Heads in jars
Session 23 June 2024
As we gather our wits in the strange, rune-etched room, Patience suddenly appears. I quickly bring him up to speed on our situation, particularly Morph’s petrification. Farryn, visibly annoyed by Patience’s delayed arrival, asks if he can reverse the stone curse. Patience shakes his head. “I’m a mage of the mind, not physical restoration,” he says apologetically.
We decide to carefully lay Morph on the ground, ensuring he won’t topple over. My body still feels fragile and exhausted, and I mention my lingering tick, a constant reminder of my deteriorating state.
“Patience, lead the way,” Farryn commands.
As we proceed, the sound of approaching armor becomes evident. “Three helmed horrors are coming from the south,” Patience reports. Farryn cautions us that fireball won’t work against them.
“Are they real?” Jaf’ar muses, but there’s no time to ponder. The helmed horrors fly towards us. I quickly shoot three arrows, landing two solid hits. The horrors close in, but I take cover behind Farryn and Jaf’ar, retreating further back.
The battle intensifies. Jaf’ar casts Hunger of Hadar, creating a writhing, shadowy void that devours two of the horrors. One of the creatures gets close to Farryn, and I manage to take it down with two well-aimed shots.
I stay alert and, after a few more attacks from my companions, I down another horror. Farryn stands strong, fending off their blows. I nock my final arrow and shoot the last helmed horror. The arrow zips past Farryn’s head, finding its mark in the creature’s helmet hole. The horror clutches the arrow and collapses lifelessly.
With the threat neutralized, we deliberate whether to rest or scout further. We decide to stay close to Morph, moving stealthily to find a safe place. As we venture into a new room, we are greeted by the eerie sight of heads in jars.
Farryn grabs one jar containing a tiefling head and starts a conversation. The tiefling’s last memory is of being teleported. These heads, we learn, are here to answer Halaster’s questions.
Farryn finds another jar holding a half-orc’s head and recognizes it as Pethar, a former party member. Pethar recounts his journey to a wizard academy and subsequent imprisonment.
While Farryn frantically searches for something unknown, Patience nonchalantly taps on jars, activating them and filling the room with a cacophony of voices. I join Patience in the search and come across three leonin heads. I activate them and discover that one of them is Ben, the grandfather of Allastor Crossclaw.
Ben pleads to know about Ellie, but we can’t take the jars with us. Jaf’ar explains the enchantment won’t last outside this room. Before we leave, Farryn asks Ben if there’s anything his grandchild should know. Ben’s message is clear: “He has a big sense of duty; he needs to know it was not his fault.”
The room is now filled with the murmurs of animated heads, a macabre reminder of Halaster’s twisted machinations. We leave the heads behind and push forward, determined to find a way to restore Morph and escape Halaster’s grip.
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