If you want to provide an interim totem, should the Innenotdar one burn, maybe there's some (weak) woodland energy in the swamps near Seaquen he could bond to.
It sorta reminds me of old Castlevania games, where you could equip different Whips, but each one was a little different. One might be longer, or shoot fireballs, or you could spin it around you to knock away enemies who were coming in from behind, or whatever.
I think it'd be fun to let characters collect plug-and-play options like that.
oh I really, really like that idea. I know his character will want to atone and take responsibility for his part in the decision in the forest if they go the destruction route, so that would be an excellent avenue for him to still use his class featuuures till we get to adventure 7. thankfully sorians player was my first DM and then a player with me during our last Strahd campaign and he was excited when my Warlock sacrificed his character to summon a demon to help stop Strahd in the final battle. I had gotten permission out of game, but in game his character was very upset. he loves bad stuff happening for his characters when it make for compelling/epic story telling.
Getting ahead of myself, but I will be bringing in a new player character. My PC who current plays Torrent will be getting her own. (I'll explain in the session 15 write up, but Reshi will be taking a much more backseat role natrratively following a good DM-player talk and I needed a new character to have the Syana connection that I've mapped out and teased).
My new PC will be half-fey
she thinks shes half-elf (tarnesti), but shes actually half-seela. Etinifi's duaghter. Small trist right after he left the forest, as she from a boarder town to the foret in Dassen. I plan on giving her 4e's Tiljann Quest once she realizes shes half-seela and he would be the ONLY possibly daddy. I'll have to edit it to he met her mom after the heart, if the foret burn and some of his immortality is given to her as to why she didn't die/weaken. Took a page from Carnival Row and Philo, and gave her backscars from where her mom sheared her wings as a baby.
and we are doing a super fun home-brewed Gemini (from The Masterclass Codex EN World EN5ider, pg 121), blended with an Echo Knight Fighter. I'll post her full class abilities if theres interest. Its basically Echo knight, but instead of extra attacks you get naturto's shadow clone juitsu and duplicates do the extra attacks. Its the definiton of flavor is not only free, flavor makes everything insanely cooler.
Her character (Cyrena) is very meek, and has been an artisan most her life (sheltered by her mother), always dreamed of adventure, but very scared and unsure of herself. Gemini's are duel-spirited and often occurs from encourters with Celestials, so I'm leaning towards shes encountered an injuried/broken celestrial that had fought with Syana and mistook her fey heritage as someone who could handle speaking with them. This fractured Cyrena's mind and she became a Gemini, where one spirit is that of her day dreaming adventurer and the other her normal meek self. I want the celestial to give her a hook to want to find trilla or even have the same intentions as the one from adventure 9, ie fix what went wrong (to be vauge) or something to that effect.
I've given myself some time to work on things and spread out plot hooks by saying she remembers seeing the Celestial, but when her mind fractured when she goes to think of what they tasked her with doing its just searing pain and blank.
I'm having a hard time thinking of a plot hook that she could mention that would immeditaly engender her to my group early on in their Dassen adventure. I would just have her be trapped with Katrina, but the class feature Multiply of her Gemini, makes it kinda illogical that she would be trapped like that and I would prefer they meet her sooner. (I'm probably over thinking things, her being an outcast Dassinian who has strange abnormal magic would definetly want to help stop Ragesia from invading and is probably all it needs to be)
I still have time to work on things since my group is just at the shrine (will be deciding to try and leave the hard way, go up river, or down river at tonights session), but I dont want to put this off till last minute. Would love any feedback/ideas/things to ponder.
I don't remember the 4e Tiljann's quest very well, but I'm not sure it was complete. You may need to fill in the gaps a bit. The additional quests seemed to be there mostly for making up the missing XP. They were prevalent in the early adventures, but I think the converter ran out of steam in the later adventures because the extra stuff stopped appearing (doing the conversions is a lot of work).
Giving Cyrena local knowledge of Dassen should help with adventure 4. If she was a traveling artisan, she can know bits about various lands, have local contacts at the festival and different cities, possibly know a noble who can give a better chance of swaying the lord of the region containing her hometown, etc.
Balance in adventure 5 could help with synergy of her two halves up to a point. They could then suggest that Trilla's mental powers could help more. I don't think Balance remembers how to get back to Trilla, and the siege of Gate Pass keeps the party away until adventure 9 anyway.
