Epilogues - August 23, 2024

 - Danny Duffy shirt? (SPOTSBALL?!?!?!)

Notes on Theophania Groundswallow

• Step 1) Clear out the undead and other nasties in Agonir’s cavern to prevent other things from attacking the beleaguered Mistverge, and so that that the archaeologists can have access to the Dwarven ruins without risking their lives if they want it.
• Step 2) Spends a year or two getting Mistverge back on its feet agriculturally. Maybe negotiating some spaces in and around the city as nature sanctuaries in exchange for some plant growth spells on some of the bigger farms with the druid Elidar so that those farms will have double produce and reduce the shortages in the city in the short term.
• Step 3) She might revisit the plan to identify The Voice once everyone is properly fed again, but after several months of experiments, the results are inconclusive.
• Step 4) Go on a quest to find the Dwoids and tell them about the dwarves who survived. Rusty definitely comes along for this one. How does it go?
  
• Step 5) Spend some time sharing knowledge with Dwarven artificers to improve her mechanical skills and maybe teach some of her alchemy knowledge.
• Lastly) She starts her own shop of magic items called Groundswallow Alchemical Gear. To get the needed supplies for her items, she develops a network of traveling merchants (Groundswallow Tinkers and Traders among others), wizards (Sharai and Tina and the wizard school in Arrandale), the investments and contacts of Lord McNabb (if he’s interested), and maybe even a certain “businessman” named Jimmy or his friends for certain alchemical reagents depending on how the thing with The Voice goes. Tina is around for everything, and eventually one day Tiff suddenly realizes they are basically married, so they do. (Tina, "Oh, you want to make it official?")
  

Notes on Raiàn

• Raiàn goes home because her cousin Sunny dies and becomes the ruler of her people.
• Something fell out of the sky and landed on Sunny's head, and it looks a little mechanically and familiar when Raiàn gets home. Raiàn makes sure the item is destroyed in "revenge".
  
• They rule benevolently.
  

Notes on Lyrielle

• Lyrielle goes back home and reports on everything she's learned in Mistverge.
  
• She becomes an Advisor to the elven military, with emphasis on defense.
• She loves to travel, so she still find lots of excuses to go on adventures, and does help look for the dwoids.
  

Notes on Osiris

• Osiris does some research in Agonir's lair about the soul stuff he was doing. She finds some of the crystals that didn't have souls in them, and eventually she figures out how to make a one of the soul gems, so she does, but she just keeps it in a box on her person at all times.
  
• She also stays in touch with Rusty and anytime he learns something new about himself, and she adds it to her book about him.
• Osiris is Head priestess of the Rites and spends the next hundred years or however long it takes Hallowing the whole city so that it will forever (or at least a really long time) be a bastion against the undead. She also Hallows the dwarven ruins directly below Mistverge such that people cannot teleport directly to it.
  
• Osiris works out a deal where Magnus gets to go to the Wizard school in Arrandale with Prof Tina as his sponsor.
• She also occasionally takes a sabbatical to visit the dwarves.
• She also eventually takes care of the Blackwood servants by killing the undead bodies and then Resurrecting them back into their bodies, which only works because Agonir's hoard is eliminated.
  
• At least one time she casts Astral Projections so that she and Tiff can visit Thessalie.
  

Notes on Rusty

• He helps Tiff with all her projects, dragon lair clean-up, Dwoid hunting, Dwarf learning, etc.
  
• He does let Tiff do some "vivisection" on him to learn about his construction and creation, and she is very carefully, and he takes no damage in the process. 
• Not very many memories come back from before he shut down for 1,000 years.
• Rusty also asks Tiff "Is there a way to get this to stop bleeding" of the Butcher's Bib, and the answer is no. It bleeds or it's useless.     

Notes on Jinora

• She collects the empty soulgem Agonir had embedded in his chest and some of his humanoid form's hair. Then she interviews a bunch of people and takes a bunch of notes and is very intense about the whole process.
• They finally get to see her dragon form, and she is mostly blue, but she also had a couple of black stripes on her chest.

Notes on Magnus

• He takes Osiris up on the offer to study in Arrandale, and spends some time there, and is not very good at all. With his new training, his experiments are less impressive as Agonir's hoard isn't providing a source
  
• He and Callie eventually get married. 
• Sometimes Tiff and Tina are called in to clean up a bit of a mess, and everyone does their best to
  

Notes on Tina

• She moves to Mistverge and helps rebuild.
  
