Guardians of the Grove - Recap 09/28

 

Where Do We Go From Here?

The Guardians take some time to relax at Nathee’s shop and talk about the next steps. El flexes on Blood that she knows more about Corvus than he does, proving her superiority as usual. Blood and Corvus try to learn more about El, but she politely refuses to share the intimate details of her life. Moving forward, the Guardians explore the town as they make their way to the Divine Pansophical. They discover that their restaurant, the Greasy Unicorn, was shut down due to poor wages. Diego's school is deserted with no teacher, but High High Tea flourishes under Siegurd’s command. Siegurd buys out Atheyas' share and honors her with a founder’s plaque above the customers, never to be forgotten. The heroes finally find their way to divine pansophical and seek assistance from Lady Kieva and additional support through some sending-like magic to the Divine.

Discovery

Fennec's staff is called the Soul Siphon, crafted by the fallen god Bazozan; it can hold up to 100 souls and possesses powerful necromantic magic. The staff currently holds two souls, one being Diego, most likely, but the other is unclear. The souls contained are fractured and trapped inside, unable to pass on. The only way to restore Diego’s soul is to bring the fractured pieces to Valora and have them restored, which means traveling to the Astral Sea.  Current Options: A deal with the Withered One (known only to Wulf) Using Astral Projection to travel the Astral Sea Seeking a powerful Illithid or Gith to guide us through the Astral Sea to the Divine Gate.  The visit also reveals that the ring must be brought directly to the city of Alya on the Ulvari Coast, where the Divine Phineas will guide how to destroy the ring and the soul inside.

Home Visit

Making their way back home and preparing for the long trip ahead, the group tries to decide again on what to do next. Their patron then visits them, the silver dragon Vaughn. He asks them to don their wings and fly with him, providing a brief moment for them to answer some questions. As the wing power runs out, Eltuire pleads with Vaughn to provide just a little more guidance as the group is in dire need of some. Vaughn returns to the Villa to continue the conversation, warning them of the trials ahead if they should choose to travel to the Astral Sea, as he has heard of a towering creature called the Astral Dreadnaught that can sever the strings from an Astral Projection spell. The best way would be to seek out a Gith or Illthid to guide the Guardians through the sea. Before Vaughn takes off, he is curious to hear from Wulf…….

Guardians of the Grove - Recap 07/13-09/28

 

Master No More

The Guardians are able to dispatch the purple worms and salvage a stinger and some poison for the approaching battle with the Master. When they return to Warcester, they find the town bakery wrecked and Scrum dead, or at least they believe so until it is revealed to be an expertly baked cake replica. Scrum reveals himself and the news of Dante’s hunt for the Guardians. The Guardians are surrounded by Dante’s forces, who burn the bakery with heroes inside. After an unsuccessful escape attempt, the group confronts Dante and his elite guard. As the battle intensifies, the Guardians receive a message from Oval that the Master has nearly arrived. The Guardians manage to pull off some quick shenanigans and escape toward the Master. They prepare the best they can and make their way into Oval’s Oddities through the front instead of the agreed-upon sky route.

Planned so Much; HE Planned Better

The group decides to pretend Wulf is captured and lock him up with special cuffs (red flag #1). Blood takes Atheya and Corvus into a rope trick to hide their presence (red flag #2). Eltuire stays behind to receive protection magic against the Master when he arrives (red flag# 3). Finally, the trap is set, and the Master finally makes his move in an attempt to feeblemind Eltuire. She is able to resist, and the battle begins. Blood, Atheya, and Corvus struggle to free themselves from a Forcecage spell, and Wulf frees himself and Niru from their cage. Eltuire does her best to buy some time and sacrifices Whiplash to weaken the Master for the Guardians to make their move and strike the Master down. In retaliation, the Master strikes down Corvus with a Power Word Kill spell. After a few seconds, the group reacts quickly to buy time for Atheya to revive Corvus. Meanwhile, Wulf and Niru rejoin the fight along with an old and new ally, Mira and Scrum.

A Reckoning

Finally united together, the Guardians relentlessly exchange blows with the Master. Throughout multiple shapeshifting forms, both Dragon-like and Ape-like, the Guardians weaken the Master, destroying his tendrils that protect his source. Wulf pursues the Master before he can flee and charges with all his strength. In that splitting moment, Wulf is visited by a familiar presence, a brother-in-arms, Diego. At that moment, Wulf delivers a final and devastating blow to split the Master in half, ending at least his physical form for now. Niru sends the Guardians on their way home to Gladesegde, and only one battle is one, but another battle awaits them in a literal Hell.