The Dam Breaks
General Summary
Adjustment back to life in the present, for some, and the future, for others was not a simple task for the group. Not long after returning, a dormant disease picked up in the past took hold of Kail, Hide, and Popo. The disease, known as Mad Monk Fever manifested differently in each of them. Gabe became delusional but, rather than address it with the party, withdrew back to his home and avoided the group as much as possible, although didn't reject them, allowing Popo and Thea to stay with him.
Thea had actually lodged with Hide at first but, though unaffected with the disease, the trauma of being pulled through time, seeing a drow that she had promised to protect being killed as she watched on helplessly, metting two deities, and the death and destruction of the village besieged by the undead sent her into a spiral of despair. The young tiefling attempted to hang herself and, though Hide attempted to talk her down, it was actually the goblin's own obvious trauma that stopped Thea from going through with the act. This event, coupled with Mad Monk Fever actually caused Hide to develop a brief fear of tieflings - somewhat problematic with Kail and Thea in the group! Hide also retreated from the group for a few days. Kail became entirely self-involved and distant during this period as well and it was probably a needed cool down period after the intense events of the past few days for each one of them. Popo, after all, had several centuries of history and technological advancement to deal with on top of everything else!
Things could have gone horribly wrong for the group before they had any time to recover, as a street preacher targeted the group as they walked past on the way to market - pointing them out to a riled up mob as being problems in their society for openly carrying weapons in town. Things got very dicey for a moment, but the group were able to calm enough of the crowd before a riot started, and the street preacher lost his audience sufficiently that the crowd dispersed, though many grumbled about the danger that adventurers brought to the town. At the market, the group sold off some of the gear they had picked up on their adventures and found some interesting items and healing potions to pick up.
A few weeks passed, with Popo continuing her research and learning from Kail, Thea, and Hide. Gabe continued to be distant, but still checked in with the group from time to time. Of all the party, his trauma at seeing his possible future fate might have been the most affected, and the group didn't push on the mysteries of his brief absence at Khydar's behest, or how the disease had affected him.
Gabe did not always join the group as they took Popo around the area to explore their new home base and, one day, heading out of town to an adjacent river valley on their way to take Popo to sample more modern cuisine, the group heard a loud crack nearby, as if a large thunderclap had taken place. Looking around to see if a magical effect had caused the noise, since there was barely a cloud in the sky, they were horrified to see an enormous wall of water sweeping down the valley towards them. A cry from one of the local homesteaders warned them that the dam at the top of the valley had broken before the swift moving wave hit them, sweeping them down the valley at speed.
Kail was able to quickly react to conjure and invisible platform above the level of the water, while Thea dove behind a nearby wall next to a tree to hang on. Popo scooped up Hide and bolted for higher ground, not quite making it before the water hit, but missing the worst of the effects by stretching, as some Kloni can do.
The group were able to rescue a handful of locals and animals as the rushing water swept debris, animals, and people alike swiftly down the valley. Faced with a panicking bear, a steep waterfall, and swirling water all around them, the brief and terrifying disaster took the lives of many locals, even those who the party had thought they had been able to save. An old man scooped out of the water by Kail had taken a bad head injury and his heart gave out, but not before giving Kail a boon for his efforts.
Thea managed to grab a teenaged boy out of the water, but couldn't save his dog or his parents, who had been caught in the intial rush of water further up the valley and their homestead utterly destroyed. She also assisted a preganant woman and her husband, the heavily pregant woman, going into labor in the aftermath of the wave. Her husband was all but useless, needing his wife and Thea to calm him down. The pregnant woman remained calm and collected through it all and gave birth to a baby girl who the parents decided to name after Thea. Popo and Hide worked together to save some others, along with a donkey and a baby, but Hide and many of those that had managed to take refuge on a large barn door were swept over a 20 foot drop even as the waters calmed down, most of them were thrown back into a deep pool of swirling water at the foot of the drop, as the river in the valley swelled to new depths, and some were struck with falling debris or pulled under the water, failing to emerge again. So many being taken just as it seemed they were going to be safe made the whole situation even more tragic, and reminded everyone that the wrath of nature was sometimes unstoppable. One of those rescued was a priestess of Jopha the Verdant, Goddess of Nature, and she was quick to show her gratitude to the group with some gifts to aid them in the future. Byt days end, the news of the tragedy had spread to nearby Irvine and the attempts of the group to save as many as possible raised their profile in the town. After a night to recover from the exertions of the day, the party decided that the first thing to do was to go and investigate the dam to see why it had failed and if there was somebody or something to blame for the tragedy that had befallen the river valley and its denizens.
Thea managed to grab a teenaged boy out of the water, but couldn't save his dog or his parents, who had been caught in the intial rush of water further up the valley and their homestead utterly destroyed. She also assisted a preganant woman and her husband, the heavily pregant woman, going into labor in the aftermath of the wave. Her husband was all but useless, needing his wife and Thea to calm him down. The pregnant woman remained calm and collected through it all and gave birth to a baby girl who the parents decided to name after Thea. Popo and Hide worked together to save some others, along with a donkey and a baby, but Hide and many of those that had managed to take refuge on a large barn door were swept over a 20 foot drop even as the waters calmed down, most of them were thrown back into a deep pool of swirling water at the foot of the drop, as the river in the valley swelled to new depths, and some were struck with falling debris or pulled under the water, failing to emerge again. So many being taken just as it seemed they were going to be safe made the whole situation even more tragic, and reminded everyone that the wrath of nature was sometimes unstoppable. One of those rescued was a priestess of Jopha the Verdant, Goddess of Nature, and she was quick to show her gratitude to the group with some gifts to aid them in the future. Byt days end, the news of the tragedy had spread to nearby Irvine and the attempts of the group to save as many as possible raised their profile in the town. After a night to recover from the exertions of the day, the party decided that the first thing to do was to go and investigate the dam to see why it had failed and if there was somebody or something to blame for the tragedy that had befallen the river valley and its denizens.
Rewards Granted
Missions/Quests Completed
- Fear and Philosophy
- Swept Away
Notes
Items Gained
- +1 Ring of Protection (intricately carved oak)
- 6 Potions of Cure Wounds
- Snowglobe with a small castle inside that causes a light snowfall around the person holding it when shaken (12 Gold)
- Seashell Comb inlaid with silver. When you brush your hair with it you can hear the ocean. (75 Gold)
- "Tonic" - gives a small buff to Intelligence and mental clarity tat lasts around 2 hours. Is made with Illithid pheromones that illithids can sense from hundreds of miles away.
- Ivory Goat Figurine
Report Date
04 Dec 2022
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