There's no strippers in the Velven Thicket

Session 40

The group returns to the Uthodurn camp on the outskirts of Molaesmyr. We take the time to identify some items we found: The black vial is a Potion of Necrotic Resistance, and the headband is a Headband of Intellect, which increases the wearer's intellect to 19. Briya happily takes it. We get back to camp and Vesryn takes the arm of a scout. He's an 8 foot tall Goliath with blue-green skin, a bright blue cloak and muscled beyond belief. He's wearing two swords on his back, a large crossbow, and a smaller crossbow. We are introduced to Yahnist Idbøgrøbäth. He's from the Greying Wildlands and recently hired as a mercenary scout for other parties here.

He expresses interest in wanting to join us for adventures because he appreciates our fighting style and prowess in battle. We easily accept a new member, and then debate on what to do next. Do we find and go after Isabelle? Should we focus on finding the remaining four keys? Would the Empire work with Uthodurn in case we do find them, or would we inadvertantly start a new three-sided war? It seems for now that finding the keys is important, so we should go look for Lorna's dwelling and sister hags.

Prophet hears Skysibil Abriana in his mind: "Prophet, I cannot locate the demon any more! Have you found him? How fare you all? When do you plan on coming back?"

He replies, "I have been expecting you to message. I have been successful along with my devouts... we have banished Raokan. Ha ha ha ha."

Kra'naelen and Maltheo talk to Thollina about getting paid to kill the other two hags if we can find them. She agrees on 500 gold, and we get a lead that Yahnist had previously located some sort of dwelling in the south west, most likely related to Azirssa & Greensong — Lorna's sisters.

As the night winds down, Vesryn gives us his wolf key. Bearemy and Maltheo share an intimate evening. Kra'naelen, Cass, Vesryn, and Yahnist chat about magic and and Naelen's bloodwell vial. (Some rolls are made matt will get back to us.)

Later that night, Maltheo has a dream, where he finds himself in a maze. It's difficult to hear and there is wind whipping around from all directions. There is also a stench of death and iron from blood in the air. On top of it all, he has a very strong feeling of being in imminent danger. He tries walking around the maze to find any sort of  way out. Suddenly, he senses heavy movement somewhere nearby... it's all around.

A loud voice booms: "You killed the witch. I didn't expect that."

Maltheo: "Who are you and where are we?"

Voice: "Where we've always been... together."

Maltheo: "We've always been together? I don't understand. I've never talked to you; never been here before."

Voice: "Oh, but you have. You know that little push when you stabbed a witch in the back? I've always been here."

And then a figure appears... vaguely humanoid in silhouette with two giant arms extending from its torso and two more at the shoulders. "I think you are ready."

Maltheo wakes up to a burning white-hot pain from the blade on his tail. It immediately starts cooling down, and he realizes that it looks slightly different. There's a vague pattern of a maze etched into the blade. He whispers to the blade, "Hello, are you in there?" But the only thing you get back from the blade a vague feeling of the confidence he usually gets during combat.

Long rest.

With a mission in mind, we wake up, head out into the city, and try and track southwest toward Lorna's hut. We know Prophet will be able to use some magic to locate her cauldron, which he had seen in a vision previously, but Yahnist and Cass have difficulty guiding us. Briya notices that vegetation in a certain direction is less and less present; dying even, so we follow that sign of corruption for a while, and then Prophet casts his spell and gets a ping. We arrive at her giant dwelling.

It's very large and made of old stone and mud to patch in the holes. The roof seems to be made of bone and is a few stories high. There's a tower on right side of building, and the whole thing is surrounded by a fence made of all different sorts of bones. Yahnist speaks to a snake and finds out that the red dirt in places nearby burns his scales. The snake and Cass's echo cross the border of the fence. The snake dies immediately and the echo starts coughing. Steam stars appearing in various places in the fence and at the same time, some sort of screeching alarm, followed quickly by the door opening and "shoe shine boy", a darkling, comes outside. "Who is there, who is there?! Who disturbs my mistresses domain?"

We try and lie to the darkling, saying that we must only give his mistress the keys in person as she asked us to do. We're successful, and are told: "Very well; very well. If you want to wait for her here you may do so. But none is welcome in her house without her given permission."

Prophet mentions the fence and casts detects thoughts to try and get the darkling to accidentally reveal how to turn it off. "Nothing is wrong with the fence; the colors are there... everything is working as it should."

Maltheo admits he didn't sleep well and shows off the maze-pattern blade to the group. He tries to use its new ability that he thinks it has, but it doesn't seem to work on non-humans.

Briya dispells one of the colorful magical orbs. It works, but the darkling immediately reappears. Yahnist's heavy crossbow surprise shot hits true; the darkling spreads some of his spilled blood on the ground and tells the house to attack us. The crossbow glows to warn of undead, as we watch the bones animate and dark birds arrive.

Combat! (To be continued...)