The Twelfth Session

September 21, 2019, Campaign: As the ground quakes, evil wakes

It is 7:00 p.m. on Forn, the fifth day of the sixth week of Tarsakh. Tomorrow is the Spring Solstice.

Ren, Majorie, Jerry, Vurguron, Salris, Ryltar, and a number of casters from the competition are together in the ice-covered arena.

Tula is at the Forest Floor.

1750 gold is owed now, by the end of the month of Mirtul.

In the ice bubble

Ren collapses to his knees.

Bugfood sees a large black feather from under Ren's robes. (Ren is the diviner wizard who we talked to about Bugfood's visions, who warned about the draconic influence.) It lands at Bugfood's feet and dissolves into nothing.

Bugfood says, "Well, I don't think we have to pay back anybody now," referring to the Party's weregild debt owed to the city.

Ryltar asks Salris what just happened. Ren doesn't respond; he's staring at his hands in disbelief and shock. Ryltar asks Ren to come with us, trying to shake him out of it.

We discuss whether Bugfood's feather wish had any affect, or whether that was Ren's feather. Ren doesn't chime in.

Salris asks Majorie if she can fight; she says she can use a bow and knife.

Salris asks Ren if he can fight. He doesn't respond. Jerry picks him up by the shoulders, and says, "Hey, we need you." Ren replies, "I tried to save them all." Ryltar says, "You saved all of us." Salris continues, "You tried to save them, but it's not your fault. You can't stay here, at least come with us." Bugfood gives Ren a raisin, and Ren absentmindedly eats it.

Ryltar examines one of the frozen crowd. The body is flash-frozen with a smile and cheer, of the moment of the explosion.

Jerry picks up Ren and carries him off, as the Party hops the wall into the arena, because that's the easiest way out of the stadium. Ren's shielded space is clearly visible.

The arena's guards and security troops, who were shielded from the ice-blast by the arena's bulk, are leaving the arena in the directions of the gates, where horns still sound.

Bugfood advises the Party to, when in doubt, go North. But the Southeast Gate is closer, and so we're going that way. We spend some time discussing how one shouldn't offend moss, since moss gave Bugfood that advice.

The horns at the walls

On the walls of the town and the gate, the town's guards are firing heavy crossbows at targets on the ground outside the walls.

Majorie says that she's better ranged, and runs towards the ladders going up the wall. Ren runs with her.

Jerry identifies an officer of the watch, who's barking orders, and asks her what's up. The officer replies that there's fire outside, and goblins attacking. (And also a lot of dice that we don't yet know the meaning for.)

So we join the three gate guardians. There are a bunch of guards from the town, Majorie and Ren on the wall. Outside the gate are a bunch of tents, from people who had come to town for the solstice, and there are hordes of attacking goblins, and some tents have caught fire.

