Session 29: Where Seeds Take Root

"Green!"

Summary

Studying Aristeus's work on the dead Mollusk god

The party navigates the Astral Plane

Mu'ul, the Psychic Wind Seeker

Swimming into the Turquoise Color Pool

The Outlands have shifted

Flowering Hill

Sheela Peryroyl and her flute

The avariel glyph vendor

The Endless Bog of Minauros

Octavius led the party back through the Blind Eternities into the Astral Plane, where they studied Aristeus's unified theory of the Four Compulsions and the Veil--his Grand Concordance linking Compulsions, Lattice curvature, and the Veil as one Quintessence, though its full implications remained beyond their grasp. A blue-skinned traveler named Mu'ul traded astral survival tips for info on the faerezz crystal, and the crystal itself pulsed twice during the journey, repelling unseen threats before they reached the Turquoise Color Pool.

The pool dropped them into a reshaped Outlands--craggy canyons and fissures, no problem for Smokescale and the carpet. They passed through Sheela Peryroyl's divine orchard, where the halfling goddess offered cryptic blessings and declined to help them locate specific petitioners. Faerezz experiments confirmed the crystal hides the party from divination rather than blocking scrying on the area itself -- only if uncovered. Near Ribcage they freed Tessavyr, a gold-bodied rilmani pinned by infernal spikes, earning a future favor.

Ribcage was more fortified but still standing, not sunken into the Hells thanks to the party's earlier interference. They dodged a contract-hustling imp disguised as a cambion, spotted familiar devil ladies on a balcony with a new young noble, and reunited Unit 137 with Kraxx'Tor at the Beetle Bazaar for a geometry-themed upgrade. A new avariel glyph vendor's runic wares physically tilted toward compatible buyers--but when Glenn shouted "Green!" as his favorite color, the word activated a hidden portal that sucked the party into Minauros, the third layer of the Nine Hells.

They landed in an acid-rain-soaked bog of rotting vegetables and skulls, met by the furious voice of a hag who blamed them for destroying twelve years of scheming. She unleashed a dire troll--giant-sized, grown by feeding it other trolls--that mauled most of the party while Glenn decapitated one of its heads and hid behind his shield. The hag popped out to hit Octavius with foul magic, got counterspelled, and retreated; Octavius banished the troll to buy time. The session ended mid-fight with Diedric readying a spell for the hag's next appearance.

XP Award

• 600 XP for the faerezz crystal repelling two unknown Astral threats
• 400 XP for a peaceful exchange of knowledge with Mu'ul
• 500 XP for faerezz experiments — discovering that covering the crystal disables its protection
• 800 XP for freeing Tessavyr and earning a rilmani's favor
• The Green Sister's Seed: 1000 XP for passing through Sheela Peryroyl's divine domain and receiving her blessing — "Every seed that passes through my hill takes something with it, whether it knows or not."
• Total: 3300 XP
• Current XP: 55206 XP -> 58506 XP (Level 9)
• (Required for next level: 64000 XP)

Things That Happened

Return to the Astral

• Date: 29th of Tarsakh (The Claw of the Storms, April), early morning, 1372 DR
• Led by Octavius, the party passed through the Blind Eternities, presenting as swirling blue mists with ancient stone paths beneath them.
• Their movement slowed and the Blind Eternities collapsed into The Astral Plane, Octavius facing the dead Mollusk god while holding a piece of it in his hand.
  • He felt a new bond, as if he could draw power from this place, like the Rashemi lands.
  • No one was upside down.
• The faerezz crystal had a visible 60 ft purple glow around the party, in a perfect sphere.

Studying the Mollusk

• Present with a headdress of comprehend languages and the time to do so, Lilia borrowed it from Octavius, and they both studied the formulas written by Aristeus.
• The party studied Aristeus's work on the Four Compulsions -- Yearning, Resonance, Clutch, and Dimming -- and followed his proof that three of them unify at high energies, while the Yearning is not a force at all but a curvature in the Lattice itself.
• They traced his deeper theory of the Veil, where things exist Unresolved in all possible states until fixed by an act of Naming, culminating in his Grand Concordance -- a single unified notation linking Compulsions, Lattice curvature, and the Veil as one Quintessence, though its full implications remained beyond their grasp.
• The party proceeded in superman poses, willing themselves toward the Turquoise Color Pool.
  • Lilia, recalling how long travel could take here, instead had Smokescale pilot the carpet so she could read on the journey.
• The faerezz crystal, and its emanation, pulsed, as if repelling something.

