Myconid Madness
Dramatis Personae:
Lady Claire Thundersword, the Human Wererat Swordcaptain of the Purple Dragon Knights
Riddle, Claire's baby Basilisk
Hans, Claire's Basalt Wolf Figurine
Urthstripe. Claire's Alabaster Badger Figurine
Mezzem, the Kobold Wererat Priestess of Bahamut who plots the murder of anyone who slights her
Lit, Mezzem's baby Basilisk
Rosebud Goldenrod Petunia, the Halfling/Shetland Pony "Centaur" Wererat Berserker, "The Destroyer;" who sees magic where there is none
Lily Trillium Petunia, the Green Dragonborn Lore Bard, and Rosebud and Geophry's "Momma;" champion of the Living Dungeon
Vadania Nailaza, the Wild Elf Oakroot of Rillifane Rallathil
Barkbeak, Vadania's Hippogriff Steed
Riddle, Claire's baby Basilisk
Hans, Claire's Basalt Wolf Figurine
Urthstripe. Claire's Alabaster Badger Figurine
Mezzem, the Kobold Wererat Priestess of Bahamut who plots the murder of anyone who slights her
Lit, Mezzem's baby Basilisk
Rosebud Goldenrod Petunia, the Halfling/Shetland Pony "Centaur" Wererat Berserker, "The Destroyer;" who sees magic where there is none
Lily Trillium Petunia, the Green Dragonborn Lore Bard, and Rosebud and Geophry's "Momma;" champion of the Living Dungeon
Vadania Nailaza, the Wild Elf Oakroot of Rillifane Rallathil
Barkbeak, Vadania's Hippogriff Steed
Seluna, the Moon Elf Drow Totem Warrior Circle of the Moon Druid and Silverstar of Selûne
Flimflam Pebblehead, the Deep Gnome Arcanist who really likes killing things, thinks he has powerful enemies out to get him that are telling him what to do, he has a voice giving him directions in his head, and is enamored with every beautiful voice he hears
Roswyn Darkshooter, the Deep Gnome Delver from the Miner's Guild
Smoothpalm, the Deep Gnome Monk of Smoothhands
Niles Rubusthorn, the Moon Elf Shadow Dancer
Twyla Alderleaf, the Moon Elf Scout
Geophry Cherry Blossom Petunia, the chair that used to be a boy
Stool, the Myconid Child was raised from the grave by Mezzem
Galothel Nightbreeze, the Moon Elf Alchemist
Amin of Citadel Adbar, the Shield Dwarf Alchemist
Mithrilye, the Sun Elf Entertainer who will do anything to achieve her goals, and believes that anything that can bring her pleasure should be enjoyed immediately, not saved until later
Lith, the Bronze Dragonborn Scholar
Fitzzle, Lith's violet faerie dragon familiar
Flimflam Pebblehead, the Deep Gnome Arcanist who really likes killing things, thinks he has powerful enemies out to get him that are telling him what to do, he has a voice giving him directions in his head, and is enamored with every beautiful voice he hears
Roswyn Darkshooter, the Deep Gnome Delver from the Miner's Guild
Smoothpalm, the Deep Gnome Monk of Smoothhands
Niles Rubusthorn, the Moon Elf Shadow Dancer
Twyla Alderleaf, the Moon Elf Scout
Geophry Cherry Blossom Petunia, the chair that used to be a boy
Stool, the Myconid Child was raised from the grave by Mezzem
Galothel Nightbreeze, the Moon Elf Alchemist
Amin of Citadel Adbar, the Shield Dwarf Alchemist
Mithrilye, the Sun Elf Entertainer who will do anything to achieve her goals, and believes that anything that can bring her pleasure should be enjoyed immediately, not saved until later
Lith, the Bronze Dragonborn Scholar
Fitzzle, Lith's violet faerie dragon familiar
Comrades we have lost:
Ront, the Orc Fighter- turned into hamburger by Pwent
Buppido, the Derro- smashed by Orvald
Eldeth Feldrun, the Shield Dwarf- killed during escape
Hera Adaar, the Abyssal Tiefling Wild Sorceress- swept away
Luna Trelawny, the Human Divination Wizard- skull caved in by rock thrown by Fidget, then finished off by black pudding
Sarith Zekarit, the Drow Scout- drowned
Phillip Johnson, the Human Cleric- in a seemingly irreversible coma, left in Hemeth's care
Jim Jar, the Deep Gnome- eaten by grell
Prince Derendil, the Quaggoth- killed by sea troll
Shuushar, the "Awakened" Kuo-toa- turned into shuushi by sea troll
Hemeth, the Duergar Arms Dealer- parted with group in Gracklstugh met group briefly on route to Mantol Derith to trade
Thimblepwent Battlehammer, the Dwarven Battlerager Barbarian- turned into dog food
Orvald Abershaw, the Mousefolk Barbarian-became a squeaky toy last seen in Bahamutsville under Zin-carla
Zenit 'Dracon, the Drow Fighter-abandoned the party because Orvald died last seen in Bahamutsville
Lythana Belmyr, the Half-Drow Blood Hunter of Eilistraee- sacrificed to Demogorgon
Codsworth, the polite Flumph- shredded by crossbow
Zarrus, the Tiefling Favored Soul Sorcerer of Mephisto- vanished during gnoll fight
Ol' Sparky, the Deep Dragon- last seen thrown into a portal to the Abyss by a glabrezu
Aura, the Air Genasi Storm Sorceress- accidental self-vaporization (bitch blew herself up)
Kyri, the Minotaur Scout- vaporized by a jackass
Thimblepwent Battlehammer, the Dwarven Battlerager Barbarian- turned into dog food
Orvald Abershaw, the Mousefolk Barbarian-
Zenit 'Dracon, the Drow Fighter-
Lythana Belmyr, the Half-Drow Blood Hunter of Eilistraee- sacrificed to Demogorgon
Codsworth, the polite Flumph- shredded by crossbow
Zarrus, the Tiefling Favored Soul Sorcerer of Mephisto- vanished during gnoll fight
Ol' Sparky, the Deep Dragon- last seen thrown into a portal to the Abyss by a glabrezu
Aura, the Air Genasi Storm Sorceress- accidental self-vaporization (bitch blew herself up)
Kyri, the Minotaur Scout- vaporized by a jackass
Fidget Stonegear, the Deep Gnome Inventor- big badda boom
Miarielle, the Lythari Priestess of Corellon- bigger badda boom
Kazul, the Copper Dragonborn Shadow Monk of Bahamut- skull caved in by another rock from Fidget
Glabbagool, the Gelatinous Cube- stayed with the kobolds
Kara Reginleif, the Half-Valkyrie Wererat Champion from the Zhentarim- vorpaled to pieces by demon Easter bunnies
Kazul, the Copper Dragonborn Shadow Monk of Bahamut- skull caved in by another rock from Fidget
Glabbagool, the Gelatinous Cube- stayed with the kobolds
Kara Reginleif, the Half-Valkyrie Wererat Champion from the Zhentarim- vorpaled to pieces by demon Easter bunnies
Rumpadump, the Myconid Child- frozen by demon Easter bunny was raised by Mezzem and went missing
Sajin Silvertongue, the Deep Gnome Wererat Assassin- got stoned and kissed a pretty Medusa
Thecker Powdercraft, the Deep Gnome Wererat Gunslinger and Inquisitor of Bahamut- retired in Blingdenstone
Topsy and Turvy Goldwhiskers, the Deep Gnome Wererat Rogue Twins- stayed in Blingdenstone
Yklwa, Tali's Deinonychus animal companion- devoured by corbies
Natali, the Tiger Therinthrope Beastmaster- wished herself home
Friendly Fire: 203
Party members killed: 22
Overall party members lost: 32
NOTE: Things will be mostly from Claire's perspective, anything with italics is from a third party, since the knight can't be everywhere at once.
