Session Journal – July 23, 2024
Journal Notes:
Companions:
- Woodland Spirits: Tyki, Nitilda, and their leader Junifer. Junifer has a wound in their chest—a smoldering hole filled with hot coals.
- Finna: Haakon, Kjell, Magne, Marta.
- Dragonkin: Trenu, Siocshak, Beoskona, Phasa.
The Journey:
The woodland spirits guided us along a path near the inner edge of the stump. They revealed that they know the location of the tree’s heart but cannot reach it due to a great dragon guarding it. As we walked, mushrooms lit up in various colors, with Junifer leading us and the others following.
I asked about the dragon. The spirits said it came many cycles ago when the tree was whole. When shadows attacked and winter came, the shadows consumed the tree. The dragon burned the shadows, but in turn, it burned the tree as well. The dragon now resides at the roots, where new seeds might grow, but the spirits cannot approach. Many of their group died, and those who attacked us live on, driven by their anger (manifested as the fire that slowly consumes their bodies).
Chris mentioned the legend of Yggdrasil, the World Tree whose roots touch all worlds and dimensions, possibly allowing travel to other realms. It’s unconfirmed if Erythrilil is this World Tree. The dragon breathes fire, so it’s likely not the green dragon we’re ultimately searching for (Badmanadrax).
We asked what the shadows were that the dragon was trying to kill. The spirits said they came from the ground. Kate wondered if the tree would return to life if the shadows were defeated, but the dryads were unsure.
Confrontation:
As we debated our next move, Junifer suddenly stopped before a valley. To our right, a stream flowed from the fungal forest into a pond teeming with insects. The water reached the tree wall’s edge, where a dark cavernous hole led down to the roots.
As we descended, greenery gave way to glowing fungus. We crawled through the roots until we smelled decay. We emerged onto the lip of a vast, dark chamber. A path to the right was covered with giant fungus, usable as a walkway, but beyond it, the darkness dropped into nothingness. Small roots hung from the ceiling, with larger ones deeper in the darkness, where we saw a faint red glow.
We recalled what we knew about dragons. I’d worked with a gold dragon before, and Chris knew they could sometimes change form into humanoid shapes. Below us, the red light pulsed. We glimpsed something wrapped around it—scales, possibly with streaks of green.
Being the only one who speaks Draconic, Taylor snuck down the mushroom steps to get closer. He drank an invisibility potion and carefully avoided the puffball mushrooms. As he reached the dragon, he saw it was pale, with holes down to the bone. The dragon was dead and had been for a long time.
Taylor called out “Hello, fellow traveler” in Draconic. Silence followed. Then, the cave began to rumble. The dragon’s body slowly began to uncoil. A skeletal foot came down, followed by a head covered in fungus. As wings started to spread, we realized this was not a living dragon, but something undead.
The undead dragon stood, releasing a cloud of poisonous spores. Taylor, still invisible, cast Mad Monkeys. A sphere of magical monkeys screeched loudly, drawing the dragon’s attention. The dragon released a burst of spores at them, but being magical, the monkeys were unaffected.
Pip shot two arrows but missed. The dragon didn’t even notice. Suddenly, it turned and released more spores at Taylor, who dived behind something that began to dissolve. I drew the Tooth of Hunger and ran halfway down the mushroom ramp. Duckfoot loaded ooze ammunition and followed me. We directed the Finna and Dragonkin to shoot down at the dragon from above, keeping out of the way.
The battle has begun.