Elysium

Session 1

We teleport into a dark room, see two faintly shining blue pinpricks, 10ft away

Turns out to be a wraith, which is joined by spectres, and later “shadows” (3D shadows)

We kill them all, get some cool chain mail (resist fire and radiant), Doug dons it

Nothing in room aside from a pile of bones, in which we find:

60 gp worth of

6 medallions (flaming eye, different to originals)

6 chain bracelets with spikes and 7 stones per chain

Leave room, walk through rounded tunnel, appears to have been (magically?) cleaved through a hillside out to daylight and beautiful Win7/Vista rolling green hills.

We see Elysium in the distance, with some guard houses in front. It looks rather worse for wear.

We look behind us, up the hill and see a boy (Sanden) with 5 goats. He can’t speak. He leads us to the guard house, we meet his twin (Thurlough) and a very old man, “Father Aldrich” (referred to as “all-father”), who speaks with a French accent

There is a shrouded statue in the room and 8 doors leading from the large main dining area

Priest starts brewing “sticky, muddy” tea

Mentioned that someone else recently came from the “holy mound”, obvs Cornelius, except he called himself “Con”

Aldrich mentions “Brother Morveyn”

There are scavengers in Elysium: coyotes, ravens, crows

We ask Father Aldrich about Cornelius, who apparently flew upward, but was hit by a golden bolt from ground level, then fell back down, ablaze.

 ~~~~~

 
 

Session 2

Still in viking longhut ~80ft long (which has two outhouse-esque buildings)

Hides all around the longhut and a pen for the goats

Inside is a long firepit, rows of tables either side

Large statue at the far end (humanoid, roughly 2:1 scale, covered by shroud) + braziers either side

Wall with 8 doors on the right

Brother Morveyn was on his second vigil (in “the holy city” – Elysium), hasn’t come back

While Aldrich was on his 3^rd Vigil: 3^rd night felt something watching him

3 vigils have 3 different locations in Elysium: 1^st is 1 night anywhere inside the walls, 2^nd is 2 nights at the fountain, 3^rd is 3 nights at the cathedral

We rest here for the night, Gus searches his room and finds 6 notches on bedpost and a small piece of bone, carved into a crude wing

Gus goes exploring a few hours after bedtime, finds a passage behind the statue

Downstairs, he finds many foetuses in miscellaneous large jars, on shelves (fine crystal jars, wine decanters, jars with angelic forms inlaid, some with gold filigree)

Gus lifts the shroud, finds an exceptionally muscly aasimari with a disapproving stern face, an elaborate crown with a teardrop emerald in it

The next morning, as Ygritte offers to look for Brother Morveyn, he reappears. He’s abrupt and disapproving of Krentist (and Mya?) in particular

We head into the city, check out the guardhouse, other buildings, everything is ostentatious and impressive

Find a crushed skeleton in rubble, find slave choker/necklace on it:

Made of a thin black chain connecting 7 black stones, it starts the size of a slender wrist, but seems almost infinitely flexible. Tiny barbs line the back of the stones.

Aasimari angel carvings in buildings

Walking down main boulevard, lots of wide side-streets along the way, can see sewer system in collapsed areas of the road, which are made of granite

Arrive at a large square, in the centre of which is a 5-tiered circular fountain

Find one coin in the 2^nd top tier, looks fresh, with footmarks

The coin is similar to the ones we found from the Smiling Man, but a different design, possibly from a different era

In the top tier, a pair of feet are sticking out. Gus shoots one of them and elicits no response

Bloody corpse, has no skin, eyeballs are all black

We see a leather thong in the bottom of the fountain (is the corpse the real Morveyn?)

Head toward central park to determine if it’s Cornelius masquerading as Morveyn or if something else is going on – north up alleyway from fountain, right, up thoroughfare to river

Long arcing bridge over river, on the other side is the remains of the cathedral, overgrown wonderful garden. To the left, an enormous wide square

Looking for Cornelius, hunting around the park for a corpse, find a charred one with coyotes nibbling at it

Kill one coyote, confirm it’s Cornelius. He has a thin silver ring in a clenched fist, it’s completely unadorned, non-magical, uncursed

Loot him find a notebook, last 3 pages unburnt:

… use sewer entrance… unacceptable… stench… I’ll fly

… fortune favours the bold… with any luck…. Myths and superstition… can’t still be…

… they cannot be allowed… how can I welch… when he no longer merely dreams?

