Session 007: Teenagers, trees, and trouble
General Summary
Date: Pythion the 10th
After defeating the oozes hidden away in the ancient bathhouse, Hybris blows open the door to the next chamber, revealing a way deeper into the depths under the temple. Inside the hallway, there are a number of ancient one-eyed Gygan statues. Some have succumbed to the ages and are in terrible condition, but two of them are relatively functional and are holding two bronze offering bowls. The party debates for some time about how to handle the situation as Doriana remembers some history about the Gygan culture from her studies. After some time, however, Ianthe makes the move to head down the stairs. As she does, the statues come to life and begin attacking the party. While they seem to be resistant to damage that doesn't come from magical, or otherwise, sources, the group is easily able to dispatch the creatures, with much thanks to Hybris' superb grappling abilities. Acacius attempts to set another ball-bearing trap, trying to lure someone up the stairs by yelling into the hole in the other room, to no avail. Once the group makes their way down to the chambers below, they are greeted by a heavily obscured ivy wall that blocks the view of the cavern beyond. Heading through, they are met with the scene of a gorgeous underground glade containing plants, flowers, and all kinds of exotic flora that would be very difficult to find elsewhere. There's also a massive tree stump beside a small stream that bisects the chamber. Before they can really take in the majesty of the chamber, however, the party notices a gruesome scene taking place. Two Goatlings are wildly chasing around a little boy in the glade, terrorizing him. They seem to be toying with him, but getting progressively rougher in their method. Corinna is overcome with a sense of protection and attempts to rush forward to help the boy, but Hybris blocks her passage and intimidates her into staying back with the group. As the group heads into the cavern to assist the child, 4 more Goatlings and some sort of Goatling shaman jump out of the surrounding foliage. It's not an overly difficult battle, but rather annoying as the shaman brings all the surrounding Goatlings into a unified chorus of mockery directed at the party, and they all succumb to its rage-inducing effects. The fight is quickly finished by a spell combo effect performed by Doriana and her shatter and Ianthe's Dissonant Whispers directed toward the shaman near the great tree stump. The spell was so powerful that it caused the stump to partially split, and the altar that had been situated atop it was destroyed, scattering a clay pot of ashes across the glade. With the adversaries taken care of, the group is able to inventory their surroundings and identifies many exotic and useful plants within the glade, but lack the tools necessary to collect most of them. They investigate the surrounding area and head toward the sound of a waterfall and a party of some sort to the east. There, they find a group of teenagers that have evidently been eating some mushrooms of the glade and are under their adverse effects. The group decides to spend a few hours collecting those mushrooms for later use, and the kids begin to sober up by the time they're done. They speak of an initiation that Demetria has offered them. They say she has promised them wealth, beauty, and fame in exchange. Dorianna recalls the story of Demetria as all the pieces start to come together. She tells of what happened to her twin sister, that Estor Arkelander cut down her heart tree in order to build his great ship, the Ultros. Demetria went into a frenzy and vowed revenge against all the settler races. The group convinces all the kids to head back to the surface with Kyrah, and heads to the opposite side of the glade. There, they find a group of fey creatures, Dryads, and one Satyr, named Loreus. Loreus offers the party some information on the area, including the whereabouts of the horn. Ianthe compliments him, and he is instantly stricken by her. He offers her a rose and begins to follow the group around, staying close to the fellow satyr. One of the Dryads approaches Aurelia and says that they were foretold of her coming. They inform her that the "Hand" she seeks (The Staff of Kentimane), resides within Demetria's tree, but she has made a deal to place powerful protection magic on it. With their newfound ally, the group heads into the halls deeper into the underground temple. They peek into one of the side rooms to find two Maenads nursing their young. Decide to leave that room alone. Further in, they come to what sounds like a kitchen. Opening the door, they are met with two Goatlings wearing cook's hats and preparing food. Upon quick investigation, it looks like they are preparing human parts in a ghastly scene. The group dispatches them quickly. At the end of the hall, another door leads into a feasting hall, wherein four teenage girls sit around the table, headed by a beautiful male Satyr. He invites the group to dine with them. Instead, Hybris advances to take the Silver Horn, which is displayed in the center of the table. The satyr warns against this, but Hybris presses on. In a flash, the candles adorning the table burst into sparks and blind Hybris. The rest of the group watches as the satyr begins to alter their form, growing 4 times their original size, sprouting small wings out of their back, huge clawed hands, and a disfigured, demonic pig head.
