Session Report #3 11/21/2023
The party consists of 3 PCs Druisten Chainbreaker, Gwydion the Mendicant Monk who prosletyzes animals, and Rurik who had his Brythonic name stolen from him. With them are the two thegns Gwynith and Aymeri and the druidic agent Conar.
The party once more seeks to discover the fate of the lost druids of Albann this time by venturing into the Moerheb Weald a sprawling dense forest along the way Gwynod hopes to find an unnamed monastery he has heard of where the first saint of Albann is rumored to be interred. Before venturing out they decide to spend some time hunting. Using the Hunting Rules I made the players rolled a double trophy animal bear. So I just had Ylmo travelling through the area and hit their snare. This lead to the first boast of the night. Not wanting to antagonize the bear Rurik boasted
I will free the paw of this bear from it's trap
Thus we had him diving in and tanking an attack from Ylmo which he took on his shield shattering it then laying in front of the bear he promptly pried open the trap and Ylmo on a good reaction roll decided to flee into the woods instead of ripping his head off.
Outside that the party leaves animals with Atiq the sorcerer of Diserth who they find in the stables alongside several animals holding a container with smoke coming out of it that smelled heavily of fecal matter. He quickly agrees to watch the animals and the group sets off bringing just a mule, a well trained hound and a single chicken.
They go south and it is slow going even following the river and in two days all they have seen is some deer and squirrels. Gwydion decides to seek help in finding what he seeks. With a handful of seeds and nuts he calls out to a red squirrel and asks it to show him the way to a ruined old building (Gwydion has gained the ability to speak to animals by forsaking boasting). The squirrel rolling a max reaction roll happily shoves it's cheeks full of seeds and runs off south east across the river leading the party in that direction.
Losing the squirrel after some distance they rest for the night after crossing a river and then climb a tree. Despite seeing what seems to be smoke from a village to the north east they decide to keep going South East in the direction they saw the squirrel go and are soon rewarded by finding an L shaped building a tower at one end the dilapidated old walls seemingly held up by the ivy with black and yellow flowers that covers it.
Going around the building they discover the front door has a skeleton nailed to it a large sunflower blooming from it's right eye and ivy pouring from its mouth.
This understandably was very bad vibes and Druisten climbs the ivy to the roof to try to get a glimpse inside. Through a hole in the roof he sees that the inside is ruined. Spores and pollen fill the air and leaves cover the ground with things scurrying throughout them.
This encourages them to go in and they soon discover in the dim light a small figure twitching on the ground. Lighting a torch for better light they see it is the body of the fat little red squirrel jaw broken a desiccated human tongue forcing itself into the creatures mouth. In revulsion they rescue the squirrels corpse and grind the tongue into the ground before seeing dozens more of these tongues crawling across the floor.
At this time they came to another realization as one of their hirelings crumple to the ground suddenly falling asleep. The pollen is putting them to sleep. Some amazing saving throws are made though and they manage to save the entire group even as the tongues crawl for the few that fall.
Deciding this day is a wash they go about a mile away and camp out for the night before hunting for two days successfully bagging a single deer then returning in the morning after an encounter with a group of 5 including a child of about 8 years of age who says they are from Cenwy. They invite the party to visit in the future but they split ways.
This time entering the ruined building they toss the deers head on the ground and watch as the tongues enter its mouth moving its jaws as though trying to form words.
Druisten in a bid to know what they want to say places one tongue in his mouth which promptly tries to tear out his tongue dealing significant damage before he manages to tear the intruder free and throw it aside.
From there they progress deeper into the monestary finding an alter at the far end on it a man lying asleep and nude the barest remains of threads of reds and purples stretched across him all but rotten away. On his brow is a crown of gold and fine rubies. Words are inscribed upon it. Gwydion who reads Latin goes to try to read it but is unable to when Conar reads it for them as it is written in Ghomish the ancient tongue of the druids.
“THE HAND TURNS TO STRIKE ITSELF IT CAN ONLY BE SAID WE HAVE WAITED WHILST ALBANN IS CAST IN A NET OF ROADS AND CROSSES. THE FIRST TAKEN, THE LAST AND THE MARTYR OF ONTHLOUG HENCEFORTH.”
Not knowing what this means some players assess old player journals from previous players and find this passage.
We sacrifice the Ogre's tongue to Onthlough in a ritual to petition for unnatural rest so we are not exhausted by making it into a stew. Locke doesn't eat it, he's a picky eater. Shepherd does though and he feels Onthlough, the god of teeth and tongue, lick away the exhaustion from his body. He feels a need to collect all the tongues he can get and carry them with him.
This leaves Gwydion convinced that this man before them is the first Roman to set foot on Albann, he who crowned himself King and Saint and brought Christendom to this land.
Druisten not trusting this situation decides to slay the sleeping man before he can be a danger and goes to cleave his head off with a single blow. As his axe falls and hits the neck the left eye of the man pops open a glowing light emanating forth. His mouth opens and 8 tongues roll forth. His limbs stretch and crack and groan as he crawls forward like a mockery of a hound. A howl comes from stretched jaws and he strikes forth at Druisten and a battle is had.
Here is where 2 players made boasts.
Druisten
I will claim the crown from his head.
Rurik
I will claim one of the tongues of this beast.
The battle progresses several blows landing but few doing damage. A tongue lashes forward and grabs ahold of Druisten and others lash out shattering shields of Aymeri and Gwynyth but Druisten cleaves the tongue that grabs him and then decides to go after the crown grabbing it and then turning to run.
Losing initiative the Martyr of Onthloug goes after the one who dares to steal its crown and all 4 of its attacks go at Druisten. 3 land and deal enough damage that the already injured Druisten is torn to shreds. Conar hating this creature decides not to flee as the rest of the group runs and he too falls to the Martyrs assault.
The party flees back to Diserth and that is where they rest. Finding Atiq and all the horses asleep in the stables when they arrive. The group recuperates and Lewis the player of Druisten decides he will play as his thegn Aymeri who was saved from Frankish press gangs by Druisten several months past.
Druisten died a 7 boast character.