Your party is told to rest and recover here on the Inner Circle mound. As you do so, you witness Sovereign Phylo return followed by other myconids. They form a tight circle and appear to be sleeping or meditating until all of you wake from a long rest.
Sovereign Phylo approaches the party, ejects its rapport spores and greets you once again with the same verve as the first time, "You are safe, friendly softers. You arrive at a wondrous time. It is time to celebrate. You may enter the Garden of Welcome this day and witness the rehearsal!"
Rodolfo says, "Just a second, let us make ourselves presentable." And he goes over everyone with a little Prestidigitation to clean everyone up.
He then turns to the Sovereign again and asks, "What are the proper procedures to follow at this wondrous event? Are there any rules about doing or not doing something? Like a specific greeting upon entering the Garden or maybe the opposite - that we may not speak at all?"
Sovereign Phylo answers, "The rehearsal is for an event that will bring great joy to Neverlight Grove, which will spread from here across the Underdark. As the heads of Neverlight Grove, sovereign Basidia and I are to be representatives of the Grove and the Underdark. Because of this, we are to witness the actual ceremony itself, not before.
Circle leader Yestabrod will be officiating the rehearsal. Follow its lead, witness what is to come so you can spread the word upon your travels."
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
(If there's anything you wanted to say or do at this point, we can retcon it. Moving on.)
Sovereign Phylo leads the party to the Circle of Sporers, where the ramp to the Garden of Welcome starts. At a silent signal from Sovereign Phylo, Leader Yrberop and two large mushroom and lichen covered creatures resembling massive lobsters, step aside to let you pass. Sovereign Phylo starts up the ramp, but stops maybe a dozen feet beyond the creatures, "Follow the path. Do not harm or cultivate any of the mushrooms or any myconid, else the animated zurkwoods will attack in defense of the grove. Leader Yestabrod will be your guide to witness the splendors of the Garden." There she waits for you to make your way before returning back down the path.
The path thickens and hinders your progress once again, resembling the fungal forest of the previous day, yet here the path remains easy to follow. Compared to the silence of the fungal forest, the path to the garden seems to echo eerie murmurings and occasionally, music.
The murmurings slowly clarify into low muttering, and grows louder as you reach the top. Once you break through the canopy of the fungus and the towering Zurkwoods into a clearing, the mutterings swiftly turn into a symphony of moans, cries, and hisses. The only light comes from a few glowing mushrooms along the edge, but even in the gloom, you can’t miss the source of the sounds. The heads of creatures of a dozen humanoid Underdark races peek from the ground, mold and fungi growing around them.
One nearby voice calls out loudly in Undercommon — a female drow fighting to speak. “Please … for your gods of light . . . kill me!” She manages to stir within her living grave, raising a spider medallion half-embedded in the bloated growth that was once her hand. Half her face is rotten and pustulate, a bed for the sprouting of scores of tiny mushrooms. “The Great Seeder … trap … she’s here … the Lady of Decay … Zuggtmoy …”
Immediately Derendil hisses, hackles rising and says in urbane elvish, "The Demon Queen of Rot and Decay, mortal enemy of Juiblex is here too!?"
Rodolfo easily recognizes the name of one of the Demon Lords of the Abyss. There are several Demon Lords; Zuggtmoy, Juiblex, Baphomet, Demogorgon, Fraz-Urb'luu, Graz'zt, Orcus, Yeenoghu, Lolth, Kostchtchie, Pazuzu and more that the material plane scholars have certainly never learned of. A Demon Lord loose in the material plane instead of the Abyss is a major threat.
After hearing Derendil speak of Juiblex, Skameros is pretty sure he's recently heard whispers of the name from somewhere or someone he can't recall.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Rodolfo reacts immediately, first by casting Longstrider on himself and then scanning the surroundings for anyone watching them (12 +1 for perception or +5 for investigation)
Scene: The party was following the path through the fungal forest, which is mostly comprised of massive Zurkhwoods with thinner and smaller foliage below them. As you moved through this 'forest', you all had the distinct impression the Zurkhwoods were watching you pass. Entering the clearing, you did not proceed very far and are still backed up against the 'forest', within reach of the zurkhwoods.
Rodolfo scans the surroundings and sees dozens upon dozens of these living graves in the clearing and can hear but can't see movement in the zurkhwood forest to his back.
The planted drow in the living grave once again beseeches you all, “Please … for your gods of light . . . kill me! I'll give you anything... so you'll just end... this”.
Watching Skameros's greataxe swing down toward her, you all swear the drow looks relieved.
