DND Blog

A place to keep DND session recaps, from various campaigns.

The Eighty-Fourth Session

May 27, 2023, Campaign: As the ground quakes, evil wakes

We kill time in the Woven Council, go shopping, and hold a small party. Then we hit Level 14.

Table of Contents

  1. Last session
  2. Ren's House
  3. What next?
  4. Next session

Last session

We killed Kerjes and took a long rest. And then we teleported to Ren's house, over at the Woven Council.

Ren's House

His teleportation circle is under the tree; to the left is the entry, to the right is the study, and the bedroom beyond. The letter is in the study; Ryltar picks it up. We debate whether the letter is for us, and after reminding ourselves that he's a Divination Wizard, we crack it open.

Ryltar reads the letter aloud.

TKTK insert recording.

Dear Knights of the Summer Court, If you are reading this, then I am dead. Did I foresee my end? No, I saw something worse: Jerry's wife was slain by Kerjes, while the marilith held the children at sword point. I knew the ramifications of meddling with visions would be suicidal. But it had to be done. This was my decision. My life has been full of adventure, yearning, heartache and turmoil. I always knew what may happen, but never where I'll be going. I have left you with an insurmountable burden, the likes of which I could barely muster. I'm sorry that I couldn't prepare you more for what is to come. The items I gave you were but a small gesture in the grand scheme of things. Though they may be what each of you needed. - Jerry: A Scroll of Locate Creature, to reunite with who matters the most. - Ryltar: my Ebony Fly, so you can rise above your doubts. - Vurgron: a Cypher of Protection, you have defended the party thus far, it is time for someone to have your back. - Percival: a Horn of Silent Alarm, so no matter how much trouble you may find yourself in, you'll have someone to call upon. - Salris: Beads of Force, to contain one's demons. My research has been sent to Guy Pennet. Instill confidence within him and he'll become a great mage. My home will become the council's property at the end of the year, until then it may be used as your discretion. I put my faith in you. Go with Strength, Cunning, and Kindness;

Ren Farlow

So we realize that Ren saw the future, and decided to change it. "It wasn't supposed to be like this," he said, and that's because he changed how it went.

We spend some time looking around the house; it's uncommonly clean. On one bookshelf, Percival finds some books that don't move; he figures out how to get them to pull open a shelf. It reveals a cracked and rusty pendant: a shield with crossed spears, cut through the whole pendant. It's a broken holy symbol of the deity Kord, of strength and fighting and storms. We put it back; it was significant and we don't know what his relationship was to Kord.

We've got the run of his house until the end of the year.

We step out of the house to go find the Woven Council, to tell them that their favorite divination wizard is dead. We flag down a guard; he says that he'll pass the message along. We suggest that they might want to be informed in person. Jerry adds, "The circumstances of his death were … complicated." The guard asks, "What did you say his name was?" "Ren Farlow," Jerry replies. The guard looks at us again, and straightens up. "Follow me." He and another guard escort us into the Elven city.

We pass through a residential district. There are many sellers, and there's a not-insignificant amount of half-elves. The Drow present are being carefully avoided. These Elves are racist.

Our escort passes us off to a higher-ranking guard, with fancier armor and a half-cape. There's a whispered conversation; he asks us who Ren Farlow was to us. We explain who Ren was to us, show him the letter. He doesn't look persuaded.

The guard captain turns without a word and goes into the inner city. We make to follow, and are barred entry. Jerry raises an eyebrow at the guard, and then we wait.

About five minutes later, the guard captain returns with a female elf in simple but high-fashion robes: an advisor to the council. She says, "You are the ones that Ren has spoken of?"

"He spoke of us?"

"Highly."

Ryltar starts to explain what happened; she cuts him off. "I am not the one to plead to. The adjourned council is who to talk to." The inner ring gates are opened to us, and we are escorted by the assistant in. She drifts, long silver-blonde hair floating behind her.

We're in travelers' clothes and our usual armor; there are whispers.

The halls here are even more ornate. There is a large cathedral-like structure in the middle, which if we didn't know it was built we might have thought it grew there. Stone and glass set in tree trunks, climbing into the sky. But it's still only a quarter of the size of Kerjes' Banyo Tree. Inside is a building, and a giant amphitheatre. We are led around the side to a set of seats, and told, "Wait here."

And so we do, with this assistant beside us.

Small birds flit around.

Eventually, Elves in green-and-white robes trickle into the chamber and take their seats. Finally two Ancient Elves enter, taking two of the seats that face us at the raised dias in the center, while a third seat remains empty.

Everyone sits.

