RB 4-5: PQ: Litany of Griefs
Mission Report
Friday, Jan 5, 2024 ((Oct 20, 2019))
Party: Jane Irwin (Cael), Cyrus Riggs (Sielic), Cadeos (DragoN), Vae'gaun (Razas)
Absent: Lyndi Fletcher (Aslene, left in Chicago), Proud Flame (Aunne, on a separate mission for Nails), Ryu (Shadow, left in Chicago), Haelra Vayn (Basil, left in Chicago)
Time froze and three Raptors were brought to the Astral Plane by Bahamut's power. They were given a path quest by Emyla: travel to Tessera's past and help stop a horrific Republic graven hulk called Litany of Griefs. On arrival, the Raptors were joined by Vae'gaun, sent by his own enigmatic master. The heroes crossed farmlands abandoned in madness and found a squad of Republic Valiant Fremen guarding a bloodstone superweapon. They killed or subdued the Fremen and then used the weapon against the hulk. Emyla blessed them and returned them to the rest of the team.
Elsewhere
- Insectoid Cloaker Prime casts Time Stop
- Some Raptors find themselves now elsewhere
- Vast silver expanse (Astral Plane)
- > Stone disc, waterfall from nowhere, stream, waterfall to nowhere
- > Rough stone arch with runes
- DM: > Draco has been forced out of soul shadow form and is in adaptive combat form
- Arch lights up, Emyla (deva), Angel of Bahamut steps through
- Bahamut, the King of Good Dragons and Champion of True Order
- "Your rewards will be waiting for you if and when you return to the Chicago of your time."
- It is Sep 7, 2010 (3 years before the war will end, 6 years before the Shadow Walkers will meet)
- On the world of Tessera, the Bloodstone War rages across the continent of Oban
- You are given a Path Quest
- Graven hulk, Litany of Griefs
- Built by the Freelands Republic
- At great cost, teleported into the farmlands of the western Shangon Empire
- Projects a song of anguish and despair
- The song overwhelms most people
- First, they are merely distracted by their losses and loneliness
- Then they are overcome with despair and collapse on the ground
- Finally, their grief turns into rage and they lose their minds, becoming indiscriminately violent
- The hulk is near the farming village of Applewood Creek
- The Shangon Army has positioned an experimental superweapon in the woods to the southeast
- It can stall the hulk
- The Freelands Republic special forces are the Valiant Fremen
- A small squad of Fremen have traveled with the hulk, and they have killed the weapon's defenders
- The Fremen have undergone a magical ritual that makes them immune to the Litany of Griefs
- DM: > Jane asks for reassurance that this path quest won't mean the hive battle goes on without them, gets that reassurance
- DM: > Sooner or later, the Empire stops the hulk
- DM: > This Path Quest stops it sooner, saving more lives
- DM: > Emyla shifts the portal to go to Tessera
- DM: > Raptors head through the portal
Deep in the Empire
- Emyla adds
- You will encounter resistance
- You may need to kill civilians
- Know that they may be beyond healing
- Road, cart, dead farmer
- War horn x3
- Vae'gaun appropriates the body
- Draco: > looks prepared to attack the monstrosity created from the corpse, but follows their elders' lead
- Raptors can see Litany of Griefs slowing walking a few miles away
- Jane Irwin: Jane relaxes the grip on her silver staff.
- DM: > Cyrus gives a stern pep talk in place of a spell because Cyrus
- DM: > Raptors include Vae'gaun in their Chain
- DM: > Jane uses Shape Water and Druidcraft to make earplugs out of field clay
- Jane Irwin: Jane is pale. Very pale, and a bit shakier than everyone else.
- DM: > Cyrus uses counter charm
- DM: > Raptors feel the emotions of Litany of Griefs
- Raptors travel away from hulk, towards superweapon
- Raptors travel near two enraged farmers fighting, and choose not to engage them
Against the Fremen
- Raptors reach the woods where the superweapon is positioned
- Cadeos scouts ahead, finds some Fremen and the dead Imperial operators of the weapon
- Raptors agree on a plan, and attack
- Battle highlights...
- Fremen cleric uses Spirit Guardians and Spiritual Weapon
- Jane summons 2 giant octopuses
- Cyrus transforms into a giant ape and gets the face of an archer
- Octopus grapples a Fremen archer, a Fremen soldier tries to kill the octopus
- Cadeos kills Fremen cleric
- DM: > Female archer starts readying the superweapon
- DM: > Ape!Cyrus grapples the archer and drags her away from the superweapon
- DM: > Fremen have glowing moss in their ears
- DM: > Soldier throws down sword and shield and raises his hands
- Vae'gaun kills the other archer
- DM: > Ape!Cyrus breaks the archer's weapons
- DM: > Octopus flings soldier's sword and shield far, far away
- DM: > Jane and Octopus help Cadeos aim the Crossbow superweapon
- DM: > Crossbow superweapon is/was powered by bloodstones
- Cadeos aims and fires the superweapon, hits Litany of Griefs
- The hulks isn't defeated but does fall
- Emyla recalls the heroes from the past, blesses them with the equivalent of a long rest, and sends them back to the Chicago of 2024