6.1 STAY AWAY FROM THE CELESTIALS!

SESSION DATE: February 17, 2024
PRESENT: Maltrixxian, Zugg Zugg, Freya Olatur, Renaldine

Deep Dive

![[Maltrixxian - 6.1 STAY AWAY FROM THE CELESTIALS!.wav]]

Adventure Photos

Adventure Song & Lyrics

![[Seraphina's Lament.mp4]]

[Verse]
In a realm beyond our own, where dreams and darkness meet
A celestial vision, a tale to be revealed (ooooh)
Deep within a castle walls, her spirit trapped in time
Seraphina, gentle soul, her tears are crystalline

[Chorus]
Oh, Seraphina, angel fair, bound by destiny's decree
Her haunting melody, a song of sorrow and despair
In her pendant's glow, her essence faintly gleams
Imprisoned in this castle, she yearns to be set free

(Chorus background vocals: "Set me free, set me free, oh-oh")

World Anvil Journal

I heard rumors of some more whispering on the wind near the Whispering Falls so decided to check it out. Turns out Zugg Zugg, Freya and Renaldine had heard the same thing. We all set out on our week-long journey to the falls.

As we near the falls, we begin hearing the sound of flowing water and what at least appears to be a sort of sighing within the sound of the water, or perhaps the wind. I can't quite tell. Freya makes a comment on how cold the water feels, which makes sense as it's flowing rather than standing. If the sounds of the roaring falls didn't tip us off to how close we were to the falls, the cold water certainly does. Renaldine looks toward the sky, seeming to ask Kelemvor for guidance. Apparently he answers as she's able to discern some words within the sighs that were otherwise unable to be heard, much less understood. She says it's vaguely female, and sounds like she's talking to herself.

Renaldine guides us northward, presumably toward the source of the voice, and definitely to the falls themselves. We follow the roar as we find ourselves at the bottom of a small bluff of three small waterfalls. Just above the bluff is one large falls. This must be the place. Renaldine fashions a grappling hook out of some rope and pitons, and she expertly throws it up, making purchase with some thick bushes - enough to hold our weight as we make our way up easily enough.

Once atop the bluff, we all see a being floating just above the relatively small pond of water. The figure appears to be female, a red-tinted celestial of some kind. Renaldine reaches her arms out to her as if showing she is not a threat. Renaldine kneels and bows her head to the figure. The figure glows radiantly as she listens to Renaldine. I've seen beings like this before, but I just can't place where or when exactly. I'm not as trusting as Renaldine, so I gingerly make my way up just a little further, keeping my hand on the hilt of my greataxe just in case things go south. Renaldine tells the being that she feels this is part of the prophecy revealed to her by Kelemvor. I may not be as trusting, but I'll submit in support of Renaldine. I kneel as well, but keep my eyes up. Freya and Zugg Zugg follow soon after, though Freya has similar hesitation.

The figure looks toward all of us and welcomes us. She asks what brought us here, to which Renaldine says she heard her whispers and came to answer her call. The entity says she needs assistance piecing together what happened to her. All she has are visions, mere flashes of distant memories, that all seem out of order. She is willing to show us those visions if we should agree to help her figure out their proper order, but warns us that doing so could be harmful to us. That should help her remember what happened. Renaldine immediately agrees without much question. The being manifests a chalice, from which Renaldine drinks. Just then, Renaldine, seemingly put into a trance-like state, walks to the edge of the water and sits, as if meditating. I ask the being if Renaldine is okay, to which she assures me she is, briefly explaining that she is now within the vision. She says that the more minds that view the vision, the better. I'm skeptical, but ultimately relent once again to assist Renaldine on her quest. I drink from the chalice as well, and am nearly immediately brought into the same trance-like state. I can only presume from here that Zugg Zugg and Freya both partake in her offer as Renaldine and I feel the others' presence soon enter.

As long as we're within these visions, our consciousnesses become one with the being's. She shows us six visions, one by one. As each one comes, we are able to ask her questions about things within the visions. She answers as much as she can to help us help her piece together this timeline.