***** Marpenoth 14, 1489 DR (The Year of the Warrior Princess), somewhere outside Neverlight Grove
We decided to leave Amin and Galothel in the Tower for research today, Lily was hoping we'd find something that would help us face Zuggtmoy in one of the long dead wizard's library. I wanted to leave Stool in the Tower with them, since I hate putting the lad in danger, but we needed him to help guide us to the Grove. He said there was a riverbed that marked the path, and once we found that we'd be really close.
For some reason, Rosebud woke up feeling sickly this morning, but Vadania was able to mostly fix it. He was feeling well enough to carry Stool ahead of us to scout out the path.
Before long we'd found the riverbed, which didn't have any water in it, but it looked swampy. We'd have to slide in the mud to cross- yuck. Twyla fell right on her ass, and Lith stumbled, but used her whip to catch herself. Vadania decided to show off by flying over it all. Stool said we needed to go downstream, he could almost hear the other myconids.
We all began moving downstream, when suddenly the ground rumbled and a giant crab burst out of the bed, snapping its enormous claws at Smoothpalm and Twyla. It snipped Twyla's leg so badly that I could tell it was badly broken; she'd need some serious healing time before she could walk again- and to make matter worse, she was stuck in the claw. Smoothpalm had dodged it, and was completely fine. Rosebud charged at the beast and whacked it with his maul, causing hundreds of tiny crabs to swarm out of it, covering him, me, Lith, Stool, Seluna, and Niles- Rosebud looked really messed up after that, he seemed to have taken the bulk of the damage.
Lily tossed one of his beads of force at it, while it dodged, Twyla, Smoothpalm, and a couple hundred of the tiny crabs got stuck in it. They were both swarmed to the point where we saw nothing at first- then a lone hand rose out of the chaos, it was mostly bone, with flesh hanging limply off of it. They wouldn't survive this...
Mithrilye wove her baton in the direction of the bubble, and suddenly the horrible slurping sounds coming from inside of it were swirling around Lily's blade. Vadania flew up to the crab and began hacking at it with her axe, while Roswyn began helping me squash the swarm of crabs that were covering me. Most of them seemed to be dead when we were done, but Flimflam didn't notice, and launched a fireball at us, Mithrilye, Lith, Niles, and Mezzem- Lith and Niles dropped from the jackass's flames. Lith's scales were covered in severe burns and blisters, if she wasn't dead, she was going to kill that insane gnome. At least the fireball got rid of the fucking tiny crabs, but at what cost? Sometimes I think he does more damage to us than our enemies. I looked at the jackass to discover he was naked, again, and a new bag was at his feet; what some people wouldn't give for magic making them randomly naked. I saw Seluna rush to Niles and Lith to revive them, and then felt my flesh knit together as Mezzem healed all of us.
The giant crab grabbed hold of Rosebud and seemed to be trying to snap the halftaur in half, but since he's stronger than Twyla he'd probably be fine. Lily lost it seeing his boy in the crab's clutches and slammed his Hand on top of it. Vadania kept beating on the crab from the air, while I unleashed several blows on the damn thing with my Rod- and it died!
With the large foe dead, Niles ran for the sphere, attempting to break it open. When Mezzem saw what he was doing, she dispelled the magic of the sphere and the crabs swarmed all over herself and Niles- a fresh meal. Lily used his Hand to smack the crabs that were on them, and when it was done Niles was unconscious again. Our healers worked together to revive Niles, Twyla, and Smoothpalm- for a moment I thought Smoothpalm and Twyla weren't savable, but somehow they did it.
Flimflam took the opportunity to cook the crab, and it was delicious. With so many of us so badly injured, Lily dropped the Tower so we could rest and better see to our wounded.
It was to full moon, so Mezzem and Rosebud shifted- thanks to the charm Seluna gave me I was able to stay in my natural form. Rosebud decided it would be funny to make Geophry a werechair, so he bit him. Then he jumped out of the window to demonstrate how hard it is to harm us. Vadania seemed uncomfortable with the entire scene.
***** Marpenoth 15, Chateau Petunia, somewhere outside Neverlight Grove
Rosebud woke feeling sick again this morning, something was wrong with the boy, but nobody seemed to know what.
Since Lith was still in pretty bad shape from Flimflam's fireball, we decided to spend the day in the Tower resting and researching, to let her heal some. I decided to hang out in my room in the dungeon with Stool and Riddle, and just relax. Research isn't really my thing, and there wasn't really anything else for me to do.
Rosebud decided to jump out the window again, just for fun, and Geophry cast hold person on him in midair, causing him to twist his ankle. Lily heard Geophry giggle to him that since Rosebud had broken his leg, didn't that mean Lily needed to put him down? Of course the bard ignored the chair.
Rosebud later discovered his bagpipes were broken, from the fall, and Flimflam decided he needed them to turn them into bagpipes of holding. The pair began fighting over them, and with Geophry acting as Flimflam's mount, they began chasing each other around the Tower. Rosebud used one of his cards from the Deck of Illusions to summon a kobold, which Flimflam chucked a fireball at. Flimflam turned into an air elemental to better chase Rosebud, and grabbed his bag of holding- Rosebud responded by bashing him with his maul.
