Thodek takes a deep breath to clear himself as his last round of healing washes through him and nods to Basidia, "Yes, we found... I don't know that I need to explain in detail, but what we found was evil and it was guarded by an evil creature from the depths of the pit that we dispatched. We then cleansed the area with fire. Hopefully, these were just the last few affected and your community will be able to flourish once more."

"Perhaps we better get back to the others. They are waiting for us," Nicholas comments whils carefully looking around.

Basidia looks on, listening intently while the group explains what they encountered in the Garden of Horrors.

”I… I’m afraid not, I don’t know anything about this ‘Great Seeder’ or ‘Great Body’. Nor a wedding of any sorts… and this was all happening up on the plateau?” The large myconid asks incredulously. 

“And do you believe this has anything to do with the ‘disease’? What about Phylo, where do they factor into this? Did you see them?” At this point, Basidia becomes apparently rushed and frantic, as they quickly without thought spit out more and more questions.

Then though, Basidia calms in response to Nicholas. “Yes, why don’t we get back to the other. Either we can walk and talk, or this conversation can wait until we are in a safer space.”

What would you like to do?

Thodek looks around, "We can walk and talk, but it'd be best to hurry and head back to the others, for their safety and ours."

Basidia nods before turning to the other myconid, communicating the plan to them. The large myconid then begins to move quickly— followed by the other myconid— back to the central basin of the grove. 

The trip takes about 5 minutes. Feel free to RP any more questions or even answers to Basidia’s questions. Once I’ve got a couple responses, I will update the thread from there. What would you like to do?

"Could this Great Seeder or Great Body be a demon of some sort?" Nicholas would wonder out loud as they walk, "Perhaps a myconid that has been corrupted?"

He then shakes his head, "We have not seen Phlyo. In fact he and his people have been missing in the commotion."

Thodek keeps his eyes out on the journey, trying to remember anything he's heard about demons.

Perception: 10

History/Religion: 21 

Basidia looks perplexed at this. “Really? No Phylo?” The myconid is then silent for a moment in thought, before responding to Nicholas’ question. “Interesting… well, deeper and further past the Garden of Welcome is what our people call ‘Yggmorgus’. It’s a large mushroom of monstrous proportions… perfect for a demon lord. You didn’t happen to cross it, did you?” Basidia asks, worry once again crossing the large creatures face.

Thodek: You have done some relatively extensive research on the Underdark and it’s inner workings. The topic of demons is integrally intertwined with the Underdark, so you would have some minor knowledge of demons and demon lords.

You know of Baphomet— The Horned King and Prince of Beasts. He rules over minotaurs and others with savage hearts. The Demogorgon— Prince of Demons, the Sibilant Beast, and Master of the Spiraling Depths, Demogorgon is the embodiment of chaos, madness, and destruction, seeking to corrupt all that is good. Fraz-Urb’luu— the Prince of Deception and Demon Lord of Illusions. Fraz-Urb’luu can create dreamlands and mind-bending fantasies able to deceive the most discerning foes. Jubilex— the Faceless Lord and the Oozing Hunger, is demon lord of slime and ooze. Orcus— the Demon Prince of Undeath, also known as the Blood Lord. Yeenoghu— The Beast of Butchery is the Gnoll Lord, and his creations are made in his twisted image. And of course, Zuggtmoy— The Demon Queen of Fungi, Lady of Rot and Decay, Zuggtmoy is an alien creature whose only desire is to infect the living with spores, transforming them into her mindless servants.

(Let me know if that is what you were looking for.)

 What would you like to do?

Shishakli is following behind, silently listening and thinking about the idea that demons may be invading his home, and how this group seems to keep finding them. Not sure if that's a good thing or not, he is sure that something must be done.

Syvis sighs. "It seems we must be certain of the status of this Yggmorgus if we want to leave Stool here to recover in safety. I do not like it, but we should investigate further. Thodek, are you well enough to continue or should we chance a brief rest so that you may recover from your injuries?"

Thodek hesitates, "A brief rest wouldn't go amiss, but I'm afraid I've used most of the magic my god has gifted me for the day. If we're going to really attack this giant mushroom, I would need more than a short rest. Perhaps we could withdraw the survivors to a safe distance while someone scouts the area and investigate on the morrow?"

"I agree. If we are to face off against something this powerful we would need to be at full strength before attempting it."

Basidia nods at this proposition. “Yes, let us first retreat from the grove with those we have recovered, and can then plan a course of action from there.”

And without much more time spent, the party returns to the central basin, greeting those who were previously waiting nervously for your return. Basidia along with others in the group you just rescued also greets the other myconid, exchanging murmured words and smiles. Several members of the circle of Growers do indeed mingle with the other, but also noticeably, several are standoffish and stand silently a few feet away from the group.

 We will say that after a short time, information has been transferred, stories shared, and the group of survivors are ready to make their way out of the grove, well informed of the situation before them. Are there any last things you would like to do before leaving the grove? Anything to RP? What would you like to do?

(I'm good to head out.)

Nicholas is relieved when reunited with the group and is glad to see that everyone is safe. He has however just one question for Basidia and the myconid, "What of our friend Stool? Can he be helped?"

(Same. Am fine to move on.)

Basidia gives Nicholas a comforting smile. “Of course, once we are somewhere safe, my hope is to include the young one in our melding, hopefully bringing him back to consciousness.” The myconid sovereign then gives a small laugh. “With all this… this whirlwind of events, I guess it had slipped my mind, but yes, we will do our best to help your young friend.”

Then, with that, the small smattering of myconid and others make their way out of the grove, unharmed and unassailed by an other issues. We will say you hike maybe around 5-10 minutes away from the grove, through the tight, claustrophobic tunnels of the Underdark until you reach a moderate sized cavern that can house everyone. There are several clusters of phosphorescent mushrooms that dully glow, and a steady drip of water can be heard dripping from the cavern ceiling down into a small pool of water.

Now, after several hours of stress and violence, you now believe you have found a safe place to rest and recover and rest before hopefully one final bought with the horrors of Neverlight Grove. What would you like to do? Feel free to RP, plan for your next expedition, or anything else you might deem necessary. After that, you may all take a long rest of your character sheets, and we will continue from there. 

(Do we feel that the matter is pressing enough that we need to lick our wounds and move on or are we confident enough in our safety and timeline to bed down for a night's sleep?)

Thodek would strongly urge a night's rest, one way or the other, and in the morning perhaps send Shishakli to scout the other area and make a decision from there.

Shishakli is happy to scout again. He’s better on his own anyway, and is curious to see if he can find more traces of the demon infestation.

(Nicholas would go with the majority as the rest are more familiar with the underdark)