin closing off the tunnels behind them. Eventually, they have managed to circle around to the original room where they found the gnome, completely pierced through by roots.
Originally, a voice comes from the body greeting them, but then, out of the water, the bramble takes the form of that of a dwarven woman who introduces herself as Lady Vorthal of the Black Branch. Upon seeing the blade Luthrin had, she asks if Perseus had finally changed his mind, but due to Luthrin not understanding she says he deserved what he got. Instead she created an issue here, but now something more can be done.
She goes on to tell them that they must seek the children of the Seelie court in the sylvan lands. The centaurs, the nymphs, the treants, and the semi-dragonoids. Each will have wisdom to impart and each will open a heart of the Court. With this done, some may help with the blade. However, she knows her time is at an end as the Diseased have figure it out. She tells the group that this may be the last time that they can get out of this, but they agree to go.
Next thing they know, they feel grass beneath their feet and trees above them. As they step forward, they walk into the light.

Character(s) interacted with

Raven, the Shadow Bound
The Protozoa
Delilah, the Diseased Guardian
Warick, a dead gnome
Lady Vorthal of the Black Branch

Report Date

17 Apr 2021