Mezzem tried to help by casting hold person on Flimflam, but he was an elemental so it didn't do anything. At this point Lily got so fed up with them that he closed up the Tower, and everyone who wasn't in the dungeon was expelled from it. The boys continued fighting outside, without really registering the change of venue, so Lily turned his anger on them and made them stop fighting. When they were done he put the Tower back up.
Then Rosebud asked Flimflam if he could watch him have sex with Mithrilye, which started up the fighting anew. This time Rosebud was invisible for some reason, and Flimflam managed to actually kill him. Lily couldn't see his boy, but thanks to the Tower, he was able to get a general idea of where Rosebud was, and he revived him. Lily then dropped the Tower again to threaten Flimflam, making it clear that he was never to hurt his son again.
Everything was calm after that, and the rest of the day proceeded as usual- and Flimflam never got to hook up with Mithrilye.
***** Marpenoth 16, Chateau Petunia, somewhere outside Neverlight Grove
We decided to leave Amin and Galothel in the Tower again today for more research, and as we were preparing to leave Flimflam blew himself up being a jackass. I don't know the specifics, just that he covered himself so badly in burns that his legs were really screwed up, and had to spend the day in the Tower. For some reason no one was willing to heal him.
As we traveled we came upon a patch of violent fungus, which Rosebud charged and began beating on. Geophry flew up to help his brother, and melted them somehow. I think there may be more to meets the eye with that chair.
We could hear what sounded like a much larger chamber in the tunnel ahead of us, and Stool grew excited, thinking it may be the Grove. Entering the Grove was like walking into a whole new world. The horrors of the Underdark Wilds were left behind the moment we entered the chamber, and we had a panoramic view of the odd, but serenely beautiful forest. Mushrooms of all kinds covered every surface of the Grove, and it was illuminated with bioluminescent mushrooms in brilliantly colorful patterns. On the other side of this forest, the cavern narrowed into a ravine, where we could just make out a huge mushroom tower, but the poor lighting and the swirling mists made it so we couldn't see it clearly. The sight of the tower seemed to confuse Stool, since it wasn't there when he left, and myconids in general don't build structures.
Overall though, our little friend was relieved and ecstatic to be home at long last, and he began giving us a bit of a tour. "Pale cream and beige stalks grew thick and tall, resembling a surface world forest. Fungi grow in profusion everywhere. and it's hard to find anything resembling a path between them. The giant caps of zurkhwood mushrooms obscured our view of the cavern's ceiling, but luminescent fungi there give off a shimmering aura. With each step taken on the soggy ground, a rank scent decay rose around us."*
We saw a pile of decaying Underdark beasts near a group that Stool called the Circle of Hunters- the group he always wanted to join when he got old enough. A large myconid broke off from that group and introduced himself to us as Loobamub, the leader of this Circle. He thanked us for bringing Stool home, and shared in our disappointment of losing Rumpadump when he was so close to home. Loobamub told us to take Stool to see Sovereign Basidia, not Sovereign Phylo- I guess there was an issue with the other Sovereign since he stressed that we not bring Stool to him- and to return to him later; he had a task he needed our assistance with.
As we moved further through this wonderful landscape, we came to what Stool called the Central Basin. "Beyond the mud and mushrooms that spread across the cavern, a large, clear pool sat in the midst of the fungal grove. A central mound seems to be the only dry spot in sight, though a small cliff rose above the cavern floor far across the clearing, with giant mushrooms visible in the distance. Bioluminescent fungi traced strange constellations along the cavern’s ceiling and walls, showing the darkness of the ravine and a mist-shrouded smaller cavern beyond."*
A massive myconid that towered above the others greeted us, "You are safe, friendly softers. You arrive at a wondrous time, for Neverlight Grove is on the verge of something great, something marvelous! Celebrate, as the day of joy is nigh!"* The myconid speaking to us was Sovereign Phylo, the one Loobamub had just told us not to talk to. He was extremely cheerful, which isn't normal for myconids, at least from what I've seen of Stool and Rumpadump. Phylo told us we could stay as long as we wished, and were welcome to explore the Grove, except for the Eastern Plateau. He explained that the Circle of Masters was preparing "a wondrous and glorious surprise"* in the Garden of Welcome, and we couldn't spoil it by going there early. He offered to show it to us tomorrow if we so wished.
Phylo started going on about the Great Seeder, who could answer any of our questions; using "she" and "her" in his descriptions, which was beyond odd, since myconids don't really have any concept of gender. Even Stool seemed uncomfortable around this myconid. He wouldn't actually tell us what this Great Seeder was though, only that was had to experience her for ourselves.
As Phylo was prattling on, another massive myconid came up to join us, introducing himself as Sovereign Basidia- the one Loobamub told us to bring Stool to. Basidia was clearly uncomfortable around Phylo, which it was a little unnerving that even he was disturbed by this myconid, I had thought it was just us not understanding his odd ways. Basidia told Stool to go to Loobamub, and then he sent Phylo off to do something, offering to show us around the Grove.
Once we were alone with Basidia, he began to confide in us. He warned us not to stay in the Grove for too long, because another group of "softers" recently came here, and Phylo took them up to the Garden of Welcome; they were never seen again, and Phylo never mentioned them again. Basidia also told us that for several cycles the Circle of Masters has been acting strangely. They've been taking most of the carcasses gathered by the Hunters, and have been sending groups out of the Grove without telling anybody.
The first place Basidia took us was the Northern Terrace, where we were introduced to Gasbide, the leader of the Circle of Builders. Gasbide started peppering us with questions about buildings and structures, saying he wanted to build a tower that goes all the way to the surface. To shut him up so that we could continue on our way, Lily gave him a book on architecture.
Next we went to the Circle of Growers and were introduced to Hebophe. We gave him the list of herbs that we needed, and he said he'd gather them for us. He didn't really interact with us much, just took down what we needed and said he'd get to work on it.
Basidia told us that he thought Phylo had contracted some sort of diseased spore, probably from the Garden of Welcome. He told us he was afraid to investigate on his own, fearing he'd be afflicted with whatever had affected Phylo. Basidia offered us a scroll in exchange for investigating the garden for him, and hopefully helping him solve whatever was wrong with his counterpart. Of course we said yes, since we always help those in need.
When we arrived at the Circle of Spores, their leader, Yrberop, was dancing to himself. We could faintly hear some internal music through the psychic communication, but not enough to really make out the tune. Yrberop said he wanted to spread the happiness of the Great Seeder throughout the Underdark, and even to the surface.