• She and Tiff adventure together, and Tina helps with Tiff's magical inventions.
  

Notes on the Dwarves

• They are tight-lipped on their plans, but an impression is gathered that they are expanding somehow. Maybe underground?
  
• They enter into a secret treaty with Raiàn where they agree not to interfere with each other, but recognize each other's authority.
  

 Notes on Russell Santiago

• He helps clean up Agonir's lair.
  
• He only sticks around long enough for fighty-things. Once it gets down to negotiating with druids and handing out food, he heads back to Caledonia. He declines Tina's offer to teleport him home as it will give him a chance to see more of the countryside and find people to help along the way.
  

Notes on Mistverge and the Black Bloods

• The Black Bloods basically take over the city subdividing it into districts except for Winfair Hillock, and the area around the Temple and the Hall of Justice.
  
• They collect "taxes" and actually provide services like helping people rebuild and providing food and water, and then once all that settles down they just shake down businesses for money in a Gotham city kind of way, but they never mess with Groundswallow General Store, Groundswallow Alchemical Gear, or Callie's boarding house. 
• The violence never gets too out of hand because the district bosses keep everything in check because The Voice keeps them in check. If they don't keep things in hand, they won't get to stay the district boss for very long. 
• Lord McNabb eventually becomes the defacto leader of the council.

 THE END

The Final Battle for Mistverge #BossBattle - August 9, 2024

 - Hexagonal Fellowship

- Osiris casts Aid on some of her friends to further buff them to fight a FUCKING DRAGON

- Tiff sets up and infuses the necromantic tendrils with the Elixir of Divine Release, they wait the hour or so for it suffuse the entire system and then Tiff repeats her binding chant to activate the potion.

- Tiff does her chant, and then in a wave from where she is touching the tendrils the glowing crystals go dark and the wave continues out of sight into the distance.

- After a moment there is a blinding flash of light that then separates into individual glowing wisps that start disappear into cracks and crevices to head to the surface 

- There is a deep, angry roar from far away, a rush of air, and then the sounds of something coming towards them.

- They all enter the cavern and brace with Osiris readying Aura of Vitality and Tiff readying Haste on Russell

 

THE BATTLE WITH AGONIR THE GREAT AND POWERFUL

-  Rusty throws a javelin to get Agnoir's attention hitting him for 10 piercing dmg and then runs behind a column to spread out. The gems embedded in his chest, "shoulders", and upper "arms"

- Raiàn casts Greater Invisibility on themself and on Lyrielle and then darts off slightly away and behind Rusty

- (Lair) From the largest gem in Agonir's chest burst forth spectral skulls that swarm around Russell, Lyrielle, Tiff, and Osiris. Osiris takes 13 psychic dmg and everyone else takes 6 psychic dmg.

- Lyrielle runs forward shooting a dart at Agonir and missing but she can tell that his eyes tracked her movement, so the invisibility is not as useful as hoped.

- Agonir breaths acid on Lyrielle and Osiris for 67 acid and 33 on Russell who manages and Aura of Vitality is gone.

- Russell casts Crusader's Mantle on himself he starts running towards the dragon, so Tiff's prepared Haste is now on him, and then he slices into Agonir for 12 slashing and 12 radiant dmg. 

- With the damage Agonir has taken the gems glow brighter and a creature of some kind pops out of the gem in his chest. It looks like a blackened skull with too many bestial teeth and black withered wisps trailing off of it. It darts towards Osiris and then spits a ghostly dart at her for 14 psychic dmg.

- Osiris downs a potion of Acid Resistance then darts back out of the cavern into the dwarven bakery and casts Heal on herself for 70 HP.

- (Legendary) Agonir misses attacking Russell with his tail.

- Tiff uses the Healing Bonk to give 11 HP to Russell.

 

- Rusty runs of up the Blackened Skull (BS1) and misses with his axe twice.

- Raiàn casts Chain Lightning on Agonir for 18 lightning dmg and BS1 take 36 lightning dmg and BS1 explodes 

- (Lair) Some of the black vine-y tendrils erupt from the ground right in front of Agonir and Lyrielle is knocked prone.

- Lyrielle stands back up and steps forward adjacent to Agonir and uses Wholeness of Body and she regains 42 HP. Then she takes a defensive stance in preparation for Agonir next onslaught. 