1. Round 1: civilians rush the gate. Goblins kill a civilian. Ren freezes. One goblin dies, and a goblin commander enters the scene.
   1. Majorie runs up the stairs, grabs a crossbow, and loads it.
   2. Salris, out of prepared spells, advances to where he can shoot a goblin, and attacks it with Eldritch Blast for 1.
   3. The goblin that Salris attacked runs into a non-flaming tent, from which we hear screaming.
   4. Jerry steps out of the gate and prepares Hunter's Mark.
   5. Guard White advances from the gate, and Dodges.
   6. Civilians in initiative group 3 scurry around, running towards the gate and away from the Goblins.
   7. Guard Blue moves up, takes the Dodge action, and yells at the civilians to get inside the gate.
   8. Guard Green shoots an arrow at a goblin killing it, and deals a little bit of damage.
   9. Civilians of initiative order 2 scurry.
   10. Vurguron enters the morass of tents.
   11. Guard Black moves out from the gate.
   12. Screaming comes from another tent on fire, where a goblin has lit another.
   13. NPCs of initiative order 1 move. One attacks a goblin, and dies with a Wilhelm scream.
   14. A goblin attacks Guard Black, and misses.
   15. Ryltar attacks the goblin that had attacked Guard Black with Ray of Frost for 1 damage, and decreased movement speed.
   16. Bugfood casts Moonbeam from within the gate, attacking the goblin that had attacked Guard Black. At the start of its next turn, it'll get hit by the Moon. He'll take ~91~ 10 radiant damage.
   17. Ren does nothing, freezing as he looks at the place on fire.
   18. Goblin 6 attacks Vurguron with a sword, dealing 3 slashing damage.
   19. Another goblin kills a civilian.
   20. A civilian charges a goblin.
   21. Guard Red shoots a goblin who's near a fleeing civilian, for some damage.
   22. A goblin enters the scene, wearing heavy armor and shouting orders.
2. Round 2: one civilian and four goblins die, including the goblin commander. Bugfood's Moonbeam is effective. Several more tents catch fire.
   1. Majorie shoots at the goblin attacking Guard Black, and misses.
   2. Salris obliterates the goblin attacking Guard Black using Eldritch Blast.
   3. Another civilian dies.
   4. Jerry advances to one goblin, drops Hunter's Mark on it, kills it with the glaive, and moves Hunter's Mark to the next goblin she sees.
   5. Guard White kills the goblin that attacked Vurguron.
   6. Initiative 3 NPCs move towards the gate.
   7. The fire spreads.
   8. Guard Blue advances towards a goblin, and misses a thrown spear.
   9. Guard Green shoots at a goblin who had been firing tents, hitting for 2 damage.
   10. Vurguron sets his sword on fire and fires off a Firebolt using the sword as a spellcasting focus, killing the goblin that Jerry had set her eyes upon.
   11. The lead goblin advances towards a group of civilians, and throws a javelin at Guard Black, but misses broadly.
   12. A goblin fires another two tents.
   13. Black Guard advances to in front of the uparmored goblin, and screams at the nearest civilians: "Get the fuck out!" He pulls one out of the tent.
   14. Civilians move around.
   15. Ryltar burns a sorcery point to gain additional range for his Mind Spike attack upon the leader goblin, and successfully deals damage.
   16. Goblin 5 attacks Guard Blue with a scimitar. Guard Blue isn't looking too good.
   17. Bugfood deals 7 to the goblin attacking Guard Blue with Moonbeam, killing it, and then moves the beam to the leader goblin, for 6 radiant magic.
   18. Leader Goblin dies from moonbeam
   19. Ren is still frozen.
   20. Civilians move, draining many tents.
   21. Red Guard attacks the goblin who's been firing the tents, doing 10 from the heavy crossbow, killing the goblin.
   22. Another goblin approaches from the front, and more enemies appear from outside the table.
3. Round 3: a goblin in pink-and-black Jester's motley arrives. A member of the city guard dies.
   1. Majorie misses with her heavy crossbow, attacking one of the new wave of goblins.
   2. Salris Eldritch Blasts a goblin for 2.
   3. Jerry moves through the tents, next to Guard White.
   4. In the distance, we hear a high-pitched cackle.
   5. Guard Green attacks fails a wisdom save, and begins grovelling.
   6. Guard Black retreats towards the gate.
   7. A goblin in jesterly guise, of whom we had heard from Victor, in pink-and-black checkerboard clothes, gestures towards Salris and Vurguron. They become Confused.
   8. Guard Blue dies.
   9. Goblins advance through the tents to the left of the gate.
   10. Ryltar Mind Spikes the Jester, and passes a Charisma save before successfully attacking the Jester goblin. Its cackle intensifies.
   11. Bugfood moves the Moonbeam onto the Jester goblin, for 13 radiant damage. The Jester goblin twitches, and its cackle loses the eldritch modification. Bugfood, too, begins laughing. He'll continue laughing on his next turn, praising the thing.
   12. Ren is still out of it.
   13. NPCs of initiative 4, 5, and 6 move into the safety of the gate.
   14. Guard Red stands and shoots at the Jester goblin, with disadvantage, missing, and then ducks back beneath the parapet.
4. Round 4: Tula arrives on the scene. The Jester apparently heals itself. One goblin dies.
   1. Majorie shoots a goblin for 5 piercing, and then ducks beneath the parapet.
   2. Salris, confused, attacks Vurguron, but misses.
   3. A goblin advances towards the gate, and shoots Bugfood with a short bow for 5.
   4. Jerry moves through the burning tents, taking 4 points of fire.
   5. Tula, having run to the arena and received instruction, appears at the gate, and rolls for initiative.
   6. Guard White kills the goblin nearest the gate with his sword.
   7. Guard Green tries to attack the Jester, but begins laughing.
   8. Vurguron takes out his crossbow and attacks the Jester goblin. The Jester's pink eyes stare intently at Vurguron, who is not intimidated.
