Road to Auer Session 5: Unicorn Rodeo Goes Down Nothing Like Legend.

After convincing Balziros to not eat the heart, Gorg, Harvey, Terror, Longshot, and Balziros noticed a small figure entering the clearing. It appeared to be a gnome. He introduced himself as Quiggles and showed them he was a wizard. while they explained what was happening in the sudden snowfall another stranger entered the clearing. It appeared to be a white furred satyr. He introduced himself as Keyhaw and asked them if any one had seen any unicorn hearts, it seemed there was a forest guardian that had been killed and its heart taken. Reluctantly Balziros admitted he had it. Keyhaw informed the group they would have to return the heart to the unicorn or the entire forest would become a frozen wasteland. The group agrees this would be wise and asked if there were any threats to look out for. Keyhaw told them there was a strange red minotaur wandering the snow-covered woods.

The group set off, Longshot leading the way. Quickly they realized the entre forest was covered in ice and snow. They found the river and everyone but Gorg slipped on the ice. They noticed something blue and quick moving through the tree line and were greeted with a cackle. A tall blue skinned hag in a toga climbed down into view and asked who the party was. The group wisely withheld their names. She explained her friends were trapped in the ice and it was hard to feed them. The party peered into the solid ice and could see strange skeletal creatures looking like undead mermaids with whip like tails. Not trusting the obviously scary with the group asked what the “friends” ate, and she informed them meat… from travelers… animals, she meant animals. Balziros promised to bring the nice lady, the witch Amelda, meat if they found any and she let the group go.

They found a path that took them up a ridge, Longshot finding the unguarded path and as they climbed could see a displacer beast and its kitten playing on the ice river. Quietly they made it deeper into the hills. The group stopped when they noticed a few lumps on the snow and two large purple corruption oozes charged the group. They quickly found that magical attacks and spells would cause small buds of ooze to grow off the main ooze and electrical and slashing damage caused the entire ooze to split in half. Harvey stabbed one with his gifted blade from his distant cousin and saw a slightly magic effect bloom in the blade. After a few missteps and many oozes, the group rose victoriously from the melee.

The group traveled on and found a copse of pale trees with leaves like ice. The path had strange ice fairies dancing between the branches. Harvey had experience with fey creatures and approached. He talked with the lead fairy, most troops have them, and asked what was up. The fairy told him that all the ice fairies had just gone to sleep for the summer and suddenly the ice woke them again, he thinks it has something to do with the ghost horse. Pressed for more information Krickzle the fairy told the group that when the unicorn was made heartless its soul became dark and twisted. Now its body, with a horn and hooves made of flame is wreaking havoc. The group thanked hi for the information and made their way towards the loud sounds of yelling and crashing.

At the next clearing they could see this undead unicorn, with a massive hole in its chest, sprinting away from a red minotaur that was trying to jump on its back and catch it. They watched as this transpired for about twenty minutes and could hear someone shouting out encouragement to the minotaur from up above. Longshot spotted the skeletal bard with a lute up in a tall tree attempting the inspirational messages. Harvey and Quiggles came up with what seemed like a terrible plan at the time, hopping on the back of the unicorn and mage handing the heart back in place. While they were planning, they saw the unicorn stab the minotaur a few times when it got to close.

As the unicorn was running towards where the party was plotting, they launched their plan. Harvey and Quiggles misty stepped onto the back of the moving beast, Harvey was facing the wrong way but otherwise they were fine. They both cast mage hand and attempted to push the heart back into place. It was half way in as they made the turn, headed towards the rest of the group. Gorg yelled out to the minotaur and persuaded him to stop it, which he did, oddly confused at who these people were. Balziros ran up to the minotaur and commanded him to cower, so on its turn it did. The unicorn ran at Balziros, who stepped out of the way and the minotaur was trampled beneath the flaming hooves of rage. Longshot and Terror took aim at the bard to silence him, launching spell and arrows into his skeletal form. The skeleton used shatter on the unicorn, seeing if his master could not have it, no one would, and hitting some crazy living people on its back seemed helpful too. The minotaur became the target of many attacks, Gorg breaking off both of his horns with her maul. Harvey and Quiggles rode the raging undead unicorn as it made an ice bridge up to the bard, seeking to silence it as well. as they got to the top the bard used thunder wave in an attempt to push the impending threat off the ramp and to the ground. Harvey fell, thinking the sixty-foot fall into ice and minotaur blood would the last thing he felt, but Quiggles saved him with feather fall. After landing both Quiggles and Harvey used their mage hands to push the heart fully back into place. The skeleton fell to the combined efforts of Terror and Longshot.

The unicorn, its heart restored, transformed back to normal. It had been investigating this corruption and was struck down by some large giant creature. It remembered the cold, but not what was happening around it. It thanked the group, healed them of any injuries and started fixing the forest. The group noticed the minotaur corpse had dissolved and might not have been from this realm, but the horns remained. The session ended there for the night, for simplicity, they made their way back to town.

***Some events were very loosely based on the 1985 Ridley Scott movie Legend staring Tim Curry, Tom Cruise, and Mia Sara. If you have no clue what I am talking about go check it out!***