I take out the egg. Could you sit on it?

Session 71

The battle continues! (Though, Briya is out for this encounter, seemingly caught up in the storm in her air elemental wild shape.) The Homunculus moves further away again, while P78 holds another flame jet after moving forward. Cass makes a gambit with a timeline-based Divination spell to ask an alternate-timeline Azeersa a question. She gets a quick glance at nearby timelines, where only small changes have happened (a mage other than Popovsky is with us, Kra'naelen was there, Briya was wearing windward armor commanding the sky, etc…). But after these, more disparate ones appear, and she finally eventually finds a young cloud giant, painting as she had previously been when we first met her, but this time completely uncorrupted.  

Cass asks, "What would bring you out of hiding?", showing deference as well as dire need. A nat-20 persuasion convinces Azeersa that this is a pivotal moment; that as a dreamer she connects to the universe all the time, and somehow she must answer as best she can. She tells Cass that she'd always answer to art being in danger. The spell ends, and Cass returns to the now, quickly telepathing this info about the weakness to Maltheo.

Popovsky casts a sending spell in Celestial. It seems to have been a question and she hopes for a reply. Next, a lair action causes a fog cloud around Yahnist and Mittaine. Echo prepares to help Maltheo. Maltheo grumbles loudly, "Azeersa, I never liked this one!" and goes to attack one of the uncorrupted pieces of art on the tower. He intimidates for 18, but the attack's damage is not high enough to mark the wall. He misses the second time, but then causes damage on his third and final attack. It wasn't enough to destroy the art, though.  

We realize what's going on, and join in the effort. Æsheryn attacks the art with his spiritual weapon, then misses with a guiding bolt. Azeersa stays hidden, and P78 makes two weapon attacks and hits really hard with a slam attack. The art is broken!

Cass holds a gravity spell at 5th level that will seemingly destroy the tower. But this causes Maltheo to lose his haste. There's a reaction in the clouds that makes us think something is working. Yahnist moves out of the fog cloud and prepares to hit Azeersa when she reappears. Popovsky doesn't get a message reply, but moves up to join in on the attack on the tower. She misses two swings but hits hard with a final attack.

There's a flash of light and crack of thunder, causing Cass to roll a CON save. With only a 14, she ends up deafened. Echo offers help to P78. Maltheo recovers from his lethargy at the end of his turn. Æsheryn holds a spell for her reappearance. Azeersa finally reappears directly behind Cass (silently, due to Cass's deafened condition), and has advantage on her first attack. But her appearance triggers some reactions, starting with Yahnist who attacks and hits; Æsheryn Commands her to halt, but fails. She lightning-paintbrush attacks, very strongly, and hits Cass for 40 damage, but Cass nat 20 saves on the concentration for the gravity well. Attacks Cass again for 40 additional damage, but she gets another nat 20 save on the concentration.

The Homunculus drops the sickening radiance cloud to open up the battlefield. P78 makes two attacks on more of the art. Using 3 legendary actions, she becomes one with the storm again. Cass's condition is met for the held spell, and so the gravity effect reduces the remaining tower wall into a pinpoint focus of force, and it completely collapses, causing everyone but Yahnist, Æsheryn, and Cass to make DEX saving throws. As it falls, the giant reappears on the ground, seemingly having had some sort of connection with the tower. Cass starts her turn nearby, and becomes charmed by Azeersa's AoE. She moves out of it toward Yahnist to give him haste.

Yahnist casts ensnaring strike but she saves; still hits her with 3 crossbow shots and hunters marks. She's not looking good. Popovsky again doesn't get a reply, but battle cries while running toward the giant, and jumps on the paintbrush and runs up to her face. Hits with a strong attack and Azeersa falls to the ground. Popovsky lands on the ground next to her and reveals that she was able to rip out the spider from the now-slain giant's face. Immediately the storm starts dying down. The wind reduces; the rain and lightning dissipate.

The group heals the injured, and inspects the downed storm giant. Maltheo tries to discern where this corruption had come from and is able to rule out that it's from Vesh. But we also know Lorna was involved with the ichor before; perhaps she had been able to harness the corruption previously. But maybe this here was more of a raw effect that started from the tower. It seems to be able to affect living things, their physical forms. But also the reality of a person's mind. It even seems to have a bit of randomness to it. It explains how she went from a stone giant to a storm one.

Popovsky receives the message reply finally, and extends a hand. A potion appears in it. Someone has teleported her an item that would have helped in this fight. But she stores it away. She also puts away the spider stone key. Maltheo converses with her about the corruption being more powerful & widespread than we'd expected. She says she was dubious about the alliance at first, but it was a good decision since she wouldn't have been able to handle this alone.

Æsheryn looks around for signs of a dead ranger and displacer beast, which would indicate Izzy, Azeersa's guard and companion. There are signs she was here, with a 26 perception indicating personal items, footprints, bedding, etc., but she seems to have abandoned the area before today.

Popovsky, at questioning from Yahnist, indicates that her uncle Uludan from the Assembly sent her the potion, and it was a powerful version of control weather. It was too late for the fight, but could be useful anyway down the line. Yahnist isn't able to find much useful on the giant's body after an inspection.

Popovsky wants to go back to the Empire's camp in Molaesmyr to get the other 3 keys in their possession. Maltheo wants us to fill in the Diarchy's group to let them know what's going on, and we're all to reconvene at the anomaly as soon as possible. She'll message us when she's ready.