 ~~~~~

 

Session 3

Massive statue of Celestine near the steps to the cathedral

Teleportation pillar at top of steps(?)

A nearby tower with golden minaret shot the golden flash that “killed” Cornelius

Cathedral is floating 3000ft in the air

Inside tower is a fitfully glowing citrine

Mya throws a rock up to see if it gets zapped, nothing happens

Hootie grabs citrine, then delivers it to the teleportation pillar

As soon as the citrine gets sucked into the slot, there’s a blinding flash and we all appear at the bottom of the steps. All except Mya have headaches and Doug has a singed left elbow

Krentist notices that theres now a light pulsing from the levitating cathedral

We touch the citrine on the teleportation pillar and arrive in front of the cathedral

Through a windows, we see an old dude sitting in a throne, wearing skimpy, skanky robes, he is the source of the light

Other thrones/chairs around him, some have shrivelled corpses in them, others have some nekkid aasimari

Near us is a pile of chopped vegetation with black ichor. Someone has walked through it and there are black humanoid footprints leading off to our left

Old dude sitting in throne is Carsian

Golden light is coming from under the chairs/thrones as well as from them and the people

We follow the footprints down a trapdoor

Found skeletons with mirror shield(s), recently deceased large spiders (stabbed and charred)

Found the cathedral’s sewer system, which funnels waste to another teleportation citrine

We come across a kitchen with a magic stay-fresh pantry and magic hotplates

There’s another corpse in the kitchen wrapped in silk. It has a bone carved into a wing like the all-father’s

We find more corpses, one with mirror shield, two unarmoured

We find a “fake” medallion under the one with the mirror shield (which actually doesn’t have a shield)

Go upstairs, find audience chamber with marble plinths missing statues

Throne has large satin cushion suspiciously good condition, silver bracelet underneath worth 50gp

Ballroom with tables, cloaked and hooded statues, one plinth without a statue, one broken statue away from the plinth, next to a bloodstain

Find an incorporeal humanoid form

Need to roll a wisdom saving throw

EIDOLON!

Fighting…

Ygritte attacks eidolon before it enters a statue (does heaps of damage)

Eidolon

Mya gets knocked out

Stained glass:

Tabrissa in green fields (same scene as the dungeon projection)

Same scene as above but no tabrissa and Elysium is floating (?)

Found a room with big golden rune and golden molten liquid flowing up a wall and through a door