I missed why Cyrena was in the fire forest. Most people in Dassen would know about it and steer clear. Maybe she feels a pull to the shrine to talk to the celestial there? That could lead to learning about the evils of Shaladel, which could tie in to adventure 7 where she could learn about Syana, Trilla, the torch, and Shaladel's attempt to make an item of power to rival the torch. If you can throw in something about Trilla's mental powers, maybe Trilla could provide a way for Cyrena to get her two halves to work in better synergy.
I don't remember the 4e Tiljann's quest very well, but I'm not sure it was complete. You may need to fill in the gaps a bit. The additional quests seemed to be there mostly for making up the missing XP. They were prevalent in the early adventures, but I think the converter ran out of steam in the later adventures because the extra stuff stopped appearing (doing the conversions is a lot of work).
Giving Cyrena local knowledge of Dassen should help with adventure 4. If she was a traveling artisan, she can know bits about various lands, have local contacts at the festival and different cities, possibly know a noble who can give a better chance of swaying the lord of the region containing her hometown, etc.
Balance in adventure 5 could help with synergy of her two halves up to a point. They could then suggest that Trilla's mental powers could help more. I don't think Balance remembers how to get back to Trilla, and the siege of Gate Pass keeps the party away until adventure 9 anyway.
I missed why Cyrena was in the fire forest. Most people in Dassen would know about it and steer clear. Maybe she feels a pull to the shrine to talk to the celestial there? That could lead to learning about the evils of Shaladel, which could tie in to adventure 7 where she could learn about Syana, Trilla, the torch, and Shaladel's attempt to make an item of power to rival the torch. If you can throw in something about Trilla's mental powers, maybe Trilla could provide a way for Cyrena to get her two halves to work in better synergy.
Oh, they won’t be meeting the new character until they leave the Forest. They’ll meet her somewhere in Dassen, which is why I’m trying to think of a good way for them to meet that would foster an in-story organic reason for my current characters to want to bring her into the fold .
I haven’t purchased the 4e copy, but from readying Lylandra’s write up, Tiljann's quest is a short side quest to help Tiljann follow traces left by Etinifi to an underwater temple and discover an old Temple of the Aquiline Heart in Seaquen, to show that Etinifi was searching for the heart. Lylandra gave ideas for how to expand it into further adventures, which is why I earmarked it for potentially being an arc for a PC instead of Tiljann. Though depending on how they tackle the forest, I could drop nuggets for Sorian to follow this quest and they meet the new PC while on it? bit longer to bring her into the story but might work better organically. though i hate having something dependent on my Players wanting to do hahahaha
Also, to explain "pain of toad", if I ever hear reference of something/a spoiler a player would only know from these write ups or admission they read them, the player will be turned into a toad with 2 HP and no plot armor. They will need to find someone with access to Greater Restoration to be changed back.
(I felt the need to explain this explicitly after an interesting comment made by one of my players).
Also, to explain "pain of toad", if I ever hear reference of something/a spoiler a player would only know from these write ups or admission they read them, the player will be turned into a toad with 2 HP and no plot armor. They will need to find someone with access to Greater Restoration to be changed back.
(I felt the need to explain this explicitly after an interesting comment made by one of my players).
Hello! Sorry for the long hiatus in write ups. IRL my party is currently in Module 3 so after I post my next two write ups that were written a while ago, I will be doing a more concise summary of the session to help catch everyone up to where we are before doing my more normal detailed write ups. (I'm happy to expand on anything if anyone has any questions!)
Mini Session 14.5
(Written before I stopped doing the write ups)
Just as Torrent was heading upstairs, Ze stopped everyone asking for five minutes as she could not rest with something on her mind.
She finally told the group she had trained as an Inquisitor.
Vic felt immediate vindication as she had always been suspicious of Ze. Vic immediately recognized the mask at Ze’s hip and knew she wasn’t just hyper aware of inquisitor masks, but she recognized this mask….but it couldn’t be.
Vic took on a clinical type tone, trying to keep her emotions in check, but did start rapid fire asking Ze one question after another. Ze, still exhausted from channeling her magic during the fight at the Farmhouse, began to crumble under the scrutiny. Tearily she admitted that she had been the Inquisitor Vic fought when trying to save her sister. The same one Vic thought she had killed when her spell destroyed Ze’s arm.
