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Message: <blockquote data-quote="lykkenthrope" data-source="post: 9451206" data-attributes="member: 7045440">eek. Well, the group is currently in the middle of the Forest of Fire, just finished Session 14.  I just finished getting caught up on all my write ups (life happened HARD) so I'll try and post them all over the course of the next week!CRUELPIGS PARTY DO NOT READ UPON PAIN OF TOADSession 8:Preface: I realized this session that the 3.5, 4, and 5e all had minor (and some major) changes to the timeline. I had been using all three guides for lore and using 5e for the encounters. As such I had to retcon my history and make my own tailored master timeline for my group's campaign. Main changes are: 150 years ago. Coaltongue born, 105. He forms his alliances and takes over Ragos, 90 years ago Indomitablilty trapped in lake, 85. Leska's journey, 40 years ago. Gate Pass becomes independent throwing out Ragesian forces, then everything else as written. The only person this effected was Sorian: I had to make him younger, so he would have been a child when the Forest was set ablaze.Session started with them coming upon the cave they assumed Kathor told them about. While the party weighed pros and cons of going inside (it seemed like a pretty obvious trap), Grom, who felt a positive connection with Kathor, decided he was going to do to what “new brother” asked of him.  Seeing him enter safely, everyone else followed, except for Reshi. His PC couldn’t join for the session so we had his character wait by the entrance as a look out.Once inside the cave opened up and split off into three unremarkable tunnels. Sorian was able to recall that these caves were typically used for religious offerings, most often during the New Years Festival of Dreams that had just occurred. They should expect to run into any wildlife living in them, but they should tread respectfully.After a game of ennie-meanie-minie-moe, they chose the first tunnel to explore. They quickly came upon a sleeping sorcerer locked behind iron bars. They attempted to wake him up, but no use. After dutifully checking for traps, Ze was able to open the lock with her thieves tools. It was only upon closer inspection that they realized he was dead. Vic was able to summarize that he had frozen to death and noticed he was wrapped in a faded, but once beautiful shroud. They also discovered he was grasping a note that said “please don’t let my death be in vain”. Ze, Grom and Vic all took the time to say a prayer over the body and went to lay him a small grave they had Sorien dig during the prayers. When the group went to lay the man in the grave they saw the images of the 4 primordial creatures on the should spring to life and dance across the shroud in a creature myth before settling back down into place. All who witnessed this realized it had become a dream shroud. Vic was able to take possession of the shroud.The group surprisingly then did take the time to explore the other two tunnels. One lead to a chest filled with gold, rubies, and bounty slips that could be turned into money at any Ragesian fort. The last tunnel contained what appeared to be simple daggers (no one examined them) and glowing mushrooms. Grom did make a very poor decision and tried to eat one of the shiny mushrooms and ended up giving himself a small tummy ache.As it was growing late (they had been traveling all morning and the battle with the Black Horse Thugs took a while), they hunkered down in the cave for the evening for a short rest wanting to leave a little before first light. Sorian took watch as he only needed to do a trance and allowed everyone else to have their full short rest. Or that was the plan…Something about the residual, hopefully magic in these caves brought dreams to each of the players.Sorian: Dreamed of his life in the Innentodar forest when he was a small child. He got to see his family, most notably his older brother. He relived when the Ragesian army attacked and started burning the forest and the chaos that ensued. He relieved his brother dying while protecting him and this triggering Sorian's first ever Rage. As a path of the ancestors barbarian, he was able to see through the dream that his first ever rage ancestor was his brother.He then fell into a fever dream of prophecy. He saw Coaltongue working with Shalalhdel, and then his dream warped into a heavy Jungle where he met a protector Sloth spirit. (The hammer he got from Menash was a Sloth hammer). He was cautious around the Sloth and when he took a defensive stance, his dream abruptly ended. He felt closer to his weapon, but not fully attuned. His memory of the dream became fuzzy,Vic: Her dream also started with a memory of her with her family. She saw her cleric mother, her paladin father (both members of the Aquiline Cross), and her older sister at the counter trying to teach her the light cantrip. It then morphed into the night at Ragesa invaded to stop “a possible rebellion” and was rounding up the more powerful magic users. Vic saw her father fall to raised undead being controlled by a senior Inquisitor[SPOILER="DM Note."]I made an artistic adjustment that younger inquisitors have the bone masks, and that higher level inquisitors get silver/gold masks, still shaped like a skull of some sort. This was purely because of art I could find online.