Session 3-28-09

Maia 10 (afternoon), 23CR -- Merchant's Ward, Sigil:

The six companions are now prepared to leave the exotic confines of the City of Doors and venture forth into the Beastlands in search of the demon-slaying longbow, Thaas.  They depart the Sylvan Glades Inn and head towards the Hive Ward, which is the only one of Sigil's wards they have not yet visited.  Jack chats with the elven barkeep at the Glades before departing and learns that the Hive Ward is a dingy, polluted district frequented by the most desperate and unwholesome denizens of Sigil.  However, the Hive is also home to the Gatehouse Night Market, where everything one could buy in the Grand Bazaar is available (and a few sundry articles that one couldn't).  "For upstanding folk such as yourselves, It's best not to think too hard about where the goods come from, sirrah," says the barkeep.  Jack tips him a few gold coins and reports his findings to the others, and the party is on its way.

The Hive Ward is exactly as the elf described it: dingy, depressing, dark and polluted with arcane byproducts of forbidden experiments.  A greenish, smoky haze of smog hangs over the ward, permeating every pore of the place.  The party easily locates the Night Market, and Acacia peers out from her ninja-garb wrappings to watch out for the astral stalkers known as  Slither and Sledge, or any other would-be assailants who wish her friends harm.  The group is not accosted, though, and soon they find themselves browsing the merchants' stands and tents.  Acacia considers a purchase of some more dragon bile poison from a greasy-haired night hag, but the cackling merchant's prices are too high for her taste, and the hag is rather crude in her assessment of Altaer's looks.  "Heh, heh, heh, I like 'em young," she wheezes, giving the sorcerer an unwelcome "come hither" look.  "Are you related to my grandma?" asks Altaer somewhat naively.  "No, but I'll make you call me mommy," the nasty old bag replies.  Acacia wrinkles her nose and leads the others away.

Nearby, a stinky spriggan with a reddish beard that reaches to his knees calls out: "Hey, you primers!  Wherever you're headed, I've got just what you need.  Sweat bottled from me own 'pits!  It'll throw off pursuit from creatures that use scent to track yas!  Much better than plain ol' catstink!  C'mon, buy a bottle, wont yas?"  Jack seems sympathetic to the odious fey, and he ends up purchasing a bottle, as does Kaelin.  An unknown voice chortles "Suckers!" from across the street as coins change hands.  Ayotunde sticks out her tongue at Jack and Kaelin in disgust.  "If you uncork that bottle anywhere near me, I'm going to vomit," she says, taking a few steps away from them.

Picking their way through the tangled, chaotic mass of the Night Market, the heroes at last find themselves standing before a great ash tree which reaches nearly to the top of Sigil's enclosed ceiling.  As Rule-of-Three said, this tree is the only one that survives amidst the polluted corruption of the Hive Ward.  "About time," says Rockbounder impatiently.  Without delay, the goliath warrior effortlessly leaps onto the lowest branch, which easily holds his weight.  Acacia climbs the wide trunk in a blink, lowering a rope for the others.  They soon follow, and then each adventurer walks to the edge of the low branch, quietly humming the first line of the Hymn to the All-Father.  As they complete the hymn, there is a brief flash of green light as they are transported from Sigil onto the branches of the World Ash, Yggdrassil.

Maia 10, 23CR -- Upon the branches of Yggdrassil:

The six friends find themselves on an enormous branch that sways gently in the breeze.  The branch is over 50 feet in diameter, and sun-dappled shadows cover its thick bark.  All around, the companions hear the sounds of birdsong, the chatter of squirrels, and the buzz of insects.  Ygdrassil veritably teems with life, and from their current perspective its main trunk appears only as a gray-brown cliff a few miles away.  The awesome scope of the World Ash fascinates the six travelers, and they initially spend some time and energy trying to harvest the fist-sized seeds of Yggdrassil from some low-hanging branches.  Several of the party claim seeds for themselves, but the tree seems reluctant to give up too many of its gifts so easily.  They begin the trek towards the main trunk, making good progress and reaching it after about three hours of steady walking.  Rockbounder and Acacia lead the way, as they are both skilled and confident climbers.  With their expert help, the others find that traversing the swaying branches is relatively easy.

