Astvanor Session 100 (1/13)

[cinaed]

One hundredth session! Hard to believe it. It's been a blast so far, and I cannot wait to keep playing with this incredible DM and group of players.

Session 100: 1/13 (Days 18 and 19 of Veksdan)

As the party climbs the icy, cold, dark path that is still well-carved by use, they can hear the howling sounds of wolves in the distance. On the left they can see the rough, rocky sheer drop of the mountains. It’s not a spacious path and there’s no way to dart into the woods, which is too thickly clustered to travel easily.

There are a few places along the path above them that are less jagged and difficult, but they’re still a ways from reaching them. Hava can see in the distance that there is a point where rubble blocks the path.

There are howls and returning howls behind them.

They race up the slick stairs as the snow clings to their skin and their hair. Hava makes it up the next few steps without effort and then turns as nearly everyone else slides down the slick steps, Yolov’s feet going out from under him. He lands painfully on one knee.

The party keeps running, Yolov limping a little and Galowen dragging him along.

They reach the rock slide, which was likely caused by Iceclaw’s attack on Radiscune. People have been climbing and clambering over it, with pieces of wood that has been positioned in a way to try and maneuver carts over. Yolov Misty Steps to the top of the rubble to avoid having to climb it, as Hava flies on a wave of twilight magic.

Galowen grabs Az and hauls him up over the rubble as Diana leaps gracefully upon the stones. They can hear the wolves growing a little distant behind them, still present but apparently stymied a little.

The cliff face rises to meet them, narrowing the path. The second of the switchbacks is coming up. There are thick, overhanging trees where the party can take the pathway to the switchback or take a narrow path up the cliffside and through the trees going back east to shave off a couple minutes of running.

Galowen and Yolov both cast Misty Step up the cliff as Hava flies, while Az Dimension Doors Diana as far up the mountain as possible. Galowen, Hava, and Yolov continue to run up the mountain after them.

Az and Diana look over their shoulders to see that there are roots twisting across the path the rest of the party is traveling up. Az and Diana spy another smaller path that leads into a wooded area as the rest of the party catches up, Yolov exhausted and gasping for breath.

They hastily examine the two paths, Diana knowing the one leads to the third switchback before the dwarven roads entrance, while the second wasn’t one Collie knew about, either used by smugglers or hunters.

Galowen realizes that there’s a chance there is a sanctuary on the second path that hunters use. Az remembers being taken along on a hunt with his father, who disliked them but attended them for political reasons, and crying when the hunters killed a deer before they went to a hunting lodge. They take that path.

Galowen and Diana bound easily down the path, Diana swinging through the trees to avoid the tangled roots. Hava races through as well, half-held by the shadows. Az manages to follow, stumbling a little as he gets smacked in the face with a branch. Yolov trips and falls and scrambles gracelessly up the path, feeling the exhaustion and ache in his bones as Diana helps him up and onward.

Everyone can see, ribboning through the darkness, a small but frigid creek twenty feet wide that intersects the path. Together, Galowen casts Plant Growth and grows some extremely thick vines, winding and braiding them together as Yolov uses Telekinesis to direct them towards the creek to create a temporary bridge.

The bridge unravels behind them as they all continue to run, their knees beginning to ache. In the distance, the mountain rises to meet them. For a split second it looks like they have backed themselves into the cliffside with only the forest all around them.

Az and Yolov are both panting with exertion when Hava spies a small, well-hidden entrance to a cave, a thin crack of light revealing its presence. She points it out and immediately begins to run towards it. There is a small canopy of leaves that has been woven to look natural but, pulled aside, reveals a door.

Hava pushes inside, with everyone following. It’s an empty, circular room with two lamps lighting the space. They all crowd inside, closing and locking the door behind them.

There are two bedrolls laid out in the corner. There is a table, with what looks to be an interrupted card game on it, and crossbows set aside by the bedrolls and some boxes in the corner. There are some dirty boots, which are wet, having been here long enough for snow to melt. There are no embers in the fireplace. There are runes inside the lamps, ones that career hunters would know for perpetual flame. The bedrolls are cold but not dusty. The trail mix from the table isn’t stale.

Yolov realizes that the people must have left about six hours ago.

The place is a circle. There’s no obvious exit into a deeper cave system. They investigate the boxes, finding a communal supply of medicine supplies, alcohol, and hunting supplies.

Then Yolov reaches into one and his hand hits the bottom sooner than it should. He remembers this experience from Kiva’s ship and looks to find the crate’s label marked as Dawnscale Trading Company.

