[17e05] The Bushwhacking of Rhyzophus

Callie’s Journal

Kavaki draws us a map so we can better understand the layout of the stables:

We discuss whether Kavaki might be able to get a personal audience with Rhyzophus. She could lie and pretend it’s some behir-related emergency, but Oz’s vibe is that she’s not great at deception.

Cal doesn’t know a lot about Rhyzophus, but he recalls him being a boundary-pusher and something of a schemer, with a touch of paranoia. He has a designated food server, the only person who is allowed to bring him food (she was born in a hurricane, which I guess is auspicious for storm giants). She despises him, but she’s 100% loyal, believing in the cause. All sorts of ideas are bandied about, including shrinking Oz and tying him to an arrow and shooting him into the room, and a variety of scenarios where we burst out of Rhyzophus’s body from Vondal.

Kavaki says we’re overthinking, like that isn’t one of our strengths as a group. Anyway, we converge on a simpler plan: she can report that the dagger was found near the elephant, ensuring that Rhyzophus will want to investigate it himself (since he doesn’t trust anyone else to do such a thing). Just before a meal would be best, we think, as it’s most likely he’ll be alone.

But we need to know for sure that Rhyzophus has the dagger, so how about scrying? Oz swiped a crystal ball from the necromancer’s mansion, so he’s going to try it and see if he can scry a person who is holding the dagger. Vondal holds it, for demonstration purposes, and Oz peers into the orb. At first it’s just cloudy, but when Oz adds that Vondal is holding it, an image of Vondal (and the rest of us) coalesces within. Well, that only makes sense. You can only scry a person or a place, not an object. And strong minds can resist it, so it might not even be possible against Rhyzophus. Worse, someone perceptive capable of seeing invisible objects would We decide that scrying Rhyzophus would be too risky.

So the plan is: Kavaki delivers Oz’s dagger to Rhyzophus, telling him that it was found near the elephant and asking if she can keep it (assuming that Rhyzophus will want to keep it to investigate). When Rhyzophus takes the dagger, Kavaki will report back to us. Then Oz will teleport to the dagger with all of us in the portable hole, and we kill Rhyzophus and anyone else who comes to stop us. Kavaki will remain hidden, and if we are unsuccessful, she’ll escape and report back to Hyperion.

Freki takes a big breath before ducking into the hole. This is unnecessary, unless he can hold his breath for half an hour, but I don’t even try to tell him. He’ll find out. Outside the hole, Kavaki comes back and tells Oz that Rhyzophus took the bait. She says he headed toward the hot spring. Oz suggests (again) that she could come with us and help with the assassination. She asks if anyone has a weapon, preferably a great axe. Then she pops into the hole, surprising us all, and says she was told someone has a spare mace. Someone hands her a mace that immediately lights up like a torch. Ugh, I put my hands over my eyes for a bit.

Oz teleports to the dagger. He’s in a massive, very hot chamber, that feels oddly electric. There’s a pile of eggs and they reek like they’re rotten. Rhyzophus is floating inside a column of water in the center of the chamber. The column of water goes from below the ground to above the ceiling.

“Greetings,” says Rhyzophus. “Now tell me, what’s your game, little man?”

“The shire taught me to garden. But today, I put you in the GROUND, bitch!” says Oz. We, inside the hole, don’t hear this, but I have no trouble believing he said it.

A giant with pretty eyes leans forward and says with an unusually sultry voice, “No sudden moves, please.” Oz feels the pull of the charm, but resists! He tosses the portable hole on the ground.

While we’re in the hole, I ready Bless at level 5, so I can cast it on everybody.

When the hole opens up, we can see some huge guy up there. He probably looks even bigger since we’re in this hole. Oz is standing on a table, maybe so he doesn’t have to look up their noses for once? He’d need to stand on like a roomful of tables to be taller than they are.

“Very impressive, but what do you want?” says Rhyzophus. His voice resonates with the electrical energy in the room. It’s like he’s everywhere all at once, buzzing in our heads.

Cal recognizes one of the giants— the one with the pretty eyes— as a Dreamwalker named Verthandi. He crossed paths with her when he was young, and has never forgotten the experience of effortlessly (if only briefly) falling for her charm. He looks away immediately, but her very presence is so alluring he looks back again.

“Hello, little one. Why are you here?” asks the alluring giant.

“I’m glad you’re here, friend. Help me stop the madness,” says Cal. Um…this doesn’t sound like Cal at all!

“He’s probably charmed!” says Vondal.

Oz’s monkey gets into Verthandi’s big ol’ face and flaps annoyingly. Then Oz attacks her directly.

“Your friend has the wrong idea, child of Hyperion,” says Verthandi, leaning down to touch Cal. Whoa, that’s a little TOO friendly, lady! Cal feels the touch like a pile of stones falling on his head. He resists and breaks her attempted enchantment, go Cal!

Then it’s Freki’s turn to deflect this gorgeous giant’s charms. Freki shoots an entangling arrow at Rhyzophus’s feet, attempting to pull him out of the water column, or at least off his feet. He manages to lasso Rhyzophus and braces to pull.

At this point, Rhyzophus has had enough. “KILL THEM!” he orders.

Cal attacks Verthandi. She says, “This is not what Prometheus promised.” Sounds important, though I don’t know who that is. I tuck it away for future reference.

I cast Spiritual Weapon at level 4.

I summon my Spiritual Weapon and swing it at Verthandi! Kaboom! Then I try Sacred Flame, which doesn’t work. Next time, maybe.

Murky flaps over and shocks Verthandi. She falls down. Oz mutters, “Murder butterfly!”

Another giant, Skalfang, roars, “What trickery is this!” He swings his great axe down at Cal. Somehow, Cal isn’t split in half like a damn log. Go, Cal! Then Skalfang turns to Freki and tries again. Freki also withstands the attack, and I can see him immediately start to heal. Nice!

Then Skalfang aims a freezing ray at Oz. He hits Oz and ice crystallizes around Oz’s feet, slowing him down! “Hoh hoh hoh!” Skalfang gloats.

Atop two of the stone cylinders, two twin giants raise their hands in unison and fling handfuls of jewels at us! My teammates all dodge, but I get hit. Augh, the shiny! I’m blind!

17 piercing damage and 10 radiant damage to me. Ow!

“Puny interlopers!” Rhyzophus roars and the whole room explodes in electrical power. We’re hit with chain lightning first. Then our magical items start to resonate, which hurts! Ow ow ow! And also we all feel the weight of giant oppression through the ages. Ugh. All I can do is think about injustice.

Then, after all that, one of the eggs breaks open and a raging storm of corruption flies out of it. Like we didn’t have enough to deal with! And hey…why wasn’t Rhyzophus alone, anyway?

I failed all three saves: