View source for Session 13: Bloodfeather's Spark

[[File:Mirrodin.jpg|right|600px|thumb|Mirrodin]]
== Summary ==

[[File:Blind Eternities.png|right|600px|thumb|The Blind Eternities]]
[[File:Shadespine.png|right|600px|thumb|Shadespine]]
[[File:Diedric's Tiny Hut.png|right|600px|thumb|Diedric's Tiny Hut]]
[[File:Crawling Chorus.png|right|600px|thumb|Crawling Chorus]]

The battle at the Grove of Stars erupted as goblins, bugbears, and ogres stormed the clearing. Octavius's fireball engulfed the battlefield, Glenn and Lilia cut through their ranks, and Diedric, freshly returned from the Feywild, unleashed divine fury. Amid the chaos, Unit 137 suffered a mortal blow, collapsing as Smokescale rushed to his side, infernal contract in hand. With the party too preoccupied to intervene, the modron signed, and in a burst of flame, he vanished into the depths of Avernus. Moments later, an ogre assassin's arrow struck Octavius midair, sending him plummeting from the Monolith. As he fell, a cosmic fire ignited within him, merging his essence with Rashemen. Seizing the raw power surging through him, he shattered reality itself, pulling the party into the Blind Eternities.

Tumbling through the void, they hurtled toward a world of metal—Mirrodin. They crashed onto a hexagonal surface beneath strange suns, where they encountered Shadespine, a battle-worn leonin who begged them to take him away. That night, within the safety of Diedric's dome, Smokescale revealed his infernal bargain: in exchange for 666 days of service in the Blood War, Unit 137 had been spared from death and was now linked to Smokescale. When summoned back, the modron emerged from brimstone, silent and shaken. Their rest was broken by the approach of Phyrexian horrors, porcelain-faced creatures dripping with unnatural oil. The party held their breath as the Crawling Chorus passed.

With Rashemen's power renewed, Octavius reached out once more, seeking a place of comfort. Reality cracked open, and the party was wrenched away from Mirrodin—only to reappear in the scorched ruins of Ironjaw's Mirth.

== XP Award ==

* 1650 XP for obliterating goblins in the Grove of Stars
* 100 XP for resisting summoning sickness when arriving in Mirrodin
* 400 XP for avoiding the phyrexians
* 200 XP for not being infected by their oil
* ''Planar Truth:'' 500 XP for confirming the Unity of Rings by returning to Ironjaw's Mirth
* '''Total: 2850 XP'''
* '''Current XP: 13330 XP -> 16180 XP ''' (Level 5 --> Level 6!)
* ''(Required for next level: 23000 XP)''

== Things That Happened ==

=== Assault on the Grove ===
* '''Date:''' 13th of Tarsakh (The Claw of the Storms, April), afternoon, 1372 DR
* The party turned toward the sounds of battle as goblins, hobgoblins, bugbears, and ogres burst through the trees on all sides.
* [[Diedric]] appeared from a portal to the feywild, a vivid and fantastical winter scene visible behind him.
** He had accompanied Cedani and Uchu on a quest to rescue [[Soveliss]] from a troll's cookpot.
** This was accomplished by Diedric trading a useless bauble in exchange for the meal.
** That party had then proceeded to the Feywild, where Cedani's patron had called for a meeting of the seasons.
** Uchu stayed with Cedani as her patron politely returned Diedric to the group.
** Not upside-down this time, Diedric was quick to catch on to the situation.

=== Encounter 1: Goblinoid Incursion ===
* <b>Highlights:</b>
** Octavius obliterating an entire group of goblins with a fireball -- and setting the grove on fire.
** Glenn dispatching one goblin after another.
** Lilia rending the earth violently, sending goblins Wilhelm-screaming through the air.
** Lilia and Diedric combining the might of the moon and stars with repeated Guiding Bolt assaults on an ogre.
** Unit 137 detecting a scrying sensor hovering above the grove.
** Octavius and an unseen scryer locked in a battle of divination, each trying to twist fate their own way.
** Smokescale performing the same Mortal Kombat fatality on an goblin (his tail through an open mouth, from the back).
** Unit 137 suffering a mortal blow.
** Octavius suffering a mortal blow.

