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  1. Quests

Illusions and Dreams (Part 1 and 2)

Completed
NPC Story

Characters:

  • Constantine as Alagos, hill dwarf tempest cleric 20
  • Luolang as Altria, human paladin/sorcerer/warlock 20
  • Thimble as Barton, stout halfling valor bard 15
  • Phill as Rasheed, half-elf phantom rogue/fighter 20
  • Missile as Xanthus, human battlemaster fighter 20

Prep:

  • Barton will cast mind blank on himself before the end of the long rest
  • Alagos will cast heroes' feast, 8th level aid, 9th level aid, and death ward on the party before the end of the long rest
  • (If going into another plane of existence) The party will try to construct tuning forks to a given plane of existence to try to attune it later

Session Notes

Introduction

The party is gathered by the Hawthorne Watch to help handle an emergency. The party agreed to assist and to meet with a contact to learn more information. The party is going to Split Tooth Mountain (the body of the Titan Bohu) to meet with a contact to learn more information.

The party is led to a man known as Landis. Landis greets the party outside the guild hall.

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Landis is a member of an organization dedicated to fighting threats from the Far Realm. Landis greets the party. Landis told the party that he had taken an unofficial capacity in watching Split Tooth Mountain. He tends to go with his friend Sonder, but Sonder seems to be busy with other matters.

Landis wants the party to go with him to Split Tooth Mountain where rifts to the Far Realm had opened, as well as a cerebrotic blot had opened. Landis will be transporting the party there.

Alagos creates a heroes' feast right outside the guild hall. He also does death ward on Barton, as well as 5th-level aid on Barton, Rasheed, and Scout.

To Split Tooth Mountain

Landis teleported the party to the Split Tooth Mountain. He can't teleport directly to the blot or inside the mountain. He will need to guide the party within.

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Landis warned the party that magic may act strangely within the mountain, as well as casting spells within. Also, one's connection to their deity may be difficult.

Landis begins to lead the party through the mountain landscape, taking them overland and through tunnels and the like. As they began to travel through the mountain, the landscape becomes warped and alien, with vivid colors, tentacles, and other strange terrain.

Landis guides the party past traps laid by the Order of the Maze. As Landis speaks, the party can feel a sense of dread begin to fill them. He says that they are approaching the place. The party had felt an urge to depart, but they willed themselves to continue.

Landis then stopped. He explains that they are entering the periphery of a cerebrotic blot. Altria asked if it was unusual for a cerebrotic blot to open within the mountain. Landis said it did happen, but not to the extent as it did currently. Rifts to the Far Realm have been sighted, and the extent and strength of the cerebrotic blot reminds Landis of when the Titan was active. Landis is serious and says that it is bad news.

Altria asks if something is trying to release the Titan again. Landis is uncertain; perhaps that is the case, or perhaps something else is happening. The Far Realm is a chaotic and unpredictable place. 

Barton commented that he hoped it wouldn't be another Titan. Landis agreed. Alagos expressed that the Titan was an abomination that would not endure. Xanthus said that perhaps that would be the case in another timeline. Altria asked Xanthus what he meant about other timelines. Xanthus explained what he knew of other timelines in his interactions with the mysterious "Order" he had learned of that were tasked to preserve time.

The party was to explore the blot to determine the situation and resolve it. Landis said that he had to go check on a friend he was worried about, and he would leave the party to their task.Landis departed, planning to contact them later.

Into the Cerebrotic Blot

The party continued onward to explore the blot, with Rasheed in the front to scout, with Alagos, Altria, and Xanthus in the center, and Barton riding Scout taking rearguard. 

As they explored further, the landscape became more alien and twisted, until it seemed the party was walking on a rocky platform floating in the void, creating an alien geometry.

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From the hole in the center, there was a black void, out of which Rasheed could hear strange noises. Altria tossed a rock at it, initiating combat.