We make our way back to the Uthodurn camp in Molaesmyr; Maltheo chats with the Fox who has rejoined us. He tells him about meeting Spider and Owl, and how they said Fox bailed on the locking away of the corruption. Fox says he had just decided to not take part; that 8 should have been enough. Maltheo picks up from the way that he's speaking that, in truth, it had been a selfish decision and this comment now was just self-rationalizing.

Chatting on the way about things the animal spirits did, Fox makes it clear that a red glowing fissure of blood in a corner of a wall that we see isn't something they did. We're shocked to see some sort of blood creature crawling out of it. Some hide as Æsheryn tries to hit it with sacred flame, but it saves. Yahnist hits it. An elongated head of a horse crawls out of the fissure, and the rest of it keeps coming.

Cass casts Faerie Fire on the horse, which takes its whole turn to dash and crawl out as quickly as possible from the fissure. It starts to sprout some kind of wings. Someone is riding its back! It's pretty gross stuff. But then as suddenly as it appears, we see a quick prestidigitation wave reveals that it's Virtue and Prophet! He doesn't have his usual holier-than-thou demeanor. But is still maintaining that coiffed hair and immaculate dress. "Friends, it's good to see you again."

Maltheo isn't sure what to call him but says it's a surprise to make such an entrance. "Prophet" says he's chosen a new name, and would like to be called Lotus as he admits he'd never be here without our help. "Thank you all very much." That he offers his sincerest apologies is a welcome shock to most. He doesn't even know to what extent how much of him is the same or different. But that as soon as he woke he knew he wanted to be with friends. He also still has the "effects" of the pacts with Vesh and the phoenix (horns, red eye, purple eye, special blood abilities). Æsheryn makes him wear a bandana around his red eye. Maltheo hugs him for doing a prestidigitation on the black goo spread all over us.

We continue catching and then reach the Diarchy camp. Aagden and the brew dwarf Tholina are here, and so is Monica; Kra'naelen's brother Vesryn is not. We're offered a meal and are able to short rest. Lotus and Æsheryn provide musical entertainment. Tholina thanks us and says that she may have things that could be useful for us, while also asking us if it could be possible to send someone from Uthodurn "officially" to join us as a witness and aid in our efforts. She thinks that Monica would be a good fit.

Maltheo says it would be great to have her brew again. And in a toast to the memory of Kra'naelen, she provides such. Until the next long rest, we're immune to being frightened, gain 8 temp HP, and advantage on all CHA-based checks. Maltheo receives a message from Popovsky that she's rested, prepared, and is ready to go to the anomaly now.

We start toward the giant yellow fissure we'd seen a long time ago, again with Fox helping us navigate the corrupted ruined city. On the way there, though, the Fox starts to get quiet. Seems to change from being whimsical to… purposeful and focused. The smell here is intense; rot and humidity. Popovsky is accompanied by a few Dwendalian guards, and seemingly has their own "Monica" taking notes. Popovsky also has a floating disk holding her 4 statues.

Fox tells us that the keys need to be placed simultaneously into their pedestals, which are now visible thansk to some of his magic. The keys are distributed, half to the Empire and half to us, as we all take positions. Lotus telepathically bonds everyone but Fox, as Fox tells us we're to perform a "push and twist" maneuver with the keys simultaneously.

Fox: "Once the anomaly is open, we'll have to close it again. Activate all the keys to open the gate, then all at the same time, close the keys. Maltho insights Erickson and realizes he's nervous as hell, and convinces Popovsky to allow Monica to take his place. She's excited and ready.

Some of us prepare spells and contingencies. (Yahnist uses protection from evil and good and magic circle). Then Fox counts down 3, 2, 1, go!

Everyone touching their stones feels, except Maltheo due to his astral arms, a rush of some sort of electrical energy. Muscles tense. Something is happening. But Yahnist doesn't feel anything. The anomaly spins quickly and the outer yellow disappears in a puff of dissipating. In its place, is a sort of liquid-mirror sphere made of perfect and total reflection. Shiny, chrome, mirrored. The more we look at it, the more we realize we're not looking at reflections of the world we're in; it's a completely different world "inside". Cass sees an entire forest through the shape. A landscape that appears familiar to her. Rolling hills of pure wilderness. Blurry, purple, and wild. Her choker starts to tighten, almost as a warning.

Perception checks all around, and Lotus has a wow moment. Far off in the distance, in a warped perspective, is an outline of a small black castle. At this moment, something starts to feel wrong. Popovsky: "Yeah, yeah, it's pretty; let's close it!" She counts down loudly, but we're unable to return the keys to their original positions as our hands are being held in place on the pedestals! Yahnist seems to be the only one who can turn his freely.

Fox cries out in pain. He loses his corporeal shape and seems to almost be... vacuumed into the inside of his pedestal. Lotus tries to dispel magic on it and that works; the connection between Fox and pedestal is severed and he's free and safe. There's an increase in the "wrongness" feeling. Whatever was maintaining the silver bubble is collapsing and it starts to undulate and wobble. A splash of silvery liquid sprays across the whole of the square as the entire thing bursts.

Everyone but Yahnist is gone.

He stands alone untouched by anything. He sees the forest and shapes in the remaining pool of silver on the ground. Unsure of what else to do, he steps out of his magic circle and dives into the remnants. He knows he's on the ground but feels like he's falling. Finds himself there, on the other side, surrounded by us all spread around. His monster sense kicks in and notices a few things. Popovsky isn't anywhere to be seen. Cass is choking, with Lotus trying to help her. Also there's a far away rumbling sound. As wild as this should all be, he realizes we're standing on a dirt path road. Turning around, he sees a huge rolling metallic structure barreling at high speed toward us.