09/15/2024 -- Operation Lovely Roots

• Date: 41 Knewidi 715 AR. Starring Seth (commander), Storm (marshall), Altair (quartermaster), Elise (spymaster), Cauda (lorekeeper), and Grimalkin.
• We begin in the prison. We have Grimalkin in a cell. How has Grimalkin been enjoying this cell?
  • He was doing well, but then he got bored. He wanted out and voiced this to his friend, but then his friend stopped visiting, and now he’s been lonely and scared and confused… but he’s still got his boxes and litterboxes.
• Today, around 8:30 in the morning, there’s another rattling at the door. Grim makes a phys check with an extra 1d6, with 1 success. He gets 0 successes on a mental check. The door unlocks and swings open. He hides and watches the door, but it stays open, and he sees nothing else. He creeps toward the door, and sees that no one else is here. He leaves the prison.
• We assign roles, and pick up with Seth, who has gathered people to help him on Lavatera’s mission. Him and his merry band are in Widow’s Home, and he does his special knock on Lavatera’s door. The door swings open, and she motions to everyone to enter. She smiles at him, before becoming stony-faced.
  • “If it were any other time, I would have just waited to do this on my own. I’m not going to miss out on this opportunity. If we had another week, this wouldn’t be a problem. I want you to know this. I could do this on my own. However, well, I need protection as I complete a ritual out in the Omenweald. I will be putting a majority of my power into it, and therefore, if I am come upon by Ruvor, or an omen beast, or any number of creatures, it could be a problem. All of you are very talented. I’m sure you can do the job.”
• She says she must not be disturbed. She’ll be channeling a great deal of power from the Tree in a roundabout way, and one must be precise with Primordial magic – it tends to wander if you don’t keep a close watch. She asks if that sounds reasonable to everybody, and they agree. She asks if there are any questions.
  • “Can I go too?”
• Lavatera slowly looks down, and sees the cat. She thinks for a moment, and says no. The cat pleads with her, and she asks how it got out. It says the door was open. He did a lot of hiding, but nobody was really there, so he walked out.
  • “And I’ll make sure nothing happens while you’re doing the ritual! I just wanna go out again, and you seem nice.”
  • “I seem nice?”
  • “Mhm!”
• Lavatera asks Seth and Elise to keep an eye on the cat – she doesn’t know what’s going on with it, but something’s off… it’s a matter we can deal with upon return. They agree, and Elise scoops up the cat. She tells the group to meet back at 10am, and to be prepared. She shoos us off.
• Seth takes Damon on a walk, and tries to train him… he makes some progress. Cauda, Elise, and Grim all go to Karina to get the Sheer bonus. Altair goes to Margaux to get her resistance buff. Storm goes to the community center to talk with people at the forum. People are starting to recognize him now.
• The spymaster gets us +7 supply. The quartermaster starts and finishes the little free library project, netting us +1 morale.
• We are unable to ask what a useful item would be. We ask how dangerous the mission is, and are told 9 with the current party. We ask how leadership feels.
  • Karina is confused by it, as she can’t get a solid reading on it. Mace Crane trusts Lavatera to do her thing. Corania understands that Lavatera is building something. Radovan is more cautious, and advocates for keeping Lavatera back.
• There’s a heaviness in the air that everyone but Seth feels. Storm feels like he’s being watched, but isn’t sure from where or by who. Lavatera warns us to be on our guard – the forest is feeling devious today. She looks back to Seth and Elise, checking on how they’re doing with the cat. Seth gives her a thumbs-up. Elise is cradling the cat. Lavatera tells us that she’s trying to become the first cosmic archfey.
• Eventually, we stop – she says that right here feels good, has the right mix of magic and power. She tells us to take a perimeter, and starts drawing symbols on the ground and focusing in. Seth detects a fast-moving creature circling us on his UAV, but it leaves no physical trace. Elise gets a hero point for suggesting it’s the black hound.
• Seth consults his spirit, and is told it’s a dark, angry presence. It’s a hunter, prowling its territory, but it’s also stalking us. Elise asks if Seth always talks to himself, and Cauda signs that he spoke to himself when they worked together before… but Elise doesn’t know sign language, so it’s lost on her.
• Energy begins to flow outward from Lavatera, and Seth detects more creatures approaching from several directions. Grimalkin climbs into a tree, and sees Spitters emerging from all sides. They draw closer, and we roll for order.