- (Legendary) Agonir smacks Russell with his tail for 22 bludgeoning dmg.

- Agonir misses biting Lyrielle and then claws her for 14 slashing dmg and then again for 16 slashing dmg.

- Russell slices into Agonir for 14 slashing and 14 radiant dmg and another BS pops out of the soul gem on Agonir's chest, then 13 slashing and 7 radiant dmg and then he misses his third attack.

- (Legendary) Agonir rears back and beats his wings in front of him on Russell and Lyrielle, but they both dodge 

- Agonir darts away from Russell and Lyrielle, and they both miss their opportunity attacks

- Osiris casts Dawn in Agonir's back for 6 radiant dmg. The new BS takes 13 radiant dmg as well.

- BS1(new) wisp claws Rusty for 4 (2) necrotic dmg and Rusty and Rusty HP max is reduced by 2.

- Tiff shoots Agonir with her Repeating Shot Light Crossbow for 9 piercing dmg

- (Legendary) Agonir smacks Rusty with his tail for 14 (7) bludgeoning dmg

- There's another gem flair and BS2 pops out of Agonir's chest gem and ends up flanking Rusty and dealing 16 (8) necrotic dmg

 

- Rusty destroys BS1 with 11 slashing dmg and then turns and misses BS2

- Raiàn casts Fireball so that it will hit both Agonir and BS2 and they each take 16 fire dmg.

- (Lair) A sphere of darkness appears near the area where the entry from the dwarven bakery is engulfing Raiàn and blocking Osiris from seeing the battlefield.

- Lyrielle darts up and punches Agonir for 9 bludgeoning and 2 radiant dmg then she Disengages and darts back closer to Russell.

- Agonir moves out of the Dawn spell into the space between Rusty, Russell, and Lyrielle, then he bites Rusty for 25 (12) piercing and 15 (7) acid dmg, then he claws Rusty for 17 (8) slashing and then again for 18 (9) slashing dmg.

- Russell moves up to Agonir's butt and misses then slices into him for 14 slashing and 9 radiant dmg then he misses again.

- Osiris runs around the area of darkness and drops Dawn and she casts Summon Celestial and a Celestial Archer appears on the other side of the cavern

- Celestial Archer (CA) misses Agonir with an arrow then shoots him for 14 radiant dmg then shoots him again for 11 radiant dmg.

- Another BS pops out of the gem on Agonir's chest. Agonir beats his wings and flies up to the ceiling taking 14 slashing and 11 radiant dmg from Russell and 15 slashing and 3 radiant from Rusty. He uses his claws to start digging and he disappears into the ceiling of the cavern. The cavern is directly beneath Mistverge...

IS HE RUNNING AWAY?

 

- The CA disappears up the hole after the dragon as his command was to kill the dragon.

- Tiff receives a Sending from Tina, "Uh, so, is like an Earthquake going on? What is happening?"

- "Agonir is burrowing up through the earth to Mistverge! Start the evacuation!"

- Once within distance Osiris casts Word of Recall and the party re-appears in the Sanctuary of the Temple of Mishakal. The ground is rumbling.

- The ground stops rumbling, ominously. 

- Osiris casts Locate Creature and gets a directional ping from the Marketplace.

- Everyone starts running towards the marketplace (except Tiff who mounts a broom) 

- When they arrive there is a large humanoid man with wings standing next to a hole in the ground. He's wearing dark armor with a gemstone embedded in the chest and also on the shoulder plates and arm plates. He looks slightly damaged.

- As the group runs up he says, "You! I will destroy you for all that you have taken!" 

 

THE BATTLE RESUMES

- Tiff casts Haste on Russell again, and then darts behind a destroyed market stall out of sight.

- (Lair) Agonir looks at Russell and a gray rope of magically badness shoots out of Agonir's gem and attaches itself to Russell.

- Agonir unfurls his wings and flies up 20' into the air and lines up on most of the party and breaths acid on everyone except Tiff, Raiàn takes 81 acid dmg, and everyone else takes 40

- Osiris casts Cure Wounds (4th level) on Rusty for 26 HP. She looks around and sees a few people running towards the temple. She also sees on top of one of the few stalls that is only slightly damaged, Jinora is partially concealed on top watching the happenings. She whispers to Raiàn about it.

- Raiàn casts Fireball such that only Agonir take 14 fire dmg. 

