Astvanor Session 108 (4/7)

[cinaed]

Session 108: Day 21 of Veksdan (4/7)

Yolov cannot tell if Greenheart teleported away or cast invisibility on herself, but he heads immediately in the direction Doctor Greenheart was standing, with the rest of the group following.

Az immediately feels ill, bile rising in his throat as he clambers up after Yolov. Another warm, humid wind stabs into him like knives and he turns and retches over the edge. Hava goes to him and asks if he’s okay. He says he’s just acclimating, washing his mouth out with his waterskin.

Hava knows that there’s nothing she can do. His body that has been a conduit for Feywild magic is reacting to the Shadowfell. She pats his back as they all look around and Az says he’ll be all right, he just has to adjust.

Throughout this rolling, mostly desolate space, there are almost charred looking, abandoned buildings, everything looking burned out by necrotic fire, nothing upon nothing until in the distance there is a pale, lilac-colored fortress, built of strong stone. It stands like the only sign of life, lit up by this soft purple glow.

Audacity mutters that shocking no one, Marion has a sense for the dramatic.

They all step forward, one step, then another, walking carefully in this place that they don’t fundamentally know or understand. Another of these humid winds cuts across the landscape. Az and Hava see a shape starting to form in the darkness beyond them and feel a warning tingle down their spines, but Audacity’s attention is drawn to a sigil carved into the ground.

The shadow becomes almost painful to look at. Az has to look away first, but the others have to drop their eyes as well as Audacity recognizes Marion in the distance.

Marion snaps his fingers.

All at once, the world turns a searing, blinding purple as arcane lines light up under everyone’s feet and blast everyone to the ground, kicking up dirt and dust. Everyone hits the dirt hard and painfully. When they all look up again, Marion is gone.

As the dust settles, Galowen, Yolov, and Hava look around and realize that the cliff behind them is suddenly a long, deep drop. In front of them is a wall of necrotic magic that blocks them from the others, though they can see them through the wall.

There are in fact two walls. Diana, Audacity, and Az can see their wall but not the other’s, while Yolov, Galowen, and Hava can see just their own wall as well. Diana looks around, anxiously realizing Adrin is nowhere to be found.

As Az throws a rock at the wall of magic, he watches it pass through the wall harmlessly.

Yolov recognizes that these are arcane barriers. While they would be difficult to dispel, he also knows that they have to have foci keeping them up. Otherwise the walls will vanish in ten minutes. He attempts to cast Message to Audacity, but while Audacity can see him trying to cast a spell at him, the message is lost.

Yolov can read his mouth saying that he can’t hear him.

Audacity is exasperated, but his eyes catch sight of three glittering things in the space right past his barrier. When he mouths at Yolov if he can reach through the wall to touch them, Yolov gestures an emphatic no. Audacity tells Diana to shoot at one of them, but while she strikes it, nothing happens.

Yolov realizes what is going on: the foci need to be damaged from the front. Each side can potentially see the other’s foci but cannot damage them. He attempts to summon Es through to where Diana had shot, only for Es to appear at the wall, unable to get through.

Es mutters about it being embarrassing as Yolov explains what’s going on to Galowen and Hava, and then pantomimes for Diana to shoot at the same spot for Galowen and Hava to shoot at as well.

Diana shoots again, but it misses, going through both walls.

Galowen, Hava, and Yolov try to find their foci as well. Hava can’t see the general shape, but she knows where one is. She points that out, and this time when Diana’s arrow cracks it something magical flares and then dies. Meanwhile Galowen takes out another focus on their end.

Audacity mouths to Yolov that the other foci are straight up and down, one above, two below, and Yolov passes that along to the others as Hava shoots the one above them.

The next few seconds involve Az, Audacity, and Diana looking for more foci and Az and Audacity spying more on their side. Yolov, Hava, and Galowen keep looking for more foci, but cannot see any more. They take out another one as the others throw things blindly.

As the party slowly takes out a few more foci, they all hear a sound that is like the wind, piercing and loud. Yolov’s group turns to see three hulking shapes climbing towards them, realizing that the barriers weren’t just meant to slow them down but also trap them.

When Hava hits another one, she takes out an entire focus and there is a brighter flash.

Audacity hits the next foci with a rock and mouths to Yolov that there are also two to the right. For a second when Yolov is reading his lips, Audacity’s mouth seems to say vertical, but Audacity is gesturing horizontally. He realizes that the shadowfell is messing with his mind.

Hava spots another foci on their side, while Audacity’s wild swing manages to hit one. Galowen shoots the first one that Audacity pointed out. Diana hits another on the other side. When Galowen hits another one, there isn’t a big flash this time.

Audacity takes out one of the foci, earning a medium-sized flash.

Galowen drops down low to shoot his crossbow and catches the flash of two more foci. After a few more rounds of misses and destroying one focus after another, he sees that his wall is getting dimmer. He levels a shot with his hand crossbow. When it strikes, he can’t see anything, but he sees the crossbow bolt strike something invisible. There is one flash, and then another, and then another as the arcane energy shatters and that wall disappears.

Galowen gives them a thumbs up as Audacity destroys the last focus and that wall shatters as well.

The creatures are still climbing up after them. The party debates fighting, while Yolov says they need to focus on getting to the fortress, which amuses Galowen as he asks if that means Yolov will kill them like the troll. The party has two options: craggy rocks to the right which is a slower path but easier to hide in and the open plains which are harder to hide in but faster.

