(TODO: Clean up and flesh out these very rough notes.)
Andy guest stars as Erasmus, the Faerie Dragon guardian!
The dragon introduces itself as Erasmus. He is the guardian of the seed. He tells us he won’t let us look at the seed, because it’s the guardian. He says we should go fix the queen, because the seed needs 15 more years of growth time.
Isis says we’re the aggressors, which is probably true!
Bec kind of Hail Marys jumping down the portal.
Vondal, after thinking, decides that Erasmus is probably right about the tree. After all, if we do our seed plan, it can still get infected by the same force that is afflicting it now.
Convinced by his reasoning, Oz also jumps down the hole.
I cast sending to see if Bec lived. She did! But now there’s a whole mushroom infestation down by the Palace level of the tree.
Phoebe says she can bring us back up if we go down.
Eixam is angry that we all are abandoning the seed-stealing plan. Erasmus’s shrikes look pretty hungry for locust, though.
I cast sending again and contact Tybalt. I ask him where the queen and the book are. He responds that the queen is in her chambers and the book is in the vault, safe from her. He adds that we shouldn’t touch the book. OK!
Bec flies through the hole!
Oz: “Screw it! We’re clearly not doin’ anything here. I’ve jumped in worse holes.” And jumped down the hole.
Callie sending to Bec:
Bec, are you OK? Where did you end up? Send cookies.
Bec’s reply:
Can’t send cookies. One way only. I’m near the palace, and not dead. Smelly death mushrooms attacking Tree. Come help.
Everyone else follows suit. The hole leads to the ground level of the Tree.
Freki: “Swift defeat to my enemies”—as he drops into the hole.
On the surface, the Tree is covered in bands of black and gray mushrooms. Enoki mumbles, smacking the tree trunk’s infected mushrooms with his staff. “It’s worse than I thought” he says. He quickly says his goodbyes and squeezes into the tree trunk, to wrangle the mushrooms.
Callie casts sending to Tybalt:
Tybalt, where as you? We are going to try to save the queen? Is she near? And, do you have the Book? If not, where—
Tybalt’s reply:
Busy interrogating Sima. Queen’s location is unchanged: in her royal chambers. Book is safe in the royal vault, sequestered, away from Queen. Leave it alone.
Callie senses that Tybalt is impatient.
Callie: “Keep all of your everything off of it. NO-body should be touching the book.”
Michael: “No Vondal fondle?”
Vondal using Lucid Memory to remember something about the Book feedback trying to protect itself…
Allen: Not using luck. Using sorcery power, gives advantage. Cost: GM can then make me do a free roll on the wild magic table.
Vondal: 18.
(TODO: Fill in Vondal’s recovered memory here!)
Technically not my fault. A lot of people were involved. In a court of law, I would be fine.
Vondal: “You ever hear of the ‘Arkenstone’?”
Callie: “Maybe… what’s it worth to ya?”
Vondal: “Just sayin’… it might be explosive.”
Vondal [about not remember which heretical deity Cal worships]: “I’ll have to ask him when he exists again.”
Isis is afraid of the Vortex. She says the more she says, the worse it gets. “Telling you everything would doom us all.”
Bec uses Prevailing Truth. How is it all related? What is the entity that needs to be destroyed?
- Isis says she has been controlled for the past month, and wants to destroy the monster that grew inside her.
- The monster grew because of corruption from the Book.
- She obtained the Book months ago, from the vault of Dominic Tremere. WHY?
- The power wants to be found? Perhaps. Could reach out to the entity that had the most ability to release it. Or the ability to enhance its power to break free of the Book.
- The SPI removed the Cornucopia in response to a prophecy of a coming Calamity.
- Is the Calamity somehow related to the Vortex?
- What if… the Calamity of the world spoken of by Melora seems strongly related to the Vortex that Isis, you, are speaking of.
- What if what Isis did is because of the Calamity?
Bec: “Did you get the Book to keep it safe from the Calamity, but then it corrupted you instead?”
Vondal [to Isis]: “How’d you even know about it?”
Freki’s Animal Instinct senses something off about Phoebe. As Isis talks about the Vortex, Phoebe seems to be getting increasingly fidgety and uncomfortable. “Let me out let me out let me out let me out…” Freki hears her whisper, so quietly no one else notices. And he smells… blood. She is a plant creature—he should not be able to smell blood. Overcome with suspicion and paranoia, he transforms into beast form and lunges at Phoebe’s throat. Fresh red blood spurts out, and Phoebe cries out.
Oz notices, and immediately springs into action, stabbing Phoebe with both his swords. As more blood gushes forth, it congeals into… a small man. Unconscious, on the ground.
“Don’t hurt him!” Isis cries out. “He’s my friend!”