The first vision we see depicts an almost angelic figure backlit by radiant light, wings fully spread and a longsword in hand, flying above what appears to be a fiery landscape below. Once again I feel as though I have seen such people before. I feel as though they're angels called to battle. What ever this vision represents, this person is hurriedly rushing into battle.

The second vision she shows us is one of a large ballista firing multiple rounds upward into the sky in a mountainous landscape. Along with this vision, we get the feeling this was not a friendly attack. I am somewhat familiar with this type of ballista from my time in Dis. I sure hope I was not somehow involved in whatever transpired here. I do not wish to harm such angelic creatures, if indeed that is what happened. What if I just don't remember, thanks to this curse?

The third vision we see is one of a small gold pendant on what appears to be a necklace, all perched on a rock, as if waiting to be found or recovered. The pendant is adorned with a small turquoise gem at the 12-o'clock position and a larger turquoise gem in the center. Renaldine notices some carvings and etchings along the edges of the pendant, as though it has been modified in some way. My immediate thought was a take a closer look, searching for the name "Neia" etched into it, but am unable to find any names. It would have been quite the coincidence if this belonged to the same Neia whose necklace I still have in my possession. Freya is able to determine the pendant is magical, with a conjuration aura about it. Zugg Zugg feels that the gems found in the pendant are commonly used as a sort of spell focus in certain rituals of the conjuration type. Renaldine realizes this pendant could host a soul inside, like a prison of sorts, as she notices a faint image of a face within the central gemstone peering out. If it is indeed a face, it looks evil, with faintly red eyes and what appear to be fangs or tusks.

The fourth vision is of a dank prison hall lined with chains. Renaldine feels like this location is within the Material Plane. She also recognizes the architecture of the building. On her realization, she and I then realize we've been to this place before. Not these prison halls specifically, but the location of the prison itself: Castle Drakenhoff. It must be somewhere within the castle that we have yet to explore. Freya has a feeling of dissociation, like an out-of-body experience, and hopeless claustrophobia.

The penultimate vision she shares is one of a large-scale battle. In the vision, there appears a fiery landscape beyond a colossal army. There is one figure in the centerof the ground that stands out a bit, perhaps a commander, or captain, of the army. There are winged beings flying in the skies above the battle below. These winged creatures are not angelic, but rather more akin to red-tinged bats. Renaldine once again feels this is also from the Material Plane. The battle has scarred and desecrated the land. I can't help but hope I am not somehow responsible for such desecration myself. Freya recognizes the area as that between the Withered Grove Cemetery and Castle Drakenhoff. Again with the castle. It's a recurring theme in these visions. We keep that in mind. Freya is also able to determine that agents of the Nine Hells were involved in the battle, but unsure whether their conflict spilled out into the Material Plane, or if this battle took place entirely within this area near Castle Drakenhoff. She can't determine who won the battle, however. Thinking back to the pendant vision, Renaldine begins questioning whether this being is being truthful with us, or whether we're being manipulated into helping her release someone, or something, malicious. We put that inside for now and continue.

The final vision we're shown is of the same angelic winged female, now naked and bloodied, crawling her way through the rain attempting to escape wherever she is. We don't have many questions about this image as it seems clear that the being seeks escape or rescue.

The entity explains that this is the part of the process that could be harmful to us. From here, we attempt to piece together the story, putting the visions in their correct order. Renaldine once again immediately agrees to assist, believing this is part of her path of judgment and another step in her becoming a Doomguide. I have my hesitations still, but I assure her I'm here to help as I didn't come all this way to leave empty handed. Freya and Zugg Zugg also agree to help.

Our first and second attempts end in failure. In each case, we are able to get three of the six images in their correct orders. After our first failure, we find ourselves afflicted by a condition which causes us to produce flaming spittle as we cough uncontrollably. The second affliction ends up paralyzing Zugg Zugg and myself for some time. However, we are still capable of assisting with the visions.

On our third attempt, we finally fully piece together the puzzle. First, the large scale battle takes place to set the scene. Then the winged angelic woman with her wings outstretched and sword in hand flies into battle. Then the ballista fires upward, bringing her down. After being brought down, stripped of all her belongings, and beaten, she attempts to escape with what strength she has remaining. After getting caught, her soul is ripped from her body and locked within the pendant. Her body is located locked in the prison within Castle Drakenhoff.