They choose the craggy rocks and begin to rush down. It’s difficult, with Az and Diana wiggling their way through, while Audacity takes a running leap. Yolov is struggling while Galowen tries to help him. Hava grips the rock that looks stable and it isn’t. She slides uncomfortably down the crags, scraped knee bleeding.

They continue to run through these rocks, Galowen’s orange fur showing in the shadowfell before Diana hides him as the creatures begin to hunt. The party sneaks past them, managing to move quietly. Hava and Audacity come up on Az as he’s about to kick a rock by accident, stopping him from revealing their position.

They go through the shadows, through tall, arching stones that grow sharper and more jagged. The shadows get longer. There are canyons where there’s a sliver of sky. This reminds the group of those as the shadows get heavier and thicker as they walk through them. They slip through these shadows, Yolov sensing something moving behind them.

It’s not one of his friends, instead it is the shadow they brought back to the shadowfell, which twists itself back into a vaguely humanoid shape.

The shadow says hunted, Yolov agrees and says they’re trying to get to the fortress, having gotten to within two miles of it during their trek. The shadow says there is danger and they should go. Yolov says they can’t, they have someone they have to bring home.

The shadow reaches out and cradles Yolov’s face in its shadowy hands before it presses one hand to its chest and then to Yolov’s. It says they brought it home, it will help them, that it will get them to a door and wait outside for them and help. It also says that it saw Adrin get taken, that the people inside want to make a shade out of her. The party realizes they want to replace Iceclaw with Adrin and turn her into a shadow dragon, which makes Diana panic.

The shadow leads them close to the fortress, which has a main entrance. Not wanting to walk right up to the front and get ambushed again, Yolov studies the fortress. He notices claw marks on the high walls of this canyon where large things come that way frequently. If large things come and go here, there’s probably a way inside.

He follows the marks until they find, at the base of the tremendous fortress that is probably crawling with Sworn Edge and monsters, a very large door. It’s an arched doorway made of stone that is set into what is a naturally formed door with stalagmites and stalactites.

Yolov casts Telepathic Bond once more and they briefly discuss using their invisibility spells before deciding to hold off. They open the unlocked door.

Only Az can see into this magical darkness. He hears a voice strained and far away that sounds like his patron. The voice says, “It’s difficult, but I can still reach you,” before it fades. He shakes off his unease and can see piles upon piles of gold and gemstones pouring out of open chests. Armor is piled like useless junk. He can see scrolls as well. This is a proper dragon’s hoard.

Az realizes that this has to be where they brought Iceclaw’s hoard as Hava says loudly in everyone’s heads that she can’t see shit. She is unnerved, as are the rest of the party with darkvision, unused to the dark. Az can see an open door on the other side of the hoard. He tells them about the hoard and suggests that they go through the hoard on their way out, asking Diana and Yolov what they think.

Yolov flatly says he doesn’t care about the hoard and Diana says she just wants her sister. Az leads them all blindly through the hoard and into a long, narrow corridor that gradually gives way from magical darkness to regular darkness.

Hava grants Galowen and Yolov the ability to see in the dark as they approach another door that is adorned with golden rosettes that have become grimy. The stairs continue up as well past this door.

Audacity listens at the door, hearing movement like fabric rustling before silence. He looks at the others and says that there’s someone inside, but he can’t hear any voices. They debate opening the door, and realize it’s locked from the outside. Yolov says whoever is inside, the Sworn Edge doesn’t want them moving around, which means they’re at the least allies.

Yolov casts Invisibility on Az in case of danger as he tries to unlock the door and fumbles with his lockpicks. He hears muffled sounds inside before he manages to unlock the door and swing it open as the muffled voice tries to speak.

There is a thick layer of dust and well-carved furniture that has long since begun to rot from the Shadowfell’s influence. There is a bed pushed up against the wall with four large posts, blankets threadbare. Laying on the bed, wrists bound, legs bound, looking a strong combination of relieved, concerned, and a level of furious that she has probably felt since being kidnapped, is Professor Dailiir. There is blood matted on the side of her head.

She isn’t alone. Bound with arcane locks is an unfamiliar man next to her.

When Az calls to Yolov, Yolov bolts to stand beside Az. He almost cannot believe they’ve found her, and points at Professor Dailiir and Messages, “Professor Dailiir, is it safe to enter? Are there traps?” She tells him there are no traps, they’re bait. The party was expected to get them and leave.

Yolov says they aren’t leaving. They have to get Adrin back.

He removes her gag and she tells him that the other man needs to leave the Shadowfell immediately. He asks if Banishment would help, and she asks Kaspian if it would be safe for him to be where he was returned. The party recognizes the name. This was Evie’s first sorcerer, the head of the Shadow Broken, a man who is thousands of years old.

Kaspian shrugs, seeing unconcerned about potential danger, and looks bored as Yolov tells him that they’ve met Subtlety before casting Banishment and concentrating for the necessary minute.

While Yolov does that, Hava looks Dailiir over and sees that she is dehydrated and a bit malnourished, and that her right wrist is broken. When Hava offers to heal it, Dailiir says she’ll be fine. Hava looks at Yolov to see if she should heal Dailiir anyway, but Yolov is too busy staring at Dailiir.

Dailiir looks at Yolov and smiles. She says she knew he would come. They have much to discuss after all this, but she’s so proud of him. When she draws him into a hug, Yolov starts to cry and says he was so worried. She pats his back with her unbroken hand and says she knew he would be brave and get to her. That’s why she chose him.