A Curious Passerby

• Several hours into the silent journey, the party encountered a blue-skinned man with an elongated head and extra knuckles on his long fingers. He wore dark robes, and motioned for peace.
• He introduced himself as Mu'ul, and offered an equal exchange of thought.
• He asked what the faerezz crystal was and its function. He seemed disappointed.
• He offered in return a warning -- if the skies should ever darken in the Astral Plane, the party should flee immediately as it is a psychic wind that can drive them mad.
  • He seeks these willingly as they allow you to experience thoughts from the past, present, and future, and he has shielded himself from madness with multiple minds.
• He departed in peace.
• He is legally distinct from Megamind.

Swimming in Turquoise

• The faerezz crystal pulsed again, successfully repelling something.
• Ten hours since the start of their journey, the party arrived at the Turquoise Color Pool, which was difficult to spot since it is truly two-dimensional.
• The party flew their carpet into it. Upon touching the color pool, the "ink" began covering the carpet and then the party members, one at a time.

Outlands Shifted

• Gravity and the sensation of air returned as the party erupted into the Outlands, smoothly reorienting the carpet as the portal faced toward the ground.
• The terrain had shifted since they last visited, what was previously a green vista now craggy canyons and fissures with rickety wooden bridges, which would surely slow their progress--
  • Smokescale flew them forward on their flying carpet, clockwise around the Great Wheel toward Ribcage.
• The spire with Sigil floating atop was everpresent to the right. Lilia challenged herself to stare at the infinite height until she was overwhelmed by vertigo.

Goatchase

• Toward the end of the first day, the party spotted a herd of goats capable of jumping dozens of feet high.
• Lilia gave chase as the party made camp, but the goats had disappeared from view.
• Diedric erected his tiny hut on a rocky outcropping as Lilia fed the party Goodberry trail mix.

Flowering Hill

• Date: 30th of Tarsakh (The Claw of the Storms, April), early morning, 1372 DR
• After crossing dozens of different terrain types, the party saw an ocean lead to a much-wider-than-usual expanse of a grassy, hilly apple orchard, tended to by halflings.
• One waved them down.
  • The party landed to greet the man.
  • As they passed the threshold into this area, the air felt more peaceful and warm.
• This appeared to be a jovial harvest, with halfling men and women and children picking apples and drinking cider.
• Most of the halflings had the faint glow that marked them as petitioners, the souls of the deceased.
• They greeted the party, wishing the Green Sister's blessing upon them.

The Flutist

• A flighty flute song began to play in the distance. Squirrels and rabbits began hopping excitedly toward it, including Octavius and Lilia's familiars.
• Lilia summoned her bat back to her, only for it to fly away again.
• Disturbed and untrusting, the party eventually proceeded forward to investigate.
• They approached a halfling woman in a dress made of flowers playing a flute with a gigantic rabbit cuddling her side.
• The party eventually pooled their knowledge and deduced that this woman must be Sheela Peryroyl, halfling goddess of nature, song, dance, agriculture, and romantic love -- and that this is her divine domain.
• She finished her song, then regarded the party.
• To Diedric she said: "Your lady's light is lovely. My orchards drink of it at night."
• To the party she said: "Every seed that passes through my hill takes something with it, whether it knows or not. I do hope you find the soil for it."
• She politely declined to address questions about how to locate specific petitioners, returning to her music.
• A halfling girl offered a basket of apples, which the party accepted.
• Octavius took a daisy as a way to be able to more easily planeswalk back here in the future.
• The party proceeded on their way.

Faerezz Experiments

• Before making camp for the night, the party decided to experiment with the faerezz crystal as the Outlands does not have a sun, but rather diffuse lighting.
• They covered it with a pelt of a cloaker, trying divination spells with and without it covered.
• Covering it with anything opaque prevented its protective qualities.
  • Interestingly, when it was protecting, the area could still be divined -- but the party appeared invisible to the diviner.

The Rilmani Prisoner

• Date: Greengrass, early morning, 1372 DR
• Breaking camp, the party proceeded toward Ribcage.
• The terrain grew more hellish as they neared it.
• On the side of the trail below them, as if in warning, a large construct made of solid gold, smooth limbs held together by blue energy, stood pinned by three infernal iron spikes.
• It watched them curiously.
• The party landed.
• It asked: "Have the ribs sunken into the Nine?"
• The party explained their actions last they had visited Ribcage, including interfering with Zelza's plans to sink the gatetown into the Nine Hells.
• The party freed the Rilmani, Lilia learning that touching any silver to the spiked caused them to shatter -- although Glenn pulled one out with sheer force.
• Grateful, the rilmani gave its name, Tessavyr, and bid the party call toward the Spire for its aid as it hovered away.
• The party (and the mimir) did not know much about these creatures, other than that they are aloof keepers of balance.

