Recap - 2025-07-17

The group set up camp on the outskirts of Semuanya’s Bog, weary and battered from their battle with the Tyrannosaurs. After a meal and some conversation, they all head to bed. The Outlands are strange at night, with the light clicking off as the meridian crosses through their camp, instead of gently fading. There is also an odd droning aspect to the insects, never fading in and out, but constant. Underneath this buzzing is dozens of voices whispering, babbling, prayers or thoughts in dozens of languages.

Once the group has rested, they awake to Tabithgor cooking breakfast - Mushroom coffee and a hearty stew. The stew is made with some odd herbs and ingredients from the planes, including Ironroot from Carceri, and TwinVane, from Bytopia. Josiah and Tag both try the coffee, with it having a severe digestive effect on Tag, but boosting his vitality.

After breakfast, they set off and travel away from the swamp toward a gap in the mountain range that skirts the outside of the bog. There are enormous flowers all around, with massive red petals easily two feet long. Angelus decided to harvest some sap from the flowers, and decided to fill a bucket with the explosive sap. He mimed tripping and spilling it on Tag, and then accidentally did spill a little, burning Tag slightly.

They travel onward, and encounter Myrna the Mirror Witch, a hag wearing an unusual mirrored mask. She floats out across her small pond and offers to trade with the players: She will take the bad pieces of a terrible memory, and in exchange, she will provide the players a treasure. Only Tag agrees, and Myrna first forces him to relive the memory so she can watch it and observe, then alters it on the subsequent passes. By the time the final playthrough occurs, Tag remembers the memory as something neutral, not depressing. She takes the bad aspects of the memory and stores it in a small glass jar, then hands Tag a Green Chromatic Rose. The party continues on, with Tag glancing back and noticing Myrna vanishing away into the ether.

They approach the mountain pass, and see two enormous statues stretching into the clouds. Each statue is missing its head and its hands, both of which lie at their feet, cracked. The statues are set in a shrugging pose, with their arms gesturing at each other in hopelessness.

A magical wave of ennui washes over the group, and Josiah and Chibro both fall prey to it, sinking into apathy. Angelus inspects the plaques bolted to the statues’ feet, and reads “They chose nothing. So they became nothing.” Angelus successfully recalled that these statues depict heralds of a neutral god of balance who became apathetic, and were cursed to be hopeless beacons on the path to Hopeless and Hades.

As they continued past the statues, Angelus detected a circle of radiant energy, hallowed ground, and suddenly four doors appeared in front of them, blocking their way.

The four doors are covered in mystical symbols, and each one is a different color, and each door has a large word written on it in a different language.
Tag, you glance at the first door: It is a brilliant gold and has the word “Good” written on it in Celestial.
The second door is grey and has the word “Evil” on it in Infernal .
The third door is covered in a perfectly alternating checkerboard pattern of black and white, and has a word written on it in Modron.
The fourth door is a mess of swirls of various colors and has the word “Chaos” in Primordial, which Josiah can read.

Chibro refuses to choose a door and remains behind with Tabi.
Tag and Angelus go into the evil door.
Josiah and Gobbie go into the good door.

Good Door

You step through the door, expecting a wonderful glowing heavenly atmosphere, and you are not disappointed. The glade is beautiful. The flowers are in full bloom, the grasses are soft under your feet. The wind is a perfect gentle breeze. However, in the clearing in front of you, is something not as idyllic. A woman lays in the ground. She does not appear to be in physical pain but is definitely distressed. She grasps at the grass and gasps, her eyes wide. Her skin is covered in glowing lines, like fractures in stone. She coughs violently, enough to draw blood, but instead gentle droplets of light float out of her mouth.
Over her, wings gently flapping, is a large flying serpent-like creature, its body iridescent, colors sparkling across its scales. You feel a sense of peace and calm radiating from it. It looks up at you, and its eyes reflect a sadness so deep you feel your eyes begin to water.
“I know how you feel, but it must be done. This is miravana. 25 years ago a cataclysm threatened a city. She was just a passing adventurer. But she stepped in. She was given directions to a grand boon by the gods to prevent the cataclysm. Power too great for her frame to wield. But then, while she was questing for the power, someone else stopped the cataclysm. And the power, gifted to her and unable to be returned, lay dormant. But now, these many years later, it is needed. Somewhere on the material plane, a city is in danger yet again. And the sacrificial vow made then is applicable now. She is the fuel and the conduit and her death will save thousands.
On the ground, the woman yells. Not in agony, for there seemed to be no pain. But in frustration in fear. She shouts, “I did this to save that first town. To save my new friends. I did this to save the people in that town. I don’t even know who you are asking me to die for now!”
The snake sighs, and says, “It will be over soon.”

