Session 16

### Session 16 - Don't trust Old Men who live in Coins.

We open with Telmund and Ejholan having a conversation about Telmund’s whole gem situation. Telmund tells Ejholan that it felt like he wasn’t in control when he took the Alestone. He did things he wouldn’t usually do. He stole, and he feels sad about it. Telmund just doesn’t understand this magic. Ejholan is, rightfully, concerned about him and Telumd expresses that he is fearful of losing control. Ejholan asks Telmund if he wants to tell the rest of the Bureau about the situation, but Telmund is scared of being viewed as a liability.

The group travels to Kebromoss, and upon arrival, we head to the bulletin board. It’s kind of like a job centre. A halfling man with a gingery beard gives us a contract to take to Milken. On the way, Coda is followed by a wallaby that seems absolutely obsessed with her. She kinda likes him and decides to take him under her wing. Ejholan tries to speak to the wallaby that jumped at Coda, and when he does so, his ears feel like they’ve been dampened. He can’t hear anything and has a tinnitus-like sound ringing in his ears. We arrive at Milken, and their resident holy person has gone missing. Turns out, there’s a plague in Milken, and that’s the reason no one has taken the ludicrously well paid job. Coda volunteers to go into Milken, as this disease won’t affect her. Xia sends in Rae to keep her company and watches through Rae’s eyes until she no longer can. The rest of the group heads to a nearby inn. An elderly woman sits behind the counter, quietly snoozing. She seems very, very sad. Telmund calms her, and she tells them about the molehill. Trip, thoroughly disliking this gnome woman, decides to make her a painting from atop the molehill with a bunch of dicks hidden in it.

Whilst Trip is mentally planning how best to torture this poor gnomish woman, Ejholan notices a patron of the inn sat swaying over a tankard, and recognises the tattoo they have. It’s the same tattoo as the soul bag. Ejholan speaks to her for a while, and manages to release the soul from the bag.

Coda looks after the people of Milken, helping to heal them. Meanwhile, the rest of the group falls asleep and Ejholan falls into a dream. He finds himself in a green glade with a trickling bit of water falling down rocks into a pool below it. A waterfall. It’s a fucking waterfall. Goddamn let my moment of shame die please, I'm begging you.He’s been in this location before. He sees a familiar elven woman in front of him, Loralyn. She tells him that he looks tired.He tells her that a lot has happened, and she knows. She’s been watching. She congratulated him for releasing the soul from the soul bag. She tells him that he’s stronger than before, but time is running out. One of the members of the group will never be fulfilled. Everything turns dark, and four lights shine down. A large figure looms above something he can’t see. The figure has strings leading up to his hands and Ejholan can see four figures. Two men and two women. They’re laughing and smiling unnaturally wide, but he can see tears rolling down their cheeks. All their emotions are all over the show. He recognises a figure dancing on strings. Coda, controlled by a figure Ejolan can’t see. He jolts awake, surprising the couple of people that were on watch. He seems shaken, so Maggie and Xia both offer him a hug. He accepts from Maggie, but shrugs Xia off. After a couple of minutes of dancing around the subject, Ejholan tells them about his dream and the group race to Coda.

Meanwhile, Coda and the wallaby are making their way back to the gate. The wallaby grabs Coda’s coin and throws it into a fire. A shadowy figure rises from the fire and begins talking to Coda, telling her to take him out of the fire. Tar like soot turns into the form of an elderly man. And the wallaby stands in front of Coda to protect her. Coda recognises the man, he’s the one who gave her the coin. His face is twitching, and he knows her name. He calls her Layla. Coda steps infront of the wallaby and Rae, as he threatens the dog. He attacks Coda, and the rest of the group arrive just in time.

### The Fight:

**Top of the Round.**

Shadow guy slams Coda into the ground and menacingly steps towards her. Coda has to make a wisdom saving throw, which she succeeds. He tries to flesh-devour her. He succeeds and hits her for 12 piercing damage. She has to make a constitution save, and fails, making her diseased. He uses a miserable embrace on her. She makes a wisdom save and succeeds. But she does go down, dropping to the floor.

Maggie does Hail of Thorns and gets 20 damage on the attack. She also rolled max damage on her attacks. Lottie has written down ‘Maggie MVP’ in Caps in the notebook, so this was a massive deal. 32 damage in total.

Melchior tries to Chromatic Orb the shadow man and misses. Brill.

Shadows 1 & 2 try to claw at Maggie and Melchior. They miss both of them.

Ejholan swings with the cactus mace and hits twice, smiting both times. I’ve also written Ejolan MVP down.

Trip heals Coda.

Coda blinks to the Ethereal Plane.

Shadows FOLLOW HER and swipe at her, missing their attacks.

Xia fireballs and it does fucking NOTHING. Apparently the thing is fiendish. She teleports next to him and attempts to charm it, and of course, it’s fucking immune. Xia is LVP.

Eva cannons at it. It takes 10 points of damage and is pushed 5 feet away.

Telmund casts erupting earth, but big shadow man succeeds his save. He still takes damage and the terrain becomes difficult. Xia is inside that difficult terrain.

**Top of the Round.**

Big guy uses Misery Leech on Xia.

Maggie shoots an arrow doing 11 points of damage.

Big guy steps towards Xia and tries to flesh-devour her. He misses and does it again, causing 19 damage. She succeeded her con save, so isn’t diseased.

Melchior hits with his lance and misses. He uses an action surge and misses again. Melchior joins Xia as LVP.

The smaller shadows try to hit the group but manage to miss all attacks. The smaller shadows suck.

Ejholan hits the big guy and holds aid for when Coda reappears.

Coda reappears and gets healed by Aid, alongside Melchior and Xia.

The shadows hit Telmund and miss Trip.

Xia casts Vortex Warp on Coda to get her out of harm's way.

Eva moves her cannon and shoots at the big guy. Coda goes down again. Eva hits the shadow monster with a firebolt and it explodes into ash. As she hits the ground, Coda has a split second vision of Horan, her fiancé, in her mind. He’s crying.

Telmund slashes at a shadow.

**Top of the Round.**

Big guy misery leeches at Melchior, Xia and Ejholan. He hits Melchior and Xia. Melchior stays standing but Xia falls.

Maggie shoots an arrow at a shadow creature, killing it.

Melchior heals himself and hits the ghost with an axe, killing it.

The shadow creatures lunge at Eva, but thankfully miss.

Ejholan shields Xia and heals her for 15 hps.

Trip heals Coda.

Coda hits the remaining shadows with her spiritual weapon.

Shadows, in a last ditch attempt, claw at the group, missing most attacks.

Xia gets the HDYWTDT.

The group reconvenes after the fight and Ejholan says he doesn't feel good, Mr Stark. He basically collapses to the floor and that's where we leave the session.

### Quotes:

'I really miss my son, and my wife. I want to go home!' -Telmund.

> 'Well it was nice travelling with you!' - Maggie
>
>

'Coda, you should've told us that you had a rabbit!' - Maggie

'Smile, you happy little dragon!' - Gnomish NPC

'Is anyone else feeling, like, really immune to disease today?' - Ejholan

'Hugs!' -Telmund

'What a pretty smile... I'm gonna knit you a hat!' - Gnomish NPC, to Trip.

'The dog isn't real!' - Sam, as shadowy figure.

### Point of Inspiration:

The point of inspiration goes to Ejholan.