Chapter 4, Part II: Between a Rock and a Dark Place

Zara Trouble

    Written by Sean

GUESS WHO'S BACK FYNALI!!!

If you guessed "Fynal's Favorite Raccoon, Trouble" you would be correct! It's been a bit since partner Zara and I were out in the field but since the buff angry rabbit guy, Pooie is gonna take a little vacation with the nice lady who sings good, we're back in action! The rest of the team filled us in on what we missed.

The team were in the creepy place under the tree cuz Pooie's girlfriend has a necklace that she can't take off which has everyone all freaked out for some reason and cuz Pooie and nice short lady, Wix lost their cool god powers. They went through the first level where they did the trial for Nihm. They had to do a conga line through waves of mud, fight dirt monsters, fight rock monsters, and then they got to talk to some massive turtle with trees and mountains on its shell! I swear, we miss all the cool stuff.

They didn't get everything they wanted but when they talked to Grey, he said he can talk to the gods easier so Pooie sat in a dark corner or something then he died? I don't know, it was really weird. I guess he talked to a god's kid and argued with them till they gave him his powers back. His girlfriend started singing to him cus she was freaked out cuz he like died or something but jerks like him never stay dead.

The team wanted to pop into Platinum city for something but when we got there, there were a lotta people gathered to watch this tiefling lady giving a really long and boring speech about progress and was trash talking the last leader of Platinum city. The team got pretty mad hearing her talk and I don't blame them, she seemed like a real jerk. But that's all I've got for now and I'll report back with more updates on our epic adventure! Trouble, signing off!

Rix

   Written by MC

Morgan got eaten!!! Oh noo!

She tasted bad apparently. Big baddie xorn spit her out.

Now it's earth elementals. They are connected by weird lines of light. As we kill ones at the beginning of the line, the rest get less powerful. We take them down one by one.

As the last one dies, Theo sticks it with the essence extractor. He gets a Robust Essence.

Back to the lobby. Something in the air. Something is whispering to us. In the middle of the clay plate in the middle of the room, there is a portal forming. We hear a voice, "You have proven your worth to face the final trial of this floor. Enter my domain and prove yourselves." Then we get healed and we get half our abilities back. Thanks Nihm! Or whoever.

Now we're in the desert. We head towards a mountain. A different voice than lobby room voice. It's older. Nihm grouped the pebbles to make rocks, grouped rocks to make stones and boulders and hills, grouped hills to make massive mountains. Then the mountain decided there were too many mountains so Nihm moved them. One mountain was left behind all alone in the desert. Sand whittling it down. The mountain was sad. Then Nihm gave it legs. It walked a while and then burrowed into the sand. Spriggit gave the mountain some greenery and wildlife so it would never be alone. Then the mountain we can see shakes, and the sand begins to drain from our feet, and we are on rocky sandstone. Now it's a turtle mountain.

Theo doesn't attack it, so none of us are attacking it. Louie can tell that this creature is doing the same thing as us. Not looking for a fight, but ready for a fight if necessary.

Theo messages it, but it can't respond in a language Theo knows, so Theo is going to cast Comprehend Languages. Ziri tries to speak to it in Primordial, but no response. So he just lays down. Morgan starts making flowers grow. Louie climbs up, falls off, climbs back up and lays down.

Ziri does hear a voice coming from inside the shell, and he is inviting us inside. So he does speak Primordial. Ziri tries to teach him about names. He knows trees and rocks and birds and moss. We go inside. It's very dark and empty. It feels like we're walking for miles. Eventually get to a point where we see a glowing circle on the ground. Orange circle, symbol of Nihm. Ziri touches the symbol of Nihm. The feeling of warmth and home swells up in Ziri's body. Moment of "I'm home, this feels familiar," a flash of a memory with family or someone you care/cared about. All of us hear a voice through the area. Soft but hardened voice. She says, Blessed, who have faced my titan and won, answer me this one last question. Who am I? And what is this world without me?

The warmth went out really quickly. Shining light coming from above. It slowly descends upon Ziri and as it hits his head, it feels like a mother kissing Ziri's forehead. The warmth comes back 100x stronger. Very faint, "Thank you. You're going to be great."

Clay plate reveals a staircase down. We did it! Ziri is very moved. We go back up to the first floor. Ziri asks if Gray is able to help Miku now. Gray says he feels a little stronger. But he can commune with "them" and might be able to help in a couple different ways. Maybe strong enough to help with my friend's wounds. As in, Rix and Louie's god issues. We need to find an embodiment of our god and bring it to him.