- Rusty goes into another Rage and runs as close to Agonir as he can get and throws a javelin at him for 8 piercing dmg and then launches a second one that also hits for 11 piercing dmg. The tether between Agonir and Russell pulses, but Russell resists the affects.

- (Legendary) Agonir shoots some sort of ray at Rusty for 25 (12) cold dmg.

- Lyrielle hears Tiff shout "Take the hammer with you!" so she grabs it and runs over to Agonir and then she throws a dart for 9 piercing dmg and then throws a second one for 7 piercing dmg.

- (Legendary) Rusty takes another bolt of dark energy for 22 (11) cold dmg.

- Russell moves up to within 10' of Lyrielle and Rusty and then activates his cloak and sends Agonir blocks all seven bolts. Then he uses Cleansing Touch on himself to end the tether between himself and Agonir.

- Agonir shoots another bolt at Rusty for 19 (9) cold dmg.

 

- Tiff moves the infused hammer 5' next to Rusty, bonks him for 18 HP restored and then moves 10' along the back of the stall she's ducked behind.

- (Lair) Agonir says, "You cannot escape me!" His green gem pulses and modulates a bit and a beam of yuckiness hits him for 28 necrotic dmg.

- Agonir casts a spell on Rusty, but Rusty resists!

- Osiris darts from behind the stall she's hiding behind to join the one Tiff is hiding behind then she casts Aura of Vitality and then she sends 15 HP to Russell.

- Raiàn casts Fireball on Agonir again for 16 fire dmg. 

- (Legendary) Agonir grabs the gem at his chest then sweeps his arms out and a circle of energy flies out of it hitting Lyrielle, Russell, and Rusty for 10 necrotic dmg  

- Rusty leaps up to Agonir slicing into him for 14 slashing dmg then misses and crashes into the ground taking 6 (3) bludgeoning dmg. 

- (Legendary) Agonir misses Rusty with a cold ray.

- Lyrielle throws a dart at Agonir but misses then throws another one this time hitting for 7 piercing dmg then she moves around Agonir's side to get out of line with her friends.

- Russell uses Lay on Hands on himself for 70 HP then moves up to stay within 10' of both Rusty and Lyrielle and then Russell activates his cloak again but Agonir shields again

- Tiff move the infused hammer, heals Rusty with it for 14 HP and then darts behind the next ruined market stall keeping behind cover.

- (Lair) Agonir sends another tether this time attaching to Rusty giving Rusty a toothy, evil grin.

- Agonir casts a spell at Lyrielle and she takes 28 necrotic dmg. 

- Osiris runs past Tiff then Misty Steps behind the weapons stall at the edge of the marketplace. She casts a haphazard Sacred Flame as she runs, but Agonir dodges.

- Raiàn casts another Fireball dealing 16 fire dmg and Agonir throws his arms down and black tendrils fly out of them into the ground and Osiris is now grappled.

- Rusty growls, "You can't escape either!" Rusty flies up and misses and then slices in to Agonir for 38 slashing dmg and then does it again for 39 slashing dmg. His axe gets stuck in the gem and he rides Agonir to ground cleave the glowing gem in two as they slam into the dirt and there's a huge whoosh of energy that blows up and out into the clouds clearing the sky and there's what looks like an aurora into the sky.

- The aurora energy condenses and hits both Raiàn and Jinora. Raiàn sort of falls over exhausted. Jinora briefly loses control of her form, crushing the building she was hidden on top of, and then when she emerges in her humanoid form again there's a black streak in her blue hair. 

- Rusty confirms with Jinora that Agonir is dead, but he smacks him in the chest with the axes one last time to make sure.

NO MORE AGONIR!!!

The Elixir of Divine Release Ritual #It'sNotAboutSex - August 2, 2024

 - Complimentary dino

- Tiff says she's going to bed. And she does.

- Osiris goes to let Rowan and the rest of the temple know that the ghosty spirit guy is dead. 

- Osiris then also goes to bed.

- Russell Santiago also headed off to bed along with everyone else.

- When Raiàn, Rusty, and Lyrielle get back to the boarding house, Jinora asks what was happening since she is still awake.

- Jinora tells Lyrielle and co that Agonir must have sent the spirit to take out the people he thinks might be a threat he sends undead to take them out. He likes to make sure that when he swoops in at the end there's no resistance.

- The next morning, Tiff is braiding laurel leaves with Tina when Osiris shows up with the staff in the apothecary to help with the preparations for the elixir. 

