lykkenthrope
Explorer
Session 22
Session began with the party choosing head straight to Timbre’s grove. (DM Note. I felt like this module had already taken longer than it should have so I let them fast travel to keep the momentum going). Before they entered the grove they had come to the conclusion they needed to end the song and free Indomitability to see their main quest through, but they wanted to do anything they could to save the Seela.
They entered the grove passing through a narrow pathway surrounded by flaming trees until the space opened up to a clearing with burning brush and in the center was a colossal flaming tree similar in appearance to the one at Arielle’s Shrine only vastly larger. Laying in the large, sprawling roots was a feminine figure curled close to the trunk. At first she seemed part of the tree: her skin was wooden and consumed with fire so you could not tell where her body ended and the tree began.
Sorian did not hesitate, he stepped forward into the burning brush an as he did so her eyes shot open. She rose in a rush of flame with a raspy voice, that sounded as if it had not been used in a long time, shouted at him to leave her grove at once. Sorian continued forward before kneeling in fire. Doing his best to mask the pain of being burned, he held the lock of Arielle’s hair aloft.
The flames on Timbre grew smaller as she cautiously approached. Her hand reached for the hair and then stopped. She looked at it with longing but told Sorian she dare not take it, for fear of burning it. The others then stepped forward as Sorian, still kneeling, led the initial conversation. He pleaded for any way to stop the fires or, at the very least, how to free the Seela.
Timbre confirmed the forest, and Seela, still lived only because the Living Blade was pining Indomitability beneath the lake. If blade and creature separated, the magic sustaining the forest would break. The flames would take the woods and firetouched fully, and thusly the Seela as their life force was tied to that of the First Tree…when it burned, they would die.
They asked if the First Tree could be saved, if there was any possible way even a long shot.
Timbre touched the burning trunk, sighing and slumping into the roots again before she replied. She spoke of the origin of the First Tree of the Innenotdar: that in the time before life, blood had seeped up from the barren ground and the First Tree of the World spring to life. From that tree, seeds were taken across the land and planted to form the forests. This tree came directly from a seed from the Tree of Life and then it’s first seeds it produced became the Seela who helped to tend and grow the forest to what it is…or rather was.
Then Timbre shared that she used to be mortal. She had been born to an ancient race of elves. That there had been a blight that had affected the whole forest, including the First Tree. As the Tree grew weaker and forest died, many of her people chose to leave the forest. The elves that left eventually became the Shahalesti, and those who stayed the Taranesti. Timbre herself had been one of the latter.
Sorian interrupted Timbre to commandingly tell Timbre that they did not have time for the long history of the elves, that they needed to know if the Tree could survive the fire. Timbre inclined her head and continued that perhaps it could be saved. The Tree had been on the brink of death during the blight, and one night when she was tending to it she fell asleep amongst its roots and heard a song calling to her from deep beneath the earth and understood she could give her life essence to the Tree, so she did just that. She awoke centuries later, reborn as they see her now: part of the Tree, the forest spirit made flesh.
Timbre touched the burning First Tree and said with some finality that, unlike the blight, there was no way to save the Tree. It had already been consumed. Vic, who had been silently listening, asked if a part of the tree could be enough. The blade beneath the lake had once been a branch of the First Tree.
Timbre contemplated this and said that she wasn’t certain, but perhaps if the Blade was planted into the land and given power….allowed to bond with a new soul…there was a small chance the blade could grow into a new Tree and preserve the connection with the Seela, thus saving them. She explained the soul would need deep roots in the land itself. Someone born here. Someone tied to its past and present…her eyes on Sorian.
Sorian remained kneeling in the fire, stoic as she continued to explain that this act would mean the death of the person who bonded with the blade, though perhaps not true death, rather transformation into something new. Timbre cautioned this may not work, but that at that point she would no longer be on this world…she would have been released to reunite with Arielle.
Sorian offered to leave the lock of hair with her (with Vic loudly protesting), thinking she deserved at least that comfort. Timbre dismissed the offer gently as she would be with Arielle soon either way.