With Vic’s thoughts confirmed, she lost control and charged at Ze. The two nearly fell down the stairs, only saved by Ze’s shadow moving to protect her, as Torrent shouted for them to stop.
Sorian, who only knew that Vic had lost her family to a Ragesian raid, stepped in to help Ze. He did not know the full story but saw she needed support. Frustrated that all anyone saw was Vic’s anger being directed at a crying Ze and no one was wanting to discuss the implications of an Inquisitor in their party, Vic pulled back and went upstairs without another word.
Ze felt defeated. She said something about knowing where Vic’s sister might be, but Vic did not hear her.
DM Note. I did step in a pause the session and confirmed that Ze and Vic were both consenting to the pvp.
Sorian stayed with Ze and they spoke quietly. He told her that when he was younger, he would have killed anyone tied to Ragesia without hesitation. With time, he has learned that many served only to protect themselves or their families, and with many Inquisitors it was the only life they knew. Sorian explained he was proud that Ze had left when she was old enough to choose her own path. He also counseled to give Vic
Torrent stayed silent, watching. After Sorian went to enter his trance for the evening, she approached Ze and thanked her for being honest and counseled her to give Vic some some time, her pain was still fresh and just because Ze felt remorse did not mean Vic had to forgive her. However, they were in the middle of a forest that was on perpetual fire and Torrent would be expecting both of them to set their differences and past aside until they got out the other side of this literal hell.
When it was over, everyone unrolled their bedrolls and rested. It was a quiet night, but the group felt changed.
(This will be last long write up for a while, the ones following this will be more summaries)
In between the sessions, Sorian and Vic had a “campfire” session just the two of them: Vic took the chance to tell Sorian her story. She explained her past, the loss of her sister, and why she had reacted the way she did when Ze revealed her identity. Ze was not just a former Inquisitor to Vic, she was the figure from her nightmares.
Sorian listened carefully, fully earning his “Papa Sorian” nickname. He let her speak without interruption and only answered when she was ready for a response. He told her that he understood her anger and grief by sharing his own story of revenge and how long it had taken him to find peace. He hoped she would not have to carry her pain for as long as he did and reminded her that human lives are short.
He said he understood her distrust of Ze, but pointed out that Ze is still young. Her training as an Inquisitor must have begun before she had any real choice, and when she was old enough to choose, she took the first chance to leave that life behind. Sorian asked her to consider that Ze might hold answers or even the chance for closure about what happened to her sister.
Vic did not promise forgiveness, but she did listen. She understood that there was still a mission to focus on and that she could apologize for her outburst. That they needed to move forward now in order to deal with what all of this meant later.
Start of session
When morning came the group gathered to speak with Crystin about the Dream Seeds. Ze and Vic shared a nod, both understanding they will need to talk, but now is not the time.
Crystin said she believed the seeds had something to show them, that she used to fear her visions, but they had always helped her. Vic supported her, reminding the group of the times Crystin’s visions had helped them and knowing what is coming might be worth the risk of the unknown. Sorian said they would support Crystin, but Crystin added that when she had touched them the night before she felt that they had amplified her natural abilities too much, so she herself did not want to to touch or consume the seeds herself.
Sorian then turned to Reshi, knowing his tendency towards reckless choices, and asked if he would be willing to eat one of the seeds. After the situation was explained to the daydreaming Reshi, he took a seed without hesitation, and swallowed it.
Looking back, it is funny to see how much has changed. Reshi’s PC is now one of my most involved and consistently entertaining players, but that growth took time and a few honest conversations. Early on, I was hesitant to address playstyle mismatches directly, especially since this table was made up of friends and friend’s spouses. At this point, Reshi and I came to an understanding that he preferred the main plot & combat to any attempt at engaging his characters backstory. That was perfectly fine once we understood each other.
Why bring this up now? For this Dream Seeds interaction, I had several possible visions prepared depending on who chose (if any) to eat one. Each version would have tied into their personal arcs. Since Reshi was the only one who ate a seed, and his character did not have an active “main character quest,” he received a broader vision tied to the campaign’s main story. I had originally planned to introduce this sequence later, when it would be actionable, but it still fit here given the seeds’ nature.
After Reshi consumed the Dream Seed, he entered into a trance immediately.