Basidia next led us to the Circle of Explorers on the Southern Terrace. "These terraces are quiet and calm. The only sounds here are soft, 'ploopy' splashes as water drips from stalactites above onto the caps over sized mushrooms sprouting from mushy earth."* It was peaceful, in an odd sort of way. Rasharoo was the leader of this circle, and we got a general sense of distrust from him. After a moment of conversation though, Rasharoo told us he had escape plans if Basidia was willing to abandon the Grove completely. He even mentioned that he had little nutrient caches hidden in exit tunnels to allow them to escape quickly if need be. Basidia told us he could only trust Rasharoo and Loobamub, that everyone else seemed to have been compromised by whatever had afflicted Phylo.
We asked if either of them had heard of Zuggtmoy, the Demon Queen of Fungus, that we believed to be here, and neither of them had. They told us that the Great Seeder was to be joined with the Great Body- it was the wedding we'd heard rumors of in Blingdenstone.
Eventually we made our way back to Loobamub, where Stool excitedly told us he would be a hunter, just like he'd always wanted. Loobamub asked for our help with a couple of creatures that had been running amok in the wilds lately, a grick and a shambling mound. We agreed to help them, but we first wanted a place to set up our Tower. After getting that taken care of, Lily, Rosebud, Mezzem, Vadania, Roswyn, Geophry, and I went out in search of it. We told the others to be prepared for anything, and which of the leaders were actually trustworthy.
We decided to go for the grick first, and Roswyn got a good idea of where it might be from Loobamub. It sounded like it would be near the shambling mound we'd also been asked to kill, making things easier on us. As we walked, Roswyn carefully scouting for tracks, a mound popped out of the ground and swallowed the scout! It swiped at me too, but thankfully missed me completely.
Roswyn couldn't breathe at all in the mound, and felt herself slowly suffocating. The svirfneblin began trying to wiggle her way out of the beast, a task that was proving even more difficult without being able to draw a breath.
Rosebud growled in anger and began to grow- one of the features of the Dao's maul. Vadania and Barkbeak swooped at it, but the pair missed the mound entirely. I heard Lily finish an incantation and a wall of fire surrounded it- but the fucking thing wasn't burning at all! Lily swore in frustration about it being immune and dropped the spell. We all worked to hack the damned thing to pieces, and after a nasty looking blow from Rosebud, it stopped moving- we think we killed it, though it's hard to tell with something like this.
We all began cutting Roswyn free, praying we'd get to her before reviving her was no longer possible. Once she was free and breathing- that was a close call- Vadania pointed out that the roots of the mound might still be alive. Geophry dropped a sphere of acid on it- and killed Barkbeak in the process! He and Vadania started arguing, while Lily and I began to dig for the roots.
Suddenly a grick burst out of the ground, right behind Rosebud- who instantly swung his maul at it. Roswyn was still sitting on the ground, recovering from the mound, and it went for the easy target she made. Another grick popped up right next to her and grabbed her, spraying us with her blood as it ripped her apart.
Lily summoned his Hand to grab and squeeze one of them- I shuddered briefly at the memory- as Rosebud landed a nasty blow on it; I came in and finished that one off. The other grick was on Mezzem and she dropped it with a bolt of radiance. Suddenly the mound- which Vadania had been right about not being dead- grabbed me and sucked me in, but I managed to take a very deep breath first.
Vadania and Lily both pounced on the mound, hacking into it to save Claire. Mezzem grabbed it and cast inflict wounds- melting it and badly injuring Claire. Searing pain lanced through my body as the mound melted around me, and I was pulled free by my friends. As Mezzem and Vadania set to work healing me, Rosebud began beating the ground into a small crater in his rage about losing Roswyn.
Once he'd vented his anger, he began gathering pieces of her body in hopes that Mezzem could revive her, but she was beyond Mezzem's magics. Instead he asked her to use the body preservation spell she'd used on Stool and Rumpadump on Roswyn's heart, hoping someday he'd be able to bring her back. I guess he cared more about Roswyn than we realized. Poor kid.
We gathered the grick remains and brought them back to Basidia, who gave us a pouch with potions inside. We decided to go rest in the Tower before we looked into the Garden of Welcoming, and found Gasbide measuring the entry hall... Apparently he'd been in there for a while, examining our portable home.
After we had rested for an hour or so, Lily, Rosebud, Mezzem, Vadania, Mithrilye, Flimflam, and I set out to the Garden of Welcoming. I had a feeling the place wasn't as welcoming as the name implied.
"This plateau rose higher than the other terraces. screened by a natural fence of soaring zurkhwood stalks. Muffled murmuring can be heard from atop the plateau."* Already this was more than a little creepy. "The low muttering grew louder as we reached the top, turning into a symphony of moans, cries, and hisses. The only light comes from a few glowing mushrooms along the edge, but even in the gloom, I couldn't miss the source of the sounds. The heads of creatures of a dozen humanoid Underdark races peek from the ground, mold and fungi growing around them.
"One voice called out loudly in Undercommon—a female drow fighting to speak. 'Please for your gods of light, kill me!' She managed to stir within her living grave, raising a spider medallion half-embedded in the bloated growth that was once her hand. Hall her face is rotten and pustulate, a bed for the sprouting of scores of tiny mushrooms. 'The Great Seeder ... trap she's here .,. the Lady of Decay ... Zuggtmoy ...'"*
Before we could do anything, "The moans of the gardens victims suddenly took on at new tone of fear as something moved across the foul ground. A disgusting larval creature rose up before us, showing only vestigial fungal growths that hint that it might once have been a myconid.
“'Welcome, travelers.' The aberrant myconid's voice gurgled and spat as it spoke both aloud and in our minds at once. 'Are you here for the wedding rehearsal? Friends of the bride or her intended? No matter! Let the love of the Great Seeder embrace you as you become one with her chosen. the Great Body!'"*
The Garden seemed to come alive as the planted heads writhed and moaned. Two drow spore servants rose up to flank the larva thing, and two adult myconids rushed in to join its attack on us. I attempted to terrify them all with my Rod- but nothing happened. I suppose I should have expected that, considering how horrifying the scene before me was. Rosebud charged in with Flimflam on his back and hit the former myconid hard- causing a cloud of spores to erupt from the creature, hitting both of them. Flimflam now periodically slips into catatonic states.
One of the creatures charged at Lily, who unleashed a volley of missiles at it. Two came up to Rosebud and spewed spores at him, they were apparently protecting their leader. Mithrilye channeled the sounds of the fight to Lily's blade, at which point he pointed out to her that the effect wasn't terribly useful for him.