=== The Modron's Contract ===
* Experiencing pain for the first time from a stab in his eye, Unit 137 fell dramatically to the ground.
* Rushing over to him, Smokescale presented an infernal contract, begging him to sign.
* A prepared subroutine kicked in, and with the party busy with their fight, the modron signed a perfect square.
* The contract dissapeared in a burst of flame, and Unit 137's unconscious body descended into brimstone and disappeared.
* With the party yelling protests, Smokescale yelled back that he would explain after the "big ogre" was dead.

=== Assassin From Below ===
* Firing a massive arrow from a man-size war bow, an ogre assassin with pallid, blue-veined skin appeared from Invisibility.
** He's clearly from the Underdark.
* Both Octavius and the unseen scryer wrestled with divination, but the unseen scryer was victorious.
* The javelin-sized arrow struck Octavius in the center of his chest, and he began to fall from above the monolith.
* His job done, he retreated into the forest.

=== Bloodfeather's Ignition ===
* As Octavius plummeted, a searing pain erupted in his chest—not from his injuries, but something deeper and primal.  
** It mirrored the burning pain he had felt in Sigil after battling the Summer Eladrin.
** A cosmic fire ignited within him, a pinprick expanding into an inferno, threatening to consume him.  
** Most party members and enemy combatants were blinded and deafened. 
*** The monsters in the forest recoiled from the radiance, brighter than a Gondian's welding spark.  
* The fire spread through his veins like liquid, an unbearable fusion of death and rebirth.  
** His consciousness expanded beyond his body -- he felt the forest, the land, the spirits.  
* Reaching for stability, he instinctively extended his mind -- and something answered.
** The raw power of Rashemen, the whispers of the ancient woods surrounding the Rebel Estate, surged to meet him.  
** This fastbond, forged through his time in this land, responded to his call. 
** Tapping into it, a cool, soothing energy tempered the cosmic fire with him -- not extinguishing it, but bringing it under control.  
* Octavius levitated, without the use of his wings.
* Instinct drove him to not hold on to the energy too long -- he released the energy outward, tearing a rift in reality.  
* As the fabric of the world unraveled, he pulled his allies in with him, embracing them with astral wings. 
* Goblins unshielded their eyes, catching a glimpse of a five-pointed flame fading from where Octavius once stood.  
* The party had vanished. The Monolith remained behind, surrounded by burning trees.

=== The Blind Eternities ===
* The world fell away beneath the party into a storm of pure energy and formless possibility.  
** His companions were like beacons in the void, and he instinctively gathered them.  
** Fleeing, surviving, Octavius took a path at random.  
** Five suns—white, blue, black, red, and green—ringed a silver sphere as they careened toward it.  

=== Strangers In A Strange Land ===  
* The party crashed onto a warm metal surface, hard and unyielding. Face first.  
** Everyone resisted summoning sickness.
* Hexagonal metallic tiles stretched out in a wave-like pattern.  
* Overhead, two suns shone -- one golden, one silvery-blue -- reflecting off the metallic ground.  
* A vast silver sea stretched to the horizon; the party stood on an island.  
* Soft, glowing clouds drifted across the sky.  
* Behind them, two more suns—green and red -- burned in the sky, their light strangely distorted.  

=== The Survivor ===  

* A low growl rumbled behind the party.  
* A battle-scarred leonin warrior stood before them, his matted, rust-colored fur streaked with grime, piercing golden eyes scanning them warily.  
* He wore makeshift armor, strapped together haphazardly, and gripped a simple spear.  
* His gaze darted between them, paranoid and tense, before he released a slow breath, straightening and lowering his weapon.  
* '''[In a shitty nasal accent]''' "White Sun be praised -- you are not infected. I thought I was the last. I am [[Shadespine]]."  
* '''[In a slightly better lion accent]''' "You are not from Taj-Nar. I fled the Razor Fields ten days past. Where is your hearth? Who is your kha? ...nyah."  
* The party interrogated him on numerous topics, including what he could possibly eat in a place like this.
* Noticing his spine was made of a dark metal, Lilia deduced there may be a similarity to him and Unit 137.
* [[Shadespine]] explained that "Mirrodin is fallen".
* The party explained how they had arrived at the island.
* "Five suns be risen -- one among you is a planeswalker. Take me from this place! ...nyah."
* Octavius tried to repeat his experience, but felt rebuffed by the lands of Rashemen. He was tapped out.
* Shadespine took first watch.

