When last we left our heroes, they had opened a door to find a cave-like cottage. A small living space with a bed and cooking area, a large round table, and a doorframe leaning against the opposite wall. As they discussed the merits of exploring further or taking a moment to rest, they were greeted by a suddenly appearing Flumph.
Questions abound on all sides, with Arunak and Wander quickly realizing what it is. The Flumph is named Poe and is the Cleric Leader of his group. Excited to hear that the crew killed the hydra, he disappears through a hole in the ceiling, returning with a cavalcade of Flumphs, all excited to greet and feed the weary heroes.
Poe reveals that they were brought here long ago by the Knave Hero Randar (frantic note searching ensues) to care for him and his sanctum. Randar has left to find an evil wizard, whom he felled, and returned with the body to lock it away. As Poe motions to the door frame and the crew sees that it is engraved with three symbols:
- A Shield
- Man with hand over heart
- Tree with connecting lines
The Flumphs feed and float around as the crew discusses, healing them all of their wounds and making it clear that, as slayers of the hydra, they are welcome to anything they find in the sanctum. Havayla asks about the table and Poe floats off to find the oldest of the Flumphs.
While they wait for Poe to return, a group investigation effort begins. Zezu checks out the chest at the end of the bed that Wander pointed out as magical. Ryker leads the investigation of the door frame, along with Nahtan, Arunok, and Yevin. Through trial and error, they discover that speaking “Protect” lights up the first symbol. They key is a phrase. An alcove with a teleportation circle is discovered. Wander and Havayla start fiddling with the table, which is quickly discovered to be a sort of scrying device with images created from mist. Poe returns with the eldest Flumph (Moe?), a grumpy fellow with a gnarled tentacle, and confirms their suspicions.
While Wander identifies some objects that Zezu found (Horseshoes of Zephyr and a Serpentine Owl Figurine of Wonder), the group members alternate between stating words at the door and taking turns with the map-table, placing their hand on the orb and thinking of a location or object. Havayla looks at Hearthollow, Ryker finds the last ship he was on, the remains of a crashed airship, which leads to his reveal of why he’s been following Havayla…
Ryker was raised in the Aerial Navy. His father was a member, but was mostly absent. Havayla’s father stepped in and took him under his wing. Ryker served under him and considers himself responsible for her father’s death. Ryker swore to her dying father that he would protect Havayla, and has been doing so, secretly, ever sense. He is wearing her father’s ring, which he offers to return. Havayla, stunned and processing, declines.
Back at the table, Arunok observes failed attempts to search out people, and instead searches for items related to people. He looks for Cindy’s crossbow and finds it making rounds through the Mountainroot village. He seeks out his sister’s sword and finds it laying on the ground in an alcove in the sewers of Riverband. Zezu checks on his mom’s house in Hearthollow. Nahtan looks for his knuckledusters and sees them floating mid air next to a mist-made representation of the table he’s standing at.
Meanwhile, through some investigation with the Flumphs and group brain effort, the key-phrase is discovered: Protect My Family. The doorway turns into a portal. Ryker, Nahtan and Yevin enter, finding 5 doors. The center door is metal and locked with sigils and mechanisms, written in Knavic. Yevin casts detect magic, as they see two doors to either side:
- On the right, a metal door glowing with transmutation magic.
- Further right is a regular metal door, covered in slashes and slightly ajar.
- On the left is a wooden door with plants going around the edges. The door is ajar.
- Further left is a regular metal door, closed.
Determining that rest is paramount before further exploration, they return, but not before Yevin dispels some of the magic on the central door. Ryker questions his actions as they come through the portal. Wander hears the discussion, asks what happened, and is brushed off by Yevin, but Ryker explains. A slight argument over the risks of that action takes place, with Yevin defending his dispelling by suggesting that the wizard was powerful and there might be something helpful with him. Besides, he’s dead, how dangerous could it be. Mention is made of the Feeble Mind Stone and Wander rushes back to the table to seeks it out. The map zooms into RIverband, straight to royal-looking sleeping quarters, where the gem floats above the bed, as if held. The King has the gem, either on his person, or in his person.
Agitated but exhausted, the crew gets set up for the night. As Havayla takes third watch, she notices one of Zezu’s pockets is glowing. A sleight of hand check later and she’s holding a glowing egg, hot to the touch. She arranges it with her cloak in a nest and waits. Wander wakes for 4th watch and they discuss the egg, deciding to watch it and wait for Zezu to wake up. Wander takes the time to meditate, casting commune, and asks Knowledge what Yevin did to the door. Knowledge states that Yevin managed to unlock one level of the protections, but there were many left and there was not a risk of escape. She asked if the wizard was dangerous: His release could mean the end of Zandoria. So is there any use looking at the rest of the doors? Of course, there is much to learn. Wander discusses what she learned with Havayla and starts planning Yevin’s funeral.
