Forest of Wyrd Session # 63 - The Verdant Maze

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Ranza (Changeling 5)

Gnarl (Wood Gnome 6)
Hobbs (Hedgefey 6) and Wattles the Giant Swan 

Thrax (Fighter 5)

Vegarious (Changeling 4) 

Jonesomon (Specialist 5) 

neo-Baihu Cerritulus (Magic User ?) [NPC]

After binding their wounds and burying what remained of Slugs, the party looked up at the opening in the rock face and tired to figure out how to climb up 300' in the pouring rain. In the end Hobbs was able to convince Wattles to fly everyone up there one by one and deposit them on the narrow ledge. Peering in, they could see a rough tunnel through the rock, the end of which opened into a larger lighted space. The party headed in that direction, including Wattles who had to be coaxed along with some treats and the promise that the light ahead lead to a much less confined space. 

Which it did. The party emerged into a large space walled in by hedges, ground covered with a matt of vegetation, and open to a blue sunny sky overhead. A very strange thing to find inside a mountain. Hobbs took Wattles up for a flap, and learned that he could not actually fly up above the hedge walls to look around. Ranza cast detect illusion and discovered the sun and sky were not real, and the sense of wide open space was an illusion. Though the hedge itself was real. 

At the end of the space was a fountain, with water splashing down over a statue depicting a quartet of nymphs frolicking in the water. Careful search around them and the fountain uncovered nothing of note, so the party formed up once more to head deeper into the maze through one of two exits. After a short distance they came to a side passage,  it's length filled with tall grass waving in the non-existent wind. Gnarl moved forward and poked at it with his spear; in response the grass grabbed on tight and would not let it go. Even with Thrax's help the wood gnome could not free the spear, and it only came loose when Vegarious and Ranza put their muscle and brain to the job.  A little irritated, Thrax tossed the party lantern in the middle of the grass, catching a 5' patch alit. But then from the hedges on the far side, four humanoid creatures made of brambles and leaves emerged. These unleased a fusillade of thorns, forcing the party to retreat behind a gust of wind as Jonesomon fell dangerous close to death. He was patched up with a few healing poultices and bandages, and surprisingly a potion of healing from Baihu!

When there was no pursuit, the party decided to just bypass the grass corridor. Exploring the twisting hedge maze they discovered multiple side passages, some filled with grab grass and spike growth. And the fact that poison-spike lined pit traps were an issue in random places. They also came across an alter and a stone plinth. The alter, at the end of a passage blocked by spike growth, seemed uninteresting from a distance and was left for now. The plinth, on the other hand, held a small golden cup encrusted in strange purple gems, inside which flickered upside-down purple flames. After filling the cup with several items and substances (thinking it may be related to the cups in the temple) and getting no response, the party decided to just grab it and go. But try as they might, even Ranza and Vegarious couldn't move it. The cup was being held to the plinth by some unnatural force. 

Leaving the cup behind, the party next entered a large chamber bisected by a large patch of spike growth. Before they could look around however, another creature emerged from the wall of the hedge. This was a huge green minitour, who charged at them horns lowered and thorn club swinging. A short combat followed, ended when Jonesomon dropped falling stars on the minotaur's head, at which point the creature melded back into the hedge and disappeared. Searching the room (using Wattles to fly over the spike growth) they found two short dead end passages with statues. One was of the Green  Man, and the other the Black Mother. Each held in their out stretched hands a green leaf and a small burring brand. They were able to take the brand from the Green Man and the leaf from the Black Mother, but not vice versa. Wondering what to do with the two objects, they went back to the purple cup to drop them in the see what happened. Which was nothing. They then decided to look closer at the alter. Ranza with her spyglass could see some carvings on the front of the alter, half hidden by vines. Gnarl grabbed the hedge wall and tried to climb past the spike growth to investigate, unfortunately falling into those natural caltrops just before the end. Standing up and pulling out the thorns, he approached the vine covered alter. There was nothing on top, but clearing away the growth be uncovered images of a faerie queen having her hair done by a gaggle of nixies. Which curiously animated when touched. He found nothing else of interest on the alter, but hidden behind was a bundle of short boards. Gnarl hauled this out and untied the rope, at which point it unfolded down the passage into 30' long arched bridge. He was able to use this folding bridge to get safely across the spike growth, and then rolled it up again for future use. 

At this point, Ranza had the brilliant idea to take the burning brand and place it in the space vacated by the green leaf on the statue of the Black Mother. When she did so, the whole party was teleported into another large hedge lined chamber, standing in front of a statue of the Prince in Yellow. The Prince held his hands crossed and open in front of him. But there was no time to contemplate this last representation of the great gods of the wood, as the verdant minotaur was also in the chamber waiting for them ... 

TOTAL XP 

2500

GAINS

Folding Bridge [2500xp] 

KILLS/VICTORIES

none

LOSSES

none

Forest of Wyrd # 62 - Three Cups Full

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Ranza (Changeling 5)

Gnarl (Wood Gnome 6)
Hobbs (Hedgefey 6) and Wattles the Giant Swan 

Thrax (Fighter 5)

Vegarious (Changeling 4) 

Jonesomon (Specialist 5) 

Slugs Mackenzie (Hedgefey 3) [Henchman]

neo-Baihu Cerritulus (Magic User ?) [NPC]

Bagfeed and Cart 

After resting for the night, the party awoke to the sound of pouring rain outside. But before venturing forth, they put their minds to work trying to determine what to put in the cups to 'activate' whatever power the party assumed they had. First was to pour some of the black oily material from the vanquished Form of Darkness in the jet cup. And lo, it glowed with  a black light. They then tried several forms of water, and brows were furrowed over the question of 'fire which is not fire'. Several attempts were made to get the black flames from the catacombs below into the red cup, but to no avail. While there they also tried bringing 'back' the ruined book from the temple using the black flames (after first burning it thoroughly.) Alas, they got nothing back but the tatters they'd started with. Still thinking the substances they needed were someone in this building, they had Gnarl use the greenstone to perform a thorough search of both temple and catacomb. But this revealed no hidden spaces.  They likewise tried turning more pillars, hoping that may unlock some secret, but again gained nothing for their trouble. 