A herald comes forward, and says that the business before the Council is the mourning of one who was lost. The two Ancient Elves stand. One, a male Elf, with dark tan skin and orange eyes, says, "Ren has advised us for a long time. A great personal friend to our fallen Thalia. The loss weighs greatly on those who have been near to him."

The female Ancient Elf, with deathly pale grey skin, and a high collar, says, "His memory will live on with those who know him."

There's a pause, where we're indicated to stand. So we stand, and Ryltar tells the story of how Ren responded to the siege of Lanthet, how Kerjes brought demons to attack the city. How Ren called us, how he went off from us and dealt her a seemingly-mortal blow. How his action allowed us to save people's lives, and how his actions inspired Ryltar to offer himself as bait to draw Kerjes within crossbow range.

In the same voice, the room says: "To live, to nurture, but to go gently."

The Ancient Elves leave, and then the other elves trickle out.

We ask the assistant whether we did good. "You did what you must."

We ask about escalation procedures and accesses; she says that our deeds have been recorded by the Council and we will be granted certain privileges. Percival cheers, "equal under the law!"

What next?

We decide to try teleporting to the Banyo Tree, but we won't be able to do that until tomorrow.

We decide to go shopping. The magic item shop where we bought the Folding Boat has stopped existing; Bugfood sold them a Magic Bean. Dezrin's Delicacies has a big sign out front, its glass shattered outwards; the sign askew. The windows are boarded; the doors are boarded. There's a paper pinned to the door reading "Remodeling."

Jerry knocks on the door; the sign flops loose. There's a sudden clamor inside. We panic; Jerry casts Cast Without Trace; Salris becomes Leon. Vurguron disappears. Percival and Jerry stand around awkwardly, and Jerry lets Pass Without Trace flop.

Percival knocks again. "Whaddaya want?" asks the person inside. "Are you open?" asks Percival. "Find the door!" says the person, with Sarcasm.

Percival Dimension Doors in. "I should have come to expect this," says the proprietor.

Jerry climbs up onto the roof and jumps down through the hole. She lands behind the proprietor.

We discuss some things; the proprietor is mad that the bean exploded with an angry spirit; Jerry compliments him on his luck. The store is an exploded wreck. The proprietor is really mad. Jerry offers to pay him some for his contributions to the advancement of science.

He's still mad; Jerry continues to compliment him on his boatsmithing but the proprietor isn't mollified. She leaves him two tusks of the Eyes of the Forest as she climbs out the roof.

So we go to the apothecary that we knew, and buy out her stock of healing potions (4 normal 1 greater) and then haggle over other potions. She'll give us 800 for our 25 Sea Dragon Quills.

We ask about magic item shops; she doesn't know anything other than Dezrin.

We go to the Inner Circle to talk to the church of Corellon Larethian, to get the obsidian greatsword disposed of. The guard lets us in, and leads us to the cathedral. Vurguron takes the lead in finding an acolyte of the right rank, and we are led to a priest. The situation is explained, and the priest says that the Obsidian Greatsword isn't cursed.

Salris pulls out the Dancing Scimitar to ask whether it's cursed or bad. The hilt is gold; the blade is silvery with a two-tone overlay of metals. The priest says it had a curse on it. It apparently came from the Mummy Lord, since the priest says it looks like it came from a Mummy's grave and we know that Kerjes had come into contact with the Marilith. But this curse is suppressed by higher magics; the source of the curse is the mummy's own magic seeping into the blade over time. The curse would be reawakened in the presence of the source of the curse, if we should ever meet the Mummy Lord.

So we need to check on the Mummy Lord. Jerry adds it to the todo list.

The priest looks on this conversation with curiosity, and asks us, indirectly, how non-Elves like this Drow, Ryltar, ended up standing in front of him. We tell him who we are, and he goes, "ah", and smiles. Ryltar donates 20 platinum. Ryltar mentions that he abhors the religious practicesof the Drow.

Ryltar walks out.

We go looking for a dive bar, and find … an Olive Garden.

Percival decides to gather a bar crawl crowd, inhabit an empty bar, and have a nice evening. We round up a handful of "young" 90-year-old Elves, and get wine-drunk. Percival starts playing his pan-pipes to accompany the music.

Then he beckons the band over, and lead them towards klezmer.

Ryltar adds a burst of Fairy Fire, but it's not really well received, so he lets them fade.

Percival ramps up the Dancing Lights, and somehow plays the "Hot for Teacher" drum solo on his panflute.

That's the end of the evening; Percival makes 5 gold in tips.

We stumble back to Ren's house, and level up.

Next session