- Tiff gets the apothecary staff and Russell started on perfume creation and then helps Tina finish making all the laurel crowns. 

- Once the laurel is finished being braided, Tiff has Rusty set the cast iron halfling-sized bathtub in the center of the sanctuary near the alter and set that up. She gets Tina to draw a warding circle in chalk around it while Tiff then goes and helps with the perfume.

- Osiris goes to trade the expensive opal she has for a gem encrusted bowl. 

- Lyrielle gets on the earring network and tells everyone what Jinora said last night.

- Once Osiris has her bowl, she and Rusty go to the Hall of Justice to check in with the city guard via Captain Swinson.

- The front desk is empty when they arrive, so they head straight to Captain Swinson's office. The little barracks for guards to have their rest has dead bodies. It seems like the current guard shift and their CO are DEAD. Like dismembered dead. 

- It looks like the ghosty spirit creature wasn't only attacking the Temple of Mishakal.

- Osiris Sends to Amelia, an acolyte in the Rites Wing, to come get the dead guards.

- Osiris then Sends to Captain Swinson asking her to meet at the Hall of Justice like now.

- A few minutes later the captain shows up, but Amelia shows up first and she doesn't like the messy ones.

- Captain Swinson knows about the attack, and they have abandonned the headquarters building and decentralized control. The council made the decision to abandon the building, and told no one to go back inside.

- Osiris and Amelia gather the dead, while Rusty finishes talking to Captain Swinson.

- They get back in the late afternoon and explain the plan again to Russell.

- Osiris casts Temple of the Gods around the area where Theophania will lead the group in the ritual to create the Elixir of Divine Release.

- They do the ritual successfully! (Because of course they do. Tiff is nothing but prepared.)

- They divide the ten gallons into ten water skeins and tuck those into the bag of holding, and Tiff goes to make more needles to introduce it to the necrotic tendrils.

- Okay, so the plan is that they will teleport to the Dwarven city adjacent to Agonir's lair (which they do), then have a Hero's Feast with the bowl Osiris acquired (which they do in an inn with some intact tables), then they will sleep in a Hut (which they do).

- While everyone except Osiris is hunting around in the tavern (since it takes ten minutes to cast the Hero's Feast spell) they find two whole bottles of ancient dwarven whiskey in the bar!!!!

- After they've rested they will inject the tendrils with the Elixir, and then they expect the dragon will come find them from there.

 - They do a check over of the tavern and then Osiris casts the Hut in the public room.

Put the Halfling Down! #AtLeastIt'sNotASnuffFilm - July 12, 2024

 - DnD Fellowship 

- Osiris convinces Theophania to try to cast Sending to Birel to see if he's alive, but it does not go through. Pretty sure that means he's dead.

- They decide to set up a trap for the ghosty in an attic store room with a window to let him in. They take a spare desk and a chair up there which Tiff will sit out while everyone else hides in the hallway. 

- They have a few hours until sundown, so Tiff goes to braid some bay branches before they get too dried out, and Osiris goes to the Rites wing to check out her new office and also to look at the bodies of the previous victims of the spirit.

- The claws are deep and seem to have caused necrotic damage. The hands would be very large, larger than Rusty's.

- The office is organized, but contains mostly just records about the recently dead in the city. 

- Osiris also talks to at least some of the other Rites wings acolytes, and learns that it's been two days since Birel was lost. And that they are freaked out. And that the spirit can teleport, distance unknown.

- Then she finds Rowan and conveys the plan about the spirit, to keep her fellow Highpriestess informed.

- Tina stays in the Sanctuary to help guard the residents of the temple for the duration of the trap.

- They set the trap and Osiris uses a Leomund's Tiny Hut in the corner to hide everyone except Tiff who has cast Death Ward on herself.

-  Finally at 1 AM, the spirit shows up and grabs Tiff while she's sounding out Dwarven words dealing for 18 piercing dmg.

- The spirit is a large creature with arms that nearly reach to the ground and hands the size of dinner plates with long bony claws on the ends of the crooked fingers.

SPIRIT BATTLE

-  Lyrielle dives out of the Tiny Hut and moves around to the side of the spirit and misses punching it, then she misses it again and a third time.

- The Spirit squeezes Tiff for 26 piercing dmg, and then swipes up Lyrielle grappling her as well for 21 piercing dmg.