Time seems to move strangely on Ygdrassil, but Ayotunde assures the others that they need not fear any drastic time acceleration or deceleration.  Having studied up on the planes at the Library of the Lady, Ayo knows that the day/night cycle on the great tree is somewhat unpredictable, given the generally chaotic nature of the Norse pantheon to which it is linked. As the party nears the trunk, dusk falls and quickly turns to night, and they make camp under a massive outcropping of living bark.  Altaer produces a campfire from his satchel and is surprised to find that the wood of the World Ash will not burn.  Soon a simple meal is prepared, and the heroes unpack their bedrolls and prepare to sleep.  As they nod off, thousands of twinkling stars shine like jewels in the night sky.  They seem to hang tantalizingly close to the branches, perhaps close enough to touch.  Eagerly, Jack reaches out to pluck one from the very sky itself, climbing out to the end of a nearby branch and leaning precariously over to pluck a star-jewel from the sky.  He claims a star on his very first try, and comes away with a bright, glittering stone in his hand.  He soon discovers that this stone sheds a bright light -- equivalent to a daylight spell -- and that it can orbit his head like an ioun stone.  The magic of the stone will last for 30 days.  Acacia leaps up to try and grab one for herself, but it seems only one such stone can be claimed.  As the gnome reaches out to pluck a star from the sky, dawn suddenly breaks and the all the stars wink out of existence.  With a disappointed "Hrmph," Acacia climbs back in her bedroll and joins the others in sleep.

Maia 11, 23 CR -- Yggdrasil

After a pleasant rest, Kaelin's watch is interrupted by the sound of a squirrel-like humanoid scuttling down some makeshift handholds on the trunk near him.  The furry, wide-eyed creature looks like a giant, man-sized flying squirrel, and it wears ornate leather armor adorned with black feathers and carries a spear and a satchel of large nuts and seeds.  "Hello traveller!  Pleased to meet you," it chatters.  "I am Kippenvall, the fireholder of my tribe.  We are ratatosks!  Yes, that is us...squirrelfolk of Ysgard.  We are guides to all good folk on the branches of the great ash."  Kaelin greets Kippenvall warmly, offering some toasted bread and cheese warmed over the dying embers of Altaer's campfire.  The ratatosk eagerly snaps up the treat, snacking away with blinding speed as only a squirrel can do.  "Oh yes... this is crunchy-cheesy good!  So we maybe can help each other, yes yes?"

The others have awakened by this point, and Rockbounder inquires about Kippenvall's title.  "What does it mean, fireholder?" he asks.  "Oh, yes.  This means, Kippenvall can call forth the power of the sun to warm us!  Similar to lady with the seeds in her hair, who worships Earth Mother," he replies, gesturing at Ayo.  "So, you can help me?  Ratatosks very crafty, very clever... but some time ago, a terrible child of Nidhogg, the devouring serpent, climbed up into the silent branches of the Ash.  Its tentacles crush some ratatosks, even Kippenvall's mate, Almveig.  Is alright, though.  We make babies fast-fast, you know?  So Kippenvall is sad, but find another mate soon.  Anyway, where you going?  Some of the ways are blocked by the evil branch-that-walks.  I take you there, you kill evil branch, then all ratatosks call you friend.  We take you anywhere on the great tree you wish to go."

"You can lead us to the Beastlands?" asks Rockbounder, and the ratatosk nods quickly in affirmation.  "Then what are we waiting for?" says the goliath, gathering his gear and bounding away along the branches of the great tree.  The others scramble to follow, and soon they are speeding along after Kippenvall, who uses his gliding patagium to zoom from branch to branch.  The ratatosk guide leads them around the circumference of the trunk towards a branch that seems pock-marked with rot and decay. Unlike most of Yggdrasil's branches, this one seems dead, as though it has been gnawed away from the inside.  "Yes, here it is!  You see, eaten away by Nidhogg's children," exclaims Kippenvall.  He leads the adventurers up and over the rotten branch, directing them down towards its outer ledge away from the trunk.  "If we walk nearer to trunk, the evil branch-that-walks will crush and kill!  Now, you go down, you strong and brave, you kill child of Nidhogg," he chatters.  "I protect you, lady, with sanctuary prayer," and casts the spell on Ayotunde as she climbs down to face the unknown menace, the "branch-that-walks."

