Expedition 16: Cleaning out DyrRoc

*Or, "Wizards are Glass Cannons/Grabbing the Gorgon by the Horns"*

### Detailed Writeup

The group rented out a sailboat and headed to the island, determined to make it safe for civilization. Upon arrival, the party first decides to verify that the demon portal that Marzipan dispelled did not reappear, so we headed in that direction. On the way there, the group stumbled upon a glade full of lycanthrope seed bushes. Brightstaff accidentally burst a pod open, and avoided the spores and contracting the disease. Upon identifying the plants and discussing if there was any magical or alchemical benefit to bringing some back with us, the group decided they were too dangerous to keep around, and destroyed all of the plants they found.

Upon arrival at the portal site, Uzmir examined the arcane remnants and determined the portal wouldn't reform, and then read the pillars around the site. They all said the same thing:

*For the Edification of the Emperor's Sons*

*We allow this place to continue*

*To produce forth quarry worthwhile of their grandeur*

*To be hunted again and again*

There was debate on whether "Emperor" referred to Gilgamesh, or some other Emperor native to the East. The group moved on.

In the NW portion of the island, we found statues of elves and dwarves, their faces stricken with fear. Calliope speculated they were petrified people, but neither Uzmir nor he could determine what caused it. Uzmir determined by the erosion on their heads that they had been their for hundreds of years. We could find no evidence of what caused it, and moved on.

The group then spotted some skeletons in the trees, and after a brief discussion and a few firebolts, determined they were not undead and buried them.

While skirting the coastline, the group noticed large structures underwater away from the island, like a large set of sunken ruins, perhaps a location to explore in the future.

Venturing further into the forest, the party was attacked by a stone bull (Gorgon). Brightstaff and Calliope engaged with the beast, and Calliope narrowly avoided being petrified by the gas the bull emitted. Nexrin joined them, but was blinded by the mefits summoned by the Gorgon. Damaged and enraged, the Gorgon rammed into Uzmir, carrying him away from the group. Brightstaff pursued as Nexrin and Lahont finished off the mefits. Brightstaff drew the beast's attention, and when it was distracted Uzmir reached into its mind and snuffed its life force out. The group was able to harvest some scourge stone from the body, and Nexrin took the skull to make a face mask.

We stumbled upon a deep pit, with congealed blood on the bottom. A path leading to the portal indicated that it was related to the demon. Uzmir detected transmutation magics, and Calliope went down to investigate. Calliope discovered felstone beneath the blood, a component for dark brass creation, and took the stones, although he got some blood on him in the process.

After filling in the pit, we skirted the coastline back to the boat, and came across a different one, crudely made. We investigated, but were attacked by a wizard. It blasted us with a fireball, but Brightstaff was able to close the distance and beat the wizard within an inch of his life, which Lahont took with a shot from his crossbow. The wizard appeared to be affected by a similar effect that Calliope saw affected a mountain lion in the Inkwells.

The wizard had some gems with him, and Uzmir found some books on his boat, a spellbook, a journal, and a prayerbook.

Satisfied with our work, we returned to Port victorious.