- Osiris casts Freedom of Movement on Tiff and then moves over to the corner opposite where the Spirit has her two friends grappled.

- Rusty moves to flank the Sp with Lyrielle then swings his axe into it for 54 slashing and 5 acid dmg then slices into it again for 27 slashing dmg.

- The Spirit drops Lyrielle then it pulls Tiff in closer and black tendril somewhat reminiscent of the soul-crystal tendrils slapping into Lyrielle, Tiff, and Rusty for 22 necrotic damage. Then it teleports with Tiff and become hidden, though they can hear her muffled

- Raiàn casts Greater Invisibility on Russell and themself then she moves along the wall next to Osiris.

- Russell casts Daylight on one of the tiles in the ceiling filling the room with Bright Daylight.

- Tiff grabs the Spirit holding her and casts Shocking Grasp on it for 19 lightning dmg then wiggles out of it's grip and runs to the other side of the room.

 

- Lyrielle runs up to the Spirit and punches him for 13 bludgeoning dmg then again for 11 bludgeoning dmg and then misses with her final attack.

- The Spirit tries to move toward the door, but then he runs into Russell, so he then heads towards Rusty taking opportunity attacks from Russell and Lyrielle for 10 slashing and 6 bludgeoning respectively. The Spirit claws Rusty for 23 (11) piercing dmg and Rusty is now grappled.

- Osiris casts Moonbeam in the center of the window and shouts "Someone close the door! Don't let it get away." Then she just runs over to close the door bumping into both the invisible Raiàn and Russell on the way.

- Rusty slices into the Spirit for 55 slashing and 5 acid dmg and then again for 23 slashing dmg and then again for 17 slashing dmg. 

- The Spirit tries to escape out the window and takes 20 radiant dmg (Rusty takes 10 also), and the Spirit disintegrates into harmless dust.

END OF BATTLE

- Rusty takes 7 bludgeoning dmg from falling 40 ft. There is now a Rusty shaped indent in the grass of the courtyard.

- Osiris drops Moonbeam and runs over to the window, and Rusty is fine, so she casts Cure Wounds on Tiff for 47 HP.

-4,000 XP for 154,500 XP total ea.

An Unwanted Upgrade - June 14, 2024

 - What one hand gives (front - 20), the other hand takes away (back - 1).

- Male calicos = 1/3000

- Female orange cats = 1/5

- Once Rusty is all put back together, it's already mid afternoon, the group goes to find Kagnar, who says it's no big deal if they want to stay another night.

- Tiff gets directions to the library and immediately goes to go copy everything she can get her little hands on. She starts with children's books to help her learn Dwarven, and then asks for the artifice section. She spends all night doing this.

- Rusty and Osiris chat with Kagnar about the whys of animal mechanicals instead of people-shaped mechanicals (less materials and less expectation of intelligence)

- Osiris then goes back to the temple of Reorx run by Father Orodon and requests a keepsake, and he gives her a belt with a shield for a buckle and an embossed hammer on the shield.

- She in turn gives him her old, non-magically holy symbol to Mishakal.

- "We don't need to go through the Dwarven axe drive thru, you have an axe at home."

- The next morning, Osiris collects a passed out Tiff and Tina from the library.

- Kagnar gives Rusty a belt with a star emblem as a buckle, and the belt looks mechanical or digital in make and tells R that it should interface with R's circuitry.

- Rusty puts on the belt and it tingles through his body and he blinks and suddenly feels like he is a lot stronger (Belt of Hill Giant Strength)

- Kagnar walks with them back to the stairs up to the surface

- They head up and then it takes exhausted Tiff two hours to find some bay tree.

- Additional investigating does not yield a tree protected by a dryad, but they do find a wood sprite living in one, so Osiris casts Tongues on Tiff who gets permission to trim branches from the tree, and that will hopefully help.

- "I'm the only one that does things with truckers." Thank you, Erika

- They walk to the beach with Rusty accommodatingly carrying the two buckets with the bay branches, step through the barrier that prevents teleportation

- Tiff takes the measurements of everyone's heads for their laurel crowns, and then goes off to start weaving crowns and wands and the circlet to go around the opening of the "cauldron"

- Osiris check on the holy water supply, and we are at 175/160 flasks needed, so that's good! She then goes to find Rowan.