We feel a powerful surge of emotion and understanding. We suddenly share in her own feelings. She exclaims "That's it!" She says she now remembers feeling some demonic power pulse through her when she was hit by the ballista. She recalls she was indeed captured, but can't remember how exactly. She says her soul resides within the pendant, and that her body is located in the deepest level of the castle.

She says she now wants to SEE how her soul was captured. I ask her if she's sure she wants to see such a thing as I don't want her to be more traumatized that she already is as I can only imagine how she felt during the surely harrowing encounter. She assures us that she does indeed wish to see it, so we oblige in her wishes.

She then tells us that our next step is to view one last vision. This vision reveals how she was brought down and captured. She charges us with fighting the battle she failed to win. We're more than happy to assist with that.

We find ourselves suddenly thrust into the vision, flying over the war-filled landscape below before suddenly our consciousness enters that of a few of the warriors on the battlefield as we watch the being's silhouette continue flying over the nearby hill as she's brought down by the ballista. We remain ourselves, however, as we now are part of the battle.

We take some time to prepare for the fight ahead. A nearby soldier tells us we are to take out the duergar and kobold mercenaries and eliminate the captain manning the ballista. Just then, he is himself hit with a large ballista bolt, instantly succumbing to the wound.

It's at this point the our paralysis sets in. Zugg Zugg and I are held fast as Renaldine begins restoring our facilities. She assists Zugg Zugg, then Zugg Zugg assist me. I then reach into the my Bag of Tricks and pull out two new creatures which I have never seen before. I call them Chocobos. The final creature was my good friend Rafiki. Rafiki stays behind to alert us of anything coming in from behind us, and the Chocobos follow us into battle. I tell them to attack our enemies, and they do so effectively, helping take out some of the kobolds and duergar throughout the battle. I can hear our foes speaking in Draconic. I answer them back in Draconic, and they turn their heads not realizing they can be understood. The jig's up. We're here to finish this. The ballista is our largest threat as it has great range, and thus advantage, in this decidedly large battlefield as we do what we can to take cover from its incessant fire. I'm hit a couple times, which hurt massively, very nearly causing me to lose consciousness. I retreat for a moment to recoup before reentering the fight. I climb the nearby cliff and fire upon some kobolds that had nearly surrounded Freya. Renaldine heads toward the south side of the small plateau to their flank. She had great cover going this route. Freya, Zugg Zugg and I head down the center path. Freya casts Darkness to conceal our exact location within, allowing us to make our way somewhat more safely toward our foes. I spend my time firing from range as I make my way toward the captain, going prone between crossbow shots to help prevent the ballista bolts from having an easy target. Zugg Zugg reaches the captain first and does a great job keeping him busy. The dragonborn captain reveals a strong fiery breath that greets Zugg Zugg on his arrival. Eventually, we all make our way near the captain and take him out, but not before an invisible duergar makes one final shot with the ballista before being taken out. Renaldine's spiritual weapon gets the final blow, and the battle which our celestial friend was unable to finish is now over.

On the dragonborn's body, we find a large metallic spike, similar to those we've found previously. The moment we touch the spike, we are thrust out of the visions and back into reality in front of the large waterfall. Before us once again floats the celestial being. She tells us she finally understands and remembers what happened to her. She said "They found me, they found my body, and they drove a spike right into my chest. When they did, I felt my consciousness ripped from my body and placed inside a pendant. My body was taken into the depths of the castle. Now that I understand what happened to me, I know what needs to be done." Renaldine asks what we can do to help further, to which she responds that we need to reunite the pendant with her body. Just then, the waterfall behind her parts, revealing a small hidden cove behind the falls. Inside is are some rocks. On top of one of them appears the very pendant we saw in a vision. Renaldine takes it. The being tells us we are to take the pendant and place it around her body's neck once we find her.

Soon after, she begins to fade away. As she does so, she manifests a chest with rewards for us to take. Before she can fully dematerialize, I ask her name. She replies simply: "Seraphina."