Flimflam unleashed his fire breath over Rosebud's shoulder- without hitting Rosebud- killing one of the spore servants and leaving the larva thingy writhing in pain. Vadania and Barkbeak swooped down at one of them, and even though it also got a hit on her, the pair managed to drop the beast. Another one of the damned things spewed spores at Rosebud, and seemed to do something to him, though it wasn't clear what it did. Barkbeak cried in pain as one hit him and Vadania, grappling both of them.
A thick spore cloud was hovering in the air above us now, as the spores these things kept spewing rose. I killed two more of the things, and moved up to the larva's flank to help Rosebud. Rosebud killed another spore thing, instead of going for the larva. Lily swiped his blade at the myconid on him and completely missed- Mithrilye then gave him shit for not protecting the damsel. I reminded her that it's my job as the knight to protect damsels, and she pointed out I don't put out; I said I might if she asked, instead of constantly chasing Flimflam's flaccid member. This probably wasn't the best place to have this conversation, but it made battle a little more interesting. Mithrilye then stabbed the mushroom Lily had missed- the damsel really doesn't need protecting in this matter.
The larva swiped at me and completely missed, and Flimflam used his fire breath to cook the spore cloud out of the air- thankfully it didn't turn into a gas that could harm us more. Geophry had apparently followed us, and the little chair flew in to shoot acid at the myconid attacking Lily.
Vadania and Barkbeak both struggled to get free, but only Barkbeak succeeded- though his success wasn't too great since his rider was still trapped. Mezzem and her spirit blade began stabbing one of the spore things, and I pummeled the larva into nothingness; as soon as it dropped lifeless to the ground, so did all of the little spore things. The only enemies left were the large myconids- one holding Vadania, and the other attacking Lily.
Rosebud charged the myconid on Lily and dropped it. Lily was now free to summon his Hand to start squeezing the one holding Vadania. Mithrilye moved to attack it, and stabbed Vadania instead... Flimflam shot a bolt of fire at it, which apparently loosened its grasp on Vadania enough for her to finally break out. Mezzem sent a pillar of radiant flame at it; Rosebud and I hacked into it, finishing it off.
We heard some movement and noise further in the cavern, and of course we had to investigate it. "Echoes spilled from the misty cavern beyond, a cacophony of wheezing voices that wrapped together like some kind of discordant music. The remaining heads planted in the Garden of Welcome begin to croak and groan, joining the horrible song.
"Through the mist that shrouds the smaller cavern, we saw the parade creatures responsible for the melody. Their bodies are only vaguely humanoid, with clusters of bioluminescent lichen and tumescent growths forming chaotic patterns on their decaying flesh, their voices stabbing into our minds, both insane and gleeful in equal parts:
Sajin Silvertongue, the Deep Gnome Wererat Assassin- got stoned and kissed a pretty Medusa
Thecker Powdercraft, the Deep Gnome Wererat Gunslinger and Inquisitor of Bahamut- retired in Blingdenstone
Topsy and Turvy Goldwhiskers, the Deep Gnome Wererat Rogue Twins- stayed in Blingdenstone
Yklwa, Tali's Deinonychus animal companion- devoured by corbies
Natali, the Tiger Therinthrope Beastmaster- wished herself home
Friendly Fire: 203
Party members killed: 22
Overall party members lost: 32
NOTE: Things will be mostly from Claire's perspective, anything with italics is from a third party, since the knight can't be everywhere at once.
***** Marpenoth 14, 1489 DR (The Year of the Warrior Princess), somewhere outside Neverlight Grove
We decided to leave Amin and Galothel in the Tower for research today, Lily was hoping we'd find something that would help us face Zuggtmoy in one of the long dead wizard's library. I wanted to leave Stool in the Tower with them, since I hate putting the lad in danger, but we needed him to help guide us to the Grove. He said there was a riverbed that marked the path, and once we found that we'd be really close.
For some reason, Rosebud woke up feeling sickly this morning, but Vadania was able to mostly fix it. He was feeling well enough to carry Stool ahead of us to scout out the path.
Before long we'd found the riverbed, which didn't have any water in it, but it looked swampy. We'd have to slide in the mud to cross- yuck. Twyla fell right on her ass, and Lith stumbled, but used her whip to catch herself. Vadania decided to show off by flying over it all. Stool said we needed to go downstream, he could almost hear the other myconids.
We all began moving downstream, when suddenly the ground rumbled and a giant crab burst out of the bed, snapping its enormous claws at Smoothpalm and Twyla. It snipped Twyla's leg so badly that I could tell it was badly broken; she'd need some serious healing time before she could walk again- and to make matter worse, she was stuck in the claw. Smoothpalm had dodged it, and was completely fine. Rosebud charged at the beast and whacked it with his maul, causing hundreds of tiny crabs to swarm out of it, covering him, me, Lith, Stool, Seluna, and Niles- Rosebud looked really messed up after that, he seemed to have taken the bulk of the damage.
Lily tossed one of his beads of force at it, while it dodged, Twyla, Smoothpalm, and a couple hundred of the tiny crabs got stuck in it. They were both swarmed to the point where we saw nothing at first- then a lone hand rose out of the chaos, it was mostly bone, with flesh hanging limply off of it. They wouldn't survive this...
Mithrilye wove her baton in the direction of the bubble, and suddenly the horrible slurping sounds coming from inside of it were swirling around Lily's blade. Vadania flew up to the crab and began hacking at it with her axe, while Roswyn began helping me squash the swarm of crabs that were covering me. Most of them seemed to be dead when we were done, but Flimflam didn't notice, and launched a fireball at us, Mithrilye, Lith, Niles, and Mezzem- Lith and Niles dropped from the jackass's flames. Lith's scales were covered in severe burns and blisters, if she wasn't dead, she was going to kill that insane gnome. At least the fireball got rid of the fucking tiny crabs, but at what cost? Sometimes I think he does more damage to us than our enemies. I looked at the jackass to discover he was naked, again, and a new bag was at his feet; what some people wouldn't give for magic making them randomly naked. I saw Seluna rush to Niles and Lith to revive them, and then felt my flesh knit together as Mezzem healed all of us.
The giant crab grabbed hold of Rosebud and seemed to be trying to snap the halftaur in half, but since he's stronger than Twyla he'd probably be fine. Lily lost it seeing his boy in the crab's clutches and slammed his Hand on top of it. Vadania kept beating on the crab from the air, while I unleashed several blows on the damn thing with my Rod- and it died!
