Book Gnome: Upon a Dark Place Session 19

Great Halibar’s ghost! Confusion started our session. It turned out Ochranna’s Anvil had somehow managed to snag a soul, unfortunately it was Lord Halibar Nel Daxis Aldrabriane, the party’s long deceased cambion employer and old ruler of Hafbuilt before it was destroyed. The act of his death at the hands of the red dragon Kaismir and their brain devouring ally left his soul adrift and the party’s use of speak with dead on his remains threw off the resurrection cycle just enough for there to be some oddities. Zamira wanted to stab him but his audible confusion made her pause. For him, only a moment or two had passed while actual months of time had passed. He asked about the big gem and the scroll they were supposed to give to the ally of his in the empty city, they told him the dragon had “left town” and Wilbur pulled out his giant dragon claw he had taken from her corpse. They gave him the briefest rundown of what had happened over the last few months and he informed them he owned Ochranna a huge favor for carving out Halfbuilt for him, which is why he was possibly now their spirit guide.

The group brought up the formless and Lord Halibar told them that with the use of the now haunted anvil they could craft Soul Urns for fighting the formless, but certain items would be needed for their construction. Udaren black clay, Spark Adamantine, Mithril netting, the heart of a Sladd, and silver from the astral sea. The clay was the major component while the other parts are the focusing apparatus to guide the magic into the vessels and seal it away. Bastion has the ability to cast planeshift, so a few of the otherworldly components should be able to be gained with it. The concern was the Mithril Netting, which seemed to be in Stormcroak, the home of the potentially cannibalistic frogmen with a town so great, you never want to leave. They also were informed that his structure was a large artifact as well, it could be magically shrunk down to be pocket size, it would just take ten minutes. While the group was discussing options their wizard friend saw someone running in the tunnels outside the church.

Outside a new character burst into the scene, while being chased by monsters made by the formless of course. Brandt had sent his eidolon Baz ahead to find a safe path but had lost sight of him and numerous creatures crafted by the formless were at his heels. He and his allies had been sent to observe a potential threat beneath the surface and were overwhelmed by the “Flesh Stitcher” or as the party knew him, the Patchwork Man. Brandt yelled to the stunned looking drow in the church entrance to hold them off for a minute and ran into the church past him.

The party turned to see a non-assuming man with silver and white hair and light armor running into the church with Eldzar at his heels, both claiming there were formless monsters in the corridor. The group saw indeed what looked to be giant sewn together bodies cramming their way into the doorway. They party jumped into action, Bastion using wrathful mantle, illuminating the party and giving everyone a bonus on saving throws, but luckily got this up before combat truly started. Cecil ran up to the first monster and took a big swing with Kneecappa, his earth breaker maul, sending bits of monster flying. Bastion used spray of shooting stars, injuring and dazzling a few of the monsters. Wilbur used Create pit under one of the monsters, sending it crashing down thirty feet. Eldzar sent a rain of fire down the pit but ended too close to it, falling in. Both Nimhe and Zamira noticed an even larger monster and teleported, Nimhe via her belt, and Zamira through the shadows, to end up flanking the giant stitched monstrosity, each getting an attack off. Brandt surrounded the monster with a ring of fire, cooking the beast. Baz the eidolon also reappeared at this moment, informing Brandt the way to safety was up ahead. The group quickly worked their way through the lesser monsters and watched as the giant cooked monster split into two identical monsters, but now spreading out to take on more foes. eventually they brought all of them down and in the following calm, introductions were made.

Brandt gave the group the important details about his past, the fight with the formless creature and the loss of his five companions, one of companion’s arm was found in the stitched monsters form as it burned. He told them the path behind him was broken but these things slipped through after he ran from the strange stitched tornado of lamia and other creatures the Patchwork Man commanded. The group decided to take him along, as they had a shared foe. Eldzar could not stop looking at Brandt with what the party assumed was distrust or distain, Eldzar told them he would go research a few of their other items they needed for the Soul Urns and would come back. He went down a tunnel and disappeared. The group also realized they could not contact the Portal Dwarf and he did not respond to any of the sending spells.

The party chose to rest in the church before shrinking it to bring with. Cecil took the first watch and noticed a strange hound like creature that entered the tunnel section with the dead bodies in it. The creature, upon further glance appeared to be a fiery hell hound. The hellhound ate some of the bodies, coughed and vomited up what it had eaten, and ran off into one of the other tunnels. Nimhe took second watch and was warned about the hound, Wilbur took third, neither of their watches were as interesting.

The group had a loose idea of which way the city of Stormcroak was in, using the Puldiver’s compass to help guide them. They journeyed through corridors and worm carved tunnels, eventually finding groups of tunnels that intersected oddly. They eventually found a crossroads with signs pointing to Stormcroak and even found a frogman. Lenard Lemond greeted them and asked if they were on their way to Stormcroak, he sat on a toadstool playing what appeared to be a banjo. The group asked him about the city and the Mithril Net. He informed them they were a few weeks early for the festival in praise for their god that used the net, which currently was in Highcroak Keep, the ruling house of the city. He told them it had been a while since they had had visitors and his cousin Toppa had returned a little while back. Toppa was almost a folk hero to Lenard, having left and come back numerous times whereas Lenard has only been this far from the city. The group thanked him and made their way to the city of frogmen… Stormcroak.