After divvying up our share of the rewards, we make our way back to Urithiru.

We will soon be back to Castle Drakenhoff.

Private Notes

• The Whispering Falls: A majestic waterfall in the mountains rumored to echo the secrets of the past. It's said that those who listen closely can hear the voices of ancient spirits carried by the cascading waters.
• Renaldine introduces herself to us. She appears not to enjoy being the center of attention, keeping her eyes down, shoulders slumped and her hood up. She says she has died several times, but she's on a mission to become a Doomwalker of Kelemvor. She must pass tests. She has a connection to he world of the dead which can come in handy on occasion. Mal questions why she has died so many times but still stands before him alive as can be. She just pulls her hood further down and says she can heal, to which Mal questions the effectiveness of her heals.
• We make our way towards the Whispering Falls. We start hearing the sound of flowing water, so we must be close. At least close to a river. The sound seems to come also with a perpetual sigh.
• Freya comments on how cold the water feels.
• Renaldine looks toward the sky as if inviting Kelemvor to her side, using Eyes of the Grave. She doesn't notice any undead nearby. She listens for any discernable words or messages in the sighs. She hears a voice that sounds like it's talking to itself, remotely female. It sounds like somebody nearby, and NOT coming from the waterfall itself.
• To our north, just over the ledge ahead, is a larger waterfall which seems to feed three streams, each falling over the ledge themselves.
• Renaldine fashions a rope through some pitons to create a grappling hook, and throws it up into the bushes to try to find purchase to allow us to pull ourselves up. She does so successfully, and starts pulling herself up the bluff.
• She calls down to us after securing the makeshift grappling hook to come up after her. She notices a figure near the bottom of the waterfall, and reaches out to it asking what it's whispering.
• Mal follows behind. He sees the figure ahead as well. Renaldine drops to a knee, bowing her head and arms outstretched, palms up. She says "I have heard your whispers. I have come." The figure glows radiantly as it listens to Renaldine.
• Mal recognizes this type of figure, but is not sure from where. Renaldine asks us to drop to a knee for respect toward the figure, but Mal is hesitant. He drops for Renaldine to assist her, but doesn't let go of his axe.
• The figure looks toward us and says "Welcome young ones. What brings you to the falls?" Renaldine says she heard its whispers, and have answered the call. "It seems almost a past life, but once those who trekked to these falls, I would grant vision to the future." Renaldine accepts her offer. "However, my visions are damaged. My ability for foresight is damaged. I've taken an injury to the past." Renaldine asks if it's an injury she can heal it of. "It's an interesting question. You and your friends might be able to help me, but it would be at great peril." Renaldine lifts her head and pulls her cowl off her head for the first time, she looks up and says "It is my path to help you." The figure floats toward Mal and the rest of the group with her arms outstretched, and summons a sort of chalice. "If you are willing to share a vision of the past, you may be able to right the wrong." Renaldine approaches the chalice, looking directly into the eyes of the being, and holds the chalice to the sky. She mumbles a prayer and drinks from it. Renaldine, seeming out of her control, goes into a trance-like state, setting the cup down on the nearby rock, and sit down, legs crossed, eyes closed, in a meditative position.
• Mal asks what's going on with Renaldine, to which the figure replies "She is currently within a vision." Mal asks about the visions being damaged, and whether they'll damage Renaldine. "She should be fine. The more minds in the vision, however, the better." Mal is skeptical, but willing to go through with the drink offer to assist Renaldine in whatever vision she's in. Mal apologizes to the entity for his prior behavior, telling her that while he looks like the typical tiefling, he doesn't want to be like them. She assures Mal that she takes no offense, and that she can see his true intentions.
• Mal takes the chalice, drinks up, and also enters the same meditative state as Renaldine. Eventually, all four of us partake in the offer.
• While in the vision/meditative state, she speaks to us through our minds. "The visions of the past are not making sense. They come as flashes that I can't quite make out."
• She shows us the visions, one by one. We try to make out the story based on the visions we see.
  • The first image we see is a figure quickly traveling over a landscape with white wings outspread and a sword drawn. She's flying over a field of what appears to be molten rock. Mal recognizes this creature to be a sort of counterpart to an illrigger, more or less angels who soar into combat in radiant light. In his experiences with other illriggers, Mal has probably come across these as captains of opposing factions. The figure appears to have a hurried approach to whatever the issue at hand is.
    
