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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Celtavian" data-source="post: 6817004" data-attributes="member: 5834">Session 10Neverlight GroveThe party arrived at Neverlight Grove returning Rumpadump and Stool to their people. The Myconid Sprouts were grateful, Stool wished Eraxis a good, fertile life in the manner of myconids. The Myconid Sovereigns welcomed them and thanked the party for returning them.The party spoke with Sovereign Phylo and Sovereign Basidia. Phylo informe the PCs they arrived at a time of "great celebration" as "The Lady was to marry and bring her joyous dream to the world." Phylo said all living beings could join the dream. He offered the PCs the chance to join. Destrian of Kelemvor wished to see this dream, so he let the Sovereign release Zuggtymoy's Gift upon him. He resisted, but felt the infection trying to take hold of him. The rest of the party refused to the offer join. Apothicas asked about The Lady and Phylo offered to take him to meet her. Phylo said many living beings of many kind had been to meet her. After seeing Demogorgon, Apothicas surmised using (Knowledge: Religion with a natural 20) that The Lady is likely Zuggtymoy, the Demon Queen of Fungi. He refused an audience because he felt the PCs did not have the power to fight her. Destrian of Kelemvor wished to push through to see her, for he was commanded to confirm and destroy the evil in the Underdark. Having no more to speak of with the outsiders, Phylo returned to his business.Sovereign Basidia remained keeping Stool and Rumpadump with him. Stool told Eraxis and Jharzzle that he knew nothing of this dream. He did not have this dream. He emphasized that Phylo's behavior was unusual. He spoke with Basidia of the PCs deeds.Sovereign Basidia informed the PCs they were wise to refuse to meet the Lady, for everyone that has gone to meet her including some Myconids, has not returned. Even Myconids do not return unchanged after the meeting. Basidia took the PCs about to meet some of the other mad Myconids including Gasbide, the leader of the Circle of Builders. The PCs witnessed the Myconid Builders growing fungus into strange, otherworldly, grotesquely beautiful shapes that made them feel as though fungus was seeking to grow over the entire world causing everything beneath it to join it or be consumed. The party pushed by Destrian and Jharzzle decided to pursue seeing the Lady and entering her garden. Basidia would not allow open war within Neverlight Grove unless the PCs proved their mettle. He brought them to meet Loobamub, the leader of the Circle of Hunters. He reported a shambling mound and grick alpha hiding in the Fungal Wilds (a fungus forest). Basidia asked the PCs to slay them to prove their worth. They had little trouble destroying both creatures. Basidia gave them leave to enter The Garden of Welcome.The Garden of WelcomeThe PCs forcibly entered the Garden of Welcome by slaying Yrberop, the leader of the Circle of Sporers and two Chull Spore Servants guarding the path up. All the Myconid Sprouts born with Zuggtymoy's Gift fled. Basidia held back his people and the Animted Zurkhwood defenders defying Phylo. He could not stop Distress Spores of Yrberop from alerting Yestabrod and the other Mychonid Adults that were part of the Circle of Masters. The party found a horror beyond their imagining. Living creatures of every kind were planted with their heads above ground like rotting cabbages in every square foot of soil in the Garden of Welcome. A larval horror that only vestigially resembled a myconid slid across the ground towards them greeting them in a melodious voice, "Welcome, travelers." The aberrant myconid's voice gurgles and spits as it speaks both aloud and in your minds at once. "Are you here for the wedding rehearsal? Friends of the bride or her intended? No matter! Let the love of the Great Seeder embrace you as you become one with her chosen, the Great Body!" A drow woman planted in the ground with her face rotting begged for death while warning the PCs Zuggtymoy was indeed in the garden. They granted her mercy.Yestabrod proved a creature of poison. It's tendrils seeking to infest their flesh and paralyze them for planting. Its blood was acidic poison with every blow or arrow causing blood to splash burning those close to it. When it was hurt, it consumed the rotting creatures in the garden to drinking poison like the PCs consumed healing potions. Its tendrils could inject or spit poison at range. It nearly killed Apothicas, Tytus, and Eraxis. The fight became a combination of striking at the fiend and eliminating its nutrients. Eraxis (fireball) and Apothicas (flaming sphere) used fire to grant mercy to the rotting creatures planted in the ground. Everyone else focused on slaying the creature. It was a lengthy battle with the creature burrowing into the ground to escape attack and moving to new areas of the garden to heal. Surprisingly, Apothicas dealt the killing blow on Yestabrod. It was an interesting tactical combination with the Bladesinger/Paladin. He has the War Caster feat allowing him to use cantrips in place of Attacks of Opportunity. Yestabrod intended to burrow into the ground provoking an AoO from Tytus and Apothicas. Apothicas hit the creature with natural 20 with Booming Blade as an AoO. We looked at Divine Smite, it can be used with any melee attack. Booming Blade grants a melee attack as part of its casting, so Apothicas was able to hit with Booming Blade, a 2nd level divine smite, and the melee attack which added up to quite a bit of damage (41 points I believe). It was quite a potent combination. I'm finding the Bladesinger is more potent than I originally presumed. It's not at the high end of damage like an archer using Sharpshooter or Eldritch Blasting warlock for consistent damage, but a paladin/bladesinger does some potent burst damage. Booming Blade is better than I thought as a cantrip for general use with the additional benefit of some battlefield control.After Yestabrod blew apart as the thunderous blade combined with the divine energy of a god finished it, Destrian immediately set to putting the dying to rest. He was grievously offended by the Garden of Welcome. It was a garden of sin to a Kelemvorite, desecration of the dying, prolonging their suffering and corrupting their souls all at the same time. He was righteously offended and set forth to end the suffering of the dying in the only manner he could: a quick death. The party together was able to destroy the garden.They found the dark elf maiden's items: +2 studded leather armor, +2 shortsword, bag of holding containing 2 scrolls (remove curse and spider climb), 40 days rations, and 320 silver pieces.DM Notes1. Yestabrod hit the mark closer than Droki for what I want in an epic fight. I feel I'm getting better at designing solo creatures to challenge an entire party in 5E. Droki was a little too strong and I had to hold back a bit as far as focus firing on a PC. I was able to let Yestabrod unload on the party and truly try to kill them. That's more where I want to be with creature design. I want the PCs to be able to defeat an extremely powerful solo creature that pushes them to brink of death without me being able to pull punches.2. I'm not using the drow magic item rules. I've never liked those rules and I'll never use them. Drow items are every bit as well crafted as surface items. I refuse to make them seem less so by having them lose power in sunlight as a means to balance their ubiquitous presence.</blockquote>

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