Senseless, Lost

"Senseless, Lost" is the 6th episode of the Materia D&D Crass Menagerie campaign.

## Synopsis

### Recap

The party had returned to Vulpine for a rest after setting some of the incubator ranches on fire in an attempt to rid the Foxwoods of its corrupting influence. Roque sought out information about the satchel and book and man he had a vision of while at Simon's ranch house, leading him to the Verdant Cause barracks. Though they had none, Pebble did lead the group back to the mutilated plainscow corpse to examine it, which clued the group into the similarities between it and what they had witnessed at the incubator ranches. They then retired to The Fox Den and they met with Gryssa again to give her a progress report. Upon presenting her with the materials they found she confirms that they are unnatural and corrupted but that she wished to join us as we return there to finish removing the corrupting influences. After a rest, the group met with Navori and updated her as well and sought out her assistance in obtaining equipment before heading out. Then the party proceeded southward into the southern ranches, with Gryssa fading and becoming disoriented as they proceeded until a woman's scream followed by pig sounds snapped her back to reality, and the party pursued her.

### Part 1

*33 Schema, 268 PBT, midday*

As the party crests a hill in pursuit, they see four of the "double-bear pigs" assaulting a group of six dryads, Gryssa's sisters, many of them currently on the ground. Roque rushes in to interpose and protect the nearest downed dryad, burning the nearby armor-plated boar with a *Fire Bolt*, Pebble moves off to distract another boar. Gustav follows suit with a charge and attacks the same plated boar with a heavy blow. Gryssa manages to magically ensnare another one of the boars. Al gives Davis a *Bardic Inspiration* and casts *Heroism* on him as well. Grant moves in and casts *Spiritual Weapon* against the armor-plated boar, landing a critical hit, and then dashes adjacent to Gustav. Davis piles on and brings his glaive down onto the heavy armor plates, pointing out a weakness with his *Strike Like Iron*. Marb joins the party as well, marking the plated boar with *Hunter's Mark*, and landing a heavy hit with an arrow on it.

Roque scans the field and looks for any dryads that are most in need of help. He realizes the one he has come to defend no longer has any life in her, and he moves on to the next target. Gustav continues his assault on the armored boar, but can't seem to bring it down yet. Gryssa continues with her vine assault on the tendril-laden boar, but the boar seems to hold true. Al draws out his hand crossbow and joins in on the assault of the plated boar, hardly making a dent, and then gives a *Bardic Inspiration* to Gustav. Grant redoubles his efforts as well, swinging with his hammer and his spectral hammer against the plated boar, hitting with two good smacks and crushing his skull in. He then follows suit with Roque looking to assist further. Davis turns his attention to the boar with many eyeballs maneuvering nearby and slashing into him. The tendril-laden boar breaks free of the vines engulfing him and tramples a nearby dryad, then attempts to gore Grant, knocking the wind out of him but Grant is able to hold his ground. A boar that is covered in spines and bristles rams Davis in the back, with his many-eyeballed companion swinging wide right after. Marb moves his mark to the many-eyeballed boar and lets loose with a Sharpshooter shot and with a single shot fells the boar with it letting out a death wail, bringing forth some allies to its support.

One of the new entrants into the battle, with a swollen and distorted visage, sets its sights on Al. Roque, enraged by seeing one of the dryads murdered, rushes at the bristly boar and lunges at it with his staff, swinging wide. He then gives Davis a *Healing Word*. Gustav runs up to Al's attacker and lands a hefty blow on it in an attempt to draw its attention. Gryssa summons a *Shillelagh* and joins in on the attack, cracking it on its back. Al, bolstered by his companions' presence, sinks in his rapier. Grant attempts to return the favor to the boar that charged him, but can't find purchase with his weapon, nor does he manage to hit with his spiritual weapon. Davis swings at the tendril boar, slicing into one of his tendrils.

The swollen boar erupts with a stream of acidic goo directed toward Marb, heavily splashing him. The tendril boar knocks Grant across the face with one of his tendrils, then Davis with another. Marb, non-plussed by the acid he was assaulted with, moves his mark to the swollen boar and lands a precise strike that he would expect to stop the boar, but it seems to fight beyond death. Roque joins in on the fight with the tendril boar, swinging with his staff again at it, this time finally landing a big two-handed blow, as well as healing Grant with a *Healing Word*. Gustav attempts to put down the swollen boar for good, twisting his sword into it, unleashing a gout of acid that sprays those nearby, including Pebble who disappears out of existence. Gryssa, coated in acid, heals herself and withdraws a bit from combat. Al swaps over to his hand crossbow and takes aim at the tendril boar, missing but then gives Grant another *Healing Word*. Grant looks for redemption from his last two misses, this time hitting it once but drawing retributive attacks that knock him unconscious. Davis backs away from the bristle boar, getting nicked as he goes, then inspires Grant to rise and fight on using *Moment of Courage*.

