Id: 58104533-dd4c-4a9d-9730-3f266451e725
SessionDate: 2024-06-30
GameDate:
{
	Day: 2
	Month: Istenarum
	Year: 3322
}
Author: Logan
Title: "New Journeys, New Hauntings"
Text: "On New Years Day, the party (consisting of Dheir, Saxon+Kit, Cassian, and Xedran) left Kuridu with little fan fare, hoping the city would be able to weather any of the possible Anti-Magic disasters that the Servants of the Dicemaker in Destra could send while they went to search for the piece of the Copper Shield Grestia told them existed beneath the Gloomspire Mountains in the Deathling city of Haeven to the west. They walked for a few hours along the road, going from the forested region to one of more rolling hills. Their fellow travelers on the road soon became sparser as they continued farther away from the city. Soon after the region transition, the party spotted a pair of Cloud Elf women sharing a picnic under a single tree at the top of a hill. Dheir excitedly changed into her noble cloak and bounded up the hill (in the most noble of fashions) to speak with the pair. The rest of the party followed her to them, where they all discovered the two women were clearly in the middle of a very private and sorrowful moment together. After some half-hearted conversation, one of the women pulled out a bottle of wine, causing Saxon to ask for a swig of it, not fully waiting for her to allow it before swallowing some and handing it back. Saxon felt a sharp pain in her stomach from poison that was in the wine. 

  Before the party could really ask them what the deal was, they too were drinking glasses from the wine, kissing each other one final time before succumbing to the embrace of death. The party were shocked by these developments for a moment, before Dheir searched them for some note or other effects. She did find a suicide note, which stated the pair killed themselves from their families not accepting them. The party were saddened by their story, and as some of the party were searching them for anything of worth (they're dead, so they won't need them), they all heard a cart coming down the road and voices. Cassian thought fast and cast Plant Growth to get the grasses to all grow taller to hide the group. They listened to the people next to the cart long enough to know they were looking for the pair of women, Dheir quickly returned the items she found on them before the party made their way back to the road going the back way around the hill. They could hear the sounds of their acquaintances finding their bodies as they made their way westward into a new forest region.

  Saxon, still not feeling the best from the poison they drank, led the group to a small clearing off the road for them to rest for the night, a night all the party had dreams of note. Whether they mean something for the their futures or not remains to be seen. They eventually woke on the morning of the 2nd of Isternarum, mostly fine aside from Dheir's pack sitting in a pile of fire ants. They resumed their travels through the forested region. While the day was mostly uneventful, the party paused their journey to allow a family of ducks to cross (rather franticly) as a clearly starved skyloy jumped out of the brush after the creatures. Saxon's protective instincts kicked in and they jumped after the skyloy determined to protect the fowl family. The rest of the party of courser followed their large friend and big cat companion, though the protection wasn't needed as they soon found the poor skyloy dead in a pit trap. With Saxon satisfied the ducks came to no harm, they all proceeded to find their way back to the road. 

  Instead of finding the road, they came to a clearing with the ruins of a village all surrounded what appeared to be the remains of an old mansion. The sky was beginning to get darker from both evening and clouds as the party made their way to the ruined manse. They looked into the windows near the closed door, at first seeing nothing, but in a flash of lightning they thought they could see a small pair of blue eyes beyond the dirty and grimy glass. They tried the door, managing to get it open and proceeding inside. The weather turning more sour as rains fall and winds howl, they slowly took steps into the darkened entry way. Dheir stepped toward one of two looming statues, causing them both to come to life and attack! 

  The party managed to defend themselves, reducing the statues to rubble, they found the doors to the outside closed so they proceeded deeper into the entrance hall. They stepped up onto a landing, seeing a small creepy doll, then proceeding down into a tea room. The chandelier hanging above fell as soon as Dheir stepped under it, just narrowly escaping the crash. They all proceeded deeper to another room, light and a semblance of life filled this room as many noble looking people sat at a large table discussing things amongst themselves, but as the party got closed, the stoic man that stood emotionless at the table's head swiftly turned their head, screaming for the party to leave before they all vanished as an illusory flame engulfed the room. Some of the party took mental damage from thinking the flames were real when they first appeared. They returned to the upper landing in the entrance hall, noticing the doll that was there is now no longer.

  They proceeded up the stairs on the side of the landing, seeing a glowing green pulse on the upper halls. They returned to the landing to discuss their next steps in the dark, foreboding mansion."