With the large foe dead, Niles ran for the sphere, attempting to break it open. When Mezzem saw what he was doing, she dispelled the magic of the sphere and the crabs swarmed all over herself and Niles- a fresh meal. Lily used his Hand to smack the crabs that were on them, and when it was done Niles was unconscious again. Our healers worked together to revive Niles, Twyla, and Smoothpalm- for a moment I thought Smoothpalm and Twyla weren't savable, but somehow they did it.
Flimflam took the opportunity to cook the crab, and it was delicious. With so many of us so badly injured, Lily dropped the Tower so we could rest and better see to our wounded.
It was to full moon, so Mezzem and Rosebud shifted- thanks to the charm Seluna gave me I was able to stay in my natural form. Rosebud decided it would be funny to make Geophry a werechair, so he bit him. Then he jumped out of the window to demonstrate how hard it is to harm us. Vadania seemed uncomfortable with the entire scene.
***** Marpenoth 15, Chateau Petunia, somewhere outside Neverlight Grove
Rosebud woke feeling sick again this morning, something was wrong with the boy, but nobody seemed to know what.
Since Lith was still in pretty bad shape from Flimflam's fireball, we decided to spend the day in the Tower resting and researching, to let her heal some. I decided to hang out in my room in the dungeon with Stool and Riddle, and just relax. Research isn't really my thing, and there wasn't really anything else for me to do.
Rosebud decided to jump out the window again, just for fun, and Geophry cast hold person on him in midair, causing him to twist his ankle. Lily heard Geophry giggle to him that since Rosebud had broken his leg, didn't that mean Lily needed to put him down? Of course the bard ignored the chair.
Rosebud later discovered his bagpipes were broken, from the fall, and Flimflam decided he needed them to turn them into bagpipes of holding. The pair began fighting over them, and with Geophry acting as Flimflam's mount, they began chasing each other around the Tower. Rosebud used one of his cards from the Deck of Illusions to summon a kobold, which Flimflam chucked a fireball at. Flimflam turned into an air elemental to better chase Rosebud, and grabbed his bag of holding- Rosebud responded by bashing him with his maul.
Mezzem tried to help by casting hold person on Flimflam, but he was an elemental so it didn't do anything. At this point Lily got so fed up with them that he closed up the Tower, and everyone who wasn't in the dungeon was expelled from it. The boys continued fighting outside, without really registering the change of venue, so Lily turned his anger on them and made them stop fighting. When they were done he put the Tower back up.
Then Rosebud asked Flimflam if he could watch him have sex with Mithrilye, which started up the fighting anew. This time Rosebud was invisible for some reason, and Flimflam managed to actually kill him. Lily couldn't see his boy, but thanks to the Tower, he was able to get a general idea of where Rosebud was, and he revived him. Lily then dropped the Tower again to threaten Flimflam, making it clear that he was never to hurt his son again.
Everything was calm after that, and the rest of the day proceeded as usual- and Flimflam never got to hook up with Mithrilye.
***** Marpenoth 16, Chateau Petunia, somewhere outside Neverlight Grove
We decided to leave Amin and Galothel in the Tower again today for more research, and as we were preparing to leave Flimflam blew himself up being a jackass. I don't know the specifics, just that he covered himself so badly in burns that his legs were really screwed up, and had to spend the day in the Tower. For some reason no one was willing to heal him.
As we traveled we came upon a patch of violent fungus, which Rosebud charged and began beating on. Geophry flew up to help his brother, and melted them somehow. I think there may be more to meets the eye with that chair.
We could hear what sounded like a much larger chamber in the tunnel ahead of us, and Stool grew excited, thinking it may be the Grove. Entering the Grove was like walking into a whole new world. The horrors of the Underdark Wilds were left behind the moment we entered the chamber, and we had a panoramic view of the odd, but serenely beautiful forest. Mushrooms of all kinds covered every surface of the Grove, and it was illuminated with bioluminescent mushrooms in brilliantly colorful patterns. On the other side of this forest, the cavern narrowed into a ravine, where we could just make out a huge mushroom tower, but the poor lighting and the swirling mists made it so we couldn't see it clearly. The sight of the tower seemed to confuse Stool, since it wasn't there when he left, and myconids in general don't build structures.
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| Photo from Out of the Abyss Adventure Module by Wizards of the Coast |
Overall though, our little friend was relieved and ecstatic to be home at long last, and he began giving us a bit of a tour. "Pale cream and beige stalks grew thick and tall, resembling a surface world forest. Fungi grow in profusion everywhere. and it's hard to find anything resembling a path between them. The giant caps of zurkhwood mushrooms obscured our view of the cavern's ceiling, but luminescent fungi there give off a shimmering aura. With each step taken on the soggy ground, a rank scent decay rose around us."*
We saw a pile of decaying Underdark beasts near a group that Stool called the Circle of Hunters- the group he always wanted to join when he got old enough. A large myconid broke off from that group and introduced himself to us as Loobamub, the leader of this Circle. He thanked us for bringing Stool home, and shared in our disappointment of losing Rumpadump when he was so close to home. Loobamub told us to take Stool to see Sovereign Basidia, not Sovereign Phylo- I guess there was an issue with the other Sovereign since he stressed that we not bring Stool to him- and to return to him later; he had a task he needed our assistance with.
As we moved further through this wonderful landscape, we came to what Stool called the Central Basin. "Beyond the mud and mushrooms that spread across the cavern, a large, clear pool sat in the midst of the fungal grove. A central mound seems to be the only dry spot in sight, though a small cliff rose above the cavern floor far across the clearing, with giant mushrooms visible in the distance. Bioluminescent fungi traced strange constellations along the cavern’s ceiling and walls, showing the darkness of the ravine and a mist-shrouded smaller cavern beyond."*
A massive myconid that towered above the others greeted us, "You are safe, friendly softers. You arrive at a wondrous time, for Neverlight Grove is on the verge of something great, something marvelous! Celebrate, as the day of joy is nigh!"* The myconid speaking to us was Sovereign Phylo, the one Loobamub had just told us not to talk to. He was extremely cheerful, which isn't normal for myconids, at least from what I've seen of Stool and Rumpadump. Phylo told us we could stay as long as we wished, and were welcome to explore the Grove, except for the Eastern Plateau. He explained that the Circle of Masters was preparing "a wondrous and glorious surprise"* in the Garden of Welcome, and we couldn't spoil it by going there early. He offered to show it to us tomorrow if we so wished.
Phylo started going on about the Great Seeder, who could answer any of our questions; using "she" and "her" in his descriptions, which was beyond odd, since myconids don't really have any concept of gender. Even Stool seemed uncomfortable around this myconid. He wouldn't actually tell us what this Great Seeder was though, only that was had to experience her for ourselves.
