Sleeping Giants Game 14

Intro

The First Sighting

We see a rough tunnel, carved into a finished wall. Our side of the wall is illuminated by a violet light, but the tunnel itself trails off into complete darkness. We can just barely make out a humanoid figure, approaching slowly. It walks with a limp, and when it finally emerges into the violet light, we can see its dark skin underneath ragged clothing. It is a young elven man, and his hair is a tangled mess. He is covered head to toe in dirt and ash, it looks as if he hasn’t seen a bath in weeks.

He takes a few steps into the lit room and looks around cautiously. He then approaches the wall and slowly lets himself down, leaning his back against the finished stone and exhaling deeply. It’s not long before he drifts off into a deep slumber that lasts for over a day.

Upon waking, he explores this underground fortress he has stumbled upon. The room in which he entered holds some sort of round chimney, lush with luminescent fungus. He finds a locked door at the end of a straight hallway with a single bend. One room holds a huge marble statue of a rearing red dragon, two large gemstones placed firmly in its eye sockets. No matter how far he explores, however, he doesn’t find a single indication of life. And in fact, most of the fortress is largely mundane, until…

The dark elven man opens the final door in the fortress, and is met with a room that inexplicably opens into a large, barren cavern. The ceiling must be 60 feet tall, which he can just barely make out as the luminescent fungus that is present in other areas of the fortress is absent in this cavern. The cavern itself twists around, and he follows it slowly and cautiously, as though expecting the worst.

And then he sees it. A modestly sized, leafless tree with bark that’s blacker than the surrounding cavern. It is growing straight out of the hard rocky ground, and attached to the side of it as if it were a cyst, is a perfectly round red apple, about the size of a human fist.

Recap

• Stratton picks up the red apple and takes it over to Nil to discuss further.
• Apples: the town got one apple at a time each year - life saving apples.
• They bought the apples from the goblins for 50 gp each, but they raised the prices and had been extorting the humans.
  • This info from the Mayor of Oakhurst - Vernor Lang - on the first game/day.
• Jordan wonders aloud if the tree made everyone's veins turn black.
• Nil looks at the apple - white aura - "universal magic"
• Ana collects ash from the tree and takes a syringe of juice/fluid from the apple
• Stratton attunes himself to the magical apple