The moans of the garden’s victims suddenly take on a new tone of fear as something coming from the east, up a winding path, moves across the foul ground. No longer recognizable as a myconid, it looks like a fungal larva slithering along the ground. Mold and lichen grow in hypnotic patterns along its ringed stalk, and it puffs clouds of spores from a slit resembling a mouth. It can use this orifice to actually speak, rather than depending on rapport spores.
“Welcome, travelers.” The aberrant myconid’s voice gurgles and spits as it speaks aloud. “Are you here for the wedding rehearsal? Friends of the bride or her intended? No matter! Let the love of the Great Seeder embrace you as you become one with her chosen, the Great Body!”
The garden comes alive with the screams of the buried victims. The Myconid gesticulates as two of the graves froth and expel two fresh spore servants in a morbid caricature of a birth. Out of the Zurkwood forests behind, Sarith, Tozer and Xilyrah emerge, dancing to some unheard music… different than the cacophony of music coming from the east beyond the Garden.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
(OOC: I'm never certain whether to go for the boss, or get rid of the annoying minions first.)
Beegred doesn't know what is going on, but that has never stopped him before. Rodolfo and Skameros (and Derendil) reacted angrily to "Ziggy-Toy", so it must be something bad.
Beegred will move to H11. (10' extra movement on first round.) Bonus action to Hunter's Mark the creepy thing (Yestabrod). Then short bow attacks.
Attack: 25 Damage: 16
Dread Ambusher Attack: 21 Damage: 18
Get to re-roll that first attack. To-hit: 18 (1, 3, and 7 is not a good start.)
(I don't like that Sarith, Tozer and Xilyrah are here, but I can hope they aren't joining the bad guys.)
Beegred Thornpost - Lvl 8 Halfling Ranger - Out of the Abyss by Kerrec Drusk - Lvl 8 Half-Orc Life Cleric - The Long Road: Dragon Heist by Mingofaust (player & current DM) Hunferho Aelorothi - Lvl 5 Half-Elf Bard/Rogue - Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus (by Pokepaladdy) DM - Frontier City of Nunkreet (ended)
(I know Tozer goes before me but I'll post this up)
Skameros' fur stands straight up and he lets out a girlish scream (rage) and moves to E10 (which should put me in range of the one spore servant nearest him and swings his greataxe
Beegred rushes forward, standing slightly behind the Spore Servant when he draws two arrows and fires them at the mutated form of Yestabrod. The arrows snag in the fungus and lichen covering the creature, failing to penetrate the body proper.
Tozer hops and skips in some un-dwarflike dance (to A9) and tries to sweep Skameros's arm in his...
Skameros needs to make a DC 8 Athletics or Acrobatics check or be grappled by Tozer.
(Skameros makes his grapple check, then plays his turn too).
Skameros rushes forward in a rage and wildly swings his greataxe, missing the spore servant. The other spore servant, which matches Derendil in stature, moves up to Derendil and makes two attacks...
Rodolfo still doesn't have the hang of how to aim the globs being flung out of the wand and just barely misses Yestabrod. Meanwhile, Yestabrod slithers its way forward to the little willing creature that embraces its fate and tries to slam Beegred...
Slam Attack: 10 Damage: 20
... but Beegred easily deflects the blow with his shield.
Beegred Perception check: 23
Beegred, you realize the blow was easily deflected because Yestabrod wasn't trying to hit you with a killing blow, just hit you hard enough to incapacitate you (ie: non-lethal).
Shoving is a contested STR (Athletics) vs. STR (Athletics) or DEX (Acrobatics) check.
Xilyrah contests with Acrobatics: 15 vs. DC 4
Jimjar circles around the spore servant and attempts to shove Xilyrah prone. She stumbles a bit in her dance, but otherwise manages to stay on her feet.
Sarith dances over next to Jimjar (to B18) and tries to sweep him up in his dance...
Grapple check: Jimjar STR check 18 vs Sarith STR check DC 7
Your party is told to rest and recover here on the Inner Circle mound. As you do so, you witness Sovereign Phylo return followed by other myconids. They form a tight circle and appear to be sleeping or meditating until all of you wake from a long rest.
Sovereign Phylo approaches the party, ejects its rapport spores and greets you once again with the same verve as the first time, "You are safe, friendly softers. You arrive at a wondrous time. It is time to celebrate. You may enter the Garden of Welcome this day and witness the rehearsal!"
Rodolfo says, "Just a second, let us make ourselves presentable." And he goes over everyone with a little Prestidigitation to clean everyone up.
He then turns to the Sovereign again and asks, "What are the proper procedures to follow at this wondrous event? Are there any rules about doing or not doing something? Like a specific greeting upon entering the Garden or maybe the opposite - that we may not speak at all?"