Severed limbs on the rune

 ~~~~~

 
 

Session 4

Found the main room, full of pews. HUGE.

Flaming eye smeared in blood on the floor

We’re looking through a smashed hole in the wall (not a door)

Lots of very old skelly corpses

Big sunburst shining on the floor

Next door leads to a small bedroom, surrounded by glass walls. Two pillars with potions by the door. Left holds potions of dimunition, right holds gaseous form

We find another tower with a door up high, gus scales the wall, opens the door and finds a library

Chest: Gus disarms a trap, removes and keeps poison needle, finds blue sappire-coloured orb, which plays a projection:

The face of Carsian looms above you, stern, yet concerned. Behind him a white flag with a sunburst softly ripples, filling your entire field of view. His golden eyes start smouldering with rage.

“People of Elysium. I stand before you at a time of crises. It may feel as though Caelestine has abandoned us, or even turned against us. The attack by the terrorists in the heretical death cult, the Flaming Eye has left the city in ruins. You all have seen first-hand the fall of the cathedrals, palaces and public gardens that shattered so many homes and lives. By now you will have heard the words of Underpriest Amitiel, the sole survivor of their desecration of the Grand Cathedral. How I arrived too late to save the High Priest or prevent the desecration of our most holy of altars, and only with great loss of life did we prevent the destruction of the Cathedral itself. How, content not with a long slow genocide of their own people, they seek to hasten the fall of Caelestine’s chosen with brutal violence.

Although we may feel abandoned, our Mother would not turn her back on us. Before his death, the High Priest spoke to me of visions he received from the Angel-Mother. Visions of hope. Although he did not live to see this hope, it has arrived. The Circle of Holy Magic is well on their way to finding a cure for the curse afflicting us, and this very day finalized plans to root out the heretics hiding amongst us. The traitor priest Teserath signed their death warrant himself, marking each of them with his magic, the better to recognize one another and form their cancerous cysts within Elysium.

Each citizen of the Aasimari nation is to travel through the teleportation network to the confluence at Caelestine’s Neck and from there on to Tabrissa’s Rest, which as you know, the fanatics were recently prevented from seizing. Any touched by Teserath’s power will step into the network and never leave; diverted to a pocket plane for interrogation and execution. Once all have passed through the network, we shall return to Elysium, cleansed and united, to begin rebuilding and to lift this curse. Any who refuse to step into the network are clearly enemies of the people and will be subject to immediate liquidation.

The rage abruptly vanishes from his face, which turns almost bored. Carsian nods once to himself, and the image fades.

Note: Aasimari hub is in caelestine’s neck

Also finds: Scroll of dominate person, hold person, disguise self, giant insect, regenerate

Desk: box with trinkets, 3 books

Next room upstairs in the tower: planetarium, contains skeleton

Wizards room, gems on barrels and on tables 1000gp worth

Skeleton glows green from skull, contains ioun stone of fortitude

Runes on the floor, glowing slightly

Shitty attempts at making medallions on the tables

Downstairs again

Door halfway up tower, we enter, find another bedroom with glowing gems and angel statues with devil wings “guarding” a room

Mya levitates one statue up 20ft, and drops it on the other statute, they come for us

In the guarded room, we find a pile of rags. Searching this reveals a golden heart locket, angels engraved, inside is photos of 2 beautiful aasimari young men 

3 potions in drawers: oil of slipperiness, potion of vitality, philtre of love

Other drawer: golden ring (3 gems: ruby – 1d4 shock dmg, sapphire, diamond), sliver ring (diamonds, rearing stallion, immune to sleep, 1 level of exhaustion), too large for fingers… whip: damages 1d4, heals 1d3

Demonic masks 30gp, angelic mask (not valuable)

Bar: selection of exciting liquors

We find Carsian + pals in the next room 

Mya fireballs him, he dies (as do the pals)

We find the teardrop in carsian’s chest

Gus goes and busts the aasimari juice bowl thing in the next room, explosion

Shimmering gold force fields disappear

There’s a skeleton with a smashed head on the altar in the main cathedral room

Skeletons with crossbows and “fake” medallions

 ~~~~~

 
 

Session 5

We explore the remaining wing of the cathedral

Find a room with artifacts, 3 illluminated plinths

Shield of uriel, human skull (“skull of witch-queen imposter, unnamed”) charred flag with silver embroidered diadem (“flag seized in battle”)

There’s a painting on the far wall (second-oldest): Aasimari knights dive bombing elven warriors with fire stuff

The next room has statues on plinths

Feathers plucked from fleeing cheiftan, statue of kenku warrior, kenku ravager, skull of whistler silverbeak, skull of unknown kenku warrior

Another painting on the far wall (oldest): aasimari ruler (with crown) holding angels tear aloft, “arise” gesture with other hand, with legions of aasimari warriors appearing to slaughter kenku war band (racially insensitive). 3 words on the back: “cnidaria, sanctuary, Elysium”

3^rd room with plinths

Broken battleaxe, dirty glass beads (volcanic glass) “glass recovered from XXX’s last stand”

Massive skull of monstrosity

Painting (most recent): hulking shadow looking at Elysium with islands and stuff between them, aasimari mage with fiery stuff

4^th room with plinths

2 big statues (tritonian?)