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• SHORT REST! Stratton plays Song of Rest. Regains missing HP to get back to max.
• Lyla is with her brother and Charwin - both are knocked out still, but not breathing. Their bodies are room temperature to the touch. Both still have black eyes and bark skin.
• Stratton suggests to Lyla to use the apple syringe on her brother and gets it from Ana.
• Lyla tries sticking the syringe and injecting the apple's juice into his neck (bark neck). Doesn't work - skin is too tough.
• Lyla then tries his eyeball. It injects. Nothing's happening...
• Lyla hears "How badly do you want this boy?" The rest of the group is frozen. Lyla sees a green leopard appear behind her and tells Lyla that this won't work, but if Lyla agrees to promise something later, then the leopard will heal her brother now. Lyla says yes!
• The leopard agrees to heal her brother. A bright flash of green light + action begins again!
• Elliot coughs up the black goo and Elliot's blue eyes return. Skin returns to normal.
• Stratton is amazed, Lyla is very happy and hugs her brother! He seems back to normal but confused to his situation.
• Elliot recognizes Charwin when Lyla tries to explain what happened to him. He seems confused but recognizes Charwin + Bellock (the corpse). He says Bellock took them down by force. Stratton asked what happened to Charwin's brother (Taigan) - he tried to escape and was killed by Bellock's guards (hobgoblins).
• Lyla asks Jordan for the key to the manacles on Elliot's hands.
• Stratton/Lyla ask Elliot what the last thing he remembers was.
• The goblins caught them and brought them to Bellock and the tree. He stated Bellock tied them to the tree.
• Lyla answers Elliot's question that we killed the goblins (mostly).
• Lyla introduces him to the group.
  • He recognizes Stratton from Cirque de Lirium!
  • He flirts with Nil ;)
  • Coughs at Ford's cigarette smoke
  • Ana - no response from Ana.
  • Knows Jordan's church and Steingard! Is impressed that he'd be here for this...
• Stratton explains OSIS
• Elliot says Caracas led them there to the tree and Bellock.
• Jordan agrees to unlock Elliot and does so.
• Elliot is 19 years old, very handsome, Heath Ledgery, from Kittiwake's Edge
• They noticed people were going missing and as "The Golden Boy" they sent him to investigate
• Stratton asks Elliot about the apples - doesn't' know anything about them.
• Stratton fills syringe w/ apple juice and hands it to Nil to administer in Charwin's eye... but nothing happens... tries the other eye... still no effect...
• Nil asks Lyla why it's not working?
• Lyla says it doen't seem to be working, "Maybe she's just more dead?"
• Ford tries to force the black sludge out of Charwin thinking that this is the issue... he gets out as much black sludge as possible, doesn't work...
• Ford takes a thin slice of apple and sticks it down Charwin's throat. No effect :(
• Stratton's sad, the apple's been damaged but Ford pulled it out of Stratton's hands before giving it back.
• Ana asks "The Shadow" why one lived and the other didn't? The Shadow says that they weren't supposed to live at all.
• Ana tells the group there must have been soem kind of divine interference.
• Stratton insight checks Lyla to see if she's holding back... doesn't seem to tell anything. (Stratton rolled 19, Lyla rolled 22! Keeping it hidden)
• Erki denies being a part of this... _not lying_.
• No one can seem to figure out who did this.
• Nil asks Jordan about the blue stone and the void ins pace that Ana's needle points at.
• They discuss Nil's family history for a bit. States her family used to rule this land.
• Ford tries throwing rocks at the weird point in space. Stratton tries to help and then misses with a shot to an arrow, no effect.
• Lyla tries Eldritch Blast, does nothing
• But! Elliot realizes Lyla can do magic!
• The apple! - Stratton realizes it's a "gulthias fruit" - a magical fruit. 1/4 or more eaten = 70 HP+ HP. We've used _half_ (accidentally). Also cures blindness, deafness, and diseases.
• The divine cowl - Nil realizes it's a "cowl of the scribe"
• Poison elixir - #47 - Ana - causes a poisoned state
• Short rest - Nil's strength weakness wears off
• Stratton proposes leaving, but Ford reminds him of the large red key
• Ford confirms that Charwin was wearing jewelry (currently being worn by Nil, though currently covered by the cowl of the scribe)
• Jordan speaks to the party before we go on and says that we are a united group!
  • Uses Inspiring Leader and the group gains 7+ temp HP
• Nil and Ford agree not to take Charwin's body but to just take the signet ring
• Nil decides to light Charwin on fire as an attempt to "cremate" her - doesn't quite work.
• We go back to the dragon statue...
• Ana keeps pace w/ Jordan and says that Elliot shouldn't be alive, and cautions warning. Jordan immediately believes her.
• Back at the dragon statue (w/ glowy eyes)
• Nil asks Lyla to cast light on the dragon statue. She does so while giving Elliot a look like, "See what I can do now?!"
• The inscription reads "Illuminate my mind"
• But nothing happens - moves the light around, doesn't do much..
• One of Ford's books mentions the name also listed, "Nalraxomon"... but just mentions that it's a "present day" dragon.
• Lyla uses intelligence and realizes it probably needs to be read outloud.
• We get Nil to agree to do this which she does by standing on the tile before the statue.