Sovereign Phylo answers, "The rehearsal is for an event that will bring great joy to Neverlight Grove, which will spread from here across the Underdark. As the heads of Neverlight Grove, sovereign Basidia and I are to be representatives of the Grove and the Underdark. Because of this, we are to witness the actual ceremony itself, not before.
Circle leader Yestabrod will be officiating the rehearsal. Follow its lead, witness what is to come so you can spread the word upon your travels."
(If there's anything you wanted to say or do at this point, we can retcon it. Moving on.)
Sovereign Phylo leads the party to the Circle of Sporers, where the ramp to the Garden of Welcome starts. At a silent signal from Sovereign Phylo, Leader Yrberop and two large mushroom and lichen covered creatures resembling massive lobsters, step aside to let you pass. Sovereign Phylo starts up the ramp, but stops maybe a dozen feet beyond the creatures, "Follow the path. Do not harm or cultivate any of the mushrooms or any myconid, else the animated zurkwoods will attack in defense of the grove. Leader Yestabrod will be your guide to witness the splendors of the Garden." There she waits for you to make your way before returning back down the path.
The path thickens and hinders your progress once again, resembling the fungal forest of the previous day, yet here the path remains easy to follow. Compared to the silence of the fungal forest, the path to the garden seems to echo eerie murmurings and occasionally, music.
The murmurings slowly clarify into low muttering, and grows louder as you reach the top. Once you break through the canopy of the fungus and the towering Zurkwoods into a clearing, the mutterings swiftly turn into a symphony of moans, cries, and hisses. The only light comes from a few glowing mushrooms along the edge, but even in the gloom, you can’t miss the source of the sounds. The heads of creatures of a dozen humanoid Underdark races peek from the ground, mold and fungi growing around them.
One nearby voice calls out loudly in Undercommon — a female drow fighting to speak. “Please … for your gods of light . . . kill me!” She manages to stir within her living grave, raising a spider medallion half-embedded in the bloated growth that was once her hand. Half her face is rotten and pustulate, a bed for the sprouting of scores of tiny mushrooms. “The Great Seeder … trap … she’s here … the Lady of Decay … Zuggtmoy …”
Everyone Roll HISTORY checks.Immediately Derendil hisses, hackles rising and says in urbane elvish, "The Demon Queen of Rot and Decay, mortal enemy of Juiblex is here too!?"
Rodolfo easily recognizes the name of one of the Demon Lords of the Abyss. There are several Demon Lords; Zuggtmoy, Juiblex, Baphomet, Demogorgon, Fraz-Urb'luu, Graz'zt, Orcus, Yeenoghu, Lolth, Kostchtchie, Pazuzu and more that the material plane scholars have certainly never learned of. A Demon Lord loose in the material plane instead of the Abyss is a major threat.
After hearing Derendil speak of Juiblex, Skameros is pretty sure he's recently heard whispers of the name from somewhere or someone he can't recall.
Rodolfo reacts immediately, first by casting Longstrider on himself and then scanning the surroundings for anyone watching them (12 +1 for perception or +5 for investigation)
Scene: The party was following the path through the fungal forest, which is mostly comprised of massive Zurkhwoods with thinner and smaller foliage below them. As you moved through this 'forest', you all had the distinct impression the Zurkhwoods were watching you pass. Entering the clearing, you did not proceed very far and are still backed up against the 'forest', within reach of the zurkhwoods.
Rodolfo scans the surroundings and sees dozens upon dozens of these living graves in the clearing and can hear but can't see movement in the zurkhwood forest to his back.
The planted drow in the living grave once again beseeches you all, “Please … for your gods of light . . . kill me! I'll give you anything... so you'll just end... this”.
"Something not right here....." and Skaremos will look around at the others before bringing his greataxe down on the planted drow.
[Pork-Chopper: 14 Damage: 15]
Skameros - Bugbear Barbarian - Out of the Abyss - By Kerrec
Follow your Arrow where it Points - Tabaxi Monk - Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus (by Pokepaladdy)
Citron Pumpkinfoam - Fairy Monk - Project Point: Team Longsword
Watching Skameros's greataxe swing down toward her, you all swear the drow looks relieved.
The moans of the garden’s victims suddenly take on a new tone of fear as something coming from the east, up a winding path, moves across the foul ground. No longer recognizable as a myconid, it looks like a fungal larva slithering along the ground. Mold and lichen grow in hypnotic patterns along its ringed stalk, and it puffs clouds of spores from a slit resembling a mouth. It can use this orifice to actually speak, rather than depending on rapport spores.