The Ribcage Gate

• The party sighted Ribcage, earthen ribs over a city surrounded by infernal steel walls and a moat of magma.
• There were more abishai guards and abishai patrols in the sky.
• One of the guards recognized the party, bidding them welcome, but to keep their deals clean, as Xarannos would pike them sideways if they made a mess.
• A red cambion leaned against the gate, offering a contract to the party before Smokescale kicked him in the shins, revealing Scabs, another imp, as the illusion collapsed.
• The party proceeded onward to the Beetle Bazaar.

To the Bazaar

• On the way to the Bazaar, the party sighted a familiar balcony.
• It bore the same two cambion ladies, one green, one red, each in the arm of a much younger noble than before.
  • He was happily being fed fruits by the green cambion.
  • The red one turned toward the party and flashed wickedly sharp teeth, recognizing them.
• The party arrived at the Beetle Bazaar, busy as many creatures passed in and out of his maw, mandibles held open by javelins.
• Inside, they sighted many of the same vendors as before, including the feather merchant, the sleepy wizard, the gnomish inventor, and others.
• "Caltrop!" a devillish voice called out.

The Silvered Fiend

• Unit 137 pumped his mechanic legs excitedly as he ran toward Kraxx'Tor, now covered in many more silver chains.
• He bid the party leave him for several hours, as he had an upgrade he had been working on, which should excite Unit 137, as it involved geometry.
• Smokescale stayed with his pal.
• The party's attention was drawn by a new vendor.

The Glyph Vendor

• An avariel woman, surrounded by vials and pendants containing runes glowing in different colors, spoke with possible customers.
• Octavius's headdress translated these runes to specific words and concepts, like "Honor", "Flight", "Strength", and so on.
• Spotting the party, the avariel bid them welcome, and that while her goods were expensive to produce, the runes would be attracted to ones they were a good match for.
• Indeed, some runes began attuning toward party members within their containers, causing them to tilt toward them.
• The avariel asked what color spoke to them the most.
• "Green!" Glenn, in frog form, shouted gleefully while raising his arms in excitement.
  • The DM asked if that was his character's favorite color.
  • Marti confirmed that it was.
• Its key uttered, the muddy portal beneath the party's feet activated, sucking them below.

The Endless Bog

• The party landed into a shallow pool in a bog filled with mounds of rotting vegetables and skulls.
• The sky was oppressive and brown, feeling too close, like a ceiling. Trees were bare, dead mangroves.
• A literal acid rain rained down, causing stinging pain and burns to exposed skin.
• The party recognized this as Minauros, the third layer of the Nine Hells, a domain of greed.
• A very irate hag's voice called out from all directions: "Twelve years I grew that scheme in the dark, the cambion almost ripe. And you pulled it up like weeds. You don't even know what you destroyed."
  • Some party members politely split apart from the others during the monologue.
• "I planted you here like seeds, and seeds don't get to choose which soil they rot in. Beastie, it's time to eat!"
• A dire troll, the size of a giant and featuring multiple heads and limbs, the product of a troll that has been fed other trolls, erupted from the waters in a whirlwind of claws.

Encounter: The Moss Hag

• Highlights:
  • Glenn leaping onto the troll's heads, decapitating one.
  • Lilia summoning a fuzzy starry bumblebee, which futilely caused minor wounds to the dire troll that instantly healed.
  • The dire troll severely wounding most of the party in a whirlwind of growing limbs.
    • Glenn expertly hid behind his shield.
  • The hag popping out of the water, coming out of invisibility to assail the owlin with foul magics, only to be counterspelled and seek refuge in the waters.
  • Octavius banished the dire troll to another plane, actively concentrating on keeping him there as long as possible.
  • Diedric prepares a spell for when the hag reveals herself again.
• The session came to an end.

NPCs Encountered (or mentioned)

• Mu'ul, the Psychic Wind Seeker
• Sheela Peryroyl, the Green Sister (Goddess)
• Tessavyr, the Spiked Rilmani
• The Moss Hag, the Kindly Rune Merchant

Memes

• \o/ "Green! :D"
• The Moss Hag may disagree with the party on the definition of a vegetable.

DM Thoughts

• The party for sure is going to chain Unit 137 to them from now on.