Ruby carved into seahorse, normal shield with crashing wave on it (doug takes), broken bloody trident, bits of coral, magical stylized staff made to look like a trident, which you can select cold, radiant or fire magic, shell and coral, sarcophagus which contains a skeleton with magical robes (mage armour)

Mosaic (oldest of all artworks): above/underwater cross-section with aasimari mages and knights fighting tritons

Room with map of Kushona showing location of Cnidaria

Each city on the map has a button. Pressing the buttons for these cities opened a hatch that contained a Manual of Quickness of Action: Cnidaria, Sanctuary, Elysium

Room with large elk statue, glowing emerald eyes (stolen)

More rooms: shooting range, waiting room, guest room (?): big lion skin on floor. Carsian’s room? Find silver chain with “carsian’s”, scroll of “modify memory” in sidetable

Next room: long table and 5 chairs, room through that: sunken lounge, lots of beds (2 double, 4 single), bathroom and toilet

 

Opposite, large baths

Other room: “gladiatorial” room with weapons, appears to be a small fighting arena

Upstairs balcony, small room with golden light, statue of Caelestine holding a golden knob

Knob is 8-flanged mace head (caelestine’s mace)

Krentist really wants to gtfo (back through teleporter to hub)

Mya reads his thoughts and questions him

Mya passes out, krentist grabs tear

Gus grabs tear off krentist, he screams, we see his skin briefly turn weirdly wet and scaly and we all pass out

Krentist grabs tear again and bolts

Mya casts twin spell and haste on Doug and Ygritte, who give chase

Doug and Ygritte catch up to him, doug restrains him with shiny rope (rope of entanglement)

Krentist: “please let me go, I don’t want to hurt any of you. I can’t tell you why I’m doing this”

Doug gives Krentist some crazy strong alcohol, his mouth starts working, black liquid comes out his nose.

“I work for balasar”

We carry the tied-up Krentist back to the teleportation hub

medallions

 ~~~~~

 

The Angel's Tear
When worn as an item of jewellery the Angels Tear has the following effects:

- twice per long rest you may cast the Detect Thoughts spell (spell save DC 15). Once per day whilst concentrating on the Detect Thoughts you may cast Suggestion on your target (spell save DC 15). Whilst concentrating on the Detect Thoughts you may use a bonus action to send a Message (as per the spell Message). It can reply using a bonus action whilst you are focusing on it

- you are immune to magic that lets other creatures read your thoughts or tell if you are lying. Creatures may telepathically communicate with you only with your permission

- you receive +1 to ability checks and saving throws



Staff of the Roiling Deep (requires attunement)

Three coils of wire, one gold, one silver and one bronze, are braided together to form the shaft of this staff. As they reach the tip, they split into three tines, each topped with a small diamond. Although the effect is to look like a trident, it’s clear that using it as such would be ineffective at best. The diamond at the tip of the gold tine glows softly.

The Staff of the Roiling Deep is a +1 staff.

Only one of the following effects may be active at a time. The wielder of the staff may use an action to switch between them.

The Icy Depths
Spells you cast that cause cold damage ignore resistance.

Cnidarion’s Flaming Rage
When you roll damage for a spell you cast that causes fire damage, you may reroll any 1s or 2s, accepting the new roll even if it is a 1 or a 2.

Light of Alethelen
Whenever you cast a spell that causes radiant damage, roll a 1d4. On a 4, you may choose any creature within 30 feet of you (including yourself) to heal for 1d4+1 points of damage.