Thinking now of wider horizons, the party left the small building to search the rest of the island. Hobbs led them to a smaller clearing he'd observed during his aerial survey. Here they found a small pool of water, next to which was a large pile of moss covered boulders. Gnarl, looking in the pool, was surprised to see the weeds that grew within swirled about even though the water of the pool was still. As he watched, the weeds and grasses formed the face of a pouting young girl, who demanded to know who he was. The wood gnome fumbled out some answers, but thought it best to pull back as he feared being drawn into the pool by some fey magic. So they instead turned to Ranza, with her silver tongue and ring of water breathing. She too was greeted by the green girl, who remarked she wished to be as beautiful as the changeling. Which apparently meant gifts of jewelry and a mirror were required before the girl would say much more. Placated with a ruby circlet, the girl answered their questions as best she could. She was rather fuzzy on things like time and details of anything that did not interest her. But the party did learn that the Prince Who Would Be had been taken away long ago to a secret place in Faerie. By whom she wasn't sure, but she didn't think the Prince went willingly or happily. She also told them of a giant that once walked the island, indicating vaguely towards the face on the cliff above when asked about where he'd gone. She also told them of some other watery woman who dwelt among the cluster of rocks in the river. And before they left, she graciously allowed the party to take a sample of water from her pool, as they though it might be the water they needed for the cup. 

Taking leave of the girl in the pool, the party returned to the temple, fighting another group of wood woad guardians as they crossed the clearing. There they learned the pool water was not what they needed for the blue cup. So now they prepared to go even further afield. Returning to the raft, they headed towards the cluster of rocks upstream of the island. When they got there, they noticed the pool at the centre of the cluster of rocks was calm and still, very much unlike the flowing current outside. Ranza called out, and from the pool emerged three lithe female shapes, seemingly formed of water. These greeted the party politely. And immediately one was drawn to Thrax, beckoning the big fighter to come closer and give her a kiss. He was prevented only by calm words and a firm grip from Gnarl, and Hobbs jumped up on a rock and started bad mouthing the woman. This raised their anger, and the three spat in hedgefey's face, nearly blinding him. In the ensuing tussle, the party was able to 'scoop' up some of the creatures watery form, thinking it may be what they needed for the blue cup.

The fight broke up with no one on either side slain, and the trio of women merged back into the water. The party backed the raft away, and headed for the opposite shore where they'd seen  a pillar on their first survey of the site. Once ashore and looking closer, they could see it marked the remnants of a bridge that once crossed the river  to the island. It now leaned crookedly to one side in a small flooded and boggy area. Atop it was a translucent black ball, which Hobbs flew up to examine more closely. Inside it, he could see a dancing flame. Could this be the 'fire which is not fire'? He easily plucked it up. At which point, something stirred at the base of the pillar. Two massive shapes, formed of weeds and mud, appeared before them. But the party opted to not stand and fight, easily running ahead of the things back to the raft.

They paddled back to the island once more, and headed to the temple to try their luck with the remaining cups. The water from the sirens made the blue cup glow, as did the fire from the ball once Gnarl had freed it with a stone shape. When all there containers were aglow, a loud cracking and rumbling sounds could be heard outside. Stepping out into the clearing, they looked up and saw that the face carved into the cliff now looked almost life like (though still quite grotesque). As as they watched, pair of hands appeared alongside the face, and out of the cliff face emerged a huge giant with a grossly oversized and grotesque head.  The giant descended the cliff, wadded the river to the island, and ended up in front of the party. Thankfully he did not flatten them with the tree he now wielded as a club, and the party was able to talk to him. The giant was confused, saying over and over this looks like his home but wasn't. After some time, they figured out his home was a small secret part of Faerie, where he and his brother once ruled before being overthrown by a fey lord. The giant had been cursed to block the passage back to Faerie with his body, and was likewise cursed to never return. 

The party, seeing a likely connection between the giants' conundrum and their own quest, agreed to go to Faerie and try to remove the curve. The giant settled down in the clearing and then 'encouraged them' on their way. The party went back to the raft and then sized up the cliff. Unfortunately, it dropped straight into the water, and they could  see no where to land but the flat space by the pillar where the two shambling mounds still waited at waters edge. So they headed straight ashore and charged at the pair. In a hard fight, first Thrax and then Jonesomon were engulphed by the things and started to suffocate. Thrax escaped where the rest of the party slew the one that entrapped him; and the fighter then rescued Jonesomon by using his swords wind walk to pull the now airy specialist out of it's grip. However, Slugs was felled by a mighty blow just before the party finished off the second creature.

TOTAL XP 

2250

GAINS

none

KILLS/VICTORIES

5 Wood Woad

2 Shambling Mounds

LOSSES

Slugs Mackenzie