• A puff of spectral smoke! Envelops Nil which creates an advantage on Charisma checks for 24 hours! (Can be re-used)
• We check the remaining unexplored hallway.
• More fungus.. a big fur claok in the room - very large - Ana takes this - and weapons rack.
• Ford notices a box under a desk - 241 silver + 51 gp inside!
• Hallway continues on - seems to lead inot the underdark similar to the hallway "upstairs"
• Ana asks her shadow if she'd be welcome in her current status in the underdark?
• No - nothing is welcome there. Or at least, very little is (dark elves, mind flayers, etc..)
• Next we make our way back to the door to use Ford's large red key on it.
• On the way we try to open the "fish daragon" door, but can't figure out how. (Splashing water and saying 'water' in draconic doesn't work)
• Red key door - 3 alcoves, one has music notes coming from it!
• Nil notices enchantment magic coming from it.
• Jordan, Ford, and Stratton make their way to the door.
• We all need wisdom saves - even w/ using one of the Lucky points - Stratton fails... along w/ everyone but Lyla and Jordan - we all are 'charmed' into dashing awway from this globe issuing music from it.
• Jordan tries muffling the noise by putting it in his pouch, but the music gets even louder!
• Lyla realizes the globe probably needs to be destroyed, as she realizes this, Jordan is already trying to destroy it. Stomping it, he breaks the glass a bit, but the music is still playing. Lyla Eldritch Blasts it! It works, the glass globe shatters, and the music stops!
• The rest of us get to about the steps and then feel like they don't need to keep going, but the efecgt remains - we're at the threshold to the citadel, but don't feel we need to go further, but still can't go back.
• Lyla and Jordan rejoin the rest of the party without investigating the room further.
• Lyla asks if anyone wants to go back... it takes an additional moment for the spell effects to wear off. We return ot the room - there's ntohing left but a door.
• Ford checks it for traps then opens it.
• It opens to a 40 x 20 ft room, no obvious exits, _very_ dusty. Coiled dragon carved out of red veined white marble statue.
• The dragon emanates a violet glow, illusion magic. Nil warns that is not what it seems... Stratton readies an arrow.
• Jordan walks up to place his hand on the marble
• Nil notices blue aura from center of the western wall - an outline of a door. And Ford notices there's a faint outline on the wall.
• "We come at night without being fetched. We disappear by day without being stolen."
• Lyla says, "Stars?"
• The doorway on the wall opens to another room - violet marble tiles on floors and walls - all cracked and broken.
• Sconces on walls - one has green fire.
• Marble sarcophagus - 9ft long - dragon imagery w/ dragon in front is a small pedestal with an inscription on it in draconic. _Locked_.
• Nil reads the inscription on the pedestal - "here lies Lord Elwyn Nile, a dragon priest entombed alive.. etc etc... (and yet honorably...)"
• Jordan asks Ford to check the sarcophagus for sounds inside. Ford doesn't hear anything.
• Jordan asks Nil if she's related to this Elwyn Nile person? Nil says maybe?
• Nil taps the sarcophagus... nothing happens.
• Jordan casts divine sense.. nothin'.
• Nil tries to detect magic through the sarcophagus... no effect...
• Ford really wants to open it, so does Jordan.
• Ana and Nil aren't interested.
• Stratton and Lyla don't really care.
• Ford opens (or attemps to open) the sarcophagus. It's too difficult on first and second try.. he gets out his crowbar to the iron locking bits... and is successful in breaking one.
• Nil tries to grab the crowbar out of Ford's hands..
• Ana positions herself near the door...
• Nil leaves emotionally to go deal with the Kobolds
• Ana leaves the room also and starts talking to the Shadow to get some answers, but it's not responsive.
• Stratton helps and rolls a Nat 20 - advantage on opening sarcophagus.
• Lyla and Elliot also leave. Erki stays.
• Ana readies an arrow through the door. Stratton readies an arrow before it's open...
• Lid is opened in a flash of green light...
• In the coffin- a troll... in finery and jewelry. Opens its eyes and growls!
• Elwyn props himself up.
• Stratton shoots it with an arrow for 2 pts of damage- but! It looks like he's stronger for it and able to heal himself!
• He attacks Joradn... 12 damage.
• Stratton uses Dissonant Whispers for 6 damage.
• Ford strikes with long sword for 10 damage.
• Jordan goes...
• Some of Elwyn's wounds heal up... he _was_ bloodied, but isn't any longer.
• He turns and hits Ford for 8 pts of damage* Ford uses "scroll of scorching ray" - hits twice! - 21 total points of damage!
• KILLS HIM!!!
• Inside sarcophagus:
  • ornate ceremonial dagger (Ana takes)
  • 2 silver rings - adorned with tiny silver dragons (Stratton takes for Nil)
  • silver amulet (Stratton takes for Nil)
• Afterwards we put lid back on over the troll again
• Stratton akes green fire torch off the wall and gives it to Jordan because he always needs light
• Nil tells the kobolds to look after the place and appoints a "Key Keeper" - tell sthem to "board up" the Underdark passages.
• Only thing not taken care of in the citadel - what's behing the "fish dragon" door, check the other fire snake holes for swag/big tree room w/ blue stone and crazy necromanic aura...
• CITADEL COMPLETED! (sort of)
• BACK TO TOWN?