[/SPOILER]Vic then saw her older sister being dragged off by a Ragesian solider being followed by two younger inquisitors, one in a bone harpy mask and one in a bone bear mask. She confronted the bear mask inquisitor and in her dream the inquisitor morphed into a real bear. This dream then quickly swirled away and Vic was in the middle of the ocean in a boat. All was quiet. She was then met by a Kraken (the knife she found at Menash’s was a shaped like a kraken tentacle) and after an brief interaction she attuned with her blade and her blade now could impose poison to a target that failed Con. Save. And it would take an action to wipe out the poison.Ze: Ze fell into her dream and was the only to realize she was in a dream. However, she was back in her childhood home and decided to go along with the dream. She missed these memories. However, the scene went from safe and warm and quickly went to treacherous. There were Ragesian soldiers at her door, her military father trying to keep them from coming inside. They were saying Ze needed to be presented to be “tested”. Her mother helped smuggle her out and told her to run and not stop. She then entered a never ending hallway and was visited by visions of bears, harpies, wendigos, etc. before being engulfed in fire and ending up in Seaquen where she was rescued by a shadowed man.[SPOILER="DM Note"]I was purposely vague with Ze’s dream as she is the bear inquisitor from Vic’s past. When Vic tried to use fireball to save her sister and accidentally blew off her arm, Ze used that moment to fake her death with the Inquisitors and run for a new life. She then met Rhuarc’s people in the city and was brought to him for training. Ze is currently unaware of Rhuarcs motivations or actions within the last year [/SPOILER]Ze’s weapon from Mensash was a Mahi Mahi (aka. Dolphin the fish) dagger. Ze dream was engulfed by shadows and she ended up underwater and couldn’t breathe. Her shadow helped lead her to the surface where she was approached by crystal dolphins (actual mammal dolphins). Ze declined their help, three times. And Ze was grabbed out of the water by a Shadow Rhuarc and told that she could run, but he would find her. He had need of her and she had a debt to pay. She then woke up, pretty rattled.Grom: I realized I either didn't do the write up for this one or it was deleted, so I'll include it with my Session 9 post!Reshi: Reshi’s PC was actually out sick, so we will retcon his dream in at the start of session 9.Upon waking, most of the players were very introspective and didn’t want to talk to each other about their visions…still processing the emotional damage. As they began their last trek down the Gauntlet they were able to take in the views, enjoy the warming weather, and Vic noticed that the air was tinged with not only cinders, but with fire magic.Thankfully without much ado, they cleared the last of the mountains and could finally see the last expanse that lay before them before reaching the Forest of Fire.  From the vantage point they had, they saw two paths to the bridge they needed to cross into the Forest. One was to take the main road they were on, but it passed close by a small farm (though the couldn’t see anyone on the farm) or they could go around the farm and travel over the slightly hilly and rocky terrain. The group decided to stay on the main road.As they approached the farm they were approached by a young woman who introduced herself as Crystin. She shared a vision of the future with them and claimed she and her father were mages and needed the groups help. Most in the group were suspicious of Crystin, but she managed to convince them that she foresaw the Ragesians coming for her and her father tomorrow at midday and without the group either helping them stop them or letting them go with them, she and her father would perish.While the group remained undecided, they were very tired and the sun was about 1 hour from setting, so they took Crystin up on her offer of food and lodging for a rest and “would talk more about the logistics of her family joining them”.Crystin had displayed a few odd behaviors and Vic, our resident Wizard, wanted to try and see what type of magic Crystin had, During her arcana sweep, she realized Crystin was under a very sophisticated Command spell. She kept this information to herself though, she wanted to see what was going on before making any assumptions.Once inside the farmhouse, the group met Haddin. Only Torrent (currently being played a newbie to our group and dnd in general) could recall the rumors about Haddin putting his brother under a command spell from years ago in Gate Pass. Torrent didn't want to be rude and bring this up in his own house though.Sorian, in true form, did not like the way Haddin (aka Diogynes 2.0) was speaking to his daughter and about knocked him out. Vic and Torrent intervened as they were in Haddin’s home and wanting to eat Haddin’s food. Sorian in a tiff---and to defy Haddin--, told Crystin no matter what he would either help her or find a way for her to come with them and physically drag her father along if that is what she wished. He then walked out the back door for some air and Crystin asked him to help gather a chicken or two for dinner.This is where the session ended.[SPOILER="DM Note, Game Spoilers"]After the dream sequences, Session 9 will start with Sorian rolling a perception check to notice if he sees the Goblin Rogue sneaking into the back yard stable. If not they all get 3-4 rounds more inside to talk before the final battle starts. [/SPOILER]</blockquote>

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