=== Diedric's Tiny Hut ===
* Diedric conjured a silvery dome, shielding the party from outside threats and hiding them within.
* Diedric and Lilia formally met, appreciating the synergy between the moon and stars.
* Diedric fed Shadespine some of his provisions.
* Diedric channeled Selune's might to seal Octavius's wound.
* The black sun rose over the horizon.

=== Smokescale's Interrogation ===
* When asked about the fate of Unit 137: "I'm not telling you shit!"
* When ordered to: "Fuck!"
* Smokescale explained that he dismissed himself when no one was looking and spoke to [[Bel]], the Archduke of Avernus, brokering a deal with Unit 137.
* In exchange for 666 days of future service in the Blood War, Unit 137 would be protected from death and twinned with Smokescale, allowing both to be summoned at the same time.
* Octavius gave the summoning a try. A yellow spell crystal materialized in front of Smokescale, who yelped as it zapped him and summoned him a few feet away, next to Octavius.
* Unit 137 rose from brimstone, very quiet, his single eye wide. Likely PTSD.
* The party settled in for the night, Lilia animorphing into a cat in order to curl up. She hissed at one point.

=== The Crawling Chorus ===
* The warhammer began ringing as disturbances appeared in the silvery waters.
* Crawling pyramidal shapes, made of porcelain, red muscle, and red-eyed masks, rose from the lake, babbling in a strange language about Phyrexia and compleation.
* They dripped a dark oil that discolored the hexagonal landscape.
* Staying dead silent, the party watched as they passed around their silver dome, disappearing into the distance.

=== A Place Of Comfort ===
* '''Date:''' 14th of Tarsakh (The Claw of the Storms, April), evening, 1372 DR
* Now fully rested, Octavius reached out to the lands of Rashemen, feeling their full might once more.
* Tapping into them, he channeled their power outward, seeking a place that had brought him comfort.
* The Blind Eternities loading screen came up again as Mirrodin dissolved behind the party.
* They appeared, again face-first, next to the burned remains Ironjaw's Mirth, emerging over its outhouse.

== Maps ==
* Nothing worth uploading a map for.

== NPCs Encountered (or mentioned) ==
* [[Vaergath]], the Ogre Assassin
* [[Shadespine]], the Nyahing Leonin

== Memes ==
* Autistic Reporter from The Onion: "The sister is dead."
* Shadespine: "...nyah."
* Nick: Alright, let's LET 'ER RIP!
** DM: I don't think passing gas jokes are appropriate at the table.
** Nick: Ah my bad. I know I definitely sounded like a Nascar hick when I said it, so I could see how someone would see that as my intent, even if it weren't. Thanks for being so cool with [[https://rpg.manath.com/index.php?title=Session_12:_The_Grove_of_Stars#Memes my vulnerable discussion]] last week, by the way. Lydia and I had a talk and I'm going to see a therapist over the insecurities I mentioned.
** DM: Any time, I'm here for you.

== DM Thoughts ==
* I cannot voice act leonin especially. Instant revolt.
* Foreshadowing (like with spark ignition whenever Octavius was injured) doesn't really pay off when sessions are very far apart.
* As a DM, I need to balance my inclination for world-building (and maintaining the state of that world based on the party's actions and connecting it to established lore in a way that hopefully lends it impactfulness and verisimilitude) with the party's inclinations, which I'm pretty sure is latching on to specific characters and general capers.
* The campaign is intentionally widening. I'll have to see how the players express their agency.