After defeating the oozes hidden away in the ancient bathhouse, Hybris blows open the door to the next chamber, revealing a way deeper into the depths under the temple. Inside the hallway, there are a number of ancient one-eyed Gygan statues. Some have succumbed to the ages and are in terrible condition, but two of them are relatively functional and are holding two bronze offering bowls. The party debates for some time about how to handle the situation as Doriana remembers some history about the Gygan culture from her studies. After some time, however, Ianthe makes the move to head down the stairs. As she does, the statues come to life and begin attacking the party. While they seem to be resistant to damage that doesn't come from magical, or otherwise, sources, the group is easily able to dispatch the creatures, with much thanks to Hybris' superb grappling abilities. Acacius attempts to set another ball-bearing trap, trying to lure someone up the stairs by yelling into the hole in the other room, to no avail. Once the group makes their way down to the chambers below, they are greeted by a heavily obscured ivy wall that blocks the view of the cavern beyond. Heading through, they are met with the scene of a gorgeous underground glade containing plants, flowers, and all kinds of exotic flora that would be very difficult to find elsewhere. There's also a massive tree stump beside a small stream that bisects the chamber. Before they can really take in the majesty of the chamber, however, the party notices a gruesome scene taking place. Two Goatlings are wildly chasing around a little boy in the glade, terrorizing him. They seem to be toying with him, but getting progressively rougher in their method. Corinna is overcome with a sense of protection and attempts to rush forward to help the boy, but Hybris blocks her passage and intimidates her into staying back with the group. As the group heads into the cavern to assist the child, 4 more Goatlings and some sort of Goatling shaman jump out of the surrounding foliage. It's not an overly difficult battle, but rather annoying as the shaman brings all the surrounding Goatlings into a unified chorus of mockery directed at the party, and they all succumb to its rage-inducing effects. The fight is quickly finished by a spell combo effect performed by Doriana and her shatter and Ianthe's Dissonant Whispers directed toward the shaman near the great tree stump. The spell was so powerful that it caused the stump to partially split, and the altar that had been situated atop it was destroyed, scattering a clay pot of ashes across the glade. With the adversaries taken care of, the group is able to inventory their surroundings and identifies many exotic and useful plants within the glade, but lack the tools necessary to collect most of them. They investigate the surrounding area and head toward the sound of a waterfall and a party of some sort to the east. There, they find a group of teenagers that have evidently been eating some mushrooms of the glade and are under their adverse effects. The group decides to spend a few hours collecting those mushrooms for later use, and the kids begin to sober up by the time they're done. They speak of an initiation that Demetria has offered them. They say she has promised them wealth, beauty, and fame in exchange. Dorianna recalls the story of Demetria as all the pieces start to come together. She tells of what happened to her twin sister, that Estor Arkelander cut down her heart tree in order to build his great ship, the Ultros. Demetria went into a frenzy and vowed revenge against all the settler races. The group convinces all the kids to head back to the surface with Kyrah, and heads to the opposite side of the glade. There, they find a group of fey creatures, Dryads, and one Satyr, named Loreus. Loreus offers the party some information on the area, including the whereabouts of the horn. Ianthe compliments him, and he is instantly stricken by her. He offers her a rose and begins to follow the group around, staying close to the fellow satyr. One of the Dryads approaches Aurelia and says that they were foretold of her coming. They inform her that the "Hand" she seeks (The Staff of Kentimane), resides within Demetria's tree, but she has made a deal to place powerful protection magic on it. With their newfound ally, the group heads into the halls deeper into the underground temple. They peek into one of the side rooms to find two Maenads nursing their young. Decide to leave that room alone. Further in, they come to what sounds like a kitchen. Opening the door, they are met with two Goatlings wearing cook's hats and preparing food. Upon quick investigation, it looks like they are preparing human parts in a ghastly scene. The group dispatches them quickly. At the end of the hall, another door leads into a feasting hall, wherein four teenage girls sit around the table, headed by a beautiful male Satyr. He invites the group to dine with them. Instead, Hybris advances to take the Silver Horn, which is displayed in the center of the table. The satyr warns against this, but Hybris presses on. In a flash, the candles adorning the table burst into sparks and blind Hybris. The rest of the group watches as the satyr begins to alter their form, growing 4 times their original size, sprouting small wings out of their back, huge clawed hands, and a disfigured, demonic pig head.
Rewards Granted
2 x ancient bronze offering bowls
Report Date
17 Jan 2023
Primary Location
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