They quickly realize all of the supply boxes are labeled with Kiva’s company, and three have false bottoms. The first is empty, the second has fine silks and exquisite jewelry that Az takes a moment to admire, and the third has steps in the false bottom leading downwards into darkness.

Hava uses her prayer breads to cast Greater Restoration on Yolov. The party decides to stay here for the night. Worried that the wolves might break down the door, they head down the steps to investigate if there’s a safer place for Hava to cast Tiny Hut.

They reach a small, underground platform. There is a ladder to descend further, and they climb down it, reaching an empty, cold dark cave with a single doorway leading out.

Yolov can see footprints of people who have been here relatively recently. There is one set of bare footprints. The party debates what could have caused the smugglers or hunters to flee without their belongings and whether they should try to find them.

Az sends Medrash through the doorway. The pseudodragon spies empty crates, some with the false bottoms removed, but doesn’t spy anyone as the path angles slightly downward. Az calls Medrash back.

He tells the group what Medrash saw and suggests that they still keep watch within Hava’s Tiny Hut. After she casts it, Az makes out the distant sound of the wolves attacking the door before they grow bored and leave.

Hava and Yolov resume their watch. She listens and there is silence as well. Before they end their watch and wake Diana and Audacity, Yolov awkwardly squeezes Hava’s hand and says that while he’s been a little distracted, they are going to find Maeve and rescue Professor Dailiir. Hava just needs to let him know what she needs from him and he’ll do it.

Hava tells him that she’s okay and that she just needs him to keep being him. Then she rubs his bald head and heads to bed as Yolov wakes Diana for the final watch.

Diana sits watch, listening to the quiet trickling of water nearby and occasional quiet shift of stone. Nothing else happens, but when another rock falls near the exit of the cave, Diana leaves the Tiny Hunt to investigate it.

Behind her as she leaves, she can see the Tiny Hut begin to fade as the spell hits its final moments. It’s quiet and dark, and she moves to the mouth of the exit where a tiny rock had fallen. When she leans down, it doesn’t look quite right. She can’t tell where it fell from, since there’s only smooth stone above her.

She leans in to get a closer look just as a wire trap tries to snap around her ankle. She just barely dodges out of the way. Nearby, she can hear the disappointed click of teeth and someone saying, “Damn, almost got one,” and another voice hushing them.

Diana goes invisible, earning a startled curse and the sound of moving footsteps further into the corridor. She bolts back to the Tiny Hut as it disappears and tells them about the people. Hava scolds her for leaving the Tiny Hut and Az tells her she should’ve taken someone along. Diana argues that Audacity was meditating, the others were sleepy, and Adrin isn’t stealthy.

They debate leaving out the cave entrance or continuing down the corridor in hopes that it’s a shortcut to the dwarven roads. There are the emptied crates Medrash saw, but as Az and Hava study them, they both notice the residue in the cracks of the wood and realize that it didn’t carry drake-stone but gemstones.

Az knows that one party that would be very interested in gemstones, it’s probably going to be dwarves.

Hava had talked with Kiva during the trip on the Morning Flight, and she remembers a moment leaning on the edge of the ship, wind in her hair as Kiva chatted about the different places he’s been. The only capital he’s never personally been to is the dwarven capital. He’s been trying to establish a trade route there but hasn’t managed it yet.

When she mentions this to the party, Az laughs at the idea of Kiva calling it a trade route, though Galowen points out smuggling does involve a trade of sorts.

Yolov says it seems strange to him that Kiva’s people would empty out the boxes here rather than deliver them to the dwarven roads. They’re debating if the people upstairs were Kiva’s people and chased by thieves.

Yolov sees a flicker of movement at his shadowed feet and a flitting movement as someone uses the shadows to land at Hava’s side. It’s a tiny goblin woman who says she didn’t steal anything. Hava explains that they were just looking at the boxes because they know Kiva.

The goblin stares at her and asks if she really knows Kiva. Hava says she does, and the goblin crosses her arms and squints with all the effort she can muster in her three-foot frame. Then she introduces herself as Captain Kasuno.

Hava introduces them as Donnie and the Hooligans and explains that Kiva wasn’t expecting them. Yolov explains about the wolves, and Kasuno tells them that she and her crew have been here for a week. They were in the middle of moving the items a few days ago when there was a cave in and their passageway to the roads was blocked off.

There are shadow monsters within the smugglers’ tunnel as well, though Cassone’s crewmate Sola is currently warding them off. The party realizes this is the fastest way to get to the dwarven roads and Cassone offers to let them use the passage if they help the group deal with the shadow monsters.