   9. The Jester takes 9 magical radiant damage from Moonbeam. He pulls the crossbow bolt from his chest, and the blood seeps back into his body. He moves to within 30 feet of Vurguron, who fails a wisdom save and becomes incapacitated. Vurguron finds the Jester's laughter and clothing hilarious.
   10. Guard Black, with 1 HP, runs towards the gate.
   11. Salris takes some crossbow damage.
   12. Ryltar fires a Ray of Frost at the Jester, dealing a little damage.
   13. Bugfood, having determined that Moonbeam isn't isn't hurting or healing the Jester, moves its light off of the Jester onto another goblin. Bugfood pulls the last civilian into the gate.
   14. Red Guard shoots at a goblin, misses, and falls prone.
   15. Tula dashes to the tent that she just saw a goblin duck into, and opens it.
5. Round 5: Four goblins die, and Jerry kills the Jester. Two hobgoblins and a bugbear appear, and the hobgoblins are killed by Ren when he snaps out of it.
   1. Majorie shoots a goblin and kills it outright.
   2. Salris Hexblade Curses the Jester, and then attacks the Jester. He swings it with the sword, but misses.
   3. Two hobgoblins and a bugbear appear at the edge of sight. Vurguron laughs at them.
   4. Jerry takes 2 fire damage from the flaming tents, losing Hunter's Mark concentration. She recasts it, on the Jester. She advances to the Jester and stabs it with the glaive for 13 slashing, killing it, leaving just a dead goblins.
   5. Guard White attacks a tent goblin.
   6. Guard Green misses a shot against a hobgoblin.
   7. Vurguron is no longer incapacitated. He stands up, and shoots at the hobgoblins with his crossbow, hitting for a little damage.
   8. (something that used to be in the Jester's body moves to the nearest tent goblin)
   9. Guard Black, having been healed by Bugfood, sprints from the gates back towards the hobgoblins.
   10. The bugbear advances to Salris and attacks him with a morningstar.
   11. A hobgoblin also attacks Salris for a significant amount of damage.
   12. Ryltar casts Snilloc's Snowball Swarm to attack the hobgoblin and bugbear, dealing 5 cold damage.
   13. The other hobgoblin approaches Salris, but misses an attack.
   14. Bugfood leaves the gate for the first time in this fight, casting Fairy Fire on the hobgoblins and the bugbear, killing one hobgoblin. Then he Balm of the Summer Courts Salris to heal him by up to 25.
   15. Ren snaps out of his frozen life, casting Magic Missile at 4th level on the bugbear and the nearest goblin, killing the nearest two goblins and the Fairy Fire'd hobgoblin.
   16. Red Guard stands up and shoots at the hobgoblin, who's beyond his range, and misses.
   17. Tula moves to the tent goblin and swings her sword, getting tangled in the tent flap.
6. Round 6: The bugbear is killed, and another hobgoblin dies. The Jester possesses a new goblin, and tries to flee the scene. More defenders of the city fall under the Jester's laughing curse.
   1. Majorie shoots the bugbear with 13 piercing.
   2. Salris stabs the bugbear for 13 magical slashing with his pact weapon, and kills the bugbear.
   3. Jerry moves Hunter's Mark onto the hobgoblin opposite Salris, flanks the hobgoblin, and then attacks, but misses.
   4. White Guard attacks the hobgoblin, but misses his attack.
   5. Guard Green shoots at the hobgoblin, but misses with the smoke from burning tents in the way.
   6. Vurguron stabs the hobgoblin, killing it.
   7. Guard Black moves to the tent goblin that Tula was attacking. His sword sinks into the goblin's chest, and it looks up at him, with the same pink eyes as the Jester.
   8. Newly-possessed Jester Goblin disengages, and runs through the tents.
   9. Ryltar casts Ray of Frost on a nearby tent to put it out.
   10. Bugfood dashes forwards from the gate to where he can see the Jester goblin.
   11. Ren starts laughing.
   12. Guard Red shoots at the Jester, missing.
   13. Tula pursues the Jester goblin, swearing an Oath of Emnity, but misses her attacks.
7. Round 7: Guard Black flees, as does the Jester. Tula gives chase.
   1. Majorie, seeing Ren start cackling, tackles Ren and brings him below the parapet. He continues laughing.
   2. Salris attacks the Jester.
   3. Guard White runs up to the Jester, but that's his turn.
   4. Guard Green misses.
   5. Vurguron moves up to the Jester, and attempts to intimidate it, by screaming at it. It spits in his mouth.
   6. Jerry moves Hunter's Mark onto the Jester, and then attacks. Jerry fails the Charisma save, and starts laughing, praising its insanity.
   7. Guard Black runs out through the burning tents, and is gone.
   8. The Jester uses its bonus action to disengage, runs through a tent, and disappears into the distance.
   9. Ryltar continues extinguishing tents.
   10. Bugfood heads back towards the city, to heal people, and go towards the next horn call.
   11. The guard atop the wall blows a horn, pointing people back towards the next conflict.
   12. Tula dives through the tent, following the Jester, Smiting for 20 damage. This trips the Jester's Reversal of Fortune, making Tula's attack heal the Jester by 1 HP.
8. Round 8: Tula, Salris, Jerry, Vurguron and Guard Black surround the Jester, who leaves the goblin it currently possesses. The goblin surrenders.
   1. Majorie can't see the Jester. Ren has ceased laughing. She asks him if he's okay.
   2. Salris steps into the main road, following the sounds of Tula, and with intent to Eldritch Blast it, begins laughing.
   3. Jerry advances on the Jester, flanking it, and begins laughing.
   4. Guard White starts putting out fires.
   5. Guard Green can't see the Jester, and stays on the wall.
   6. Vurguron pursues, and with a natural 20 passes the Jester's Charisma check to prevent laughter. He misses his first attack, Action Surges, and begins laughing.
   7. Guard Black flanks the Jester, avoids laughing, and then misses with his spear.
   8. Jester Goblin looks at all of the people surrounding it. Its eyes flash pink, and then the motley fades from the goblin. It becomes a normal goblin, and surrenders.

