Session 002: Seek out the Oracle
General Summary
Date: Pythion 4th
Weary from their journey into the hills and subsequent battle with The Great Boar, the party makes their way back to The Sour Vintage for a well deserved good night's rest. On their way back, it's quite noticeable how empty the area leading up to and around the roadside inn is. The usual passerby and meandering local workforce are absent. The mystery of the missing village folk is quickly solved as the party enters the inn, and is greeted by a roar of cheers and admiration from the whole population of the surrounding countryside. Everyone man, woman, and child from miles around have gathered, seemingly already with knowledge of the hero's victory over the boar. They offer to buy drinks, food, and some present gifts for their saviors. A small child presents Ianthe with a burlap and linen doll, and a housewife offers Aura a well-crafted silver hand mirror. The group carouses deep into the evening, playing games and attempting to glean some information about their fellow traveling companions before eventually retiring. At some point in the night, each member of the group shares the same dream:
You find yourself in a cave, sitting on a mountain of fine blankets, pillows, and a tapestry depicting the majesty of Thylea. You're on a small island in the middle of an underground river that calmly flows by, creating a serene and relaxing atmosphere. There is a sacrificial bier nearby that lights up the chamber, and the waters around you seem to glow, reflecting the source. Incense burners dot the chamber, leaving a strong haze that lingers in the air. The pleasant environment is suddenly disrupted by the ghostly visage of a water nymph that appears downstream at the far side of the chamber. She looks weak and weary. She extends a delicate, pleading hand toward you and murmurs a cry for help that seems to bounce and reverberate across the walls of the cave: "Help...me".
Date: Pythion 5th
The party is simultaneously jolted from the dream and wakes up to the early morning sun. The various members collectively make their way down to the taproom where Kyrah is attempting to stack Lepta coins on top of the head of a passed-out patron, seeing how high she can make the tower. The group discusses the strange vision and decides that they need to make their way to The Temple of the Oracle at once, and Kyrah offers to guide them. Along the way, the group passes a set of incredibly large hands jutting out from the ground, grasping for the heavens. Kyrah explains these to be 'The Hands of Kentimane', but whether they are his actual hands or just a natural phenomenon is unknown. Ianthe challenges Kyrah to a footrace to see who can pass between the hands the quickest. Kyrah accepts, and mercilessly sprints ahead like a bolt of lightning, winning the race by a longshot, much to Ianthe's dismay.
Kyrah eventually leads them deep into a valley within the hills south of Estoria, before announcing that they're close to their destination. She leads them to an unsuspecting rock wall with an almost invisible entrance leading down into the earth. Small steam vents send random puffs of hot air into the floor of the valley, and it seems like the source of the steam is located further down as it quickly begins to heat up as the party makes its way into the cave. After some walking, they emerge into a large chamber housing a geyser field, and the front of what looks to be a large temple dedicated to Sydon, The Lord of Storms. Acacius sneaks in closer to get a look and overhears a heated conversation between two parties. The rest of the group catches up with him, and they attempt to ambush a group of soldiers that has taken some of the temple attendants hostage. He misses his opening attack and alerts the soldiers to their presence. A quick conversation is had where it's discovered this group of Sydon followers/enforcers has captured the temple attendants while an agent of Sydon, Heleka, the sea hag, has been charged with kidnapping Versi, The Oracle. Hybris promptly lets out a mighty roar that sends the majority of the opposing group running in fear, leaving only the commanding officer to stand and fight the group. While he is strong in his own right, he is no match for the onslaught of attacks from the group of heroes, and he and his soldiers are quickly and brutally dispatched. It's discovered that the soldiers had already slain a number of temple monks, and Proteus, the 'chief' attendant, requests the use of some of the soldiers' coin to help pay tribute to their passing. As the group prepares the ceremony for the fallen, Ianthe heads into the adjacent chamber to fetch a key for the door to the Oracle's grotto; however, as soon as she touches the key, a number of swords displayed on the walls come to life and ready themselves to assault her.