Combat Start

R1

29 Rasheed didn't notice anything change on the first turn, as nothing else had happened. He did nothing.

25 Barton didn't notice anything change on the first turn, as nothing else had happened. He did nothing.

23 Xanthus didn't notice anything change on the first turn, as nothing else had happened. He activated his flametongue and readied to attack something. 

The party can hear something approaching as a horde of intellect devourers revealed themselves within the void, as they climbed out of the hole.

20 IntellectDevourer1 dashed towards Xanthus. Xanthus struck out at it, but missed it. 

19 IntellectDevourer2 moved towards Xanthus and made a claw attack against Xanthus, hitting him for 10 slashing damage, reduced to 5 by Altria's Stone Aegis. It attempted to devour Xanthus's intellect, but Xanthus succeeded

18 IntellectDevourer3 moved to Xanthus and attacked, hitting Xanthus for 8 slashing damage, reduced to 3 by Altria's Stone Aegis.  It attempted to devour Xanthus's intellect, but Xanthus succeeded

16 IntellectDevourer4 moved to Altria and attacked, missing. It attempted to devour her intellect, but she succeeded against it. 

12 IntellectDevourer5 moved to Alagos and hit Alagos with a claw. It attempted to devour Alagos's intellect, but it failed.

10 Altria unlashes a pair of Sunbeams to destroy most of the intellect devourers except for a single intellect devourer. 

10 Alagos called down a sacred flame, but the IntellectDevourer8 dodged it. Alagos then moved.

8 IntellectDevourer8 was still alive and it moved up to Alagos and hit him for 7 slashing. It tried to devour Alagos's intellect, but Alagos succeeded.

R2

29 Rasheed moved up and attacked the IntellectDevourer8 and killed it. He created a soul trinket from it and moved into Altria's aura. 

The party can see an orb of purple-pinkish matter that is growing to the southwest. 

25 Barton can see the orb of purple-pinkish matter that is growing. He plays a tune on his fiddle, inspiring Xanthus (d12). He then casts see invisibility on himself. 

23 Xanthus moves towards the hole in the center, readying an attack. 

18 A star spawn larva mage 1 appeared out of the cyst. It cast circle of death on the party, but everyone succeeded. Those in Altria's aura were resistant. Scout failed, but he was still resistant. The larva mage spoke in Deep Speech, which no one understood.

14 A star spawn mangler appeared and then hid.

10 Altria moved up to Xanthus and tried to use dimension door, but they ended up inside the portal. Altria sunbeamed a group of them, killing a pair of grues. The mangler was blinded, but the larva mage 2 was still able to see.

10 The star spawn larva mage 2 attacks Altria, but she deflects it. Alagos blesses Rasheed's scimitar with a holy weapon. Alagos then dashed forward. The star spawn large mage 1 then shot eldritch blast at Alagos, missing all of its attacks.

9 The star spawn larva mage 2 moves up to Altria and Xanthus and unleashes a plague of worms. Altria and Xanthus avoided it.

8 Star spawn mangler 2 is currently blinded. It attacked Altria several times, but they all were deflected by Altria.

R3

29 Rasheed entered ghost form and dashed forward.

25 Barton and Scout flew forward, as Barton cast faerie fire where he had seen the first star spawn mangler vanish. It did not reveal its bonus position, but Barton then shot an arrow at the first star spawn larva mage.

23 Xanthus attacked the star spawn larva mage 2, and knocked it over with his first attack. He then unleashed a flurry of attacks on it, dealing 170 damage to the larva mage, causing it to break up into a swarm of worms. Xanthus destroyed the swarm of worms, before he slew the star spawn grue and the mangler. Xanthus spun his sword before turning to Altria and saying they needed to go back. Altria said she didn't know how to get back, to which Xanthus said they needed to only try.