Tendril boar attacks Roque, who throws up a *Shield* to deflect the attack, as well as Gustav. He then follows up with an attack on Grant, who is knocked unconscious once more. The bristle boar swings twice at Roque, missing against his *Shield*. Marb attempts to snipe the tendril boar, but misses badly, and closes a little closer. Roque obscures Grant with heavy foliage cover using a *Minor Illusion*, then attempts to interpose with the tendril boar as well, taking a slashing attack from the bristle boar as he does so. Gustav steps in and with a heavy blow chops at it, dealing what should have been a deadly blow to it, only for it to fight on. He then pushes with his *Action Surge* to strike again to finish the job, this time fully decapitating it. He then steps up to the bristle boar and starts carving through its spiky exterior. Gryssa gets to Grant and heals him (through the plant illusion), bringing him back to consciousness.

Al looks at the final remaining boar and lets loose with a *Vicious Mockery,* just yelling in its direction*.* Grant stands up and moves his spiritual hammer to hit the last remaining boar with a hearty blow. Davis keeps his distance and swings with his reach but misses. The bristle boar scratches at Gustav, scraping through portions of his armor. Marb sets his sight on the last target, and despite a deft shot, it seems to keep fighting on. Roque sticks his staff into the ground and casts *Toll the Dead* on the boar, bringing it down for good.

Roque and Gryssa look around and see there is but one survivor, who is unconscious but stabilized. The party takes a *Respite* to recover. Gryssa goes to the remains of her sisters and seems to magically inter them one by one. Gustav and Marb collect the boar remains into a pile and light them as a funeral pyre. While Gryssa is tending to one of her fallen sisters, the unconscious dryad awakens from unconsciousness and nervously begins to back away from everyone but Roque speaks with her in Sylvan to calm her. Gryssa comes over and calms her as well, addressing her as Pann, and asking her what happened. Pann mentioned that she and her sisters started being able to recall this place, but when they traveled here they fell into a daze and then were attacked. The group begins to understand that the ward that has been impacting the southern ranches seems to have been disrupted but not broken, resulting in the dryads being able to recall the area but still struggling to stay oriented while they are within it.

### Part 2

*33 Schema, 268 PBT, early afternoon*

The group examines the map and plots out a plan of attack for breaking enough of the rest of the ward to restore the area for the dryads. Roque continues to insist that the gems be addressed. They proceed toward the house with the gems as they discuss what the plan is afterward. As they travel, they are reminded that the livelihood of the area is greatly diminished. They see the smoldering remains of one of the incubator buildings, and they approach Simon's homestead.

## Featured Characters

### Adventuring Party

* Allegretto
* Davis Cantrell
* Grant Frostmason
* Gustav
* Marb
* Roque
	+ Pebble

## Quotations

* **Gustav:** "Just for the record, a giant man hitting something with a two-handed sword does not do as much damage as [Marb] with an arrow."
* **Marb:** "It's all about that finesse, it's the finesse. Gotta hit those crevices."
* **Gustav:** "I'm a VERY LARGE MAN with a VERY LARGE SWORD"

* **Gustav**: "Marb is basically an arrow wizard."

## Trivia

* This is the first time that Pebble "dies", dropping to 0 HP and poofing out of existence.
* Grant jokes that "we should go assassinate the king", which is an actual consideration about 90 episodes later (the Sovereign)
* The DM notes that the party may not currently be able to dispel/remove the magic from the gems, but that "we can always come back", which the party does also about 90 episodes later

## Notes

* This episode took place after a week off due to Thanksgiving holidays.

## References

1. ↑ See "Senseless, Lost" (part 1) at 54:13
2. ↑ See "Senseless, Lost" (part 1) at 54:54
3. ↑ See "Senseless, Lost" (part 1) at 1:22:06
4. ↑ See "Senseless, Lost" (part 2) at 4:10
5. ↑ See "Senseless, Lost' (part 2) at 9:20