Weary from their journey into the hills and subsequent battle with The Great Boar, the party makes their way back to The Sour Vintage for a well deserved good night's rest. On their way back, it's quite noticeable how empty the area leading up to and around the roadside inn is. The usual passerby and meandering local workforce are absent. The mystery of the missing village folk is quickly solved as the party enters the inn, and is greeted by a roar of cheers and admiration from the whole population of the surrounding countryside. Everyone man, woman, and child from miles around have gathered, seemingly already with knowledge of the hero's victory over the boar. They offer to buy drinks, food, and some present gifts for their saviors. A small child presents Ianthe with a burlap and linen doll, and a housewife offers Aura a well-crafted silver hand mirror. The group carouses deep into the evening, playing games and attempting to glean some information about their fellow traveling companions before eventually retiring. At some point in the night, each member of the group shares the same dream:
You find yourself in a cave, sitting on a mountain of fine blankets, pillows, and a tapestry depicting the majesty of Thylea. You're on a small island in the middle of an underground river that calmly flows by, creating a serene and relaxing atmosphere. There is a sacrificial bier nearby that lights up the chamber, and the waters around you seem to glow, reflecting the source. Incense burners dot the chamber, leaving a strong haze that lingers in the air. The pleasant environment is suddenly disrupted by the ghostly visage of a water nymph that appears downstream at the far side of the chamber. She looks weak and weary. She extends a delicate, pleading hand toward you and murmurs a cry for help that seems to bounce and reverberate across the walls of the cave: "Help...me".
Date: Pythion 5th
The party is simultaneously jolted from the dream and wakes up to the early morning sun. The various members collectively make their way down to the taproom where Kyrah is attempting to stack Lepta coins on top of the head of a passed-out patron, seeing how high she can make the tower. The group discusses the strange vision and decides that they need to make their way to The Temple of the Oracle at once, and Kyrah offers to guide them. Along the way, the group passes a set of incredibly large hands jutting out from the ground, grasping for the heavens. Kyrah explains these to be 'The Hands of Kentimane', but whether they are his actual hands or just a natural phenomenon is unknown. Ianthe challenges Kyrah to a footrace to see who can pass between the hands the quickest. Kyrah accepts, and mercilessly sprints ahead like a bolt of lightning, winning the race by a longshot, much to Ianthe's dismay.
Kyrah eventually leads them deep into a valley within the hills south of Estoria, before announcing that they're close to their destination. She leads them to an unsuspecting rock wall with an almost invisible entrance leading down into the earth. Small steam vents send random puffs of hot air into the floor of the valley, and it seems like the source of the steam is located further down as it quickly begins to heat up as the party makes its way into the cave. After some walking, they emerge into a large chamber housing a geyser field, and the front of what looks to be a large temple dedicated to Sydon, The Lord of Storms. Acacius sneaks in closer to get a look and overhears a heated conversation between two parties. The rest of the group catches up with him, and they attempt to ambush a group of soldiers that has taken some of the temple attendants hostage. He misses his opening attack and alerts the soldiers to their presence. A quick conversation is had where it's discovered this group of Sydon followers/enforcers has captured the temple attendants while an agent of Sydon, Heleka, the sea hag, has been charged with kidnapping Versi, The Oracle. Hybris promptly lets out a mighty roar that sends the majority of the opposing group running in fear, leaving only the commanding officer to stand and fight the group. While he is strong in his own right, he is no match for the onslaught of attacks from the group of heroes, and he and his soldiers are quickly and brutally dispatched. It's discovered that the soldiers had already slain a number of temple monks, and Proteus, the 'chief' attendant, requests the use of some of the soldiers' coin to help pay tribute to their passing. As the group prepares the ceremony for the fallen, Ianthe heads into the adjacent chamber to fetch a key for the door to the Oracle's grotto; however, as soon as she touches the key, a number of swords displayed on the walls come to life and ready themselves to assault her.
Rewards Granted
19 Gold Drachmae, 100 Silver Obols
Report Date
15 Nov 2022
Primary Location
Related Characters
Dreams tell us more about ourselves than we might like to imagine. How many of our waking hours are spent retrading the paths we've walked in dreams?
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