The morning begins with the cracking of an egg. A shout from Wander and Havayla rouses the rest as they all watch a little Phoenix break out of it’s shell. Zezu reminds Wander that she got the egg for him and asks her to name it. She calls it Spark. After that excitement, Yevin states that he’s going back in to look at the doors. Wander starts berating him for his actions, but he ignores her and continues. A thrown off cast of hold-person and he’s through the portal, followed quickly by an irate Wander. Finally getting his attention, she explains what she learned from Knowledge. A slightly chastened, Yevin casts comprehend language to read the inscription above the door: “The Uncrowned King”
Remembering the book she’s had this whole time, titled “Kolakretai, The Uncrowned King” Wander pulls it out and starts to flip through as they return to relay the information to everyone else. Havayla reveals that she knew of the wizard and lived during the time of his reign and fall. Nahtan had read about him in his book of histories. Wander starts reading about his personal thoughts as he set his sights on necromancy. This was a bad wizard. It is universally decided that one end of the world situation is bad enough, let’s leave the evil dead guy be.
During this chaos, Aurnak uses the Scrytable to seek out his sister’s sword again. It is floating around the streets of Riverband. She’s (presumably) safe and free, for the moment.
Most everyone returns to the doors, ready to explore:
- Middle Door: no touchy. Evil wizard inside.
- Furthest left metal door: A small room with a pedestal holding a broken glass container. The label for the missing object is “The Deck of Many Things”
- Next left-side wooden door with plants: A growing room with many feywildian plants, including a sprout of the tree outside. Wander takes samples of flowers and seeds, along with the whole potted tree. Nahtan eats a flower and promptly passes out, but is easily awoken.
- Right-side metal door that had transmutation magic: Upon opening the door, they ran into a magic barrier. “Once in a lifetime, twice in eternity.” Is written above. Remembering that the Oni spoke those words, the team tries to puzzle it out. In a “Speak Friend And Enter” moment, Havayla asks “it’s it T?” and the barrier disperses. Beyond the barrier they find a lab with a pool reminiscent of the one they found in the wizard’s tower. Notes by a Mirik Mirelen are found, outlining how he brought the essence from wherever he found it to here. How it is an essence of demon and litch. He doesn’t know how it happened, but evidence around the room of preserved mutations show that he wasn’t concerned about experimenting with it.
- Furthest right metal door, covered in slashes: A training room with an automaton practice dummy. Tons of weapons on the walls, but not much else.
Discussions over the name Mirik Mirelen reveal that he was a doctor from Hearthollow. Ryker and Havayla knew of him, Yevin and Zezu recall another Dr. Mirelen, apparently his son, that ran a hospital there. The Flumphs further elaborate on Mirik Mirelen’s comings and goings. He only tried once to experiment on them, and Moe, through a terse conversation with Ryker, as a fellow veteran, explains that it was the source of his gnarled tentacle.
Seemingly having learned all they can, the attention turns to the teleportation circle. Obviously the way in and out, the red and white ruined circle is a bit of a mystery. Some expository dialogue from Poe explains that the circle is simple to use, just step in and visualize which connected circle you want to travel to. Using the Scrytable, they find that the closest circle is in… the cave Wander found that launched her into her quest and is currently where the orcs are throwing bodies into a large crevice to feed the world-ending dragon. Other circles are in Hearthollow, and Riverband (specifically in Octavius’ Outrageous Oddities). Various plans are considered and options weighed. It is determined that the cave exit would be the quickest, but very dangerous. Yevin casts invisibility on Ryker, Zezu, and Wander and they go in as forward scouts, Zezu leaving Spark in Havayla’s care
While this happens, Nahtan takes some time to call a steed with his Paladin powers. He now has a massive wolf, as well as Donkey. We are slowly turning into a traveling zoology exhibit, much to Nahtan’s delight. He also reveals that he stole his money not from his father, but from the King of Riverband’s own vault.
Teleporting to the cave, Wander snags paperwork on the other side pertaining to the working of these circles (can’t let the bad guys keep this!). One guard is stealthily killed. A jaunt down the tunnel reveals a lot of orcs, some wolves, and ominous ground rumbles. They return and determine that it would be too risky. Wander won’t risk not getting the seed to her clan, nor the chance that their exit might lead the orcs right to her home. They decide to retrace their steps through the maze.
Wander contacts her Great Aunt Vineyard to let her know that they will return to the tree at the edge of the swamp and could she return them the way she sent. Vineyard responds that she can use any tree, and asks if there one nearby. Wander runs out of the room and to the willow, as Ryker takes care of the Beholderooms that noticed the noise and movement. Everyone else follows, Wander sends a message to her aunt again, and the tree opens up. As the crew steps through back into Mountainroot, we ended the session.
What will come next for our heroes? Will they seek out Arunak’s sister and the Feeble mind stone with the king of Riverband? Will they quest to Hearthollow seeking answers for Yevin, Zezu, Ryker, and Havayla? Will the Firbolg clans make it to the Feywild safely? We’ll find out next time…