Session 2 Recap

Hardholme Game 2, 2/28/2018

In attendance: Chris (as Chris lol), Lauren (Aurelae), Caspar (Aequitas), Elaine (Fallynde), Luther (Buckler), Megan (Maeve), Tim (Fitz), and Mike (Forge).

Journey to the Temple on the Mountain
Fallynde secured a deal on supplies for the group, 3 weeks of rations and a Climber’s Kit, for 38g per person.

They gather supplies and head north, keeping The River on their left hand side.

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Day 1:
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 * Onwards! To the Temple on the Mount! Buckler leads the group in their journey.
 * Apparently, no group has ever ventured far from Hardholme and ever returned…
 * They travel all day at a solid pace. Uneventful.
 * They set up camp and set watch. During the night, a very significant event happens to Maeve. It is her Aasimir Awakening, the divine being Celeste (her ancestor) visits her and awakens her divine power, shares with her her history and purpose. Maeve undergoes some intense physical changes, including some glowing radiance and she receives a scar on her left cheek. She now has a purpose, and that purpose is to spread goodness and light to all she encounters.-

Day 2:
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 * It begins to rain. They realize that they have not yet seen the sun or moon since they have been in Hardholme. There is a clear daytime and nighttime, but it is always heavily overcast.
 * The landscape begins to change a bit. Rolling hills with trees dotted across the horizon. It is breathtakingly beautiful. The trees don’t look like anything from Davros, but they are definitely trees.
 * There is one incredibly large tree on their right-hand side. Aurelae is curious, so she moves forward to get a closer look. Surprise! They aren’t trees at all, rather it is a huge hive like structure with big winged creatures flying around it. They have batt-like wings and a demon face with snake-like tentacles wiggling from their faces. (Batt-deusa)
 * Aurelae brings this information back to the group and they decide to take a hard PASS on encountering these scary looking creatures.
 * As they continue travelling north they encounter the Batt-deusas more frequently. They continue to avoid and evade them.
 * It is still overcast and raining, and they make camp for the evening. Throughout the night they can hear strange, but not aggressive animal noises coming from the hills to the north. (Turns out to be the mating calls of the Striders.)

Day 3:
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 * Even more Batt-deusas. The group must slow down in order to not run into them. They encounter more Striders as the landscape becomes more hilly. Fallynde attempts to tame a Strider, but to no avail. They are flighty creatures.
 * It begins to hail. Fallynde makes a lean-to shelter and Aequitas magics it into something that can keep them dry for the evening.

Day 4:
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 * The farther north they travel, the more marshy/swampy the land becomes on the left-hand side, bordering The River. The hills grow more pronounced in the east.
 * Suddenly there is a 9-foot-tall, bird-like screeching creature running at them! Its legs are long and its body is unusually small comparatively. Aurelae shoots it. Aequitas fireballs it. Fitz hits it. And Buckler finishes it off. Fallynde drags the carcass behind her til they make camp and can make it into dinner. It’s a fantastic team effort, and they feast upon Dinner Bird for supper that evening.
 * Aurelae begins documenting all the different creatures they have encountered, and their natures. Perhaps this could turn into a sort of compendium of the beasts of Hardholme.
 * They set up camp and watches. Aequitas and Maeve glimpse a Winger during their watch. They attempt to catch it, but do not succeed.

Day 5:
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 * As they continue ever northward along The River, they notice that The River begins to curve ever so slightly to the right (East).
 * They come across a herd of large reptile-dinosaur looking creatures (henceforth named Holmasaurus). They are peaceful and non-threatening.  A few of the group even walk up to them and pet them.
 * On the horizon they can now see… a mountain in the distance!
 * Also – the sky is clearing up for the first time – ever! The clear sky is like a breath of fresh air.
 * They set up camp and the night is uneventful.

Day 6:
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 * The River continues to curve even farther towards the east, behind the mountain. They make a choice to head straight towards the mountain from the south, rather than going a bit farther north and then cutting across east to the mountain.
 * They set up camp and the night is uneventful.

Day 7:
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 * They can see a structure on top of the mountain. It looks like it could be a temple! They make a plan and camp. All is well.