He saw Gate Pass in ruins, its streets filled with fallen heroes: Gabal, Rantle, even Torrent was among them. He saw Ragesia conquering distant nations, mages being rounded up and taken to a vast mountain prison deep within Ragesia. He saw a woman seated upon the Ragesian throne and a massive weapon rising into the sky, radiating death.
Then, a voice spoke to him in ancient Draconic. It told him that the future is not fixed. That the stones of the past can reshape what is to come.
He then felt intense, sharp overwhelming pain in his mind. His vision cracked like glass, and he fell through history. He saw the great primordial beings of legend: the Kraken, the Worm, the Eagle, and the Dragon. He watched the Eagle flee across the skies, the Dragon in pursuit, until at last the Dragon caught the Eagle and tore out its heart.
Reshi saw a flash of life emerge from the bleeding heart, a swirl of the Kraken taking human form, the Worm teaching mortals its songs to those who would listen. Then…the whisper of a name reached Reshi’s mind: Aquiline Heart.
More images followed, quick and fragmented: a woman filled with love and determination, a fey man standing amid ashes, consumed by despair and guilt. Then, everything went dark. Reshi could not breathe. He felt his body torn apart and then reknit itself cell by cell in agony. Then Coaltongue was standing over him, pulling a javelin from his throat.. When he looked around, gasping for air, he caught sight of his reflection in the armor of a nearby warrior, it was not his dragonborn shape, but that of a woman in a bone mask. A final surge of psychic force split through his mind as a female voice whispered softly behind him: “I see you.”
Reshi woke as the others were trying to rouse him from the vision.
After briefly discussing the vision, the heroes decided to focus on more pressing matters and headed across the river. Sorian wanted to visit the Shrine of Arielle, which had been mentioned in the journals they found earlier, before deciding whether to aid Indomitability.
They entered the ashen, empty, and solemn village. While searching in some of the empty shops, Ze and Vic found a moment to talk. Vic was able to apologize for her aggression the previous night and Ze was able to express the duality of feelings she felt towards Vic: shame, but also the gratefulness; Without the Vic she might still be stuck under Leska’s command.
As they walked together, Ze was able to explain some of what happened that fateful night. She spoke of the senior Inquisitor who had led the operation and explained that Vic’s sister had been sent to a prison in Ragesia. She said the Inquisitors had orders not to kill mages unless absolutely necessary. They needed them alive.
As they neared the center of the village, Sorian slowed, overcome by a sense of déjà vu. Without warning, he broke into a run down one of the side paths. The others following close behind. He came to a small, familiar looking home, that of his grandparents. The door was closed but not locked. Not sure what he was expecting to find, Sorian entered and found the home empty. He noticed the main table was covered in papers that he could tell were some type of magical algorithms. Vic was able to assess that they were notes on anti-fire spellwork and hypothetical modifications to boosts to protection wards.
Sorian really wasn’t listening to Vic as he noticed an envelope on the mantle with his mother’s name written across it. Sorian opened it quietly and read the letter in silence. It was from his grandmother. She wrote it with hope that her daughter would some day read it: meaning her family had escaped the fires, found safety, and eventually the fires would be extinguished. The letter went on to explain that the village had run out of options and that many of them were gathering at the shrine for one last option. They planned to willingly become fire touched, allowing Bhurisavra to have more time to find either a cure or an end to their suffering.
Sorian didn’t linger. He left the house quickly, nearly running toward the shrine. The rest of the group followed, uncertain but ready.
As Sorian approached the shrine, much farther ahead than everyone else, was struck by a ghast that had been lying in wait.
The battle began with Sorian facing the ghast alone while the rest of the group was still more than a turn and a half away. The fight was immediately dangerous with the ghast pressing him hard before the others could reach the shrine grounds.
As the rest of the party rushed forward to help, a second ghast appeared from the shadows and blocked their way. The surprise left them momentarily off guard, but they regrouped quickly and turned the fight in their favor.
Behind the table: My players were convinced the ghasts were Sorian’s grandparents. I told them I was twisted, but not that twisted.
Once the battle ended, the group searched the bodies and found a weathered journal. From it, they learned the truth of what these creatures once were: They had been elves who were trapped in the forest when the fires began. They had found children and tried to protect them, but after months of starvation & being trapped in a cave, they ate the children to survive. Their own horror and guilt twisted them into the undead creatures they had just fought.
