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The assembled Pathfinders set up camp before the shimmering doorway, the healers among the group offering their magic to heal any remaining wounds and cure any lingering ailments before the company beds down for the evening.
The following morning, Oraiah Tolal addresses the assembled Pathfinders standing beside the portal. ”Well, everyone, this is it. We have reached the Door of Seasons. This crown should allow us to open it. We don’t know exactly what awaits us on the other side, though we do know that it is not of this world. Be prepared for anything. May Alseta guide us through this passageway.” She holds the crown in front of the Door, and the shimmering magic within dissipates.
The demiplane on the other side of the door is green and vibrant, but the plants take on an otherworldly quality. A half-orc man, his age difficult to determine, is bound by vines and flowers. He looks up. His voice is halting and hoarse, as though he had not used it in a long time, “Can it be...Pathfinders?”
After a moment, Oraiah Tolal realizes who he is. “How can this be? Gregaro Voth! You’re still alive!”
The man replies, “It is me. How many years has it been? Wait, there’s no time. That crown! It’s the key to this plane! We’ve got to use it!” As Oraiah Tolal places the crown on Voth’s head, a strange wave emanates from the crown and passes over the assembled Pathfinders. Voth looks hopeful for a moment but then struggles against his bonds, still held fast.
“That would have been too easy. It’s going to take some time to harness the magic to unlock the power of the crown, and Qxal won’t wait long.”
Oraiah Tolal begins to direct the assembled forces. “Pathfinders, it’s time to act! Some of you need to help Voth with the crown. I’m sure we have a ritual to help him attune to it. The rest of you, be on alert! The Thorned Monarch could attack at any time!”
Delorn has a rough going of getting through the various hazards but doesn't fall victim to any of them either.
Pytor, realizing the thorns on these vines would not be pleasant to throw his bulk into, has to ultimately take the path that Crunch dug up, but is more than able to then guide the Champion through the gas clumps with ease, not affected by the bad smells at all. He is then helped by Tapi and the gravity spell his bulk almost being more of a detriment then helpful given the nature of the spell.
Carmelizzia is more limber than a willow tree as she weaves herself through the various vines and dangers, and proves to be a light step through the minefield of gasses. She, however, doesn't quite have the right stance for being a rock and gets shifted around slightly with the wind.
Arriving on the other side, and having found one of a few different pathways through the new hazards, the party finds a shimmering door of blue. You finally reached the Door of Seasons.
The vanguard seems to have arrived already with Venture Captain Toral here already. She sees that the healers tend to any lingering harm you might have, before telling everyone to rest up for the big day ahead.
The next morning, bright and early, with all of the expedition gathered, Toral opens the barrier.
With the crown on his head, Voth seems to be gaining some strength but with the plants of this plane literally growing into him, he's further bound here than the just placing the crown can overcome. He'd need help to either bind to the crown or cut away the plane from him.
However in the distance there's sounds of rustling as it seems the opening of the Door has alerted the various fey here to your prescience.
Khoumrock Blackthane watches Gregaro Voth struggle with a weary eye. "This is it. This is why I'm here. I've tangled with the Thorned Monarch already, and I know this crown. There's a ritual to attune this man to the crown but I'm going to need your help to deal with all the magic bits."
He rounds on everyone. "You've probably already felt it, but this plane is overflowing with primal energy and is highly mutable. Even if you have no magic yourself, you can harness that magic to perform this ritual."
"First. I'll be physically holding the crown in place so my hands will be tied. Next. Pick a leader for the ritual, they should know something of controlling magic or primal energies, their job is the hardest but most important for success, but any secondary casters who succeed at their tasks will help aid them."
"The secondary casters need to do one of a few things, either tap into the magic here, control the primal energy, give advice to others on how to bind souls to objects, add a level of finesse to the ritual, find appropriate components, or use delicate maneuvers to finesse them. Other specialized knowledge might also help here."
After the long explanation he takes a deep breath and comments, "Sound good, well then get to it!"
Herondal and Carmelizzia both provide truly excellent performances that give the entire ritual a sense of elegance and poise as by the power of their performances alone they start to channel power into he ritual.
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"Torag teach lot about earth energy. Lots of that here. Can work magic into crown."
The goblin rolls up to Khoumrock Blackthane and Gregaro Voth and begins working symbols into the dirt and the plants around them, channeling primal power into them.
They match the rhythm of their movements to Herondal's playing and Carmellizia's dancing, while silently listening to the advice of the others.
Crunch takes the lead position and starts to deliberately draw sigils of Torag and primal power into the earth.