Tula kills the goblin. Jerry objects, saying that we should've asked it what the pink was.

We put out the active fires. Total, we killed 1

After the battle

Our magically-inclined friends use ice magic to prevent the spread of fire.

Horns still blare in the distance, but they're blaring the retreat. The goblins are retreating.

We ask a guard what the plan is. The captain says that the goal is to continue protecting the civilians who ran in. He asks what happened to the arena; Ryltar explains. Ren identifies the woman with the egg as Kalina, a student of his who wasn't inclined to violence. He's surprised by her actions today, and wonders where she got an Elemental Force Egg.

Elemental Force Eggs are rare, powerful magical items, which act as a store of magic to be used later. Cast magic into it, and you can evoke it later. And Ren thinks it wasn't operating at its maximum potential. They're extremely rare.

We wonder where she went. There weren't any tracks from where she went. Maybe she teleported out? The elemental egg might've been enchanted to support such teleportation.

We decide to regroup with other members of the city, but where should we go? Back to the city center.

The 16 civilians we rescued have extinguished their clothing fires, and thank us for saving them. Bugfood moves through them like Pompey through Rome, thanking them for their praise.

We return to the arena, which is empty. There's no one on the streets near it. It's dead silent near there. Everyone's gone, hiding, or just fled.

Bugfood conjures a giant rat from the Bag of Tricks and asks it what its rat nose smells. The rest of us head to the VIP box. The rat smells around, pointing towards the exit and the center of the arena. Bugfood follows his rat to the center of the arena. Vurguron follows Bugfood.

Team Rat

Two other performers are in the frozen arena, checking things out. They had been saved from the ice by Ren's shield. They're exploring the effects of the spell. One walks towards the center of the arena, near the frozen explosion, is immediately scared, and runs away.

Bugfood walks towards the center, feeling a cold wind pushing towards him. He examines more closely, and feels a break in what feels like a thin, crackling barrier in front of him. He pushes the rat to investigate, and the rat smells it. It widens the crack a little, and then runs away from the crack, behind Bugfood. For a moment the rat's tail is sucked into the crack.

