Meet 101, Adv 13, 9/21/24

We figured we’d try and work the Inserrat next – but didn’t want to do it where there was water nearby. So we made our way out of the sunken area of the 3rd level and then figured we’d head back to the Kitchen/Pantry area to sit with them. It was here that we managed to talk with them (Glooskap and Hiawatha translating for us). Their patron, Shakak, God of Winter, was not here but they could imprint his protection on one if they were willing to pay the price.

Wilhelm settled down and the Inserrat worked a mixture of ash and their own blood and then proceeded to tattoo a large design into the elven druid’s back. Each passage of ink stole more heat from his skin, giving it a bluish cast until finally it was done. Some of the Winter God’s protection would be at his constant back and call. As we left though to head off to do the vision quest we did come across Hastez, the Black Warrior.

We had some words with the volatile fire god, and he remembered Hiawatha. There was some history there and it wasn’t good. But on seeing Wilhelm, the Coward, they had some back and forth and some fire was exchanged and the Inserrat were visible. As Wilhelm was not backing down and there was a skinwalker with us, he deduced we were going to go on a vision quest.

To learn how to fight Jubilex.

Damn.

He wanted in. Him or Hastel? Fuck that guy, his brother was a piece of shit. Hastez was in. We smoked a peace pipe and Wilhelm was renamed Noco by Hastez (not a coward). So we went off to the dorm room and Hastez was pissed at Hiawatha as he had been here many times before an never saw the cacti, pants, or herbs the Indian brave had hidden here. Hiawatha used his spear to force the water out of the room and then when it was dry, gave everyone a slice of the cacti, the peyote.

We ate it and over the next short time found ourselves getting more and more spaced out and thrust into the spirit world where we had our vision.

We found ourselves on the 4th floor – but it was different. It was dry and not flooded. And there were 22 huge lit up cables running from the ground, up the side of the humongous cave (half mile by quarter mile), lit and pulsing, eventually coiling together like the base of a tree and going up into the ceiling – reminded us of the roots of Yggdrasil.

Our visions were spread over 4 of us. First we had a vision of the past where there was an attempt to activate the 22nd cable – some sort of 30x30x15 stone keep with a 5’ diameter braided cable out of the top. There were some discussions off screen so to speak and that the orcs were coming soon. Then the switch was thrown and most likely it was the portal to the Happy Hunting Grounds. Then it seemed that Jubilex came from the heart of the base of the cables on the ceiling, 18’ tall and dropped to the group upright and terrible.

The next person had a vision of a table with a number of strange piles of items. Eggs and swords and coins and a lantern and dirt – 22 small piles of offerings. Then a discussion off screen of what would encompass the offering for Thunderbird.

The next person had a vision of a devil and a deal being signed off on. Blood was offered and someone named Duke of Razors had signed the contract. There was another name on it – Asmodeus.

The last vision was of the what was most likely the first person and first established broken gate – Lathandar and his priest. Dwarf was abusing him, something about his religion reduced to a cult, a joke. And this was the last priest and his death would power the gate at long last – then the dwarf unfolded a 2’ straight edged razor and cut the priest from chest to neck, spilling it over a broken mirror and cracking the gate to the Dawnlands and Lathandar.

From there the group all seemed to be in the same area, water was filling the cave. They visited a few of the keeps – seeing Lathandar, Lovitar, and Arawn. Then the cave had filled and 18’ Jubilex fell to the area and the fight was on. It was strange and … perfect. Connal was very fast. Shim’s magic was spot on. Dizzy’s spiritual energy was off the chart. And Wilhelm’s blows were ridiculously strong. Jubilex took damage and hit back as the fight went on. He displayed some innate powers and seemed immune to certain attacks and effects. At one point when Shim was about to die, he and Eoghan swapped places and the ranger died instead. Then it happened again!. However the fight was over at short last and again – it seemed perfectly executed.

And the vision quest ended.

We were still in the dorm room. Some of us had been wounded during the vision quest and Knox the mule HATED Shim as at some point the gnome had hit the animal with his whip, tearing the mule’s face in the process. We studied, prayed, and broke our fast. It was Firemonth the 9th about 2 in the AM. (Our sleep schedule was now off about 6 hours from normal) We were going to go back to the top level and then operate the lift to the 4th level, being it would be safer to do it that way. We also knew that Thunderbird had “died” down there at some point and his body was near some sea god node. His feathers, if any there, according to Buffalo, could be useful for Eoghan for his arrows to use against Jubilex.

Meet 100, Adv 13, 9/14/24

With Glooskap’s information, we knew we had a day (maybe 12 hours) to set up for our interaction with Hiawatha. We paced out the area and if Hiawatha was half the hunter that the Skinwalker indicated he was, we were going to be hard pressed to set up any chance to talk to him. We figured an offering of a pipe to smoke and a sign of peace (hands up?). Shim took to drawing a few things and had a decent thing going.

Wanting to hold it in place, we needed some rocks and Dizzy offered to get as the mushroom chambers had no loose stones (only soil). Heading to the Crystal chambers, he looked around eventually getting 5 of them. At some point though he felt a draw to a set of red crystals and was thinking of touching/taking them but after talking to Eoghan, got it in his head to leave it alone. We got the gist from Jessie that this is a natural weak spot in the prime material plane (which we knew), and that the various planes that brush up against here leave a distilled residue that somehow grows as a crystal outcropping here. Yeah, better off to leave it alone.

Taking time with chisel and hammer, Dizzy was able to split each of the stones in half, making a flat side for each. We set up the area and were hanging out. Shim came across a hallucinogenic mushroom and vialed it for now. Eventually we heard the sound of movement and looking out, there was a 10’ puddle of some grey oozing mess sloshing its way down the corridor. He went back and let us know but going back out there, it was hard to see as it blended in with the hall and walls.

