240917

Yinark exposed and destroyed, but the job is not done

OPEN QUESTIONS

• What is the Crystal Throne and is it controlling Wyllow?
• Do the crystals in the Cloaker Cavern protect against the Crystal Throne's influence? It doesn't really make sense that Wyllow and/or a dragon couldn't handle 3 cloakers.
• Are the poisoned bones in the cave from the green dragon?
• Is the Crystal Throne the Alabaster Throne from Volo's Alabaster Throne Quest?
• Does the Alabaster throne updated flavor text contain a Dwarven connection?
• Does the book Malar, God of the Hunt have any use-value to Mira (or anyone) or is it just a book?

FOR THIS GAME

• REVIEW THE OPEN QUESTIONS

2. LOCAL/MECHANICS
   • Review what we know about the Rescue Wyllow & Find the Alabaster Throne quests.
   • Do we need a Short Rest? YES, JITTERS
   • Are we retreating to the Cloaker Cavern?
   • Finish searching the northern part of the werebat complex.
   • Search the poisoned bones with Detect Magic.
   • Arin attempt Remove Curse on Gimbal
3. MOBAR
   • Question Mobar
4. WYLLOW
   • Find Wyllow
   • Ask for the portal instructions
   • Ask for the lycanthropy cure
   • Question Wyllow

GAME NOTES

It's dusk, and we decide to head north back to the Cloaker Cavern to hopefully escape Wyllow's ability to eavesdrop when we Interrogate_Mobar.

Then we take a SHORT REST.

We investigate Wyllows tower again, and find the door unguarded so Gimbal investigates the door using the Wand of Spying. We see the displacer beast guarding Wyllow who was distressed, & entangled in vines from the Crystal Throne.

We decide to try and save her through direct assault. We are intercepted by the displacer beast who mauls Jitters, but Mira promptly turns it into a box turtle.

Gimbal cuts at some of the vines binding Wyllow to the Crystal Throne. Ceol checks the north door and sees an angry tree-man coming for the door. He is a butler and is very miffed we are not on the visitor's log.

Mira casts Blight on the Crystal Throne's vines but it has no real effect. Ceol grapples the awakened tree, but it breaks free and seems intent on fighting.

Mira performs an inpromptu interrogation:

• Who is the Master?!
  • He will not be pleased!
• Is it Halaster?
  • Pish-posh! Get out of our house!!

Gimbal answers this by setting the tree butler alight with a flaming arrow.

An ancient monster druid comes in behind us and Blights Arin who answers with Wrath of the Storm then Inflict Wounds. Mira casts Infestation then Ceol blasts him with the Spear of Lightning.

Yinark counters with a Wall of Flame that catches Jitters and Ceol. Ceol throws him to the ground in the center of the room, breaking his concentration. Yinark is now Prone & Poisoned and he turns into a brown bear.

Mira also turns into a bear and mauls him to death.

His death does not free Wyllow, and all we find on him is a Wand of Secrets. We look in the rooms behind the throne. While Gimbal tries to cut the vines again with no result:

EXPLORATION of YINARK'S TOWER

• LEVEL 1
  • NORTH - Crystal_Throne Room
  • SOUTH - (unknown)
  • STAIRWELL - A table with dusty objects, some silvered weapons and the +2 Breastplate of Grounding.
• LEVEL 2
  • NORTH - Mezzanine above Level 1. We look down on Yinark to see Wyllow's life being fed to Yinark. Ceol. Ceol removes Yinark from the building. _(Fresco: Dwarves & Elves exchanging gifts)
  • SOUTH - Magically locked door. Arin uses Stone Shape to get into hidden room. We find a Staff of Flowers. A secret door leads to a niche with a wormy chest in it
• LEVEL 3
  • STAIRWELL - Green marble elf warrior statues pine & oak shields. (Fresco: spaceship elves)
  • NORTH - ::horrible smell:: An an ossuary full of skulls with "Y" painted on them, Y is for "Yinark". Jitters finds a secret door to area 6k.
  • SOUTH - Empty room has a Stone Arch similar to the gatehouse portal. At it's base is a graven image of an old man clutching a staff. Yinark?
  • ROOFTOP - 4 giant toads guard a stone device engraved with images of animals and seasons. Some kind of druidic machine with colors for seasons.
    • Arin Calls Lightning on two toads then Ceol finishes them off. Jitters gets swallowed and knocked unconscious, but we finish the final 2 before they can do too much damage to anyone else.

After the defeat of the toads and a futile search for the key on the upper floors, we return to Wyllow

Realizing that we are only partway through our quest to Rescue Wyllow Arin throws the little turtle into the river.

TREASURE

• Wand of Secrets - Jitters from Yinark
• +2 Breastplate of Grounding - Arin from L1 Yinark's Tower
• Silvered Staff 100GP - Ceol from L1 Yinark's Tower to be sold
• Silvered Scimitar Mira from L1 Yinark's Tower
• 20 Silvered Arrows Gimbal from L1 Yinark's Tower
• Staff of Flowers - Mira from Yinark's Tower
• Pair of Sapphire Earrings 500GP - Ceol from wormy chest, Yinark's Tower to be sold
• Matching Armband and Ring of Golden Leaves 250+50GP - Ceol from wormy chest, Yinark's Tower to be sold
• Halaster Xmas Ornament - Ceol from wormy chest, Yinark's Tower

FOES

• 1 Displacer Beast from Yinark's Tower (got turtled)
• 1 Awakened Tree butler from Yinark's Tower
• Yinark from Yinark's Tower
• 4 Giant Toads from Yinark's Tower

SESSION MAP

NEW QUESTIONS

• Does Illuun on 4th Level have the key to the Crystal Throne?
• Seem clear that the "Wyllow" we talked to was Yinark all along?
• Can we manipulate the stone contraption on the roof to somehow help Wyllow?

SYNOPSIS

• A brash assault leads to the discovery that Yinark is the evil here and that we have to pay a visit to Illuun in order to Rescue_Wyllow]

FOR NEXT GAME

1. REVIEW THE OPEN QUESTIONS
2. LOCAL/MECHANICS
   • Reset spells and HP from Long Rest
   • Attempt to Remove Curse on Gimbal
   • Explore ground floor south room in Yinark's tower
   • Perform Arcana check on portal in Yinark's tower
   • Perform Arcana check on the Halaster Xmas Ornament
   • Finish searching the southern part of the werebat complex?
   • Explore western, stone bird / lizard monster area?
3. MOBAR
   • Decide Mobar's fate. He lied by ommission about Yinark
4. WYLLOW
   • Review what we know about 4th Level, its unexplored areas & Illuun

AI Transcript

• AI_240917