18 The star spawn larva mage 1 tries to eldritch blast Rasheed, Barton, and Alagos, but misses all of its attacks. 

14 Star spawn mangler 1 dashed towards Rasheed, revealing its position. 

10 Altria stepped out of the portal, catching both the remaining star spawn mangler and star spawn larva mage with a sunbeam, blinding both. She then steps forward and strikes the larva mage with a sword slash.

10 Alagos moves back and unleashes a bolt of lightning from his wand of lightning bolts, maximizing it with his Channel Divinity. He catches both the mangler and the larva mage with the lightning bolt, and also accidentally catching Xanthus within the portal. The larva mage tried to eldritch blast Altria, but she deflected it with a shield spell. 

R4

29 Rasheed moved to the mangler and attacked it with a booming blade, destroying it with a single strike. The larva mage also took some of the Wails from the Grave that affected the larva mage.

25 Barton mocked the larva mage, but it was immune to the damage. Barton also shot the larva mage, hitting it with an arrow.

23 Xanthus came out of the portal in the same direction as where Altria had come from and where the lightning bolt had fire out of. He rejoined the party, finding where the other larva mage was. He cuts it down into a swarm of worms. 

10 Altria destroyed the worms with a sunbeam.

Combat End

After the battle concluded, the party talked about what they had faced. Altria apologized about the teleportation mishap, though it had worked out for the better. Xanthus healed himself by channeling the power of time to reverse his wounds, as he had learned in his time with the Order. 

As Rasheed examined the strange portal to the east, he saw various tendrils and connections between the portal and the ground. Altria, Rasheed, and Xanthus realized that they had come across the group of combatants while they were in the process of stepping out. 

There was a hot red crystal to the east, which was rather hot. The party also cut some of the crystals and tendrils around, getting a screaming crystal. The party was uncertain what to do next, so Altria went to investigate the void in the center. An intellect devourer attacked Altria, but she quickly killed it.

Altria cast light on a stone and tossed it into the void. The light vanished entirely, and the party returned to the east portal. Scout entered the portal to scout the area, but Barton lost contact with him.

Alagos casts true seeing on Xanthus. The party then went into the portal to join Scout, finding him in the midst of combat. They were amid a void with floating purple rocks, with a blue-ish void in the center.

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Combat Start

R1

25 Rasheed enters into his ghost form, and then moves up to booming blade SS Hulk1. He hit it, dealing 77 lot of damage to the hulk, with Wails of the Grave dealing 18 necrotic damage to SSHulk3

21 The Star Spawn Seer moved up and launched an orb of energy at Altria that she deflected. 

20 Barton moved up and attempted to banish the star spawn seer and two of the hulks. Alagos called upon Valkur's aid to allow the banishment spell to take effect. One hulk and the seer were banished, with SS Hulk2 . Barton then gave Bardic Inspiration to Xanthus. 

19 Altria sunbeamed a pair of Star Spawn Hulks twice, blinding them. 

15 Scout attacked one of the star spawn hulks, cutting into it. 

14 Star Spawn Hulk1 attacks Xanthus, Scout, and Rasheed with a bunch of flailing arms. It misses Scout and Rasheed, and hit Xanthus and knocked him down. Altria teleported to the attacking hulk and attacked with an aegis strike.

13 Xanthus struck out at the blinded hulk, slaying it. He moved next to Altria and struck the other hulk. 

13 Star Spawn Hulk2 moved up to the party after perceiving the terrain as it was still blinded. 

9 Star Spawn Hulk3 was presently banished. 

4 Alagos moved up to the two hulks and used Destructive Wrath. He knocked them prone, but was unable to channel the power of his deity. One of the hulks died. 

3 Star Spawn Hulk4 was still banished.

R2

25 Rasheed moved up to the blinded and prone hulk, striking down at it. Rasheed took a soul trinket from the star spawn hulk.

20 Barton got back up on Scout. He was still concentrating on banishment. He would give Rasheed a bardic inspiration die. The creatures had not been banished to their native plane.

