Adventure Notes – The Adventurers 81

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  • NPCs:
    • Disnarium – High Elf (Rune Knight, NPC)
    • Kraun Torodon – Tiefling (Businessman Rogue, NPC)
  • DM Retcon – the player, Sephrenia, had been doing an online cleansing and had missed a few sessions, so she was technically still back on the ship. She was able to join us this session, so as a Retcon – I explained that she’d awakened from the ship and been traveling with them, shortly after Korra had awakened (see session 79). However, her brain was still fuzzy from the Illithid’s Mind Blast (back at the end of Session 78) that she was not able to focus and cast spells. The fuzzy feeling in the head finally cleared when she reached the high mountain altitude where Bearhog the giant lived, which was this session. This way I didn’t need to find a way to have Sephrenia catch up to where the party currently was at – which, I could have done with the guide that Bearhog mentions in this session having found her so when the party gets to him, she’s there which would have been short into the session. But just having her there and recovered now, felt smoother.
  • The party spots the towering 35 foot Bearhog – and are quite surprised that not only is he taller than any giant they’d seen or heard of on Kne’Urth, but Bearhog had four arms, which was also something that no giants on Kne’Urth were known to have
  • Korra explains that before Adrian calls attention to himself to get Bearhog’s attention, she would like to stealth and scout around (DM Note – This was just my easy way of getting Korra out of the party for tonight’s session since she was not able to attend)
  • Adrian pulls out some of the Highland Shaggy Cow meat that the party had acquired (see Session 80) and shouts to the giant offering the meat as a means of showing friendship, “Bearhog – Friend?”
  • Elon Dusk, Buppido and Sephrenia all quickly take a few steps away from Adrian as Bearhog turns his attention to who or what – dare enter his paradise waterfall
  • Bearhog approaches and booms, “Who goes there?”
  • Adrian, still holding the leg of highland shaggy cow in his hand explains, “My name is Adrian and me and my,” he turns to see all of his companions had taken a step back, “companions have come to you seeking your help.”
  • Bearhog asks, “What do you need from Bearhog?”
  • Adrian explains, “We’re trying to find out what’s going on with the highland hairy cows.”
  • “Highland shaggy cows,” Bearhog corrects
  • “Yes,” Adrian says, “them.”
  • “Creatures feast on highland shaggy cows,” Bearhog answers, “unnatural creatures. Not from here. Made by others.”
  • “We would like to stop those unnatural creatures, would you be able to help us?” Adrian asks
  • Bearhog says, “Bearhog help. You go ahead. Bearhog follow. Come to cave.”
  • The party follows Bearhog to a cave that sits between two of the major waterfalls. Once inside the cave, they can see it’s primitive – there’s furs of larger highland shaggy cows as blankets, and bundles of the fur rolled up to make pillows; the wall is decorated with primitive drawings that depicture some of Bearhog’s hunts and things he’s seen – most of them are of the Highland Shaggy Cows
  • Bearhog then moves to another drawing in the cave and places his hand on it, and says, “This the unnatural beast.”
  • The painting is of a serpent looking creature, with red dyes all about it, representing the ruthless killing the serpent does. “It not kill to hunt,” Bearhog explains. “Many times, it kill just to kill. Leave corpse to rot.”
  • Bearhog explains, “Seek Izmairvon. He Hadozee who live up in the mountains. Has lived in wild for long time. Moved closer to Highland Shaggy Cow terrace when meat turn up dead but not eaten. Wanted to see what it was. Found serpent beast. He know more. Can take you to exactly where Serpent Beast is.”
  • Elon Dusk looks at the serpent image then looks at Sephrenia, “Hey, Bearhog here said it was unnatural. Remember the Serpent statue in our temple? You mentioned something about the ‘banished elves’ – the Githsomething?”
  • “Githyanki,” Sephrenia nodded.
  • “Could it be something they’ve done?” Elon Dusk asks. “As a way to basically create a serpent beast that devours and kills just to do it – and basically weaken the people on this floating forest?”
  • “Sounds like something they would have done,” Sephrenia confirms
  • They stay and listen to Bearhog more about his hunting and things he’s seen before Bearhog points them in the direction of Izmairvon
  • As the party leaves the caves and begins their trek – Sephrenia and Buppido are both caught in the current of one of the streams they need to cross and are swept further down the stream. Elon Dusk is able to fly down and quickly grab the flailing arms of Buppido who shines like a diamond but also sinks like a rock; and Sephrenia manages to grab a branch and Adrian is able to throw a rope to her, with Don holding onto Adrian tenderly to ensure Adrian isn’t pulled into the stream. Adrian pulls Sephrenia back to them successfully.
  • Ascending over the waterfall’s edge, the area ahead of them turns into a vibrant jungle with sounds of animals and insects echoing from the depths of the greenery before them
  • Following the directions given by Boarhog – the party finds Izmairvon‘s hut – and Sephrenia finds one of the traps he has around for catching game – as a rope slips around her ankles and yanks her off her feet.
