Summary
The high-stakes standoff with The Hag concluded as Raelor successfully broke Theratina’s trance, forcing the monstrous crone to slip into the Ethereal Plane using her Heartstone. Left behind in a heavily illusioned, trap-ridden lair, the party solved a cryptic knocking puzzle to infiltrate her inner sanctum. Along the way, they slaughtered a hidden Oni carrying an adamantine coin marked with the ancient Symbol of the Unknown, and uncovered a horrific trophy room of past victims. After rejecting The Hag’s final bargain, the party secured a crystal containing the captured Young Blue Dragon and claimed the immensely powerful Staff of Souls. Among the spoils was the exact book Diana requested: Crown of Thorns, Crown of Ash. As the party escaped, the looming danger surrounding Theratina’s true identity became chillingly clear, though the harrowing ordeal earned the party a well-deserved Level Up to 6.
Events
Bypassing the Illusionary Door
- The Standoff: The Hag demands we leave Theratina behind in exchange for our lives. Raelor maintains a firm physical grip on Theratina, successfully snapping her out of the magical trance.
- The Escape: Rather than fight directly, The Hag attempts to barter for her staff before vanishing completely into the Ethereal Plane.
- The Puzzle: The northern exit vanishes, replaced by a solid wall and a glowing red line. Yharov and Theodore realize the entire room is an illusion. A single card sits on a table near markings:
- 1 line — 3 dots
- 2 lines — 4 dots
- 3 lines — 1 dot
- Trial and Error: Theodore tries sliding the card into a slot to no avail. Knocking on the wall triggers various traps:
- 1 knock or 4 knocks results in a booming, disembodied “NOOO”.
- 3 knocks shoots a searing light out of the wall, damaging Avenj’s bone minion.
- The Solution: The party successfully opens the passage by executing the correct knocking sequence: 3 knocks, 3 knocks, 1 knock.
Clearing the Lair’s Defenses
- The Den (To the Left)
- Heavily rigged with a tripwire designed to shatter toxic vials collected from the corrupted farmlands.
- Yharov dismantles the trap and finds 2 vials of the Hag’s poison (the same poison found in 03-Battle Toads)
- The Kitchen
- A horrific scene filled with children’s bones alongside barrels and bottles overflowing with blood and unidentifiable sludge
- The Statue Room (To the East)
- Features an altar slicked with blood, deep claw marks, various scrolls, and cryptic glyphs carved into the wall reading: Open, Pull, Abominate.
- Raelor translates a scroll written in Orcish:
“I’ve been trying to get out for weeks. I don’t know why she left me here. I don’t know when she’ll wake up. She’s gone. I need to figure out how to get the portal to work. My necklace seems to burn the hag.”
Combat: The Oni
- Orc footprints lead down the northern hallway. Utilizing See Invisibility, Roz spots a hidden silver-chained necklace bearing the Wrest of Shaloon (a holy symbol).
- A hidden monster screeches “FEED ME” and ambushes the party.
- Combat: We engage and defeat an Oni. Under the weight of Theodore’s attacks, chunks of the creature’s body visibly fall apart.
- The Loot: Embedded in the Oni’s right temple is an adamantine coin.
- One side depicts a dark cloud with eyes.
- The reverse side reads “Call to me” in Common.
- Avenj and Theodore recognize this as the Symbol of the Unknown—an ancient seal used long ago to lock away a catastrophic entity.
The Jail Cells
- Located further east, the floor of this cellblock is caked in so many layers of old blood it resembles a coat of paint.
- A nearby chest contains the stolen belongings of hundreds of people The Hag previously tricked, killed, and skinned.
- One name on the bags rings a distinct bell: Alatina, found alongside a set of clothes modified with a patch meant for a lizard tail.
The Inner Sanctum & Fighting The Hag
- The air grows heavy and suffocating in the Hag’s personal quarters. Toxins continuously drip from the ceiling onto a central platform.
- The Hag sits on the platform. The door seals behind us, shifting back into a solid wall. She taunts us, asking how it felt to meet Anthony before laying down a final offer:
“I can get you the staff, and send you on your way. I saw your memories, I know what you want. I know what you’re looking for… You don’t know who she is. I do.”
- The party adamantly refuses to hand over Theratina.
- Realizing the deal is dead, The Hag enters a final phase and attacks Theratina, who becomes unconscious
- Soon after, we defeat The Hag
- Despite casting healing spells etc on Theratina, she remains unconscious (it seems she is immune)
- We try to encourage her to return to the light and just barely she awakens
- She tells us of a vision she had where she saw Yharov (implying he was some sort of divine entity)
- We notice that she now is a bit older looking
The Spoils
- We recover a small blue crystal containing the miniaturized, trapped Young Blue Dragon.
- In the center of the room is a well. Inside, Raelor finds the Staff of Souls
- Upon storing it in the notebook with a sleeping face on its cover, a third image appears: a massive, mangled dagger far too thick and long for a human to wield, accompanied by blurred, unreadable text.
- We find Crown of Thorns, Crown of Ash on a bookshelf
- We also find The Last Dream
Lore on The Unknown & The Awoken
Discovered via ancient books written in Black Speak left on the desk.
- The Awoken: The fanatical army serving The Unknown, dedicated to ruling the planes through absolute fear.
- The History: While three ancient wizards were actively forging the locks to bind The Unknown away, a parallel faction of hunters was systematically tracking down members of The Awoken.
- The Cover-up: Paranoid executioners wrongfully murdered countless innocents in the crossfire. Among the recorded historical victims were Cera Thalor and a cloud Goliath raised by humans named Venitin P, who died screaming in tongues, suggesting his mind was completely hijacked.
Aftermath & Level Up
- The Realization: As the dust settles and the party puts distance between themselves and the ruined lair, the sheer weight of our situation hits home. Theratina is harboring an incredibly powerful, dangerous secret. Factions far worse than a lone Hag will inevitably come hunting for her.
- Theratina’s Growth: Emulating our spellcasting, Theratina successfully unlocks the ability to cast Darkness and Mage Hand`
- We are told that she has one more level 2 spell that we can teach her next session
- LEVEL UP! The party is now Level 6.