Bugfood pulls another ball from the Bag of Tricks and throws it through the crack. The ball begins to open as it passes through the crack, and then disappears. Bugfood twitters to the boar that would have formed from the ball, but nothing comes through the crack.

Vurguron looks at the crack, and sees a few arcane runes at the bottom. He thinks it's a teleportation anchor.

Team VIP Box

Salris, Jerry, Tula, and Ryltar take the short way up to the VIP box. Along the path, we pass many open doors and flickering candles. The VIP box is covered in a smooth, clean inch of ice. No one was there when the ice washed through the room during the explosion. The VIPs had already left.

With their investigations complete, the party in the box heads down to the arena.

Salris's Side Quest

But while everyone else goes down to the arena, Salris sees a candle in a room, and enters. Inside that room is Thalia.

Thalia talks about how bad death by freezing and fire are. She talks about how there are two seeds of the fae wild which might counter the disastrous effect in the arena: the Ice Heart of Winter, which is locked away, and something called Burning Blood, which is in Thalia and which she will need to sacrifice herself to use. She says that the elemental egg will also need to be charged with healing and fire magics.

She indirectly asks Salris to kill her. He summons his pact khopesh, but he really doesn't want to kill her. She implies that he's gonna need to combine a lot of her blood with the Elemental Egg.

He prepares to exsanguinate her, emptying out all the flasks and storage she had. He asks her if she's sure that it's the only way to save the city. Combine her blood with the egg, add magic, take it outside the city. She tangentially replies that the stars will be nice tonight.

The cut is clean, but no blood comes out. The candles in the room die. A weight is released from him, and in the shadows he hears boots.

White pants and an empty scabbard, a long captain's coat, a belt, bandoleer, an open chest with scrapes and scratches and purple-hued skin, tail sliding back and forth, black veins under the skin of his mouth, eyes red and segmented horns. Salris recognizes this tiefling, saying, "It's a pleasure to see you, father."

"Was that not Thalia!?" asks Salris with some emotion.

His father looks disappointed and sad. "So this is the road you've chosen. These are the winds you follow."

"I had to leave."

His father turns to walk into the shadow once more, fading into darkness. The candles return to life. Thalia bloodlessly crumbles to the floor, and Salris gathers her ashes into a pot.

Conclusion: the elemental egg of fire can be re-infused with her Burning Blood ashes.

Salris leaves her jewelry and robes behind. And as he walks out the door, the candles in the room that had relit with the passing of Salris' father gutter out.

In the center of the arena

Bugfood summons a panther, and directs it to go in and come back. Seven feet from the hole, the panther is pulled into the hole. We wait a bit, and then the panther reappears, covered in snow. And as it reappears, we see snow-covered rocks and other terrain.

The Party walks in.

Salris grabs Ryltar's shoulder when they're through, and says that they need to talk.

The land of snow and ice

Ryltar is blinded by sunlight. It's mountainous white terrain, with snow and ice covering everything. We're exiting from a line tracing down from an icy spire.

There's a cave. We should rest.

Tula and Bugfood notice tracks, with sand and snow.

Salris says, "I have a very valuable piece of information. I know how to unfreeze everyone in the arena. Whoever did this in the arena came from the portal. The egg is no longer charged. If we can get ahold of the egg, I can imbue the egg wit this ash, and release it, and save the town. How I got the ash, we'll explain later, but this was the only solution."

We have limited information, says Ryltar, but Tula points out that this is the only thing we know.

Salris lets out that Thalia gave him the ash and told him of the solution.

We make for the cave. Salris pops Detect Magic and sees the ash light up brightly in his hand, but he sees something else magical in his hand as well. Ryltar is worried that the ash is a bomb that might destroy the thole town, and finds it strange that Thalia didn't talk to the rest of the party.

We follow the footprints, and come across very large footprints of something scaly and clawed.

Coming from the cave is a flapping of wings. Small flaps.

A female elf comes running out of the cave, with a spindly ice-shard gargoyle behind her. "Run!" she screams. It's Kalina.

Next session:

Outstanding questions:

• What was the Jester?
• What is Kalina doing here?

Outstanding quests:

• Pay 1750 gold in weregild
• Imbue an elemental egg with the Burning Blood ash from Thalia's body