  • Izmairvon appears on the branch and claims to recognize the party; that he had observed their Spelljammer being towed by a Hadozee Spelljammer
  • He cutes Sephrenia free and invites the party into his small hut; there’s no chairs, so the party sits on the floor
Izmairvon , Ranger Hadozee
  • Izmairvon asks the party about their Spelljammer and the damage it had and why the Hadozee were towing it
  • Buppido explains that there’d been an Illithid trap; but he, pretty much, fought it off on his own – and decided to let it live because he heard noises outside the ship (An exaggerated account of the events of Session 76, Session 77, and Session 78). Izmairvon asks about the Spirit of the Spelljammer; as it should be able to mend itself; granted the damage from the murder comet would have taken a bit of time to mend; but if the spirit is awakened, the ship heals the way any body heals
  • Party explains they’re not aware of any spirit within the spelljammer
  • Izmairvon explains that when they can, they should go to Gnomewhere. A mechanical planet now (or moon sized) – that began with several Gnomes in the Astral Plane gathering materials and adding to their spelljammer; more and more until they got older and created what are known as “AutoGnomes” to continue their work; and now the AutoGnomes are all that runs Gnomewhere now; and the spirit of the spelljammer has essentially granted a form of sentient life to the AutoGnomes and other various things the AutoGnomes have created. If there was anyone who could awaken the spirit – it would be the Autognomes.
  • He then asks why the party is up this far in the jungle; and they explain they’re here to put an end to this unnatural beast that has been killing the Highland Shaggy Cows and endangering the meat and food supply of the town far below
  • Izmairvon is pleased to hear that; and draws a crude map on how to find the “Serpent Beast” as he calls it; he explains that he’s tried to put an end to it, but the Serpent Beast is tall and has a thousand mouths; he’s tried to shoot it with various poisons, which it seems to be immune to; which may be due to its serpentine nature
  • He hands the map to the party and explains, they must climb the next set up mountains to get closer to where the majority of Highland Shaggy Cows dwell, near the frozen tops; and the Serpent Beast has made its home there. He explains he’s quite dexterous and will climb ahead of the party
  • The party makes their way to the next mountain; sensing that they’re being trailed by some kind of beast, but Don is able to cast Pass Without A Trace and lose the beast; Korra who is off scouting around also spots the beast and distracts it from pursuing the party further (DM Note – everyone passed Stealth so well with Don’s spell that I didn’t bother having this new monster reappear!)
  • As the party scales the mountainside Elon Dusk takes three 50′ ropes tied together and finds a cave to land in and tie some of the rope to some rocks
  • Elon Dusk is surprised, however, as he’s too preoccupied tying the rope – to see something flying at him from the darkness of the cave
Is it… a were-Stirge?
  • As the rest of the party gets into the cave, they see Elon Dusk being attacked by a humanoid bat-like creature – and Buppido is horrified that it appears to be a humanoid Stirge!
  • As the battle rages on, Don Kannin is able to land the killing shot – hitting it in the back with his energy arrow – with enough force that the beak pierces into Elon Dusk’s shoulder
  • Elon Dusk flies the remainder of the distance up, leaving the others behind, without grabbing the rope; the rest of the party eventually makes it up there
  • There, in the clearing they see piles of corpses in various states of decay; some eaten, but most of it, just corpses – and suddenly, bursting from the pile of corpses, a large – over 20 feet tall – serpentine creature rises up
  • The serpentine creature having seen Elon Dusk land first, lunges forward and attack him; slamming him twice out of the three attack – and Elon Dusk stumbles back, cut, gashed, and slashed, barely able to stand, blood pouring out of all of his wounds
  • Buppido casts Raulothim’s Psychic Lance on the creature; which it fails; shutting it down
  • The following few rounds, Don Kanin is able to pull off two critical hits (Natural 20!)
  • However, it is Adrian who lands the killing blow; he runs, leaps on Halia‘s back – and runs up her spine – and the drake flips her head upward propelling Adrian into the air – Adrian brings his sword down – cutting the serpent in half on the way down – sending each half collapsing to the side of itself
  • Bearhog grabs each half, slams it on the ground, destroying the creature’s innards before throwing it off the edge of the mountain in two very far separate directions, in case it ever tries to attempt to regenerate itself
  • Bearhog thanks the party as Izmairvon guides the party down safely and escorts them back to the town where he confirms what the party has done. The Hadozee mention that the ship should be good to go.
    • DM Injection – I forgot during the session to mention the following: Disnarium and Kraun come out from speaking to The Appointed One
    • Disnarium explains that they’ve employed some folks to help fly and function around the Spelljammer –
      • Krelzor – Hadozee – Captain
        • Arch – Pseudodragon – Krelzor’s companion
      • Moozana – Plasmoid – Helm’s Man
      • Ter’nal’iz – Thri-Kreen – Cleric/Medic
      • Hookar – Plasmoid – Cook
      • Bliz – Hadozee – Navigator
  • Don speaks to The Appointed and barters getting some of the Highland Shaggy Cow meat for their travels and he agrees
  • Don also convinces Izmairvon to try and capture a younger Highland Shaggy Cow, so that they can try to tame it and potentially getting it on a farming community
  • Izmairvon agrees to try and help
  • The party then boards their Spelljammer and heads for Gnomewhere..

Now to awaken the Spirit… and soon… the Battle of the Planes…