Hava says they’d be happy too, any friend of Kiva’s is a friend of hers. Cassone eyes her and asks if he fucked her real good, making Yolov turn purple and Galowen grin and high five her as Hava grins and agrees he did.

Cassone says she’s known Kiva for years. She explains that under him she has had gainful employment. She didn’t even have to rent her ship, The Lost Mistake, which is in the Sisters’ Reach Port at the moment. Az recognizes the name, which is on a list of ships that Captain-Admiral Zorax of the Striogian navy has made of people he suspects are smugglers. He also remembers that there is a rumor of Cassone being presumed dead, which many don’t believe, though the Lost Mistake crew will insist to people she is.

This list that Zorax has doesn’t have Kiva’s ship or Maeve’s ship on it. Zorax does believe that at one point the Lost Mistake supplied information, people, or resources, or harbored the Stormriders. He knows there is a debt owed somewhere.

Hava asks Cassone if she’s familiar with a group of mercenaries called the Stormriders.

Cassone says she thought she looked familiar, but she didn’t seem to have the same salt. While the party takes it for an insult, Hava waves it aside and agrees. She mostly grew up sheltered and with her family before she left home.

Cassone eyes them and asks what they want with Maeve, since she owes her a debt. Hava pointedly says that she’s her sister. Cassone says yes, she realized that, but still looks unconvinced that Hava is here to help Maeve.

Yolov explains that they’re searching for the Stormriders because they’re concerned something has happened to them. They were due back in Radiscune a week ago to collect their earnings. Cassone is concerned by that, because it doesn’t seem like Maeve to fail to collect her money.

She presses them on if they’re certain Maeve didn’t return to Radiscune and Az says that Mother told them, which makes Cassone curse.

Hava notices the tattoo of a two-headed fish on her arm as she gestures. She silently pieces together that for all the talk of debt and friendship, Cassone and Maeve are more than friends. This is Maeve’s girlfriend.

Cassone leads them down to a spot in the hall where they can hear a ruckus and a weird howling hissing sound. They smell a wave of a sickly sweet rotting scent, familiar and disgusting.

Above the howling and hissing and growling, the party hears an increasingly loud and obnoxious argument happening between two people. There’s a voice that is distinctly not local and haughty complaining that he’s been giving his absolute best holding the wall for 12 hours. Another voice, rougher, says that just because he’s got more magic doesn’t mean he has to let Sola be a dick all night.

The party rounds the corner and sees a red-haired, elaborately clothed and bejeweled pirate holding an abjuration ward to keep the shadows at bay. It’s clearly the Sola Cassone mentioned earlier. Next to him, arms crossed, is a half-orc gentleman called Jeremy.

There are two more individuals. One is a woman called Kyla who looks dwarvish and another is a halfling called Jackie.

Sola holds his arms out at an awkward ankle and turns to study the party. He sighs at more newcomers.

Az introduces them as Donnie and the Hooligans, which surprises Diana since she didn’t realize he was their leader. Galowen explains that he’s not, they just named the group that to keep Az humble.

Jeremy extends his arm, which is missing a pinky, and shakes Az’s hand.

Yolov looks at the arcane shield, impressed at Sola’s control and power. However, he realizes that Sola is over-exerting himself and looks close to collapse from straining his magic. He likely already has collapsed earlier from what Cassone said, leading the shadows to gain a foothold past the blocked tunnel.

Az spies at least four, maybe five shadows that are moving in front of the shield. They fuse together and split apart. At one point three of them combine into something almost as big as the corridor itself and throw themselves at the shield, making Sola wince and the walls shake.

Yolov says that they should deal with the shadows as quickly as possible before Sola strains himself any further. Sola protests that he is fine, but Jeremy says that he’ll grab him if he collapses. Galowen offers Glyn, which makes Sola protest over spoiling his nice clothes before the party explains Glyn is a summoned steed. He sniffs and tells them that they should have said that at once.

Az assures him that his clothes will be fine, and offers him a helpful hand up onto Glyn with a lingering touch, earning a slow once over from Sola as Sola settles himself onto Glyn. Sola holds his concentration on the shield despite being obviously distracted by Az.

Galowen pats Yolov on the shoulder and tells him he doesn’t have to look at the flirting, giving him Bardic Inspiration while Yolov flushes and casts Mage Armor on himself and prepares to cast Mirror Image on himself the second before the arcane ward drops.

Galowen casts Bless on a few people as Cassone orders her group away from the ward, warning the party that she’ll kill them if they get Sola or anyone on her crew killed.

Then Sola drops the ward.

Immediately the five shadows rush forward at the party.