  • Mal's image appears as a ballista firing multiple rounds toward the sky. This does not appear to be a friendly attack. This is against the angel. Mal is quite familiar with this type of ballista and attack from his time in Dis. Hoping that he is not involved in any way in such an attack on such a radiant people, Mal begins wondering if he has harmed any such creature who is willing to help him in the past. He once again doesn't wish to be evil, but his mind remains clouded.
    
  • Our next vision appears as a locket or pendant on a necklace, glowing with a radiant light. It seems to be simply lying on a rock, perhaps waiting to be found or recovered. Renaldine sees carvings and etchings around the sides of it, as if it had been modified in some way. Mal takes a closer look for any names that might be engraved into the pendant, hoping for a matching "Neia" similar to what's on the necklace he has. Ultimately, he doesn't recognize anything on it, nor is it like the Neia necklace in his possession. Freya feels like there is a magical aura about it, perhaps of a conjuration aspect to it. Zugg Zugg ponders whether the type of gem in the pendant is commonly used for any kind of spells or rituals he might be familiar with, determining that it's similar to other items used as a sort of spell focus for certain rituals of a conjuration type. At the last moment, Renaldine determines that this pendant might be a type of prison, maybe even for a celestial creature like the one we're assisting.
    
  • Our next vision appears to be the inside of a prison laden with chains and water in the prison halls. Renaldine knows this location is on the Material Plane. Renaldine recognizes the architecture, giving her and Mal immediate flashbacks to Castle Drakenhoff. Perhaps this is in a part of the castle that we have yet to explore. Mal wonders whether the creature in the first image is flying towards or away from this prison. Freya feels hopeless claustrophobia, and also a feeling of dissociation, like an out-of-body type of feeling.
    
  • The next flash of imagery we see appears to be a fiery battle ensuing between good and evil, things flying through the air. Renaldine questions whether this is another Material Plane location, or extraplanar. She feels it's from the Material Plane. Mal can't help but feel like he has himself been the cause of such desecration on the land. He also can't help but feel bad for having probably caused such devastation that he never meant to have wrought on any people, much less innocents caught in it. Freya recognizes that this particular image represents a battle that occurred geographically near Castle Drakenhoff, between Castle Drakenhoff and the Withered Grove Cemetery. Freya tries to determine who was fighting in this battle. She knows that agents of the Nine Hells were at least involved, unsure if their conflict spilled out into the Material Plane, or if it started and ended here. She's unable to determine who won the battle. Renaldine theorizes that either we're talking to someone on the up and up, or that we're being manipulated into releasing a devilish creature, perhaps the one locked inside the prison.
    
  • The final vision we see is of a female figure with bloody wings and a bloody mouth and scar across her face. She appears to be scaly, and/or has ridges along the sides of her face. She appears to be climbing or clinging onto a floor or wall in the rain.
    