As Phylo was prattling on, another massive myconid came up to join us, introducing himself as Sovereign Basidia- the one Loobamub told us to bring Stool to. Basidia was clearly uncomfortable around Phylo, which it was a little unnerving that even he was disturbed by this myconid, I had thought it was just us not understanding his odd ways. Basidia told Stool to go to Loobamub, and then he sent Phylo off to do something, offering to show us around the Grove.
Once we were alone with Basidia, he began to confide in us. He warned us not to stay in the Grove for too long, because another group of "softers" recently came here, and Phylo took them up to the Garden of Welcome; they were never seen again, and Phylo never mentioned them again. Basidia also told us that for several cycles the Circle of Masters has been acting strangely. They've been taking most of the carcasses gathered by the Hunters, and have been sending groups out of the Grove without telling anybody.
The first place Basidia took us was the Northern Terrace, where we were introduced to Gasbide, the leader of the Circle of Builders. Gasbide started peppering us with questions about buildings and structures, saying he wanted to build a tower that goes all the way to the surface. To shut him up so that we could continue on our way, Lily gave him a book on architecture.
Next we went to the Circle of Growers and were introduced to Hebophe. We gave him the list of herbs that we needed, and he said he'd gather them for us. He didn't really interact with us much, just took down what we needed and said he'd get to work on it.
Basidia told us that he thought Phylo had contracted some sort of diseased spore, probably from the Garden of Welcome. He told us he was afraid to investigate on his own, fearing he'd be afflicted with whatever had affected Phylo. Basidia offered us a scroll in exchange for investigating the garden for him, and hopefully helping him solve whatever was wrong with his counterpart. Of course we said yes, since we always help those in need.
When we arrived at the Circle of Spores, their leader, Yrberop, was dancing to himself. We could faintly hear some internal music through the psychic communication, but not enough to really make out the tune. Yrberop said he wanted to spread the happiness of the Great Seeder throughout the Underdark, and even to the surface.
Basidia next led us to the Circle of Explorers on the Southern Terrace. "These terraces are quiet and calm. The only sounds here are soft, 'ploopy' splashes as water drips from stalactites above onto the caps over sized mushrooms sprouting from mushy earth."* It was peaceful, in an odd sort of way. Rasharoo was the leader of this circle, and we got a general sense of distrust from him. After a moment of conversation though, Rasharoo told us he had escape plans if Basidia was willing to abandon the Grove completely. He even mentioned that he had little nutrient caches hidden in exit tunnels to allow them to escape quickly if need be. Basidia told us he could only trust Rasharoo and Loobamub, that everyone else seemed to have been compromised by whatever had afflicted Phylo.
We asked if either of them had heard of Zuggtmoy, the Demon Queen of Fungus, that we believed to be here, and neither of them had. They told us that the Great Seeder was to be joined with the Great Body- it was the wedding we'd heard rumors of in Blingdenstone.
Eventually we made our way back to Loobamub, where Stool excitedly told us he would be a hunter, just like he'd always wanted. Loobamub asked for our help with a couple of creatures that had been running amok in the wilds lately, a grick and a shambling mound. We agreed to help them, but we first wanted a place to set up our Tower. After getting that taken care of, Lily, Rosebud, Mezzem, Vadania, Roswyn, Geophry, and I went out in search of it. We told the others to be prepared for anything, and which of the leaders were actually trustworthy.
We decided to go for the grick first, and Roswyn got a good idea of where it might be from Loobamub. It sounded like it would be near the shambling mound we'd also been asked to kill, making things easier on us. As we walked, Roswyn carefully scouting for tracks, a mound popped out of the ground and swallowed the scout! It swiped at me too, but thankfully missed me completely.
Roswyn couldn't breathe at all in the mound, and felt herself slowly suffocating. The svirfneblin began trying to wiggle her way out of the beast, a task that was proving even more difficult without being able to draw a breath.
Rosebud growled in anger and began to grow- one of the features of the Dao's maul. Vadania and Barkbeak swooped at it, but the pair missed the mound entirely. I heard Lily finish an incantation and a wall of fire surrounded it- but the fucking thing wasn't burning at all! Lily swore in frustration about it being immune and dropped the spell. We all worked to hack the damned thing to pieces, and after a nasty looking blow from Rosebud, it stopped moving- we think we killed it, though it's hard to tell with something like this.
We all began cutting Roswyn free, praying we'd get to her before reviving her was no longer possible. Once she was free and breathing- that was a close call- Vadania pointed out that the roots of the mound might still be alive. Geophry dropped a sphere of acid on it- and killed Barkbeak in the process! He and Vadania started arguing, while Lily and I began to dig for the roots.
Suddenly a grick burst out of the ground, right behind Rosebud- who instantly swung his maul at it. Roswyn was still sitting on the ground, recovering from the mound, and it went for the easy target she made. Another grick popped up right next to her and grabbed her, spraying us with her blood as it ripped her apart.
Lily summoned his Hand to grab and squeeze one of them- I shuddered briefly at the memory- as Rosebud landed a nasty blow on it; I came in and finished that one off. The other grick was on Mezzem and she dropped it with a bolt of radiance. Suddenly the mound- which Vadania had been right about not being dead- grabbed me and sucked me in, but I managed to take a very deep breath first.
Vadania and Lily both pounced on the mound, hacking into it to save Claire. Mezzem grabbed it and cast inflict wounds- melting it and badly injuring Claire. Searing pain lanced through my body as the mound melted around me, and I was pulled free by my friends. As Mezzem and Vadania set to work healing me, Rosebud began beating the ground into a small crater in his rage about losing Roswyn.
Once he'd vented his anger, he began gathering pieces of her body in hopes that Mezzem could revive her, but she was beyond Mezzem's magics. Instead he asked her to use the body preservation spell she'd used on Stool and Rumpadump on Roswyn's heart, hoping someday he'd be able to bring her back. I guess he cared more about Roswyn than we realized. Poor kid.
We gathered the grick remains and brought them back to Basidia, who gave us a pouch with potions inside. We decided to go rest in the Tower before we looked into the Garden of Welcoming, and found Gasbide measuring the entry hall... Apparently he'd been in there for a while, examining our portable home.
After we had rested for an hour or so, Lily, Rosebud, Mezzem, Vadania, Mithrilye, Flimflam, and I set out to the Garden of Welcoming. I had a feeling the place wasn't as welcoming as the name implied.