Louie goes into a dark part of the room and prays silently in the darkness for a few minutes. Someone comes and takes his eyes or something. Are you easily distracted? Louie says he can focus when it matters. Oh now his voice has been taken too. Do you still wish to be part of the darkness?

Miku notices that Louie looks a little distressed. She's rushing toward him, but Theo says to wait and let him handle it. Louie puts up his hand and gives her a thumbs up.

"Give me your life." "Fine." Louie falls over, unconscious. Louie's standing up for himself a bit, being like, why are you jerking me around, asshole. Paraphrased.

Miku is getting impatient. But she starts to sing. A new song. It backs up everything Louie is feeling and saying. "You wield the darkness in a way that brings out the best in yourself and the people around you." Louie gains a hit point back and then the pain from his wound gets really sharp and then disappears. Yay! He is connected back to Nocturne! Yay, he still has his eyes!

Nocturne has a lot of children. "Your god's a ho!" says Morgan. My goodness.

Theoria de Regnis Dirus*. Book in PC that needs to be taken to somebody in Azphaleia who can tell us about the Palmeadow swamp situation and maybe help.

The last time Chauncey saw Thanastra, he was looking for a new apprentice. If we see him, we should identify ourselves as quickly as possible. Full zombie vibes? Scary and spooky? More than lich-adjacent. Yikes.

Long rest. On to PC! We are disguised. Park is packed with people. It's Inauguration Day. Gross. Morok* Stone, dwarf in charge of R+D at Brawlmart. He's taking credit for sending the Sentinels away. Oh, but now there are worse Sentinels. Stage slides open and a metal Goliath-sized humanoid robot thing comes out. They can give directions, and make announcements. Non-threatening to all law-abiding citizens.

_{*DM adjustment}

Theodore

    Written by Justin

I come in mid session

We enter the final room of the challenge, bunch of elemental golems

We beat the golems with a lot of damage from everyone else and a lot of Theos from me

We go back the lobby and a portal is opening in the center

Going through the portal we end up in a big desert with red mesas all around, giant mountain

We hear a voice fill the area around us, not the same voice that spoke to us in the lobby, an older voice, a weathered air.

Long ago, when Nihm was shaping Fynali, the pebbles spoke to her, Nihm grouped them up to create the rocks, the rocks wanted to be with the other rocks, they made landscapes and boulders and hills. The hills wanted to be with other hills. Grouped to form mountains. The mountains decided there were too many, asked to be moved. One mountain forgot to speak up, was left behind, all alone in the desert. No protection from the ferocious chipping away at the slope. Nihm saw the mountain crying out in pain, blessed it with a body of its own so it could walk where it wanted. Walked toward the ocean, suddenly it stopped and buried itself in the sand. Mountain didn't want to go, family and friends have left,, I am all alone. Nihm asked Sprigit to bless the mountain with lush greenery and wildlife. The mountain begins to shake, sand begins to drain, find ourselves on rocky sandstone, the mountain stands and it's a giant turtle with a mountain on its back.

We are trying to befriend the turtle rather than fight it

Tiziri is getting along with it, I cast comprehend languages so I can understand it too

We enter the head hole

As we enter we haven't heard the tortoise, we approach a room with a glowing symbol of Nihm on the floor

Tiziri touches the symbol, a feeling of warmth and home swells up in their body and it radiates to the rest of us

We hear a voice, she says, blessed, who have faced my titan and won, answer me this one last question. Who am I and what is this world without me?

Tiziri talks about how Nihm is home and protection and without her we would have no family or anything

The warmth briefly leaves and a shining light comes down and touches Tiziri, and the warmth comes back 100x stronger. "Thank you, you're gonna be great"

WE DID IT, Nihm floor cleared, a staircase opens and the next floor opens

We leave and return to the entranceway

Tiziri asks Gray if there is any assistance is available now that we've cleared the one floor

He isn't strong enough yet to help with the necklace, but might be strong enough now to help with your friend's wounds

Louie going through it trying to get his power back, they're taking his eyes??? And his voice??? They want his arms and legs?? And now his life??

We can also go through this process to switch deities

PURCHASE VIALS

Talk to Chauncey about necromancy and Thanastra. Thanastra was looking for his next apprentice last Chauncey saw him 15 years ago. IF we come across him, identify ourselves as quickly as possible

Thanastra is a lich maybe?

Long rest -> Platinum CIty

We are in the park outside the citadel. There is some sort of event going on

Veruna is giving her victory speech

"Well developed and immediately deployable plan to make this city as safe as possible"

Morok Stone, head of RnD at Brawlmart, to talk about the plan (Dwarf)

There's a new type of automaton