The group took a moment to process what they had read. It was a grim reminder that those left behind in the forest had faced a kind of desperation that could only be understood by living it. Grom poignantly reminded everyone that the road to hell is often paved with good intentions and choices they have never had to make. Sorian said a small Taranesti prayer for them before they turned their focus back to the shrine.
Finding it sealed, they openly hoped its locked doors meant something was, or someone’s were, inside. The mechanism stumped them at first, but using Bhurisavra’s journal, they pieced together enough clues to open the way. Though no sooner had they opened the shrine that a flash of radiant light briefly blinded them as their vision returned to their eyes they saw a strong and determine Deva standing at the threshold.
The Deva spoke clearly: they would not be allowed to enter unless they proved themselves honorable and worthy to protect what lay within.
The session began exactly where the last had ended, facing the Deva guarding the shrine. Sorian stepped forward, cutting off the Deva. Rage still lingered in his voice as he declared the forest his ancestral home. He swore he would see the fire ended, find the survivors, and uncover the truth of what had befallen his people.
Moved by Sorian’s words, Vic added her own plea as she asked the Deva to release the tormented spirits of the ghasts they had fought before they were resurrected by the fire. Intrigue flickered in the Deva’s eyes, between Sorian’s determination and Vic’s mercy he was most surprised by the first visitors he had seen in nearly a century.
With a nod, the Deva raised his hand and a golden light spread over the ghasts’ bodies. As the party watched, their souls lifted out of the undead husks. The spectral ghast forms began to morph, returning to their original elegant elves form at long lost. Their spirits joined hands, lifting into the air together, their faces serene for the first time in decades before vanishing into light.
DM Note. It was at this point I was sad I hadn’t made them Sorians grandparents.
The Deva turned back to the group and granted them passage into the shrine. Yet before stepping aside, he offered a warning that if they did anything to “destroy the truth” he would stop them with the full might of Lathander.
Inside, they quickly found the oddly preserved body of Bhurisavra (an exalted Saint of Lethander)
The scene revealed that a relic was forcibly taken, though they did not know which artifact or its importance but the way Bhurisavra had been killed suggested that a powerful being still connected to the forest was responsible.
Further exploration led them to Bhurisavra’s final journal and an elf encased in a crystal stasis. The journal detailed the villagers’ final actions: that they had willingly become firetouched, and that Bhurisavra had taken them up river to a cave where he hoped they would be tended too.
One passage near the end stood out, a note about a Shalahesti soldier, already afflicted when he came to the village. Bhurisavra believed the soldier held a truth that would matter once the fires were extinguished, so he placed him in stasis to preserve his mind from the fire.
Vic and Torrent examined the crystal, searching for a magical way to free the trapped elf. Before they could act, the Deva intervened. He said he would not allow them to release the elf without a cure for the afflicting fire.
Grom and Vic proposed seeking Indomitability’s aid, perhaps she could extend the same fire protection boon she had granted them. But Sorian and Ze were hesitant. They feel to the “primal spirit” or whatever she was before knowing whether she should truly be freed was a dangerous gamble with something so precious as whatever was locked in the elf’s mind.
Then, with his usual blunt humor, Grom pointed out that openly discussing about betraying a possible divine being while still in her domain might not be the wisest choice.
In the end, they chose to leave the elf as they found him, promising the Deva they would return once the fire was ended, one way or another.
As they departed the shrine, a familiar figure emerged from the smoke: Kazyk, waving a literal white flag. He offered to help the group free Indomitability in exchange for the book, even allowing them time to make a copy if they so wished. (Vic tried to do so but quickly discovered that an enchantment prevented any accurate replication).
The party rejected Kayzk who warned them he would return and then disappeared.
Afterward, as they returned to the river the party recognized the encounter with Kazyk reignited (fire joke) their purpose: deliver the intelligence to Seaquen as quickly as possible…no matter the cost.
From Sorian’s Personal Character Journal: Sorian walked in silence, his thoughts heavy. He felt the truth gnawing at his soul, that freeing Indomitability might destroy the forest entirely. Yet Sorian consoled himself with the idea that perhaps that destruction would be a mercy. Better ashes than eternal torment.
However right as they reached the river, they heard shouting and saw a fae woman being attacked by several other fae. The group rushed forward to intervene.