As the heroes lower themselves onto the rotten, dead branch, four thick whiplike tendrils snake up from within its hollow core.  They are flexible and strong, seemingly made of some sort of hard iron-like substance.  Two tendrils grab Rockbounder and attempt to pull him towards the trunk, but the goliath is too strong to be held. Acacia cuts him free of one tendril and he shakes off the other.  Kaelin and Jack advance towards the trunk alongside him, with Altaer and Ayo in the rear rank.  Altaer sends a fireball streaking towards the tendrils, but only succeeds in setting fire to some of the rotten, brittle bark of the trunk.  Soon the burning embers begin to crack and fall away, revealing a hollow space within the trunk of Yggdrasil itself.  Just then, a twisted, medium sized gnarled-looking tree creature -- an elder watcher -- emerges from one of the branches.  Acacia slips into the ethereal plane with her ghost step just before it can catch her eye with a baleful glare.  Rockbounder surges forward, cutting into the lichen-encrusted creature and bull rushing it off the side of the branch.  An angry, crackling sound of frustration issues forth from the elder watcher as it tumbles off the side of the World Ash to the branches far below.  Jack sunders two more tentacles that have grappled Kaelin, and then he and the crusader join Rockbounder as the goliath leaps forward, smashing the burning bark of the tree and fully revealing their foe inside the rotten section of the trunk. 

Within, the party catches the first glimpse of their true foe: a twisted, flesh-eating tree with blackish-red blood spots covering its dark green foliage.  A jagged maw of iron teeth gnash in anticipation of the monster tree's next meal, and a pair of all too intelligent red eyes gleam out from the creature's deformed face.  A huge pile of bones lies in the rotten hole that the creature calls home Altaer wisely casts a flat, smooth wall of force across the many holes on the branch, effectively blocking the tentacles from harrassing his friends.  Jack, Rockbounder and Kaelin charge forward to engage the iron-mawed tree, cutting and hacking its woody flesh with their blades.  The goliath strikes the killing blow, his sweeping greatsword causing the evil tree to crack open and spill forth a gout of black-red blood.  Kippenvall chatters triumphantly from his safe perch above the battlefield.  "Yes, yes!  You are mighty heroes, as I thought!  You killed it quick and deadly-like.  Revenge for Almveig and other ratatosk brothers and sisters!" 

Acacia carefully searches the bone-filled warren that was the Ironmaw's home.  The perceptive gnome finds two prize items, both carefully hidden beneath piles of cracked bones.  The first is a heavy mace stained with blood, which gives off a decidedly evil aura when handled.  The second is a finely crafted longsword with Ysgardian runes (unreadable for the moment).  The weapons are carefully packed away for later identification.  Kippenvall presents the party with a small silver whistle.  "Now Kippenvall calls you friend of all ratatosks.  You need only to blow the signal-whistle, and before long I or some other ratatosk brother or sister will appear to guide you along safe paths to Yggdrasil's portals!  When you are leaving here, Kippenvall will spread the story of your battle to all the ratatosk tribes.  This is a great day, for a child of Nidhogg is no more!"

After healing up from the battle, the party follows Kippenvall's trail around the side of the trunk onto one of the lower, wide branches that leads to the Beastlands portal.  No further foes trouble their passage, but they see a mated pair of giant Ysgardian ravens wheeling and turning as they fly amidst the great branches. Within a few short hours, Kippenvall leads the six companions to the far end of the wide branch, where a huge Ysgardian rune glows softly with a yellow-green radiance.  "This one means Beastlands, in language of the All-Father Odin," says the ratatosk.  "Okay!  Now I going, and you going, so when you return, blow the whistle and some ratatosk -- maybe me -- will come and guide you across safe paths.  Thank you for heroic helping!  Kippenvall leaves to share your story with other of my people."  As each adventurer steps on the softly glowing rune, he or she leaves the World Ash behind and arrives in the verdant wilderness of the Beastlands.