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Carmelizza
Pytor
Delorn
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Delorn's delicate fingers and dexterous hands prove to be the perfect thing for getting the ritual circle in working order and with a sense of grace as well.
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Tapi
Pytor
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Pytor's annoyance at having to mess with concrete theory comes through in his work, he misses a few variables and fails to carry the 1 leading to his calculations being slightly off, not so much as to harm but not quite the numbers needed by the ritual.
Tapi proves that he knows his way around a ritual and especially about how to bind the soul of someone (say a dying detective) to a physical object (like a golem body with a ton of gadgets built into it). The principles seem to be the same here. He points out a few extra runes that Crunch can use as well.
Crunch, empowered by all of the 'secondary casters' writes a brilliant set of runes around Gregaro and Blackthane and is rewarded to see their work as the crown practically fuses itself to his head.
Blackthane hollers, “It worked! Voth and the crown are attuned to each other." Voth looks more empowered than he was before this started, but also seems to be physically and mystically bound to the plane, the half-orc shifts and squirms but can't seem to free himself further. Blackthane looks at him and adds "Now we’ve just got to help him break free of the plane’s control. Come on, Pathfinders!”
As he says that, Calriso Benarry hollers from nearby, "We've got fey closing in from all around! If you're not busy then grab your weapons and help fight them off!"
Blackthane looks at everyone staying with a broad grin. "Right we need to get him free. Someone with knowledge of magic could probably break the magical ties, while strong people can probably just help pull him free. Someone with a golden tongue could probably help talk him free while a good performance could inspire him to do it himself. Someone with a good knowledge of planes or empowering artifacts could also be a good help in this situation."
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Tapi 2 checks
Pytor 2 checks
Carmelizzia 2 checks
Herondal 2 checks
Crunch 2 checks
Delorn 2 checks
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Tapi gets misremembers a tiny part of how these types of binding work and accidentally spends some time cutting unimportant magical ties that don't help with anything. However his speech is highly inspirational and Voth starts to break himself free.
Crunch pulls on a leg and breaks it free, but then trying the same thing on the other leg gets them a vine to the face plate that just will NOT leave them alone.
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Tapi occulted and inspired
Pytor 2 checks
Carmelizzia 2 checks
Herondal 2 checks
Crunch: Pulled and got waylaid
Delorn 2 checks
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"You strike me as a cultured soul," Pyotr's croon can somehow be heard over a bunch of other Pathfinders pulling at Voth's bonds or encouraging him. "Think of all the plays you've missed while away! Why, stay here or no, give me a year and I'll be back with one about you."
When Voth understandably stops listening or understandably didn't hear in the first place, the Ulfen man retreats into his own head for solutions. The entirety of magic is basically just one big play...
Voth gives a mumble "Was out here exploring because I don't like plays... But how much has the world moved on without me?" It seems that he's not quite that interested in the finer things in life.
However, it seems Pytor's experience with magic and plays gives him a good idea of what's coming next in this plane's attempt to hold onto one of the Founding Pathfinder's... and it's something he can quash without a thought.
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Tapi occulted and inspired
Pytor: Reminded of the passing of time, and quashed some of the magic.
Carmelizzia 2 checks
Herondal 2 checks
Crunch: Pulled a leg free and got waylaid by a vine
Delorn 2 checks
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Herondal actually perks up the interest of Voth. "All of the new things to explore! Experience! You're right!" He starts to pull himself free and stand up. "Wait, GOBLINS? Those little fellas who're more likely to blow themselves up than hold a solid conversation? My the world has changed." He gets his second leg free and starts on his arms.
Delorn gets the founding Patfinder's ire up. "You just wait! Those are fighting words the moment I'm free of this, you'll get to see how soft I've really gotten!" He rips an arm free, the vines tearing out and bleeding profusely before the magic from the crown starts to heal him quickly. He uses the momentum from ripping free to try clocking Delorn but the sorcerer proves to be just out of reach.
He starts tearing his last arm free but it seems there's one last giant vine in his back.
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Tapi occulted and inspired
Pytor: Reminded of the passing of time, and quashed some of the magic.
Carmelizzia 2 checks
Herondal: Inspired and bemused
Crunch: Pulled and got waylaid
Delorn: motivated by antagonizing! It was super effective
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Carmelizzia's dance is certainly beautiful and would be an inspiration, if Voth and everyone else wasn't chatting to, talking about, or antagonizing Voth already. Just pulling and prying with a crowbar proves to be enough to break Voth free, however, tearing that last tap root from the man's back and sending him tottering forwards.