"This plateau rose higher than the other terraces. screened by a natural fence of soaring zurkhwood stalks. Muffled murmuring can be heard from atop the plateau."* Already this was more than a little creepy. "The low muttering grew louder as we reached the top, turning into a symphony of moans, cries, and hisses. The only light comes from a few glowing mushrooms along the edge, but even in the gloom, I couldn't miss the source of the sounds. The heads of creatures of a dozen humanoid Underdark races peek from the ground, mold and fungi growing around them.
"One voice called out loudly in Undercommon—a female drow fighting to speak. 'Please for your gods of light, kill me!' She managed to stir within her living grave, raising a spider medallion half-embedded in the bloated growth that was once her hand. Hall her face is rotten and pustulate, a bed for the sprouting of scores of tiny mushrooms. 'The Great Seeder ... trap she's here .,. the Lady of Decay ... Zuggtmoy ...'"*
Before we could do anything, "The moans of the gardens victims suddenly took on at new tone of fear as something moved across the foul ground. A disgusting larval creature rose up before us, showing only vestigial fungal growths that hint that it might once have been a myconid.
“'Welcome, travelers.' The aberrant myconid's voice gurgled and spat as it spoke both aloud and in our minds at once. 'Are you here for the wedding rehearsal? Friends of the bride or her intended? No matter! Let the love of the Great Seeder embrace you as you become one with her chosen. the Great Body!'"*
The Garden seemed to come alive as the planted heads writhed and moaned. Two drow spore servants rose up to flank the larva thing, and two adult myconids rushed in to join its attack on us. I attempted to terrify them all with my Rod- but nothing happened. I suppose I should have expected that, considering how horrifying the scene before me was. Rosebud charged in with Flimflam on his back and hit the former myconid hard- causing a cloud of spores to erupt from the creature, hitting both of them. Flimflam now periodically slips into catatonic states.
One of the creatures charged at Lily, who unleashed a volley of missiles at it. Two came up to Rosebud and spewed spores at him, they were apparently protecting their leader. Mithrilye channeled the sounds of the fight to Lily's blade, at which point he pointed out to her that the effect wasn't terribly useful for him.
Flimflam unleashed his fire breath over Rosebud's shoulder- without hitting Rosebud- killing one of the spore servants and leaving the larva thingy writhing in pain. Vadania and Barkbeak swooped down at one of them, and even though it also got a hit on her, the pair managed to drop the beast. Another one of the damned things spewed spores at Rosebud, and seemed to do something to him, though it wasn't clear what it did. Barkbeak cried in pain as one hit him and Vadania, grappling both of them.
A thick spore cloud was hovering in the air above us now, as the spores these things kept spewing rose. I killed two more of the things, and moved up to the larva's flank to help Rosebud. Rosebud killed another spore thing, instead of going for the larva. Lily swiped his blade at the myconid on him and completely missed- Mithrilye then gave him shit for not protecting the damsel. I reminded her that it's my job as the knight to protect damsels, and she pointed out I don't put out; I said I might if she asked, instead of constantly chasing Flimflam's flaccid member. This probably wasn't the best place to have this conversation, but it made battle a little more interesting. Mithrilye then stabbed the mushroom Lily had missed- the damsel really doesn't need protecting in this matter.
The larva swiped at me and completely missed, and Flimflam used his fire breath to cook the spore cloud out of the air- thankfully it didn't turn into a gas that could harm us more. Geophry had apparently followed us, and the little chair flew in to shoot acid at the myconid attacking Lily.
Vadania and Barkbeak both struggled to get free, but only Barkbeak succeeded- though his success wasn't too great since his rider was still trapped. Mezzem and her spirit blade began stabbing one of the spore things, and I pummeled the larva into nothingness; as soon as it dropped lifeless to the ground, so did all of the little spore things. The only enemies left were the large myconids- one holding Vadania, and the other attacking Lily.
Rosebud charged the myconid on Lily and dropped it. Lily was now free to summon his Hand to start squeezing the one holding Vadania. Mithrilye moved to attack it, and stabbed Vadania instead... Flimflam shot a bolt of fire at it, which apparently loosened its grasp on Vadania enough for her to finally break out. Mezzem sent a pillar of radiant flame at it; Rosebud and I hacked into it, finishing it off.
We heard some movement and noise further in the cavern, and of course we had to investigate it. "Echoes spilled from the misty cavern beyond, a cacophony of wheezing voices that wrapped together like some kind of discordant music. The remaining heads planted in the Garden of Welcome begin to croak and groan, joining the horrible song.
"Through the mist that shrouds the smaller cavern, we saw the parade creatures responsible for the melody. Their bodies are only vaguely humanoid, with clusters of bioluminescent lichen and tumescent growths forming chaotic patterns on their decaying flesh, their voices stabbing into our minds, both insane and gleeful in equal parts:
"From rocky bed the toadstool rose,
From chaos dark, her love She shows.
Wish! Yearn! Laugh!
The Lady will be wed!
Crave! Hunger! Dance!
Her joyous spores will spread!
Youth is gone, beauty rots,
Araumycos and Zuggtmoy!
Joined together, heart to heart,
Becoming one ‘til death do part!
Hail! Hail! Hail!"*
The creatures looked like they were humanoids at one point, twelve that seemed to be bridesmaids, and another six that resembled chamberlains. They were conducting some obscene ritual that seemed to be modeled after a wedding ceremony. All of them made their way back to the head garden we'd just walked out of, apparently continuing the mock ceremony there. Three spore servants appeared and grabbed the larva's corpse, moving it like a puppet to enact the role of a priest.
Lily offered to perform the ceremony, but the creatures seemed to be off in their own little world, completely oblivious to our presence. He ordered Rosebud to attack them for ignoring his momma, but before he could, we had one of the most bizarre visions I've ever seen.
"The tableau of the muck wedding was replaced by a vision of the inside of a great tower. Spiraling stairs and balconies are carved into its walls, with the interior lit by phosphorescent patches of mold growing in whorls. In the center of the open space floats a humanoid figure, womanlike in form, but made entirely of fungi and mold. She is easily three times the height of the fungal bridesmaids that move up and down the spiraling stairs, tending to their giant mistress. They croon a strange, soothing song as they weave the substance of the giant figure into delicate lichen veils and a long, mycelium train like a bridal gown."*
When the vision ended, the ceremony seemed to end with it, and the wedding party turned to start filing back into the fungal tower.
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| Photo from Out of the Abyss Adventure Module by Wizards of the Coast |
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| Photo from Out of the Abyss Adventure Module by Wizards of the Coast |
*Author's note: Many of the events, locations and characters that occur in this story are from the Out of the Abyss Adventure Module by Wizards of the Coast. Anything with an asterisk next to it is a quote from the book.
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