• Initial Order: Seth → Spitters (green) → Cauda → Altair → Grim → Storm → Elise → Spitters (orange) → Lavatera
• Seth attacks one of the orange Spitters, taking 2 health blocks from it, and gives his combat ability to Storm. The green Spitters attack Cauda and Seth. Cauda takes +4 corruption, but makes his invulnerability saves both times. Seth takes +2 corruption, and takes his damage on stamina. On his turn, Cauda uses Phantasm of Woe on one of the green Spitters and takes 2 health blocks. He gives himself a temporary armor block.
• Altair throws up an ice wall to block off the orange Spitters. Grim uses his laser eyes to incinerate the Spitter Seth is fighting. Elise flies up to launch lightning bolts at the Spitter Cauda attacked, incinerating its insides. She flies back down and moves closer to Storm, giving herself a temp AB. Grim spots more people coming onto the field… they’re smelly. He’s not sure if he likes it, but they kinda smell like Mom. The Rotten enter initiative.
• New Order: Seth → Spitters (green) → Cauda → Altair → Grim → Rotten (orange) → Storm → Rotten (green) → Elise → Spitters (orange) → Lavatera
• A spitter breaks down the ice wall. Cauda takes out another Spitter – he flexes his hand, the eel’s eyes glow, and the Spitter’s body crumples like a soda can. The Rotten dash in to close around Storm and Elise, and at the start of Storm’s turn, he feels a miasma emanating from them; ending your turn within 15ft of one causes you to gain either +1 corruption, or take 20 normal poison dmg. Elise electrocutes another Spitter. One of the orange Spitters fires at Lavatera, and deals 0 dmg. She idly raises a hand and deflects the acid away with a wall of metal.
  • “I can’t be disturbed right now, handle this.”
• Altair hears clanking, and sees 5 Ruvor enter the battlefield. He throws up another ice wall, interrupting Lavatera’s ritual circle in order to shunt one of the Ruvor away from her. In the process, he draws the ire of all the Ruvor. Grim attempts a laser attack at one of the Ruvor, and finds out they have Res I to normal dmg. The Rotten hack into the ice wall with their claws, and take it down, but waste 3 attacks in the process.
• Storm falls unconscious under the assault from the Rotten – they aren’t trying to kill. Elise goes into Ruby Rage, and flies up to one of the orange Spitters to offhand attack it with her dagger; she turns into a bolt of lightning and runs it through. More of the Rotten attack Lavatera, and she has to open one of her eyes, her ritual falling apart… she doesn’t have the stamina, and doesn’t want to take the corruption. She turns and sees Seth surrounded by Rotten, and summons up the power she has.
  • “Run, sweet boy. It’s alright.”
• She forcibly teleports Seth out. He attempts to resist, but fails the save. She sighs.
  • “I get it, I would resist too. Ah. Keep them safe.”
• Another person enters – a woman in a long flowing robe, with magic drifting off of her. It is Marie Karhowl, accompanied by more Rotten.

• Rotten attack into Lavatera, taking another health block from her. Cauda becomes corrupted. Four Ruvor attack into Altair, but he’s able to expend an armor block for each attack. Lavatera loses another health block as the fifth Ruvor attacks into her; the first injury sent her prone, and the second claws out her legs. Cauda has the choice between attacking Elise or Altair, and chooses to strike Elise with Phantasm of Woe.
• Altair asks Lavatera if she can get out of here, and she says she can’t – her legs don’t work. Altair creates an ice wall around her to give her some distance from the enemies, and uses his movement to slip out of the Ruvor encircling him. Grim succeeds on a spirit save again, and attacks one of the Ruvor for… no damage again. 3 Rotten expend their actions to break down one segment of the ice wall, and get inside.
• Elise flies in and picks up Lavatera. On a mental check, she realizes that if she tries to leave, she will have to contend with the black hound. Maybe with all her power and a lot of luck, she could break out, but trying to do that while fighting the Ruby Rage and carrying Lavatera reduces her chances to basically zero. She decides to go for it, but gets 0 successes fighting the rage – everything in her blood is telling her to fight. She flies 100ft in the air, and strikes one of the Spitters with her lightning. Because Lavatera has been ripped out of the ritual, she’s suffering blowback, so she’s stunned for her turn. Seth spends his turn trying to run back.