Josiah first offers to take on the burden of the divine energy, but the Couatl warns him he will surely die. Josiah begs the Couatl to let him do something, anything, and the Couatl states that he could attempt to funnel the energy using his arcane powers. If he fails terribly, he, Miravana, and the city will all perish. Josiah takes the chance, and with a blessing from Gobbie, redirects the energy. He is almost successful, saving himself and Miravana, but some of the energy is lost in the attempt. The city is saved, but not all of it. Miravana gives him a sending stone, stating that he can call on her if he truly needs her and she will do her best to come assist. She also gives him her Mantle of the Dawn, and proceeds through a portal to the Material Plane to attempt to help the city further.

Josiah and Gobbie are able to return through the door.

Evil Door

When you step through the door, you step onto a landing that connects to an enormous staircase that stretches up into the dark expanse above. On this landing is a stone throne, covered in gold filigree, with a thick cushion and with a cold glass of wine on the arm. A thick-set dwarf with finely made armor and a massive axe sits in it. The axe leans against the side of the chair, and he is sipping at the wine, muttering to himself.
“Those addled idiots thought I would make an alliance with them? I make alliances with no one. I am my own person.”
A model of a large kingdom in minature is floating behind his throne. Smoke billows from it, with every building ablaze or in smoldering ruins.
The dwarf stares at you, and mutters, “Idiots. Being the ruler means you bow to no one. No matter the cost.”

Tag tries to convince the Dwarf to stand, but he refuses. Angelus begins to pour the firewine sap onto him, trying to intimidate him to stand, but the dwarf grabs Angelus instead and pulls him in. Tag is able to extricate his friend, and they both climb up the stairwell to the next level.

Each level has a throne, and someone sitting in it:

An Elven Archmage who chose her research over her people, only to be unable to solve the ultimate puzzle.
A fallen paladin whose blade radiates golden light that he can never touch.
A Tiefling Historian who tried to edit history to create the perfect story, only to find himself written out of it.
A changling spy who took a thousand faces to try to make everyone love them, only to end up forever alone.

Finally, Tag and Angelus came to thrones where their mirror images sat, older, but recognizable. Tag’s copy offered him power, and the chance to rule, if only he sat. Angelus was offered wealth to gamble away forever, and the power that wealth would bring. Both refused, with Angelus using a single flipped coin to determine his fate. Their mirror copies merged into one, turning into a creature of shadow, and attacking them. They managed to defeat it, and the throne turned into the door, allowing them to exit.

No Door

Chibro and Tabi twiddled their thumbs for a bit, waiting for the others to return, only to be beset by a figure in a grey cloak with a hood covering its face. It declared that not making a choice is a choice in and of itself, and attacked.

Chibro and Tabi fought the creature, with it using its enormous spear-like shadowed hands to pull them into its apathetic embrace.

Tag, Angelus, Josiah and Gobbie spilled out into this battle, and helped defeat the monster. Once they had destroyed it, the doors vanished and they were able to set off toward Hopeless once again.

Treasure

Green Chromatic Rose - Tag
Sending Stone to Miravana.
100 GP - Angelus
2 Healing Potions to Chibro
Magic Dagger (TBD) to Tag.

Song of the Session

People are Strange by The Doors

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