Day 8:
Temple was discovered in the 44th year, by Vash.
 * They get to the bottom of the mountain without incident and begin to climb; Aurelae leads the way.
 * After about 6 hours of climbing they reach the top of the first plateau. Aurelae notices one of those hives of Batt-deusas off to their left. Thankfully they are able to avoid them.
 * In the cliff wall there is a round, red colored door, about 30 feet in diameter. There is a short pillar to the left of the door with a square-shaped, matching red colored inlay. It appears to be a key of some kind. There is a very ornate carving of a dragon with a wolf’s head on the large door. Aaaaaaaaand they leave this door alone.
 * Eventually they reach the top of the second plateau, and there is a structure that they assume must be the temple. It is architecturally very beautiful, and of similar design to the red door down below. It is clearly very old. Older than Hardholme…
 * They make their way around the outside of the temple structure looking for an entrance.
 * They hear voices, of no discernable language.
 * There is a crack in the wall, and Aurelae looks through it and sees four tiny purple beings, with very large heads, standing around a fire. About the size of a Hobbit maybe. Two of Purple Guys (also dubbed Purple People and Kool Aid Dudes) are arguing 3 Stooges style.
 * Maeve wants to try to save them, and she celestials into the entryway. Epic Elemental shit, all glowy and fierce.
 * It’s a no go. They attack.
 * They also smell really badly. And they have ugly teeth. And bulgy eyes. And they are really excited to be fighting.
 * Maeve takes a hit. Fallynde swings her axe and chops off a Purple Guy’s arm, “Disarmed!”
 * Maeve heals herself, all badass like. Aequitus frost blasts at them and stops one cold (HAha, get it Coral?). Fitz tears open another one’s belly. Fallynde decapitates another one. It’s like a Tarantino movie up in here, purple blood is everywhere.
 * Poor Maeve, she is crying and thinking of planting so many trees…
 * Aequitus adds a Purple Guy head to his growing collection.Image (4)-0.jpg
 * Fitz and Forge decide to light the braziers. The recess opens and reveals a set of stairs.
 * The stairs wind down into a large cavern. There is a giant door (20’x20’) and it is clearly man-made.
 * Fallynde goes first. And of course there is a trap door, and she falls into a disgusting, stinky pit of decaying goop and body parts. One of the bodies has a silver flame pendant around its neck. Buckler pulls Fallynde out of the pit, Aurelae jumps in and grabs the pendant, sword, and shield for Buckler.
 * They walk through the door and find more bodies scattered around. Most are Kool Aid Guys. There is another body, decayed to a skeleton, pinned to the wall. It is a second silver flame guy.
 * There is a tower room with a tall wooden door to the south, and a large, round, circular, blue door to the north, with a short pillar to the right with a round, blue recess in it. It seems to be the other side of the red door from outside.Image (2)-0.jpg
 * South door leads to a small room with a partially collapsed wall. A door in the west wall in this room is jammed. Several of them try to open it with no luck. Aequitus sets it on fire. Of course. There is a hallway after the burnt down door.
 * They check for traps in the hallway and avoid them.
 * Fallynde opens the door at the end of the hallway – firelight! And 10 Kool Aid Dudes.
 * They enter unnoticed and sneak in and hide in the alcoves of the room, next to large statues with dog heads.
 * Sneak attack! SMASH! FLAME! SLICE! FWAP! LIGHT!
 * The Purple Guys are no match and fall quickly.
 * A man is calling for help from the large pit! (10’x10’)
 * But there are still 6 Kool Aid Dudes left.
 * Fallynde epically splits one guy in half with her axe!
 * There is a voice coming from the pit, and the last living Purple Dude jumps into the pit to try and kill the man. Aurelae shoots him dead.
 * Rescue Time: there is a man named Resner and a Frog Guy chained up in the pit. They are both very malnourished and have clearly been there for a long time.
 * Resner is the third member of the silver flame that set out to the Temple on the Mount eleven years ago.
 * The Frog Guy does not speak our language, but Fallynde and Aurelae are able to communicate somewhat with him and his name is Liblub. (LIB-lub)
 * Liblub is a blue frog man.
 * Aequitus discovers on the journey home that Liblub speaks a broken form of Abyssal.
 * Resner recognizes Buckler from when Buckler was a child in Davros. It’s a hallmark moment.
 * Fitz, Aurelae, and Forge climb up to the alter on the other side of the pit. It is less of an alter and more of a…sarcophagus…
 * There is a square plate, and of course Fitz pushes it.
 * The top of the “alter” slides open, and a large dog-headed mummy zombie monster with red glowing eyes climbs out of it and attacks Fitz.
 * Fitz shoots Dog-Zombie-Mummy in the mouth and the back of his head explodes…and immediately begins to heal.
 * Aequitus blasts the Dog-Zombie-Mummy with his freeze blast and it temporarily halts his regeneration.
 * Aurelae shoots and hits him, Buckler smashes him, and he’s dead!