February 8, 2020 - Moonlily Monster

Magically, six adventures, Lordran, Wick, Mira, Tristan, Saki, and Horus, all meet with Farral to search out the beast that was preventing the druid from foraging for moon lilies. After learning that the creature seemed to travel in the trees and only came out at night, the band of adventurers set out to hunt down the beast. During the first day of travel, Saki valiantly saved Horus from a watery death while crossing the river. Later, several crowcoons (Racoons with wings and the head of a crow) pelted the travelers with acorns. Saki the bloodthirsty shot one down and promptly skinned it and took the meat of the innocent creature, and Tristan requested its head. The group continues until finding an imprint of a large paw in the ground. After finding no other clues of where the beast may be, the group determined it best to set a trap with bait to lure the monster into a pit and attempt to capture it with a net. Preparations were made, in the pit were two stones, charmed by Wick the artificer to create the scent of human flesh and the sound of screaming. Next to the pit was a fire with crowcoon meat roasting over it, and a projected image on a tree of people sitting by the fire. Lordran was to stand guard and prepare to throw the net over the beast when it landed in the clearing.

Night fell, and soon a large creature landed in the clearing, nearly too fast to see, with a strange effect upon it, making it difficult to focus on. The beast is panther like, with tentacles coming from it, at the end of which there are moon lilies growing. The net misses, but eventually the beast is entangled and the net is thrown over it as the group manages to slay the creature. During the battle a mysterious fog is rising from the moon lilies, so they quickly skin the creature and take anything valuable they can and then move away from the clearing to make camp for the night. During the watch, with Lordran, Wick, and Mira awake, a woman approaches the fire to inquire all the noise in the clearing. After pretending that they know nothing about what happened in the clearing, the woman offers to sell a glass moon lily to Mira for her childhood memories from ages 4-6. Eventually, Mira caves and accepts and takes the flower from the woman, and the woman leaves.

The next morning, the group is still craving adventure, so they decide to venture to the location on the communal map simply labeled POI1 knowing nothing about it. Once there, they find a smooth surface in the cliffside with a riddle engraved above. Tristan quickly solves the riddle and opens the door into a large cavern with a beautifully vibrant meadow and picturesque cabin. Tristan senses a magical object in the second story of the cabin, so they go to investigate. As they reach the cabin, the air grows cold, the meadow withers, and the cabin turns to decay. Inside the cabin they find an iron maiden, a magical staff with a serpent at the top, and a magical quiver of arrows, a non-magical double-sided mirror that shows everything normally on one side, but the other side shows the cabin and meadow full of life as it once was. The purpose of all these items is unclear. Behind the house is a windmill, inside of which is a desk, with a stack of notes on top, written in the same unknown language as the books that both Mira and Tristan have found. They take a few minutes to nerd out and discuss about how Tristan can translate them with magic. They resolve to look into it when they get back to town. There is no more to investigate so the group heads to leave. Lordran carries the iron maiden out of the cavern back onto the beach where the group opens it to find only a skeleton with a beautiful pendant. Nothing happens. Lordran ties the iron maiden to himself and takes it with him.

The group then decides to try exploring the point marked POI2. Before they get there, they are set upon by harpies and swarms of bats. Managing to kill two harpies, eventually the group is overwhelmed and retreats, making it back to the town by nightfall.