The party exited the grove to head back to the Seela village, wanting to sleep on what they had just learned. Internally Sorian was resolved to giving his life to save the Seela, the idea of sacrifice, of giving oneself to restore peace was not foreign to him. He had accepted the possibility of the ultimate sacrifice when he joined Torrent to escape Gate Pass.
Vic was able to see these thoughts plainly on his face. She pulled him to the back of the party, speaking low to him. She begged him to think of his people back in Gate Pass, that they needed him….that the party needed him if they had any chance of making it to Seaquen. This got Sorian thinking, that while this forest was his ancestral home…his home was Gate Pass. He thought of Ragesia attacking his home and what would be the point of sacrificing his life for the forest if there was no world to protect in a few months.
He continued down the road at a crossroads, wholly unsure of which way he would choose.
(End Session)
Session began with the party choosing head straight to Timbre’s grove. (DM Note. I felt like this module had already taken longer than it should have so I let them fast travel to keep the momentum going). Before they entered the grove they had come to the conclusion they needed to end the song and free Indomitability to see their main quest through, but they wanted to do anything they could to save the Seela.
They entered the grove passing through a narrow pathway surrounded by flaming trees until the space opened up to a clearing with burning brush and in the center was a colossal flaming tree similar in appearance to the one at Arielle’s Shrine only vastly larger. Laying in the large, sprawling roots was a feminine figure curled close to the trunk. At first she seemed part of the tree: her skin was wooden and consumed with fire so you could not tell where her body ended and the tree began.
Sorian did not hesitate, he stepped forward into the burning brush an as he did so her eyes shot open. She rose in a rush of flame with a raspy voice, that sounded as if it had not been used in a long time, shouted at him to leave her grove at once. Sorian continued forward before kneeling in fire. Doing his best to mask the pain of being burned, he held the lock of Arielle’s hair aloft.
The flames on Timbre grew smaller as she cautiously approached. Her hand reached for the hair and then stopped. She looked at it with longing but told Sorian she dare not take it, for fear of burning it. The others then stepped forward as Sorian, still kneeling, led the initial conversation. He pleaded for any way to stop the fires or, at the very least, how to free the Seela.
Timbre confirmed the forest, and Seela, still lived only because the Living Blade was pining Indomitability beneath the lake. If blade and creature separated, the magic sustaining the forest would break. The flames would take the woods and firetouched fully, and thusly the Seela as their life force was tied to that of the First Tree…when it burned, they would die.
They asked if the First Tree could be saved, if there was any possible way even a long shot.
Timbre touched the burning trunk, sighing and slumping into the roots again before she replied. She spoke of the origin of the First Tree of the Innenotdar: that in the time before life, blood had seeped up from the barren ground and the First Tree of the World spring to life. From that tree, seeds were taken across the land and planted to form the forests. This tree came directly from a seed from the Tree of Life and then it’s first seeds it produced became the Seela who helped to tend and grow the forest to what it is…or rather was.
Then Timbre shared that she used to be mortal. She had been born to an ancient race of elves. That there had been a blight that had affected the whole forest, including the First Tree. As the Tree grew weaker and forest died, many of her people chose to leave the forest. The elves that left eventually became the Shahalesti, and those who stayed the Taranesti. Timbre herself had been one of the latter.
Sorian interrupted Timbre to commandingly tell Timbre that they did not have time for the long history of the elves, that they needed to know if the Tree could survive the fire. Timbre inclined her head and continued that perhaps it could be saved. The Tree had been on the brink of death during the blight, and one night when she was tending to it she fell asleep amongst its roots and heard a song calling to her from deep beneath the earth and understood she could give her life essence to the Tree, so she did just that. She awoke centuries later, reborn as they see her now: part of the Tree, the forest spirit made flesh.
Timbre touched the burning First Tree and said with some finality that, unlike the blight, there was no way to save the Tree. It had already been consumed. Vic, who had been silently listening, asked if a part of the tree could be enough. The blade beneath the lake had once been a branch of the First Tree.
Timbre contemplated this and said that she wasn’t certain, but perhaps if the Blade was planted into the land and given power….allowed to bond with a new soul…there was a small chance the blade could grow into a new Tree and preserve the connection with the Seela, thus saving them. She explained the soul would need deep roots in the land itself. Someone born here. Someone tied to its past and present…her eyes on Sorian.