Maia 11, 23CR -- The Beastlands

The vast wilderness of the Beastlands is a domain of natural savagery and verdant plenty.  The realm into which the party has entered seems to embody the very spirit of the forest eternal, with enormous oaks, birches, spruces and fir trees thriving everywhere.  Animals of all kinds populate the plane, from majestic and towering dire elk (spotted by Rockbounder, who is familiar with the beasts from his homeland in the Barrier Peaks) to tiny burrowing shrews and moles.  Kaelin is spellbound by the wings of an oversized monarch butterfly flitting past his face, its wingspan measuring at least a foot wide.  Based on their library research, Ayo suggests that the most likely resting place of the longbow Thaas is the deepest layer of the Beastlands, a realm of eternal nighttime known as Karasuthra.  Between Ayo's and Jack's library studies of the plane and Acacia's natural knack for survival in the wilderness, the group soon finds its bearings and heads deeper into the eternal forest.  Griffons fly overhead from time to time, their hawk-like calls piercing the forest canopy. 

The six companions travel for about eight hours, carefully and quietly passing through the deep forest, the sound of their footfalls all but lost amidst the gentle chorus of wilderness sounds.  As the forest thickens, the deciduous trees begin to give way to a moist, jungle-like environment filled with enormous, thick vines.  Rockbounder cuts open a vine and drinks deeply of the thick, sweet sap that flows forth.  The Beastlands are home to many unusual and rare herbal components, and Ayotunde is able to gather a sample of heartwood of venerable oak,  which will allow her to brew two potions of barkskin without the necessary spellcasting prerequisities.  Acacia discovers a patch of rare and sacred dwoemer-poppies, which when brewed into a tea and drunk will allow her to use analyze dwoemer on a single magic item.  Rockbounder spots a recently abandoned beehive hanging in the high branches of a birch tree, and he leaps up to grab his prize: a beastlands honeycomb which, when imbibed, will serve as a cure critical wounds spell.  As they journey onward into the viny jungle, the sound of a rushing river ahead draws their attention.  Before the heroes can spot the source of the rushing water, Acacia hears the unmistakable sound of large, padded feline feet approaching.  She whistles a warning to the others, who loosen their blades and prepare their magic in response.

Five displacer beasts -- emaciated panthers with six legs, blue-black fur and pairs of horny-ridged tentacles -- emerge from the undergrowth of the jungle.  Two of their number are huge, and appear to be the lords of their pack.  They quickly pounce on the party, clawing and ripping with their tentacles, but with Acacia's warning the heroes are prepared with a counterattack of their own.  The three smaller of the beasts are soon bloodied, and Rockbounder faces off alone against one of the pack lords while Altaer calls forth arcs of searing fire to burn the predators.  The fighting attracts the notice of a local denizen of the beastlands, a fey hunter who comes rumbling out of the jungle mounted on his loyal macetail behemoth (ankylosaurus).  "Interlopers begone!" he cries, firing arrows into the party's midst.  Kaelin takes an arrow in the thigh, but he blocks most of the volley with his shield.  Rockbounder cuts down his pack lord with a mighty blow and then leaps in a high arc towards the hunter and his mount.  Jack and Kaelin finish off two of the smaller displacer beasts, and Altaer flash-fries the other pack lord with another burst of flame.  Acacia charges up her dagger with a ghost strike, reaching through the ethereal plane to end the life of the last beast.  The fey hunter, now up close and personal with Jack and Rockbounder, chooses discretion as the better part of valor and spurs his behemoth away.  "Leave him," says the goliath, "He is no longer a worthy challenge."  Jack nods in agreement, and the party holds the field.

The hides of the displacer beasts are valuable enough on their own, but Rockbounder is a skilled tanner and believes he may be able to incorporate some of the hides into a magical cloak.  The late afternoon is quickly passing into dusk, so the group makes camp near the rushing river they heard earlier.  Altaer conjures a campfire and Rockbounder sets to work, carefully skinning the displacer beasts and setting their hides out to cure.  After about two hours of work, the job is nearly complete.  However, heavy footfalls in the direction from which the companions came betray the presence of a frost giant hunting party.  It seems the servants of Arbrozzar have caught up with the fugitives from Oerth.  Three frost giants -- two wielding large greataxes, and a fur-clad shaman armed with a large greatsword -- emerge from the jungle beyond the party's camp, bellowing a combat challenge.

