12.26.21

One Year Older, But Definitely Not Wiser

December 26th, 2021

When we last joined our adventurers, they had encountered The Spectator, a deadly green beholder guarding the Forge of Spells, while exploring Wave Echo Cave. The Spectator assualted the party with numerous beams of seemingly random magical energy and nearly *spelled* the end for our adventurers. After a few well timed attacks and some creative eye stalk knot work by Keras, The Spectator found himself near death. In his last moments, he escaped into another plane, leaving our adventurers victorious. Having looted the only two items of value on The Forge of Spells, the party heads out to continue their exploration of Wave Echo Cave.

Keras busts out his new weapon Lightbringer and uses it to show the way, commanding it to light up. Demna and Keras head south, while Dripp and Lillian continue to rest off their battle. Evelyn stays in the Forge of Spells, attempting to record anything of historical significance. To the south, Keras and Demna locate a new room. Inside the scorched room, two beds and a iron banded chest. Inside Keras finds:

  • 1100CP 160SP 50EP (Which Keras stows in his personal storage)

  • 3 Diamonds (worth 100GP each)

  • Wooden Pipe with Platinum Filigree (worth 150GP)

Keras also finds a book shelf, with historical tomes, maps, theories, and more. All written in a language unreadable by all but Evelyn (who Keras goes to retrieve). Evelyn is very excited, and they locate a dungeon map hidden in the stitching of one of the book's binding.

Evelyn is unable to identify the dungeon, but Keras immediatley recognises the lay out. This dungeon alligns almost perfectly with Phandalin. He shares his discoveries with Evelyn. Suddenly, a wraith like shade appears and speaks to Evelyn in Celestial, only they are able to understand.

The Forge of Spells

"It's time to run, he is coming.... he is coming..."

Fungi Cavern

Lillian finally wakes, and joins Demna and Keras as they head further south. There they discover a massive cavern filled with glowing mushrooms. Lillian does not believe these are dangerous and goes to collect some. This triggers the mushrooms to release poisonous spores, but everyone was able to hold their breath and time and dash through the beautiful but dangerous cavern.

Entering the next chamber, they realize they've nearly made it back to the cave entrance. Inspecting the area to the south, Keras spots an ochre jelly on the ceiling and immediately lashes out with a Guiding Bolt. The party lines up behind him and unleashes. Dripp shoots it with his bow, Demna lashes out with twin Ray of Frost beams. The jelly withers under the joint attacks and falls dead to the ground.

A moment of tense silence follows, as more than half a dozen ochre jellies come spilling out of the adjoining rooms. Keras strikes them all with a casting of Shatter, Lillian uses a casting of Wind Wall as a follow up and splatters five of the Jellies over the party, killing them.

More of the foul amorphous creatures are spotted in the room to the west of the hall. Lillian shouts out a warning to the party. Dripp lines up his shot and Hunters Mark, and successfully pierces one of the three remaining creatures, dealing moderate damage. Demna tiring of these irritating, nippleless creatures casts a Fireball in the adjoining room and incinerates one of the jellies and begins to melt the other two.

With only two half melted jellies left, Billie rushes forward and prepares to attack anything that comes through the doorway. Evelyn uses their Eldritch Blast and destroys one of the remaining two jellies, and Billie swoops in with his prepared attack and kills the final jelly. With the enemies dispatched the party begins to explore the rooms. In the room to the east, Keras finds a steel lock box which he unlocks with a casting of Knock. Inside he finds:

  • 60GP 90EP 180SP 600CP

In the room, no dangers are found, but Evelyn finds several well preserved corpses that are hundreds of years old. The only thing keeping them recognizable being an amber-like layer of ochre jelly. Evelyn and Keras plan how they might be able to harden the residue and display the bodies. Evelyn uses a researched but never tested ritual necromancy spell they are aware of but have never tested. The Preserve spell works, and the bodies are left in untouched condition for a week, for later retrieval. The room to the west once contained scrolls, but they were all burned by Demna's fireball spell.

The party continues their exploration, finding an old quarters for mine workers with desicated corpses and scraps of armor. They also find a room filled with empty barrels, their contents long since evaporated. Finally the enter the last unexplored chamber of the cave system. Inside the massive chamber they find numerous corpses of gnomes, orcs, dwarves and an ogre. Any attempt tp search the bodies causes their belongings to dissintegrate. With nothing left to explore, the party retrieves the rescued Rockseeker brother and head out back to Phandalin.

Not far in the future, as the party walks through the woods of the Sword Coast outside of Phandalin, they spot a hooded dark figure in the distance. As they approach he drops his hood and speaks to Evelyn.

"You were warned to run, now you all must run." The mysterious figure states. His face is burned, staring out from angered black eyes.

"You have 24 hours, to leave this area... I will not warn you again." He states as he turns around and walks away. Evelyn flips him off to his back and the finger immediately starts burning.

Seeing this, Lillian attempts to trip him with a casting of Entangle, which he quickly dispells.

Keras, choses to seranade the departing stranger with an original song called "Ode to Douche Canoe" which is truly moving but the stranger is uneffected.

Lillian uses Skywriting to write, GO FUCK YOURSELF DOUCHE CANOE! with a cloud dick as an exclamation mark.

Upon returning to Phandalin, Evelyn writes a letter to their college, explaining the discovery in Wave Echo Cave. They direct the orcs where to find the bodies and instruction on how to make permenent their preservation. The ultimate goal of Evelyn, is to display these hundreds of years old bodies in the soon to be built Phandalin Historical Society and Museum. Lillian goes to play with the wolves, who are looking healthy and happy. She later goes on to work in the teraced gardens outside the manner.

Keras writes a letter to his ruler, Prince Sidon, about what he has achieved. He eats a good meal and gets some rest. Demna returns to her wife and gains a spectral emerald wing and a single extended curved horn that shimmer like one of the mystery nipples she has been snacking on. She attempts to learn how to control these new changes and explain the change to her wife. Dripp obviously goes in search of bottom shelf swill and Billie checks up on the happenings of the orc tribe.

Everyone gets a great nights rest, and wake up in the morning to a decadent meal of difficult to find treats from each character's homeland. All include special spicy pickles that Lillian made the previous night from vegetables from their gardens. As the party goes about their new routine in the city, they gether around for noon for lunch. The mysterious stanger appears again, and explains that House Cannith has placed a bounty on the party's heads. He starts reading a scroll in a language that noone understands. Keras uses Universal Language to understand the spell he is casting. It seems malicious, and the party attempts to disrupt the spell casting. Evelyn uses Silence on the stranger, but he continues the casting with runes written in the air. Lillian and Keras both try to Sleep the character and fail. Evelyn uses Banish on the stranger, but the spell completes at the same time. Blue tendrils reach out to each of the party members, they truly desperately to counter the magic.

Keras uses Dispel Magic, and feels that the spellwork has been partially countered. He encourages the other party members to try other ways to counter it. Frost Ray and Eldritch Blasts shoot out, but the spell takes effect before it can be successfully countered. The entire party is surrounded by the blue runes. Villagers and allies attempt to save the party, rushing towards them, but they aren't able to reach them.

The party disappears in a flash and suddenly finds themselves in the same location, but Phandalin looks very different. No longer an outpost town, it is a full city with large stone buildings. Looking around, they realize they have travelled not in space, but in time.