- Rowan tells Osiris that while they were gone the temple has come under attack by some kind of ghost, or creature, and it abducts people and presumably kills them. Whatever it is avoids light. Russell has been trying to fight it off, and he may have injured it.

- Birel was taken by the spirit and is presumed lost, as well as a few acolytes.

- Osiris goes to talk to Russell who looks a bit disheveled and fatigued. 

- The spirit showed up the first night the party was gone and while everyone was sleeping, they were awoken by screams as people were being taken. It has elongated claw hands and seems semi-ethereal.

- Russell didn't notice a temperature change or a sound when it appeared. It grabs people in its claws and then teleports away, and it was stealthy about it.

- Osiris calls everyone over the earrings to meet in the sanctuary, where Tiff already is with Tina making laurel crowns.

- Everyone meets as requested, and they start planning on how to maybe take out the creature.

- Osiris goes to Norman to requisition spell components. It is the easiest transaction she has ever had with him, exception he write High Priestess Osiris, Rites Wing, and Osiris freaks out. She does NOT want to be in charge.

- Osiris takes the only opal Norman has, 500 GP, and Raiàn to the nicest jewelry store in town to make sure they have the opal she needs for her spell

- Raiàn breaths on the opal before they go in, but they find the shopkeeper is a gnome named Rascivir she doesn't know.

- They introduce themselves, and Osiris tries name dropping herself with her new title.

- Raiàn manages to convince the shopkeeper that he is doing the whole city a favor so he takes the 600 GP opal that they have gives them the 1000 GP one. Osiris gives him a receipt for tax purposes since he offers the difference as a donation.

- Raiàn breaths sparkles on his tea as he has heard of her. 

 

- 3,500 XP ea for 150,500 XP total ea.

Rusty's Rusty Bits - June 7, 2024

 - Solid purply-maroonish-brown shirt with NO NERDY GRAPHIC *shocked Pikachu face*

 

- Theophania hears back from her Great-Aunt, but it's just a feeling of surprise and the feeling of a warm hug.

 - Tiff Sends again, "No, seriously auntie, I need words telling me where to find the Dwoids. The dwarves should be allowed to reconnect with their history and culture."

- Thessalie responds with a hint of confusion and "They were in some ruins in the east, you know, past the giants." 

- Tiff turns to Kagnar and tells him that Great-Aunt Thessalie was never great with directions...

- Kagnar doesn't want to tell Sharai that they exist.

- Tiff gets everyone to agree that after the dragon is gone to go on an adventure to find the Dwoids to reunite them with the dwarves who survived the destruction of Lellzutho.

- Rusty requested a diagnostic from the dwarves who say that he is very old, but they will try.

- MEANWHILE, Osiris wanders through town looking for something like a temple and gets a lot of stares. She finds a temple built into the bedrock with the symbol of a hammer and an anvil. She casts Tongues on herself and asks who the temple of for (Reorx) and she also confirms that she would be allowed to go in. The person is very suspicious of her as the only non-dwarf they have ever seen.

- Osiris goes in. It's not a huge building, and it's ALL stone, especially the pews. There are also a lot of anvils in the room. Maybe up to a dozen. They all look used as well. There are doors at the back, so she goes and knocks on the wooden door. An older dwarf with a salt and pepper answers the door and is flabbergasted to find an elf. He is Father Orodon

- OOO - Dwarven euphemism for making babies - manufacturing

- OOO - Another Dwarven euphemism for having sex - banging anvils.

- Osiris on the way back to the taverns hears lots of "What is that? That's not a dwarf. Is that an elf?!"

- Tiff shows Kagnar her Healing Hammer "Bonk!" He dies laughing.

- They sit around talking for a bit, and then the room shakes a bit. Kagnar doesn't know exactly what it was, but he's not worried.

- After a little more chatter, they head over to the temple.

- Father Orodon speaks Common!

- Osiris and Theophania get to participate in the drumming ceremony (hammers to anvils)

- The next morning, Kagnar comes to get Rusty, Theophania, and Osiris for the diagnostic of Rusty. He takes them to another building that has a lift that takes them even deeper into the earth into what looks like a laboratory.

- The dwarven artificers find the button that opens Rusty's back and they find where is memory cards are, and find that two of the six are pretty corroded. They analyze what they are made of and gather those same materials in appropriate quantities and Tiff uses Fabricate to create extremely accurate duplicates which they install with Rusty's permission.

