25 - Another day in Paradise
Previous session: 24 - Reunion beneath the full moon
The funerals...
As we reached the shore with Willum's body and still take time to realize what happened and wondering how we should do it, Persy mentions that he never did that before, and doesn't know what to do. Do we bury him? Or should we do something else?
[Religion] Someone living mostly in the water should return to the water.
In his reflection, Persy suggests the idea.
The party leaves his armor and only his family and personal items on Willum's body.
Balnorin thinks a bit.
We're breaking the ice near the shore, and then push Willum's body into the cold water, as he drifts and goes further in the deeps of the lake, joining his last destination.
We setup the camp and rest in what seemed the coldest evening we faced.
Resuming the expedition...
Reylynn leads the party through the mountains, and we've been travelling for a couple of days.
[Survival - Pass ✔] Reylynn finds a safe path to keep exploring on her recon. On her way back to the party, she finds a grove to rest for the evening.
A nearby tree stands out, with a weird cocoon up in it.
[Perception - Pass ✔] Upon inspection, Persy recognizes some damaged container. A purple icicle fluid gets out, but it's frozen. Reylynn notices some bits of metal and other materials in the surroundings, which seems to belong to this cocoon. This thing landed in the tree first.
[Investigation - Pass ✔] For a split second, Nesvalyn and Persy notices that the fluid wiggles. Nesvalyn notices that the faintest pulse of light, like a living pulse.
then points to the faint pulse he noticed.
Persy pokes a bit more the thing with a stick, but it doesn't seem acidic or poisonous.
[Identify] No spells nor effects active on this, but it's definitively a creature.
We keep discussing for a while about what we should with this creature and the pod, and the consensus reached is to bring the frozen entity with us, and see what happens.
We're setting up the camp and we start to spend the night...
As the night progresses and Persy keeps watch, the ice around the ooze melts. Except of dripping out, and melting, it's getting back up progressively to the tree and starts to enter back into the container.
After a few hours, the ooze is fully back into the container.
Persy uses a charge of his Rocket Boots to get on the tree, and inevitably wakes up everybody, where the party starts to complain, especially Loyal and Nesvalyn.
Once on the tree and more precisely the pod, it's heavier than it looks, and he brings the pod closer to the fire.
Persy looks into the pod, and sees eyes forming on the creature, and they look back at him.
Persy starts to move the container away from the fire.
The creature starts to ooze away from the pod, and it shapes as an humanoid form.
Close Encounters of the Ooze Kind...
They analyse us after this small interaction, until they turn back to the pod, as they're looking for something, and puts a cloak, and gets back to us.
He starts to mumble and barely makes any sense
Persy sits awkwardly after barely answering the question
Nesvalyn looks the most perplex and checks to rest of the party, where they seem unfazed.
[Insight] Asmoranomardicadaistinaculdicar doesn't have the ability to read minds after reflecting on themselves, and shake their head.
[Nature - Pass ✔] They are Goop people, apparently highly dangerous, often found jumping between planes.
They reshape as Loyal.
They suddenly recall they have a destiny, but it's unclear what their precise purpose is.
Persy doesn't recognize the design upon inspection.
Persy pulls out the Portable Hole of his bag and places it to the ground.
Persy pulls out his magnifying glass, and starts to observe.
Asmo doesn't understand and shake their head.
[Detect portals] No portal is sensed.
They pull out a strange magitech weapon.
(Too late I guess. Could be useful to keep the name somewhere just in case.)
Upon that, Persy throws a piton into the air.
[Ranged attack - Pass ✔] They manage to shoot properly the piton in the air, but all hear an ear shattering noise with a purple bullet, smoking the piton.
Upon this discussion, Asmoranomardicadaistinaculdicar joins the party. As they go back to the camp, Nesvalyn calls Loyal.
It's a bit harder to breathe since we started to climb the Alderakh. We notice we're on the eastern side of the mountain. As we progress, we notice smoke from what we suppose to be a camp in the direction we're heading.
The theory being Ludwig rises, where Persy is furious after him, while Nesvalyn tries to keep his calm. Asmo is curious about the resentment towards him, but we're not expanding much as it's "complicated", and still a bit early to talk about that.
We're getting closer to the source of smoke.
As we made our way through the forest in a flatter section, we see it's actually a chimney smoke, with a structure of some kind.
We're approaching the place, who seems to be a business of some kind. It's a 3 floors building, with a fence and a closed gate: "Lombardo's Winter's Paradise".
The party quickly banter about the choice of place, and hope it's not the paradise the pilgrims were looking for.
Lombardo's Winter's Paradise...
Balnorin gets closer to the building. The place seems barricaded. There's a low gate "blocking" us that can be jumped over easily. We all jump over, and we notice smaller buildings near the tall one, including a carriage house structure that has wires going up to the mountain. And by getting closer, we notice that the windows are boarded up from the inside.
Balnorin doesn't even take the time to react that he tries to force his way through the door.
[STR Check - Fail ❌] Balnorin just bonks his shoulder against the door by trying to break it down.
We hear noises and the door being unlocked, and a slim dwarf in rags opens up.
We all enter the place.
[Insight - Pass ✔] With how awkward he is by pointing that, it's not hard to guess he was checking if we were vampires.
We see an halfling woman wearing a very nice dress, in really gorgeous clothes and fancy accessories, and being really belt shape.
[History - Pass ✔] Persy heard something about her: a crazy story about a woman so beautiful and so humble at the same time that two of the former elven houses collapsed and went to war because of her. But it could be false.
The place doesn't seem to have been "alive" for a while, as it's stall and dusty. She claps her hands while calling "Ignitius", and more servants come, as we discover that all the servants are named Ignitius.
The living room...
We're all going to the living room, and we all sit in sofas, and she sits a much more elegant and confortable chair. As she sits, she enjoys a cup of tea, but only herself. And there is only one cup of tea on the table, hers, along the teapot, still steaming.
We see clearly there's enough tea for her, the group and probably more people.
There's a few words within the group that if we have to accept the offer, we should negotiate to stay another day to be sure we're rested well for the rest of the climbing.
[Persuasion - Pass ✔] She sighs and seems a bit defeated.
[Insight - Pass ✔] She is truthful, even if she was overdramatic about this.
After agreeing, we have roughly 6 hours of planification. All of our rooms are quickly undusted and prepared. We manage to rest a bit, then we plan a bit.
[Religion - Pass ✔] Vampire's spawn cannot enter a residence unless they're invited. A vampire is truly dead if a wooden piercing weapon is plunged in their hearts while unconscious. They can't turn us into vampires if they bite us.
We're presented 30 wooden stakes, giving 5x each.
Persy reminds the party about his Driftglobe.
Interviews with Vampire Spawns...
We finished the preparation and the sun is setting.
Asmo sees 12 vampire spawns in front of the lodge, and goes to hide in the attic, taking position for the defense.
Balnorin and Nesvalyn get at the door to discuss, while the rest is ready.
The duo toys them to drive them crazy, then they snap, where 4 of them jumps on the roof, and starts to set the place on fire.
The escape...
Ms Lombardo and the servants get out as she shouts "Quick, we'll take the lift!". We follow her and get into the cabin, where we begin to ascend the mountain. We notice the servants are here to manually crank the cabin.
She looks at the cabin bursting into flames, and has no concern as she let go, unbothered:
We hear a squeaking noise, interrupting her story. Bats gets in the trolley, and they turn into a man. She gasps.
Next session: 26 - Adventurers, Bats, Caverns and Dreamkats