• Marie uses Release Corruption on Altair – he gets 5 successes, narrowly avoiding it. The Spitters hold their turns for Lavatera. The Ruvor attack into Altair, and it takes 4 to take him out; Altair is knocked unconscious. Marie wants subjects. The fifth Ruvor breaks down the lower section of the ice wall. Cauda fires another Phantasm of Woe at Elise, only doing 4dmg. The group of white Rotten hold their turns.
• Grimalkin finally fails his spirit save. The will of the Impure takes him over. It’s not nice of Elise to fly away with the nice lady – he uses his laser eyes on her. The green and orange Rotten hold their turns, and on her turn, Elise tries to run again. She can’t, so she instead kills one of the Spitters. She flies up another 100ft to get out of range.
• Seth’s plan to get closer with magnet for trouble and use his power when he arrives on the battlefield is vetoed. He keeps running.
• Marie shouts up to Elise.
  • “Drop the Earth-Bone Witch, or we’ll have to kill her.”
• Elise is too angry to respond, so Marie pulls out her bow and takes a shot at Lavatera. One of the Spitters and two Ruvor head toward Grimalkin in his tree, ripping it up to try to raise him higher. Another Ruvor tosses Cauda into a tree, and two others lift the tree up, though they can’t get as high; Cauda makes a power-capped roll to strike Elise, and completely biffs it (earning a hero point).
• Grim does 12 dmg to Lavatera, taking her final health block. Her breath catches, and she slumps… Elise flies even higher, trying to use her lightning as an AED to restart Lavatera’s heart, to no avail. She prays to the gods for help, but is met with silence.
• Marie gives a whistle, and gives the order for everyone to leave. They dash out, and the combat ends, Elise left to watch them depart with her unconscious friends. She starts flying back to Widowstone using her dasher’s stance, and Seth is nearly there when he sees the pair going the other way – he yells up to Elise, asking if Lavatera is alive, and Elise shouts at him to meet her at Widowstone without stopping.
• Elise flies into Karina’s office, and Karina sees the body and frowns.
  • “Oh, I didn’t think it would be this soon…”
  • “Can you do anything?”
  • “I don’t hold sway over life and death. I destroy. I cannot create.”
• Elise flies to Corania next, who sees Lavatera and immediately tells Elise to lay her down. Corania looks over, feeling for a pulse and checking for injuries.
  • “I’m sorry, I… She’s gone. All the medicine that I have, it… it would not help her.”
  • “Then there’s one last thing I need to try.”
• Elise goes to the prison to find Magion – she comes across the guards. She’s still got dried blood and tears on her face, and lightning around her, as she pleads with them to move. She makes a spirit check (B1), and with 3 successes, they move aside for her. She flies up to the cell. Magion is sitting inside and looking over a book, but immediately stops. She asks if there’s anything he can do, and he asks what happened. Elise says Lavatera’s dead, and he asks how, and for how long. Elise says she flew back a few miles, so probably 10 minutes.
• Magion says he’ll see – he can attempt to keep her intact, and bind the soul here… he thinks he could bring her back. He says he’ll need allies, gold, gemstones, anything in her pockets, anything in the prison; he’ll attempt to hold her here for as long as possible, but she has passed on. Elise empties her pockets and gives up everything she has, even giving him her armor, and walks out and tells the guards to go inside. They immediately do.
• Seth arrives back, following the scent of Elise and Lavatera. He asks Elise what happened, and she says the Impure got her. She sends him to Magion, and he asks what Magion needs.
  • “I need… allies, powerful casters, materials, it’s… even if we do this, even if we bring her back, there’s no guarantee she’ll be the same.”
• Seth asks who did this to her, and Magion says he’ll have to tell him – Magion was brought the body just now. The cost might be more than the Brigade can bear. Seth says he’ll bring her back; he won’t allow whoever took her from us to get the satisfaction, he will have his vengeance. He leaves, and punches a wall, before going to find Elise.
• Elise, meanwhile, finds Zey and explains the situation – Zey says he has blood, and asks where Lavatera is; he tells Elise to get Lavatera’s blood from a chest in his room, and he’ll meet her at the cell. On his way to the cell, he bumps into Seth, who insists on finding Elise.
• Elise goes through the chest in Zey’s room, and realizes something as she looks over the blood, a chill running through her body… as Seth catches up, she reveals the label to him; Loveday. The spell that was keeping her there has stopped working. Seth asks again who did this, and she repeats to him that the Impure did. There’s an explosion from inside Widow’s Home, and the session ends here. The survivors take 2 level-ups.