"Slaves!  Arbrozzar has ordered you returned to Icestone Hall.  He does not easily part with such valuable property as you," shouts the shaman, pointing directly at Acacia and Rockbounder.  "Come here and try it," the goliath responds, his giant-forged blade singing in anticipation as he unsheathes it from its resting place on his back.  "We are free, and will never go back," says Acacia, slipping back into silence as she ghost steps into the ethereal plane from the safety of a nearby tree.  The giants charge towards the heroes, but Altaer is ready to burn them with fiery fury.  He unleashes a searing arc of flame and fireball in rapid succession, bloodying one of the giants and getting the shaman's attention as well.  Just then, two familiar figures -- the astral stalkers Slither and Sledge -- appear from hiding, rushing forward to attack the sorcerer.  "Enough of that," hisses Sledge as he savagely cuts into Altaer with his claws.  Slither steps into a flanking position, and the two stalkers drop Altaer to his knees with a series of blows.

Rockbounder shouts with the fury of an avalanche as he leaps into battle, striking hard at his hated foes.  He and the giants trade blows, with the goliath getting the worse of the exchange.  Try as he might, most his blows are just a split second too late.  Ayotunde gets Altaer back on his feat with her healing prayers, but Slither and Sledge turn their wicked attentions to her. Kaelin spins his bastard sword and steps into his iron guard's glare stance, drawing the stalkers' attacks to himself instead.  They are more than happy to oblige the crusader, and cut deeply into his flesh with repeated claw strikes from a flanking position.  Jack stands amidst the melee, dealing out swiping scythe blows after he hits the shaman with an effective voracious dispelling, cutting off the giant from its magical protections.  Acacia glides effortlessly in and out of the ethereal plane, charging up her weapon for repeated ghost strikes against her bewildered foes.  "Where'd that damn gnome get to?" calls one of the axe-wielding giants, just before Altaer burns him to death with another searing arc of flame.

The giants and astral stalkers hit hard and fast, bloodying several of the companions with their relentless attack.  "We'll take you back and make you all Arbrozzar's slaves!" sneers one of the giants.  "DEATH FIRST!!!" shouts Kaelin, enraged. Rockbounder trades parries and thrusts with the frost giant shaman, but then turns his attention towards the beefier astral stalker -- Sledge -- after Altaer scorches the shaman with another burning barrage of fire magic.  The sorcerer's eyes glow like embers as he calls forth his inner fire. Rockbounder leaps towards Sledge, using his eagle's swoop technique and swinging his blade in a wide arc.  Surging forward, he connects with the stalker and knocks his startled, bloodied foe backwards, allowing Kaelin an opening.  The fey crusader swings true, his keen blade taking the head of Sledge, who falls to the ground quite dead.  "Revenge for my brother," hisses Slither, redoubling his attacks on the vulnerable Altaer and Ayo.  Acacia and Jack will have none of that, however, and the two of them combine their attacks against Slither and eventually bring him down.  The unconscious stalker lies bleeding out, and a lone giant remains to face the party.

Jack steps up, spinning his runed scythe in the fading twilight.  "It's over for you, boyo," he cracks, and finishes the fight in gruesome fashion.  Jack's scythe cuts the last giant in half at the waist, and his second swing cleaves the hapless servant of Arbrozzar into four nearly symmetrical bloody pieces. The six gather around the fallen form of Slither, and they drive their blades into the astral stalker simultaneously.  As Arbrozzar's bounty hunter dies, his arcane bracer flashes one last time, and a massive explosion of necromantic death throes envelops the party.  Fortunately, though the blast was painful and debilitating, none of them is killed by it.  After the last of their foes falls, Rockbounder looks on, impressed by his allies' ferocity.  "I now name you 'Flamecaller,' and you, 'Frostsplitter,'" he says to Altaer and Jack, nodding in acknowledgement.  The goliath seems disappointed at his own efforts, and sets his jaw in determination to live up to the high standards of his people and of Kord the Mighty in future battles.

After cleaning their weapons and looting valuable coins and jewelry from their fallen enemies, the group returns to their makeshift camp near the river.  Acacia has enough time to brew the dwoemer-poppy tea, which reveals the longsword she found in the Ironmaw's lair as a valuable and rare sword of the planes.  The blade's enchantment increases depending on the plane in which it is wielded.  As twilight turns to night, the six adventurers have yet to enjoy an extended rest in the Beastlands, and they are now in a somewhat vulnerable position, should additional wandering predators happen upon their camp.  Whatever their first night in the Beastlands may bring, however, they have made significant progress towards the nighttime layer of Karasuthra, the suspected resting place of their objective -- the demon-slaying longbow known as Thaas.

The Threefold Sundering