"Thank-you, uhhh, Pathfinders? But I know one of our founding principles was helping each other and the sounds of the fighting out there is not good. Go! Help them." He picks up an axe that has rusted horribly and nearly been swallowed by the tree and breaks it free before rushing into a fray.
Blackthane trots up to everyone his armor back on. " He's pretty lively for being older than my grandfather! But he's right. Good job there Pathfinders now let's go defend this place."
The group finds a spot where there's sounds of a battle taking place. Moving down the path, they find a small clearing in front of a ridge with a fountain. In the clearing there's a small idylic scene of a broad bob-tailed grey tabby cat playing with two butterflies.
The cuteness catches people off guard until they realize that the 'butterflies' are the same size as Crunch and have small people for bodies, and the 'cat' is larger than Delorn and seems to have burning embers in its eyes.
One of the 'butterflies' says something in Sylvanas they spot the group. "Neshanas, nehel're avae’mhaor tel’quiet! Oh! Tavlar, quen hakar."
Tapi recognizes one of the creatures.
Both butterflies pull out longbows and then sprinkle some sort of powder on them. One fires a shot at Carmelizzia, the other at Crunch.
Both arrows land on their respective targets, but instead of physically burying into the people, the heads seem to phase through their skin, before seconds later both start to feel an overwhelming headache come on.
The kitty prowls closer, growling a small almost happy purr to have better prey to hunt, getting 5 feet away is suddenly pounces at Crunch.
Crunch's armor arrests the cat from tearing at their throat, but they still take a nasty wound to the shoulder and a small scorch mark as well.
The kitty then turns on Carmelizzia and tries to bat her around like a ball of yarn.
.She dodges both slashing paws and the cat gives a yowl of annoyance.
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Kitty?
Butterflies?
Crunch -12 DC 21 Basic Will save vs 12 Mental
Tapi
Herondal
Pytor
Delorn
Carmelizza DC 21 Basic Will save vs 22 Mental
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Current map
Tapi recognizes the cat as a elananx, a strange, fey feline that resembles a large, broad bobcat from a distance, but a closer view reveals something amiss. Its form ripples and billows with heat, and its eyes glow from within as if they contain tiny, flickering flames. The pungent scent of rotting leaves smoldering in a bonfire clings to its fur. Anyone who has the chance to watch elananxes hunt or attack prey see the greatest indication that these creatures are something more than mere predators, they act with cruel and savvy instincts, reveling in the pain they inflict.
These firey cats also have an ability that lets them disperse into a giant cloud of burning cinders in response being hit by an enemy. Staying in that cloud can burn a creature as the cinders land on them, a few seconds later the cat reforms and can unexpectedly lash out at someone next to them.
Tapi doesn't quite recognize the flying fey at first, but then realizes from the dust and arrows and all of the little stories and occult readings he has done in the past, that these are pixies: insatiably curious, overly excitable, and just a bit puckish, creatures. They are wanderers and tricksters who use their pixie dust to create all sorts of whimsical situations, as well as to defend themselves. Other creatures often have trouble understanding a pixie’s rapid, rambling way of speaking.
The dust they can coat their weapons in can cause a variety of effects, such as putting creatures to sleep, giving them pounding headaches, making them forget things, or even charming people and making them fall in love with other creatures.
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Elananx (grey)
Pixies: Black
Cream
Crunch -12 DC 21 Basic Will save vs 12 Mental
Tapi: Reaction Used
Herondal
Pytor
Delorn
Carmelizza Guidance (cannot be used on the Will save) DC 21 Basic Will save vs 22 Mental
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Current map
Crunch powers through the headache and takes a few swings at the elananx, but both of the hammer blows whiff through the very slight heat daze the kitty has.
Herondal acts out a scene of fighting off a suddenly violent cat, and succeeds in making everyone feel like they can handle this kitty.
However his dagger lands itself into a tree instead of in the body of the fey.
Pytor, takes a moment to consider the kitty before brining in its most natural predator, a dog. The sizes are reversed from your normal house kitty but a telekinetically thrown stick is strong enough to balance that out.
Pytor also recalls Elananx's typically hunt alone, but if there's three or more of them, or other creatures that the elananx considers allies, on one target nearby, then it can deal extra damage with its attacks. They also have the ability to move and pounce on a target with surprising speed.
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Pixies: Black
Cream
Grey elananx: -14
Crunch -18
Tapi
Herondal
Pytor
Delorn
Carmelizza DC 21 Basic Will save vs 22 Mental
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Current map