Titans' Folly #5: Dregs of the Depths

General Summary

The adventurers stand in the dark as all the corrupting crystals have shattered and the roots are free. They speak about Kurt's changes due to the shard he holds. Then, all together, they step out from the tunnels and into the twilight of the surface. with the darkness of the tree lying on the ground, cut off from the living being.
Once on the surface, the group are greeted by the figure of Hildegard lounging on a higher shelf of rocks. She tells them that she has listened to the life around her and what the nymphs have been gossiping about, and she knows what they plan is wrong.
She tells Luthrin that the Fey plan to strip away the life from that which Luthrin had. They plan to turn them into a guardian who was a puppet of the Fey rather than being in symbiosis with them. Hildegard implores him to reject this "cleansing" and further "bind" himself to the artifacts and only progress in power.
The group all climb out of the hole and begin training. Kurt speaks to Luthrin and tells him that cleansing the artifacts, becoming a guardian, that sounds like the right path. Hope speaks to Luthrin and tells him to follow her instincts no matter what.
Then, Hope accepts a boon from Verenestra, a member of the Seelie Court while she begins her martial training.
Meanwhile, Luthrin asks the nymphs about what will occur if she cleanses the artifacts. They tell her that doing so will make her more able to protect herself and others while she rights the wrongs committed by the Fey and others that come. They explain that she will have freedom to do as she wants in her life.
Luthrin weighs the options and finally decides to follow the path of binding, becoming closer with these artifacts she calls master. Then, a nymph guides the party through the tree towards the next location they needed to arrive at, Deeplake.
Once there, they find that certain individuals, including Tima can not get in due to a barrier that seems to surround it. Only Bear, Gratorr, Kurt, and Nikwik pass through and investigate the location.
These four enter the wilderness here and wade through water as they follow the sight of four giant dragon statues towards a central location. At this location, they come across a giant warship. On board the ship they can hear music playing.
These four, along with the skeletons climb up and investigate the ship, learning the music is coming from the captain's cabin. They entered the cabin and learn there is no one there. Inside were just three paintings and dust covered navigator's instruments, but from one of the fallen paintings came the music.
In a fallen painting is the image of a sea-elf captain looking down with nothing in his hands, but it looks like he should be playing something. On the other side of the room is another fallen painting, this one of another sea elf that seems related to the captain. She is playing a strange bagpipe-like instrument. In the center of the room hangs the image of the daughter walking away from the captain and putting on a horned helm while walking towards a green light whilst a very injured captain lays on the ground, looking towards the viewer with one grey eye whilst his hands move slightly over an object that does not exist.
With some sleuthing, the group realizes the instruments in the painting are the same as that the skeletons are holding. Gratorr tells his skeletons to give the paintings the instruments, and they do so, causing them to play a song, to play a discordant version of the sea shanty entitled, "The Daughter of the Sea."
Meanwhile, the people outside wait when they hear laughing. They go towards it and see a stage for stand-up comedy amongst the fey with a large conch shell turned into a proscenium stage with an angler fish providing light and a sign of a large smile.
The group hear as Nathair Sgiathach comes onto stage and speaks some long winded jokes. The group heckle the comic amongst themselves, and he calls them out which greatly surprises them. This figure says that Hope creates many jokes, including the life of her dear friend. The figure then speaks of how Arnold did something that changes everything, but they simply did not realize it. He also speaks of Tima making a joke of all of them and asking them where they think their time is going. Then, as the group becomes angry at Nathair, he laughs and turns into a faerie dragon along with all the listeners who turn into a mix of pseudodragons and faerie dragons and fly away.
Then, as they sit, unsure of what to do, a warship comes to greet them. Everyone boards the ship, and they sail back to gain wisdom imparted by the magical dragon statues that have come to life as all of Deeplake is flooded with the dragons flying high above.
From there, they all go to the next location, sailing for what feels like many days to reach a castle where centaurs are holding a festival of theirs. At this festival, the group are asked to participate in a race and they begin to agree. They are led to a checkpoint area where they can feast along with others.
At this area, they recognize the spots where many members of the Lotus and where their friend Arnold died. Everyone goes to perform their own actions. Then, they hear bombs planted and get ready to get down. The explosion rocks the area, and the group hears as fighting occurs all around them.
When the dust settles, they see walking through the rubble of the walls were two different groups. On one side, there was a half demon half horse creature, a half demon half orc creature, and a tall slender demon on fire with a flaming blade. On the other side was a completely white hulking beast, a diseased goat man, and a floating creature with one giant glossy eye and many other glossy eyes at the end of tendrils. Flying above the wall, is another white ogre-like creature, but this one brings a strange sense of foreboding and has two clawed hands that it brings to the fight.
Gratorr immediately begins to incapacitate the more demonic side using black tendrils to hold them down. Kurt and Ramori summon beings to hinder the actions of the abberations and goat-man. Meanwhile Kriv, Hope, and Ariel fight the strange flying ogre.
Kriv and the horse demon fight with their lightning abilities and the fiery Hope manages to slay the demonic leader on that side after she uses a well-placed rune to cause the flying ogre to kill the goat man and the flying ogre dies from Luthrin's necrotic chains.
The half-orc demon is slain by Bear, Gratorr and his summoned creatures. Meanwhile, Skellybob manages to charge the star spawn hulk. Then, the group watches as the portcullis to the checkpoint begins to open, and Hope has to kill the quasits that managed to open it, and she looks as on the other side stand the Artillerist and the figure who took the feyblade.
Then, members of the group hear shouts. From one side, Hope hears a voice call, "Sister, Brother!" On the other side, others hear as another voice calls, "Luthrin, Hope!"
And so, as the group readies to finish one fight with the two remaining alien beings, they must prepare themselves for whatever comes next.

Rewards Granted

The boon of Verenestra was given to Hope
Luthrin has become closer to her artifacts, gaining the Crimson Offering ability

Missions/Quests Completed

Gained aid from the nymphs
Gained aid from the dragonoids

Character(s) interacted with

Hildegard, the Guide of Binding
The Nymphs, Guides of Cleansing
Nathair Sgiatach, The Prankster God
The Artillerist, Corrupter of Arnold
The Hunter, Thief of Jade

Report Date

24 Jul 2021