Guardians of the Grove - Recap 03/16/23

A Path Lies Ahead of You

The Guardians take on the Yeth hounds and come out on top with careful teamwork and precision. Amidst the chaos, they lose track of Corvus, who appears as an intangible object in front of the main hall. Unable to touch or communicate, they watch as Corvus attempts to pry one of his divine blades from his hand and watch as he slowly appears drained of life and submerged in a pool of blood. As the group panics and struggles to devise a way to save him, they watch as he is submerged to the point where no person can survive for the length he has been under. His body fades, and Wulf angrily insists the group moves forward to finish this fight. With no time to grieve, they move forward.

                            Reap/Sow 

Corvus wakes up floating above the Astral Sea and hears familiar voices; they discuss his actions since Banishing Kovish and the choices he has made thus far. Does Corvus seek redemption, something sinister, or maybe nothing at all? He is presented with a clear path for a TRUE champion of the goddesses, save Mira, whose soul still resides in him, and right a wrong committed long ago. In doing so, he faces the past he has been running from and become free of the shackles that bind him to it.

Elsewhere but Somewhere The surviving Guardians head towards the town hall, entering what appears to be nothing as it once was in the eyes of Wulf. Blood can sense that Mira is indeed close but underground. The group travels deeper into the hall and is ambushed by giant spiders capable of phase shift into another plane upon every attack. Through careful tactics and happy accidents, the group is able to make quick work of the enemy and start feeling the effects of fatigue and guilt. Not knowing what lies ahead, they continue to march forward but for what? Vengeance, guilt, sadness, or anger?

Guardians of the Grove - Recap 03/09/23

 Bugbear Found Six Feet Under! Angry Screams were Heard!

*Boom* *Crash* *Pow* *Explosions*       The Guardians continue their encounter with Mira; backs against the wall, they pull out every possible move to tip the scales. Mira, also a competent enemy, taps into her inner power and continuously transforms into her elemental forms and frankly tears through the Guardians. Blood is almost burned to death, Eltuire is almost cut to pieces, and Wulf is literally buried alive! Not knowing how to quit, the Guardians twist every possible resource to change fate (12 cards🃏 ), even summoning a friendly elephant who tramples the enemy before fleeing the battle. Just as the battle reaches its climax, Mira escapes in her elemental form, El runs out of steam before being able to chase her, and Wulf furiously decapitates the remaining enemies.

                                                        Why Can’t We Just Get Along!

Blood insists that the group falls back and tactically retreats from the situation. However, whether it be their impulsive behavior, some unknown corruption, or the need to “end this.” The group pursues Mira to the town of Fallenton. The town appears frozen and deserted; the group approach Mira’s shop but cannot enter it through familiar means. As they inspect the town further, the group suffers from some serious effects unknown to each other. Wulf appears MORE aggressive, Blood chases ghosts, Corvus turns to booze, and El helps herself to what's hers. At the same time, Atheya watches them in confusion. Wulf frantically searches for Mira, Corvus’ sudden craving leaves him incapacitated, and Blood sees Fennec and gives chase. The group is able to approach the main hall while Blood shoots at nothing. The Guardians begin to argue with each other about where to go and what to do next.

Amidst the chaos, the Guardians find themselves surrounded by hounds with humanoid-like faces. The Hounds howl, and the group find themselves in another threatening situation; with Corvus unconscious, Blood distracted, and resources low, their chances of survival look dim. But, they’ve seen worse, right?

Guardians of the Grove - Recap 03/02/23

 👑The Red Queen👑

After traveling in the woods for a while and suffering from some unknown effects of the forest that seems to affect the party’s abilities unbeknownst to them. The group approaches several trees with shining red eyes emitting evocation energy. After several debates to go around or through, El decides to jump into the light “fearlessly,” and nothing happens. The group continues to press on until they find what appears to be the center of the forest, a dead forest pulsating with red vines. The red forest vines, however, attempt to capture the group, but they are able to free themselves. They are then visited by the Red Queen herself and in her new look to boot. The group reminds Mira of who they are, but she appears uninterested and directs them to leave her domain unharmed while she allows it. As they do so, Corvus apologizes for his past errors, trying to make right what went wrong so long ago. Mira approaches Corvus and tells him to come with her.

                                                  Escalation

Mira successfully pulls Corvus under her command to accompany her to an unknown location; as they walk away, Eltuire stops them. This upsets Mira as she engages the group in combat, demonstrating how powerful she has become, causing earthquakes, fire storms, and the ability to summon abominations from the woods to attack the Guardians. Despite the party starting to feel the noticeable effects of the fey corruption on their bodies, they pool together to free Corvus and “stop” Mira, but not without a painful cost.

No “Blood” Left        Mira, feeling attacked in her domain, decides to approach Blood, who has been taking shots from a distance. She immediately crushes him and leaves him unconscious and dying. Able to see him go down, Eltuire flies over to help and lets the others know the situation. Corvus instantly arrives to save Blood and engages with Mira once more. However, Atheya is also endangered while being absorbed by one of the abominations summoned by Mira. As the situation worsens by the second, every choice becomes critical to decide the fate of the Guardians.