Suspecting it was still there, Wilhelm fired off a Fairie Fire spell, illuminating the ooze. This allowed Shim to magic missile it and send it down the hall towards us. A few tossed things were ignored but the next magic missile spell stopped it and it fell to one place and liquified. Nice. Taking a sample we retreated back to the Mushroom chamber and waited. Wilhelm had a speak with animal moment with Louie, convincing the cat that he had to wait in the crystal chamber and gave a description of Hiawatha as based upon Glooskap’s information. Once then, he would be given a magical message to reveal to the hero and then lead him back here.

An Animal Messenger spell followed and Louie went off to await the Hero. It was a few short hours later that Louie bounded back into the chamber and then a minute or 2 later, Hiawatha arrived. 6 and a half feet tall, skin brown and healthy tanned, thick leather buckskins, a few spears and a bow and arrows at his side, long black hair in a warrior’s braid a few feathers plaited in; and finally wearing the torn off fur skin of a large bear.

Hiawatha was willing to talk, he has been sort of lonely for a very long time, and having a hard time adjusting to being here. When he found out the door was opened and the group entered, his first thought was, Fuck this – let’s go! We had to convince him that the world out there is not his world, and that we needed his help. Somehow he had the impression that we were more powerful than we really were.

We talked for a while, doing what we could to convince him that we needed his help against Jubilex. Glooskap made herself visible at this point and there was much talking . We would need to go on a vision quest to see how to defeat jubilex, then that is what we’d have to do. He has some peyote that he had been growing somewhere on the 3rd level and wanted to go there. He said a vision quest typically included 5 braves or warriors who are the heart of the group quest. The strongest, the fleetest, the most magical, the most spiritual, and the one doomed to die.

We identified Eoghan as that one.  The Ranger did not take it well. Hiawatha said that this was not a bad thing since that was also the most noble and self sacrificing – it was his death and hardship that makes sure the rest of the warriors can complete their quest. So it’s a good thing. Ok, but let's try not dying. We talked about the 2 brothers and came back to the idea that we still need to help Wilhelm – that meant going to the Inserrat. Another thing Hiawatha thought was neat regarding us.

We left the chambers and made our way back to the bridge where the hero blocked the water with his spear and body, holding all the water back so we could run across the 50’ span. Then he charged after and the water returned. Wilhelm offered to hang back here and see if Buffalo wanted to talk and we all went down to the end of the area where Hiawatha was impressed that we actually moved the elevator! It wasn’t just a floating floor? It moves?!? Wow!

Buffalo showed and Wilhelm and the plains god had their conversation before we all rejoined and then went down the steps. At the gap Hiawatha watched and helped as we set up a bridge of the door and was like, hmm – neat low energy solution!

At the 3rd floor we went south to the kitchen, replaced the door on the hinges, and took the 2 dead bodies from the oven. We knew we’d have to be in the water to face the Inserrat, but if we could use the bodies of the Ve’Estan as bait, it would be better. So we gathered them up and tied some ropes to their shoulders. Hiawatha said he had a canoe we could use that that was good. As for the pool of water, Glooskap let us know it was a break to the elemental plane of water. Oh. Neat!

We went to the 20’ drop and Hiawatha picked up Knox and then carrying the donkey – JUMPED off the 20’ drop to the water where he put the mule down. One by one we all clambered down, Hiawatha helping where needed. He then took us down the north most passage. There were a number of dorms (old dwarven) on the north wall and some larger ones on the south. It was in one of those that we led the mule and the lynx (that we just learned today the druid named.. Jar Jar. Jar Jar Lynx. Frey help us…) inside. We could see there were some cacti growing in some pots and shelves high up and Hiawatha let us know that we’d come back here and have our vision quest later.

We went back to the main hall and then south. Stairs here were gone and it was 5’ down to the water surface (10’ down to the floor). Hiawatha went into his medicine satchel and took off a carving of a canoe, held it once, and then cast it on the water. And it grew to a large canoe! Enough for everyone. He climbed down and helped everyone on, telling them to stay low for center of gravity. He then stood in the middle, folded his arms, and the canoe was driving as if it was being paddled!  It wasn’t very fast but we managed to go and explore these halls.

Some time ago, When the Inserrat came here, the two warrior brothers trapped them down in this part since they are very agile in the water but are terrible climbers. Their deity is Shakak, god of winter. It seems he did not fall here when the dwarves opened the gate to the happy hunting grounds, so their numbers do not replenish or diminish. They do eventually reconstitute if slain, some weeks later though.

We passed by store rooms and work shops, but it was at the end of the hall that the water grew cooler. We looked around and splashed the water but nothing. So we went back down the passage again to the front, turned and went again, jerking and tugging at the Ve’Estan dangling behind. It took a few passes but eventually they came from the bottom and attacked!

Fast – So fast in the water. They were jumping and slashing and biting. We bagged one quick and then bashed it on the walls a few times to get it to stop moving. Then the same again a second time. There were 5..6 of them? They managed to bite the ropes free and took one of the Ve’Estan so we used the 2nd. More back and forth and even Connal running on the water monk style. He got a 3rd one bagged up and jumped up to the landing out of reach of the others while we were shooting spells and giving chase.

We all got up to the landing area Hiawatha got the canoe back to small and back in his medicine satchel, and we were going to decide what to do next. Inserrat or vision quest? It was 12:45 PM on Firemonth the 8th and it was about an hour or 2 before we needed to rest.