The party prepared their actions to attack the returning creatures. They went on Xanthus's turn.

13 Xanthus attacked the returning hulk, slaying it. The rest of the party unleashed their held actions, with Rasheed, Barton, and Altria using attacks and sunbeam on the seer. The seer was blinded.

4 Alagos moved forward and used thunderwave from his blast scepter. 

R3

25 Rasheed moved up blind seer and struck it, slaying it. 

Combat End

The area is pulsating as shards rotate around. The party looked around, examining the strange blue orb. Altria healed Xanthus and Alagos healed Scout. 

The party touched the blue orb together and end up elsewhere.

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The party now feels as if they are further away from reality. The party can feel the presence of the area as a maddening presence, but they managed to withstand it. 

To the far north were a series of orbs with energy flowing around, with the area fragmented and warping the fabric of reality. The place seems to be projecting its presence outward. There is gravity around the orb. but outside there is no gravity. The party moves forward, flying through the air.

From Xanthus's truesight, he can see the crystals form a dome around the area. As the party approached the crystals, they intended to destroy the neothelids. As they approached, the neothelid turned to attack the party.

Combat Start

R1

26 Barton flies forward to cast faerie fire on Neothelid1. He then shoots his bow at the neothelid under faerie fire, before he flies back.

19 Rasheed moved up to the blinded neothelid and struck it with his booming blade.

17 Neothelid1 unleashes a spray of acid. Altria gets hit by the acid the most, but the party endures the blast. 

15 The party is struck by a fireball from the spellcaster in the end, but Altria's aura protects them from it. Rasheed was not in range. 

14 Neothelid2 breathes acid on the party except Rasheed. 

13 Altria attempt to dimension door with Xanthus to the center. However, something got teleported to Altria instead; a mass of swirling tentacles. It unleashed a wave of ethereal energy that threatened to stun the party; only Scout ended up being stunned. Altria struck the creature with a booming blade and tried to move away; however the creature lashed out at Altria with its tentacles and wrapped her up.

13 Alagos plays the Drums of War, granting its fervor to to himself, Rasheed, Xanthus, and Altria. He gave Rasheed a burst of speed. 

12 Xanthus moved up to the Neothelid by Rasheed and attacked it, dealing significant damage to it. 

10 the Chaos Quadropod attacks Altria, but she deflects it.

0 Various bits of the platforms being drawn to the central set of orbs, striking Alagos and Scout. Xanthus, Rasheed, Alagos hear in their mind a voice that they should be begone from the place. 

R2

26 Barton shoots the neothelid that Xanthus was attacking.

19 Rasheed uses his gauntlet of transfusion to drink a potion of speed. He dashes towards the central structure, but bounces off of an invisible dome. He begins to move around, as Xanthus advises him to go for the orbs. He moved back to attack the neothelid Xanthus was attacking, slaying it with three attacks. 

Rasheed then felt as if his skull was about to explode, but he resisted it. 

15 The spellcaster blasts Altria, Scout, Barton, and Alagos with a chain lightning. Scout barely remained up. 

14 Neothelid2 attacks Rasheed with its tentacles, but misses all of its attacks.

13 Alagos moves up to the Neothelid2 and uses his blast scepter to hit it with a thunderwave. He shouts to the spellcaster to leave the dome. 

13 Altria attacks the quadropod grappling her, hitting once with a booming blade.

12 Xanthus attacks the remaining neothelid, dealing damage. The spellcaster uses a legendary action to unleash a burst of psychic energy that stuns Rasheed.