Sorian remained kneeling in the fire, stoic as she continued to explain that this act would mean the death of the person who bonded with the blade, though perhaps not true death, rather transformation into something new. Timbre cautioned this may not work, but that at that point she would no longer be on this world…she would have been released to reunite with Arielle.
Sorian offered to leave the lock of hair with her (with Vic loudly protesting), thinking she deserved at least that comfort. Timbre dismissed the offer gently as she would be with Arielle soon either way.
My players were not interested in finding out who started the fires at all. They were so sure the Ragesians had started them, they never questioned it. I dropped many hints in this session’s long back and forth with Timbre and my party pretty much kept the focus on tangible logistics of how to release Indomitability and keep the Seela alive.
The party exited the grove to head back to the Seela village, wanting to sleep on what they had just learned. Internally Sorian was resolved to giving his life to save the Seela, the idea of sacrifice, of giving oneself to restore peace was not foreign to him. He had accepted the possibility of the ultimate sacrifice when he joined Torrent to escape Gate Pass.
Vic was able to see these thoughts plainly on his face. She pulled him to the back of the party, speaking low to him. She begged him to think of his people back in Gate Pass, that they needed him….that the party needed him if they had any chance of making it to Seaquen. This got Sorian thinking, that while this forest was his ancestral home…his home was Gate Pass. He thought of Ragesia attacking his home and what would be the point of sacrificing his life for the forest if there was no world to protect in a few months.
He continued down the road at a crossroads, wholly unsure of which way he would choose.
(End Session)
It’s funny looking back on this situation so far removed its given me clarity on how things played out, where I went wrong, but also some grace for myself.
My table was not in a good place as you’ll probably be able to see in session 23 & 24. One player’s comments and adamant assertions suggested they might have been reading outside source material. Unfortunately, social dynamics outside of the table made it difficult to confront this directly, which also added to the strain on the table.
At this point, with thinking they saw the looming plot twist (ie. Evil Vuhl), my players were beginning to disengage emotionally from the forest’s moral dilemma. Most of them, out of character, had shifted to a mindset of “just release Indomitability and let the forest & Seela burn because saving the Seela will only come back to bite us”.
With all that in mind, going into this session, I knew I was seriously contemplating changing up the Deception/Vuhl twist. I didn’t want to make a change to punish my metagaming player, I more wanted to reward my two players who were very much holding everything together and letting their character’s follow the story to its end. I wanted to reward that with a new twist.
So I Dm’d this session knowing I might make Timbre Deception instead of Vuhl and that is what I ended up doing.
Looking back, I wish I had cut Deception entirely and allowed Indomitability and Propriety to be the only Trillith in play. The Seela plot is already emotionally loaded and adding another manipulator muddied the narrative. However, in my opinion, the change worked out very well. Those who had agreed with my metagamer were pleasantly surprised and those who had wanted to play the story out felt like their choices mattered.
My table was not in a good place as you’ll probably be able to see in session 23 & 24. One player’s comments and adamant assertions suggested they might have been reading outside source material. Unfortunately, social dynamics outside of the table made it difficult to confront this directly, which also added to the strain on the table.
At this point, with thinking they saw the looming plot twist (ie. Evil Vuhl), my players were beginning to disengage emotionally from the forest’s moral dilemma. Most of them, out of character, had shifted to a mindset of “just release Indomitability and let the forest & Seela burn because saving the Seela will only come back to bite us”.
With all that in mind, going into this session, I knew I was seriously contemplating changing up the Deception/Vuhl twist. I didn’t want to make a change to punish my metagaming player, I more wanted to reward my two players who were very much holding everything together and letting their character’s follow the story to its end. I wanted to reward that with a new twist.
So I Dm’d this session knowing I might make Timbre Deception instead of Vuhl and that is what I ended up doing.
Looking back, I wish I had cut Deception entirely and allowed Indomitability and Propriety to be the only Trillith in play. The Seela plot is already emotionally loaded and adding another manipulator muddied the narrative. However, in my opinion, the change worked out very well. Those who had agreed with my metagamer were pleasantly surprised and those who had wanted to play the story out felt like their choices mattered.