- His memories are still patchy, but they're clearer now. So Osiris pauses her note taking and casts Regenerate and holds it for an hour and they watch wiry fibers grow and make new connections.

- The two artificers are Azka and Kaluki.

- Kaluki recommends the children's book See Rog Smith as a good starting point to learn Dwarven.

 

-3,500 XP ea for 147,000 XP total ea.

I Have Diagrams - May 10, 2024

- Royals (Baseball shirt?!)

- "Maybe your previous life was as a gay kid to Mormons." "No."

- "You've heard of quiet quitting? Stop doing his job for him." Strong staring.

- Stories about Emotional-Support Chris

- Story about No Pants DnD that one time

 

- From their hiding places in the jungle, people with a Perception roll over 20, they can hear another mechanical dragonfly flying about looking for them.

- Ràian casts Greater Invisibility on Rusty and he goes to try to talk to the dragonfly again and he goes sprinting off 

- He stops after about 12 seconds to get away from the rest of the group, and then stops and listens again

- He goes to head in the direction of it again, when he is tackled by a metallic panther.

- He speaks to the panther, "Hi, you're a big metal kitty. We're friendly. We come in peace." 

- It lifts it head and makes some kind of noise, and then there's a chittering sort of sound and there are mechanical spiders coming for him.

- Rusty asks Tiff's opinion on if he can smash the 'bots. She asks him not to.

- He asks the panther / spiders if he promises to come quietly if they can skip the tying him up part, and the panther gives him a nod and a "but don't make me fuck you up" sort of look, which is impressive since it's metal.

- Osiris manages to follow Rusty's path while her friends take care of making sure she and Tina don't give their positions away.

- Lyrielle gets the impression, the feeling, that something is tracking them back and says so quietly.

- Osiris looks up and sees up in that tree over there, there's another metal panther tracking them.

- She casts Tongues on herself and tells it that they are following to make sure their friend doesn't get hurt and that they just want some leaves. 

- It jumps down and Osiris crouches down to its level to be less threatening as it pads over to her.

- Tiff who had previously waved at it, hides behind Ràian because it looks like an animal.

- The panther nods at Osiris and herds them in the direction they were going anyway.

- Tiff tries to ride her broom to keep up and the panther does NOT like it, Osiris tries to put Tiff right on the panther's back, and neither Tiff nor the panther like it. The panther calls a spider to tie Tiff up and drag her.

- Ràian puts Tiff on her shoulders.

- Osiris Messages Rusty to let them know they aren't alone on their way to their destination.

- About 45 minutes later, they come to a village and are led to a particular building.

- It looks like a jail or holding cell.

- Osiris is desperate to give their herding panther a scritch and it shoves her into the building.

- The two panthers sit on either side of the door to their cell and play guard.

- Half an hour after sitting around in their cell and cleaning up their wounds, a man who is a little bit taller than a halfling and definitely shorter than a human with a big red bushy beard.

- He speaks in Common, but his accent is very old.

- He is very interested in talk to Rusty, asks where he's from and Rusty says Kunzak.

- After a bit of conversation between Rusty and the dwarf whose name is Kagnar, they are let out of the cell and they continue chatting as they walk, and Tiff starts telling him as her Great-Aunt Thessalie. He is fascinated by her story about the Dwoids.

- The building they go into is basically just a staircase down into the earth.

- Kagnar calls Rusty a "historical citizen"

- At the bottom of the staircase, there's like an open plaza and there are other dwarves there. Maybe 50 people in this plaza.

- Tiff asks Kagnar if she can talk to people and when he says yes tentatively she immediately darts off to a person who was looking at her with equal curiosity and drags Tina with her as a translator. She immediately starts asking about dwarven words and help this young person with their Common. Osiris follows to chaperone.

- Kagnar takes Rusty, Lyrielle, and Ràian to a tavern and they discuss Vulcand before Tiff and Tina show up to say that Osiris sent them to tell Kagnar she's gone to find a local temple to commune with the local holy people.

- Kagnar says there are about 50,000 dwarves in this city now.

- "I have diagrams." for the 1,000th time

- Tiff bargains for knowledge about the Dwoids to get to visit again.

- She sends to Thessalie (because she's not technically a living person so THAT's not breaking the secret), "There are living dwarves! Can you tell me where the Dwoids were? They've lost their history, and the Dwoids could maybe help them. Love you!"

 

- 3,500 XP ea for 143,500 total XP ea.