10 The quadropod attacks Altria, dealing damage.

0 Fragments strike various individuals in the party, also striking Scout and unfortunately kills it.

R3

26 Barton attacks the quadropod, killing it, and attacks the Neothelid.

19 Rasheed remains stun

15 The spellcaster unleashes a fireball on the Neothelid, Rasheed, Alagos, and Xanthus. 

14 The neothelid attacks Rasheed and swallows him. 

13 Alagos unleashes another thunderwave on the neothelid.

13 Altria tries to dimension door with Barton. It summons another quadropod. She moved up to the orbs and destroyed one of the orbs. The spellcaster 

12 Xanthus attacks the neothelid, heavily wounding it. 

8 The new quadropod dashes forward.

0 Fragments that are being drawn in strike 

R4

26 Barton uses Tenser's Transformation. and then shoots the Neothelid with his bow, slaying it and freeing Rasheed. 

19 Rasheed breaks out of his stun.

15 The creature says for the party to leave him alone. The spellcaster takes the fabric of reality around the party, warping the bodies of Rasheed and Alagos.

13 Alagos moves towards the party and heals Rasheed.

13 Altria moves to destroy the orbs, as the creature protests, but Altria destroys all the orbs and the dome comes down.

12 Xanthus moves to the spellcaster. The spellcaster looks at Xanthus and sees his Hawthorne badge and says that Xanthus abandoned him. Xanthus attacked the spellcaster as he was still hostile.

8 The quaodropod attacks Altria, but misses.

R5

26 Barton attacks the spellcaster, dealing damage to it while under Tenser's Transformation. He inspires Rasheed. The spellcaster blasted everyone in the party, stunning everyone except Barton and Rasheed. 

19 Rasheed moved up to the spellcaster, phased underground to hide, and struck the strange spellcaster. He then moved back to Altria.  

15 The spellcaster attacks Xanthus and almost tears his brain out.

13 Alagos continued to be stunned. 

13 Altria continued to be stunned. 

12 Xanthus continued to be stunned.

8 The quadropod attacked Altria with its tentacles.

R5

26 Barton hit the spellcaster with two shots, dealing 39 damage. The spellcaster 

19 Rasheed shot the spellcaster with a aberration slaying bolt. 

15 Rasheed hit the spellcaster with his scimitar, rematerializing his sword inside the creature. He says mournfully that they were supposed to come for him. He then dies.

13 Alagos recovers from being stunned

13 Altria recovers from being stunned.

12 Xanthus is recovered from being stunned.

R6

26 Barton kills the tentacled creature.

Combat End

The party recovers the body of the spellcaster and went through the portal to exit out of the core to the marrow and out of the periphery to return to outside Split Tooth Mountain.

As the party exits, the party discusses what to do next. Altria says they should perhaps resurrect and bring back the creature how they were. Alagos agrees as he uses mass heal to heal the party.

Alagos then read the journal of the aberrant elf: Brendel Haldir's Journal

After Alagos read the journal, the party debated resurrecting Brendel. Rasheed regarded Brandel's actions as foolish and planned to give him a piece of his mind. Both Barton and Xanthus agreed to try resurrecting Brandel, as they reminisced on where they had been during the time the Titan was active. Barton had been busy away with Harper work in Neverwinter, unable to participate unfortunately. Xanthus had been in the midst of the fighting.

Alagos then leans down and entreats Valkur: "Valkur, as you guide those lost at sea, may you guide this misguided soul in whatever way you see fit. If it is to return to this world,  then may that will be done. If it is that his soul is to remain at rest, if it will truly benefit him, then I ask of you, please guide him, as I could not."

Clouds then gathered above, forming swirling winds like a tornado. It is powerful winds, but not alarming. A lightning bolt from the sky strikes the body, consuming it completely in a flash of blinding light. The body of an unconscious young elf is then revealed and left behind. 

Altria says that it seems the gods's will has been done. Xanthus then said that he was now Alagos's responsibility, which Alagos accepted. Alagos then used word of recall to return the party to the Wavestone Citadel in Hawthorne.

Brendel was kept in care in Wavestone Citadel. Alagos sent to Landis that the mission was accomplished, and Landis was glad to hear it.



(Thank you to Luolang for the summary!)