Chapter 8 - Downward Spiral
Session 40
The party are wrought with dreams, Ryven meeting with Wynters bear Sashya who tells him his brothers soul is kept trapped and to release him, meaning to kill him so that Sashya may join Ryven. Jasper seeing through the eyes of his Queen a blizzard wasteland and being contacted by a snow elf offering to help for a price, through negotiations Jasper was given a fragment of glass as a trinket and his Queen guided to Kragenmeir. Kurtsi was visited by both the the Wolf Mother Lupa and the Champion of Pirus Tiberius Lycaon and asked to choose from a series of GladiÄ«, choosing to sided with Lycaon, and finally. Kozmö was greeted by Emperia who informed him that her domain is growing and has a pair of new followers one who gifts Kozmö a small lunar moth teddy bear, Emperia informs him that he can now share his broaches with the party and that court is setting up but she will try and help all she can, hearing gargantuan stomps and a figure heading to a large building in the distance the dreams end. Kozmö once awake makes a small shrine for Emperia.
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The party begin their raid on the broken down temple, sneaking up to the entrance and compromising the cultists outside. After dealing with them the party hear banging on the door and set up, soon a large mass of undead forces its way out and attack the party, the fight is drawn out but the party are able to take care of the creature and are left standing outside where their quarry lie.
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Session 41
The party made their way into the temple clearing a trap on the way using sylqu to blow it up, avoiding any harm to themselves, after breaking through a man made wall, they arrived in a dusty old temple with 13 alcoves down two corridors and a central platform holding what looked like an iron maiden, after looking over the platform the party discovered that it looked to morph into a staircase going downward, but required something.
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Investigating the rooms Kozmö touched an Amethyst statue of a centaur and was whisked away into space, landing in a forest and approached by the centaur Tor, and a few companions of hers, Tor said that she does not know the name Baba Yaga but wished Kozmö well when sending him home.
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During this time Jasper was keeping eye on the Iron Maiden which as soon as his eyes drifted away, it moved to face him, sending a mage hand in the Iron Maiden attacked revealing a withered corpse inside, the party where able to defeat the creature and continue their work.
After this Kurtsi touched the Obsidian statue staying in the same place speaking to a figure known as Nexus, says hes seen a few people come in recently and give blood and that he had previously betrayed his people and that is why he is here, using his great axe to open the way forward and gifting Kurtsi a piece of Obsidian to help.
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Ryven then touched a Rose Quartz statue and was brought to someone who recognised him Versailles, The Queen of Fragrance someone who had made a deal with Aroura in the past, she gave what information she could to the questions asked and offered help in exchange for "seeing through his eyes", Ryven accepted and allowed her to see through Shyvers eyes, leaving him with heterochromia, one purple eye when she is watching and making Shyver a bit more magical when needed.
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With the way open and the statues named, the party's next plan...
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Session 42
As we start, Jasper decides to touch one of the statues, a statue of Quartz and the Champion of Sula, Galahad. As they spoke Galahad told of the war that he and his 12 other companions chosen by the celestial dragons had with the 7 chosen by the Dragon Gods of Gaia and how they lost that fight but he held no ill will, he said that he can hear things on the winds from Gaia and offered to assist Jasper if he allowed him to hear though his ears, gifting him a small ball of air from this gas planet.
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As the party came together Kozmö discussed how he was connected to the blood cult, saying he was part of a group in Favarous called the "Red Harmony" before he left for Justrica. While the party were curious about how Agatha was sealed away thinking of asking one of the statues if they knew, Kurtsi was possessed for a short time by Tiberous Lycaon to tell that it was his group that did so, saying that Agatha lost something and went "nuke the world" so they had to stop her.
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After finding the information they needed the party descended into the crypts eventually coming across members of the blood cult, though a hard fought fight the witch of the group was slain and her body exploded into a demon like creature that the party where eventually able to take down.
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After this fight the party lay down for a short rest, not knowing what else is to come.
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Session 43
The party after a short rest powered up some skills as Jasper heard from Galahads ears a strained voice saying "Fine I've given what you wanted now leave". They then rushed forward into battle with a group of Spine Devils and an Orthon being able to defeat them pretty handily in spite of the Orthon's invisibility.
Afterward the party ran into a large mirror that spoke a riddle, I start as innocence, untouched by the sun, I quench and give life, then the work is begun, I end in a tide, where the last breath is spun, Who are the three, in whom my journey is done? and three bowls with liquid flowing through the mirror, Milk, Water and Blood. Over some time and the help from some rats the party were able to solve the riddle and the mirror dissipated allowing them to pass forward, however from the tunnel ahead, a cold wind blew.
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Session 44
The Party travel forward through the mirror entering a snowy clearing different from the cave, they hide in the trees as they hear Wynter approaching. Ryven steps forward trying to understand Wynters reasoning, Wynter says that the Blood Queens plan is to remake the world as she sees fit, shifting the polls to give the Snow Elves a better chance of survival, and that his power over winter will be a great boon, Ryven argues that it goes against their very way of live, but Wynter does not budge.
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The fight starts and it is hard fought, Sashya is torn but fights with her master as a "one last ride" keeping Shyver occupied until knocking him down and moving to knock down Ryven as well, choosing not to deal the final blow, as Ryven is brought back up Wynter is slain his last words being "what have I done?" before the Husk of Wynter his broken form is summoned, Sashya disappears and Shyver reappears but bigger. Ryven is able to get the killing blow on the Husk as it is destroyed.
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In the end Ryven takes the time to gather Wynters belongings and with help from the party, bury him. Kozmo gives a eulogy as Ryven gives his last words. "I'm glad your finally at peace.".
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Session 45
The Party after a hard fought battle and low on resources set up a long rest, Ryven and Kurtsi keeping watch outside the Crystal Butterfly for shifts given their Trance takes less time. During this time Ryven is visited by Lupa the White Wolf, who takes Wynters soul into the afterlife. He sits and mourns, spending time playing with Shyver, as he awakens Kurtsi to take watch and falls asleep he is greeted by Lupa in the Hunting Lands where he is visited by Wynters soul.
Wynter says he apologies and thought he was doing the right thing but was clouded, he explains that the cults plan is to awaken Agatha, The Blood Queen using her innocence and her wisdom, but leaving out her compassion, making her ruthless, they have set out around 2 weeks to perform the ritual to end and remake the world, but that will be in Draconis. Wynter says that if Agatha is summoned the only way to stop her is to unite her compassion with the other shards and she'll take herself out after which Lupa ushers him away to maintain the circle.
During Kurtsi watch the rumbles in the cave persist and grow louder, after time he hears creatures coming from the way forward, notifying the party who have awoken, 4 vampire creatures seem to be looking for the Horseman, the party jump them and slay them pretty handily.
Moving forward quickly the party find themselves in a chamber filled with people, but something is up, the image flickers as they see the leftovers of the finished ritual, and the Spring Horseman waiting who gives a little show, showing the image and moving through what happened, blood being drained from 4 sources, a woman held aloft over a central pit, Elizabeth chanting, and the body finally falling into the blood pool revelling huge bone appendages clutching the sides, pulling up a small humanoid body blood draining creating a flowing red gown and the face of the young Agatha the party had seen prior, lifting her hands the room shakes and large bones that fill the room move and reveal a gigantic dragon skeleton, reanimated gathering the cult and smashing through the ceiling.
After being shown the Spring Horseman says he does have to take care of the party, and puts his fists up.