• She says "I've shown you everything, but I can't piece them together. If you're willing to assist, be warned that the psychic and radiant backlash, should we get it wrong, might affect you. This is the point where your choice to willingly pursue helping me might cause you harm." Renaldine, believing this is her path of judgment, is the right thing to do, submitting completely to assisting. Mal says he didn't come here to leave empty-handed and will see the process through.
• Our first attempt at piecing together the puzzle ends in a failure. We feel like we have half of the flashbacks in the right order. However, we now periodically cough up fiery embers, potentially starting fires, and we have disadvantage on stealth checks.
• Our second attempt is also a failure. This time, we feel that we're being paralyzed. Mal and Zugg Zugg both fail the save, meaning we are inflicted with Venomous Paralysis, paralyzing us for a time. The order we gave makes us feel like the first three scenes are correct.
• With all that in mind, we feel our third guess is correct. We feel a powerful surge of emotion, of awareness, of understanding. "That's it!" She felt demonic power pulse through her after being hit by one of the ballistae. She was captured, but she doesn't recall how. They did something to her but she doesn't understand. They ripped her soul and placed it inside the pendant, and took her body back to the castle and hid it within the dungeons on the deepest level. She's been but a shadow of what she used to be. She used to be a guide, an oracle, and light for people to follow and seek guidance, but now feels like a mockery of that. She thanks us for showing her what she had forgotten for many years.
• She says she needs to understand and SEE how this happened. How they separated her soul from her body. Mal asks if she's sure she wants to see that, and she assures us she wants to. He just doesn't want to be traumatized by what she finds. She will show us another vision, but this time we will need to take out this ballista, and to understand what it is they did to her. We are to fight the battle she failed to win.
• We concentrate on the visions she shares with us, stepping into it willingly. We find ourselves in a birds-eye view of a massive battle taking place. Suddenly, our consciousness finds a body, and we find ourselves in a small dell. We are in control of a small group of people in support of this being. As we await instructions, we hear a surge of magical energy, a rope snapping against wood, and a glowing bolt flying through the air, impacting our would-be captain as we watch her go crashing further east over some hills. She is behind enemy lines, with a small force and the ballista between us and her.
• Nearby is another soldier. "Our task is to take out the duergar and kobold mercenaries and eliminate the captain manning this ballista. They're just over the hill, we must work together!" Just then, he gets hit by the ballista, and conks out.
• At this point, the paralysis sets in on Zugg Zugg and Mal. Renaldine casts Lesser Restoration on Zugg Zugg, and Zugg Zugg casts it on Mal. We're free!
• Mal immediately goes to stand on dirt just in case he starts coughing up fire.
• Mal uses his Bag of Tricks, summoning two Axe Beaks which he calls Chocobos, and Rafiki.
• Zugg Zugg says he's going to call lightning so we can expect it. He moves forward, and calls his storm. INITIATIVE!!!
  • During the battle, Mal hears a voice shouting "GET THAT NEXT BOLT READY!" in Draconic.
  • Mal gets pelted a couple times by the ballista for a large amount of damage. Mal VERY nearly goes down (2 HP left!). Mal retreats behind cover of a nearby cliff face before quaffing a potion.
  • At some point during the battle, Mal yells towards the Chocobos to attack our enemies. From this point forward, the DM controls them.
  • Once we've dwindled their numbers to just the dragonborn captain and two duergar, the duergar controlling the ballista yells to his captain "Captain, I suggest you retreat!" in Draconic, to which the captain responds "We do not retreat." Mal yells to them and the party, "That's right, we DO NOT RETREAT." Both the dragonborn and the duergar look toward Mal, presumably not realizing they could be understood by anyone in the party.
  • Renaldine's Spiritual Weapon gets the final killing blow on our enemies. Combat over.
• For brevity's sake, we find a large metal spike, similar to those we found previously, on the dragonborn's body. As soon as we touch it, our vision fades. We find ourselves back at the waterfall with the celestial entity. She says "I finally understand and remember what happened to me. They found me, the found my body, and they drove a spike right into my chest. When they did, I felt my consciousness ripped from my body and placed inside a pendant. My body was taken into the depths of the castle. Now that I understand what happened to me, I know what needs to be done." Renaldine asks how we get her back to her body. "To restore me, you must bring the pendant back to my body, reuniting the two pieces of me." Magically, the waterfall parts in the middle, revealing a pendant sitting on a rock. Renaldine grabs it. "Recover my body, place this around my neck, and I will finally be able to bridge my soul with my body again. For your help, please take this as a reward." On one of the rocks in the middle of the water, a chest appears. She thanks us all, and wishes us well before disappearing. Before she can disappear completely, Mal asks her for her name. She replies "Seraphina."
• For loot, we received:
  • 800g
  • Potion of Fire Breath
  • Potion of Climbing
  • Potion of Greater Healing
  • Scroll of Major Image
  • Scroll of Spike Growth
  • Scroll of Heat Metal
  • Scroll of Locate Object
  • Angel's Grace
  • Aegis of Celestia Protection
  • Harmony Blade (Shortsword)
• We divvy out the loot and gold, and head back to Urithiru where we are able to rest and recoup.

That's it for this session!