“Welcome, travelers.” The aberrant myconid’s voice gurgles and spits as it speaks aloud. “Are you here for the wedding rehearsal? Friends of the bride or her intended? No matter! Let the love of the Great Seeder embrace you as you become one with her chosen, the Great Body!”
The garden comes alive with the screams of the buried victims. The Myconid gesticulates as two of the graves froth and expel two fresh spore servants in a morbid caricature of a birth. Out of the Zurkwood forests behind, Sarith, Tozer and Xilyrah emerge, dancing to some unheard music… different than the cacophony of music coming from the east beyond the Garden.
(I will set up the map and roll initiatives ASAP)
(Last Isometric map I make....)
Legend:
Initiatives:
(Beegred goes first)
(OOC: I'm never certain whether to go for the boss, or get rid of the annoying minions first.)
Beegred doesn't know what is going on, but that has never stopped him before. Rodolfo and Skameros (and Derendil) reacted angrily to "Ziggy-Toy", so it must be something bad.
Beegred will move to H11. (10' extra movement on first round.) Bonus action to Hunter's Mark the creepy thing (Yestabrod). Then short bow attacks.
Get to re-roll that first attack. To-hit: 18 (1, 3, and 7 is not a good start.)
(I don't like that Sarith, Tozer and Xilyrah are here, but I can hope they aren't joining the bad guys.)
Beegred Thornpost - Lvl 8 Halfling Ranger - Out of the Abyss by Kerrec
Drusk - Lvl 8 Half-Orc Life Cleric - The Long Road: Dragon Heist by Mingofaust (player & current DM)
Hunferho Aelorothi - Lvl 5 Half-Elf Bard/Rogue - Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus (by Pokepaladdy)
DM - Frontier City of Nunkreet (ended)
(I know Tozer goes before me but I'll post this up)
Skameros' fur stands straight up and he lets out a girlish scream (rage) and moves to E10 (which should put me in range of the one spore servant nearest him and swings his greataxe
[Pork-Chopper: 11 Damage: 13]
(OOC - I hate this dice roller hehe)
Skameros - Bugbear Barbarian - Out of the Abyss - By Kerrec
Follow your Arrow where it Points - Tabaxi Monk - Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus (by Pokepaladdy)
Citron Pumpkinfoam - Fairy Monk - Project Point: Team Longsword
Beegred rushes forward, standing slightly behind the Spore Servant when he draws two arrows and fires them at the mutated form of Yestabrod. The arrows snag in the fungus and lichen covering the creature, failing to penetrate the body proper.
Tozer hops and skips in some un-dwarflike dance (to A9) and tries to sweep Skameros's arm in his...
Skameros needs to make a DC 8 Athletics or Acrobatics check or be grappled by Tozer.
(Skameros makes his grapple check, then plays his turn too).Making the check, STR (Athletics): 14
Skameros rushes forward in a rage and wildly swings his greataxe, missing the spore servant. The other spore servant, which matches Derendil in stature, moves up to Derendil and makes two attacks...
Claw Attack: 10 Damage: 7
Claw Attack: 8 Damage: 9
... which Derendil swats out of the way.
(Rodolfo's turn.)
Rodolfo will try to neutralise the biggest threat and shoots his Wand of Viscid Globs at Yestabrod: 12
Rodolfo still doesn't have the hang of how to aim the globs being flung out of the wand and just barely misses Yestabrod. Meanwhile, Yestabrod slithers its way forward to the little willing creature that embraces its fate and tries to slam Beegred...
Slam Attack: 10 Damage: 20
... but Beegred easily deflects the blow with his shield.
Beegred Perception check: 23
Beegred, you realize the blow was easily deflected because Yestabrod wasn't trying to hit you with a killing blow, just hit you hard enough to incapacitate you (ie: non-lethal).
Xilyrah also dances her way towards the party (to and tries to A17) and tries to gather Derendil's arm in hers.
Contested Grapple check: Derendil STR check of 11 vs Xilyrah DC of 1.
Even though Xilyrah holds Derendil's forearm, the quaggoth is not hampered by her at all.
(Jimar is next).
Jimjar tries to knock Xilryah prone. 4
Shoving is a contested STR (Athletics) vs. STR (Athletics) or DEX (Acrobatics) check.
Xilyrah contests with Acrobatics: 15 vs. DC 4
Jimjar circles around the spore servant and attempts to shove Xilyrah prone. She stumbles a bit in her dance, but otherwise manages to stay on her feet.
Sarith dances over next to Jimjar (to B18) and tries to sweep him up in his dance...
Grapple check: Jimjar STR check 18 vs Sarith STR check DC 7
... but Jimjar evades the attempt.